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———
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Takuma popped the cork off a chilled champagne bottle in Yamanaka Inenpachi's office and poured the bubbly into several flute glasses that went to the iryō-nin, his clinic staffers, and some other people, all in a joyous mood, filling themselves on the vast amount of food Takuma had ordered.
He picked up his glass of seltzer and clinked glasses with the others.
"Congratulations on a successful publication," Takuma said, raising his glass to Inenpachi, who had finally published his paper on his shadow clone research in a prestigious academic journal. The project that they had worked on for so long was finally revealed to the public.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Inenpachi said.
"I don't know about that." Takuma smiled. "So, how was it? The conference, I mean."
Inenpachi had presented his paper and research to his peers at an academic conference.
"The reactions were positive. It garnered some interest. The research on clones has been mainly focused on elemental clones because they're much more accessible than the Shadow Clone technique, so people had some questions. Most were interested in the spiritual energy, the transferring of it. There might be some other applications for it. It got my name out there."
According to him, conferences were 30% academic discussions and 70% networking.
Takuma felt an arm around his shoulder and found Yamanaka Amami with a glass of bubbly in her hand. She was his batchmate and former teammate, and the one who recommended Inenpachi to him.
"I sent you to him to fix your sleep schedule. How did it end up with a research paper publication?" she said.
Takuma shrugged. "I fixed my sleep schedule, but we also did something a little bit extra, too."
"I guess I should also thank you. This wouldn't have even started if you didn't send him my way," Inenpachi said.
"Shadow Clones, huh? I wasn't even surprised," Amami said. Both of them had talked to her separately, so she knew what they had been working on. She turned to her older cousin and asked, "So, any bites for funding or grants?"
Even though Inenpachi had just presented his research, the paper had been circulating among relevant circles for nearly a month and had been in the peer review process for even longer. That was enough time for someone to contact them if they were interested in further funding the research.
Inenpachi shook his head.
"What about your clan?" Takuma asked.
Aside from the state, the shinobi clans were the major sources of funding for research. Seeing that people were interested in transferring memory via spiritual energy, that would seem like a prime area of interest for the Yamanaka clan, with their Mind-Body Manipulation hijutsu. And it was only natural that Inenpachi would give his clan the first bite at supporting the research.
"...I feel it'll probably go that way." Inenpachi sighed. There was nothing wrong with getting funding from the Yamanaka clan, but with low interest and no competing offers, he might not get as much support as he would like.
The Shadow Clone technique was a niche ninjutsu. It was a B-rank ninjutsu, which already put it out of reach for 99% of shinobi, and given its harsh chakra requirements, those with access almost never took it as their first jutsu. For many chūnin, most only had one or two B-rank ninjutsu, and thus, shadow clones weren't an option for the vast majority.
"Perhaps it's because of how the research is phrased. You're the only one who's using the clones this way," Inenpachi said.
Takuma nodded. If someone asked about his usage of shadow clones, as much as he would like to defend himself, he wouldn't recommend anyone copy him. He wouldn't use it if he didn't absolutely need it, and that, in itself, was an extreme edge case. In truth, he wanted Inenpachi to gain access to a grant or other funds because it would give him a material incentive to continue a particularly niche line of research.
Inenpachi ran a busy clinic, had a wife and kids, which put their research—a secondary work project—low on his priorities.
After a while, Takuma left the celebration, with Amami tagging along.
"How's it going? Have you guys settled down yet?" he asked. It had been months since the Ironwood Protection Company had to be shuttered because ROOT had managed to compromise the Inquisitor Unit through him.
The standard procedure for these circumstances was to dismantle the unit and reassign operatives and staff, but given that Tachanid's Inquisitor Unit was among the best in ANBU, it was decided that they would be kept together. However, changes had to be made, and the unit had been working to get familiar with its new reality.
"Better than ever. We don't miss you one bit," Amami said, sticking out her tongue.
Takuma smiled. A part of him missed the Campbell Squad. He liked the authority that came with leading his own team because it allowed him to charge toward his objectives, but the responsibility of leading people and being the person they looked to for direction sat heavily on his shoulders.
It felt so much different to the Narcotics Taskforce, due to the difference in scale, even though his responsibilities were more or less the same. It was the difference between walking on a tight beam a couple of feet over the ground and balancing on the same beam over a canyon.
"The work is different, but just as annoying, so I guess it's going well."
There was a saying that, in ANBU, work was either boring as hell or so stressful it ruined a person's health; there was no in between.
"What about you? How's it going being a hotshot?" she asked, bumping him in the shoulder.
"It's more trouble than it's worth."
"Oh, stop. I know you. You wouldn't have left if you weren't getting anything less than what you're satisfied with."
"How do you know that I got what I wanted?"
"It's either that or you're actively trying to get more."
She wasn't wrong. He was trying to get the anti-ROOT initiative under his thumb, which was going well. Boobook and Mor were doing great work.
"Weasel is no Barbary, but he's a good one. I've been lucky with my supervisors. I probably wouldn't have looked into the research with Inenpachi if I had bad supervisors."
