Seclusive Training; Encounter in the Wilderness.

In a largely unknown and seclusive region of the Soul Society, far from even the most distant and rowdy Districts furthest from Seireitei itself, a lush and expansive forest of a near impenetrable thickness shrouds itself in perpetual darkness by enclosing its entirety beneath a canopy of dense foliage. All manner of woodland underbrush could be found, and in abundance, though darkened meadows of varying sizes and a deep valley that could easily be perceived as an ancient dried-up riverbed not far distant from the very location Kuro had chosen as a place of training. Stepping out into one such smallish meadow, an 8' x 8' "field" of short greenery and grass flattened by grazing animals, the youthful Shinigami with modified black Shihakushō walked to the approximate center before stopping with both feet spread evenly to match shoulders' width with one arm stretching high above his head; the carcass of an immense and grizzled bear balanced atop the open palm, holding it up with a casual ease despite Kuro's trim and lithe physique and the its seemingly overbearing size whilst his other arm dangled idly. This mostly uncharted forest was home to many such creatures, hostile toward the "civilized" District people and Shinigami alike, but it was also prone to attract Hollow of various shapes, sizes and types because of the same seclusion that had drawn Kuro here for training best done in private if one lacked actual comrades and confidants like he did.

Lowering his arm to cast the bear corpse ahead where it pitched and rolled to the clearing's edge where its massive form slid to a halt by the treeline Kuro assessed that line of reasoning and his surroundings with a keen mind and strong sense of self. Simply put, he just wasn't a "people person" and he had more than ample reason not to be that might have had something to do with his time in the Living World or how it ended, something that was reborn along with him into the Soul Society and burned within every fiber of his purely spiritual being. The Shinigami were his new people, accepted in his own way, but the 2nd Gotei was to be his new home; having been newly inducted as an unseated member of the prestigious yet feared, scorned, resented, resourceful and most necessary "Black Ops. Division."

By and large, his view from the meadow's epicenter was of large and twisting tree trunks that rose up from the ground even within its grassy boundaries, stretching higher and higher until branching out to mesh with the overall seamless canopy overhead, easily 15' above and even higher in some places he'd seen on the way through. Because of the extreme density of branch and sprouting foliage, presumably a byproduct of this region's high precipitation as it was closer to a particularly warm coastline, there was little in the way of illumination and everything was seen as darkened shapes and shadowy forms until entering a 10' vicinity of the adventurer daring enough to trek all the way out into no-man's-land. The trees began thickening up outside the meadow and were plentiful enough to make navigating through a real chore to those who weren't of a particularly acrobatic and nimble nature, with constraining underbrush and errant branches ready to snag upon fabric or skin. Not to mention the myriad of ferocious beasts which were prone to attacking anyone who entered their forested refuge, and the one sprawled near the treeline showed two visible wounds made with a surgical precision that could imply that the Shinigami who carried it along was at the very least skilled in Zanjutsu, knew how to put the Zanpakutō sheathed at his left hip to swift and potentially lethal use. The first, and most obvious, wound was that the enormous bear was missing one of its forelegs-- having been cleanly sliced off halfway up the forearm-- and the second was the fatal wound which had been a downward thrust driven through the spinal column on the back of its neck. When all taken in together, it seemed a dreary scene indeed and the dark atmosphere gave the general vibe of being feral and forgotten at the same time. A lot of that had to do with why he was here.

Because the master-Zanpakutō bond is a sacred thing most chose to develop and hone it in private, or at best within the company of a few select and trusted individuals, and because Kuro was a lone-wolf type this meant seeking an area of seclusion to achieve that element of total secrecy. Being placed in the 2nd Gotei would require him to apprehend dangerous criminals, rogue Shinigami and most likely participate in assassinations so he would need to be sharp, and this darkened atmosphere forced one to rely on their general senses rather than the eyes, the landscape and everything in it demanded one to be swift, agile and always alert. All these things would need to be engraved within him if he was to stay alive long enough to acquire what he was searching for, realize that burning ambition that had been reborn within him-- whatever it was. Most things in the Soul Society, being spiritual beings, put off a vague but perceptible aura of energy which could be picked up upon and traced with concentration though it would grow easier to harness that mode of sensory with time and practice. Kuro was being forced to use that, as well, slowly picking up on a new and undeniably useful skill that could undoubtedly come in handy in the future if refined through the types of exercises he was undergoing now. Its what had probably saved him a wound or two with the bear, perceived while prowling straight toward him through the darkness which thickened as night drew close. All these things, when viewed as a type of training, were parts of the overall reason he had come here, traversing through inhospitable terrain, honing his general skills all the while, to reach a place of private sanctity where he could focus on the ascension of his power.

