Authors notes: Oh my *censored* it took too much time to write this... Sorry...
Anyways, a new chapter of 'A Sarcastic Point of View is out'. Sarcasm no jutsu own side-stories that I write for my own amusement.
Chapter 34: Childhood's end.
"Seriously! Admit it!" I spoke to the person lying in the bed at my left. "There's no way that she's not a Nekomata!"
"No, for the last time, that monster ISN'T!" Kasumi screamed in frustration.
"Bakasumi! We are in the FUCKING hospital because she completely saw through our ambush, she TRASHED you and I and when Yama-kun tried to put her down with a sleeping gas, she not only resisted it and even scared him so much with a simple GLARE that he used the Shared Journey on REFLEX!"
"Please don't remind me…" Yama weakly said, lying in his own bed. With an IV pole probably loaded with antitoxins from his clan.
"Shinji I AM A NEKOM-AOUCH!" Kasumi threw her hands in the air out of annoyance, before lowering them when the countless cut and bruises the demon gave her reminded her why we were in the hospital. "Still, you think I can't recognise a member of my clan? The cat of the Daimyo, no less?!"
"She put you in a CHOKEHOLD! Sensei had to intervene to save you!"
As days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months.
And nothing happened.
I was finishing my mission report about a random D-Rank mission in the Inuzuka's foyer.
"Yamamoto Nohara created an 'algicide' as he called it, to clear the east coast of the fire nation. Still, the appearance of said 'algae', is apparently worrisome."
Yeah. It sounds ominous, right?
It's wasn't. There were weeds, we cleared weeds. The End.
I was just having fun writing my report.
Month have passed since the end of the Kumo Chunin Exam.
Our team took D rank missions again.
And nothing happened.
You see, there's a saying in my old world that I like: "Crime doesn't happen on a schedule."
And indeed there was no crime here… Or none that we were aware of.
We were Konoha team 4. We took every mission the Tower gave us.
Gardening, mostly, with some babysitting.
But there was something good inside the boredom.
My little brother became a Genin and took his first missions. Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino by his side.
According to him, his missions sent him against S-rank Shinobis, to save the daughter of the Daimyo of whatever country he could imagine. His fights were always Epics Tales where Good had to work together to triumph over Evil. I noticed that he was full of praises for his teammates, Shino's intelligence and Hinata's kindness in particular.
And also, how her sensei was cool as hell but somehow acted like she had some sort of grudge against me for whatever reason…
I was inwardly relieved. Looks like I haven't FUBAR-ed my little brother's timeline, at least not too much...
Well, until now, I guess…
After many months babysitting, weeding, training and patrolling around Konoha, like the good house-trained Genins we were, I left home one day, with a mission scroll from the Hokage tower.
The wording was quite clever. Apparently, due to the higher pressure put on the Chunin Corps since they had to organise the forthcoming Chunin-exam, the Genins of Konoha were tasked to alleviate their workload by assisting them in non-vital duties.
Translation? Genma and his ilk where lazy and offloaded their duties on us. Mainly screening the flow of visitors, so that they could devote their time doing absolutely nothing.
Not the first time, surely not the last…
But, as I finally arrived at the gates and took a place on the table were the Konoha visitor were processed, one single presence immediately drew my attention.
Nara Shikako was standing against the wall, arms crossed, with her newly gained Hirai-ate attached to her right arm. Geared like she was leaving for a long trip.
She, somehow, sensed my gaze and turned her eyes toward mine.
I sensed her emotions turning from surprise, to confusion, then wariness…
"Hey, Moon-moon…" I asked my Friend in our Imprint. "Have you been following her emotions when we were in Kumo? And what about Ume's?"
"Nope. She fell out of my range long before we arrived in Kumo and I never bothered reading her again since we came back. Now, she's just felling dread. Why should I have? Also, the rabbit's out." He responded with the mental equivalent of a wolf shrugging. And the fact about how I know how a wolf is supposed to shrug is actually in my top ten of knowledge I'm not proud of having.
