Chapter Five

The next day…

It wasn't hard for Itachi to find his way to the western edge of the Seireitei. Even with the incomprehensibly vast nature of the Soul Society, its governing heart and the seat of its guardians were impossible to miss. A circular city within yet distinctly separate from the sprawling Rukon District, it was still large enough to utterly dwarf every Shinobi Village that Itachi had ever laid eyes upon. Although it appeared to be open, from what Itachi had learned there was an enormous wall hidden in a different dimension that could descend at the moment someone attempted unauthorized entry. Even though he could currently only see the outskirts of the Seireitei and the large hill at the heart of it, Itachi could not fail to notice how much sturdier and cleaner the walls and buildings within that region were when compared to those of the Rukon District. It all appeared so much more orderly and secure, and it was yet another sign of the broad gap Itachi had discerned between the privileged and the poor of the Soul Society.

It would seem that all religions who preached of a utopian afterlife were wrong, he mused as he strode towards his destination, I know that this is not Hell, but it would seem to be far from a perfect Heaven, either.

The morning sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon as Itachi approached the Seireitei. He had left early enough as it was, but even then, he'd had to move at a very brisk pace in order to arrive on schedule. In fact, he'd departed so early that he was gone before the shopkeeper had even gotten out of bed. Itachi had felt bad about leaving without saying goodbye in person; after all the old man had done for him it seemed rude to slip out without a word like that. He hoped that the note he'd left for the proprietor before his departure would suffice and that the old man would not take offense at the manner of his leaving.

He spotted Jiraiya up ahead, but his attention was quickly drawn away from the Sannin and towards the being the sage was conversing with. It was an absolute giant of a man, so much so that he was taller than any house Itachi had ever seen in the Hidden Leaf Village. He wore a black robe with a white sash that reminded Itachi of what he'd seen Unohana wearing the night before, only this one lacked a haori. It also only covered up to the right shoulder of the giant's torso; the left side of his chest was exposed, while the shoulder and upper arm were covered in thick armor. His black hair was tied in a pony tail that fell down to his waist, while his sideburns continued all the way down to his neck and were long enough to be tied in small tuffs at the end. Capping off the ensemble was a red hat with yellow tassels. Itachi could detect a set of faint outlines on the giant's robe, and after a moment he realized that the titan of a man was concealing two incredibly large axes within his uniform.

Remain calm, he told himself as he walked forward, and do nothing that might provoke a confrontation. In my current state, I doubt one would end well for me…

As he got closer he saw that Jiraiya appeared quite relaxed in the presence of the colossal, and he recalled Yoruichi's words from the night before.

"The Gatekeeper's Jidanbō Ikkanzaka. Don't let his size give you the wrong impression; he's actually a pretty nice guy once you get to know him."

The two men turned to face him as he came forward, and Jiraiya gave him a nod. "Morning, Itachi. I thought for sure you'd beat me here."

"I'm not late, am I?" he asked.

Jiraiya shook his head. "You're good. Haven't spotted anyone that might be Yoruichi's subordinate yet, and she did say she wanted us here at sunrise, so as far as I can tell we're right on time."

Itachi turned to the Gatekeeper. "You must be Jidanbō Ikkanzaka."

The giant nodded. "I am. Captain Shihōin told me to expect the two of you. You're not planning on starting any trouble, are you?"

Itachi shook his head. "No. You have my word on that."

Jiraiya smiled. "Mine as well. Don't worry, Jidanbō; we wouldn't do anything to make your job difficult."

Itachi was surprised to see the Gatekeeper offer a friendly smile in return. "That's good to hear. Captain Shihōin seemed pretty excited about the two of you coming to take the Academy entrance exams. I guess you two must be pretty special."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's one way to put it. By the way, there was another Captain that we met last night; Unohana. Did she swing by here by any chance?"

Jidanbō nodded. "Yeah, last night with Captain Shihōin. I like her; whenever I get hurt, she always patches me right up. Last time she even gave me candy! She can be pretty scary when she's angry, though, so don't do anything to make her mad."

