Itachi Rebirth: A Shinigami Tale

'It has to be near here, I can feel strong spiritual activity' Rukia thought to herself as she moved towards the direction of the source. She saw a house with its lights still on. She went inside to try and track the spiritual fluctuation.

"It is near" she mused to herself. However before she could react, she felt a foot suddenly strike her from behind.

"It is near my A.S.S!" A voice suddenly said as she fell down. She turned around to see a young man pointing and yelling at her. He was fairly tall with a slim build, peach skin and brown eyes. His most discernible trait was his spiky orange hair.

"You.. can see me…? She was surprised that a human was able to see her. And not just see her, but he was also able to attack her.

-----

After Rukia was sent to the human world, life in the Thirteenth Division stayed relatively the same. For the next month, Itachi continued his lieutenant duties.

Itachi sat at his desk organizing papers. It was nearing the end of the day but there was one thing on his mind. Kiyone and Sentaro walk in and ask if Itachi needed any help but Itachi tells them he doesn't need any.

"Isn't Kuchiki supposed to return today?" Kiyone asked him.

"She was. We haven't had any contact from her for the entire month but I assumed no news is good news. However it's worrying that she hasn't come back earlier. I'll talk about it with the Captain later when he is feeling better." Itachi replies.

"Well Captain Ukitake is actually up and about, walking around the complex if you want to speak to him!" Sentaro added in. Itachi nods and gets up from his seat.

"I'll go talk to him. Actually if you two could finish organizing these files for me it would be much appreciated." Itachi said as he walked to the door.

"Yes Lieutenant Uchiha!" Both of the third seats said enthusiastically as Itachi closed the door behind them.

Itachi walked around the complex for a few minutes while trying to find Ukitake's location. He picks up on his spiritual pressure and sees him looking at the pond. Ukitake notices Itachi and waves for him to come over.

Itachi approached Ukitake as he looked at the pond.

"Feeling better Captain?" Itachi asked him as they stared into the pond with several koi fish swimming about.

"Much better. By the way, did you, Kiyone, or Sentaro put in a work order for koi fish in this pond? I don't remember these being in here." Ukitake asked as he crouched on the ground to get a better look at them.

"I don't recall ever doing that. I go over their work too and they haven't made such an order. I'm just as confused as you are." Itachi replied, also staring at the mysteriously appearing koi fish.

"By the way, has Kuchiki come back yet? I haven't seen her around." Ukitake asked Itachi. Itachi shook his head.

"No. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I don't take her for the type to be late and it's worrying." Itachi said.

"Well I'm sure she's okay. If she doesn't return in a few days though, I'll have to relay this to the other divisions and maybe the intelligence unit can locate her." Ukitake said as he got up from his crouched position. He smiles at Itachi reassuringly. Itachi nods his head in acknowledgement.

"Care to join me on this walk?" Ukitake asked Itachi.

"Of course Captain." Itachi replied and the two of them began walking around the Thirteenth Division as the sun set.

----

Another two months passed and Rukia did not return. Ukitake had sent out a request for her to be found but no information was returned to them about Rukia's whereabouts.

"I'm really worried about Kuchiki. But she's strong. I'm sure there's an explanation for all of this right?!" Sentaro asked Itachi nervously, hoping for some kind of reassurance.

"I'm not so sure anymore." Itachi replied bleakly. "I can only hope for the best at this point. If the situation isn't improved soon, I will head to Karakura town to find her. " Itachi said. However, right at that moment, he received a message from a hell butterfly to appear in front of the Central 46. Itachi was surprised but still heeded the order and left for the central 46 building.

-------------

When Itachi arrived, he saw a figure already standing in the center of the room. It was none other than the Sixth Division Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Captain Kuchiki." Itachi greeted with a slight bow.

Byakuya nodded and remained silent.

He stood in front of the massive panel of elders. Itachi had knowledge of this group known as Central 46. It was a powerful group that oversaw all the judicial and legislative decisions of the Soul Society.

"Uchiha, we called you here because we received important news regarding a shinigami from your division."

Itachi remained calm and waited for the elder to speak.

"It is news regarding Kuchiki Rukia." The elder spoke.

Itachi was surprised. However, he didn't notice that Byakuya also slightly jolted.

"According to the information we have received, Rukia Kuchiki has broken the laws of the shinigami, by transferring her powers to a human!" the elder said.

"Uchiha, Itachi, we have informed you of this matter, since your captain is bedridden. Kuchiki, Byakuya, you are hereby selected to travel to the human world to retrieve the criminal."

"As you command." Kuchiki replied.

"Please wait. As the lieutenant of the 13th division, Kuchiki is under my command. As such, I feel that I should be the one to retrieve her." Itachi said.

"Denied. The order has already passed. You are dismissed!" The elder no longer said anything, simply signaling the two to exit.

Itachi walked out reluctantly.

"Captain Kuchiki, I will take my leave." Itachi didn't wait for a response before heading towards the Thirteenth division.

'The order was to retrieve her, so I won't have to worry too much. I am not going to be able to change their decision. The only thing I can do Is hope that Captain Ukitake can influence their decision.' Itachi thought to himself as he arrived at the main hall.

He was greeted by Kiyone who was standing outside the main hall.

"How is the captain?" He asked Kiyone.

"He is still resting. What happened?" Kiyone asked.

Itachi explained the content of his meeting, by the end Kiyone was stunned.

"Don't do anything at this point. Inform me if anything urgent appears, or if the Captain wakes up." Itachi said before walking into his office.

Kiyone nodded and returned to Ukitake's room.

