Undercurrents

At Shin'ō Academy, it was time for Hakuda combat practice.

Although the subjects of Zankensoki were taught separately, no one ever separated them in actual combat. The speed boost from Shunpo made Byakuya more composed in close-quarters combat.

Within half an hour, he had defeated several "classmates" who had stepped forward to challenge him.

There had been no time for a proper sleep during his mission outside the village. By his reckoning, it had been a while since he had set foot in the Spiritual Arts Academy.

What bothered him, though, was that Aizen seemed to have made few appearances during Byakuya's sixth year at Shin'ō Academy.

What an unsettling man... whether he shows up or disappears.

Smack.

His fist was blocked. Byakuya snapped back to his senses and immediately jumped back—but he was still a moment too slow. His opponent kicked at him, and he barely managed to block with his other hand, deflecting the force of the blow aimed at his stomach. Even so, he was knocked back two steps.

"Getting distracted in a fight is a bad habit, Gekkō."

A familiar, gentle voice sounded above him. Byakuya started in alarm and looked up at his opponent.

It was still the classmate whose punch he had just blocked. His build was unchanged, as was his indistinct face. Even the rhythm of his breathing was the same as before.

But in that instant, Byakuya was certain the man was Aizen.

Sweat ran into his eyes, forcing Byakuya to raise a hand and wipe it away.

After that single movement, the strange feeling vanished, and his classmate was still the same classmate.

An illusion?

Or was it because of my unease?

"Gekkō Byakuya, don't stop! Keep training!"

At the instructor's call, Byakuya could only suppress his doubts, resume his stance, and move forward to fight his opponent.

But he no longer fought as aggressively as he had at the start. Most of his attention was focused on watching for changes around him.

Even so, he noticed nothing else amiss before the class ended.

When he woke from Jinzen, gray morning light was already filtering through the window.

Byakuya sat on his bed for a moment, then began taking deep breaths to steady his body and mind.

His racing heartbeat slowed, and he pushed his unease deep down.

Once he had regained his composure, Byakuya discarded the last of his wishful thinking. He understood that the anomaly at Shin'ō Academy definitely hadn't been an illusion.

Aizen really was doing something, and he had achieved some results.

Because the system hadn't stopped him.

Byakuya instinctively tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto. Feeling the energy flowing slowly within it, he steadied his mind.

It was time to get up. The mission was over, and he had to return to the hospital starting today.

Byakuya got up and washed.

When he had changed and reached the living room, he noticed that a pair of shoes was missing from the entryway.

That kid Hayate usually had to be dragged out of bed every morning before he would leave his blankets, yet today he had gone out early.

Getting out into the world really does shape a person...

His thoughts wandering, Byakuya left the house too.

As he walked, Byakuya noticed that there were visibly more ninja on the streets than before.

Ninja wearing Forehead Protectors crossed the streets in groups of three or five, and there were many more people in the shops, as though they were all on leave.

The village was probably deliberately limiting the number of missions outside the village, keeping more ninja at home in case of a greater upheaval.

Byakuya entered Konoha Hospital, where the familiar smell of medicine still hung in the corridors.

A few medical-nin he knew were huddled together, talking quietly. When they saw him, they immediately waved him over.

"Byakuya, did you hear? One of their medical Jonin took leave."

"Leave?"

"They said he wasn't feeling well... but from what I know, a kid came to challenge him, and he actually lost. He even got hurt. He probably took leave because he was afraid people would ask questions and he'd lose face. I bet he won't come back until his injuries are completely gone."

Byakuya knew immediately who the challenger was.

Kakashi...

From what he had observed, this wasn't the first time. The people challenged before simply hadn't made a fuss, and because the gap in strength was so great, they hadn't been seriously hurt. That was why it hadn't caused much of a stir.

He hadn't expected Kakashi to take on a Jonin this time. The man was a medical-nin, but anyone who had made Jonin was certainly no pushover.

Being able to defeat a Jonin, Kakashi truly deserved to be called a genius.

Byakuya reached the medicine room and pushed open the door. Someone was already inside.

Reiatsu Detection had long since revealed who it was. Rin stood in front of the medicine cabinet, but her gaze wandered. She seemed a little nervous and hadn't noticed Byakuya opening the door.

"Rin?"

"Huh? Byakuya-senpai. When did you get here?" Rin cried out and turned around, her hands instinctively rubbing the hem of her clothes.

"I just got here... did you need something from me?"

Biting her lower lip, Rin looked at the floor and hesitated for a while. She took a deep breath, and by the time she looked up, there was determination on her face.

"Have you heard about Kakashi?"

"Yeah. When someone told me just now, I guessed it was Kakashi."

"...I really didn't expect him to hurt someone. He promised me he wouldn't do anything reckless."

Byakuya walked over and pulled out two chairs. He pushed one in front of Rin and sat down in the other.

