In Itachi's books, he already took care of the things he could pertaining to Byakuya and Kusaka. The latter was more complicated but at this point in his life, complications were just another name for a day job.
He would have to keep a closer eye on the kid but for now he had done most of what he could. Just like life in the Seireitei never seemed to end, his work also never seemed to end.
The graduation ceremony of the students was coming and after that the students will be filtered into the various Divisions and that would be where his help to Kusaka would end.
He was still operating on the basis that whatever was up with Kusaka and Tōshirō was wrong in a sense, and it wasn't just because of his feelings, even Tsukuyomi had agreed with him. And Tsukuyomi had always been the wiser of the three of them.
He looked up what he could have them do in the meantime which featured missions like escort of some nobles, extermination of Hollows in various parts of the Rukongai, or extermination of Hollows in the World of the Living.
They weren't at the level where they could take months long missions of exterminating Hollows so he couldn't give them that. All he needed was something that would keep them away from whatever eyes were watching.
'And what if the both of you have been paranoid over nothing?' Amaterasu asked.
'Unfortunately, he can't afford to take such chances. Erring on the side of caution is advised.' Tsukuyomi supplied. They both went back and forth over it until Amaterasu waves her hands in defeat
'And I don't care what the both of you think is advisable but I'm bored.'
Every time he came close to forgetting, Amaterasu always made sure to remind him just how much a battle junkie she was.
He could stave off her appetite for now but he knew that she would only get more unbearable as time went on.
For a moment, a very brief moment, he missed his fights with Zaraki, because in a way they had been fulfilling, not just to Zaraki but also to him and Amaterasu.
He put off those thoughts to focus on what was more important. He had already sent Snake to discreetly help Byakuya's search effort in looking for his wife's sister. Snake had looked at him with a lopsided grin and nodded to himself before slithering away with a mocking salute.
"Quite the softy, ain'tcha Cap'n," he had said before making his exit. Whatever most people thought, he wasn't just doing this out of the goodness of his heart.
Surprisingly, even after Byakuya's accusations after the battle with Aizen, the same man had been one of those that had spoken in his favor against Central 46 so to Itachi this was just a way to pay back a small part of the favor owed.
Right now the issue with Kusaka and Tōshirō was the most pressing, and it also tied with his little harmless meddling with Byakuya's family.
As far as Soul Society was concerned, each of the Five Great Noble Houses were charged with duties pertaining to the rule and order of Soul Society, and it just so happened that the Kuchiki Clan was the one tasked with the responsibility of maintaining the rules and safekeeping of the history of the Soul Society.
As for how hard it would be to get the answer to a simple question out of the mouth of Byakuya Kuchiki, that remains yet to be seen.
He looked at the missions and spoon decided to take one for himself. He decided to go about clearing a few Districts of the Rukongai than going to the World of the Living due to a simple fact that the Hollows that managed to get into the Soul Society were on a stronger basis than the few stragglers in the World of the Living.
Before leaving he read through the contents of a particular report about a few weird things happening in the World of the Living and decided he would send a few of his subordinates to check it out.
"Heading out, Captain Uchiha?" Marechiyo, from the Ōmaeda Clan, a vassal of the Shihōin Clan, and also Soi Fon's deputy, asked him on his way out.
"For a while, yes." He looked at the strange package in Marechiyo's hands. "What is that?"
"This? Uh Captain Kyōraku asked me to give this to you, that was why I came over. Whew, thankfully I didn't miss you on your way out."
He took the strangely wide but thin package from Marechiyo's hands and opened it up. Shunsui sending him anything other than giving it to him personally was a little weird.
And the occasion? None of his thoughts showed as he unwrapped the box. He had long since given up on what was going through Shunsui's head and the spontaneous gift he just received was proof of it.
A straw hat. Holding all around it edge a white veil. It was familiar and yet novel, and given who he got it from, he couldn't exactly say which was which.
A gift of straw hat on no occasion. Just as spontaneous as the man who sent it.
