| [Jan. 23rd, 2011|09:52 pm] |
'Expedience' wasn't the watchword in the Third Hokage's office chambers. Currently, it was 'shouting'.
"This isn't an organization, it's a parade of fucking madness!" Asuma yelled, waving the third dossier he'd snatched from his father's desk. "Look at this! Capture, torture, dead teammates, more torture, bloody rapists running around attacking people in the showers--"
"You are blowing things out of proportion," Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly. "Again."
Asuma yanked a second folder from under his arm, flipped to a page at random, and read, "August 19th, Agent Sakamoto found it necessary to remove the eyelids of Tochigi Ayaka in order to facilitate her husband's cooperation..."
The hokage tapped his lips and regarded the ceiling. "Ah, yes. I remember that. Her husband had planted a bomb in a civilian school--"
"Eyelids, dad! Ginta cut some lady's eyelids off because you don't have the funding spare for a team of negotiators!"
"We have many diplomatic envoys on stand-by." There was a certain quality of weariness to the Hokage's voice.
"January 2nd," Asuma read, returning to first dossier. "Agent Hatake suffered severe blood loss during the retrieval of Agent Fukai, who abandoned Konoha after learning of his eldest son's death in the field. Agent Hatake was required to remove Agent Fukai's right arm--"
"Please, stop."
Asuma tossed the dossier back onto the desk. "'Agent Hatake' was seventeen, Dad. Ginta was nineteen when he was slicing that lady's face apart. You have kids doing your dirty work, and now you want me to go out there and drag these poor bastards home because their friend vanished? Even your own analysts think Kakashi and Ryouma were a couple -- what's wrong with letting the guy look for his boyfriend?"
The Hokage slammed both hands down on his desk. "Because they are putting Konoha at risk!"
"They're trained agents!" Asuma shot back. "Since before puberty, apparently."
The Hokage's eyes narrowed, creased with lines at the corners. He looked tired -- but he always looked tired, and Asuma wasn't planning to care about it today. After six months in ANBU's sweatbox, Asuma mostly wanted to know what drugs his father was on.
"Will you do your duty as an on-call agent and run this mission?" the Hokage asked, voice scraping soft. "Or will I have to turn it over to someone less sympathetic?"
"Oh, you bastard," Asuma said, just as softly. "You know Ginta's my buddy. Twisty as a broken corkscrew, but still a good guy. I'm not letting you send some-- shower rapist out on his trail."
There was the faintest suggestion of a wince in the shadows of the old man's face.
"Go meet your mission partner," the Hokage instructed. "We'll discuss the rest of this when you return."
"You're damn right we will. I'll try my best not to slice off any eyelids in the meantime." Asuma turned on his heel, ANBU-issue sword thumping between his shoulderblades, and stomped out of the room. The guards gave him the strapped-down looks that passed for the ninja version of startled, but saluted as he went past.
"Oh, don't even," Asuma snarled at them, going for a cigarette as he headed for the stairs. |
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