105 Shinigami and Assassins

(At the Palace)

"Are you sure Prime Minister?" The young Makoto asked as he entered his bedchambers. "I've never left the walls of the palace before. Maybe I should see the state of the empire with my own eyes." He said, while crawling into his bed, as Honest continued to talk with him.

"You're Majesty," the man started, "he said so himself. He is a reaper of the dead, not a lord of the living. What would he know about leading an empire?" He smiled, while biting into a chunk of meat. "And you do give audience to members of the kingdom, have they seemed dissatisfied? Your place is within the castle, where you are safest." He swallowed the mouthful while the emperor laid his head down to sleep. "You are doing a wonderful job, Your Majesty. Have I ever lied to you before?" He said before shutting the door, leaving Emperor Makoto alone.

"You haven't Prime Minister." He said, closing his eyes to sleep. 'But what reason would a god have to lie to me?' He thought before going into the land of dreams.

(With Prime Minister Honest)

'Damn that blasted Ichigo Kurosaki!' Honest thought scowling at the thought of the Soul Reaper that appeared out of nowhere. 'Where does he get off, ruining my carefully laid plans? If that brat leaves the castle and decides to actually do anything, I can kiss this cushy life of mine goodbye. I can't exactly find a replacement puppet, not with the current state of the Empire!' He tore into the meat he had, now free of the need to control himself around his puppet. 'Well, it's no matter. He sure to be dead by now. How many can possibly challenge the mighty Esdeath?' He smiled before coming across an unconscious Budo being carried by two of Esdeath's three beasts, with the general herself looking furious. "Esdeath, tell me you have good news." He demanded, growing concerned that the key to his power would be incapable of serving his needs.

"The Shinigami got away, I underestimated him." She bluntly replied, wincing as she felt her bruised stomach from when Ichigo punched her. "I wanted to avoid killing him so much, I held back and he escaped me." She smiled as a blush colored her cheeks before whispering to herself. "He is amazing."

"Not just Budo, but you were unable to best him?" Honest asked, already trying to think of how to deal with the Shinigami. Brute force did nothing so far, and now he disappeared. Before anything else can be done, he needed Ichigo found. "I'll begin to have wanted posters made immediately, and we'll-"

"That is a terrible idea." The general immediately said, interrupting the man. "It's just been established that he can match me in combat and that he will defend himself. If you turn this into a manhunt, you will waste resources that will result in nothing but failures to bring him in." She then took on a predatory grin. "Besides, our deal was that so long as I have my fun I will side with you. This is my hunt, so do not interfere." She left the threat hanging in the air, daring the Prime Minister to make a foolish decision.

"Very well General." Honest said, knowing a losing battle when he saw it. Besides, there was sense in Esdeath's claim. He just needed to use it. "Where was he going before you lost sight of him?"

"He was heading Northward before vanishing before my eyes. That's my only clue." She said, thinking back on similar difficult hunts from her youth.

"That's a fortunate coincidence." The glutton said, pleasantly surprised. "The Northern territories have been getting unruly as of late. I was thinking of sending you there to wipe them out. Maybe killing off the entire nation will summon him to you?" Esdeath thought it over, baiting a god for a rematch sounded tempting.

"I might just do that." She smiled coldly.

(Unknown Location)

Hidden away, behind a thick forest and mountain stone far from the rest of civilization, was a building. A featureless fortress that seemed carved directly into a stone cliff, definitely a building that looks like it's balancing the top of the natural rock on top of it. Inside this mountain base was a collection of individuals, soldiers, a merchant, carefree folks, all that felt a dissatisfaction with the current state of the empire and serve a niche critical to any war. Assassination.

This was the base of Night Raid, the assassination corp of the Revolutionary Army. They target those that are crucial in the Empire's corrupt regime and strike them down, weakening the state for when the war reaches the Capital. They also gather intelligence and retrieve any of the weapons called Teigu to strengthen their rebel forces. As such, two members of this group were investigating an unknown that recently crashed into the palace and fought against the two leading generals of the empire, and the appearance of weird Danger Beasts that appeared and disappeared almost instantly. They found Ichigo Kurosaki and brought him back to their base, offering him a safe place to rest himself, where he took a bed and encased himself in a pyramid of glowing light before falling asleep.

"That's quite a story you two." A silver haired woman with a robotic arm said, looking at the teen within the barrier. "I personally know how dangerous Esdeath is, and you're saying that kid managed to hold her off on his own?"

"We only saw the aftermath boss." The blonde girl said. "This big cube thing shattered with him punching her, then he landed on the parapet of the wall before she ran after... something."

"It seemed like she was chasing an illusion, so he likely has a Teigu of his own." The black haired one said. "He could be a key asset." The leader of the group took a drag of her cigarette, mulling over the idea before coming to a conclusion.

