All the World's A Stage~ [Nao and Hirato]

[Nao Takeda]

The day was certainly calm in the 9th division. Most everybody was out doing their duties and some on their days off. The barracks were still littered with other squad members, but most had gone for the day on their duties and missions. A young man that looked like he was in his mid 20s stepped slowly through the hallways with his hands in his pockets. He wore his crimson scarlet scarf today as a remembrance to Shizuna, the girl he traversed the rukongai with when he was younger. She was the only woman who had seen Nao at his core personality. His uniform was sleeveless, in his attempt at not having to wear the standard uniform. Bandages covered his chest and lower arms to his wrists. A glass bead necklace hung around his neck under his scarf. Nao had short black hair that was shaggy and unkept most of the time. He had tattoos on his left eye of flames going over his eye and one on his right shoulder was a sun symbol. The man's skin was pale and his eyes were a menacing red color that often made people not want to talk to him since it gave him a dangerous air, making others not want to approach him most of the time. However, Nao has learned to combat this by faking most of his emotions in front of others since he long since tossed aside his own emotions for the life of an assassin. He knew nothing else ever since that grinning woman came into the rukongai to save him from a hollow that had tried to make him a snack. Nao really wasn't the type of person to express himself openly; more like he couldn't since he didn't know how to feel anymore. Most of the emotions he showed were from watching others and reading about them in books.

Today was a special day for Nao since today was the first day of him being the lieutenant of the 9th Division. He had been in the 9th for a while, but most of his time in the seireitei was spent in the 2nd division. Nao had transferred after Yoruichi had left since the 2nd no longer held any fun for him since the grinning woman no longer was the Captain. He had stayed until Soi-Fon had taken over, then he transferred rather randomly. Honestly, it was a random pick. Nao had lazily taken out a paper with all the divisions written on them, shut his eyes, and pointed. His 2nd Division squad mates thought him a bit odd for picking that way, but they knew him well enough that this was not out of the ordinary for the man. So he had joined the 9th and soon rose to the 3rd seat quickly in the years that followed. He liked the difference he felt between the two divisions, yet he disliked how much he had to put on a face for everyone since he honestly felt nothing inside. Nao looked up with disinterest as he came upon the hallway that had two girls talking and giggling one one side. When they noticed Nao walk towards them, they silenced their giggles and looked over him with interest. He was a hit with the ladies, but he had no interest in them except to play with their hearts; often with cruel intentions. Since he had to meet with his Captain, Hirato Murano, he had no time to ply his tricks and heartbreak on them as he normally would, so he just kept walking and gave them a 'devil-may-care' smile and winked, making their faces blush and sent them running off in the opposite direction. Nao was quite the flirt, but never meant a lick of what he did.

Walking down the hallway to his Captain's office, Nao knew he was in his office since he had sent him a summons to his office specifically. Nao hadn't thought much of the 9th division when he entered, and was about to transfer again when he had heard that the division had a new captain by the name of Hirato Murano. Curious as to see who this new Captain was, Nao stayed in to find out. He had liked how this Captain handled things, calm and composed and to the point. Despite being the 3rd seat, Nao had no intention of going higher since it did not interest him in the slightest. Which made him rather surprised when Hirato had asked him to be his lieutenant, he did not expect it at all. Rather than turning down such an option, Nao had agreed and was now the lieutenant of the 9th Division. He knew the barracks like the back of his hand and soon came upon the door to Hirato's office. Knocking loudly, Nao had announced himself while opening the door to the office. Keeping up his facade, Nao had allowed himself to put a slight smile on his face as he entered and bowed politely. "You called, Captain Murano?" Nao said, his deep voice lifting up slightly to denote a more happy air as he pulled his smile a bit more. He read in a book once that in order to gain a good first impression, it was important to smile. Nao had long since mastered the art of smiling, though he never understood why such an action was needed. Some of the books in his room were on emotions and how to act on them as well as explaining them. When people would find out about his inability to feel, they called him heartless, but he would only respond that in order to be heartless, one would have had to have a heart to begin with.