-------

A day later. Itachi receives news of Rukia's capture and rushes towards the confinement cell. He walked into the jail and saw Rukia, who was sitting in the center of the room. She was wearing white robes and she looked like she lost weight.

"Kuchiki." Itachi said.

Rukia slowly lifted her head up. She looked towards Itachi standing outside the cell. She felt slightly overwhelmed.

"Vice-Captain…" Rukia was about to say something but remained silent.

"Kuchiki, how did this happen?" Itachi asked.

Rukia explains the whole story as Itachi listens.

Itachi narrows his eyes. Based on her story, there should be no reason for heavy punishments to be issued. He bid his farewells and left the hall. He runs into Renji on the way out. However, he simply nods in greeting before making his way out.

Renji looks back as he sees Itachi leave. He turned around and headed towards Rukia's Cell.

-------

Itachi left the building and moved towards the First Division barracks. He was greeted by the First Division Lieutenant who stood outside the main hall.

"I'd like to meet with the Captain Commander." Itachi declared.

"Uchiha, whatever you have to say, I can relay it for you. The Captain Commander does not just meet with anyone who requests to see him."

"I see, then please pass on this message." Itachi told what he had to say to the First Division Lieutenant Sasakibe before making his way back to the barracks.

'The sentence should not be that harsh based on what I gathered from Kuchiki. She is also from the Kuchiki clan, so it would make sense if Captain Kuchiki did something about her sentence.' Itachi thought to himself as he made his way back to his office.

------

A week has passed. As Itachi was working, Kiyone suddenly ran into the office with a panicked look on her face, holding a paper in her hand.

"Lieutenant Uchiha! Take a look at this!" Kiyone hands Itachi the paper. As Itachi reads it, his normally calm composure changes into shock. Sentaro hovers his head above Itachi's shoulder and shouts in surprise upon reading it.

"What?!!! Kuchiki is being executed?!!!!" Sentaro yelled right next to Itachi's ear. Itachi looks at him sternly and Sentaro gets down on his knees and apologizes. Itachi ignores him and continues reading.

"She is being charged with Unauthorized lending of shinigami power and late return. And for those reasons she is being sentenced to death? Not only that, but her death is being held at the Soukyoku, which is primarily only for Captains who have broken the law. Something isn't right here…why is her sentence so severe." Itachi said out loud, still analyzing the situation.

"I don't understand it myself either, but-" Kiyone is interrupted as a loud voice echoes throughout Seireitei

ATTENTION ALL CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS. YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING. I REPEAT… ALL CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS, YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING.

"We'll figure it out later. Is Captain Ukitake well enough to attend the meeting?" Itachi asked Kiyone. Kiyone shook her head.

"No he can't get out of bed today." Kiyone replied.

"Very well. Send a hell butterfly saying he is ill. I'm sure they'll understand. In the meantime, I'll go by myself." Itachi ordered to Kiyone, then vanished from his spot.

-----

"Abarai and Iba!" Momo said sitting on the floor with her back against the wall as she saw Renji and Tetsuzaemon enter the waiting room.

"Hinamori. You're the only one here?" Renji questioned, looking around.

"I think so…" Momo replied. Suddenly the door opens up behind them and Rangiku enters the room.

"What do you expect? All the Captains and Lieutenants are scattered around Soul Society with their own missions. It'll take at least half a day to gather everyone." Rangiku commented as she entered the room. "Though...I can't find my Captain and my head hurts."

"Rangiku, who is your Captain?" Renji asked.

"It's that Hitsugaya fellow." Tetsuzaemon added in.

"Oh you mean that kid prodigy? I think Uchiha told me about him. Apparently he and Uchiha did an all out sparring session that went too out of hand and got in trouble with the Captain Commander later on for it." Renji commented, vaguely remembering the story Itachi told him years ago in a dango shop.

"Oh? Lieutenant Uchiha fought him? That's impressive. I think I was on a mission with him over twenty years ago back when he was in the Second Division. Although I never got to see him fight." Tetsuzaemon replied, remembering the hollow extermination mission.

"By the way, Abarai, have you seen Captain Aizen?" Momo asked Renji as he finished his conversation with Tetsuzaemon. Renji freezes momentarily and remembers the secretive talk he had with Aizen about the suspicious nature of Rukia's execution.

"N-no...Haven't seen him." Renji quickly replied. Hinamori looks down on the ground, disappointed.

The door opens again and everyone looks to see Itachi has arrived.

"Ah! Uchiha!" Renji exclaims as Itachi walks into the room with all eyes on him. Itachi looks around the room at the other lieutenants.

"So not everyone is here yet I see." Itachi commented as he walked over to Renji.

"How's it going Uchiha?" Renji asked Itachi.

"Well my Captain is still sick so I'm just here by myself. But how are things holding up with you?" Itachi asked Renji, knowing about Renji and Rukia being childhood friends.

"I guess I'm hanging in there…" Renji replied bleakly.

"Abarai, do you find anything strange about Kuchiki's execution? The premises and the nature of it are too severe." Itachi commented as he leaned closer to Renji. "Being sentenced to death with a Captain's punishment. Is that not suspicious?" Itachi asked. Renji began sweating bullets as what Itachi said was very close to what Aizen had said previously

"Uh huh...yeah." Renji replied, even more unsure about what was going on.

For the next half an hour, the Lieutenants all sat quietly in the waiting room, waiting for their Captains to return from the meeting. Suddenly, the silence is broken as a loud alert sounds throughout the building.

ALERT ALERT. INTRUDERS IN THE CITY. ALL PERSONNEL SHOULD REPORT TO THEIR STATIONS. I REPEAT. ALERT. INTRUDERS IN THE CITY.