"I don't know what part of this is not getting across to you. I'll say it again. I was with the Hokage in the morning going over some intel. On her orders. You don't have to take my word for it. Just ask her. From there, I went to that boring damned training session. Half the world must have been there. I had dinner and drinks with the guys directly after. You want me to name them all again? I went straight home from the bar. What, exactly, do you think I did in the middle of all that?"
"Oh. You think that because you were seen every hour of the day, your alibi is air tight?"
"Alibi for what?" Kakashi snapped. "What?"
"But you see," Ibiki said with a crooked smirk, "that in itself is suspicious in the extreme. Day-long elbow rubbing, out in the public eye? You, the elusive lone wolf? Come on. Seeing you means nothing. Your ability to hold a perfect clone is incomparable, Hatake. I've heard them sing your praises about it so many times I can't count. It would be far less suspicious if no one had seen you at all; that's your normal routine."
Kakashi bit down on any further retort and shrugged, shaking his head. Given the extent of this set-up, whatever they were trying to railroad him for was big – something provoking, not just to Ibiki, but for the regular ANBU, too. He'd best keep his temper under control. Maybe the less he said, the better off he'd be.
"No quick comeback for that one? That's fine. Let's go over this again. Tell me every detail about everything you've done in the last 24 hours. It's all right, Kakashi. You've got time to see what else you might be able to remember. Lots and lots of time."
xxxxx
Iruka squirmed in his seat behind the two-way mirror, battling his own anxiety and barely attaining the clarity of mind to comprehend the situation before him. On the other side of the glass, Ibiki was towering over that accursed procedure chair. Trapped in its glistening steel clutches, Kakashi sat in full restraints, pale and shirtless, a gauze bandage taped over his eye in the absence of his forehead protector. He looked so exposed, so vulnerable; Iruka's own memory of being held in that position raked at his nerves without mercy.
At least they'd let Kakashi keep his mask on; it left some hope that they might observe some reasonable and professional restraint.
"Come on, tell me, why this is happening? What did he do?"
"You don't get to ask questions. I'm through warning you," the ANBU hissed, reeling out a length of wide tape.
"Damn it, wait! Don't-"
"Too late."
The tape wrapped across his mouth and all the way around his head, adding the joy of lost hairs and irritated skin to his rapidly deteriorating near future.
He growled loudly against the tape in frustration while glaring at his keeper, tugging sharply at the bindings that held him fast in a clear display of disobedience.
Yamanaka stood just behind him unannounced and unseen, closely monitoring every aspect of his behavior. The glimpse of rebellious anger felt familiar, more akin to the emotion Even exuded than anything Iruka had shown since the schizm. The last time he'd been assessed, the still-discordant colors of his chakra had been changing back towards normal quite slowly, an indication of very gradual recovery and the great distance he still had to go. The difference in it today was as sudden as it was remarkable; seemingly "normal" in both hue and intensity. All of his chakra was actively back online. But was it integrated or split?
In light of the circumstances, it was important to fully understand this new development. So far, from the moment when he was apprehended right up to the present, Iruka did not evidence any knowledge, much less involvement in the disappearance of the two men. But if they were dealing with two viable personalities again, the impressions of one moment might be entirely false in the next.
Even's loyalty to Danzou would make him a prime suspect in a crime against Munasawagi. Hide's invasions of mind and implanted jutsus could make him seem like a threat to the physical vessel Even shared with Umino. And the Root persona was so skilled as to make the question of his capability of the crime a moot point.
Ibiki set this up to kill for two birds with one stone: to confirm Iruka's innocence if that were the case; and to force him to witness first-hand the truth about the guilty, soulless Kakashi. But there were other possibilities here now, elevating this into a far more complex task than Yamanaka had bargained for. Iruka's fate had turned to putty in his hands.
If he stopped now and simply made his observations official, he was certain that Iruka would be transferred to an interrogation team under Ibiki's control. Technically, it was his duty to do just that. But he might be wrong in placing the man under such damning suspicion this early on, and there could be mitigating factors even if his hunch was correct. Though he wasn't specifically ordered to conduct an examination, he felt that he must do so now, in order to proceed with any hope of a clear conscience.
He made subtle bodily contact from behind, fingertips to bare neck, and pushed into Iruka's mental pathways gingerly and without warning. If Even was somehow restored, his potential for backlash was nothing to scoff at. But he was able to gain access smoothly with no resistance; as if his intrusion went undetected.
Iruka's essence was different, all of it, lightly flavored with the shadow of Root. The Even element was more evident again, alive and well, but in a state of total flux. He was disbursed, well into the process of being reabsorbed. His unique elements were distributed throughout the mainstream to a consistent percentage of relative volume.
It would be fascinating and encouraging to see such a balanced recovery, but for the timing. If the final return of Even's aggressive nature took Iruka by surprise and overwhelmed his sensibilities for a period of time before assimilation won out, wasn't it still possible that he was the culprit? Even's skill level had been beyond superb. Present-day Iruka might not have been able to pull off a bloody double-abduction in a flash of lost time, but in his prime Even could have done so easily. And in fact, Even and Iruka were still one and the same soul.
Yamanaka released his jutsu. Iruka shuddered in a sudden chill as his bubble of anger broke and left him slumped and straining for oxygen, heart thumping in his helpless desire to be heard by the men beyond the glass. As he sat now, Yamanaka could truthfully say that Iruka had no self-awareness of guilt to confess for this crime.
He could also say that there was no way to deem him completely innocent just yet.
He left his subject in the iron hands of the guard and darted out to hunt down some additional data.
xxxx
"Brilliant deduction. Except that I didn't throw a clone all day. Haven't in a week at least."
"We're running chakra tracers. And just so you know? The band we placed on your wrist turns red if the wearer throws a clone – or takes one back. So we'll be playing a little waiting game, you and I. You can't hold a clone out there forever. I think your absolute limit is about 14 days, if my intel is accurate. So we'll just wait and see."
"Oh, for crying out loud." Kakashi considered how best to respond; he'd never maintained a clone two whole fucking weeks without a break. Surely Ibiki knew that was wrong – it was just an excuse to pad the length of time he would be held here for interrogation under such extreme security. "I'm not cloned right now! Look, I'll do a release and prove…"
"No you don't. I don't want any false positives. We chocked your hands on purpose and we're leaving them that way so you can't weave signs. Just to be sure. Not that I don't trust you."
"This is stupid. What kind of interrogation doesn't interrogate you about whatever it is you think I've done? What the hell, maybe I'd cop to it if it's something I really did."
