The following morning, I woke up after a few hours of troubled sleep. Groggy, I was surprised to find a kid curled up by my side.
When I poked him, Shikamaru groaned and blinked an eye open. "Mom said to wake you up for breakfast," he mumbled.
I chuckled and brushed his long hair away from his face. "Is that so? And when did she say that?"
"Dunno. It was a drag to wake you so I just lied down there."
I grabbed my haori to pull it on over my pajamas, and kneeled to lift him in my arms. "Aww, my own teddy bear!"
"I am not," he protested but didn't try to get out of my hold to walk by himself.
"Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san, I'm keeping your son," I announced when I stepped into the dining room. "I think he'll make a good teddy bear."
The couple looked up with amused smiles when their son groaned.
"Mom, your friend is even weirder than dad's."
"Aww, I'm being compared to Inoichi-san and Chouza-san. What an honor!" I sat down at the kotatsu and pulled Shikamaru on my lap.
He didn't try to escape but insisted: "It wasn't a compliment."
"Sure thing, Shikamaru-kun. Did you sleep well?"
"It was fine. Mom and dad's bed is comfy."
I hummed but didn't comment on that detail.
"You?" he asked when his mother raised an eyebrow to remind him about that silly thing called politeness.
"It was okay. No snakes. Which is good."
"Why would there be snakes in your bed?"
"Well, some of them were mean to me yesterday, you see."
"Is that why you slept there?"
"Yep, deer are good at stomping on snakes."
"Deer are smart," he replied very seriously.
I chuckled and rested my chin on top of his head.
Breakfast was peaceful and exactly what I needed after yesterday.
Yoshino went with Shikamaru to the bathroom as soon as he finished eating, leaving me alone with Shikaku. The Nara clan's head pushed a small box toward me. I opened it to discover dried leaves.
"Herbal tea," he explained, "for sleep. Grown by the Yamanaka, prepared by the Nara."
I smiled softly at the gift. "Thank you." I was going to make good use of it in the coming days, no doubt.
oOo
When I took my leave after Shikaku had gone to work, Yoshino hugged me on the doorstep.
"Thank you for everything. You'll always be welcome here."
"Take care of yourself, Yoshino-san," I replied with a pat on her shoulder.
I went to my aunt and cousin's house before going back to my apartment. Izumo opened the door.
"Hey. I was wondering if you could accompany me home. You know, in case there are any snakes left," I said with humor.
Not fooled for a second, Izumo immediately agreed. He was carrying a bag as we walked.
I glanced at it curiously.
"You don't think we were going to forget your birthday just because yesterday was awful, right? On the contrary, we have to compensate!"
"Aww!"
He let me glance inside the bag.
"Aunt Izuna's food!" I clapped my hands. "Are these maki? Uh? Are they? are they?!"
"Yes. And yes, there are shrimp ones and salmon ones."
"Yes!" I walked up the stairs with more enthusiasm than I had before knowing what to expect for lunch. I was still sore from the genjutsu aftermath, and I moved slowly. Izumo was kind enough not to comment on it.
"Well, you look lively." Genma was waiting in front of my door with an ANBU by his side.
I slowed down before getting a grip on myself and sauntering forward. "Shrimp and salmon maki from Izuna-oba-san!"
"It's her favorite food, apart from desserts," Izumo explained helpfully.
I turned to face the ANBU. He had a dog mask and a white cloak with a hood covering his hair. "May I help you?"
He pulled a mask from his cloak. "Is that what the individual who attacked you was wearing?"
I flinched. "Yes."
The mask disappeared right away. "That's all I needed to know. Thank you." He bowed his head and left.
Genma put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently as I pulled myself together. I cleared my throat and opened the front door.
"So," Izumo started to distract me, "do you want your gift now or after lunch?"
"Good question," Genma said, removing a package from one of his pockets. "I can't stay for lunch, sorry."
"That's fine. Gimme!" I ordered with grabby hands.
I busied myself with unwrapping my presents while Izumo whispered to Genma: "When she acts like that, it's to distract herself. You should go along with it or she's going to cry."
"Izumo-kun, you need to work on your discretion," I pointed out distractedly before unfolding the fan he offered me. "Oooh, it's so pretty!" A forest of bamboo was hand-painted on a white and silver background of clouds. The details were exquisite.