But soon enough, I found the reason of her presence outside as Naruto and Sasuke arrived short after. With Naruto arguing with an old bearded man, with glasses. Drinking from a bottle of cheap sake.
…Oshit.
"Hey! Shinji-kun! I was looking for you!" The cheerful voice of Nara-sensei cut off my 'Completely Reasonable Freakout', as I understood exactly WHERE in the timeline we were...
"The old fogies finally accepted to give us a C-rank! That took some sweet-talking from me to finally make them accept it! I will now accept your gratitude and everlasting adoration... What's wrong, Shinji-kun?"
Sensei immediately cut her act short when she noticed my expression, before turning her head toward the form of Team 7, who were leaving south.
"They will be participating too… Well, can't say that I'm surprised… ANYWAY we have places to be, Shinji-kun!" Sensei grabbed my hand, before I could react Sensei washed my worries washed away by her positive intent.
Soon enough we entered a meeting room in the tower, Yama and Kasumi present, before sensei explained us our new mission.
Apparently, a new trend had emerged recently. Some bandits had begun to hire ninjas as muscle.
It wasn't THAT bad on the surface. I mean, that was practically what Konoha and all other villages were doing. Trading protection or firepower for money was our bread and butter.
But this time, there was a catch.
Those bandits hired missing-nin, who are absolutely NOT cheap… Which suggested a rich backer who wished to stay anonymous.
Even worse. The same group of bandits were spotted multiple time. But the missing-nin acting as their protection was always different...
That was what triggered our mission, according to sensei. As much as missing-nin were not that rare, usually Villages don't even care when a Genin or even a Chunin defect as long as they don't have any particular secrets, the fact that they always end up in those bandits' group was an anomaly. The tower believed that this backer, whoever he was, was doing a recruitment drive.
So, that was our mission. Those bandits apparently grew bold and stole a ceremonial sword from a rich family of the Fire Country. A sword that was gifted to them by the Daimyo, no less. 'Observe and evaluate from a distance the relation between the bandits and their missing-nin'. Sensei's job was to infiltrate the camp to try to find the backer behind them and retrieve the sword.
That was it. No confrontation. No ambush. Worst case scenario, identify the threat of their current missing-nin and report back. You don't send a team of Genins to clear a bandit camp after all. Absolutely no fighting. Nope. Honest.
So… Three guesses how it turned out?
"WHEN A FIGHT IS JUST PLAIN WRONG!
WE ALL SING THE CURB-STOMP SONG!
BANDITS FLYING LEFT AND RIGHT!
IT'S A SLAUGHTER! NOT A FIGHT!"
Oh, you guessed it.
"WILL SOMEONE SHUT DOWN THAT ASSHOLE!?" A random bandit screamed at me, before I punched him into Neverland.
"PFFFT! GOOD ONE SHINJI-KUN! LOWER THEIR MORALE! AND 10 POINTS FOR YOU!" Sensei laughed as she was fighting with the missing-nin away from us. The guy turned out to be a Chunin from Ame. So, when I said that sensei was 'fighting' him… 'Toying with' was probably a more accurate term…
"IN A FIGHT THEY JUST CAN'T WIN!
NOW THEIR HOPE IS JUST THAT THIN!
WHAT THEY HOPED THEIR FATE WOULD BE!?
BANDITS AGAINST SHINOBIS?!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Sensei continued to laugh as she effortlessly dodged another attack from the poor missing-nin who was, for all intent and purpose, really trying his best.
"HEY! YAMA-KUN! YOU NEED TO STEP UP YOUR GAME! OR KASUMI-CHAN WILL HAVE TO INVITE SHINJI-KUN TO DINNER!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The aforementioned Nekomata was not pleased but all of her rage and rampage couldn't score points fast enough.
"I KNOW SENSEI! I KNOW! I JUST… PFWAHAHAHA!" Yama wasn't faring much better as he was rolling on the ground while holding his sides. And the bandits around him had long since learned enough to stay away from him.