"Kakashi," Ibiki said with a lightly dramatic sigh, rubbing his eyes for a moment. "I've debriefed you up one side and down the other many times. I know that my level one methods are pretty meaningless to you. I'd expect that you're still highly resistant at level two as well; I'd never get anything out of you that you truly want to hide until I went to restricted techniques or beyond. But protocol is protocol and I'm compelled to go through the basic stages first. I have to build my case on evidence in order for the Hokage to lift the restrictions. I have some great circumstantial evidence, believe me. I have you dead to rights in motive and opportunity. You could have pulled this off in your sleep, so there's no question that you have the ability. And I think you're stupid enough to assume that this will somehow be a benefit in relation to Umino, and right now, you've evidenced some irrational behavior when it comes to him."
"Is something wrong with Iruka?"
"Hm? Interesting. Why do you ask that?"
"Because you brought him up."
"There's nothing wrong with him. He's fine. Right as rain. Don't you worry, I will personally see to it that he is well taken care of while all of this gets sorted out."
"He's trying to get his life back together. He needs to be able to concentrate on his new job at the Academy."
"Well, maybe you should have considered that before you put him at risk of going down as your accomplice. Did you really think that he wouldn't be a person of interest?"
Kakashi said nothing, backing off from the bait, shaking his head.
"I haven't violated any statute that I'm aware of. And I think I'm pretty much aware of all of them."
"This village is suffering from a critical lack of safety and security that has been very hard to address," Ibiki said, his tone growing more acidic. "There are no obvious holes, but our defenses keep springing leaks one after another. Makes a man think that we might have a traitor in our midst. It wouldn't be the first time. It would have to be one or more very skilled individuals. Someone of jounin or ANBU level at least. You seem to fit that description. And you always manage to be in the vicinity when these things occur."
Kakashi held his tongue; the outlandish implications were still too vague to risk responding to them.
"Still say you haven't done anything wrong?"
"Of course."
"There are a lot of witnesses that have seen you making threats lately. Are you telling me that's nothing?"
"I've had a couple of minor arguments. Verbal head-butts. That's criminal now? Come on, what is this really about?"
"Let's just take a time-out here and go over a few facts. When Shiranui disappeared, didn't you break rank and enter the site in violation of the set procedure?"
"What's that got to..."
"Just answer the question."
Kakashi met Ibiki's cold stare straight on, despite the blinding lights.
"You were there. You heard me and you saw me."
"Answer it, Kakashi."
"All right. Yes. I informed the Hokage that I thought something wasn't right and I went in immediately. And that wasn't consistent with the outlined protocol."
"Good. Now we're getting a little cooperation. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Kakashi's impulse was to spit in that arrogant, ghoulishly-lit face. He held motionless instead.
"You know...now I'm thinking even further back, when all of these unsolved incidents began. When Jeninki was imprisoned. You were always around, weren't you? Slinking around, nosing in where you had no business nosing. You has assignments related to that, true, but...always kind of around. Then the pursuit when he escaped. Well, that didn't go too well, but...you were there and saw everything. You knew how we stored the eyes. You knew how we kept the logs. And magically those eyes disappeared. You know, I never even considered asking you what you might know about it. But of course, why would I? The mighty Sharingan Kakashi, hero of the Leaf...he couldn't be up to anything wrong. He only does bad things when he's supposed to. When he's ordered to. Oh, whoops, well, there's that little abuse thing he likes to do to people when they're helpless. But that's all right. Isn't it? Is it all right, Kakashi?"
"Did somebody leave the drug cabinet unlocked? I think you must be high."
"Oh, ho. That's funny. You're a funny guy." Ibiki took a handful of silver hair, yanking it hard and pulling back to make certain that it twisted the neck at a painful angle, exposing the throat to assert his dominance on a visceral level. "A fucking clown."
Ibiki let go almost immediately once his point was made, a little disappointed that he'd indulged his temper this early in the game.
The lack of reaction irritated him further, but he set it aside to regain focus on the inquisition.
"What do you know about the disappearance of the eyes, Kakashi? Did someone pay you to destroy them?"
Kakashi firmed his lower lip, drawing on his composure under fire to remain calm.
"I had nothing to do with the eyes disappearing from the vault."
"Final answer?"
"Yes."
"When the Root assignment was terminated for Umino and you brought him back to the village, what were your orders?"
"That's a little complex. I wasn't under specific orders at that time. Didn't you and I agree that we'd return separately, you with Danzou, and me with Iruka, so that I'd have more flexibility in deciding how to help him?"
"Did we? Is that how you remember it?"
"It's how it happened."
"You were ordered to take him to the infirmary and you refused a direct order. You did say that you'd take him later, but in fact, you never took him there at all."
"Is that how you remember it?" Kakashi returned flatly. "Then I guess that's right."
"And after that. When you were ordered to stay away from Umino for a set period of time. Did you?"
"For the most part."
"You still managed to talk to him."
"Once or twice."
"You followed him. Kept track of where he went. Eavesdropped."
"I spent some time checking on him to see if he was all right."
"You were aware that he had official supervision and help already. It wasn't your assignment and you interfered."
"I did what I thought it was appropriate."
"You sound," Ibiki waved his hands in mocking exaggeration, "you sound so reasonable. So cool. You know best of course. Be it in regards to Umino, or whatever the situation might be. You're the final say in what's good or bad...so it's just natural that you should butt in."
"I step in where I think it's needed."
"I'm just trying to find the pattern, Kakashi. All of these incidents and there you are, knee-deep, right in the thick of it, every time. And now, it's like you're openly trying to slap us in the face. Daring me to make it stick. Or maybe you've just finally gone off your rocker. Guilt can do that to a man."
Kakashi began to pay more attention to the surroundings, looking off to the side now. Yamanaka was not in the room playing the good cop. That was odd. And the white-haired assistant was not Hide in his T&I persona. He was pretty sure that Hide would give a year's pay and his left nut to be in on this.
What did he mean when he said would be taking good care of Iruka? Was he being interrogated, too? Or could it be that he was the victim in whatever incident they were investigating?
"Nothing? So tell me, where were you last Wednesday during second shift hours?"
"Completing a mission. It's logged."
"A logged mission. All written up and filed away now. Convenient."
"Well, I wouldn't call it all that convenient in length. But it wasn't a very difficult assignment."
"Harvesting caps?"
"Four."
"Where?"
"Classified. You can look it up."
"Already did. You left for that assignment seven days prior. So you passed through sector four going in and going out."
