Disclaimer: Still the same.

Information: You should note that in this story, Sasuke doesn't know about Danzo and his past life. He will be finding out about Danzo later on in the arc, though. Also, I'm skipping over detailed character descriptions for the Akatsuki. They look the same as they do in the anime.

Chapter 16: Invitation to the Foundation

"The Foundation…?"

Sasuke stared at Danzo through narrowed eyes, trying to get a firm hold of his wandering memories. Shimura… Danzo… Where have I heard that name before? He's definitely familiar, but I can't seem to get a hold of my memories… "Who exactly are you?" he asked out loud. "And what is this 'Foundation'?"

Danzo took a step forward, and another, and another- right up until he was less than ten feet away from Sasuke. He seemed to be an individual of the highest authority, but he walked and spoke as if he had all the time in the world. "Well, let's see…" he began. "The Foundation- or the ANBU Black Ops, as some call it, is an organization that is a separate branch from the 2nd Division- Soifon-taichou's division. I know that you have no home, Uchiha Sasuke. How would you like the join the Foundation, where you can have a place to stay, food to eat, and a bed to sleep on?"

"I hope you're joking," replied Sasuke in a flat tone. "A place to stay? Food to eat? A bed to sleep on? All those things hold no value in my eyes." He suddenly spun around, walking away from Danzo. "I would say thanks for the offer, but… no thanks."

…"How is your brother, Uchiha Itachi?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, completely still as if he had been frozen by Danzo's question. Slowly turning around, he glared hard at Danzo, his Sharingan having unconsciously activated from the sudden wave of emotions of anger and hatred that was flowing through him. "What… do you know… about Uchiha Itachi…?"

"Only an Uchiha possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan can defeat Itachi," said Danzo. "Itachi is a traitor and a Class One criminal. My duty is to protect Soul Society from criminals like him. I am hunting him down, the same as you are."

Sasuke took a step forward, his eyes practically burning with malice. "You can help me track him down? Great, but let me make one thing clear. If I find Itachi, I'm the one that's going to kill him. Anyone that stands in my way is just another obstacle that I'll cut down. I'm looking for answers, and Itachi is the only one who can give me them. After I find him, I'm going to ask him everything about my Family's massacre, and after that… I'm going to kill him."

"That's fine with me," said Danzo calmly. "The only outcome that matters is his death. Join my organization as my subordinate, and I will help you find Itachi. You can be the weapon that strikes the only and final blow to that traitor."

…

"Very well then," said Sasuke finally. "Consider me in… but only until I find the answers that I seek."

"A reasonable negotiation." Danzo turned around and began walking away. "Follow me."

Sasuke stood in his spot for a full ten seconds before starting to follow Danzo. He felt some kind of foreboding and danger lying with the strange Shinigami, but it didn't matter. Nothing did. Sasuke's only purpose in life as of this moment was to get answers from Itachi, and he'd do anything to get them, legal or illegal.

|The Foundation HQ, Seireitei, Soul Society|

Danzo and Sasuke stopped in front of an entrance in the middle of the 2nd Division territory that most likely led underground. The entrance itself was a pair of black metal double doors built into a large boulder in the middle of the forest, and there were two Shinigami guards wearing white animal masks- a boar and a tiger, standing in front of the entrance. They stood at attention as they caught sight of Danzo.

"He's fine," said Danzo as the two guards stepped forward to search Sasuke for hidden weapons. He walked past the two guards as they stood back at attention, Sasuke following closely behind.

… As the two entered through the doors, Sasuke found himself in a vast underground building, the atmosphere both dark and foreboding. In front of them was what was probably the top floor of the headquarters, and it was basically just a steel walkway that stretched over to the other side of the room. Two more ramps stretched out on either side of the walkway at the middle like a cross, but Danzo and Sasuke took the middle one all the way to the other side.

"Danzo-sama." This voice belonged to what Sasuke noted to probably be one of Danzo's ANBU subordinates, who suddenly flickered into view in front of them, crouching down on one knee. He was garbed in a black assassin uniform along with the same type of mask that the two guards from the entrance wore earlier- the new voice's mask being reminiscent to a crow. "Welcome back. Who is the person beside you, if I may ask?"

