Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Hindsight Bias
Sometimes, when we learn about a specific outcome we state or believe that we knew it was going to happen. That we "knew it all along". Even though there is a good chance that our initial predictions were nowhere near accurate.
Staring at the contents of my shopping basket, I was confronted with the familiar sensation of having second thoughts about my job. My stomach churned as I studied the gruesome sight of raw pork chops. Never before had I realized how similar meat bought at grocery stores could resemble beaten, bloody, and broken human flesh.
A case had come up today, and I had gotten my first taste of the T portion of T&I. Behind a two-way mirror, I was told to take notes as Shinobu, with a gleeful expression, went to work. And… Let's just say, in T&I it's not Anko who people need to be afraid of.
Shuddering, I forced myself to look away from the meat and instead focused on the produce section I was standing in front of. Other than the meat, what had Anzu asked for? Radishes? Onions? Something that's a leafy green?
"You should buy broccoli", a deep and monotone voice announced its presence.
Nearly jumping out of my skin, I jerked to my right to get away from the unexpected person; pivoting on my heel in the process so I could face the newcomer.
Shibi stared down at me from over his shirt collar and through his sunglasses. In his left hand, he held his own shopping basket, already filled with food. "Why?" He asked to signal he was about to explain himself. "Because broccoli is rich in iron and many other vitamins. And you should be eating at least two servings of vegetables a day".
"What are you doing here?" I asked once I started to breathe normally again. "This isn't where you shop". And it wasn't. Shibi preferred a market closer to the compound in a more affluent area of the village. Or vegetables that grew in his own garden. Seriously, Shibi's preferred market was Konoha's equivalent to Whole Foods.
In response, Shibi used his free hand to dig in his jacket pocket. "You forgot your key", he said, holding out a silver key with a ladybug keychain daggling on the end.
Frowning, my grip on my shopping basket tightened. "I didn't forget it. I moved out". And really, having house keys in a ninja clan was kind of redundant. If I really wanted to enter Shibi's house, I didn't need a key. If anything the key was more of a symbolic sentiment rather than a needed security measure.
"You did not inform me of your plans", Shibi said, still holding out the key.
"I told Shino", I countered.
"Insufficient", Shibi stated without retracting the offered key. "Why? Because you did not share a moving date or your new address".
"Oh, so sorry", I said in a near growl. In the background, a mother shopping with her small child gave Shibi and me a wide bearth. Can't say I blame her. "But this thing strapped to my forehead-" I aggressively gestured to my headband. "- means I'm not required to check in with you anymore". Which was only half true. In the parent-child sense, I achieved autonomy. But in the clan sense, even though I was only a member in name, Shibi technically still had some say in my dealings. But if Shibi wasn't going to bring up that argument, I sure as hell wasn't. "So congratulations, Shibi. I'm out of your hair and you can go back to pretending I don't exist".
Shibi's fingers were hesitant as he adjusted his glasses. "Daughter", Shibi spoke with no change in his tone as he continued to hold out the offered key. "My home will always be your home".
Something in me twinged, causing my free hand to twitch. "Fine", I relented, all the while doing my best to not let the change reflect on my face. I'm only doing this to make him go away and for Shino's sake. Or so I told myself. Snatching the key from his hand by the keychain, I returned to facing the produce on display; trying to ignore the familiar feeling of holding the little clay ladybug in the palm of my hand. "So how did you know I'd be here, anyway?" It felt like a stupid question to ask a tracker ninja. But it wasn't like I'd been living in my new apartment long enough to build any habits or preferences for shopping. Besides, I had spent the day holed up in the bowels of T&I before going home only for Anzu to send me out again on a grocery run. I hadn't planned anything, so no move I made should've been predictable.
Multiple servings worth of broccoli was slipped into my basket which I pretended not to notice. What had Anzu wanted? Bell pepper, maybe. "I have my ways", Shibi answered as he to returned to looking at the produce.
I snorted as I thought about getting apples. Fruit definitely hadn't been on Anzu's mental list. But apples sounded good… "There's a bug on me, isn't there?"
Shibi adjusted his glasses and that was the only answer I needed. Guess that means I need to buy pesticides before I go home.
Naruto was all smiles as we occupied his kitchen table again. It'd be interesting to see what would happen when I was able to buy us a table of our own. "This is really good!" Naruto complimented around a mouthful of pork; earning himself a beaming smile from Anzu.
"I'm so glad", she squealed as she turned around to face Naruto's countertops where she had been plating her cooking.
As soon as her back was turned, Naruto's face contorted; twisting into a fowl expression as he forced himself to chew and swallow the overcooked, tough, and overly-seasoned pork.
