章 46: Chapter 45 - Acknowledgement
"Unfortunately, your goal will end as mere fantasy and vanish like a dream upon waking." — Itachi Uchiha.
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Junpei knelt on the ground, thoroughly spent, gasping in a bid to get his breathing in order.
Ever since Mr. Shinigami started carrying those exercises on his body, he found out that he started getting tired more easily and quickly than before but he didn't say anything and desperately hoped that Mr. Shinigami wasn't playing a sick ploy with him.
He listened to what Mr. Shinigami said and did what he was told to do obediently because to him, Mr. Shinigami looked like one of those people who hated wasting time.
However, his tiny suspicions and worries vanished when he found out that he actually felt stronger and brimming with energy.
He might or might not have stupidly punched a tree and all he got in return was a painful screech of a scream and nothing happening to the tree.
He had no way of knowing if he was truly strong or his head was messing with him, but all that became a moot point when he started getting a tiny bit faster, all up to the day where for the first time he actually was able to move his Reiatsu and feel it leave his body in tiny wisp.
Covering the sword with it, he quickly found out, made him exhausted in a short time but he believed Mr. Shinigami knew what he was doing. He IS the Shinigami between the both of them.
"Get up." He heard Mr. Shinigami's dry scary voice and he pushed himself off the ground with all of his depleted strength.
"Again."
Great. First, calm breath. Next, concentrate and gently pull it out. Now breathe again and hold it steady.
Junpei's body croaked as he once more pushed out his last dregs of Reiatsu and let it burn away as he pushed it to his sword. He opened up another salvo of attacks that Mr. Shinigami met head-on, not sidestepping or parrying like he used to do.
One thing that unnerved Junpei about Mr. Shinigami was that the scary soul always knew when he was out of energy and Reiatsu and when he was lying about being completely tired.
He barely lasted five minutes before he fell to the ground without even sufficient energy to groan as he hit the ground and to prove him right, Mr. Shinigami said nothing but just dropped his wooden sword, signifying the day's session was over, much to Junpei's relief.
"The entrance exam is coming up soon in a few months." Junpei heard him say but couldn't decide if it was a question or a statement.
He tried saying something but the only thing that came out from his throat was a guttural groan.
"You're getting better."
Junpei stilled as those foreign words entered his ears. By the time he got himself together and managed to turn his head towards where Mr. Shinigami stood but the man was gone.
This was the first compliment, both good and bad, that have been exchanged between them. If not for how spent he was, he wanted to shout his heart out.
'Maybe, just maybe, I can become a Shinigami.'
That thought became more prevalent in his mind that it was the only thing he could think of as he walked back home.
…..
[POV: With Itachi]
Walking back to his abode, he returned slight nods to those who greeted him on the way.
Both the members of the Onmistukidō special forces and the 2nd Division knew him or knew of him to an extent because apparently they all expected him to have the position of a Seated Officer since he was more than qualified to and were even surprised when he expressed his lack of interest in squad politics.
The Second Division were not the best people but one thing Itachi silently appreciated about them was that they mostly kept to themselves, which meant as little people as possible trying to come at odds with him.
He hard barely put down his satchel when he heard a knock on his door and from the familiar feel of their Reiatsu, it was one of Yoruichi's messengers.
Stepping out of his door, the messenger quickly delivered his message and left. The summary of it was that Yoruichi wanted him to report to her office whenever he comes back.
The laid back Captain of the Second was fun and games for most of the times you come across her, especially privately, but she knew how to give out seemingly unending tasks.
"I left six days ago. Neither too long or short." Itachi briefly pondered as he entered the building of Yoruichi's office.
He knocked on her door and entered after her permission to find her reading through reports and stamping them.
"And here I thought you'll be taking a full week or two off." Yoruichi joked while Itachi stood ramrod straight to the side.
She had gotten used to his silence and she liked to believe Itachi knew how to take on her frivolities in stride.
'How the hell Soi Fon can be more of a prude than Itachi is something I still am yet to understand.' She thought to herself.
"What do you want, Yoruichi?" He came off strong in a way that would have been seen as disrespecting but the purple haired Captain let it wash over her like wind.
"Soi Fon is currently unavailable and she's the one I usually have around for tasks like these." She started slowly as her hand darted over the stacks of paper while Itachi listened on in silence. "Family duties. Mind accompanying me?"
"Yes, I do." Itachi replied without missing a beat. She could go anywhere she wanted without an escort so she wasn't fooling him with such a lame attempt.
"Sheesh. First you refuse to join the Onmistukidō and now you don't even want to accompany me."
"Yoruichi." Itachi stressed.
"Fine." She sighed as she dropped her pen to look at him. "Work directly for me, Itachi."
Their current relationship can be said to be one of accumulating favors where they request something from the other in cost of a few favors, heavily depending on the value of the favor they were giving.
"You already know my answer." Itachi replied. It was a weird conversation to have given that Yoruichi was Itachi's Captain either way but to them who knew the depth and weight of the words spoken, it was layers deeper than any who heard it might think.
"I know. That's why I'm still asking." Yoruichi said, not surprised at Itachi's swift rejection or hid it well if she was. "I understand your reasons behind why you don't want to."
"And yet?" He stared at her and she took it in and returned it. "What do want my loyalty for, Yoruichi? And should I point out how strange you're acting?"
She looked surprised at the latter bit, knowing she was acting out of wonk and made a irritated groan at the realization. "I guess I've been thinking too seriously as of late. I think I'll pester Kisuke later for a spar to let out some steam."
Itachi said nothing and just let her verbally release her frustration. "So?"
"Actually I want you to accompany for a meeting of clan heads, not for me but for you. I know someone you might be able to ask some questions without offending them. Why am I doing this? Obviously because you're lost, or else you wouldn't be spending days in the Rukongai."
Questions. Itachi had them, no doubt, but he knew some answers were better searched for than given.
Also this might give him an understanding of the Noble Families and how their existence affect the Soul Society.
"I'm not in a hurry. I'll think about it." Itachi said and turned to leave the office as Yoruichi gave him her parting words.
"Kenpachi is looking for you so don't be surprised when you find a short pinkette popping up around you."
After the doors closed, Yoruichi dropped her pen and threw her head backwards because something impossible just happened and she was too carried away to quickly notice it.
Yoruichi Shihōin never begs for anything, least of all for someone's loyalty. How it came to that was something she had little control of.
"Oh! Maybe I should visit Kukaku. Yes, hahaha. To hell with these reports." She said and stomped out of her office before disappearing with a Shunpo as she headed towards the Shiba residence.
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