"No. I have my own routes."
"Really. It's a straight shot through sector four, and it's by far the most traveled for missions in that trajectory range. A little rough in spots, but not for you, right?"
"Well-traveled can mean well-observed. I want to see, not be seen."
"So you say. But if you did take the normal route through four on the day you left, you'd have to have been blind not to sense that one of our men was being held captive by a group of rogue nin. Is that the real reason you claim you went another way? Feigning ignorance, innocence, both? Another possible link to you in this mess."
"I can't see any links and I don't know what you're driving at."
"When's the last time you saw Namiashi?"
"Uh...it's been a couple of weeks ago. In the bar."
"And Shiranui?"
Kakashi scowled. "Months. The day he disappeared."
"Shimura?"
"It's been a few weeks. He was walking near the memorial. We didn't speak."
"And Musanawagi?"
"That guy? Not sure. I see him around, but we haven't really met."
"And Hide?"
"Exactly four days ago. Outside the Academy."
"Problem?"
"Not for me."
"What happened?"
"I caught him doing something wrong and I called him on it, pretty much."
"You threaten him?"
"I made my point."
"How about in the mission room? Ever threaten him there?"
"We've had words. We don't get along. I tell him what I think and he's a little hard of hearing; so I have to be direct."
"But hearing isn't really his biggest issue at the moment. You've seen to that."
Kakashi blinked and waited for elaboration, not sure what he meant.
"It's okay. You can come clean now. Crow. Preen. Grace us with your genius thought processes, and how you arrived at your clever plan. It'll be a much better story if you tell it."
"Sorry?"
"Still pretending ignorance? I see."
Kakashi stared and the silence stretched for nearly a minute. He sensed that Ibiki was changing gears.
"You know, there aren't many people who have a history of stepping in and out of Root. The fact that you're one of them just kind of gets forgotten, what with that flashy rep you've built up for yourself. In fact, you do have a relationship with Danzou."
"Had."
"Now that I've looked at your history, I can put your dirty paws right in the middle of all of the security breaches and all of the unsolved incidents as far back as I can remember. You've never tried to cover your tracks. You just rely on everyone's misplaced trust."
Kakashi held his tongue and kept his gaze steady. Of course he was in the middle of a lot of difficult situations. It came with the job. And yeah, he'd made some colossal fuck-ups, that dark chapter in Root being one of them. Had Danzou pulled some shit that had to do with Genma's disappearance? He couldn't think of any other link between Root and all of the names they'd just challenged him with.
"Still not talking?"
"Give me a lucid question and I'll answer it. I don't know what you want me to say."
Ibiki's attention veered to the opening door and he was gone before Kakashi could react.
"Urgent update, sir." The ANBU handed the report to his superior in the hallway and waited stiffly.
Ibiki focused fiercely on the coded shorthand, making sure he properly absorbed every detail.
Even though he assumed the worst, it was still a shock to see confirmation that the missing men's dead bodies had been discovered. The rest of the report threw him a little sideways. If they couldn't verify a clone was still at large, it would be close to impossible for this to have been Kakashi's work, at least, not alone.
The location and method of disposal of the bodies came across as a message, the presentation orchestrated to flaunt the severity of the crime. A staged crime scene could be misleading in every way, and no assumptions should be made based on surface examination and first responders' accounts. This report did not invalidate his suspicions yet.
"This is shit. I want every possible forensic angle covered on this. Quarantine the area until further notice. I want to go over the scene firsthand. Nothing gets removed without my direct order. And I want updates on the half-hour. Move out!"
He rolled the message and slid it into his pocket, deciding to wait to share it with Yamanaka at some future break in the action. He couldn't quite bring himself to walk away from Kakashi right now, not with this new twist to the evidence.
Ibiki stared at his subject, rethinking his earlier certitude. Given the volume and pattern of the blood evidence at Hide's home, both men were attacked with extreme malice. It was surmised that they were injured while being abducted, because they disappeared with no sign that they left under their own power in pursuit of their attacker.
To say that Kakashi and Hide shared an intense dislike for one another would be a laughable understatement. The malice was thick between the two of them.
But taking out Munasawagi so violently just to make it look like some random crime? And in that two-against-one situation, with the bloodshed implying significant physical combat, would the perpetrator come away without a scratch? As cold and murderous as this bastard could be, as the facts evolved, his guilt might be a bit of a stretch to believe.
Not alone nor acting on impulse. Something this big was on the level of an A-rank, and Ibiki sensed there was more of a plan behind it. If Hatake was still in any kind of league with Danzou, the benefit of removing Munasawagi would be huge.
Implying that he could have been fronting other agendas all along. When he 'helped' them mine Iruka, did he actually sabotage the effort to secure the Root secrets from within? Was his interference in Iruka's rehabilitation personal and protective, as he portrayed, or was it to remain involved on his master's behalf?
Burning comrades' bodies, as if they were vanquished enemy from some mission, was unforgivably disrespectful. The chronology of that element was problematic unless there was a clone or a co-conspirator other than Umino, since the surveillance immediately before the arrests overlapped the time of incineration. This could only have two answers. Either he was completely off base and Kakashi was clean, or this man was a purely villainous, devious soul - a raging sociopath of terrifying proportions, regardless of whether he did so on his own or as Danzou's agent.
This interrogation would not be terminated until he was satisfied that he had extracted the whole, unvarnished truth.
xxxxx
Still mulling over his review and analysis of Hide's last official report on Iruka, Yamanaka pushed open the door and quickly waved aside the guard. The motion of the silhouette seated before him was startling. Iruka was thrashing frantically against the straps binding him in the chair. Whether he meant to get away from the glass or go through it, was not immediately apparent, perhaps even beyond his control. Yamanaka moved around into his field of vision and gripped his shoulders to try and calm him and take a more in-depth read on his internal status.
"What has disturbed you so deeply?"
Iruka's head shook frantically, his voice muffled under the tape. Yamanaka determined that he was not trying to speak, but cry out, so he left the tape as it was. It was not necessary for Iruka to be calm or give consent, only that he be safely restricted from making any evasive or aggressive moves.
The first task on his list was to use Iruka as a source of confirmation as to the missing man's viability. Yamanaka probed hard, searching, finding the locations where a significant deposit of Hide's implanted chakra would have been, per the detailed reports.
He did not find the answer he was hoping for, but the evidence was indisputable. There was nothing of Hide to be found, not even a trace left from previous removals - a 99.5% accurate indication of his death.