"WILL YOU CHANGE YOUR TUNE ALREADY!?" Another clueless bandit launched itself at me. My-Fist-In-Your-Face-No-Jutsu welcomed him, before a though hit me.
"That's… Actually, a good idea… Sorry, I overreacted. No hard feelings?" I said as the aforementioned bandit hit the ground. Giving me 10 more points.
I immediately redirected my gaze against one of the miraculously still unarmed bandits. Who froze in horror. Clever Guy.
"Humidity's rising…" I suddenly said in a grim voice. As I walked toward my new prey.
"Barometer's getting low…" I continued with a more singing voice.
"According to all sources… The street's the place to go…"
The poor bastard tried to escape. I immediately used an Inuzuka dash to the bandit and lifted him out of the ground by grabbing his throat.
"Cause tonight, for the first time… Just about half past ten…"
"It's actually three thirty in the afternoon, Friend…"
Ignoring my Friend, I immediately dashed against another bandit and grabbed his throat with my other hand.
"For the first time! In HISTORY!" At that point I started to spin, turning myself, and the two bandits I was holding, into a spinning top.
"IT'S GONNA START RAINING MEEEEEN!"
"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…."
I finally used the momentum I build to send the two bandits up in the air, before spreading my arms like I was praying to the sun.
"IT'S RAINING ASSHOLES! HALLELUJAH!"
"oaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" *Splat* *Splat*
"IT'S RAINING ASSHOLES! HELL YEAH!"
"AHAHAHAAAAAH! ANOTHER 60 POINTS FOR SHINJI-KUN! AAAAND… TIME'S UP! IT'S SHINJI-KUN'S VICTORY!"
"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU ONE DAY!" The… Let's call it 'peeved' voice of my teammate was music to my ears as I laughed my heart out and…
And then I stopped. Life stopped. Everything… Just… Stopped.
All that was left was darkness.
I couldn't move, my arms were held high above me… They were hurting and refused to move… Like they were kept in place by some unseen force… My legs were no better, they felt like useless lump, hanging above the void as I couldn't feel the ground anymore… Nothing made sense apart for the pain…
Then, in the distance, I heard a familiar sound. A door opening.
And I knew Fear.
*tap* *tap* *tap*
I heard footsteps calmly approaching me as my eyes forcefully closed themselves.
"I didn't expect that such a small kunoichi could cause so much trouble but… Trouble often comes in unexpected packages… Tell me, why are you closing your eyes?" A calm and cold voice asked me a simple question.
Fear. Fear and Despair. Fear and Despair and Hopelessness...
I was lost in darkness. I couldn't see anything. My eyelids were closed and refused to open.
"Are you afraid?" The voice asked again, as the footstep I heard were coming closer and closer.
Fear… The kind of Fear that makes you kill yourself. Just to stop being afraid…
I desperately activated my hybrid mode, hoping that something, anything, could give me the courage to face the very FEAR that was slowly walking toward me…
Then a felt a pair of fingers on my eyelids, as a sense of PAIN suddenly overwhelmed me.
"How fooli...SHINJI WATCH OUT!"
A voice suddenly called me back from my daze and my eyes snapped open, only to see that the leader of the bandits, ceremonial katana in hand, was attacking me.
As I was trying to make sense of whatever the fuck happened to me, my training took control and I simply punched him in the face.
But my training overlooked one small, insignificant detail.
I was in my hybrid mode.
The bandit leader's head was ripped clean out of his shoulders and flew away.
"SHINJI! NO!" I heard Kyougi screaming in horror.
As he was attacking me, the leader's headless body fell on top of mine and I grabbed it by reflex.
His heart gave his final throes as a gush of blood erupted from his throat and splashed on my face.
And… I thankfully passed the fuck out due to the shock.
"…I'm cold…"
I woke up looking at an unfamiliar roof. Lying in a comfortable bed.
My first reflex was to examine everything around me. Normal furniture, one desk, Sensei, two chairs, one door, two windows…
Then the memories swarmed me. One body, zero head… One killer.
"Are you alright, Shinji-kun?"