"I wanted to buy you one of the tessen they are so famous for, but we were banned from the weaponsmith district," Izumo explained.
"It's perfect!" I fanned myself and admired the shift of colors. "I love it. Tessen are less pretty anyway." Mine were plain black and silver. No need for anything fancy when it would end up covered in blood.
I pulled Izumo into a hug and kissed his cheek before unwrapping Genma's gift.
"Before you protest it's too much, I just want to point out that this comes from Rin, Minato-sama, and me. I asked her help, we noticed this in a shop, and he popped up behind us when we were discussing the price so…" Genma scratched his jaw sheepishly. "We ended up buying it together."
Now really curious, I pulled out the expensive gift.
Stud earrings. Long ones shaped like leaves, that followed the bottom of the earlobe and wouldn't be a risk during a fight. They didn't seem outlandish at first, but they were shining like emeralds and gold.
I looked up at Genma, doing my best impression of a fish.
"Do you like them?"
"Of course! They're gorgeous! But—"
"Good. That's all I wanted to know. See ya!" And he disappeared in a shunshin, leaving me sputtering.
"He knows you well," Izumo pointed out, amused.
Damn it.
oOo
It took a while to convince Izumo to leave, but as a soon-to-be-promoted chunin, he had other things to do. Once alone, I looked around at what had once been a safe place, my little haven. It wasn't the case anymore. It felt hostile and foreign.
At first glance, nothing had changed, even in my bedroom. The dresser, the window, and the wooden floor were intact, proof that most of the attack had been a genjutsu. My books and papers seemed untouched. Everything seemed in its place.
I closed the shutters before doing a more thorough inspection, lit by a torch. It wasn't paranoia when they already tried to get you.
I removed every memo from their hiding place and spread them over the ground, counting them twice just to be sure. They were all there. I sighed in relief but soon realized that they could have copied them and put them back where they found them.
I groaned in desperation. There was no comfort to be found in 'what if' and worst-case scenarios. I had become complacent, and my secrets might be compromised. It was better to operate under the assumption that they were.
Nervously tapping on my knees, I stared at the notes, looking for a solution, an idea. Unfortunately, the only thing currently in my mind was anxiety slowly swelling into a panic attack. Filled with a desperation I hadn't felt in years, I gathered the papers and sealed them into the most secure scroll I had — a gift from Hokage-sama, to protect any classified documents that I had to move outside of the office. I hid the scroll in my cleavage and pulled on the most concealing shirt and sweater I had. I grabbed my coat and rushed out of the door.
I felt jittery, ready to burst into tears at the slightest noise or hit the first person to touch me inadvertently. It was for the best that my weapons were hidden under my coat. Stabbing innocent people was frowned upon, even under stress. Something about self-control or what not…
I used the back alleys, quiet and deserted, to avoid social interactions, and reached a quieter part of Konohagakure, filled with more trees. I passed by the old Senju compound — what was left of it — and walked under the signboard stating "Senju Nursing Home". I stepped into the lobby discreetly, nodded at the few people who noticed me, and directly went down a familiar path.
My mother's room was on the second floor. It wasn't anything fancy, I couldn't afford more, but I always made sure that she had everything she could wish for, putting her needs above my own without hesitation. She was my mom.
Of course, I once had another mom, who raised me well and loved me very much. I remembered her, in that vague way that I remembered the rest of my previous life. I still loved her.
I had enough love for two moms, as different as they were.
The first one wouldn't have let me touch a blade that wasn't for cooking. The second one put a dull kunai in my hand at six years old, taught me how to throw it and where to hit if anyone ever tried to hurt me.
My second mom was a kunoichi, through and through. She had once been a tokubetsu jounin specialized in infiltration. I had never been able to lie to her or hide anything from her. She read most people like an open book.
I had inherited her ordinary-looking appearance. Dark hair, smooth and docile, easy to put in any hairdo, but common. An oval face with symmetric but mundane features. Eyebrows a little thick but nicely shaped. A body slightly curvy but not so much that it became impractical. Tall but not too tall. The most important difference between us was the color of our eyes. Hers were green. Mine were grey with only a circle of dark green on the inside.
Unless we tried to be noticed, we were unremarkable. For an infiltrator, it was a gift. For someone trying to stay inconspicuous like me, it was a boon.