Taking this new data into consideration, his subject's erratic behavior was much easier to diagnose. The sudden release of Hide's embedded influence was both disruptive and unfathomable. The operative was skillful enough that his subject was not consciously aware of how deeply and intimately he had been forced to become accustomed to being infiltrated. His struggle with the seemingly unwarranted acute sense of inner loss was increasing the distress Ibiki had engineered with this setting exponentially.
Given the style of control being applied per the last report, the odds were astronomical against Iruka having the ability to take any direct action against Hide. This was not going to expose him as a perpetrator nor a co-conspirator; all indications pointed to Iruka's innocence and outright ignorance regarding the actual crime, resurgence of Even notwithstanding.
"We're pulling him out of here. I need to work with him in one of the quiet rooms."
The ANBU guard hesitated; this would be contrary to Ibiki's orders to keep Iruka here and force him to witness the eventual exposure of Kakashi's cold, criminal side.
But Yamanaka was also his superior; one who was not waiting for help, releasing the wrist and ankle bindings while keeping the muffled Umino floundering off-balance to prevent him from getting to his feet.
The veteran in the mask swooped in to assist; once the last binding was released, it took both of them to make the transfer into the next interrogation chamber without causing harm. Iruka's panic grew into a frenzy when he recognized the destination and wanted no part of it.
"You'd better start cooperating," growled the ANBU.
"Never mind that. He can't," Yamanka interrupted. "At least, not yet. Help me secure him again and then go get me a tech to assist."
"I have to report this before I bring anyone else in."
"Of course. Get me that strap, will you?"
The door slammed and they were alone, both panting from exertion, Iruka still struggling fiercely despite growing light-headed from trying to breath through the tape.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm going to help you," Yamanaka said, loud enough to make sure he was understood but using a calm, steady tone. "I'm taking the tape off so you can talk to me. Sorry, I know this hurts."
Iruka sputtered as soon as his lips were free, on the tidal wave of uncontrollable impulses, fighting the bindings frantically. Words wouldn't form in his brain to express his demand for release and explanation.
Giving up on the more subtle drugs, given the difficulty of hitting a vein on a moving target, Inoichi darted him with an intramuscular injection, knowing full well how angry this was might make Ibiki. The torture specialist would want him to stress Iruka without mercy, to tenderize him for information mining, to shove Kakashi's dark side in his face, but this was a different situation now. Pushing him past the ability to communicate wasn't going to get them anywhere.
He wilted, slowly, until he was quiet and slumped, head lolling slightly.
"That's better." Yamanaka tapped the second syringe and expertly found a vein on the first try. As soon as the dark brown fluid flowed into the bloodstream it would begin to take effect. The potency was sure to be amplified in the presence of the tranquilizer, but that could not be helped.
"…don't know what's happening…"
"Ah, good, you can communicate now."
"My head…"
"Yes. I see we have some new issues. Do you comprehend what's been happening to you?"
The question was pointed but from Iruka's perspective it could mean so many things. It didn't make any difference what he meant, really, because at the moment, overall, the answer was the same.
"I don't understand anything."
"Okay. That's a start. I've detected some major events in your system. I'm going to step further into your consciousness as soon as I have staff to assist me. I need to follow protocol, so that as long as you're innocent this will serve as confirmation, clearing your involvement in the matter under investigation. And I'll see what these changes are doing to you. Try to get control of yourself and be patient."
Iruka's chi felt so different. Yamanaka was champing at the bit to get back inside and analyze the changes in depth.
The scarred man was remarkably clean of outside influence; for the first time, Yamanaka detected a more or less complete personality and chakra system. Scars and damage aside, his rough assessment implied that this was Iruka-sensei, and nothing but, battling to re-build his own coping mechanisms.
Hide's jutsu had been deeply embedded in the painful void in Iruka's subconscious that the removal of Danzou's oath had left behind. That raw opening was perfect for infiltration and growing the jutsu's influence, a fertile field of loss and need that hobbled the defenses of his subject. Hide was truly brilliant at his craft, almost terrifyingly so. His success, despite the complications of repeated removal and external conflict, was unprecedented. And consistent with everything he knew about Iruka, he found no trace of criminal guilt or complicity. A sharp, instinctive pain and panic, conceivably due to weakening or release of the imbedded chakra connection, was the only oddity he could detect so far that might be associated with Hide.
"Sir?" the Anbu said, stepping back into the room. "Ibiki instructs that this be recorded. And he wants you to read this."
Yamanaka took the message and frowned at the bad news. The contents confirmed what he suspected about Hide's fate. It was also further evidence that this was beyond anything Iruka could have accomplished given the circumstances.
But he did have to go through the motions of the investigation before indulging in his professional curiosity.
"All right. Witness and record, starting now. I will start with verbal exploration. I doubt there will be much else to do at this point."
He shook Iruka's shoulder, eliciting a soft, startled gasp. The drugs and the stress made for a pretty decent combo. There would be no resistance.
"All right Iruka. Do you know why we're here? Answer out loud, don't just nod or shake your head."
"I don't."
"Guess for me."
"Some kind of trouble."
"Go on."
"I told you, I don't know what's happening."
"You're very upset for someone who thinks there's nothing much going on. What's upsetting you?"
"I saw what they were doing to Kakashi."
"He's fine. A little uncomfortable, I'm sure, but it's all perfectly tolerable for him."
Iruka grunted and looked down, shaking his head. He felt so afraid for Kakashi. They had him trapped and they were accusing him of something and they said they were going to push him past his limit to prove him guilty and what would they do if he wasn't guilty? Keep going forever until they destroyed him? Because Kakashi didn't give in, and he didn't break.
"What else has you worried, Iruka?"
He glanced up, telltale guilt on his face. He had a moment of wishing that Hide would appear in his white coat to help him, and it reminded him of his cowardly thoughts last night. If he had to admit it, either Kakashi or Hide would have been welcome company, so long as they came with a strong shoulder and an offer to help.
Yamanaka close the distance between them and placed his hands on Iruka's temples.
"No, please."
"I have to have answers. If you won't talk, this is my next step."
"Just wait."
"You're upset right now. Just blurt it out. What hurts, Iruka? I can see that much. You're trying to hide it but you cannot."
"I have...this empty...hollow...dark..."
Iruka was straining forward, bringing up words from the depths of his pain, trying to clutch his own chest. Yamanaka was patient, letting him dredge up his thoughts, acknowledging the difficulty.
"It feels like something terrible has happened to me, but nothing has happened. I had another event with Even and I thought he was gone but I lost time and hurt myself and then I don't know if whatever is happening is related to me and I just can't remember."
