Crows x Souls

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The 4th Division of the Gotei 13 was strictly healing and the only noncombatant squad in the Seireitei – effectively the Shinigami hospital ward.

And as Itachi quickly noticed as he walked through their gate, they were also the most calm and peaceful of the 13 Divisions. 

He had barely made it past their doors when someone rushed to his attendance and inquired why he was here; visit or healing – the standard reasons. 

“Well then, follow me.” They led him to a room and told him to lie down. “Someone will be here in a few seconds to attend to you.”

He made himself comfortable on the bed, wondering when last he had ever been on a hospital bed – never was the answer. 

The curtain covering his bed slid open and a female nurse walked in holding a clipboard. 

“Itachi Uchiha, 2nd Division. I’ll examine you now.” She read out from the clipboard and waited for Itachi to nod before she proceeded. 

Most of his smaller wounds were already halfway healed and though he realigned his broken bones, those and the deep gashes were yet to heal. 

A green glow covered the nurse’s hands as she drew it above his body, calm and focused as she took note of all his injuries and their nature. 

“Quite a fight you had there. Hollows?” She made light conversation to draw away Itachi’s attention from the healing process and the pain the injuries were causing him, an admirable consideration, and Itachi could appreciate her efforts even if he did not need them. 

‘Even their healing arts surpasses that of medical ninjas on a fundamental level.’ He noted. 

This was just another instance added to the increasing pile of proof of how Reiatsu was superior to Chakra. 

When his healer turned away from his face, he opened his Sharingan and stared intently on the green glow that was over the side of his abdomen and how every tissue and flesh was being connected to their respective end. 

‘Of course.’ He told himself and closed his Sharingan before resting his head against the pillow. 

Just like iryō ninjutsu(medical ninjutsu), his eyes couldn’t copy the Kaidō technique the healer was utilizing. Unlike ninjutsu and Hadō/Bakudō, iryō ninjutsu and Kaidō were more raw energy manipulation and theoretical knowledge than the former that was energy utilization. 

While the Sharingan’s ocular prowess was advanced, it also had its limitations even when it came to things it could do. Things like kekkei genkai ninjutsu and techniques with raw energy manipulation, ie. Taijutsu, healing techniques, summonings and a lot more. 

Hours passed and Itachi just laid silently on the bed with his eyes closed as if asleep, watching everything the healer did but never once letting it slip that he was awake, even when she took breaks. 

After six slow hours of healing, all his major injuries were more or less taken care of, which was more than enough for him to function at top efficiency but he still laid on the bed and rested with his eyes closed. 

Suffering from a terminal illness at a very young age made him appreciate the effort healers put in healing their patients. So even if he could move now, he waited for when he was told he could go. 

“Everyone to your station, Captain Unohana is supervising the patients!” 

He heard someone say and at those words, he could feel people shifting around his ward, going to their patients and making sure they had been properly attended to before moving to another one. 

It was a normal thing for Captain Unohana and her Lieutenant to do supervisions from time to time, teaching and correcting the young healers of her Division. And due to the casualties, especially after the last Division-wide mission, she has been attending to the unending influx of wounded Shinigami and thought to do a check after getting some free time for herself. 

She gave advice to those who needed it and answered all the questions she was asked as she moved through the numerous wards. Thankfully she had her Lieutenant and leaders of the 10 Relief Teams, her Division’s equivalent of the Seated Officers of the other Divisions, else she wouldn’t have been able to thoroughly inspect her healers in time. 

She entered another ward with rows of beds with all their curtains opened for her to inspect the patients. 

During her checks, she came across a rather memorable face from one of the previous Captains meeting a few months ago – the man Yoruichi took in, Itachi Uchiha. 

It wasn’t everyday one sees a recently reincarnated soul that strong and the impression he left on the Captains was commendable. 

-Oh and he wasn’t sleeping, so she wasn’t disturbing him. 