All these thoughts, the entire survey of his surroundings, had passed in the span of seconds; everything was still dark and eerily quiet and being in the middle of a meadow, such as it was, just made Kuro feel out in the open despite the unlimited supply of low visibility and obstructions to a line of sight. With all that darkness, though, being in such a clearing would work both ways and by the time anything was close enough to see him and present an immediate danger-- somewhere within that 8' x 8' stretch of flattened grassland-- he would be able to see it as well. To be on the safe side, with the clandestine nature of his reasons for being here, Kuro intended to take a few extra precautions to preserve his privacy; he had absolutely no intention of letting anyone know of his powers, his capabilities, if it wasn't absolutely necessary. His right hand shifted, flowing toward the checkered black-and-white hilt jutting up from his left hip, reaching out to lay hand to hilt and draw that gleaming blade free with one fluid motion. As the long, curved blade whipped free of its sheath Kuro solemnly intoned "Reap, Tenshumori..." The elongated blade of his Zanpakutō began pulsating, emanating an aura that seemed to consume what little illumination the meadow possessed as a transformation began, the overall form of the katana solidifying as pure aura-- raw reiatsu-- and elongating into an ashendarei. The dim lighting returned to normal, no longer being overtaken by the dark emptiness the Shinigami's Zanpakutō seems connected to, and as the smooth haft had manifested it lengthened all the way down 'til the butt-end touched the ground so the overall appearance made it seem as though Kuro were leaning against it in his already comfortably composed and even posture.

"Reaping Wolves," he said, evoking his unique Shikai ability which immediately began manifesting as four flickering spheres of black flame, their surfaces in constant flux with raw black reiatsu. Within moments the spheres had reformed and solidified into a pack of four large and grizzled mountain wolves, every line and curve of their sleek bodies insinuating that the breed had naturally evolved to set new standards on speed and endurance. Long snouts already scented at the air, heads twisting this way and that in a process of identifying and locating every presence within the immediate vicinity before broadening their search; if they weren't given other directives, anyway. A mental trick, that, stemming from the iron-clad bond between Tenshumori and himself, allowing him to redirect one of his conjurations wordlessly regardless of distance or any type of obstruction he had yet encountered, something that probably wasn't far off from telepathy except they had a private frequency. After giving the pack a few moments to scent out the area and get a good scope of the environment Kuro gave such a silent command, embedding a new directive within the complexity of their minds, that elicited an immediate response when each one shot off in a different direction with such speed and alacrity that they simply seemed to have vanished, leaving behind small currents of air that turned leaves here and kicked up a bit of dust there. Kuro's only visible response was a brief smirk, the only break in an otherwise stoic and expressionless visage, smug and confident then gone in an instant.

The directives he had given were simple: set out in the Cardinal Directions and create a half mile radius centered where Kuro stood and monitor everything within those boundaries. They would immediately alert him of any particularly strong or interesting spiritual pressures in or near the perimeter and he would instantly be aware of one were to be eliminated, so simply dispatching one of his scouts to get closer undetected wouldn't work if such a thing were attempted. If anything or anyone like that was already within that half mile radius he would know about it soon enough, as wolves were known for high speed and epic endurance; as an augmented conjuration of raw spiritual energy, well... suffice to say, they could cover quite a bit of ground in surprisingly little time. As Kura's spiritual aura was a pitch black, so too were his conjurations, manifestations of his very spiritual energy made possible through his Shikai ability. They were difficult to spot and identify under normal circumstances and in all the darkness trapped within this forest it would be nearly impossible to see one. They were, however, purely comprised of spiritual energy and could thus be sensed by anyone with even a meager talent for the feat, one of the drawbacks Kuro just hadn't been able to work out yet.