"You're supposed to report these events."
"I would have! I wanted to. But Hide's been on a mission, he's my constant, I report to him."
"When he's away, you report to his substitute."
"Not really. No. Hide said I didn't have to. He said he'd never be away that long. He said it was better that way. I wasn't hiding it, I needed to tell him, I just hadn't yet because I hadn't seen him. I was up waiting for him last night when they came and got me. He comes by, you know? He checks on me and I can tell he's there and I had the window open so I could be sure to call out to him..."
Yamanaka's heart sank a little. Hide was more successful in his social engineering goal than his written reports indicated. Iruka sounded very attached; the medication was working well, rendering him emotionally transparent. He took is as further evidence of the scarred nin's innocence.
"Easy, now. You were expecting Hide? Did he show up?"
"No. He never did."
"Does that worry you?"
"I have a bad feeling about it. I can't shake it. He must have been late from his mission. I hope it's nothing serious."
"Let's jump to another subject. Kakashi and Hide had an argument. Several, in fact. Do you have any knowledge of any physical altercation between the two of them?"
Iruka shook his head, panic rising in his throat, his brain jittering at the edge of the obvious possibilities before cutting it off and refusing to take the next step.
"Do you think it could happen?" Yamanaka asked.
"Are you saying it did?"
"Just answer the question."
"They're two people, two human beings, they can do anything, anything can happen, how is that something I would know?" Iruka blurted angrily in suddenly escalated volume, catching them off-guard at his snap change in attitude. "They could fight! They could not fight! What do I know, what the hell do I know, why is that something you would ask me, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with everybody? What the fuck, what the hell, leave me alone!"
Yamanka motioned the guard back. He'd caught a raw edge, not unexpectedly. Iruka was still mending and this was stretching his limits on purpose.
"Let me clarify. Have you seen either of them raise a hand against the other?"
"No!"
"If they fought, who would you want to win?"
Iruka jerked his fists up as if he'd forgotten his arms were restrained, his face growing red.
"They better not! I'd kick both of their asses!"
"Simmer down. You're very sensitive to the medication I've given you, Iruka. I want you to breathe deeply for a bit." If his blood pressure kept spiking this high, it would be prudent to stop and call in a medical tech.
But he responded to the admonition and quieted just as abruptly, so Yamanaka decided to push on. The stress was not going to lessen until this situation was resolved. The news he was about to deliver would be hard enough without dragging out the suspense.
"That's better. I think it's time that you heard the reason for all of this. A man in Ibiki's command was attacked and removed from the village."
"Removed?" Iruka asked, wooziness softening his tone as the last of the anger drained away.
"Yes."
"I guess you can't find him?"
"No. We found him."
"He can't tell you what happened?"
"No. He can't."
"He's injured?"
"He's quite dead, Iruka-sensei."
"H-h-h..."
"His name is Musanawagi."
"Oh! I mean, that's terrible. But for a moment there I thought you were going to say it was Hide."
"You're relieved."
Iruka's shoulders sagged and he let out a ragged sigh.
"It's difficult to hear something like that. Even if I didn't know him."
"Of course. There's more, Iruka-sensei. Look at me, please."
Yamanaka saw fear and dread the minute their eyes met.
He already knows, in his subconscious, and he's been fighting the truth every step of the way. And he knows now what words he will hear, and that when he hears them, his pretending is done. Hide will be lost to him in every way.
"Hide met the same fate. His death has been confirmed. The body was positively identified not an hour ago."
He watched Iruka stiffen and his eyes quiver before going glassy and distant. The slightest movement of his head side-to-side was his only attempt at denial.
Time passed without comment or further reaction. Iruka breathed, and Yamanaka listened to the sound of it, wondering how mere breath could convey such sorrow and pain.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Do you think I did it?"
"Everyone is a suspect until cleared, like any investigation."
"I don't mean proven in court. I mean, do you think I did it?"
"No, Iruka. There's nothing to indicate that you were capable of it even if you had a motive. I don't detect any significant animosity. I think you cared about him, and I think you realized that he cared for you, too."
"I couldn't have slipped?"
"No. I think that last problem you had with your Even persona was the last one, period. You're in absorption flux and there's no abnormal chakra pattern at all now. Once you've settled down, it should all work itself out into something relatively natural."
Iruka wanted so badly to bury his face in his hands. This mess...how much...what part of this was his fault? It was his fault Kakashi was arguing with Hide, and in turn sitting in that room being interrogated; it was awful. But not as awful as being gone forever, lost to everyone, with so much left undone.
"But Hide...he worked so hard to help me...and now he'll never see it..."
Yamanaka swallowed, sensing what was likely coming next. Drugged or not, he was always embarrassed for the nin when they were forced into deeply emotional states in front of witnesses. He reached forward and sent a shot of slow influence into Umino's bowed head until he went limp and silent, unconsciousness preempting any threat of tears.
"I want some of the medication to wear off before I resume. Watch him in case he comes to before I get back. I need to check in next door."
He reported to Ibiki in an aside, expecting to see some sort of change, given the new evidence further tipping the scales in the direction of Kakashi's innocence. But the torture specialist was just warming up on the Sharingan user, and he showed no sign of throttling back.
"Umino was just collateral anyway. Not a serious suspect. Hide had his number from day one," Ibiki mused.
"Doesn't the time frame eliminate Hatake, too?" Yamanaka asked.
"He can be in two places at once. Won't know for sure until the two weeks are up. And I intend to use every minute of it finding his soft spots. It's a rare treat to have the option of doing this at my leisure. It'll be good for both of us. Me, for honing my skills; and him, for tightening up his defenses. That way, it's a constructive use of manpower even if he's clean as a whistle."
"But what about the real culprits? We should be focusing our man-hours on finding them."
"He threatens a man in public and not a week later, that same man winds up as a desecrated corpse a stone's throw away from the village walls. It's a high probability that he's connected somehow, even if he didn't participate in the actual murders. Maybe that's not the case, but it's customary to follow up on the best leads first. The forensic team is still gathering and analyzing evidence from the scene. If they find anything useful the usual procedures will be followed. Tunnel vision isn't the case here. Everything will be pursued. All leads will be run to ground. Don't trouble yourself with my need to be thorough. It's really not your place to question me in a criminal investigation of this magnitude."
