Crows x Souls

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The slight frown that was supposed to be on Itachi's face to show just how skeptical he was of the current scenario, though it wasn't present, it didn't matter because that was how he was feeling.

Though under different and unavoidable circumstances, he was back in his element and his intuition was hinting at this being something bigger.

'Maybe the Hollows are working under a hierarchy because this isn't the first case of missing souls. If not the Hollows, then maybe an enemy force, the nobles or even a crazy Shinigami.'

Given the surface acquaintances Itachi had with Yoruichi, and in extension the Shinigami, everyone was up for suspicion from Itachi.

He looked at a particular spot in general with his Sharingan and three seconds later Soi Fon appeared before him, not displaying an ounce of shame at being caught spying on him.

"The Hollows, do they have a hierarchical/military structure.?" He asked after his eyes faded back to his normal black ones.

"Not necessarily. I did hear Lady Yoruichi talking one time about how there seems to be some kind of Hollow leader but he doesn't rule all Hollows, more like he has the most Hollow followers. Some Hollows do travel in groups but they are very few who prefer that." Soi Fon answered, looking at Itachi scrutinizingly but unable to glean anything from him.

"Did you find anything?" She couldn't help but ask at the end when Itachi made no effort in explaining further.

"Nothing much for now but it could turn out to be something major if it proves true." He said.

Soi Fon withheld a snort but made what she thought obvious with the derisive eye roll she shot him.

Itachi's thoughts however were somber because like what he asked her on their way here and her reply of the Soul Society watching for any abnormal spirit activity and acting to it birthed a few thoughts in Itachi upon his brief reading of this site.

'Either they are bypassing their sensors every single time or someone is helping them do it. The former is the best case scenario while the latter is entirely plausible but not desirable.'

He also remembered that Hollow's weird behavior a few weeks ago and how it reacted to the passing Shinigami presences when they entered a certain distance range.

"Will you at least tell me something so that I don't just stand here looking like the dumb one?"

Itachi stared at the angrily whining Lieutenant and just pointed at the set of footprints around them and calmly questioned her. "See it?"

"If you are asking about the slightly irregular prints and the obvious handprint of someone falling and struggling to get up, then yes." She crossed her hands and answered Itachi matter-of-factly, also a bit irritated that he was asking her something obvious.

"Conclusions?" He asked again. He wasn't trying to be a showoff or mock her for anything. Rather what he was trying to do was understand how good her sensory aptitudes were and use her as a low-budget blueprint for others in the Seireitei.

"Probably the same as you came to."

"Reasons and possible outcomes?" He pushed the door to a house open and saw that there were three plates of food on the table.

Soi Fon stomped into the same house and walked to Itachi's front glaring mildly at him. "What is the point of all these questions?"

He looked down at her, almost tempted to point out how easily irritated and impatient she was but refrained from doing so as she was Yoruichi's charge, hence the purple-haired woman's responsibility to teach.

"Your sensors, the ones you said watches the spiritual activity in the Rukongai, were not able to pick it up until a few days after. Also there's the fact that no Shinigami or civilians were survivors of these particular events."

Soi Fon's sarcastic retort paused as she started thinking of how these disappearances came to be and the reason why it irritated Yoruichi so much whenever the matter was brought to her desk.

Not just the weak civilian souls, even the disappearance of the few scouting Shinigami groups were so abrupt and sudden that no conclusive picture have been construed up to help them understand what was happening.

"… Was that why you asked how we monitor soul activities across the Rukongai? Even about their leadership structure. You think this is something bigger than just a few powerful Hollows attacking us Shinigami?" She held her chin in contemplation but no matter how she thought of it, it all came back to her initial thoughts.

"Since I don't know that much about the Hollows, I can't really say. What I can say is believing it's just Hollow interference is a little bit too narrow-minded." Itachi pointed out while he slowly walked around the house.

He noticed one of the spoons by the window and one of the chairs being halfway pushed back. 'They also saw it and died just as helpless.'

"So what are you trying to say? I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"It's not what I'm trying to say but what I'm thinking. And I'm not the only one thinking that, am I, Captain Urahara?"

Soi Fon turned in surprise to the door creaking open to show a bashfully smiling Kisuke leaning against the wall on the outside.

"You're quite something, young man." He said while stepping into the room and bending his head down a bit to avoid bumping his head over the top of the wall. "And while I can agree with you, the problem still remains that we have little to no clue on what is happening. So, care to share any thoughtful insight you might have?"

"I don't have any concrete insight at this point but, as I'm sure you also know, it was something that broke the Reishi building block of the normal civilian soul and either vaporized them on the spot or immobilized them for them to be moved away."

"Hmm, I see." Kisuke nodded as that was pretty much the same conjecture he thought up. "It's a bit tricky but that's pretty much all we got to work with. But just for clearance sakes, what do you think is the lead chain event of all this?"

Kisuke was smiling, lips stretched to their limit but the look in his eyes reflected none of the jovial expression he usually wore.

Itachi bent down and picked up the fallen spoon and set it on the table and also arranged the chairs just for the sake of it. "It's either one of a few things, or even all of them. A very specialized Hollow, strong individuals from the Rukongai or one from the Seireitei working with a Hollow."

"Wha-‼ How can you say something like that?" Soi Fon chided a bit tamely. It's not as if it wasn't something that couldn't happen. The working with Hollows part might be a bit questionable but all in all a valid one.

"Like I said, it's just a thought." Itachi said to Soi Fon before then turning to Kisuke who was sporting a very peculiar smile. "Is that enough for you, Captain Urahara?"

"Hahaha, of course it is. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. I'll be taking my leave first then." He said and turned to leave to tend to his ongoing work piling to his desk.

The remaining two of them didn't remain idle and left too, Soi Fon trailing Itachi this time as this was her mission – observing Itachi.

With his Sharingan active, Itachi surveyed the area of the village and the surroundings but ended up with nothing.

"There's very little for us to do here. Is this the only place we have to be at?" Itachi asked after hours of searching and coming up with nothing, even with his Sharingan.

"It is, but there's a few places we could case if you're up for it. I'll have to notify HQ about this little change and get confirmation before we think of leaving."

Soi Fon radioed back to the 2nd Division and upon receiving Yoruichi's direct permission, she and Itachi left Kisuke and made their way towards the closest Stealth Corps group.

"How many of these disappearances happened in the last few weeks?"

"So far? Two." She replied succinctly. "There could be more but we can't be sure."

Itachi nodded and employed his Body Flicker faster, forcing Soi Fon to up her Shunpo to keep up with him.

With how much he's seen the Shunpo in action, Itachi already knew how to do it but he didn't bother as his Body Flicker didn't lose to anyone's Shunpo. It also felt more seamless to do than the Shunpo.

'Looks like I'll be focusing on the Hollows and any other powered species out there that the Seireitei has records of. If even the Captains are lost on this then there is the possibility of something more happening in a background that no one is aware of.'

He wasn't regretting his choice, he wouldn't, and the feeling of going back on a mission wasn't one he enjoyed nowadays, at all, but there was little he could actually do.