"SENSEI?" I immediately straighten myself upright on the bed. I didn't even feel her here! What the fuck?
"Are you alright, Shinji-kun?"
"Where are we Sensei? Are the other safe!?"
Sensei was indeed in my room, with a bottle of sake in her hand.
"They are safe. I killed the missing-nin and knocked out the rest. We are in an inn in a village close to where we fought. Are you alright, Shinji-kun?"
"How… How long have I been out of it?" I asked in a fearful voice. Please tell me I hadn't been in a four-year coma again…
"Half a day. Are you alright, Shinji-kun?"
"Yeah! I…"
My voice became subdued as the memories from before became clearer and clearer.
"I… I mean I…."
The hateful face of the bandit leader became clearer.
"I…"
As I removed it from his body…
"It's called 'First Blood'. The first time a Shinobi takes another's life."
Sensei took a long sip of her drink before taking a chair and sat closer to my bed. "People usually think that the Chunin-exam is what separate children from Shinobis… But it's far from the truth, as you have noticed in Kumo. Shinji-kun, please answer me, are you alright…?"
'I am' was my original answer. But…
"I am… I think… It's just that…"
Lying in my bed, I mimicked the right hook that took his life.
"I thought it would be harder to…" I cut myself short and let my arm fall flat on the bed.
I wasn't really Christian material back home, 'Thou Shall Not Kill Unless We Tell You It's Okay, They Don't Count' and all the wishful thinking... The hypocrisy of my old world took that from me at a young age. But I still think that killing is wrong… And I knew that it would make me a bad Shinobi. But now… I…
"I feel fine but… I'm not sure if I'm really fine… Or that I like the fact that I'm feeling fine, should I feel fine Sensei…? I… I don't know…"
Sensei kept looking at me. I noticed that she was biting her lower lips as her gaze was trying to pierce my brain.
I guess she didn't like my answer. Figures.
" Then why did you froze?" Sensei spoke after a few moments as her eyes never left mine. "Why did you freeze in the middle of a fight?"
"That… That was my fault, Nara-sensei…" Moon-moon answered before I could even think of an excuse. "Friend asked me to stay away from the fight because he wanted to win… So, I got bored and…"
My Friend then walked close to my bed and nudged his head under one of my hands. I caressed him out of reflex as he turned his eyes back on our sensei.
"I've always been able to feel the emotions of people around me. No idea how I do it. But this time..." He continued, before closing his eyes as I was gently petting his head.
"I felt an intense fear. From somewhere… A fear I've never felt before… Terror… I felt so alone… I was so scared… I reached to my Friend for comfort and…"
"I felt it too." I continued, stroking the fur of my Friend anchored me enough to give me the strength to remember that memory. "It was… I don't know how to explain… I felt like I was facing my own death. Like that time when I faced the Kyuubi. I was going to die, and no, I don't have a say in it… But then you called me back, I heard your voice and finally snapped back… And acted out of reflex…"
Sensei raised an eyebrow, before getting up from her chair.
"Alright, I might have put too much enthusiasm on my work and scared you both. Anyway, we'll be leaving for Konoha in four hours. Rest and meet us downstairs, Shinji-kun." She then walked to the door.
"Sensei!" I suddenly called out. "Thank you for the wake-up call, it probably saved my life…"
Kyougi Nara put her right hand on the handle of the door, before turning her head to face me with a weird smile.
"The moment I noticed that you weren't reacting to the bandit attacking you, I immobilised him with my clan jutsu. You were never in danger. That's my job as a Jonin sensei. I just didn't think that you would kill him on the spot as soon as you regained your senses."
Sensei opened the door and stepped out of the room.
But before she closed it, our eyes met once again.
"But I never 'called you back'. In fact, no one called for you. I wonder what happened…" Sensei closed the door, leaving Moon-moon and I extremely confused…
I DID hear someone, right…?
The trip back to Konoha was eventless.
Mainly because Yama couldn't muster the courage to speak to me. It was obvious that he was worried about me, but as we were running at Shinobi-speed toward the village, he chose to remain silent. And I was completely okay with that.
