História Two Worlds One Battle - 04: Ninjas Meeting Soul Reapers

Soifon stood beside Jushiro on the opposite side of the water after successfully defeating a hollow. She observed the three individuals positioned across from them, one of whom was a blonde with blue eyes and prominent whiskers on his cheeks, resembling an animal of sorts.

Next to the blonde was a female with short pink hair, green eyes, and a red headband adorning her head. Lastly, there stood a pale boy with dark hair and eyes, sporting a belly shirt which she found peculiar for a male to wear. However, she reminded herself not to be surprised, considering there was a captain wearing a pink hoari and a straw hat.

Soifon exchanged a glance with Jushiro, who seemed to be contemplating the same notion. Dismissing the thought, she remarked in a detached manner, 'Those minor attacks are insufficient to eliminate a hollow.' With that, she gracefully traversed the water by stepping on the protruding stones amidst the rushing current.

"May I inquire as to your identity?" inquired the blond boy, seemingly oblivious to Soifon's earlier explanation about the hollow. His impolite comment caused the petite woman with black hair to narrow her gaze in disapproval.

Soifon contemplated responding to him regarding her previous statement, but she acknowledged that he had a valid reason for asking who they were.

With a sigh, the diminutive captain pointed to herself and declared, "I am Soifon." She opted not to reveal their true nature at this time, believing that they would soon discover it once they spoke to the hokage. It would be more efficient to clarify matters, as the captain did not wish to repeat herself unnecessarily.

Next, she gestured towards Jushiro, who wore a smile on his face. "This is Jushiro Ukitake," she introduced. The white-haired man nodded graciously and added, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Soifon allowed the three individuals to register their names before indicating Rukia, who was positioned slightly behind the captains along with Renji,"This is Rukia Kuchki," she declared, then gestured towards Renji, "And the red head is Renji Abarai," she concluded before refocusing her attention on the three ninjas.

Following a moment of silence, the young woman with pink hair broke it by introducing herself, "I am Sakura Haruno," she stated, pointing to herself, and then directed their attention towards the blond individual who greeted them with a smile, "That is Naruto Uzumaki, although he can be quite foolish at times," Sakura mentioned, eliciting a playful 'Hey' from the blond.

Sakura disregarded Naruto's protest and proceeded to introduce the other member of their team, "This is Sai, and we are all ninjas hailing from the Leaf village," she clarified, fixing her gaze on the petite woman who attentively nodded, her stormy gray eyes locked with Sakura's vibrant green ones.

"Did I hear correctly? Hidden leaf village?" Jushiro interjected, directing his question towards Soifon, "Perhaps we can accompany them on their return journey," he suggested, a notion which was met with a slight nod of agreement from the younger captain.

Soifon intended to respond to Jushiro's inquiry, but Naruto interrupted her. He questioned the reason behind their curiosity, wondering if they had personally visited the place. Curiosity etched on his face, he scrutinized the two captains. Soifon retaliated with a stern gaze as she was interrupted, and it was Jushiro who addressed Naruto's query, sensing the annoyance on Soifon's face.

"Well, no, we have not had the opportunity to visit before. However, we have heard about it," Jushiro replied, though he knew he was being dishonest about his own experience, having been there once or twice. Nonetheless, Naruto appeared to accept his response with a nod.

"But we are currently en route to the Leaf Village to meet with your Hokage," stated Jushiro. Soifon allowed the thirteenth captain to elucidate most of their reasons, as speaking herself would likely result in a rushed explanation.

"Why do you need to communicate with the hokage?" inquired a new voice, causing Soifon to glance towards a man with gray spiked hair, a mask covering his mouth and nose, and a headband concealing his left eye, indicating his seniority among the three individuals.

Soifon's gray eyes narrowed at the book in the man's hands, and she couldn't resist rolling her eyes, although she quickly dismissed the matter as it was not their primary concern.

She took a deep breath and turned to address the white-haired man directly. "We have arrived to speak with the hokage, and it is of utmost importance that we meet her. All will be explained once we are in her presence," Soifon said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Kakashi-sensei, they are not enemies," Sakura informed her teacher. "They just fought off a monster that was attacking us and saved Naruto." The pink-haired girl's words grabbed the attention of the gray-haired man. "A monster?" he repeated.