"This is Uchiha Sasuke," said Danzo. The stranger look startled at the word "Uchiha," but he barely budged from his position. "He will be joining the Foundation as of today as a new member."

"I see…" The ANBU Black Ops member retained his kneeling position as he spoke. "And what team will he be joining?"

Danzo seemed to muse over the decision for a couple long seconds before answering. "I think that Team Ro will suffice for now, as their fourth member is dead. Take him over there and give him a set of the standard uniform. I will deal with the rest after that."

"Yes sir." The ANBU member stood up and looked over at Sasuke. "Follow me, if you would."

…

Sasuke and the nameless ANBU member stopped when they arrived in front of a door that had "Unit B" printed on the wooden surface. "All right," said the ANBU, "this is where we part. Good luck."

Sasuke nodded in thanks and walked through the door to find himself in a plain-looking but spacious room. He noticed that the left side of the room resembled a lounge, while the right side of the room was a locker room with showers. Finally, there were three Shinigami standing near the lockers.

The first two figures wore a dark sleeveless blue suit with forest green flak jackets, while the third figure wore a black sleeveless shirt with a black collared flak jacket along with dark blue pants. While the first figure was a very lazy and mellow-looking male with a black spiked ponytail and brown eyes that were narrowed in an annoyed kind of expression. He also wore silver hoop earrings and wore the standard ANBU black uniform complete with a thin forest green flak jacket. He had his Zanpakuto and another katana that hung from his back. On his forehead was a headband with the kanji for "ANBU" on it.

The second figure was very pale male with medium-length black hair and an unusually dead expression on his face that even peaked Sasuke's curiosity. He wore the same uniform as the first figure but with the midriff section cut off, replaced by bandages instead. He also wore the ANBU headband on his forehead. His Zanpakuto hung from his back like the first figure.

The third figure had very unique and unusual spiky white hair along with a dark blue mask that covered his face from the nose down. He also had a headband which had the kanji for "ANBU" on like the other two figures, but his was slanted to the side, covering his left eye, and he carried an unusually intense and dangerous aura that matched Danzo's own. He also had his Zanpakuto hanging from his back. Sasuke automatically knew that this figure was the captain of Team Ro.

The third figure glanced over Sasuke as he walks in. "Danzo-sama told us that we would be getting a new recruit, but I didn't know that it would be this soon." Uncrossing his arms, he walked over to Sasuke and reached out his hand. "I'm Team Ro's captain, Hatake Kakashi." Looking over his shoulder, he motioned to the first and second figure. "That's Nara Shikamaru, and that's Sai."

"Sup," said Shikamaru in a lazy tone.

"Nice to meet you," said Sai in a curiously friendly yet dead tone. "I wonder…" There was a brief pause as Sasuke studied Sai, unable to read him at all. "Do you…" continued Sai, "…have a dick?"

…

Sasuke and the two others stared at Sai, the room going completely silent. "Yep…" said Kakashi in an almost embarrassed tone. "That's Sai…"

|Akatsuki Hideout, Soul Society|

It was a cave in the middle of an elephant graveyard. A violent sandstorm swept throughout the area, making it impossible for any normal person to approach the graveyard. A large mammoth skeleton lay in front of the cave, the towering structure rising high above the other skeletons.

…Inside was a set of stone stairs that were carved to lead down to an underground hideout. A narrow hallway led towards a pair of metal doors, and past those doors was a big and spacious room with a single rectangular stone table for ten that sat in the middle of the room. Seated around the table were eleven figures- ten of the eleven being heads of the organization known as the Akatsuki.

The figures were Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu- a tall, tan-skinned male who wore a white hood and a black mask which covered the majority of his face save his eyes, Kisame- a very tall, pale blue-skinned male with shark-like features on his face including gill-like facial markings under his eyes, Itachi, and Zetsu, a green-haired black and white figure (half black and half white) who had Venus flytrap-like extensions emerging from its side.

There was also three more figures who were seated along the far-end side of the table towards the shadows, the upper portion of their faces hidden by the shadows. Those three figures were Pain, Konan, and another unknown figure. All eleven of the figures had on their own individual rings as well as the standard Akatsuki cloak. Zetsu, however, wasn't part of the ten heads of the Akatsuki.