"Keep an eye on him, and let me know when he wakes up." She said before leaving the room. 'Someone that can fight her... just one person capable of that level of strength is terrifying enough, now there's another?' She needed to play her cards right, for the sake of the nation that is the Empire. This person was Najenda, leader of the assassination unit called Night Raid and former general of the Empire. And this teen may just be the godsend she was hoping for against Esdeath.

The hours passed as Ichigo continued to rest, his body finally reaching stability with the Reishi of the world, while Night Raid members kept watch over him in shifts. As the spiritual power imbalance righted itself, the already abnormal appearances of strange Danger Beasts began to fade as well, leaving only a few individuals catching any glimpse of one of the masked monsters. Soon, the morning sun bled over the horizon as the new day dawned. The light reached the Soul Reaper and roused him from his slumber as the rays danced on his eyes.

'Ugh. Whether in this world or back home, mornings always suck.' He thought as he stretched his body, the increased blood flow helping to further awaken him. He sat up and snapped his fingers, dispelling the barrier that kept him safe. 'No headache, no disorientation, I still feel a bit stiff but not as bad as last night.' He analyzed himself, not noticing the other occupant in the room.

"Well, you're a handsome one." Ichigo finally looked to the side, seeing a tall and buff man with a thick black pompadour in the shape of a heart, wearing a black skin tight shirt with green chest and shoulder armor. "Name's Bulat, nice to meet ya." He said with a smile... and a wink that made the Soul Reaper a little suspicious about the man's preferences. "Hate to ruin your morning, but the boss wanted to meet you as soon as you wake up."

"I guess that's fair," Ichigo said as he got out of bed and continued to stretch, "I did sleep in your house after all." After a few more stretches and bones popping, he was ready for a talk and hopefully breakfast. "Alright, let's do this." He said as Bulat escorted him from the sleeping quarters to the meeting room of the base. Inside was six more people, a purple haired woman with glasses, a lilac Chenogasm, and a scar on her right cheek, a green haired teen with red goggles and a green hoodie, a pink haired girl with twin tails in a pink dress that seemed to be looking down on him, the two he met that brought him here, and a woman with a robotic arm that seemed to be the leader.

"Welcome, whoever you are, glad to see you're awake." She said, popping in a cigarette and lighting it. "It's not often one fights Esdeath and lives, let alone one that manages to walk away. Who are you stranger?" Ichigo took a moment to observe his surroundings, finding that he was soon surrounded by the group. They weren't showing obvious aggression, but he was familiar with assassins and recognized their readiness to pounce. Not nearly on Onmitsukido levels, but not half bad.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, Soul Reaper." He answered getting surprised looks from the group, with the boss lady and the black haired girl still analyzing him. "Do I get to know my hosts, or doesn't that count for good manners to introduce yourselves first?" Some of the assassins shifted about at that, but the boss took a drag and exhaled before answering.

"I'm Najenda, the leader of Night Raid." She used her cigarette to point at the other members of her group, starting with the blonde from last night. "My team members are Leone," the black haired girl, "Akame, you've met Bulat," the pink girl, "Mine," the goggles guy, "Lubbock," ending on the purple haired girl, "and Sheele. How much do you know about what's going on?"

"I'm more interested in what a Soul Reaper is." Lubbock interrupted. "Are you really the guy that ferries the souls of the dead to the afterlife?"

"Not as intimidating as I expected." Mine interjected. "What a letdown." Najenda sent a glare to the two, shutting them up rather quickly.

"Well, I already know that the Empire is in a state of civil war." Ichigo answered, going by what he was told and what he figured out for himself. "I know that the Prime Minister is likely the main culprit and the Emperor is nothing but a puppet to him." Najenda nodded, showing him that everything he just said was pretty much the truth. "I'm guessing Night Raid is a faction of the revolutionary army?"

"Assassination, reconnaissance, any dirty job that needs doing to weaken the Empire." Najenda responded. "And I suspect you know what I'm about to ask of you."

"Whether or not I'll join or how I managed to fight Esdeath?" He said, gambling on the possibility of enacting his plan to escape if necessary. When Najenda nodded, Ichigo put his plan into motion. "Well, in reverse order, I fought Esdeath using this." He unsheathed his Kido blade, only Akame heard him whisper 'Shatter'. "Kyoka Suigetsu." The blade pulsed in response. "My blade, my Zanpakuto, was the key for that fight. It allowed me to create the illusion that led her run off after I said the fight was over."

"And that other sword on your hip," Akame started, "is that also a Zanpakuto?"

"It is, but that sword is strictly for fighting." He turned his attention back to Najenda. "Every Shinigami has a Zanpakuto and every Zanpakuto is unique. Some are simple weapon changes while others rival and exceed the most powerful Teigu, at least from what I've seen from Esdeath and Budo." Ichigo thought back to some of the other Zanpakuto he's seen from his allies in the Gotei. "I'm familiar with ice manipulation, and the man that trained me controlled fire. He's said to have the strongest offensive might of any Soul Reaper."