[Hirato Murano]

Hirato shifted papers around on his desk and filled out the paperwork, the only sounds in his office shifting papers and the scratching of his pencil. The majority of his division was outside the barracks on missions, although a few remained at the 9th who were not on active duty or had scheduled to take the day off. Through the window to his right, sunlight illuminated the 9th Captain's office and revealed the true size of the 'unfinished' pile of paper resting on the desk to the right of his hand. Hirato paused and tapped the pencil on his desk lightly, his mind recalling the recent events involving Kaoru-san and that bastard. Anger entered his form and his hand gripped the pencil more tightly, fire burning in his cerulean eyes. The Zanjutsu expert still did not know what exactly Takashi intended for his apprentice, but it would not come to fruition as long as a breath remained in his body. Hirato composed himself and allowed the anger to dissipate, serenity entering his reiatsu and softening his expression once more. Turning to the paperwork, Hirato pressed on, intending to finish enough of it to take an afternoon walk around Seireitei.

His cerulean eyes glanced up in interest when Hirato sensed the reiatsu of his new Lieutenant, a rather fascinating man by the name of Takeda Nao-san. True to his nature, the 9th Captain had learned everything about his new Lieutenant that he deemed relevant, including the fact that Takeda-san had served in the 2nd Division under Yoruichi-san prior to transferring to the 9th shortly following Soi Fon-taicho's assumption of command. Did he have some sort of special interest in Yoruichi-san or was it something else? Hirato wondered, now even more interested to meet this man and begin piecing together the puzzle of Takeda-san. The noble also knew Takeda-san's reputation for flirting with virtually every woman in the 9th, although Hirato doubted that Takeda-san held any real interest in any of them based on his lack of pursuing a relationship or any actions of that sort. Takeda-san possessed great skill in Kido as well as the second most powerful fire type Zanpakuto in all of Seireitei, a perfect element for complimenting the abilities of the strongest wind type Zanpakuto. The crimson haired man glanced up at the sound of a knock and watched Takeda-san enter; his sharp eyes easily saw through the fake smile on Takeda-san's face, deciding not to comment on it and respond with a pleasant expression of his own.

"Please sit, Takeda-san," Hirato said politely, motioning for his Lieutenant to do so. His cerulean eyes examined the black haired man for several moments before the muscular man moved his paperwork off to the side of his desk, interlocking his fingers and gently resting his wrists in a gesture of interest. The 9th Captain continued, asking, "Why did you choose to join the 9th, Takeda-san?" his tone polite and honestly interested while his expression was light but focused. It was possible that Takeda-san desired to expand the range of his combat abilities and considered the 9th a suitable division in which to do so; perhaps Takeda-san simply wanted a change of pace from the assassinations and backstabbing of the 2nd. Hirato was certain that Takeda-san would find none of that here. The 9th Division was a division of soldiers, not one of assassins that toiled in the shadows and were forever condemned to belong to them. Sitting back slightly in his chair, Hirato waited for Takeda-san to respond patiently. The sunlight illuminated them both, lending their light to the cerulean orbs now gazing upon a black haired actor of great skill.

[Nao Takeda]

Nao had entered the office of Hirato Murano, the 9th Division captain, and immediately set his face into what he thought would be an appropriate one, seeing as he had no idea what to really show in this situation. However, first meetings did dictate that good first impressions were crucial, so a smile and a pleasant expression was due in order to get through this first meeting well. Nao had no worries about doing anything to upset his captain since Nao came as he was and didn't expect anyone else to care since he himself did not care. In fact, when Nao was summoned by his captain, many had wondered if Nao's interesting way of doing things had gotten him in trouble, despite him being on his best behavior at all times (nearly all times). Nao wasn't the typical shinigami. He fought for nobody but whoever gave him the order, and he would not fight without orders being given. Despite Yoruichi's fun and playful nature, she could not get Nao to open up more than he had already. He was simply...Broken... It wasn't like Nao cared, though, he would go on living, just running through the motions until someone or something prevented him from moving forward; the only time he felt alive was when he was fighting someone powerful or just plain fun.