These conjurations weren't charged with the reiatsu necessary to generate an explosive blast as that wasn't the nature of the function Kuro had in mind upon creating them, purely serving as a means of setting his perimeter of privacy, a place where he would instantly become aware of anyone approaching long before they got near him. Now it was safe for him to focus on other things without worrying over intrusion, and he fully intended to maximize the amount of time he had before having to report to the 2nd Gotei for duty. Training would begin in five or ten minutes, once his wolves had secured the designated zone and taken account for creature possessing a spiritual presence. For the time being, he simply stood there; waiting for the wolves to complete their rounds and mentally report back while using his own spiritual sensory to reach out to his immediate vicinity as much to practice the skill as to ensure nothing like that feral bear attempt to sneak up on him again. He stood with back straight and one arm extended out to the side, holding onto the transformed Zanpakutō he seemed to casually lean against with feet spread evenly apart on the smooth and grassy terrain, the other arm raising and bending so its hand could run back through his messily spiked mane of black hair, seeming very much at ease.

Some fault humanities supposed inevitable destruction with an attribute often held in close account to cats; curiosity. When one really thinks about it, besides sex and food, it's the single greatest driving force behind any and all actions by living beings. Invention, conflict, discovery; all because of that forever nagging thought: "What if?"

Unfortunately, when this is applied to a once outlawed and potentially dangerous being of frightening strength, sometimes things don't always turn out like they should. Bouncing around behind Sadaharu's impassive expression was an ever growing need to explore, discover and investigate. As far as he was concerned, balance was an ever important feature of nature. If it was upset, life changes and dies. Something he needed to protect. Suddenly sitting upright, he surveyed his surroundings.

Since he awoke from his iced shell in the snowy wastes of the Living World, Sadaharu had noticed many changes to his regular domain. Karakura town had changed in so many ways. He was always amused by the industrious nature of mankind. Their constant hustle and bustle about their daily lives was amazing, if somewhat sad and futile. Turning away from the concrete covered metropolis, Sadaharu bent shallowly before launched himself several thousand feet above the ground. A look of determination intermingled with wry amusement permeating his features. Raising his hand, he brought it down blindingly quick as a gaping black void opened in the air before him. Calmly he stepped through and began his quick run. Soon enough a light appeared before him. Rushing headlong through it, he burst into bright sunlight that he well recognized.

Below him was a luscious green sea of trees, broken here and there by several small clearings. Looking to his left, he felt the very faint thrum of spirit energy that could only be Seireitei and the outskirts of Soul Society. He gauged that he should be far enough away from Seireitei to avoid detection, and if not only arouse a little bit of attention. Any sent he knew he would easily avoid, unless there was a detection specialist of unusual skill among them. Slowly he began to float downwards towards the forest floor. It was much as he remembered it. The small pockets of reiatsu peppered throughout the surrounding area signifying the local wild life. Smiling to himself he began to walk, brushing his fingertips against the boles of the ancient trees. It was said that some when meditating calmly among them could feel the trees absorbing and emitting the spiritual energy that sustained the Soul Society.

The overgrowth of the trees was so thick that very little light ever touched the forest floor. None the less, plant life was versatile and managed through what ever means necessary. As such, patches of ground covering mosses and weedy grasses stretched out and random intervals.

Sadaharu's reverie was broken as one of the small sources of reiatsu began to move towards him at an increasing pace. turning his head, Sadaharu watched as a bear of colossal proportions burst through the undergrowth, coming barrelling at him at full pace. As it neared him, Sadaharu squared his shoulders and released a deep, low rumble. His mane of red hair became bushy, his eyes grew round and intimidating and the very ground itself seemed to resonate with his animalistic behaviour. The bear came to a scrabbling halt before turning tail and fleeing back the way it had come. Releasing a short bark-like laugh, Tategami hummed his approval. Resting a hand on the hilt behind his back, Sadaharu continued his cheery wander.

Before long, he could feel a slowly growing force of reiatsu. Definitely Shinigami by nature. Adjusting his Shihakushō about his middle, Sadaharu removed his white captains mantle. Rolling it carefully he placed it securely within one of the folds of his clothing. Picking up a particularly sharp looking twig, he tied up his hair and pinned it in place. Turning his attention back to the newly come Shinigami, he begun to make his move. Employing the training he received in the 2nd Division, Sadaharu moved with a silence bread only through countless hours of training. Concentrating to make sure his reiatsu was suppressed as possible, Sadaharu used his Flash Steps to move up to the individual.

When he was about 30 meters away, he stopped, closed his eyes, and listened. Diverting all his mental ability to his sensory abilities, he observed. He heard the Shinigami dispose of the bear, and release his Zanpakutō uttering the phrase "Reap, Tenshumori...". His lips quirked as memories floated back of a time when he was a member of the Gotei 13, remembering a particularly withdrawn Shinigami with a similar release phrase.