Jiraiya smirked. "Did she happen to say anything about yours truly?"

Jidanbō's brow furrowed in thought. "That depends… are you the white hedgehog buffoon?"

Jiraiya's head slumped. "White… hedgehog… buffoon? That's what she's calling me?"

Jidanbō grinned. "Well, it was Captain Shihōin that said it first, but Captain Unohana laughed and said it too. Pretty funny, right? Can I call you that, Jiraiya?"

"Please don't," the Sannin groaned.

Jidanbō chuckled. "Okay, but only because you were polite."

"You had better stay polite," said a new voice, sharp and clearly female, "I will not have you reflect poorly on Lady Yoruichi in even the slightest manner!"

There was a brief flicker in the air before a slender woman appeared in front of the three of them. Her shoulder-length black hair perfectly matched her solid black uniform, and there was a fierce light in her gray eyes as she evaluated Itachi and Jiraiya. Itachi noticed that she wore a wakizashi horizontally across her back, just like Yoruichi had the night before only with a yellow hilt instead. Unlike Yoruichi, her uniform was not backless or sleeveless, but instead it was much more conservative, covering everything except her hands, neck and face.

Jidanbō's eyes widened at her sudden appearance. "Miss Soi-Fon! Forgive me; I didn't see you approach!"

"No matter," Soi-Fon replied dismissively, her gaze still fixed on Itachi and Jiraiya, "You're the candidates Lady Yoruichi spoke of this morning."

Itachi gave her a polite bow. "My name is Itachi Uchiha."

Jiraiya grinned as he looked her up and down. "I'm Jiraiya. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss…"

She folded her arms. "I am Soi-Fon, member of Squad Two and the Executive Militia, as well as the head of Lady Yoruichi's personal guard. Address me as Miss Soi-Fon or not at all, do you understand?"

The no-nonsense type, I see, Itachi mused, I wonder how that plays with her Captain. Yoruichi seemed pretty relaxed last night, even when she was fighting the Hollows. I can't picture her subordinate here acting so casual about such a skirmish based on first impression…

"Yes, Miss Soi-Fon," said Itachi, not wanting to make a fuss.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Well, I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Are you always so high-strung, little lady?"

Her response was a death glare, one which only intensified as Jiraiya seemed to simply laugh it off. Itachi simply stood to the side, not sure how to respond to this unusual and slightly amusing situation.

"Call me 'little lady' again," she said with a dark edge in her tone, "and I will rip your testicles off and feed them to you."

Jiraiya's eyes widened, but he didn't actually seem intimidated by her threat; more amused than anything else if the smirk on his face was anything to go by. "Touchy, aren't you? All right, all right, there's no need for that kind of language, Miss Soi-Fon. I think we just got off on the wrong foot."

Soi-Fon sighed. "I don't know what Lady Yoruichi sees in the likes of you. Personally recruiting candidates for the Academy entrance exams is beneath her. If I had been present when you two had met her I would've sent you packing."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, it wasn't just her; Unohana was along for the ride, and I don't know how things would turn out for you if you'd argued with her. I doubt it would've ended well for you, though."

"That's Captain Unohana to you!" Soi-Fon snapped, although at the same time she did seem to recoil ever so slightly at that name.

It would seem that the Soul Society's healer has a reputation for more than just her medical abilities, Itachi thought, and judging from Soi-Fon's reaction, it is not entirely that of an angel. I wonder what the story is behind that…

The black-haired woman then turned and motioned for the two of them to follow. "We've wasted enough time as it. Come with me; the entrance examinations are due to begin soon. I was instructed by Lady Yoruichi to bring to the Academy on time, and I will not fail any mission that she gives me!"

"Well, you heard her," said Jiraiya as he gave the Gatekeeper a friendly wave, "See you around, Jidanbō."

Itachi nodded. "Farewell."

The giant smiled. "Good luck with the exams! Come back and visit sometime!"

