Chapter 16:

"Hmm. " Humming in contentment and understanding, Yoruichi continued what she was doing, ignoring almost all else.

It was nice, sitting with him like this, she almost didn't want to leave but they needed to get some sleep. They both needed to be in the Seireitei tomorrow, something she had told him during dinner, so that he could be assessed for ability and formally introduced to the Sou-Taichou.

If he was accepted into the Goteijusantai, then Yoruichi had already offered to train him alongside Sui-Feng, and he would become a member of the Onmitsukidou. The Corps Commander if she had her way.

For a variety of reasons; none of which involved her current workload. No sir.

Patting him on the arm, Yoruichi made to stand, before turning and pulling Naruto to his own feet after he'd gathered up the file. "It's time we got some sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow and you need to actually be awake to meet with the Sou-Taichou.

"

Naruto pouted childishly. "Do I have to? Can't he just talk to my unconscious body instead?"

Chuckling Yoruichi took his hand and pulled him along down the hall. Opening doors at random until she found the one she was looking for, completely failing to realize that the room she was looking for belonged to the very person she was dragging behind her.

She was eventually treated to the sight of a large bedroom, with a single futon already neatly laid out on the tatami. It was incredibly spartan, with only the bed and a desk at the far end littered with sheets of paper covered in scrawls, and a single candle set near the back of the desk.

Pulling him into the room Yoruichi smirked back at him before taking hold of his shoulders and pulling him down. "Now get to bed, I'll see you in the morning.

" Then she did something not entirely out of character for her, but absolutely shocking for Naruto. She pulled him down even further until her lips pressed against his own in a gentle kiss.

It was gentle, not meant to inspire lust but to show him the love she felt for him, it was soft yet confident, chaste yet full of passion. When she pulled away, her cheeks were lightly flushed and she could only smile at the dumbstruck expression on Naruto's face.

"Good night Naruto. "

Standing there, shocked out of his mind, Naruto's mind went blank. He didn't even notice that Yoruichi had left his room until the door behind him slid closed with a quiet click.

Even then he didn't move for some time, simply brushing his fingers against his lips where she'd kissed him. Fifty years without substantial human interaction or affection of any kind had left him ill-prepared for such a thing, and from a woman he barely knew even more so.

Finally, after standing around in a daze for several long minutes that felt like hours, Naruto shrugged off his outerwear, placed the file he was holding on his desk, and then crawled into bed, determined to force himself to sleep if need be.

Alas that wasn't necessary, since almost the second his head touched his pillow, he was off to dreamland.

(SCENE BREAK)

The next day, after a light breakfast of grilled fish and rice, served with iced tea and Miso soup, the group made their way out of Hokutan.

Yoruichi grumbled about having to wear such stuffy clothing for a good portion of their trip, and not being able to wait to get back into her normal Uniform. The sentiment made Naruto chuckle, as he himself had simply gone with what he was comfortable in.

His red haori, fish-net shirt and hakama. He too wasn't much one for standing on ceremony, and he absolutely hated formal wear; so he didn't wear anything that was any more expensive than what he had on.

The group made good time, and Yoruichi and Sui-Feng were both pleasantly surprised that Naruto was capable of keeping up with them, even while using Shunpo. He was fast, almost unbelievably so, and only seemed to get faster as they travelled.

Then again, Yoruichi realized suddenly that Naruto was a visual-kinetic learner; he learned best by watching someone demonstrate a technique he wanted to learn and then practising on his own. The fact he learned Shunpo just by watching a few Shinigami over the years was not so surprising when she thought of it that way.

It also confirmed her suspicion that Naruto did indeed have a larger than average well of reiryoku, but she couldn't feel his reiatsu at all. Knowing him though, he must have found a way to hide his presence in its' entirety somehow.

Deciding she might as well wait to ask her questions for some other time, Yoruichi held her tongue and continued on her way, with Sui-Feng directly behind her and Naruto beside her, with Omaeda bringing up the rear.

When they arrived in the Seireitei a few hours later, they had shown their passes to the Gate Guardian Jidanbo who greeted them with a large smile, before they made their way towards the Ichiban-tai Barracks and the Captains Meeting Room. First though, they had to make a small detour so that Yoruichi could change into her Uniform.

Once the group arrived at the Niban-tai barracks, the group split off, with Omaeda offering Naruto a quick tour of what he was certain would be a place Naruto would be frequenting in the near future. When Naruto accepted, the large man immediately started off towards the training fields, and beckoned for Naruto to follow after him.

When the two men were out of sight Yoruichi and Sui-Feng made their way to the Captains Quarters so that Yoruichi could change.

"This is our Squad Training Ground. We have regular training sessions here, and the Taichou often joins us in our sparring matches to offer personal instruction to those who need it.

" Omaeda stated proudly; and within the said training ground, several Shinobi were bounding about throwing punches and kicks at each other in what Omaeda described as pure 'Hakuda' matches to improve skill and endurance.