"Welcome, members," began Pain in a quiet voice. "We will now commence with the meeting… First of all, Itachi… welcome back." There was a still silence in the air as he paused for a second. "Thirty years… Thirty years since your last mission in Seireitei … We thank you for your service."

Itachi simply nodded in response. "Now," continued Pain, "onto our next order of business concerning the replacement of the two former Akatsuki head members…" The gaze of the group shifted to the third figure who was sitting on Pain's right. "First, we have recruited one of the members of the Espada, Tier Harribel." Harribel remained completely still and silent during her introduction.

"An Arrancar?" This was Hidan that spoke. "You're kidding me, right? Now we're recruiting fucking Hollows? This is a Shinigami-onlyorganization, damn it! Kakuzu, back me up here! We don't need fucking Hollows to fuck up our fucking shit! Shinigami and Hollows are enemies, damn it!"

Kakuzu remained silent as he glanced at Hidan, then at Harribel. After a couple seconds of silence, he spoke. "What's wrong with borrowing a Hollow's power?" This earned a scoff from Hidan, who scowled at his fellow Akatsuki member. "That's right, I forgot," said Hidan with contempt. "Of course scum would agree with scum. Che!"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he glared at Hidan with murderous intent. "What did you just say? Do you want to be killed by scum?"

"Hah!" laughed Hidan as he pointed at Kakuzu. "So you admit that you're scum!"

"Why you…" growled Kakuzu as his eyes burned in anger. His fist began to turn charcoal as he continued to glare at Hidan. Hidan slowly reached for his red scythe which was propped up against his chair. "That's it-."

"Enough arguing!" ordered Pain in a quiet yet stern voice. Hidan gave Kakuzu one last smirk as he released the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "I won't tolerate any fighting here, do I make myself clear? I could care less what you two do in your own free time, but in here, I am the law." Glancing at the two, he nodded in satisfaction. "Now that that's over with, where was I… The second member that will be joining us should be here by now."

As if on cue, there was the noise of shuffling of feet, earning the attention of the group as they all turn to the double doors as they swung open. A figure walked into the room, dressed in a customized version of the Akatsuki cloak- a robe instead of a cloak which had a spiraling pattern imprinted on the back of it. The robe was also midnight blue instead of black, and the figure wore a white fox mask similar to the one that the ANBU wore. The figure had shaggy black hair and emitted a dangerous and sinister aura.

Pain turned his gaze back to the group as he spoke. "This is our newest member, a parting gift of our late comrade Aizen Sosuke… Uzumaki Menma."

Couple hours later…

Itachi walks into the meeting room and looks around. Pain, Konan, and Zetsu are sitting around the now-empty table, Pain's back facing Itachi. Zetsu notices Itachi, and the white-half of itself- the only part that had a mouth- grinned as if it was happy to see him. Pain and Konan, however, continued on reviewing some scrolls and documents as if they weren't aware of Itachi's presence. Itachi waited patiently by the door until Pain decided to speak.

"So, you have a concern?" inquired Pain casually without turning around. "I'm guessing that it's about the two new recruits. Deidara and Hidan already wasted my time complaining about them, so make it brief if at all possible."

"Hardly," replied Itachi smoothly. "I have no concern regarding the Arrancar and a child. I had a request to make of you… a favor, in other words."

Pain seemed mildly surprised by this. "A favor? Well, loyalty demands payment, no matter what the form of payment is. State your wish."

Itachi closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. "My request… My request regards Uchiha Sasuke."

Pain's eyes narrowed as he stared hard at Itachi.

…

"Go on…"

|The Foundation HQ, Seireitei, Soul Society|

Sasuke walks through the Foundation's HQ layout, being given a tour by Kakashi. Shikamaru walked by Sasuke's side, while Sai walked behind them. Sasuke gave Sai a quick glance before reverting his gaze back to the front. "So," he said to Shikamaru, "What's the deal your teammate?"

"Who?" Shikamaru smirked as he glanced back at Sai as well. "Sai? No one knows what his deal is, but Danzo-sama has nothing but respect for him. He may be a little off, but he's the best assassin in the Foundation, trust me. Even Kakashi knows this."

