Itachi did not care for the fanfare of his graduating students, something he made sure to let them know by not attending their final exams, written or practical, no matter how much he knew they would have loved it.
In some, it was a sensation of pride in them that wanted to show him how far they've grown, while in others it was just sheer stubbornness to stick it to his face that no matter how much of a hardass he was, they still graduated.
Itachi on the other hand – in his full brood capacity – sent off another batch of his students by committing fully to his work for the whole day. He still did not know how he came to be much loved by most of the students, and even as he was thankful for it, he never let it be a situation where he would stand in front of their path in any way.
In this way he would say in full confidence that he'd grown, not largely but in subtler ways.
Now with this most recent batch of students gone he would have to start preparing for the next semester and for the new intake of students.
Compared to his usual workload as the Captain of the 2nd Division, it wasn't much but it was the one he loved doing the most. It was fulfilling in a way that differed from him chasing down rebels and criminals. And yes, while dealing with the youthful students every year was a headache of its own, it was one he was mostly pleased with.
He was happy when he met them and he was happy with them gone. It was a circle of completion that he couldn't be more proud of, even if no one would know of it. Just as leaves fall from trees every season and new ones take their place. It was the beauty of youth.
Be that as it may, it still didn't change his duties to the Soul Society and the Shinigami even if Itachi wouldn't have been opposed if it did.
One of the things he'd taken care of was to make sure that the Head Captain censored Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
It was already bad enough that the man basically owned half of the 12th and Research Division since they couldn't fully oust him from either Divisions, and while Kisuke Urahara was made his overseer of sorts, most of Mayuri's research was still kept an unknown to him, and that Itachi couldn't allow.
Mayuri was far from a dependent variable and that was something Itachi would have preferred removed from the equation going forward. The man was everything a ticking time bomb was, but with the addition of a terrible personality and being generally unpleasant.
He was all for giving people second chances but he also knew the kind of people who deserved those. Mayuri wasn't one of them.
Even if he couldn't send Mayuri back to the Maggots Nest, he would settle for him being completely brought under Kisuke. He just simply couldn't be trusted to his own devices.
With his petition for a censor sent to the Head Captain, along with numerous breaches in protocol Mayuri has had in the last decades, he knew that the Head Captain, if nothing at all, would keep his eyes on Mayuri and all that was needed for the final push was another act from Mayuri, one he was already waiting to play out.
Mayuri's stunt in the World of the Living would be the final nail in his coffin.
It also helped that Kisuke Urahara had his plans concerning the man so that means that he wouldn't have to worry about keeping an eye on him all the time.
Mayuri was a tumor that would soon be surgically removed.
Mayuri aside, his other problems stemmed from Kusaka and Tōshirō. He still didn't have a solution to the problem concerning their shared spirit and he wasn't taking Kisuke's idea of severing one of their soul links into consideration.
The man meant well, he knew that, but it wasn't a solution he liked. He knew he was running out of time, he could feel it, but he still wasn't anywhere close to figuring it out.
Upon their graduation, he knew that Tōshirō would be joining the 10th Division with special recommendations from its Lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, and to keep Kusaka under wraps he decided to welcome him into the 2nd Division, at least for now.
It also meant that the boy wouldn't be using his Zanpakutō for his final exams, or at least releasing it. As for the Reiatsu the blade emitted even in its dormant state, he used a simple Transformation Jutsu (or rather the advanced version of it) and showed Kusaka how to use his Reiatsu to keep it stable even when in battle.
The boys still had a lot of obstacles in their way before they could be recognized as fully fledged Shinigami but they were on a path that neither of them regretted. It wasn't their choice to have the same Zanpakutō spirit but they were steadfastly dealing with the wrong cards they were dealt.
Unless he came across a convenient solution, he was afraid they would remain like this for a long while before anything changed.
He sighed from atop the rooftop he was perched on and massaged his brows. It was the evening time and the sun was receding back to its place behind the horizon, casting down that beautiful sunset glow over the Seireitei.
His thoughts were once again disrupted by the memories of the bloody dreams he had been having but he shook his head and waved them off.
He had a lot to think about without bringing cryptic dreams into the mix.
The Soul Society was slowly changing and he was in a position to influence that change, so in a way this was the most crucial moment in his career so far and though he couldn't see the shape the change was taking, he held hope that in the nearer future it would be something easily recognizable.
They were old leaves in a strained bark, it was their job to prune themselves before they end up irrevocably corrupting the new saps.
That, to Itachi, was what it meant to be a teacher.
It did not need to be a glorious one, nor one position that entitled him to acknowledgements. Even if none of his students showed appreciation, he would take solace in the fact that he taught them well and the confidence that they would continue in his teaching.
A hundred years. That was what he gave himself. If he couldn't raise numerous seeds to take his place in a hundred years then he truly has failed.
So, for now, he would content himself into falling in the same loop. He would do his duties as a Captain and he would teach.
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A/N: Sorry for the very short chapter. I keep trying to write over it but it's just stuck.