Chapter 24 - Reconnaissance

Itachi and Shun both find a resting place near the outskirts of the forest. Itachi applies a balm to some of the burns. He was surprised at how effective they were in healing his injuries.

"So Itachi, is this the other guy?" Shun asked, pointing towards the unconscious man.

" Yes, he is related to the other ȧssailant we saw." Itachi replies.

"Did you try to get any information?" Shun asked.

"No, they seemed to have some sort of seal placed on them. The enemy I interrogated exploded when he was just about to answer. Although I have not heard of a technique like this in soul society." Itachi answered.

"There isn't a technique like it." Shun said gravely.

"The only thing I can think of is something was placed inside. And the only division that would cook up something like this would be the twelfth division, which is also known as the research and development division." Shun continued.

"Itachi, the only thing I can think of is that there is a group of deserters here, who happen to be prior members of the twelfth division."

"I see, so what is the plan now?" Itachi asked.

"Since we don't know what they are planning I will need to ascertain our next step with the captain. There are also numerous hollows here. So we will send the information of the group of hollows in the area. Most likely the option now would be to wait for reinforcements." Shun replied.

"Itachi you remain here. I will provide the information of the hollows and your location, so you can meet with the other shinigami and ȧssist them in dispatching the hollows. I will take the deserter back to the barracks to see what we can do." Shun said.

"Alright. If you need to wake him up, just hit him with a heavy jolt of reiatsu." Itachi replied.

"Okay. Be careful" Shun said before grabbing the man and vanishing from the area.

Itachi sat against the tree and looked towards the sky. He had his own thoughts on the matter.

'Hollow growth? Why are deserters raising the hollow's strength? What reason did they have for leaving? No matter how much I think about it, I feel that there is a key point I am missing.'

Itachi sat alone busied with his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Shun finally arrives back at the second division barracks. He walks in with the masked man slung over him. 'Wow, I don't know what Itachi did, but this guy didn't even show signs of waking up. I travelled quite fast as well.'' Shun thought to himself as he made his way over to the central building.

He enters through the main door. He sees captain Soi Fon already dispatching some other members to various locations. He walks up and greets her.

"Captain." Shun says as he bows.

"Hmm, how was the mission? Where is the newcomer? And who is that?" Soi Foin asked, slightly frowning. She was slightly surprised as well. Although the mission seemed dangerous, it was not something that would be difficult for someone like Shun and Itachi.

"Captain, there were some unexpected variables during the mission. It seems the reports were false. There were dozens. Although they are all relatively low leveled. It seemed strange to see such a large group of hollows together." Shun replied.

"What?! How did a large group of hollows go unnoticed." Soi Fon questioned.

"This… we don't know. The only clue we found are two shinigami who were at the scene. They became hostile the moment they saw us. One died, but Itachi was able to capture the second one." Shun replied as he dropped the individual in front of Soi-Fon.

"Then quickly wake him up and interrogate him!" Soi Fon commanded.

"Captain, we cannot." Shun quickly responded.

"Why not?" Soi Fon asked.

"This, we deduced that there might be a strange weapon embedded in these men that explodes when they try to reveal certain information. The other man who was with him perished before Itachi was able to get any specific answers about who their leader is." Shun replied.

"What? How can such a weapon exist? Is this someone's zanpakuto ability? Soi Fon asked.

"No, but there is a chance that these deserters were members of the twelfth division" Shun replied.

"The twelfth division. That damn exile who changed it 60 years ago. I knew they would crop up trouble." Soi Fon said, annoyed.

Shun remained silent. He knew all too well about the Captain's dislike towards the twelfth division and that particular person.

"Fine, Invite someone over, I want this taken care of as soon as possible. And as for the reinforcements, I'll go ahead and send word for someone to head to the forest to ȧssist Uchiha."

"Yes Captain!" Shun replied and gave a quick bow before leaving the room. Soi sent out the hell buŧŧerfly towards Squad 11. When it came to direct combat, they had the highest strength and would dispatch the group of hollows without too much trouble.

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"Hello, I am Akon, the 3rd seat of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute."

"Welcome. We suspect this is a deserter from your division. Please confirm whether the deserter is a member of the twelfth division." Shun said.

"Hmm... I don't know all the people in our division, but I remember this guy. He was usually following Nobutoshi Shin, who was also a deserter. This can't be the only thing right?" Akon asked.