Nao could tell that his facade was seen through by Hirato, even when the captain just continued on pleasantly without missing a beat. The former assassin was used to reading people who were much like the 9th Captain, easily able to conceal their thoughts and emotions, but Nao had gotten better at reading others since he was in the 2nd division for most of his time within the Gotei 13. As an assassin, it was a good skill to keep and hone over the time one needed it. He did appreciate, rather hypocritically since he himself kept up a facade, when others were honest with their emotions and thoughts, but he understood that some things were not meant to be shown or noticed. Nao tended to notice more things than he ought, but nothing really ended up fazing him. In fact, more often than not, those within his old division had this game were they would try and get Nao to react in any fashion or way towards whatever they put in front of him or told him; so far there have been no winners. A man named Ryou Kurosawa, however, came very close to get Nao to show proper anger and annoyance, but even then Nao was a rock till the end. When Hirato had motioned for Nao to sit, he complied and sat in front of his captain, a slight smile still on his face as he chose a more neutral expression now to show. Too much smiling could be a bad thing, at least, that's what the book he read said.

When Hirato had asked him why he chose the 9th, Nao took a bit of time to gather his answer. He had answered this question many times throughout his time within the 9th. Most were shocked that he had went from the 2nd division with assassinations to the 9th, where all they were was soldiers, never touching the shadows which Nao felt comfortable with melting into every now and then. Of course, Nao had a serious answer to this question as well as a playful and obviously joking answer. For the sake of first impressions, and wanting Hirato to take him seriously as a lieutenant, Nao gave the serious and honest answer. Nao's voice was carefully put into a light and serious tone, he matched the tone well with his serious and neutral expression that had the slight smile still. "You see, when that grinning woman--I mean, Yoruichi-sama-- had left Soul Society, I had no more interest to remain in the 2nd, but did so until Soi Fon-san, had assumed control." Nao said, the words told over and over already in the past years since he left. He had almost gotten away with calling Yoruichi 'that grinning woman', but quickly corrected himself from using the fond title he gave the woman since he had met her when he was younger and wandering the rukongai. "To be honest, Captain, I had chosen a division at random. I did not know what other divisions would suit someone with my...uh...skill sets. However, ever since coming to the 9th, it has offered me a nice change of pace from what I had done before." Nao had answered his question and then thought he ought to add that he had only stayed within the 9th since he was curious to see how Hirato would run the division, but didn't bother to say that at all since that is not what he had asked about. The sun had hit his eyes, making the red rubies that colored his eyes glow slightly against his skin and dark hair. Nao was intensely loyal to whoever he deemed was his superior. Since Yoruichi had gone, the woman he would still follow orders should she arise again, he had changed divisions, and so his sense of loyalty changed slightly with him. Now, his loyalty was held by the 9th Division Captain, and Nao would take any order he gave him, even if that order was to kill another. Nao simply followed whatever order he was given, no matter how gruesome it was; this separated him from most people right away. Nao had nothing personal against Soi Fon, but he did not want to work under her while she ran the 2nd division; to put it simply, he liked the playful nature of Yoruichi rather than the serious and stoic nature of Soi Fon, though the two did share a love for black cats. Nao looked on at the captain, careful not to let his emotionless underneath show at all.

[Hirato Murano]

Hirato listened to his new lieutenant answer his question, still maintaining the facade. It was interesting to learn that he held Yoruichi-san in such high regard and even lost all desire to serve in the 2nd once Soifon-taicho assumed command. The crimson haired man had not spoken to the former Captain of the 2nd for many years now, although he kept in contact with Urahara-san. Hirato raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing that Takeda-san had transferred to the 9th on a whim. "You must have approved of how I've run the 9th if you stayed, Takeda-san," the Captain commented seriously, his cerulean eyes piercing the facade Takeda-san created easily. However, his Lieutenant was far better at concealing his emotions than his apprentice and Hirato could not yet see the true Takeda-san hidden behind the deception. Hirato smiled lightly when recalling that this man possessed a fire type Zanpakuto. It didn't seem to suit him, but perhaps it suited his true self.

