A/N: *collapses* Wow. Monster chapter... Seriously guys, sorry this is late, but it fought me pretty hard. The only characters who would behave were Iruka and, surprisingly, Ibiki. Everyone else... *shakes head* I'm not sure that Tsunade is coming across as, well, Hokage-ish. And I'm not even going to start on the kids. Honestly, this chapter is awful - I hate most of it. But the next chapter is one of my two favorite sections in the whole fic, so hopefully it'll turn out better than this one did. Though you can't kill me at the end of this one, even if you want to.
Anyway, thanks yet again to my faithful reviewer, WhyMustIWrite. And thank you and welcome to my new reviewers: I am a Fun-nin and InARealPickle.
Disclaimer: These Naruto people. Me no own.
Notes: / This / means something was written.
Shizune glanced at the stack of 'finished' paperwork Tsunade handed her, quickly realizing that almost half of it would need to be rewritten, at best. She eyed the sloppy handwriting, noting the water – or sake – stains on the margins of many of the pages. She suppressed a sigh, brushing her short black hair out of her face as a familiar thought crossed her mind. 'I swear she does this to me on purpose. I know she can write beautifully. Sometimes. If it suits her. Though' the assistant's irritated mental ranting was cut short by a sharp, brisk knock on the Hokage's office door.
Shizune set the paperwork down, stepping over to look through the peephole in the doors. Though, if it had been anyone hostile then they would have had to have already cut through the ANBU officers stationed near the Hokage at all times, so the door wouldn't likely stop them. But still… "It's Morino-san, Tsunade-sama. And he's got a box with him." A quick glance over her shoulder showed the Godaime's arched eyebrow and curious gesture, so Shizune opened the door for the grim Torture and Interrogations leader.
As the scarred man stepped past her, box safely tucked under one arm, Shizune glanced again at the Hokage, silently asking if she needed to leave. Without even turning, Ibiki spoke. "This isn't confidential. At least, not this part of it."
...Damn the man, now she wanted to know. A nearly pleading glance was given to her Hokage, and a brief gesture from the blonde had both Shizune shutting the door and Ibiki settling lightly on a chair, mysterious box set casually on the floor. Said box looked like nothing special, just a plain brown cardboard box about the size of a milk crate. But Shizune had no time to think about the box, stepping off to the side of the room in order to be as unobtrusive as possible to the pair currently facing one another with disturbingly similar expressions of calmness. The expression of one who is powerful, competent, and needs no one else to say so. Leaders, each in their own right, though the man had shown no hesitation in bowing to his Hokage.
"Well?" the Hokage questioned. "It isn't like you to waste my time, Ibiki-san."
The man inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the truth of the statement. Though his reply somewhat confused Shizune. "You have been looking at the file on Umino, correct? Seeking the circumstances leading to, and the results of his latest mission orders?" A brief pause, answered by an even briefer nod from the blonde. Ibiki's next words were blunt, and no little bit shocking. "You will find nothing."
-
The man stood proudly, an almost smug expression on his face. His brown eyes shone with an excitement more suited to a child than to a man in his early thirties, and he kept glancing down at the small, brightly wrapped package sitting on the table. Beside him, his wife also kept glancing at the package, though her green eyes showed more anxiety than excitement. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Tomi? He's so young, and he just got in trouble a few days ago. You heard what that sensei said, he –"
"He has the potential to be a very good shinobi" Tomi interrupted. "Umino-sensei said that our boy was smart, and that he was picking up the basics more quickly than many of his classmates. Who, by the way, are mostly from shinobi families. We want to do everything we can to help him, don't we?"
The question was almost challenging, and the woman sighed as she answered it. "Yes, but… he was fighting…"
Tomi shook his head. "He already said he was sorry, and he passed a big mark yesterday. He started learning how to throw those, um, those knife things. His teacher said that he did very well, that he has a knack for it. The boy deserves a reward for doing so well, right?" Again, the question was more of a statement, almost daring his wife to contradict him. But she didn't, and both of them were distracted as a blond haired little boy rushed into the kitchen.
"Morning mom, dad." the boy chirped, snatching up some bread and dropping it in the toaster.