Yamanaka nodded with a frown. It wasn't his place but this struck him as a problematic plan. Tsunade would be displeased. Kakashi was finally turning missions at a rapid pace again. Other than the long shot – and a very long shot, two weeks, that was at least twice the length he should reasonably be able to keep a clone active out of visual range – they had strong evidence that Kakashi did not participate in the crime.
"Something wrong?"
"I should get back. The drug will be wearing off and I don't know what his mental status will be when it does. He was shocked and upset, to say the least."
"He'll be fine. He always is. Don't coddle him. Detox him, hand him his vest and send him home. He's surprisingly sturdy on his own two feet, left to his own devices. My hardiest recruits are the ones that were orphaned young. They always roll with the punches."
Yamanaki ignored the advice, annoyed at the boastful tone, as if Ibiki had anything to do with Iruka's ability to handle himself in adverse conditions.
Ibiki turned abruptly in dismissal and left the hallway, barking Kakashi's name into the blinding glare of the interrogation room. His harsh, ominous tone cut off cleanly with click of the latch on the soundproof door.
The empath suspected that he should wrap this up and get a closer look at what this 'leisurely' interrogation was going to consist of. Ibiki was becoming worrisome. Genma and Raidou received nothing short of excessive force and abuse. It would be warranted if there were clear indicators of treason. Because then you wouldn't be at risk of doing permanent damage to men you intended to send back into the field. But damage had been done, some of it difficult to reverse, even though they were found innocent enough to be cleared for rehab and release.
Steps. When you try to get the truth out of your own men, you had to observe restraint and move forward in careful steps, saving the harshest, most harmful techniques for last and only if truly warranted. But Ibiki didn't seem to be keen on that. Almost as if he jumped to the more dangerous methods early on so that he'd be sure to be able to use them.
At least he was too busy to interfere with Iruka's case.
xxxx
Iruka blinked and winced and shifted nervously as his senses slowly began to revive. When the door opened behind him he jerked in alarm.
Yamanaka moved quickly into his line of sight and explained where they were, and that he was safe.
He tried to raise his arm and was not surprised, given the explanation, to find that he was still in restraints.
The situation reassembled in his head in a painful snap. He'd witnessed Kakashi being held and harassed under Ibiki's cruel hand. Been informed by Yamanaka that Hide was dead. Heard that his internal changes were symptoms of his own chakra restoring his own chakra. Scarred, painful divots of lost connection were aggravating the huge, empty hole where Danzou's oath and ethics had been installed and then destroyed. The stability he'd worked to hard to attain had already been ripped out from beneath him and it was shockingly painful.
Though he awoke to a circumstance that was unpleasant and upsetting and not at all what he hoped to see – he was stunned to realize that he was able to think more effectively. His single, unified identity fit in the tidy space meant for it, instead of overflowing and interfering with the parts of his brain that dealt with more immediate, concrete matters. His problems were still complex and chaotic but he was centered above them on a platform of clarity. After feeling trapped and tumbled within for so long, not trusting the occupants in his own head, not able to take in information without questioning his ability to comprehend it correctly – the lack of mental static was incredible.
"Easy, now. Slower. Deep breaths."
He pulled it together, adding his physical body to the list of things he could take control of without second-guessing. He took his breaths as instructed, and slowly realized that he was still squeezing his eyelids tight. He let the room appear first as a slit of light, then a patch of cold white floor. Yamanaka's feet came into view, clad in blue sterile covers. His own were just a suggested form under a white cloth draping his lower body. It was too white and bright. He wasn't sure if he wanted to look up, worried that the questioning would start again, but aching to ask how Hide had been killed. Was it gruesome, frightening, had he suffered? And even more than that, he wanted to know exactly what time had it been, so that he could try to recall what he must have been doing at the exact same moment, safe and disgracefully ignorant, oblivious to Hide's need for help.
"That's better. Drink this."
Iruka pulled back instead and he heard a deep sigh.
"Just water. You're severely dehydrated. Please."
He reluctantly complied. It did seem to be plain water. The man was insistent, annoyingly so. He made him drink a lot. Maybe this was going to involve some sort of urinary torture?
"How are you feeling?"
He considered the question. A trick to get him talking? Wait. Was it really true that Hide was dead? There were no rules in an interrogation.
But then – what would the crime have been?
No. He knew. It hit home when Yamanaka said it. He'd felt it already. He had already sensed that something had happened to Hide even before the ANBU came. He just didn't know what.
"Iruka? Look at me."
A trace of kindness, a hint of the father of his student, seemed to seep into the tone of that request. He didn't dare trust its authenticity, but it was enough to make it a little less difficult to cooperate. It was just looking up, after all. There was no eye technique to avoid. He was already in reach and unable to move away from the man's powerful touch-based jutsu, if that was the intent. No, it was time to brace for whatever might come next. It would come anyway, and resisting would just add to the time he had to spend shackled in this miserable room waiting for it.
"You were under the influence of some very strong medication; now that it's wearing off, I want you to try to relax and stay calm. The questioning is over. I'm going to examine you again and it's just for your well-being this time. To make sure that you're sound enough to be released. All right?"
Iruka nodded, stunned, not quite believing the part about being released.
"Be still, then. I'm going to take off the restraints," Yamanaka said quietly. It made sense that Iruka was cautious and on the defensive. Though he was expecting to see any number of symptoms preventing the exhausted sensei from behaving normally, nothing was apparent. Color was coming back into his face. Clear, sharp eyes stared back to meet his inspection, lucid, brave, and expectant. He kept his hands down and didn't lunge up or even move much when the straps came off; he only rubbed his arms and crossed them tight, body language for self-protection, and nothing more.
Damn, Yamanaka thought. With everything they'd done, and all his skills and theories, and Ibiki's invasive attempts at control, it must have been random fate that finally pushed the man into putting himself back together.
He looked more familiar somehow. The features hadn't changed, but the expression, the look was different. More like the personable young teacher he'd investigated, way back in the day.
Ino was going to be proud of her daddy again. It was deceptive to let her think he deserved any credit for this recovery, but imagining her smile, he didn't think Iruka-sensei would really mind.
xxxxx
Danzou rolled over lazily and smiled, relaxed and at ease. All was well. Jeninki shouldn't be bothering him for a while. Sai did a great job, if he had to admit it. Well, he wouldn't admit it to Sai, because he didn't need praise and it wasn't good for him anyway, but as always he'd really come through.
Munasawagi was gone, and that was a glorious fact to contemplate. He'd been such a thorn. Their timing had been perfect. Catching him at Hide's was too sweet. That meant the extra effort he'd made to slip out of here in full stealth to get past the spying bastard en route to the abduction was more than sufficient. They'd never have caught his movements at all using men with lesser skills.