The crimson haired man decided to address another subject, that of Takeda-san's flirtations with most of the female members of the 9th. "I do wonder why you bother flirting with so many women when it's unlikely you have any real interest in them, Takeda-san," said the cerulean eyed man seriously. While it didn't directly affect the 9th's function negatively, it was something Hirato intended to address. The conduct of his Lieutenant was of the utmost importance to him and the Zanjutsu expert wanted to at least know the reason for such behavior from his direct subordinate. His cerulean eyes remained fixed on Takeda-san, watching him carefully. Takeda-san seemed loyal and certainly possessed great skill, two admirable qualities in a Lieutenant. Yoruichi-san was also very crucial to him, which Hirato noted mentally. Like with any new information, the crimson haired man created a new folder for Takeda-san in his mind and added everything he had learned so far to it.

Now there's the matter of his abilities, the Hakuda expert thought seriously. From his information, Takeda-san was very skilled in Kido and his Zanpakuto would compliment Hirato's abilities very well. "Your Zanpakuto is the second strongest Fire type Zanpakuto, is it not, Takeda-san?" Hirato asked calmly, seeking only to confirm information he already knew. Takeda-san's fighting style might need some reworking considering, Hirato thought, noting that Takeda-san was no longer an assassin but a soldier. The assassinations of the 2nd had no place in the 9th, where a direct style of combat was followed and espoused under his leadership. In addition to increasing the funds allotted to the repair of the 9th's training grounds, Hirato had also gathered the entire 9th division to tell them of his philosophy of strengthening one's overall strength while still retaining one's strong points. The crimson haired Captain kept his gaze on his Lieutenant and waited for Act I, Scene 2 to begin in earnest.

[Nao Takeda]

Nao mentally smirked in amusement when Hirato had noted out loud that Nao had obviously liked the way he ran things since he stayed. He really couldn't refute the statement, so he put on his best sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head as he chuckled lightly at the serious captain in front of him. By this time, Nao had mastered many emotional expressions and could use them without fail in many situations. "I suppose you could say that, Captain Murano," Nao let amusement show in his eyes as he carefully constructed his tone to convey a light-heartedness to ease his next statement. "I guess if I didn't, then I would now be in the 5th, since that was the next division I would have tried next." Nao, in most everything he said, was pretty honest in speaking. He was not afraid to speak his mind or tell others what he was thinking; though most wish they hadn't asked in the first place when they do ask him what's on his mind. Nao did not mind speaking his mind, though he did wonder sometimes if others took offense to what he said. However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he instantly didn't care at all.

He noticed that his captain was trying to see through his facade to the real Nao underneath. I don't think he'd like what he'd find... Nao thought with some interest at such a reaction from Hirato. However, with as many years as Nao spent honing his ability to hide himself both physically and mentally, it would take more than just a few hard glances towards him to break past. He did not meet anyone he couldn't read, though, and found the captain only slightly challenged that skill of his. He noticed the small smile and wondered why he would have such an expression, but quickly pushed the thought aside when the captain had commented on his habit of flirting with many of the female members of the 9th. Nao always found he had some time and the girls of the 9th seemed to find him handsome, so he played his own games to pass the time; to cure his boredom. Nao carefully crafted his expression again into that of sheepish amusement, though he toned down the amusement to appear slightly embarrassed over this fact, when he did not feel such things at all right now; or ever. A sheepish smile lit his face. "Ah, yes, I appear to be popular with the ladies, though I have no idea why," Nao was ever modest, even when he was faking his emotions. The only woman for him was dead several hundred years now, and any other woman would not compare to her at the present. "Just to pass the time, Captain, nothing more. The woman I once loved--" Nao stopped short, knowing that he was going to personal. Keep the distance, Nao, he spoke to himself emotionlessly in his head, keeping in mind that anything personal was not needed when being a lieutenant talking with their captain. Or anyone else... Nao repeated, to cover his blunder. "Just to pass the time, sir," Nao smiled serenely at Hirato.