Sasuke looked slightly startled by this. "Him?"

"Yeah," replied Shikamaru. "He's one of the foremost experts in infiltration and assassination, but it's his Zanpakuto that's the real problem. It's dangerous… In fact, it become such a big problem that the soutaichou forbade him from releasing his Zanpakuto, even in times of emergency. One wrong move, and someone could end up dead."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he used his peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of Sai, who was calmly looking around the surrounding area, almost carefree in his movements and fake smile. This guy's that dangerous?

"We're here." Sasuke blinked at the sound Kakashi's voice, brought out of his thoughts. He looked around to find himself outside in Seireitei, a field of grass surrounding them. "That's basically our headquarters," continued Kakashi, "so now, the rules."

"Rules?" echoed Sasuke. "Pertaining to what?"

"Being one of Danzo-sama's personal guards," replied Kakashi. "You and Sai are Danzo-sama's personal guards, which means that when you're off duty from the squad, you are to stay by Danzo-sama's side at all time unless he relieves you." Catching Sasuke's annoyed look, Kakashi grinned behind his mask. "Don't worry, it's only when he's outside in the public eye, which he rarely is. Other than that, you're free to do what you will."

"Is that it?" asked Sasuke, to which Kakashi shook his head. "As part of an agreement with his soutaichou, a few of the elite members are of the Foundation are required to attend meeting for vice-captains, and in some special cases, captains. This way, both sides can keep a check on each other."

Sasuke nods in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind." And with that, he flash stepped away, leaving Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Sai all to themselves.

|Akatsuki Hideout, Soul Society|

Seven of the eleven Akatsuki members were gathered around a spacious room, gathered together in their assigned pairs. Itachi and Kisame, Hidan and Kakuzu, and Sasori and Deidara. Harribel was grouped with her accomplices- Apacci, Rose, and Sung-Sun.

All seven turned at the sound of Zetsu emerging from ground beside Deidara and Sasori. "Deidara… Sasori…" This was Black Zetsu, speaking in his low and hoarse voice. "Leader wants to see you right away." White Zetsu chuckled, grinning in his usual cheerful demeanor. "It's a big surprise, so hurry."

Hidan scowled in annoyance as he turned to Deidara and Sasori. "Why the fuck are you two always getting missions? What are you, the leader's bitches?"

"Oy, true artists deserve recognition!" scolded Deidara, scowling. "You annoying religious punk!"

"What'd you say, you fucking cock-sucking atheist?!" Hidan grabbed for his scythe, only stopping when Kakuzu grabbed his arm. "What the fuck are you doing, Kakuzu?!"

Deidara, smirking, left the room, Sasori following without a word. Apacci, Rose, and Sung-Sun watch from the sidelines, their arms crossed and smirks on their faces. "Che! Look at those Shinigami idiots!" scoffed Apacci. "Talking shit about us Arrancar then acting worse than we do!"

Rose nods in agreement. "Yeah, I agree. Disgusting."

"My my," said Sung-Sun, her mouth covered with one sleeve-covered hand as always. "This is quite an unpleasant sight."

"Quiet, Apacci," rebuked Harribel quietly. "These are people you don't want to anger."

|Meeting Room, Akatsuki Hideout, Soul Society|

Deidara and Sasori enter the room, where Pain and Konan were waiting for them. A figure hidden in the shadows towards the corner of the room remained motionless as the two entered. Pain closed eyes opened as he sensed them entering. "I have a task for you two," he said right away. "An infiltration and extraction mission."

"Those are Itachi's specialties," stated Sasori. "Why not send him instead?"

"Itachi requested to be placed on another mission."

Sasori nods. "Uchiha Sasuke, huh?"

"Enough of the small chitchat," said Deidara in slight annoyance. "What's the mission already?"

Pain's eyes turned to rest on Deidara, then back to Sasori. "I'm sure you two know by now that Kurosaki Ichigo had lost his Shinigami powers after his battle with Aizen. I sent Zetsu to keep a close check on him, and he's informed me that Kurosaki is close to acquiring his Fullbring powers."

