I have no rights to Naruto.

Enjoy.

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"You're a day late."

Over the years Sai had become more comfortable expressing himself but in certain situations his emotionless, nothing affects me mask, was still very, very useful. Case in point: the father of his youngest team member. Morino Ibiki.

Even Naruto, with all his years as Hokage still erred on the side of caution at times, but all could say that the loudmouthed blond had grown into the position and was both loved and respected in his role. So when Naruto spoke Ibiki gritted his teeth.

"Sai sent a message getting permission to take a detour, it was granted."

"The day was needed." Sai intoned his smile no longer as fake but as Ino informed him, reassuring.

"Angel made her first kill she –"

"She needed to come to terms with it." Sai interrupted Ibiki's growling.

"Exactly." Ibiki nearly spat reining in his anger. He had heard through the grape vine from another team's report that his little Angel's team had been ambushed and she had made her first kill. He and his Hellcat had waited on tender hooks for three days to check and see that she was all in one piece, was coping, if she was handling it and just to reassure themselves that she had done the right thing. Only for the team to delay by over a full day and then instead of reporting to him after the Hokage, his Hellcat's emotionally stunted former teammate had ordered them to get food and have fun, and not to talk to him until he had.

"She needed time."

Ibiki nearly pulled out a kunai to hurl at him, as Naruto watched on.

"This is why you choose me as Angel's sensei Ibiki-san." Sai spoke evenly, back straight but with a protective streak in his voice. " Angel needed the time to come to terms with her first kill. Seko and Juca, and I were with her. It was in the heat of the moment, a swift, trained reaction – she slit the throat of a nin about to stab Seko in the kidney and she kept fighting. She had a…moment after the fight was over, but she saved her teammate and that was the important thing."

Ibiki gritted his teeth, pride filling him, as did fatherly worry, letting Sai continue. What Sai said was true, they had picked Sai as Angel's teacher, maybe it was old age starting to affect him, or fatherhood had mellowed him but he listened.

"If we had returned immediately Angel would have wanted to impress you, act as if she unaffected. Live up to the Morino mantle."

Sai exchanged a look with Naruto, his former teammate nodding in agreement. Angel was talented, extremely talented, in many ways a prodigy, but she was young and sensitive in her own way, wanting to please her parents, especially her father and make him proud.

"She would have put on a brave face, and pretended as if it was nothing, that it didn't affect her. She needed her team, the time to cry or shout or panic. Seko and Juca supported her. As I said she had a moment afterwards but at her age I would expect nothing less. She handled it remarkedly well."

"Jusify it." Ibiki murmured, hand reaching up and rubbing one of the scars on his face, catching the enquiring look from his wife's former teammates. "Angel was told that it was important to have a reason, to protect Konoha, her friends, her family."

"A good nindo." Naruto smiled, fingers crossed under the desk that the situation was diffused and the large man about to leave.

"I will give you a copy of my report Ibiki-san, with the Hokage's permission." Sai said before venturing on." Juca and Seko will most likely tell you everything you want…but I would ask that you do not push Angel."

Ibiki raised his eyebrow, a sneer ready to break out before stopping himself and giving a sigh, that was exactly what he had been planning; find Angel, get her report, analyse it and break it down, talk her through it…exactly what she didn't need. Not at this age.

Sai was right. This was the exact reason he, Hellcat and even Garra had chosen Sai as Angel's sensei. He would put her and her team's best interest first, regardless of what Ibiki wanted – to a degree. Taking a step forward the large ANBU Commander reached out and clapped the pale man on the shoulder forcing out the words. "Thanks for looking after her."

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