"So there are other Shinigami?" Najenda asked, processing the new information while the others questioned how believable the story was.

"Yes, but I am the only one in the Empire." The hybrid answered before getting to the next point. "And no, I will not join you." He said, making the other members either angry, sad, or disappointed by the rejection. "This is your war, I will not fight it."

"Well, we can't let you go freely." Lubbock stated. "Not when you've seen our base."

"Oh really?" Ichigo said, suddenly behind Lubbock as he released his hypnosis on the group. His hand was around Lubbock's throat and held a blade under Najenda's. Akame's blade. "Would you like to tell me how you plan to stop me?" Before anyone could react, Najenda shouted.

"Nobody move!" All the assassins froze in place, the general keeping them under control. "I apologize for my subordinate's rudeness. I assume the Emperor also asked you to join him and you said no?" She asked, remaining calm despite the instant kill blade under her neck. "What do you plan to do?"

"My orders are to reap souls and not involve myself in your war." Ichigo answered. "That's my only commitment here."

"And why are you flesh and blood instead of spirit?" She asked, finding it odd that a spiritual being would be here in the flesh.

"Technically I'm both. I'm still driven by the need of sleep and hunger but I can't eat human food as a spirit."

"So you'll need a place to live?" Ichigo nodded, making Najenda smile. "Then you can live here." She said, surprising everyone. "I won't ask you to fight our battles or join in our assassinations, but you will have to defend the place if attacked. Sound fair?" She asked, making Ichigo mull over the idea. The others remained silent, figuring that she had a good reason for this.

"I have one condition," he returned, "are you planning to kill the Emperor as well?"

"He may just be a puppet, but the people may not be satisfied with just Honest's death."

"You're not killing the kid. He's just as much a victim." Ichigo returned, releasing Lubbock before walking over to Akame and handing back her sword.

"Ichigo, that's not up to-" She started before a crushing pressure brought them all to their knees.

"The kid lives. That's final." Ichigo repeated as proceeded to walk out of the base.

(Timeskip: Back in the capital)

Days and weeks passed as Ichigo acclimated to his new life. Within a week, he carved out a training basement under Night Raid's headquarters to serve as his base. The following week was spent trying to understand Kisuke's gift, a portable lab that seemed like a simple briefcase. Ichigo had access to virtually anything he would need to research and experiment with, engineering, chemistry, biology, Kisuke even managed to create a 3D printer that relied on Reishi, everything in that kit was powered by Reishi. Something that Ichigo had in great abundance as he powered it up and made the first thing that came to mind in the Shinigami tools section. A Soul Visualization Device, which resulted in a brown slug-like thing with purple spots and a mummified head with an eye in the mouth. He tested its effectiveness with Akame and Mine when revealing a Hollow he captured for the test. Mine screamed while Akame asked how it would taste, getting disappointed when told she couldn't eat it.

The rest of the month and the next Ichigo spent studying the history of the Empire, the Teigu, lore books, the various Danger Beasts in the world, and sending the occasional spirit to the hereafter. Hollows have been steering clear of the capital, likely ever since Ichigo first appeared there, and only rarely show up. Ichigo had been disgusted by the amount of death that was in the capital, Budo was facing a lot of ridicule for his loss, that fat Prime Minister was sticking close to the child emperor at all times, and Esdeath was currently gone. The only upside was that Budo was training himself to make up for his loss. The capital was waning on Ichigo's patience, always arriving to souls crying out about the injustices they suffered, the cruelty of their deaths, and the hate they all felt at their fates. It broke his heart, he wanted to strike down everyone that was doing the killing, but that would be a slippery slope. Yamamoto warned him against taking justice into his own hands, knowing that doing so was an easy path into becoming a tyrant.

'How can I help these people?' He asked himself, begging for some kind of answer, do some good while staying within the rules that were set out for him. He sensed an angry soul coming from within the noble district in the capital and went toward it, finding a girl with long black hair and black eyes. Her skin was a pale yellow and she was wrapped in chains, chains that wrapped around the shed on the mansion's property. 'A bound spirit.' He noted as he got closer to her.

"You vile bitch! I swear you'll get yours one day! Don't you DARE hurt Tatsumi!" She yelled out in anger at being unable to make her voice heard and sorrow that someone else she cared about was about to meet the same terrible fate she did. "Tatsumi RUN!"

"I'm sorry to say, but he can't hear you. No matter how loudly you scream." Ichigo said, making her turn to face the Soul Reaper. Her face had tear stains and the hole on her chest was close to opening. "Is he a friend of yours?" He asked while examining the house. 'Didn't Leone talk about a mission earlier?' He thought while remembering a discussion about a wealthy family masquerading as a charitable family, only to torture people to death.