Kasumi was our rear guard. I could feel her piercing glare watching me, but she never said a word and I was completely okay with that too.
Sensei kept jumping from branch to branch, while humming a melody I didn't know, and soon we arrived at the gates of Konoha, as the sun was close to its zenith.
I noticed that the waiting line for entering the village was even bigger than before. All of them were merchants, hoping to set up a stand and sell their wares to every dignitary that would attend the future Chunin exam.
As Shinobis, we bypassed it.
"Alright, squad, the mission's officially over, you guys have a week of downtime before our next mission! Let's meet next Thursday in training ground number four! Now I need to get shitfaced before my own next mission!" Sensei happily clapped her hands as we finally entered Konoha. Before immediately vanishing from sight.
Yama was the first to leave, but not before he sent a last worried glance at me.
Kasumi simply left.
And I found myself walking toward my home. But as I opened the door, thankfully no ICBM threw itself at me.
"Mom… Can we talk in private…? Please?" I asked as I walk back home and locked eyes with my mother, who was reading the usual confidential scrolls on the table.
Mom thankfully asked no question and stood up from our sofa, before walking to her study. On the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Hana was looking at us from the kitchen with worry in her eyes.
Inside her study, mom activated the usual silencing seals before patiently waiting for me to spill the beans.
"Mom… How are you… Supposed to feel… When you have killed someone…" It actually took me a lot of effort to ask this simple question.
"I see, what happened?"
Mom's voice didn't carry any trace of judgement.
"He attacked me… He wanted to kill me… I… I just…" Then I weakly swung my arm, mimicking the punch that sent his head flying.
Mom stayed silent for a few seconds.
"I drew my own First Blood when I was fifteen. My squad was sent to track down a group of Yakuza slavers that were trying to get a foothold in the fire country by creating a prostitution ring." Then mom started to tell me a story of her youth. "Find their hideout and whose family they belonged to in order to make a thorough cleanup. We found them quickly. You can't erase the smell of… Well… That smell, in front of an Inuzuka."
I then noticed that mom hands turned into a fist. And her knuckles were slowly turning white.
"We finally found and infiltrated their hideout, just as the leader was taking a young girl, probably not older that twelve, to his bedroom. At that moment, my Savagery took the better of me and I killed them. I was scolded by my Sensei, of course after we escorted every… Children they were holding hostage back and did a very thorough investigation of their clients, and found no trace nor mention of what family they belonged because I left no survivor. As a Konoha Shinobi, I had failed my mission, but as an Inuzuka?"
Mom… Smiled. And it really… Really… REALLY wasn't a kind smile…
"Kill everyone you must and have no regrets. Protect those you want and have no regrets. This is my interpretation of our Rules. In my eyes, young pup, you did nothing wrong. And anyone that think differently will have to answer to ME." At that point, mom got up from her chair and put her hand above my head and caressed my hairs, in a rare display of motherly care.
"I… I understand mum…" Weirdly, the fact that my mother was practically petting me did wonders to calm me.
I blame Moon-moon.
"It's just that…" I still decided to display a token of resistance. "I don't regret it. I know that the guy became a top dog in an organisation that sold flesh as a commodity by not being nice but… It felt so… I thought it would be harder…?"
"Don't worry, my pup, you're a natural! It will become easier in the future!"
At that moment, I felt that mom wasn't really understanding my problem…
After a good night of rest, mom, sis and I took our breakfast together. Without Kiba, who apparently left the village for a mission while I was away with my team last week.
Mom did a very good job of ignoring the deathly glare of my elder sister as she noticed yesterday that I wasn't okay.
"Shinji, a new mission requesting you arrived while you were away." Mom said as she handed me a mission scroll from the tower.
I opened it, out of sheer curiosity. And froze when I saw that it was a summon from the Torture and Interrogation Department.
Moon-moon and I arrived at building in question, and I was taken by surprise by the fact that two Shinobis where apparently having a blinking contest.
