Chapter Ten

"How does that feel?" asked Unohana as she pressed her hand against his bare chest.

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment before responding. "Fine. I'm not feeling any residual pain from the night before."

The Captain of Squad Four smiled. "That's wonderful news. I was afraid that the rigors of the exams might exacerbate your wounds from last night, but it would seem that I was worried for nothing."

"I have you to thank for that," said Itachi as he put his shirt back on, "The way you healed me last night was very impressive. I don't think I'm any worse for the wear."

Unohana nodded. "You're too kind. Still, it never hurts to take precautions."

That was a sentiment that Itachi could wholeheartedly agree with. Sitting in the Academy infirmary with the Soul Society's premier healer, he had patiently cooperated with her as she had conducted her examination. It was a very educational experience for him; while he had occasionally been treated by the Leaf Village's medical ninja during his time with the Anbu Black Ops, he actually had never gained as great a comprehension of their healing methods as he had of other jutsu. Being under the treatment of a healer who used spiritual energy as opposed to chakra for her medical arts was quite fascinating, and when he'd asked Unohana about her methods she had described them as a subset of the spell casting powers known collectively as Kidō; in this case, Kidō for healing was known as Kaidō, and the members of Squad Four were all trained in it due to the unit's function as the medical corps of the Soul Society.

"Well," said Unohana with a smile, "I'm most pleased to give you a clean bill of health, Itachi."

Itachi nodded. "Thank you. Was it the same for Jiraiya?"

Unohana laughed. "Yes, although his examination session didn't go quite as smoothly as yours. His behavior forced me to use less gentle means of treatment."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Less gentle?"

"I suppose there's no harm in telling you," said Unohana with a smirk, "While I was examining his shoulder I could not help but notice one of his hands had begun to, shall we say, wander. It became a little too adventurous for its own good, so I decided to teach it a lesson by demonstrating just how easily what was healed the night before could become damaged again without the proper care."

Itachi suppressed a chuckle; he had a pretty good idea what had taken place given Jiraiya's reputation. "I see. I'm sure it was a very valuable learning experience."

"I'd like to think so," Unohana replied, "Is there anything else that I can do for you, Itachi?"

"If you don't mind," he said, "I actually had a question. It's regarding your powers as a healer."

Unohana smiled. "I'm always willing to educate others on the ways of Kaidō. Ask away, Itachi."

"Is the utilization of Kaidō taught at Shin'ō Academy?" asked Itachi.

Unohana nodded. "There are introductory courses offered, and members of Squad Four frequently act as guest teachers. Those who show particular promise in this field are typically recruited into my division upon graduation."

Itachi leaned forward. "Isn't it unwise to have all of the Soul Society's healers concentrated into a single group? I can understand the organizational benefits, but wouldn't it be more prudent to have healers assigned to multiple divisions in order to improve first response times?"

"You are not the first person to raise that concern, and it is a valid one," said Unohana, "Within my division are rapid response and relief teams that are assigned to work with the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but I'll be the first to admit that the current system could use some work. We are particularly hamstrung by a certain regulation from the Central Forty-Six; Squad Four members, with the exception of the Lieutenant and Captain, are not allowed to journey to the Realms of the Living without the prior authorization of the Head Captain."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Why? That doesn't make any sense."

"Healers are a valuable resource," Unohana replied, "Our protection is given considerable priority. Without the members of Squad Four, the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would not be able to function cohesively and effectively."

"Perhaps," said Itachi, "but your hands are needlessly tied by this regulation. More to the point, from what I saw the night before it would seem that you personally require very little in terms of protection."

Unohana smiled. "Well, I'm the Captain for more than just my skills as a healer. Other members of Squad Four are capable of engaging in battle as well, but that is not their primary field of expertise. To specialize in the healing arts is no small thing; expert Kaidō practitioners devote many long hours to maintain and improve their medical skills, and this unfortunately means that they have far less time than others to devote to combat training. My gifts make me one of the few exceptions. I am very proud of the members of my division, Itachi, but one of the requirements bestowed upon me as Captain is to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. If the time ever comes when members of Squad Four must fight on the front lines, then it means we would be faced with a truly dire situation."

Itachi nodded. "I understand. I apologize for questioning you in such a manner."

Unohana gave him a warm smile. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Itachi. That you would ask such questions and argue against the current system in the desire to improve it speaks highly of your intellect. If anything, I should be thanking you for it; I've rather enjoyed this conversation of ours. I'd very much like for it to continue further, but I'm afraid that will have to be at another time; I do have other patients to see, after all."

"Of course," said Itachi as he stood up, "I've taken up enough of your time as it is."

"Think nothing of it," Unohana replied, "Oh, could you do me a favor?"

"Name it," said Itachi.

Unohana smiled again, but there was a shadow behind it that nearly made Itachi bolt for the door right there and then. "Please tell Jiraiya that he'd best mind his wandering hands… lest he misplace them altogether."

Itachi got the message loud and clear; he could only hope that Jiraiya would heed it. "I'll do so."

"I'd greatly appreciate it," said Unohana, the warmth returning to her expression as if nothing had happened, "Take care of yourself, Itachi, and best of luck with your upcoming classes."