Nao had sat straighter in his chair as the conversation turned towards abilities and powers. He was rather surprised that Hirato had said that he had the second most powerful fire zanpakto in the seireitei. Nao did not keep tabs on who had the strongest zanpakto, nor did he find it interesting in the slightest. Nao had tilted his head slightly at this new piece of information. As far as Nao understood his zanpakto, Shi No Murebure was the typical fire type zanpakto. He used his fire as anyone else would do, though he was a bit stronger at using his element than others would expect the former assassin to be. After all, fire was not the type of element one expected from someone most akin to the shadows. When someone had asked about his zanpakto, most had assumed he had an element more like the lieutenant of the 2nd division. "Oh, really? I had no idea, actually," Nao, ever the modest, had put his hand on the hilt of the longest of his dual sealed swords, acting fondly even when he felt nothing of the sort, nor did his zanpakto feel the same towards him. Shi No Murebure was rather indifferent to his master, and Nao was the same towards his spirit. Hmph, and what does this man know about my power? Shi No Murebure murmured as Nao got the mental image of his zanpakto lounging on the roof of one of the houses in the village that made up his inner world. Shi No Murebure, as per usual, was staring off into space as he listened to the conversation. Nao's zanpakto spirit was much like his master, laid back when not ordered to do anything, but when someone lets the rope down, can be as vicious and deadly as he is quiet and observant most of the time. "I actually did not know that. I thought Shi no Murebure was just the typical fire type zanpakto," Nao had crafted a light chuckle and smiled again slightly at his captain. He was a good actor, which was a skill he needed to have when in the 2nd division, though it was proving a valuable skill to have to keep others at a distance and away from his true self. He also was well aware of the fact that his element did not match him well, not that the former assassin minded.

[Hirato Murano]

Hirato glanced up at Nao with interest upon hearing that the man would have joined the 5th if he didn't approve of how the 9th was run. Takeda-san was a Kido expert like Kaoru-san, so the division that specialized in Kido was a good choice. "The 5th would suit you well, Takeda-san, but I think we can learn to work well together," Hirato replied pleasantly. Takeda-san's skills were evident and they would complement his own well. The cerulean eyed man watched Takeda-san carefully as he reacted to the statement about his habit of flirting with most of the women in the 9th. Hirato raised an eyebrow slightly when the black haired man admitted that it was only to pass the time. If so, his time would be better spent training. Takeda-san certainly masked his emotions well and Hirato found himself unable to read him.

Takeda-san maintained the facade and replied to his statement modestly, claiming that he thought his Zanpakuto was a typical fire type. "With the former Sotaicho's death, there are currently only three fire type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society of Lieutenant level or higher: your own, Ise-taicho's, and Hakoutan-taicho's." All three fire type Zanpakuto he referred to belonged to fellow Shinigami at least known to him and while Ise-taicho was powerful, she had not yet fully mastered her Zanpakuto. Masato-san had done so while serving in the Kido Corps before moving on to learning more Kido and creating some of his own. Hirato met Takeda-san's gaze evenly, disapproving of the facade but accepting the man's skill in hiding his emotions. That skill could serve one well on the field of battle and it meant that he was not dominated by his emotions, another good quality.

"As you may know, my Zanpakuto, Kaimetsu Senku, is the most powerful wind type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society," the 9th Captain continued. Takeda-san would work with him on missions and he needed to know his Captain's abilities well. Hirato would train with him to see his fighting style and allow Takeda-san to see his own, allowing them to fight together more easily. "Additionally, we should train together soon so we can integrate our fighting styles more easily, Takeda-san," said Hirato. The crimson haired man knew of Takeda-san's aptitude for Kido yet he was unsure about Takeda-san's skill in other areas of combat. Hirato needed to test them and make sure that they were adequate then the two of them could go on missions together. The two of them would only take on high-level missions due to their rank and those missions could be extremely dangerous, so confirming his Lieutenant's skill was important. Hirato looked at Takeda-san patiently and awaited his responses.

[Nao Takeda]

Nao was on his top game at the moment keeping his facade up, though he knew that Hirato could see it quite clearly. He knew well enough that this man could see through others clearly and he had outed a woman already from the rumors that filtered in from his ex-squad mates from the 2nd, namely a 9th seat from the 5th Division. A pretty and serious girl with a brother complex, in his opinion, but she was quite too withdrawn for his tastes. The fact that she held a mask almost like his own turned him off instantly to any sort of flirtatious actions upon the 9th seat, lest he incur the wrath of her over-protective older brother and his own Captain. Nao knew that she was now his apprentice, the fact was known around the seireitei, though few cared. Nao has a habit of picking up random bits of information, important or not, and just mulling over it all when he had time to himself. Just something to pass the time between missions and training. upon hearing that Hirato had said that the 5th would suit him, Nao suppressed the urge to smirk. He knew that since Kido was one of his specialties, the 5th was probably one of the divisions he should have tried first, but picking at random was more fun for the former assassin. "Mm! I hope to work well with you too, Captain Murano," Nao said in a manner that denoted humbleness with a bit of excitment. Inside, Nao was positive he would have no problems working well with Hirato; Nao worked well with everyone. Well, almost everyone. There were a few people that made even Nao snap.