"Fullbring?" repeated Sasori. "Is Ginjo Kugo stirring up trouble again?"

"Ginjo Kugo?" echoed Deidara curiously. "Who the hell is he?"

Sasori turned to face Deidara. "He's a former Shinigami Daiko that ran from the Gotei 13 after killing a number of Shinigami. He's not a threat." Sasori turned to Pain. "What's he got to do with our mission?"

Pain's ripple-like patterned eyes almost seemed to swirl in a hypnotizing manner as they narrowed. "It has everything to do with your mission. Now, listen closely…"

|Cave, Desert Wasteland, Soul Society|

Naruto sat across the cave from Jiraiya, his expression dead serious. "So, tell me… What do you know about me?"

"I know quite a bit about you," answered Jiraiya, "but if you really don't know anything about your former life, then I don't it'd be in your best interest if I told you everything right away." Before Naruto could open his mouth to respond, Jiraiya raised his hand. "I promise that you'll know everything you need to know in time. Be patient."

…

"So, who exactly are you?" This was Naruto that spoke. "A Shinigami, obviously, but…"

Jiraiya seemed to mull over the question before answering the question. "Well, you're right. I am a Shinigami- or well, I was. A former Shinigami. I used to be a member of the Gotei 13 over a thousand years ago, but other than that, I can't tell you much else I'm afraid."

"A thousand years ago?" Naruto looked shocked by this. "But-, but that's-… But that means that you're-."

Jiraiya nodded as he answered. "Former hachibantai-taichou, Jiraiya. Nice to meet you, Naruto." Jiraiya extended out his hand, which Naruto took after a moment's hesitation.

"So what do you want with me?" asked Naruto. "No one crosses this area of Soul Society for no reason."

Jiraiya leaned forward in his seat, his normally cheerful eyes turning serious. "I'm here to talk to you about the coming war." This earned a surprised look from Naruto, who suddenly looked interested.

"What war?" asked Naruto.

"Tell me… Have you ever heard of the Quincy?" This earned a quizzical look from Naruto, who shook his head slowly. "I know a little," Naruto answered. "Not much other than the fact that they use bows." He suddenly looks up in deep thought. "Well, now that I think about it… I did meet one back in Seireitei." Looking back down at Jiraiya, a look of surprise came over his face. "Are you telling me that the Quincy are involved in this war?"

Jiraiya stared back at Naruto, answering in silence.

|Doll House, Xcution HQ, Karakura Town, The World of the Living|

"AHHHHH!" Ichigo brandished his Shinigami Daikou Badge, swinging it with full strength at Mr. Pork, a gigantic pig doll standing in front of him. A wave of black and crimson energy similar to that of his Getsuga Tensho, only weaker, but faster. The wave sped towards Mr. Pork's face, landing a critical blow that knocked the doll flat on its back.

Ichigo grinned in excitement as he relaxed. "Hah! Not so tough, are you?"

"Well done!" said a booming female voice that seemed to echo throughout the area. "I'm surprised you lasted this long! Or rather, I should say without losing control of your Fullbring!"

Ichigo scowled at the ceiling, brandishing his badge in anger. "Oy, Riruka! Let me out already!"

The whole space suddenly rumbled violently as the ceiling came open, revealing a petite pink-haired female, looking to be in her teens or early 20's. She smiled mischievously as she stared down at Ichigo, who was as small as a doll. "Fine, if that's what you want." Taking a feather, she tickled her nose, which wrinkled as she held in a sneeze… and let it go.

"AH!" Ichigo shook himself like a dog, drenched in Riruka's sneeze. He suddenly began to glow as his whole body was jerked from the dollhouse, reentering the outside world in his normal-sized body.

"Disgusting!" Ichigo shook himself off once before turning to face the Xcution group, which consisted of five people- Kugo, Giriko, Riruka, Jackie, and Yukio. "So? When's the next stage of training? I did good, right?"

Kugo gets up from his seat slowly, nodding. "Yeah, you did good all right. Ichigo, you're finally ready for the next stage." Grinning, he turned to Yukio. "You're up."

|Karakura Town, The World of the Living|

Deidara and Sasori looked down at the peaceful town from the sky, their expressions blank. A quiet breeze passes by, rustling the tassels on their straw hats. "So…" began Deidara in a mellow voice. "This is Karakura Town? Kurosaki Ichigo's home."