He stretched and stared at the ceiling, comfortably cradling his head in his open palm on the pillow. It was great and all, but he couldn't let his guard down too much. This was no time to be complacent or careless. Now that the complications were out of the way, he had to develop a new approach, a new plan. A new way to rebuild his forces.
Jeninki's village of souls still ate at the edge of his thoughts. It seemed like there had to be some way to use them. To transform them into a practical force that he could manipulate for his own ends. The issue of restoring them into physical beings again was highly complex, but then, maybe that wasn't absolutely necessary. They needed chakra containment and viability, and though that traditionally came in the form of a body, other methods of manifestation were known to exist.
He smiled to himself at the rare forethought and excellent timing Jeninki exhibited in his decision to fully remove his trace influence on Umino. Given his relationship with Hatake, and Hatake's well-known dislike for Hide, Iruka was probably being treated as a suspect. Under a deep T & I examination they would have ferreted out that bit of Jeninki's seeded chakra and it would have been a most damning find, given that it wasn't there back when they exorcised the oath and disabled Even. Timing was so on his side right now.
Tomorrow. He'd get back on the ball tomorrow. Today was a day for basking in the warm, satisfying glow of this important victory.
He wouldn't mind getting used to victory like this on a much grander scale.
xxxxx
Dawn finally brought relief from the long, sleepless night of struggling to cope and making no progress whatsoever.
Showering, dressing, trying with little success to eat, all tasks that he forced himself to focus on with no small amount of difficulty. On top of grieving and guilt and worry and confusion, he barely managed to get himself ready for work.
That was not going to cut it. There was a whole lot of day out there to get through, people to deal with, a reputation for responsible leadership to start establishing. He had to get a grip and banish the personal turmoil from his mind or he'd be at risk of making a very poor impression at the Academy today.
He checked his bag again, confirming his papers were there a third time, more for the comfort of knowing that he had managed to assemble all his things correctly than for the need to triple-check.
He looked okay in the mirror, he guessed. Nothing stood out or looked unusual. He still had that strange moment of discord looking at his own reflection, but that too was normal, at least normal for him since his face had been restored. He thought that it had been going away a bit, but today it was strong as ever.
Iruka took a deep, deep breath and gripped the bag's handle in determination. He could do this. He could pull it off. Time to go.
Step out and set the lock...like...like always and check for...
No! Stop that. Don't sense for people that couldn't possibly be there. Don't start thinking about that, either. You have to put it on hold, and God forbid, suppress any urge to wander into that chaotic minefield of worry and guilt. You'll never make it if you get sucked into that.
Now get walking. Move!
He tried concentrating exclusively on his physical movement. One foot, then the other. The first job was to get his ass straight to the Academy.
This was solo practice for the kind of focus his day would require. Although T&I said that they advised Ebisu directly and there would be no issue, it was still an unplanned absence far too early in the game. It was likely to seed doubts about his performance. A tiny bad impression could snowball out of control. So today had to be a good day, an effective day, an unerringly professional day, no matter how shaken he felt inside.
The key was to put his personal feelings on hold. If he slipped and got to thinking about Hide and Kakashi, it was sure to show. But beyond that, the real challenge this morning was to act the way normal was supposed to be, because "normal" was no longer a known quantity. Nothing felt natural with all of the changes in his head still trying to settle in. He decided to start off kind of quiet and try to be as unobtrusive as possible in hopes of staying under the radar. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to pull that off without seeming out of character but it was too dangerous to chance seeing what comes spontaneously. He couldn't risk coming off like a flake. Make that more of a flake, maybe.
It worried him he didn't know the exact reason T&I gave Ebisu as the reason he had to be detained.
The door handle struck him as being colder than he remembered, had it always been like this in the morning? It came as a relief when the door creaked open to an empty foyer. The victory of making it this far bolstered his spirits.
As he made his way to his desk, the instructors that were already there tossed him the standard greetings but didn't seem to be noticing him in particular.
I think my expression looks about right, like nothing's wrong. I'm breathing like a normal guy.
It took a small, negligible amount of chakra to keep his hands steady. Now it was just a matter of keeping his thoughts focused on his immediate surroundings and the tasks at hand.
Ebisu looked surprised when he said good morning, though. He looked like he wanted to ask something and then thought better of it, and he was definitely being cautious with his words.
Iruka was betting that Ebisu would know enough about what was going on to leave it alone now that he saw that his staffing situation was back to normal today. He probably wouldn't say anything that wasn't work related unless Iruka initiated it.
Now that I'm here and on task, I can tell that I'll get through today. If I get through today, I can get through tomorrow. I can make it to the weekend without disgracing myself.
I can keep this up because I have to, until...no, no contemplating anything else.
I can do this.
I can do one day at a time.
xxxx
"There's no indication that anything is out of the ordinary. My men have been watching his every move," Ibiki said. "Ebisu confirmed that he arrives on time, puts in a full day, and there haven't been any problems."
"Amazing," Tsunade shook her head.
"I agree. I'm just as surprised. He refused my strong recommendation to take a day or two of downtime for a recovery period. Politely, of course. He said he was still in the 'first impression' stage and that he couldn't afford to be off duty so soon," Yamanaka said. "So he only missed the one day."
"All right. He's doing very well, then. Let him go about his business." Tsunade felt rather satisfied. This behavior inferred that Iruka did not view working at the Academy as a failure or a punishment. He was aggressively pursuing the path she supported. She liked to think that he was doing so in good faith, to be loyal and obedient, as had been his wont in the past. While the day might come when she would change her mind about letting him stay there permanently, particularly if her own exams revealed that he was going to recover a proper, mission-worthy chakra balance, this was still what she preferred for him presently.
"Agreed."
"And Hatake?"
Ibiki grumbled and eyed Yamanaka narrowly. The empath had stepped forward, body language bursting with the desire to speak out first, so Ibiki let him; he had no intention of opening his own mouth at the same time and turning this into a damned speech competition.
"All level one, all level two, totally clean. He wasn't provided with any information about the crime until level two. No trips, no slips, he does not evidence any sign of knowledge aforethought in relation to the incident. Basal monitoring, inter-cranial pressures and all cerebral-based measurement indicate that when he was informed about the barest facts of the crime, it was the first time he'd heard of it," Yamanaka said quickly, scarcely believing that Ibiki didn't interrupt yet.
Tsunade's smile was wry as she watched them, noting their usual relationship was still intact: professional friction capped by mutual respect.