Nao nodded along when Hirato had said that since the old captain-commander's death, there were three strong fire type zanpakto left. Nao had known this as well, since as an assassin information could mean the step between life and death. He had just thought that his was a normal fire type with nothing special to add. Then again, Nao didn't think much on anything he did, even when he was praised for his skill. It wasn't that he was trying to remain modest and kill his ego entirely along with this emotions over the years, it was just that he didn't find any interest in wondering who was stronger. However, for the sake of this talk with his captain, he remained interested to at least act like he cared what Hirato told him. "Ah, I see Captain Murano. I hadn't realized that mine surpassed one of the other captain's." Nao had remained modest, but had added just a touch of what would be considered an ego into his words to show for effect when in reality, Nao didn't exactly care who's was stronger. Nao looked on and noticed that Hirato still dissaproved of his facade, which didn't faze the man one bit since he kept it on to better interact since his own personality could be considered quite cold and blank.

Nao then went on to listen to Hirato talk, taking in all that he had explained about his own abilities. The lieutenant knew of Hirato's wind type zanpakto and that it was one of only two within the seireitei. The other was held by his student, Kaoru Takahata, which has been deemed the untamed and wild of the two zanpakto by many who had seen the young woman in action with it. Like Nao, her zanpakto had the nasty habit of harming it's wielder. While her's cut open her skin with its sharp wind, Nao's burned him with the hot flames from his zanpakto's wild nature lashing about. Nao considered that a team up of Hirato and him would be ideal since Wind and Fire helped each other out in battle immensely. "I do understand that our abilities compliment each other, Captain. Fire and Wind, that is." Nao said with a pleasant expression on his face, crafting a slight smile to compliment such a look while he was at it. Nao manipulated his emotions as easily as he did breathing; it came naturally to him to put on his mask after discarding his emotions completely over the years. "Yes, that is a wonderful idea, Captain Murano. I would think that my own fighting style is hard to get used to, since I am more attuned towards assassinations. It will be nice to go head to head with the Captain and see how you fight." Nao had looked up and smiled politely as he quickly maneuvered his emotions more towards polite pleasantness. "I look forward to the training session, sir," Nao said as he nodded towards Hirato.

[Hirato Murano]

Hirato had to admit that Takeda-san was a true master at maintaining the facade; even though Hirato recognized that it was merely a disguise, he could not see through it into his lieutenant's soul. So much unlike Kaoru-san, thought the 9th Captain, a slight smile gracing his features. Hirato remembered seeing through the mask immediately the very first time the two of them met; he could hardly have imagined that she would choose to accompany him on the dangerous path he had chosen. The crimson haired man heard his lieutenant's answer and nodded politely, realizing that that part of the conversation was now over. Hirato was certain that Takeda-san would prove a capable and loyal lieutenant once he adjusted to service in the 9th.

The cerulean eyed man watched Takeda-san carefully, but it was still unclear as to whether comparing the strengths of the fire type Zanpakuto in the Seireitei actually interested him or not. Hirato listened to Takeda-san then shook his head before saying, "Your Zanpakuto's power may not exactly exceed that of Ise-taicho's, but you've trained more readily in using that power,". The distinction was an important one and Hirato wanted to clarify his statement, although he doubted that arrogance was a problem that plagued the black haired man sitting across from him. From what little his senses could detect, Takeda-san's soul was extremely composed, almost unnaturally so. Hirato was somewhat unnerved by his inability to sense any of the man's true emotions, yet he did not express it outwardly or in his reiatsu signature.