"Takeshi, son, come here. We have a surprise for you."
Those words dragged the six year old's attention away from willing the toaster to heat faster, and the boy darted over to his parents. "A surprise? For me? What is it? Can I have it now? When did" "Whoa, whoa there." Tomi laughed, handing the little boy the package. Glancing up once for permission, Takeshi quickly opened the little package. His eyes widened, jaw dropping open as he stared in astonishment. And then the boy practically squealed, a brilliant smile overtaking his face as he tried to throw his arms around both of his parents at once. "Thank you, thank you thankyouthankyou." the child jabbered. "Oh, this is so cool! Can I show this to the guys at school? Huh? Can I dad? Man, Daichi-kun'll be so jealous. This is SO cool!"
Tomi just laughed at his son's enthusiasm, agreeing to the request and reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair as they picked up his backpack for the walk to school. Both males were so excited, they even left without their breakfasts.
As they left, Sachiko spoke quietly, watching the two most important people in her life disappear from sight. "The shop lady called those 'knife things' kunai. And, maybe he does deserve a reward, but… I still don't know if giving him kunai was a good idea. Tomi… I wish you had let me talk to his teacher about it first…"
-
Cat closed her eyes, silently going through one of the relaxation techniques that all ANBU operatives were required to learn. Especially now, while tension among the squads ran so high. Slowly exhaling, she allowed her eyes to slip open and focus again on the crowd around her. She knew that she would have to leave soon – no agent was supposed to spend more than eight hours working the case unless they had a potential lead, and her squad had been working for seven – but she also knew that even if she went home, the walk back would be spent covertly searching faces, analyzing words and tone and body language. Searching for just the slightest hint, just the tiniest touch of something out of place.
It was just… it wasn't right. ANBU had been searching for so long, looking so hard, and all for nothing. This case, these traitors, it had driven the entire organization to the point where even the best of them were becoming unacceptably paranoid. They were becoming so driven, so consumed by the job that they were losing objectivity. Her lips twitched, a smile trying to be born as that idea brought up some of the more ridiculous 'leads' that the group had become desperate enough follow. Like Dog's cigar smugglers…
Of course, the tension had also driven some of them out of the field. It was making them paranoid, hair triggered. Some were handling it fairly well, but some… Poor Mouse would probably never be considered stable enough for field work again. 'I wonder' she mused silently, glancing at some of her squad. 'Could that be the point? To start a rumor and then leave, waiting until we run ourselves into the ground, become so confused that we no longer know what is a real threat and what is just… cigar smuggling? Until we doubt ourselves so much that we miss the real leads?'
A shiver ran up her spine, and Cat forced her attention back onto the crowd. After all, she had a job to do. But she noted the idea in the back of her mind, and decided to mention the possibility to her division leader when she turned in her squad's report.
-
The two women in the room stared at the man, one in open shock and one with an unreadable expression. And then the Hokage raised one eyebrow. "Pardon?" she prompted.
Ibiki repeated his last statement, his voice very matter-of-fact. "You will find nothing. The information you are seeking is not in Umino's service file, Hokage-sama." He referred, of course, to the public file kept on most shinobi. The one that held the mission reports, status notes and other information that was easily accessible to any shinobi.
Tsunade settled back into her chair, lacing her fingers together as she observed the man in front of her. "The service record is all he has. There are no sealed records regarding Umino."
"Not directly, no."
"Explain."
By now Shizune was staying very still, her brown eyes flicking silently from one speaker to the other.
Ibiki paused, seeming to gather his thoughts before he spoke. "Umino has nothing distinctive about him, correct?"
Tsunade nodded once. "That's right. He has no powerful chakra, no particularly impressive jutsu, and no genius talent. His basic skills are well practiced – almost textbook-perfect execution – but the man will never be Jounin level. And as for his mission files… there were a few odd occurrences early on, but nothing particularly noteworthy."
Ibiki nodded, seeming to expect the answer. He probably did, as he did not hesitate with his next comment. "Exactly. And that is all that most people ever realize. I am not too proud to admit that it took me some time to see what the Sandaime saw in this… unimpressive little sensei. And I still do not understand it. If you wish to try…" The scarred man gestured to the box on the floor, waiting for the Hokage's nod before picking it up, setting it on the desk and continuing.