"He is." The girl admitted. "We were supposed to come to the capital, find employment, help our village, but we got separated during a bandit attack along the way. Myself, Tatsumi, and our other friend Ieyasu. Ieyasu and I got tricked by those monsters, they tortured me until I died while drugging Ieyasu." She started crying again, pointing to the shed. "He's still alive in there... suffering. And now they have Tatsumi." She said before collapsing to her knees. Ichigo didn't know what to say, until he felt six very familiar presences appear.

"Well, looks like your friend is saved." Ichigo said, looking up as Night Raid appeared. "Just sit back and watch." The assassins got to work, clearing out the building, making Tatsumi and a blonde girl named Aria, both named by the bound spirit, run out to escape the attack. Tatsumi was a young teen with brown, spiky hair, green eyes, and a penchant for shortswords and Aria was apparently the one that tortured the spirit to her death. They continued to watch as Tatsumi faced off against Akame, was stopped by Leone, and shown the truth.

"Sayo? Hey Sayo. Sayo!" Tatsumi called out desperately, begging her to answer. Ichigo tuned them out, recognizing only a tenth of the victims inside as people he managed to get to. The rest... probably became Hollows or were eaten. How many more victims were out there? How many more murderers? In that moment, Ichigo knew that he needed to step up his efforts. Only he can help the dead.

"Sayo? Sayo is that you?" He heard someone say as a boy with spiky black hair, brown eyes, and a martial arts headband appeared. A chain on his chest showing that he was a soul.

"Ieyasu!" Sayo called out hugging her friend. That sight brought Ichigo some comfort, then he saw Aria meet up with who he guessed were her parents.

"Hey, stay here." Ichigo ordered before flashing in front of the reunited family. "Time to go to Hell." He said coldly, taking one of his Zanpakuto and tapping the pommel against their foreheads in rapid succession before they could even react. The judgment of the blade made itself clear as they grasped their heads in pain, where the marks glowed a fiery red. Suddenly fire erupted from their skulls until a massive set of doors appeared, held shut by two giant skeletons. The doors opened, fire pouring forth as chains sprang out and attached themselves to the family. They all screamed helplessly as they were dragged away into the realm of eternal torment. With that done, Ichigo flashed back to the two friends. "Any last requests before I send you two off?" He asked, making them look to the Reaper in fear. "Don't worry, you two aren't going to Hell. Unless you were really awful people, but I doubt that you were." He said, calming their nerves.

"Well, if you can," Sayo started, "could you help us say goodbye to Tatsumi?" She asked, Ieyasu nodding in agreement. Ichigo looked to the storehouse full of corpses and the chain that kept Sayo bound to it.

"Hado #54, Haien." Ichigo called out before throwing a purple orb of energy to the storehouse, causing it to erupt into flames that burned it away in seconds. To ensure Sayo's freedom, Ichigo swung his blade and cut the chains that attached her to the storehouse. "Hang on you two." Ichigo ordered, taking hold of both of them and flashing back to the Night Raid base. He made the trip within seconds, beating the assassins by a large margin, and stood them outside the base. "Wait here." He said before dropping down to his training basement and recovering the Soul Visualization slug.

"What is that!?" Sayo demanded, freaked out by the creepy contraption.

"And I thought that storehouse was freaky." Ieyasu muttered.

"This is what will let you say your goodbyes." Ichigo answered, seeing Night Raid's return. He took the ring that would let him exist in the living world and slipped it on, appearing out of nowhere to the assassins. "Tatsumi?" He called out, gaining the kid's attention. "Here." He activated the projector, revealing the two souls to their friend.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Hollow Concerns

"Hey Ichigo!" Leone called out to the hybrid while he was reading the book on every known Teigu that Night Raid had. "Hollows are a huge danger right? How can we stop them from attacking civilians when you're not around?"

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo responded offhandedly. "Humans aren't normally worth eating anyway. I know none of you are." Leone wasn't sure whether to be confused or offended.

Why Ichigo isn't going to train Tatsumi

"Hey, Mr. Ichigo!" Ichigo looked up from his journal that he started writing to record possible recruits for the Blood War, and to keep track of any and all possible threats in the world. Tatsumi was running to him with a blunt practice sword. "I heard you're incredibly powerful. Could you perhaps train me?" Ichigo merely stared at the boy, closing his journal and standing up.

"Stop this." Ichigo ordered, tossing his journal into the air. The very next instant, Tatsumi was on the ground. "Were you even able to follow that?" He asked, Tatsumi unable to say anything and still trying to grasp what just happened. "You're way too weak to be training with me kid." The book fell back into Ichigo's hand. "Come back when you're leagues stronger than you are now."