Yoruichi had been right about him, Itachi reflected as Soi-Fon led them through the winding roads of the Seireitei; the western Gatekeeper really was much friendlier than his initial appearance might suggest. Regardless of the way things went with the entrance exams, Itachi resolved to stop by and visit the giant from time to time. After all, a being charged with guarding one of the entrances to the Seireitei undoubtedly had some fascinating stories about the place and how he had ascended to his rank, and Itachi wanted to learn all that he could about the heart of the Soul Society.

In the meantime, there was a matter that Itachi wanted to get cleared up. "Excuse me, Miss Soi-Fon?"

"What is it?" asked Soi-Fon, not even bothering to look over her shoulder at him.

"If you don't mind me asking," said Itachi, "why did you refer to your Captain with the title of 'Lady'? Is that typical for female Captains, or is there something else to it?"

Now Soi-Fon turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock. "You mean you seriously don't know?"

"There's a lot we don't know," said Jiraiya, "We only arrived in the Soul Society a few weeks ago, after all."

Soi-Fon sighed, although Itachi was relieved to see that she didn't appear irritated like before. Her expression softened, and as she spoke Itachi could detect a very distinct note of pride in her voice.

"Lady Yoruichi is not only one of the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads," she said, "but she is also the princess of the Tenshiheisōban, more commonly known as the Shihōin Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses of the Seireitei. Not only is she of the highest blood, but her combat abilities are amongst the greatest in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. She is not just the Captain of Squad Two, but also the Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force and Corps Commander of both the Corrections Corps and the Executive Militia. She can fight in open battle or strike from the shadows, but either way no foe can hope to stand against her!"

Itachi nodded, recalling with perfect clarity her effortless trouncing of the two Hollows she had faced off with the night before. "I see. I witnessed her in action myself when we met; her abilities were truly outstanding."

He saw what looked like the faintest hint of a smile appear on Soi-Fon face, and Itachi took careful note of it; apparently praising Yoruichi was a possible path to getting on her good side, and the former Shinobi was more than willing to take advantage of it.

"Indeed, they are," she replied, with more than a hint of wistfulness in her voice, "and it is my privilege to be her bodyguard. I have dedicated my life to Lady Yoruichi's protection, and I would not have it any other way. I'll never be as strong as her, but it is my dream to improve my skills so that I may continue to prove worthy of serving her."

Jiraiya smiled warmly. "That's an admirable goal. You truly are devoted to the Captain, aren't you? She's lucky to have such a driven and dedicated protector."

Much to Itachi's surprise he actually saw Soi-Fon blush slightly at Jiraiya's praise. "I-I'm simply doing my duty!"

"It is commendable all the same," said Itachi, meeting her gaze, "I owe your Captain my life; without the intervention of her and Captain Unohana, I have no doubt that Jiraiya and I would not be standing here. I wish to find some way to repay the debt I owe to her, and if becoming a Soul Reaper means that I may have the chance to serve in her squad and help her as you do, then that is a path that I would like to pursue."

He saw Soi-Fon's eyes narrow as she considered his words. "Lady Yoruichi told me about your encounter, and how you and your companion were able to defeat a Hollow despite being unarmed and untrained in the Soul Reaper fighting arts. From what she described, it would seem that you two have a great deal of potential. If that is the case and you are able to make it through the Academy, then there is always the chance that you could be recruited into either Squad Two or the Stealth Force. However, neither group is a forgiving one to its members. Lady Yoruichi is kind, but we are still expected to perform our duties with the utmost dedication. If you join our ranks, you must be prepared to be pushed far harder than you ever were at the Academy."

Itachi nodded. "I understand."

"As do I," said Jiraiya, his tone completely serious.

He was surprised to see her smirk. "Maybe, just maybe… you two might have what it takes. Lady Yoruichi must believe that you do, otherwise she would not have asked the two of you to enroll. I will try to set aside my personal assumptions and give you the chance to prove that her faith in you is not misplaced."

"That's all that we can ask," said Jiraiya with a grin.

"Are we almost there?" asked Itachi, "We've been walking for quite some time, now."

Soi-Fon nodded as she pointed up ahead. "It's just around that corner."