"Hokage-sama, Umino is not unusual for what happens around him." A slight pause as the man made certain his leader was looking him in the eye. "He is extraordinary for what does not. I have taken the liberty of flagging a few of these files as an example of what to look for in regards to Umino's 'mission'. If you need more, I have members of the clerical staff gathering the file numbers of the reports relevant to your search. They will not be flagged, however. I am afraid that my staff simply does not have the time necessary."
Sensing that the man had finished what he had come to say, Tsunade politely thanked and then dismissed him. Ibiki hesitated in the doorway, glancing back as if he had something else to say. "Anything else, Morino?" Tsunade asked.
"Read carefully, Hokage-sama." the interrogation expert advised. "Much like the man himself, Umino's influence can be easily overlooked." And the Jounin took his leave from one thoughtful Hokage and one very confused assistant.
-
Inuzuka Eiji trudged down the walkway, fighting back tears as the single shadow on the Academy steps once again reminded him that his best friend was not at his side. Aomaru would not be there to run, to play, or to lick his hand when he felt bad for another three days. It was all his fault, and if he wasn't careful, he could lose his best friend forever. His mother had been very clear on that, that if he kept fighting with his 'comrades' then he would lose Aomaru, and maybe even be pulled out of the Academy.
He vaguely noticed a group of boys crowded close together on the top landing, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about whatever it was that had them all so excited. But one of the boys noticed him. "Eiji-kun's moping again." Daichi-kun told the others.
Takeshi-kun made a face. "Jeez, what kinda crybaby gets so… so babyish just cause his puppy can't come to school for a few days?"
Eiji froze, eyes going wide in shock. Even the other boys gasped and stepped back, unable to believe that Takeshi had just said that. Then Eiji whirled around, fists clenched, one foot stepping towards the other boy before he caught himself. His eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out as the depthless grief and anger that only a small child can feel welled up inside of him. "You…" he choked out, shaking with emotion. "You wouldn't get it… civilian." With those poisonous words, Eiji whirled and ran blindly for the classroom, ignoring the outraged shrieks of the blond he left behind him.
-
Tsunade thumbed carefully through the file in front of her, pausing as she found the little strip of red tape that had been used to draw her attention to a particular line. She glanced briefly at the report summary – a Jounin had gone off the deep end, held an Academy class hostage, and then just given himself up. She frowned in mild confusion as she read the paragraph that had been flagged. Specifically, the transcript of the initial interrogation.
/ Subject has remained silent throughout initial questioning. Additional T&I operatives arrive to transport subject to comprehensive interrogation chamber. Subject stands, speaks. Subject states: "He apologized, you know." Operative queries: "Who?" Subject states: "That kid. The one with the scar across his nose. Don't know his name." Subject shakes head, smiles. "I was going to kill him, to kill them all. He knew that, but… the little brat looked me in the face and said 'Your eyes look hurt. I'm sorry that someone hurt you so much'. What kind of kid feels bad for his killer?" Interrogation team unable to elicit further speech from subject. /
Tsunade pulled out the roll sheet for the hostage class, glancing over the pictures of the young students. They couldn't have been more than nine years old… and there was only one with a scar on his nose.
She pulled a random file from the box. Skipping straight to the red flagging, she read over the lines. / You know, what made me decide to do it… I couldn't forget what that little Genin said. The cute kid… Iruka, I think they called him. We had been talking about heroes. The kids… they'd been going on about how… how they were *gasp* were going to… be like that… fight. And how, if they died… it'd be saving everyone… as a hero. And this kid, this Iruka… when they asked him… he said, "I think it'd be easy *cough* to be a hero…when it's someone you love, or… when everyone's watching… When you'll be remembered forever." He said… said "I think the strongest heroes… are the ones who sacrifice… for one person… for one stranger… or, *cough* or when the people you save… won't ever know it… was you…" /
Now Tsunade looked at the report summary. A Medical team, one that had shared an overnight camp with Umino's Genin team, had been checking out rumors of a plague in a fairly isolated area. The group had been attacked, split up. The medic-nin on the team had found that a madman was putting chemicals into the town's water supply and had, upon being discovered, added a fast-acting poison. Unaware that her comrades had survived, the woman had purified the water source alone. The medic saved the townspeople, but died of chakra exhaustion.
