Chapter 204 - The Training Exercise
"A warrior's greatest power lies in his ability to unite rather than divide." — Itachi Uchiha.
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With the time that was slowly but surely passing, Itacho once again settled, with retained familiarity, into the routine he slowly thrust himself into.
Being a Captain, a teacher, a trainer, and leader of a stealth force, turned out to just be the thing he needed to get his every day filled to the brim with work. Even with Yoruichi and Soi Fon sharing most of his burdens.
He however did not complain. This was what he wanted actually. A semblance of normalcy in his otherwise hectic life.
Training the students, or even generally overseeing their training exercises like he did, was something he had grown fond of in his time training Junpei. And although he couldn't be as personal as he did with his protégé, he still derived a sense of satisfaction in playing a hand in how the future generation of Shinigami were moulded.
In fact, his position as a teacher in the Academy was unusual, mostly because of his identity as Head of the Onmistukidō. Common sense would dictate that he had more important things to do than teach young Shinigami the Ethics and Morality they were to adhere to as living souls.
Luckily for him, no other Captain was interested in taking his position as a teacher in the Academy. Well, none of them were interested in the Academy in the first place.
"Mr. Itachi, should I boot him out?" He heard Junpei say beside him while pointing at a young Tōshirō who was staring at them stubbornly.
"Let him be." He really didn't have to be here for this. This was a field exercise that required only Junpei's attendance but he decided to interfere.
Of course, with his warped sense of what was acceptable, the exercise was going to be different compared to what their predecessors were used to, at least on a danger scale.
"Alright then, his funeral." Junpei said, the perfect picture of a sunny youth compared to his persona as the Tengu. The change between both persona were so stark as it was seamless that one could hardly tell if they weren't aware of the face behind the masks in the first place.
"Will you be leading them, or should I take point?" Junpei asked.
"For now." Was Itachi's only reply, but having known him for years, the unsaid words were easily interpreted by Junpei.
With reports of the yearly spike in Hollow activity in the Rukongai, Itachi decided that it presented a good choice of exercise for the aspiring graduates.
He will make them clear out the most infested District of Hollows. Then and only then will their exercise be completed. As for the time that would be required for such an undertaking, well that was up to the students.
And also he wanted to show them just how far they came from being normal souls. He wanted them to see and be conscious of the current difference between them and the normal souls in the Rukongai. Self-awareness was an important guideline in sustaining upright morals.
"Where to?" Junpei asked again.
"Which one do you think?" The young man simply nodded at that and in a blink of an eye he was in front of the group of excited and nervous students.
The mask of his easy-going disposition made him take control of the group with a single word. Either that, or it was his rank as a Third Seat of one of the hardest Division to get into.
"Listen up; before we go any further there's something important that you have to know, other than you going to fight Hollows that is."
There are a few snickers in the group and Itachi could see that the mood instantly lightened up a bit. A bad move, he thought. They were nowhere near skilled enough to pull off the carefree attitude before going into a potentially death battle.
"You'll be spending days tracking and hunting Hollows. As for how long you'll spend, well that will depend on how efficiently you carry out the exercise." He paused dramatically, much to the confusion of the students.
"Is that it?" One asked uncertainly, causing Junpei to reply with a closed eye smile.
"Yes. Yes, that is it."
A few of them were impatient, looking forward with zeal at the prospect of a real Hollow Hunt, not the directed exercises they did in their former year.
Well, Itachi wouldn't kill their enthusiasm... But the Hollows will.
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[West Rukongai, District 38]
The earlier enthusiasm of the group slowly tapered out as they travelled for hours through the Districts until they got to their final destination.
Then came the tracking. Quickly, the differences between the students started showing as most remained clueless on what to do, while the smart ones were already putting up a working effort.
The majority of them however were floundering aimlessly. It was such a sorry sight, not only for Itachi but for Junpei also.
These students might be talented to skip a year or two, but that did not make them experienced. And only now was it showing.
And yet, here they were. Trying to graduate early and join a Division, unknowingly adding to the rising statistics of dead Academy students in their first decade.
And this was what Itachi wanted to rectify. It was the same system the Elemental Nations used in churning out bodies for war, not caring much that the bulk of their soldiers were fresh out Genin. He too was one of those soldiers.
For this exercise however, he was going to be watching.
He gave a quiet nod to himself as he saw the students finally taking point with each other and organizing an attack/response order as they proceeded forward.
"Looking at them like this almost makes me nostalgic." Junpei said with a lilt in his voice. "Almost."
"You were better than them in your second year." He responded.
Junpei scoffed. "Of course I was. I had your undivided attention. And no, it wasn't a good thing either."
Junpei's eyes locked in on Tōshirō who was at the forefront of the group. "Do you think they know that they are being stalked by Hollows?"
"No." Itachi replied with a shake of his head. "Not yet, but soon."
And just like he said it didn't take long before Tōshirō and a few others suddenly started feeling uneasy as the Hollows slowly grew nearer.
Junpei and Itachi shared a discreet nod in approval as Tōshirō blasted one of the nearer Hollows hiding in the foliage near the end of the group and subsequently warned his classmates.
Seeing that they were made, five Hollows sprung up while two remained hidden.
Junpei observed everything happening with a pitying grimace. "These ones are smart."
The fact that they were working together in such a way meant that another Hollow was at the helm and he was way stronger than these ones. Unfortunately, Junpei doubted that the students had realized this.
At the very least, Tōshirō wasn't being as foolish as a child would, like his stature seemed to reflect.
Kidō blasts were fired in every which way and soon the forest became a cacophony of chaos. They were slowly working themselves into a functioning group but that was being offset with the unrelenting attacks being sent their way from the raging Hollows.
Things suddenly took a change of turn when Tōshirō released his Shikai and welcomed the frigid air and ice that pooled around him.
No matter Itachi's personal opinions about the young boy graduating early, one thing he had nothing to say about was the obvious presence of the boy's talent. Wielding a frozen winter blade, Hyōrinmaru, he instantly became the focal point of the battle, both for his classmates and for the Hollows.
"He's going to get swarmed at this rate." Junpei said as they both watched the battle continue in the favor of the students.
"It doesn't matter. They are only just beginning." And just like he said, the students quickly did away with the five Hollows the moment they got a semblance of a strong footing.
"And now it happens." The apathetic way he said it betrayed the expectations he had of the group below.
They watched. Saw the exact moment the students let down their guard. The exact moment they breathed out in relief and strapped their Zanpakutō
The very passing second where they looked at each other, shared a nod and were invigorated by the swell of confidence in their strengths.
And they saw the exact instant where the ground caved under them and wild Ceros were flung their way.
Some acted in an instant – good for them. Unfortunately, most of their teammates were dead, and they'll soon be just because they failed to remain vigilant. Because they failed to be sober.
Eyes went wide and cries froze as they realized that they were in their moment of death. They were about to be consumed and their brains prepared to spare them the eternal torment of being gnawed alive – if they were lucky.
"From this moment on, your training exercise begins. Where you sleep, where you walk, where you stand – all will fall under your purview and in turn will increase your chance of returning alive, and at the very least not dying in your first decade."
The gobsmacked students looked at Itachi who suddenly appeared in their midst. Slowly turning, they looked around and saw Junpei's figure silently finishing the last Adjuchas.
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