Fire and wind did compliment each other well as the 9th Captain knew from fighting alongside Masato-san during his younger years. Hirato returned Takeda-san's polite smile, playing along with the acting for now. As long as it didn't adversely affect his work, the crimson haired man was willing to permit Takeda-san to continue his act for the time being. The crimson haired man heard his lieutenant claim to look forward to the training session and replied, "As do I. I haven't trained with any assassins in some time". Gathering his papers in front of him again, Hirato dismissed Takeda-san politely and started to work once more. There was much to be done before he returned to his mansion and set up the next round of countermeasures. Defeating Enigma trumped everything, even the duties that accompanied the achievement of his lifetime goal.

[Nao Takeda]

Nao had to admit, he had half-expected his Captain to call him out on his facade. He knew Hirato was good at reading faces, so he had half-expected him to call him out on it. Nao would not have cared either way. Should his captain call him out, he'd just shrug and reply how he normally would without such measures. Very few have seen Nao without his facade, and those that do tend to avoid him soon after. However, there was one shinigami that didn't, no matter how cold and cruel he was to him: Ryou Kurosawa. The now lieutenant had made a habit of bothering Nao more often than the man cared to admit or count. Tossing aside his emotions long ago, Nao kept all of what was going through his head to himself and his emotions didn't register to most people. Yoruichi, however, could see through his cold expressions and words. Keeping a pleasant expression, he listened on as Hirato had explained that Nanao's zanpakto might not be exactly superior to hers, but that he trained more readily in using his power. He nodded, seeing what the captain said as truth and knowing that he had to really press himself into his zanpakto training due to the small size of his zanpakto shikai. Since his shikai was small, it was ideal for assassinations and quick attacks meant to end the battle quickly. However, behind the small size, hid the power that came from Nao's flames. When the lieutenant really let go and gave his all, the flames became quite dangerous, even to the user. The burns on Nao's body are a testament to that. In his younger years within the Gotei 13, his zanpakto was rather wild so he became good at making his own burn ointment.

Nao's own senses were working while he talked with his captain, careful to read the captain and get a feel for Hirato Murano's general personality and emotional range. From what he could tell, Hirato was composed and calm inside and out, though from his recent information hunt, he found that the man wasn't always such. This interested Nao to some degree, though he really didn't care at all when it came down to it. He cared for nothing and anyone; it was how he made himself to be to escape from the chains of emotions and the pain they brought those that were at their mercy. As an assassin, former assassin now, he had no use for such emotions that would hold him back and keep him at so little power levels. When he discarded his emotions, he found he could quickly move farther in his abilities and skill to climb the ranks and gain power much more easily. However, his lack of emotions came at a price, he was often left alone due to his cold and cruel actions when he thought nobody was looking. Hirato had replied that he was looking forward to the training session, so Nao had crafted a smile in response to that statement. He was soon dismissed and the new lieutenant had left without another word to his Captain with the exception of a 'yes sir' and a polite bow before walking into the hallway.

Everything was quiet, but that did not disturb the 9th Lieutenant one bit. His mask fell from his face, since nobody was around to witness it, and his expression formed a cold and emotionless one as he walked out, hands in his pockets, towards the training grounds. He had promised a few of the division members he'd train with them today, and he wasn't one to break a promise made to a squad mate. That hasn't stopped you before, Nao... The zanpakto spirit, Shi no Murebure said lazily as he burned a house within Nao's inner world down. Nao did not answer his zanpakto's taunt, but instead rested his hand on his zanpakto's shorter hilt and walked on in silence. A dark look rested in the former assassin's red eyed gaze as he walked away. Truth be told, being in the 9th made the lieutenant rather restless, since he was used to constant missions and movement, not lazing about doing easy missions and tasks everyday. Still, though, he did not regret leaving. After all, since the grinning woman had left, it wasn't fun anymore and he found it all rather boring. At least in the 9th they don't know any better in challenging me to a fight. Sates my boredom that way I guess, they don't know what to expect.... Nao heard his zanpakto scoff and then in his minds eye he saw the spirit just gazing up at the sky, a pensive look in his eyes. That's just cruel, Nao, think of your subordinates feelings if they heard you say that, The spirit muttered to Nao, not bothering to look anywhere but at the blue sky. In response to this, Nao mentally shrugged and continued on his way, uncaring of what went on around him.