Sakura acknowledged Soifon with a nod as the latter confirmed, 'Yes, the creature is indeed called a hollow.' The woman with braided hair chimed in, 'And you all would have easily killed it if you hadn't stopped to look at it.' 

Jushiro joined the conversation and asserted, 'Soifon is correct. The way to defeat that hollow is to strike it in the head.' This statement made the three young ninjas appear proud. Curiosity got the better of Sakura as she asked, 'But what exactly is a hollow?' 

Naruto, eager to learn, added, 'Yeah, we've never seen a hollow before. Is it similar to a tail beast?' Soifon shook her head and replied, 'I'm not familiar with what a tail beast is, but no, a hollow is different.' She closed her eyes, contemplating how best to explain.

Jushiro suggested, 'We can discuss this on our way to the leaf village. It would be wise.' Kakashi, in agreement, nodded and stated, 'If we want to reach home before dark, we should set out.' 

Soifon and Jushiro exchanged glances and agreed by nodding, 'We will accompany you on the journey, if that is acceptable. It will save us a significant amount of time.'

She received affirmation from Kakashi, indicating that he had no objection to them accompanying him. He stated, 'It will be better, and you will have an easier entry with us.' The man then turned to his students and inquired, 'Have you all completed your tasks here?' Sakura replied, nodding as she held up a large trash bag to demonstrate their completion. The man expressed his satisfaction by saying, 'Good.'

Soifon exchanged glances with Jushiro, Renji, and Rukia to assess their readiness to depart. Renji began to address her as 'Cap-' but Soifon interrupted him with a stern look. She calmly stated, 'For the time being, Renji, address us by our names.' She further explained, 'Right now, they do not need to know our true identities.' The redhead nodded in acknowledgment and said, 'Yes, ma'am,' to show his compliance.

Soifon nodded at the sixth lieutenant and then turned her attention back to Kakashi. She informed him, 'We are prepared whenever you are.' Kakashi nodded in response, motioning for everyone to proceed and leading the way towards the Leaf Village.

* With Sasuke*

Sasuke led his team through the forest with his hands in his pockets, unsure of their current objective. He was preoccupied with thoughts of dealing with the Hidden Leaf and seeking revenge on Danzo.

Sasuke acknowledged that it would not be an easy task and he anticipated encountering Naruto at some point, though he would address that matter later. The foremost thought in his mind was his brother's words, which he could not easily disregard. However, he remained focused on maintaining his guard in case they were to be attacked by bandits.

Karin broke the silence with her question, "Where are we heading, Sasuke?" Sasuke glanced at the redhead, wishing for more peace and quiet but understanding that he could not leave his team in the dark.

After inhaling deeply, Sasuke stepped over a tree root and replied, "We are heading to the Leaf Village, but for now, we need supplies and I am still formulating a plan."

Jogo walked at the rear of the group while Sasuke provided an explanation of their current activities" Jogo expressed his frustration with their lack of progress, stating, "We have been traversing this forest for over six hours, and it seems as though we are not making any headway." Observing his surroundings, Jogo noticed a sparrow flying to a nearby tree.

Sasuke acknowledged Jogo's remarks, responding, "Yes, I am aware of the time we have spent, but I do not believe it is necessary to rush to reach the Leaf Village." He crossed his arms over his chest, displaying his stance.

Curious, the fourth member of the team narrowed his eyes and inquired, "And why is that?" Sasuke questioned in return, not revealing his reasons for not rushing and lacking understanding of his own motives. The silver-haired man attempted to continue speaking, but decided against it when met with Sasuke's glare.

"When I have had ample time to contemplate, I will explain our plan and our intended actions," Sasuke declared. Karin, attempting to defuse the situation, reassured him, "Okay, stay calm Sasuke." Ignoring her comment, Sasuke glared back and continued leading the way through the forest, keeping a vigilant eye on the trail as they neared a village.