"No, of course not, at the moment his origin is of little importance. He had a partner who we also fought, and right as he was about to speak, he exploded. I don't know any kido spell that is able to do such a thing. So the only thing I can think of is that it's a weapon. And the twelfth division is usually leading in such practices. We have knocked this man out because we are afraid of the situation occurring once again." Shun explained.

"Exploding man..." Akon murmured. 'Captain Mayuri indeed created something similar. But it was more a side project to him'. He thought to himself.

"By the way, who knocked him out?" Akon asked.

"Hmm, It was my partner, why?" Shun replied.

"Although I am not as skilled at examining injuries as the 4th division. I can see that arent any distinctive physical injuries. He may be unconscious, but it's almost as if he is asleep." Akon commented.

"It could be his zanpakuto ability, but either way none of your concern. Just examine the prisoner to see if there is a similar explosive." Shun said quickly, changing the subject.

"Alright, alright. Akon no longer pressed it and continued examining the body. Yes there is a seal placed on him as well. It looks like it was coded to explode if certain words were uttered." Akon replied.

"Can it be removed?" Shun asked.

"Of course, it's a piece of cake. Although It is somewhat unique and novel, it's not at the level where it could stump me. Besides me there are also 3 or 4 others who could easily remove this" Akon said proudly.

"Enough bragging, just remove it" Shun retorted.

"Fine." Akon quickly went to work. A few moments later, he was able to quickly dissolve the seal.

"Alright, you can go ahead and do your questioning." Akon said moving to the side.

Shun walked up to the man and struck him in the ċhėst with reiatsu.

"Gurgh!" the man opened his eyes and sat up, feeling pain in his ċhėst. He looked around. The last thing remembered was a sudden figure appearing behind him and he passed out. He was unable to move and he looked towards Shun, who had a cold look in his eye. He shuddered a bit before noticing Akon who was standing in the corner.

"Alright now let's talk." Shun said coldly before sending Akon out.

He had a cold expression as he made his way over. He may seem nice to others, but he had his fair share of battles. He had killed many shinigami and hollow alike and participated in interrogations. The was the real Shun, who is part of the stealth corps.

'Wow, this guy is ruthless enough.' Akon thought.

The guards outside remained standing without an expression on their face.

Around 10 minutes later, the screams slowly died off and Shun made his way out of the room.

"Discard his body." Shun said to the guards nearby. But before they went into the room, Akon interrupted.

"Wait, since he used to be a member of our division, do you mind if I take him with me? We can run a few tests on him." Akon suggested.

Shun thought for a moment before nodding.

Akon thanked him and exited the hall with the corpse and let out a sigh. 'At least you can be useful in your death.' Akon thought as he left the squad 2 barracks.

Shun made his way back to Captain Soi Fon and reported his findings. He confirmed the suspects to be deserters of the twelfth squad. He confirmed that the deserters were testing something with the hollows. Soi Fon nodded.

"Good, go back and ȧssist Itachi and clear the hollows. I've already sent word. Assistance will be provided to you when you arrive. Go!" Soi Fon said.

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Squad 11 Barracks

"I can't believe this, my first official mission!" the shinigami exclaimed.

"Quiet down!" the other replied. Besides, weren't you in the 5th division very recently, why the sudden transfer."

"I didn't get enough missions to train and raise my strength. Besides If I want to surpass that person, I need to train everyday." He commented.

"I see, well good luck newbie."

"Iba, where are we meeting the second squad scout?

"Hmm, I think he should be near the forest entrance. We received the location from the 2nd squad.

The two made their way over.

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Near the forest entrance

There was a small fire, and a young man was seated at the top of the tree. He looked towards the distance and saw two approaching shinigami. He received a message that reinforcements would be arriving to ȧssist him.

He gave a brief look before he flash stepped towards their direction.

The two were making their way over before a figure suddenly appeared before them.

Itachi gave a quick look to see the 11th division badge on one of the members. One was a big man, with a distinctive haircut and a light mustache. He was wearing sunglasses and smoking out of a pipe. He carried a small sword and the hilt was poking out of the uniform. The other was a young man with long crimson hair. He had quite a few tattoos and was wearing shades as headgear.

"Are you the scout we were supposed to meet. I am Iba, Tetsuzaemon. 4th seat of the 11th Division."

"I am Abarai, Renji, of the 11th Division."