It didn't take long for Itachi to return to the meal hall. Jiraiya was setting at a table munching on what looked like dried fruit, and Itachi joined him after grabbing some water. He saw the sage rub his left shoulder; no doubt Unohana's 'lesson' from earlier still hadn't completely worn off.

"Your skirt chasing is going to be the death of you," said Itachi as he joined the Sannin.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, I can think of worse ways to go."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Itachi, recalling the chill he'd gotten from Unohana, "If you try to cop a feel on the Squad Four Captain again, your afterlife could prove to be a short one."

Jiraiya smirked. "Is that the message she wanted you to give to me?"

"More or less," Itachi replied as he looked around, "Where's Yoruichi?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "She hasn't come by yet. I'm sure she'll show up sooner or later. She did seem pretty eager to introduce us to her fellow Captains, after all."

That was certainly true, and Itachi wondered just how many they'd end up meeting before the day was out. Yoruichi and Unohana had been very impressive in their own right, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what the other Captains would be like. If they were all as powerful as the two he'd already met, though, then he would be very thankful for the fact that they seemed to limit their activities to managing Hollows and other affairs of the afterlife; Yoruichi and Unohana alone could do tremendous damage should they decide to turn their attentions towards the ninja world.

Can Soul Reapers even interact with those who are still alive?, he mused, I suppose that's one of the many things I'll learn once my new education begins.

"By the way," said Jiraiya, his expression more serious now, "We need to talk later."

"About what?" asked Itachi.

"You know what," Jiraiya replied, his eyes narrowing, "Naruto, the Akatsuki, your clan; all of it. I was originally going to put this on hold for a little longer, but now that we're through the entrance exams it's a different matter. The student body here has no idea who you were when you were alive, so if you're going to be attending class with them I need to be sure that you're not a threat."

Ever the protective teacher, he thought, even though the students here are not under his tutelage. It's a little sooner that I had hoped for, but I can certainly understand his desire to move forward quickly with this.

"Very well," he said after a moment, "Once we're settled in later, we can begin whenever you're ready."

Jiraiya nodded. "All right, then. You've got a little bit of goodwill thanks to that fight with the Hollows last night, but that goes out the window if you try to bail out on this, you got that?"

"Understood," said Itachi.

It was at that moment Yoruichi walked in, and from the look on her face she could already detect that something was brewing between Itachi and Jiraiya. "Hey, what's up? You guys passed the exams, so why the sour vibes towards each other? Don't tell me you've already become rivals!"

Itachi shook his head. "It's nothing like that."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, maybe not entirely like that. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition between men, after all. Isn't that right, Itachi?"

"Whether you wish to compete with me in anything is entirely up to you," Itachi replied as he stood up, "I'm here only to learn and to train. Is it time, Yoruichi?"

She nodded. "Yes. I was going over test results with some of the other Captains, and I think they're ready to meet you now."

"Sounds good to me," said Jiraiya with a grin as he rose to join them, "This should be fun."

"Oh, yes," Yoruichi replied, "but before we go, afraid I got to set a ground rule. I don't mind you guys being informal with me; I'm not really one for titles myself. That being said, some Soul Reapers are pickier about that than others, so it's better to be on the safe side."

Itachi knew what she was getting at. "Of course. What should we call you, then? We may not be full-fledged Soul Reapers, but we're no longer mere candidates for Academy enrollment, either. What do students call Captains or other officers in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?"

"Soi-Fon's a big stickler for my title of nobility," said Yoruichi, "but I'd rather avoid that. If we're in front of Soul Reapers on duty, or teachers and their assistants here at the Academy, call me Captain Yoruichi; I prefer that to my last name, and with the rank in front it's still formal enough that some of the stricter Captains will let it slide if they hear you addressing me that way. Otherwise, if I'm just paying you a friendly visit, feel free to call me Yoruichi. Simple enough?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Fine by me. I was never really big on titles myself, so I get where you're coming from there."

Yoruichi nodded. "Good. Follow me, then."

She led them down a corridor, and a few minutes later they came to what looked like a staff conference room. The Captain of Squad Two opened the door and ushered them in, and they were immediately confronted with an… interesting variety of Soul Reapers.

The first one to greet them was a tall, light-skinned man with grey eyes and wavy brown hair tied in a long ponytail. He wore a Sugegasa straw hat and a long and flowing flowery pink kimono over his white Captain's haori. Tied at his waist were not one but two swords, a traditional daisho pairing of a tachi and wakizashi. Both weapons had rectangular guards with the corners cut off, were decorated by patterns of lines and cherry blossoms, and each sported a dark blue handle. There was a decent amount of stubble on his jawline, and Itachi could detect a hint of sake on his breath.

"Well, now, who do we have here?" he said with an easygoing smile, "Are these the gifted new students you were boasting about earlier, Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi smiled. "You got it! This is Itachi Uchiha and Jiraiya. Itachi, Jiraiya, meet Shunsui Kyōraku, Captain of Squad Eight."

"Nice to meet you," said Itachi as he bowed his head.

"Good to make your acquaintance," said Jiraiya before looking over the Captain's shoulder and grinning, "And who might your lovely companion be?"

Shunsui chuckled, and from the look on his face Itachi knew that the Captain had already sensed a kindred spirit in Jiraiya. "That would be my Lieutenant. Come on, now, Lisa; it's impolite to withhold a proper introduction."