| [Mar. 26th, 2015|04:48 am] |
Shibata looked approving. “She’s been a valuable asset. When you see your lieutenant, please pass along my gratitude.”
“Yes, sir.” There must be another set of rooms in T&I, where concrete floors and shiny steel instruments replaced the squashy chairs, unless Shibata used the same conversational gambit on every target he faced. Somehow, Raidou doubted it.
He wondered how many pieces Fukuda had left.
She’d nearly taken Kakashi’s head off. Ryouma loathed her. Katsuko had ignored her with the deliberate care of someone who’d stab if provoked. Genma had saved her life, if not her arm, and fought to keep her breathing for Konoha’s sake.
She was the captain of a dead team and a monster, and Raidou still felt the faintest flick of sympathy for her.
“Will she be sent home?” he asked carefully.
“That depends on a number of factors.” Shibata looked at his empty teacup, then reached over and selected a mint from the bowl, popping it into his mouth. He must get dry-mouth, Raidou realized suddenly: that was why there were mints everywhere. Shibata continued, “Diplomatic relations being what they are, I believe we’re waiting to hear how much Kirigakure actually values her life.”
Kirigakure weren’t known for valuing anything, except a fast, brutal kill. A crippled shinobi was worse than useless to them; she was a liability.
“If they don’t?” Raidou said.
Shibata gave him a long, inscrutable look. “Yondaime-sama will make a determination.”
Sometimes shinobi from enemy villages traded up for Konoha. It was rare, but it did happen, especially if they brought useful secrets with them. ANBU’s own quartermaster had escaped Lightning; Morita Rei was one of the few who’d managed to gain acceptance and respect in Konoha. Raidou had never heard of anyone defecting from Mist.
Ryouma will be pleased, he thought. He wanted her dead from the start.
There was another reason to make it back to the team: so Raidou could tell him. And deal with the fallout afterwards, since Ryouma seemed like the type to hold a hot, hard grudge and kick himself later, when bodies were cold and dead.
He raised his head and looked at Shibata. “Do you need anything else, sir?”
“You haven’t asked me how your team is doing. Is that because you don’t want to know, or because you’re afraid to ask and have me refuse to answer?”
Raidou drew a sharp breath. Just when he thought Shibata might be halfway decent, he was reminded that the man was built out of ulterior motives, and all of them were hinged for Konoha’s benefit, not Raidou’s.
“If you have information about my team, I want it,” he said roughly.
Shibata didn’t hesitate; he didn’t even have to check his notes. “All of your subordinates have been cooperative with their debriefers, although some more than others.” No surprise there. “Tousaki is in good health and working with Shiranui on mission paperwork. Ueno is on medically restricted duty for two weeks, but is expected to recover uneventfully. Shiranui and Hatake are still hospitalized.” Now Shibata consulted his notes, picking up a folder and flicking a few pages. “Shiranui is scheduled for a procedure this morning, and Hatake is still in the chakra injuries ward.” He pinned Raidou with a look. “And every single one of them made it a point, during their debriefings, to mention that they felt your suspension was everything from ‘an unnecessary procedural call’ to ‘a bunch of bullshit.”
“Oh,” Raidou said, quiet. |
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