Ibiki Morino, impassive, against Nara-sensei, annoyance radiating from her.
As we got closer, the head of the Torture and Interrogation department noticed us.
"Inuzuka Shinji-kun. I'm glad that you came. Shall we go inside?" The scarred man politely said as he dismissed my Sensei and started to walk inside his department.
"Morino, as much as you and I go way back, you will NOT dismiss me that easily. I know the stakes of him going into your department! As his Jonin-sensei, I will NOT let my student without proper supervision." Sensei suddenly said, steel in her voice.
Ibiki Morino, clad in his cool trench-coat, drew a tired sigh, before waving us to follow him.
Inside, our little procession went straight toward the reception, where the same Genin I saw last time gave us a few papers to fill. Name, date of birth… Nothing truly groundbreaking, before we were all given an identification card that was marked as 'guest'. But before I could grab mine, Sensei snatched it and forcefully pushed it on my forehead.
"Don't lose it, Shinji-kun." She said before placing the card on my hand. "If you lose it, even your mother can't bring you out of here. And you're going to have a BAD time. Do you understand?"
So, I fearfully followed everyone inside the labyrinth that was the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department, until Ibiki opened a door and brought us inside a… room.
Yeah, a desk, five chair, four walls. Nothing else. Yup. That's a room.
Somehow anticlimactic if you asked me.
"Inuzuka Shinji." Ibiki began to speak, without preamble as his eyes met mine. "From the report of your sensei in the last Chunin Exam, you have what we need in the Torture and Interrogation department. Would you like to join us?"
"…No?" I immediately answered. And regretted it immediately as the head torturer of Konoha smiled at me. And it was not a kind smile.
"Care to explain the reasoning for such a quick refusal?" Ibiki simply said in an uncaring tone.
"It's just… I…." I was blindsided.
"I… Killed someone yesterday and I… Don't like it…?" I tried to explain my though process. "I… As a Konoha Shinobi, I kinda want to bring good things to this world… So, the 'Torture' thingy..."
The room went silent for a moment. Then Sensei smiled and put her hand in front of Morino Ibiki, just like she was expecting something from him.
"Alright, pay up."
Ibiki slapped a bunch of notes in Sensei hand before his attention returned to me.
"Good answer, Shinji-kun." Morino Ibiki quickly regain control of the conversation as his eyes locked on me. "You see, we have no use for your 'Torture' skills, none at all." The Jonin stood up from his chair before walking around the table.
"What we need from you is something more… Delicate. According to your Sensei you have a very useful ability in our field of work."
I immediately threw a deathly glare at my Sensei, because I immediately understood that she had put Moon-moon ability to read emotions on her report.
Unfortunately, Nara Kyougi was too busy sniffing the roll of money that the head of the Torture and Intelligence division gave her to care about something as trivial as me.
"According to her report, your ability to appear harmless and make people lower their guard around you makes you eligible to a special position in my department. One extremely dangerous and unrewarding. But one vital to the survival of the village, Shinji-kun." Ibiki continued as he continued to pierce my brain with his gaze. "And one we do not grant easily. A position in our Counter-Intelligence department."
…What? Not the 'emotion feeling' thing?
"Counter-Intelligence." Ibiki ignored my confusion and continuing his walk around the room. "The ability to spot a spy in our rank and manipulate him. Approaching him while looking harmless, making yourself looks like a useful idiot so that he thinks he can use you to get insider information and feed him falsehoods. All the while gathering everything worthy without being suspected."
...Nani the fuck?
"And now, Konoha has a mission for you." Ibiki cast a dark glare at me, before finishing his turn and sitting back at his chair. "Please, bring the prisoner in."
Immediately, the door opened and three people entered.
Two Konoha Chunin, I mean, I believe they were Chunin, accompanying… Oh fuck...
Arashi-Kishi-Senshu-Kansen-whatthefuckisthappening casually took a seat at my right as the two Konoha Shinobis escorted him closely. I felt that sensei, who was sitting on my left, tensed up.