"I never got to cook much before. I didn't realize how fun it was". As Anzu rambled about her newfound hobby, I tried not to laugh as Naruto hurriedly washed his mouth out with a swig of milk; very much aware that I had my own dinner I needed to force down. "Maybe we can buy a couple of lunch boxes", Anzu pondered as she turned back around, holding her own serving of dinner. "Then I can send you two to work with leftovers". She sat her food down in front of the chair between Naruto and me, looking at me in question as she took her seat.
Smiling softly and not letting on to the mental math going on in my head, I nodded. "I'll add it to the list".
Anzu was pleased and satisfied, and her face showed it. Picking up her utensils, Anzu tucked in; unaware of the looks Naruto and I were sharing as we watched her take her first bite. At first, everything appeared to be fine. Anzu smacked her lips as if she couldn't quite figure out what she was tasting. But then her lips pursed together and her cheeks caved in as if she was eating a lemon. Dropping her utensils and rushing out of her chair, Anzu spat her mouthful out into the trash can Naruto kept under his kitchen sink. "Ugh!" Anzu complained. Her eyes were watering when she moved to look at us. "That's awful! Why did you let me eat that?"
Naruto immediately started sputtering out apologies and half-truths. Stumbling over his words, he tried to assure Anzu that he hadn't done it on purpose and that he really did like her cooking.
Meanwhile, I was barely keeping it together. With my lips pressed together, I tried to smother the amusement bubbling in the back of my throat. Not that Anzu was fooled. Sparing Naruto and his need to be accepted, my big sister focused on me. "Rion?" She prompted, asking for my excuse.
Straightening in my chair, I matched Anzu's look. "You were just so determined. Besides, if I have to eat this then so do you".
Naruto's jaw was a little slack as he looked at us both in turn. "You're still going to eat it?"
"Of course", I answered with a shrug. Food costs money and I wasn't about waste mine by throwing it out. "Do you have any soy sauce or hot sauce? That might help this go down easier".
"Um", Naruto vocalized as Anzu returned to her seat, now knowing what she was in for, she got ready for a second bite. "Let me check', Naruto answered before scurrying off to his fridge.
Mizuki-Sensei
Age: Presumably in his mid-twenties
Profession: Chunin Academy Instructor
Observations:
1. Hides behind a polite smile
2. Biased towards Naruto and class three students
3. Suspected superiority comples
Recommendations;
1. Avoid being alone with him.
2. Watch his hands.
Hypothesis: When Mizuki is smiling at Naruto or me his hands will clench into fists if he isn't holding anything.
Results: Across 10 observations per group (non-consecutive and spanning many days), Mizuki was more likely to ball his hands into fists when interacting with Naruto. When interacting with me, the behavior was sporadic, which may be related to unaccounted for 3rd variables. However, there was a significant decrease in the behavior when I made it to class one. Mizuki is unlikely to be observed engaging in the behavior while interacting with students from clans.
"Ugh", I groaned; slumping in my chair as Ibiki finished reading from my old notebook. He sat it down on the table open on the Mizuki section so I could see the graph I had drawn to look for trends amongst the different groups.
Stone-faced as always, Ibiki relaxed his spine and folded his arms across his chest. "Thoughts?"
"I think that notebook is going to be the death of me", was my knee-jerk answer.
A small glint of light in his pupils was the only sign I got that Ibiki understood the humor in my statement. "Tell me why you started watching Mizuki. Why did you choose this specific behavior to observe?"
Sighing, I pushed some fly-away hairs out of my face; collecting my thoughts. How much should I reveal here? "I never liked Mizuki-Sensei", I admitted. "He just made my skin crawl. And based on who was in the room, he'd change".
Ibiki blinked. "Changed?" He prompted.
"Yeah. Like when there was another teacher in the room he was the model teaching assistant". And that was all Mizuki was. He was never entrusted with a class of his own and operated more as a floater. He was a second pair of eyes to help supervise during weapons instruction. He'd substitute if one of the main teachers were absent. Sometimes Mizuki would run a lesson if a main teacher needed a break or had a meeting to get to. "But when he was alone with students he'd turn into a pretentious, condescending asshole". Ibiki had no visible reaction to my use of profanity; one of the few benefits of being a child solider. "When I was in class three, he'd either ignore us or make us spar. In class two, he'd follow a lesson plan but made it clear he didn't want to be there. And if you got a question wrong or asked for help, he'd berate you for it. I started recording data out of boredom. But when I got to class one, I noticed he remained polite to the clan kids, indifferent to the civilian born, and… well, let's just say he didn't like Naruto or me".
Pausing, I pointed to the graph on my notebook. "it's not reflective in the data because I became less of a target once I became a class one kid, but when Mizuki was teaching, Naruto and I weren't welcome. Naruto especially. Um…" What else? "Iruka-Sensei confiscated my notebook before the Aburame… claimed me. So nothing was recorded after that. But Mizuki became a lot more tolerate once I was carrying a clan name".