"Seems like we may be barking up the wrong tree then," she baited, waiting curiously for Ibiki to unleash his opinion.
Ibiki shook his head.
"You done?" Ibiki snapped at Inoichi before turning a more composed face to his Hokage. "Level one and two are wrapped up, that's true. As fully expected, Hatake was immune. Per protocol, I need your Ladyship's approval to begin applying anything that would actually be effective."
"You didn't get anything at all yet?"
"Naturally."
"Mm."
"Level two was very vigorously applied. Drug levels were the absolute highest allowed, which is borderline overdosing given how lean he is. He's been sleep-deprived and given emetics on an extremely aggressive schedule. This is well beyond the prescribed level two. At the highest points of stress, I was fully tapped in. I'm very convinced of my findings," Yamanaka objected.
"A tougher nut requires more diligent effort," Ibiki deadpanned with a shrug.
"I'll approve your request," she said, pulling Ibiki's packet closer and hailing Shizune to prepare the form for her chop. "But mind you this: that's one of my best 'tough nuts' and if he's not guilty enough to hang, you'd better be certain that he can be cleaned up good as new when you're done. No excuses. No going too far and then dumping him off at the infirmary expecting me to find a way to undo the damage. Whatever you do, you make sure that you fix it before he leaves."
"Of course."
"Don't 'of course' me!" she snapped, slamming her hand on the desk, his mulish stare sparking her rage. "Do you realize how much work I had to do on Shiranui? Do you understand how close he came to having permanent hearing loss? And I had to assist staff with Namiashi, what is it with you and head injuries, you think that shit is fun to sort out after you screw them all up? I'm not warning you again. I'm giving you a free hand, my trust, and a word to the wise one last time. Displease me, and you will not like the impact on your career."
Yamanaka blanched at Ibiki's intake of breath; the disfigured face dropped the impassive mask with a hard blink and bared upper teeth. He felt the need to step in, to alter the bad path this was taking.
But there was no easy way to do it constructively.
"Perhaps," he injected quickly, "we just have a rare issue here due to your relationship with these individuals."
"What the hell are you implying?" Ibiki snarled.
"Hatake. Namiashi. Shiranui. I've observed a possible pattern. Those individuals that you specifically dislike. You have a natural tendency to want to break them."
"Dislike?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Okay. Hate might be a better term. Might it not be a better approach for everyone if you recuse yourself from being the lead when the subject is someone you actively hate?"
Ibiki suddenly grew calmer, glancing at his Hokage, who was now hanging on every word, fascinated at this exchange.
She hadn't looked at it that way herself, merely accepting that Ibiki was always walking the tightrope between pro and rogue, battling his inner ghoul every time he had to let one loose sane and alive. Yamanaka's blunt accusation, in the form of constructive criticism, was pure gold. Working with Ibiki must have caused his balls to grow to incredible size.
"There's no hate."
Silence greeted that statement.
But it was true. Ibiki wanted to pound the three men Yamanaka named, but to whip them into shape, to make them stop behaving in counter-productive ways. Sure they were annoying. They certainly fell short of his vision of proper shinobi deportment.
But hate them unto destruction for hatred's sake? No way. And hatred was a far cry from what fueled his urge to break people. Breaking people was his job, the part that he loved almost uncontrollably. Sometimes, when he was breaking an enemy, with clearance to terminate, he stretched it out longer to get a more intense feeling of closure at the end, and had to chastise himself for getting too involved. He only felt a deep connection to his subject during the most extreme procedures. It was in those rare moments that he felt truly, intimately attached to another human being. To ride them into death was the ultimate satisfaction of desire. But he was well aware that he had to gratify his twisted nature secretly, solely as a side dish to his duties. Never would he commit acts of torture and violence for personal pleasure alone. Not painful, punishing things to get back at someone personally; and not sick, guro scenes to satisfy his perverted prurient interests overtly.
He just really liked his job.
"Respectfully, from my vantage point, that's not how it appears," Yamanaka finally returned.
Tsunade was nodding in eager agreement.
Ibiki sighed. Fucking hell.
"I don't hate any of our men. That said, my job isn't to kiss their butts when they get out of line, and those three cross the line constantly. Who's going to address that? I don't see either of you doing much. I express my irritation with their bad behavior and I don't mince words. I wouldn't mind seeing any one or all of them get corporal punishment on a regular basis. I would enjoy the chance to test a cause-and-effect behavior modification model on them to see if they would finally evolve."
"That...that's hate."
"No, it's not. I don't want them to die, or disappear. I want them to shape the fuck up. Is it fair to assume that after all this time, it's probably a lost cause? Maybe. It would make sense to give up on them if that were the case, and I would strongly disapprove of them for it. But look at me. Look at all the effort I go to on their behalf. I'm still trying to get through to them, every chance I get my hands on them. I still hold out, completely unjustified as it seems, some small, innocent hope that they'll come to understand their obligations and conduct themselves properly. Now, am I immune to hating? It can be justified in the right circumstances. I will love to hate any soul in this village who commits a treasonous crime. Any soul. From the tiniest waif to the highest office. So don't trivialize my ability to hate where hatred is due. But it isn't about personalities."
"You care about them," Tsuname mused, knowing that was not the spin he intended, but finding it plausible nonetheless.
"Can we stop using all this ridiculous fluff terminology? You care, and you hate, and you powder their little asses and change their diapers if you want to. Not me. I'm doing my job here, the best way I know how. My emotions aren't in the way. I don't plan to recuse myself from anything and I don't appreciate the accusations. We're losing sight here. We have a serious problem with security and it's not going to fix itself while we're standing around wasting time having group therapy at every fucking meeting."
"Yamanaka?"
"I'll think about what Ibiki-san has said. Please disregard my recommendation for the moment."
"I'm just speaking the truth. But 'think about' it later. I need you on top of the situation we're in right now," Ibiki said, moving on, the whole exchange just pointless blathering in his eyes.
"Here's your consent form. I've made the expiration consistent with your clone monitoring deadline, but it can be extended if you find something of substance, and of course, all sanctions will be removed if there is a clone and he's been lying about it. Keep me informed. Dismissed."
Tsunade watched them leave, Ibiki lumbering, Yamanaka moving tentatively alongside. Such an odd couple. Just when she thought the empath was being forced to do all of the caving and accommodating, something like this would happen to reveal just how much more complex their working relationship truly was.
Good team despite the stress between them. The best she could ever hope for given Ibiki's frightening thought processes.
Their next night on the town would probably be one for the books.
tbc