"Since your team brought him back to Konoha, Arashi Senshu has been cooperative." Ibiki continued, as the Jonin from Kiri made himself comfortable.
"As such, the Interrogation department have decided to put him on probation. That means he'll be given limited freedom in our village. He will be allowed to live as a normal civilian in our walls, as long as his probational official is keeping a close eye on him. Which will be you, Shinji-kun."
Excuse me but the fuck and maybe the something but still the FUCKING EVER-LOVING WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!
"Morino-kun. Excuse me, but why him?" Sensei asked in a cold voice, her cold eyes turned from the Konoha-Jonin to the Kiri-Jonin that was keeping his poker face.
"This doesn't concern you, Nara." Ibiki answered with the warmth of an iceberg as Sensei glared bloody murder on him, before turning his gaze toward Arashi. "Your probation will begin in one week, is it good enough for you?"
The blond Shinobi impassively nodded his head and stood up. Then the two ninjas escorting him brought him back outside. And before the door closed, I send a glare at him filled with 'ohmygodwhatthefuckisgoingOOOOOOONNNNN!'. He ignored it.
And we were left to three.
Kyougi-sensei was glaring genocide at the director of the Torture and Interrogation Department.
Morino Ibiki looking no worse for the wear against her, his hands in his pockets, and the killing intent I felt told me that he was seconds for attacking my Sensei for insubordination...
And me, in the middle. Too close for comfort… And then…
"Hey, Shinji-kun, it's okay, it's okay! He can't hear us anymore! You did great!"
Somehow, the amused voice of Sensei calmed me down as she was suddenly patting my head, as Morino Ibiki slumped back in his chair and drew a long-suffering sigh.
…What?
"But still, Ibikun, using the old 'you don't-need-to-know' (and Sensei said it while doing a perfect imitation of Ibiki stern faced expression) on me when we were against a Jonin that managed to hide his bloodlimit in Kiri? That was one hell of a gamble, do you realise how cliché you sounded back then?"
"As much as it pains me to admit it, Kyuchan, there's a reason why we keep those old tricks around…"
"Yeah… And to be frank, Scarface, I'm pretty sure it worked. The kid sure did an impression on him, after all."
"Hmmmm…. Hi? Can anybody explain what in the freaking' hell is going on?" I timidly managed.
"Arashi Senshu has been cooperative with us since we have started to question him. A little too much, if I have to be honest." Morino Ibiki spoke as his gaze was back on mine.
"Usually, this only means two things. He's a spy that is trying to gather good will for his mission, or someone that is a prime candidate for integration in our village. The usual procedure is to put that person under observation by someone they wish to trust, or fool, for however long is necessary."
"And since he's a blood-limit user who managed to survive in a country that punish people like him with death for the crime of simply being born… Well, do I need to elaborate?" Sensei finished his sentence with a smile.
"But why me? I… And how! I don't know a THING about counterwhatever?" I confusedly sputtered.
"As for the 'Why', Arashi Senshu asked for you to be his probation officer. You apparently left an impression on him in the short time you were together." Ibiki spoke levelly.
"And since what happened in our last mission… Shinji-kun, you are relived of your duty for a week. Standard procedure after a First Blood, so that you can center yourself. Meanwhile, Team Four will focus on training for the coming Chunin exam." Sensei casually said as she was lazily resting on her chair.
"And for the 'How', during that week, the Torture and Interrogation department will be training you." Ibiki continued.
"We know that you have no experience in our field of work. So, during this week, our best counter-intelligence officer will be teaching you…"
"AND THAT'S MY CUE!"
The tense atmosphere was suddenly shattered when the door to our room was (forcefully) opened by a young woman.
A violet haired woman with a spiky haircut. Wearing only a fishnet as a corset and a brown jacket.
"Huh?" Said woman stopped whatever grand-entrance she had in mind when her eyes finally noticed me.
"Morino-kun. Is the really the genius brat that I, the great Mitarashi Anko, have to train? Are you shitting me?" The Jonin irritably asked.
Oh, fuck no… No… Just PLEASE NO!