Those two cases were easily the most obvious, but…
Another file. A young Genin had come in to the hospital, asking for a check-up. / "I think I'm fine. I don't see why I need an appointment, but Umino is worried about me. Says I'm just not quite myself lately." / The medics found that he had a mild genjutsu placed on him, one that worked subtly, slowly warping the mind. If it had gone unchecked, paranoia would have quickly overcome reason, and the boy would likely have attacked his comrades. On and on it went, some more obvious than others, but all with one common trait. Something that Umino – or "that cute/quiet kid with the scar" – said or did either inspired someone to something great, stopped someone from doing something bad, or got someone help while the person could still BE helped.
Tsunade sat back, vaguely noting that it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and she hadn't eaten yet. But mostly, she wasn't thinking of much. She felt rather… numb. Most of the time Umino's involvement was small, something you really wouldn't catch unless you were looking for it. He never caught missing-nin, but one would turn him or herself in. And something Umino, or Iruka, or 'that kid' had said would come out during interrogation. He never found medical problems, but patients would come in when they weren't scheduled, and the medics would usually find something wrong. And if the medics questioned the patient, it was always "a friend was worried about me" or "a guy I know thought I didn't seem quite right".
'And everyone that I've spoken to says that Umino is "steady".' she thought. 'That if you're upset, you go to him and he lets you cry. That if you're angry, he let you rant and then somehow soothes you. That if you need advice, he tries to give some. That he's just… Iruka. That's what everyone says, "He's Iruka".'
As Tsunade put the last file down, she noticed a folded sheet of paper at the bottom of the box. Picking it up, she opened the page to find Ibiki's neat script. / Hokage-sama, if you have read through the files and reached this note, then I thought that you might be interested to hear this. The psychology department has developed a tradition over the last few years – every time someone suddenly seems to be doing better, they wager on whether or not that shinobi has recently spoken with Umino. Very few of them will still bet no. – Morino, Ibiki. /
"God," Tsunade murmured, still seeming slightly dazed. "If he's affected this many people when they're so far gone… how the hell many has he stopped before they get bad enough to file a report on?"
-
Iruka snapped his attention back towards his children. All day long Takeshi-kun had been trying to start an argument with Eiji-kun, who had been completely ignoring the blond. This, of course, only infuriated the six year old even more. Something must have happened before school started, because none of the other children were getting involved in the matter – in fact, a few of them were pulling away classmates who tried to get involved.
Whatever it was, Takeshi-kun was only getting more and more upset as the day went on. He had already had to scold the blond a number of times, and had even put the boy in a corner during snack time. 'Five seconds' the teacher thought. 'I step out of the room for five seconds, and they're at it again.' He had literally stepped right outside the room, still visible through the window in the door, in order to give one of the new Teacher's Aids directions to the classroom she was assigned to. And now Takeshi-kun was practically screaming at Eiji-kun who, while obviously fuming, was still not talking back.
Iruka shoved through the door, leaving the girl in mid-sentence as the level of anger in Takeshi's voice triggered Iruka's danger sense. "Alright, boys. What's going -"
"Don't you IGNORE ME!" the little blond screamed, anger breaking into the brilliant flare of white-hot rage some children can momentarily hold, even as he jumped to his feet, snatched something out of his backpack and flung it hard at the other boy.
"Oh, shit!"
Iruka was never sure, afterwards, if he actually said that out loud or only thought it, but it was the first thing that went through his mind as his training instantly recognized the glint of light, the whine of sound that signaled a kunai cutting through the air. Later he would wonder where a six year old had gotten a sharp blade, but at the time… Iruka had never moved so quickly in his life. The part of him that was Academy teacher was nearly frantic, praying that he could be fast enough. The part that was Konoha shinobi was calm, coolly analyzing the situation.
Then the entire class gasped, and no few of the children screamed in horror as blood splattered on the floor.
A/N: Remember, no killing the authoress! You'll never find out what happens if you kill me! *hides anyway*