Itachi left him and his team mostly alone as they went about their work. While Takuma wasn't completely happy that the final say on whether they were going to strike the iron shipment was out of his reach, it was only natural that it was up to the higher-ups, and Itachi, without whom none of this would exist, deserved to make that decision.
"Because they would've made you use clones?" Amami asked. "Would it have been any different?"
"There's a difference between doing it willingly and being forced to do it," Takuma scoffed.
"Are you doing it willingly?"
Her question, the tone, and the look on her face took him aback.
"What?" he asked.
"Chasing a goal and working hard for it is one thing, but what you do… I just can't wrap my head around it. I've seen what obsession is like, and I don't think that is it. Sometimes I feel like whatever you're being motivated by—if we can call it that—isn't probably normal."
"You're right."
"I am?"
"You said it. Why do you sound so surprised?"
She shrugged. "Wasn't expecting you to admit it so freely. So what is it?"
"Maybe I'll tell you some other day."
"… I knew it. It's that you're a little freak, isn't it?"
"Yup, an absolute pervert," he said, laughing.
———
.
The next day, Takuma was in his office, poring over his third report of the day, when he heard a knock and looked up to see Gojiro at the door.
"Yes, Gojiro?" he asked, returning his eyes to the report.
"The general administration has requested a meeting with you at your earliest convenience."
"Is it urgent?"
"They haven't conveyed that."
"My earliest convenience? Ask them to check in with me next month."
With the possible field operation around the iron shipment to ROOT, he was swamped with wrapping up the currently open anti-ROOT initiative cases and making sure nothing imploded, even with Boobook and Mor's help. It was a hectic endeavour.
He did not have the time to meet up with the general administration.
"I will convey the message," Gojiro replied. The head of staff especially knew how swamped with work they were.
But as he turned to leave, Takuma asked, "What do they want? If it's about getting people on the upcoming mission, tell them not to bother."
Takuma had allowed potential prospects to come on to some of his missions, but if they wanted to put people on the iron shipment operations, they could go screw themselves.
"They want to consult you about Yamanaka Inenpachi."
Takuma leaned back in his chair. "What else does it say?"
"Nothing else on the topic."
If they were serious, they would've demanded a meeting. It would've also looped in his captain, but seeing that they were only requesting a meeting meant he wasn't in trouble.
"Schedule it. I'll meet with them."
———
.
Two days later, Takuma entered a conference room to find three people waiting for him.
"Lacewing. It's been a while," he said, recognising one of them. Lacewing was the iryō-nin who had helped apply the death seal on him before his first field operation.
"How have you been, Ratel?"
"Busy," he replied while sitting down. The two other people seemed to be ANBU staff.
Lacewing chuckled. "Yes, I can see that."
"Oh, how so?"
"I know a couple of people on the anti-ROOT initiative. All of them look more haggard than usual."
"Ah, makes sense." Takuma nodded. "May I know what this is about? Yamanaka Inenpachi?"
"You know him, correct?"
"I do, yes."
"This is about his research on the Shadow Clone technique. If we're not mistaken, you are involved in it?"
"I am."
He told them about his connection to Inenpachi and how they had been working on the Shadow Clone technique, but deliberately left out the initial reason he had gone to Inenpachi, which was due to sleep issues or what they had found in his mind. Anything, even offhand, might end up on his record, and he would rather not have those details on there.
"I wasn't aware that ANBU kept track of academic research."
"Actually, we do. Research on chakra and jutsu is important for national security. We have grants to support any research we find worth furthering. We came across Yamanaka Inenpachi's research and noticed your name while looking into it. What can you tell us about your involvement?"
Takuma told them he was the main subject of the research due to his access to the Shadow Clone technique and how he was the one to approach Inenpachi with the potential subject of research, which answered the question of why Inenpachi would pick up a niche subject to research when his previous topic of studies weren't in that particular domain.
"Are you planning to fund him?" he asked.
"We aren't sure about it yet. What's your opinion on it?"
"The main subject of the research might not be of interest to many, but the Yamanaka clan is interested in the memory transference over the spiritual energy aspect of the research. They're planning to fund it."
"They are? Are you sure?" Lacewing asked, intrigued.
"I heard it from Yamanaka Inenpachi himself," Takuma said. "I think it's worth funding. We've discussed the future scope of the research, and I think it could be developed into an interrogation tool. I think it'd be a valuable asset, and I think the Yamanaka clan sees it that way as well. It'd be greatly valuable for the work they're already doing in the Intelligence Department."
Even though Takuma didn't say it, the change in Lacewing's expression told him that the iryō-nin understood what he was trying to say. The Yamanaka clan already had a chokehold on the Hidden Leaf's Intelligence Department through their hijutsu, and they were very motivated to keep that control; improving their hijutsu would be one way to accomplish it.
If the Yamanaka clan funded the research, they would monopolise any further findings. One of ANBU's jobs was to keep clans in check. And one way to do that was to fund the research, so the clans couldn't hoard the fruits.
"In my opinion, as an ANBU-nin, it'd be in the village's interest to support this research."
A week later, Takuma received the news that the Yamanaka clan and ANBU were jointly going to fund Inenpachi's research. If the Yamanaka ever incorporated the research into their hijutsu, ANBU would have some room to come up with an answer if the need arose.
.
———
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