Ibiki and I sat in silence as he processed everything I said. It was uncomfortable, but I didn't rush him; too busy contemplating why we were talking about Mizuki at all. As if he came to a conculsion, Ibiki unfolded his arms, closed my notebook, and rested a heavy hand on the cover. It was tempting to try to wrestle it away from Ibiki so no one could use it in the future. But somehow I doubt Ibiki would let me get away with that. "On the night of your graduation", he started to explain. "Mizuki tricked Naruto Uzumaki into stealing a forbidden scroll of jutsu for him".
I had to make a quick decision about what to do with my face to the fact that I already knew this. Ultimately, I took a page out of Ibiki's book and decided on being expressionless. "However, Mizuki's plan was revealed and he's been in our custody ever since. We've been trying to learn why Mizuki wanted that scroll, what was he going to do with it, and if he was working with anyone". Aw, bitter situational irony. I know the answers to all three of these questions, but I shouldn't know and therefore, I can't tell anyone. "So far, our methods have been unfruitful. Mizuki refused to talk. Our last resort is for Shinobu to…"
"You mean the last resport is to let Shinobu unleash his inner demons and satisfy his sadistic side", I interrupted.
Ibiki ignored me. "However, Anko pointed out that there is one unconventional avenue we've yet to explore".
Yeah, that sounds like Anko. Ibiki's eyes bore into me as he waited for me to catch on to whatever he was hinting at. When I did, it felt like stepping into a pothole and tripping. My eyes grew in size and I leaned forward. "You want me to torture Mizuki?" That's not a good idea. I mean, other than observing Shinobu, no one's taught me anything about making people squeal.
"No", Ibiki corrected. But he sure took his time bout it. "I want you to use what you know about Mizuki to manipulate him into talking. Normally, since you were his student, you'd be considered compromised and would never be put on his case. But in this situation, we're trusting Mizuki will underestimate you. We're trusting you'll be able to push his buttons in ways we can't".
Drumming my fingers on the tabletop, I bothered my lower lip. Well… I like this idea a lot better than having a crash course on the more painful tools of T&I. "Do I have time to think about it?" I asked. Honselty, if given time with Mizuki, I might find a way to answer ibiki's questions after all.
Ibiki went back to having his arms crossed position. "This is an order. Not a request".
I shook my head. "No. I mean, do I have time to think about how I want to go about doing this?"
For the first time since we started this exchange, Ibiki smiled. "You have one hour".
Restrained to his chair, Mizuki wasn't looking too good. His hair appeared matted and framed his face in an unkept way; speaking to days when he hadn't been allowed a comb. I was used to seeing him wearing his headband and dressed in the typical chunin garb. But he'd been stripped of all that and stuck with a vibrant jumpsuit instead.
"Hey Mizuki-Sensei", I said as I entered the interrogation room; acting like this was just any old day at school.
His eyes tracked me as I made the short journey from the door to the interrogator's chair. You know, the one that doesn't have restraints built-in. I refused to make eye contact until I was seated and when I did, I was met with strained, bloodshot eyes. Sleep deprivation would be my first guess.
"Rion", Mizuki greeted darkly. But not dark enough that it hid the question in his voice.
I'd been instructed to not let Mizuki control the conversation, so I jumped right in. "I'm supposed to be interrogating you-"
"You?" Mizuki interrupted, sounding surprised. So, I guess T&I's interest in me wasn't common knowledge. Good to know.
"Yeah. When Naruto graduated last minute-" I made a mental note of Mizuki's left eyebrow twitched. "-there wasn't a spot on a genin team for me. So, I got recruited by T&I instead. Anyway, I'm supposed to be interrogating you about that scroll, why you wanted it, and what you were going to do with it. But I think we both know I won't be able to make you talk". The tension in Mizuki's shoulders lessened as the left corner of his mouth pulled back in pre-victory. "But I'm stuck in here with you until someone unlocks the door, so there's one question I've always wanted to ask you".
"You always were more self-aware than the average class three brat", Mizuki complemented in a back-handed way. "I bet T&I only picked you up because you're the Aburame head's bastard". Shifting as much as he could in his restraints to get comfortable, Mizuki stared at me. This time, I chose to wait him out; giving him the illusion of control. "Alright then", he said after a moment. "Ask me your question".
I responded as if we were in class and he just called on me to answer a question. "What do you have against class three kids when you were in class three?"
Mizuki's neck muscles stiffened and his nostrils flared. "I wasn't in class three!" And consider his buttons to be officially pushed.
"Umm", I hummed, lips pressed together to make the /m/ sound. "As a T&I agent, I have access to personnel files. I read yours and can verify you started out in class three. Just like me". Mizuki started to snarl at the comparison. "But I figured out you were one of us long before I became a genin".
"How?" Mizuki spat out in demand.