“Glad to see you in good health, Mr. Uchiha. I see your recent mission wasn't without its hiccups.”

Itachi slowly opened his eyes and nodded at her in greeting. “I’m rather fine, Captain Unohana.”

“Then I’m glad.” She smiled softly. “Hope to see you again, or I guess not. Have a good rest, Mr. Uchiha.” She nodded at him and continued her checks while Itachi closed his eyes and went back to resting. 

His healer came to him a few minutes after and told him he wouldn’t be discharged for a few days for a complete healing. 

Itachi had wanted to leave upon hearing that as the remaining wounds and pains he was feeling weren't something that’ll affect his daily activities but he stopped himself, rather forcefully even, by reminding himself that there was no reason he had for wanting to rush back to the Second. 

So the next three days was him taking his time to relax and bring his running thoughts to a stop. He also met Captain Unohana twice after her first check and the woman was always patient and calm whenever she was spoken to. They had a brief conversation on both occasions before she continued with her duty and Itachi had to say that Captain Unohana, out of all the Captains, was the one he had the most favorable impression of. 

….. 

After the last mission that was forcefully stopped by Captain Kisuke upon finding out that their data registry had been tampered with, the Onmitsukidō were ordered by the Head Captain to find out who was responsible for what was an act of treason. 

Kisuke was temporarily suspended as Yoruichi had him under investigation, a formality on her end, while her subordinates combed through the entire 12th Division and by the end of the week, was successful in rooting out the person responsible. 

The man responsible, Kinjaro Tomori, was a close assistant of the 12th Division former Captain, Kirio Hikifune, and greedy for the same success of his predecessor, started experimenting on Hollows and Shinigami – in fact, any soul he could get his hands on. 

As his strength was rather subpar, he started experimenting on Hollows in hope of cultivating their powers for himself. 

Surprisingly, he was able to kickstart his sick goals in the short span of time where the Division was without a Captain after the former Captain had retired. 

Yamamoto had called for his execution after he was tortured by the Onmitsukidō of everything he knew and all the plans he had made and the execution was carried out by the current Captain of the 12th Division, Kisuke Urahara, in front of the other Captains, their Lieutenants and a few other Shinigami of the Gotei 13. 

Watching the execution, Itachi was witness to the spectacle of all the Captains releasing their Reiatsu in a show of intimidation for any would-be traitor wanting to follow in Kinjaro Tomori’s steps, and it was then he truly realized what type of people were the Captains. 

What he felt from them at that moment was not a sensation he’d ever felt from any ninja, Kage or Sannin. 

Instead, it was reminiscent to what he had felt from the Tailed Beasts. Excluding the overwhelming malevolence of the Tailed Beasts, the Captains matched them in intensity… but that wasn’t what had truly terrified Itachi of the nature of the Shinigami Captains. 

No, what rooted him to his spot with sweat running down his brows, were the few Captains whose intensity surpassed even that of the Nine Tailed Beast. 

Most people would not have felt it because of how addled and chaotic the atmosphere became, but Itachi could literally see the spiritual pressures, Reiryoku, of the Captains… despite them still controlling it and preventing it from smoldering the other Shinigami present to death. 

Head Captain – Genryúsai Yamamoto Shigekuni. 

4th Division Captain – Retsu Unohana. 

8th Division Captain – Shunsui Kyōraku. 

10th Division Captain – Isshin Shiba. 

11th Division Captain – Kenpachi Zaraki. 

12th Division Captain – Kisuke Urahara. 

These six Captains had the most powerful intensity from the others - though Itachi noticed the weird spiritual pressure of the 13th Division Captain, Jūshirō Ukitake – and from those six, three of them in particular were above anything he had seen. 

The Head Captain, Zaraki Kenpachi and Kisuke Urahara – the three of them instantly redefined what the term ‘monsters’ meant to Itachi. 

Just for that instant, the veil surrounding the Shinigami was lifted for Itachi’s eyes.