"Sit down and tell me."

"...Thank you."

"So you were the one giving Kakashi information, including the previous few times?"

At that, Rin instinctively stood up. Only when Byakuya raised a hand to signal her did she sit back down sheepishly.

"So you noticed the previous times too, senpai..."

"You've got some nerve yourself. Weren't you afraid things would get out of hand and that kid would drag you into trouble?"

"But we're teammates... Minato-sensei said teammates should help each other..."

This time Byakuya was genuinely a little surprised. He hadn't expected Rin, whom he had always thought of as a well-behaved girl, to be capable of being this crafty.

"Then I'd like to see whether Minato-senpai praises the bond between you when he finds out."

"...I'm sorry, senpai."

Rin obediently admitted her mistake.

"All right, I don't think this incident will become too serious, as long as you don't do anything reckless again..."

"Senpai."

Rin interrupted Byakuya, determination returning to her face.

"I'd like to ask you a favor." Rin clasped her hands in front of her, as though giving herself courage. "Please stop Kakashi from doing anything else reckless."

"Oh? Why come to me?"

Her lips moved slightly, as though she were trying to find the right words.

"Every time Kakashi asks me who he can practice swordsmanship with, he asks me the same question: 'Whose Medical Ninjutsu is better, theirs or Byakuya-senpai's?'"

"I always get the feeling that you're the person he really wants to find, Byakuya-senpai. But every time he asks, he goes quiet and doesn't come to you. He just moves on to someone else. I asked him why, but he wouldn't tell me. It's as if..." Rin raised her eyes, a hint of cautious inquiry in their gentle brown depths. "It's as if he already knows the answer, but doesn't want to admit it."

Byakuya remained silent.

After saying her piece, Rin didn't press him. She simply got up and tidied the medicine cabinet as usual, then bowed slightly and left the room.

The medicine room fell quiet. Byakuya sat in the chair with his arms folded, staring at nothing.

He knew Kakashi had always suspected him, and that as he gradually revealed his strength, those suspicions would turn to certainty sooner or later.

But he had still chosen to delay it as long as possible.

As for who had saved Hatake Sakumo's life, the village's upper echelons all believed it had been Tsunade. Tsunade had taken credit in Byakuya's place and offered no explanation.

If Kakashi caused Danzo and the others to notice something now, Byakuya's plan to slowly build up his strength would face unnecessary complications.

Of course, he hadn't intended to delay forever. As long as he could hold out until the Third Shinobi World War began, there would always be a way to cover up something like this.

Not to mention that once he was strong enough, he wouldn't need to hide at all.

He simply hadn't expected Kakashi's obsession to be so strong, or his actions to grow increasingly aggressive. At this rate, he might end up attracting even more attention.

Plans couldn't keep up with changes. It seemed he would have to find a chance to have a proper talk with Kakashi.

Rubbing his temples, Byakuya drew the curtains in the medicine room.

Suddenly, a familiar soul within the range of his Reiatsu Detection began to grow restless.

Byakuya didn't delay. He strode toward Tsunade's office.

When he pushed open the door, he smelled a strong reek of alcohol. Tsunade sat slumped sideways in her office chair, her clothes disheveled and her long blond hair spilling messily over the armrest. An unnatural flush colored her face, and her eyes were unfocused. One foot rested on the desk, while the other stood beside an overturned liquor bottle. Shizune was struggling to straighten her collar, her eyes red.

"Byakuya-senpai..." Shizune's voice was full of a plea for help when she saw him.

Byakuya walked over and held his palm above Tsunade's head.

The light of Kaido seeped into her body, soothing her restless soul.

Her Hemophobia had flared up. Tsunade had drunk so much to suppress the trembling that rose from the depths of her soul. Alcohol could numb the nerves, but it also made the soul's defenses more fragile.

Tsunade breathed out a heavy, boozy breath into Byakuya's face. He didn't dodge, simply continuing to use Kaido to soothe her soul.

"Is war coming?"

Tsunade's voice was lower than usual, with no trace of drunkenness, as though something weighed heavily on it.

Byakuya looked into her eyes. They were clear now.

"Probably."

Tsunade said nothing more. It was in the previous war that she had lost her only younger brother and her lover, one after the other. Her hatred of war was carved into her bones. The office was so quiet that all that could be heard was the ticking of the old clock on the wall and the occasional footsteps of ninja squads passing outside the window.

Byakuya withdrew his hand without saying much. He paused at the door and glanced back. Shizune had already draped a coat gently over Tsunade's shoulders, while Tsunade simply gazed through the window at the distant Hokage Rock, her profile half lost in the shifting light and shadow.

Reality was cruel. No matter how much she hated war, she was the princess of the Senju, one of the Sannin, and the only one who could counter the Sand Ninja's poison. When war broke out, she would have to go to the battlefield.

She knew that, but she had no choice.