"Yeah…" Sasori stared down below with his wide, almost doll-like eyes. "And there's our group." Following Sasori's gaze, Deidara turned to see Ichigo and Kugo running down the street… away from a thin, pencil-built male with wavy shoulder-length black hair. A long scar ran down the left side of his face, alongside his eye.

"Who's that?" asked Deidara, turning to Sasori. "Looks like an enemy. His reiryoku isn't anything impressive, hm." He blinked as the person suddenly disappeared with a faint flash of green light, reappearing in front of Ichigo and Kugo, who quickly run into a nearby alley. "He's fast though."

Sasori frowned as he glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eyes. "Are you done rambling? Let's get this over with."

Deidara nods. "Yeah, let's go. This'll be interesting, hm." Right as he finished his sentence, the two disappeared.

|Karakura Town, The World of the Living|

"Come on, Ichigo!"

"Shut the hell up, Ginjo! Don't worry about me!"

…

Kugo suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning around. Ichigo skidded to a halt behind him, surprised. "What's going on, Ginjo? Why are you-."

"Shhh!" Kugo stared hard at the alleyway behind them, his face twisted into a scowl. "Where did he go?"

Ichigo looked up at the sky, then down, turning left and right. In front of them was the exit, the alleyway lying behind them. "You're right… Weird. What the hell was that about?" He relaxed his clenched fist, his fingers wrapped around his Shinigami Daikou badge. Faint waves of black and crimson energy leaked from the badge, dissipating into thin air. "Too bad. I was looking forward to using my new powers."

"Don't get so cocky, Ichigo," Kugo said in a warning tone. "Tsukishima's way too strong for you to handle alone. He'd be too much for you to handle. Even I can barely go toe to toe with him."

"Che!" Ichigo scoffed as he turned around, stuffing the badge into his pocket. "Well, I would've kicked his ass." He passed Kugo as he headed for the alley exit. "Come on, let's go back to training."

Kugo gave the alleyway one last glance before turning around, following Ichigo.

|Alley, Karakura Town, The World of the Living|

Tsukishima, the black haired figure, stopped in his tracks, his book in his hand and a genuinely surprised look on his face. In front of him stood Deidara and Sasori, as calm as can be.

"Who are you people?" Tsukishima asked, his free hand reaching for the bookmark in his book. "You don't look like Shinigami." Holding his bookmark out by his side, it seemed to burn as green flickering flames consumed it. The bookmark glowed and extended out into a sleek katana with a bookmark-shaped tsuba.

Sasori blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the sword. "Another Fullbringer? Looks like Zetsu made a mistake."

"Fullbringer?" Tsukishima narrowed his eyes as he stared hard at Sasori. "You know about us? Who are you? You know what, never mind that. It doesn't matter. You're a nuisance as of now, so…" His katana twitched ever so slightly as he sped forward in a flash, his sword drawn back… aimed at Deidara.

Deidara didn't even blink as he drew his sword, blocking Tsukishima's blow. Sparks erupted as the blades clashed, and Deidara's Zanpakuto glowed bright as it came into contact with Tsukishima's sword. "Hah, baka!" crowed Deidara as the bright yellow light filled their vision. "Katsu!"

Tsukishima's eyes widened in shock as an explosion filled the alley, creating a cloud of smoke that engulfed the area. Tsukishima flew out from the smoke, skidding to a halt five feet away. Once the smoke cleared up, Deidara and Sasori were seen standing in their exact same positions, as calm as can be.

"What in the world was that?" asked Tsukishima, grimacing in pain. Light bruises cover his face, small tears in his clothes.

Deidara lowered his Zanpakuto, his eyes resting on Tsukishima's feet, which had light green flames flickering from the heels. "So that's the Fullbringer's version of flash step, huh? You're fast, but I saw your speed beforehand, hm."

"Is that so?" Tsukishima straightened up, holding his katana out by his side. "Well then, I'll have to be more careful from here on out, won't I?"

To be continued…

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