"No last name. Kind of a dead give-away".
At this point, Mizuki's polite façade he usually hid behind vanished, and I was confronted with the Mizuki I had grown up with. His pupils were filled with vicious emotion. "Not everyone is lucky enough to have a big shot dad out there who's willing to fess up to their mistakes".
"Maybe so", I agreed just to avoid a power struggle. Although the thought of Shibi being seen as a big shot was kind of laughable. But that was probably because I was one of the few people who knew what Shibi looked like in his pajamas. "But that still doesn't answer my question. What did class three ever do to you?"
Mizuki scoffed and rolled his eyes as if he had completely forgotten his current situation. "You know the answer. Every class three graduate knows the answer".
"Do I?" Light prompting was the only thing needed to keep Mizuki talking. And Shinobu and the others were struggling to get him to open up? I don't see it.
"Being compared to those losers. Watching them believe they're going to be strong and powerful shinobi, only to see them crumble when they fall short. And then there are the other civilian candidates who have more money so they think they're better. But even they fall short. The children from clans are always taken to be the best. Even though they've never had to solve problems on their own until after they're in the field. But no one is willing to see how much work, strength, and promise it took to make it on your own. I was better than all those idiots. Especially Iruka!"
Yup, superiority complex confirmed. It was a battle to not lean back in my chair and stretch my arms behind my head as Mizuki kept going.
"And then I didn't get the promotion I justly deserved all because some of the higher-ups didn't like how I prevented a mission from being derailed when losing a comrade!" Hopefully, Ibiki knew what he was talking about because I sure didn't. "But Orochimaru! Orochimaru saw my potential. He knew I made the best choice".
Bingo. Staying relaxed I asked in a normal voice, even though the adrenaline pumping in my veins wanted me to react much stronger. "Orochimaru? Wasn't he that sannin you liked to talk about in history class? The one who betrayed the village?"
Mizuki snorted and flashed his crazy eyes around the room. But his action did nothing to prevent him from continuing to talk in his worked-up state. "Orochimaru didn't betray the village. The village betrayed him by being a bunch of weak, oversensitive fools".
"Wow. It sounds like you really know a lot about Orochimaru".
Mizuki rolled his eyes. "Of course, I know a lot about him".
"How? Did someone write a book about him?"
Mizuki frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. As if anyone would be stupid enough to write about a missing-nin in anything other than a bingo book".
"I'm confused, Mizuki-Sensei. If there isn't a book about Orochimaru, how do you know so much about him? You talk about him like you know him". It was getting harder and harder not to smile. But I was still reeling him in. Show my hand too soon, and I'd probably have to stomach a lecture from Ibiki about dropping the ball while being painfully close to the finish line.
Something calmed the irate features on Mizuki's face. He leaned forward as much as his restraints would allow and waited until I was doing the same. As if he knew whispering this close together would make it nearly impossible for anyone listening in to actually make out what we were saying. Oh, this is too easy. "You know", Mizuki whispered. "Orochimaru likes people like us. Fighters. The Aburame will get bored of you eventually, Rion. And then it'll be straight back to the gutter. Orochimaru can help. Give you status for your own merit. If you help me out of here, I'll make sure to introduce you to him and give a good recommendation".
My mouth quirked at the offer, and Mizuki slowly returned the expression with a half-smile of his own. But only because he was misreading my face. It was a very brief and one-of-a-kind moment of comradery between me and my former teacher before I destroyed it entirely. Leaning back in my chair as far as I could go, I forced my eyes to stretch into a comically wide expression. "What?" I exclaimed. "Did you just say you stole the scroll because you wanted to gain more power for Orochimaru?"
The look on Mizuki's face was absolute gold as every bit of confidence and victory he was feeling vanished. "I didn't say that", he argued.
"Oh, I think you did", I said smiling the smile that usually warned Iruka-Sensei and Shibi they were about to be disappointed in me. "Whispering on and on about how you were going to kill poor Naruto to use him as the scapegoat as you ran from the village to join Orochimaru himself". Taking my time, I stood up and started to make my way towards the door. I thought about skipping to the door just to be extra obnoxious. But knowing Ibiki was watching, I decided not to. Not sure why… Skipping just wasn't something I wanted Ibiki to see me doing.
"No, I didn't!" Mizuki insisted, having returned to his state of upset. "We weren't talking at all about that demon or the scroll of seals".
I rested my hand on the doorknob that had been, in fact, unlocked this entire time. "Oh, but you don't deny working for Orochimaru?" Glancing over my shoulder, I gave Mizuki my best impression of Shikamaru's 'I just beat you at shogi', expression. Mizuki's mouth was hanging open as his bloodshot eyes stared at me without blinking. Looks like I broke him. "Thanks for giving everything away", I said as I opened the door. "You made my job easy".