Sadaharu's eyes snapped open as the stranger released strange reiatsu that had primal, animal twists to it. Standing up quickly, he used the tree to push himself as high into the tree canopy as possible. What ever was coming he didn't want to be anywhere near.

Unaware that he had not only been sensed, seen and surveyed for some little while now Kuro gave his conjured wolves their time to assess the radial perimeter and take inventory of everything within or around it. The all-black, grizzled forms of mountain wolves were quick and fleet-footed, ranging outward in the four Cardinal Directions while detecting spiritual pressures, their commodities and even the more mundane types of sensory such as scent; which is why the prowling presence couldn't escape the scrutiny of his patrol despite quelling his own spiritual pressure in order to erase his reiatsu signature. Being in a tree had little to do with one's scent, in fact it made it easier to permeate within the loftier air currents, nor did it erase a trail from the ground as his... guest... was about to discover.

The reiatsu-forged wolf loping off in that particular direction took note of the scent before arriving at a range that allowed for visibility, specifically for anyone attempting to spot the darkened, sleek physique in this inhospitable and equally darkened environment. The scent was quite clearly that of a spiritual being, one presumed to be Shinigami as the subtle differences between their reiatsu and a Vaizard's couldn't be detected when their spiritual pressure, itself, couldn't. Still, this was a cause for concern as the very nature of this expedition had been for seclusion and secrecy. As the conjuration sent its mental reports back to Kuro whilst maintaining concealment in the deeper shadows of the forested landscape, it sat watch and awaited the orders which came back almost immediately.

Leave them alone-- for now. Pick up their trail and double back on it to determine which direction they came from. The two-way transmission had been quick as thought, as it was something closely akin to it, and concluded just as quickly. The conjuration spryly maneuvered through the underbrush and openly stalked out into the area occupied by the unexpected guest, but without paying particular attention to the tree the object of such scrutiny sat in, instead focusing on picking up the scent and back-tracing it. Startling them might mean flight, and Kuro had no intentions of pursuing someone capable of suppressing their spiritual pressure across this no-man's-land; best to reel them in nice and slow, instead. With that, the conjured wolf had the trail and rocketed off to follow it, harboring a priority of tracing it to its origins ( if close enough ) or at least far enough to give definitive evidence of where his shadow had come from. After recently being inducted into the 2nd Gotei he couldn't help but wonder if it was one of his "peers" attempting to spy on him, or operating under orders to ascertain just what type of man this mysterious and lonesome Tenshute Kuromori was... Guess we'll find out soon enough, he thought, and with that thought the chosen conjuration redoubled its speed with the task at hand-- which began leading it away from Seireitei.

Still standing as he had since evoking Shikai, Kuro's right hand began tightening about the black haft of his ashendarei whilst considering this new development. If not from Seireitei, then where? An interloper, infiltrating into Soul Society itself? Strange and powerful Hollow were known to haunt these very forests for no better reason than that they were seclusive, so why couldn't someone wanting to slip beneath the Gotei 13 radar do just that? Better not leave anything to chance if it isn't necessary. Three more spheres of flickering black flames began manifesting about the smallish meadow, swiftly reforming and solidifying into another wolf and two similarly all-black tigers which immediately began lashing their tails as if being held at bay, wanting nothing more than to hunt this most peculiar and dreary of forests. The wolf immediately loped off in the direction of the variable "Shinigami" to take up surveillance on the area whilst the other wolf was still haring off on the trail, the other three contemporaries originally manifested still prowling about to maintain the radius they were initially tasked with.

Meanwhile, the two tigers-- Reaping Tigers, to be exact-- flowed out of the meadow and became one with the darkness as well, setting themselves up somewhere nearby but between Kuro and whoever else was out there. These woodlands were apt for the use of tigers, one of nature's most elusive, agile and powerful hunters, and because of the nature of reiatsu they were forged from... well, they would blend seamlessly with their environment when on the prowl with the sole exception of being markedly spiritual. If anyone or anything attempted to attack or spring a trap on him they were in for a rude awakening, but Kuro's final and most efficient line of defense was himself, merely supplemented by the utilities of his Zanpakutō. All these things had transpired within the first few moments of entering the clearing and evoking Shikai, a strange turn of events that were keeping him from what he had come to do but events that couldn't be ignored either. Seemingly standing idly by, Kuro hadn't moved a hair and maintained that noble and comfortably balanced posture as if contemplating.