"Thank you, Marechiyo. I'll let Shunsui know I received it."
Slowly he donned the straw hat. It fit.
"Whoa." Marechiyo exclaimed softly to the side. "It suits you Captain."
"Hmm. So it does, Marechiyo. So it does." He made a mental note to give Shunsui his proper thanks when he returned.
Knowing the man, Shunsui probably gave him the hat so that he would have a fellow comrade who appreciated his taste in straw hats. It was such a simple gift, just like the man himself, and yet it was worth its weight in gold.
'Hm. Passable.' Amaterasu criticized. Just like she did with everything else.
"I'll be going now, Marechiyo." He left the stunned Shinigami to his works and swiftly left through the gates of the Seireitei.
"Oi! Itachi, is that you?" A loud laugh halted his steps just as soon as he left the gates.
"Hahaha! I told Yachiru that I sensed you around here somewhere and she didn't believe me."
The full force of Zaraki Kenpachi's hands landed squarely on Itachi's back as the behemoth of a man laughed.
"Zaraki." He said in greeting.
"And Yachiru." The little pinkette quipped from the shoulders of a bald man.
"And Yachiru." Itachi reiterated amicably causing her to huff in acceptance.
"Ohh! Nice hat, Tachi-tachi."
A shadow fell on him as Zaraki's form covered him with the same maddening gleam in his eyes. Those eyes of his have never changed, no matter how much time had passed.
Itachi began his walk as Zaraki fell beside him with a calm excitable pace.
"What brought you out of your little hut, Itachi? Are you going to blow off some steam? Haha, I knew today was shaping up to be a very good one, right?"
"Hell yeah, Captain! Let's go decimate some Hollows!" Ikkaku shouted at the top of his lungs as he, with Yachiru on his shoulders, and Yumichika strolled behind the two Captains.
"Let's ditch these weaklings," "Hey!" Someone shouted, "and see who can hunt the most Hollows in the shortest time."
"And afterwards we ended up fighting each other – that is what you have in mind, isn't it?" Itachi deadpanned and Zaraki's response to that was a cruel grin.
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you this time, Zaraki. I'm not particularly in a rowdy mood." Itachi remarked offhandedly.
"Eh, you always say that." Zaraki replied, obviously not taking Itachi's words seriously.
Without saying anything, Itachi disappeared from their casual stroll, surprising both Ikkaku and Yumichika. Yachiru just giggled while Zaraki smirked lazily.
"And so it begins." He too disappeared, leaving the three of them behind.
"Baldy you might want to hurry up or else you'll lose them." She pointed in a direction and kicked Ikkaku's shoulders as if kicking a horse into motion. "That way."
"Amazing. I didn't even feel it when he moved." Yumichika muttered to himself before spurring himself into motion and chasing after Ikkaku.
Way ahead of them Zaraki caught up to Itachi at a lazy pace and gave him a sideways glance.
"So what is it that brought you out here today?"
"Subtlety does not suit you, Zaraki. What are you trying to say?"
The bigger man scoffed. "Heh. Don't play stupid Itachi. You don't do anything just because. Well it's not like I care, I was just curious." And truly he couldn't care less. To him who knew a whole lot more about Itachi than most in the Seireitei, the excuse that he was going out to kill some Hollows out of boredom was out of Itachi's character that he couldn't help but be momentarily curious and ask.
'Your mind is in a rare state of turbulence, Itachi. Do you have any worries?'
Itachi shook his head. 'No, I don't. I am probably overthinking something trivial.'
'If it were so trivial then you wouldn't have put so much thought into it. Rarely so, but I do miss the time passed where I had more advice than strength to give you.'
'You still do. Not as much as when I was younger, but you still do.'
'More reasons why you need to loosen up. Mayhaps taking up the brute's offer of a fight would do both of you good.' Amaterasu added at the end of their short conversation.
As they travelled Itachi couldn't help but think that taking a break might have been the right call.
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