Midori was reading in bed when I came in. She took a look at me and frowned. "What happened?"
"Do I look that bad?" I asked with a weak chuckle.
"You look jittery, you're supposed to be at work, and you didn't come to see me for your birthday yesterday," she listed mercilessly.
I huffed but didn't deny it. I closed the door then the shutters.
Midori put away her book and crossed her hands over the sheets. "Alright, it's bad." She patted the bed by her side. I threw my coat over a chair before crawling in her arms, hiding my face in her chest and shaking slightly as I held back the tears and anxiety.
"Ssh, let it go, sweetheart. Let it go," she whispered, brushing my hair.
The dam broke. I sobbed for a few minutes, at ease thanks to the familiarity of her scent and embrace.
Once I felt a little better, less ready to panic, I told her everything. The most secret details were conveyed via hand signs.
Her hold tightened when she heard of the genjutsu, but she stayed quiet and attentive.
I told her of my fears, of my incertitude. "I don't know what to do anymore, okaa-san," I confessed. "Should I tell him ?"
Midori was the only one who knew the truth. She was my only confidante in a world that couldn't be trusted. She understood when I referred to the Yondaime without naming him and how desperate I must be to consider it.
Don't get me wrong, I loved Minato, but despite all his greatness, I couldn't trust him like I trusted my mother. There were too many things to take into account when you were Hokage. Your moral code was only one of them. He might be one of the greatest shinobi alive, but it didn't make him infallible or flawless.
"Mai-chan," Midori replied solemnly, "the first thing you have to remember is to never ever make a decision in a state of panic unless it's a life or death situation. You're going to take time to think this through. You won't make any rash decisions. If you have to tell secrets to anyone, it must be with the certainty that this is the right choice."
"It might not be life or death right now, but what if—"
"Should anything unexpected and irrevocable happens," she interrupted calmly, "you're going to take precautionary measures to ensure that your enemies don't come out victorious."
I straightened and frowned, repeating quietly: "Precautionary measures…"
The scroll was resting uncomfortably between my breasts. With all the information it contained, the Yondaime could change the fate of the world. I had chosen to give him data bits by bits to minimize the risk of information being compromised, but if anything happened to me before I could tell him the whole story… Yes, I had to find a way for him to know everything somehow, but only if I had no other choice.
Midori squeezed my hand and smiled softly. "That's it. That's my daughter. Thinking it through and not letting anyone beat her."
I looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry for panicking…"
"Don't, love. Don't apologize for coming to me when you need it. I know I'm not much of a mother, but I'll always be there for you when you need me."
I fought back the tears and blinked them away before hugging her tightly. "Don't say that. You're the best mother I could have hope for in this world."
She rubbed my back. We basked in each other's presence for a while.
"Do you want me to take you for a tour in town?" I asked when I felt more composed.
"I would love that. It has been far too long."
I felt a little guilty at that. I tried to come every Sunday to keep her company, but I didn't have as much free time as one would believe for someone who always was in the village instead of gone on missions. I was grateful that Aunt Izuna came several times a week.
I brought her a sweater and a coat before I pushed the wheelchair next to her bed and kept it in place as she pulled herself from one surface to the other. She grumbled at her legs, moving them without gentleness. I winced when her foreleg hit metal. Just because she didn't feel pain anymore didn't mean that she wasn't hurting herself. I stayed quiet nonetheless, respecting her independence and her stubbornness in dealing with her condition as she wanted. I put a blanket over her lap, and we left the room. Before leaving the building, I warned her caretakers that she would be gone for lunch.
Moving around Konohagakure with a wheelchair wasn't really easy, but I had gotten used to it. I knew the places to avoid and those Midori could enjoy freely. We went around a park for most of the morning as we talked of nothing and everything — mostly my job and the funny or annoying anecdotes I had collected.
The first problem came up at lunch when we passed by a tonkatsu restaurant and Midori pointed at it determinedly. "I want to eat there."
I stared at the front steps and sighed. "Of course you do."
"May I be of assistance, fellow kunoichi?!" A voice boomed just behind us.
I flinched, but I already knew who to expect when I turned around. Maito Gai was staring at us with a megawatt smile.
"Hello, Gai-san," I greeted him.
"Maiko-san! And who is your youthful companion?"
"My mother, Kamizuki Midori. Okaa-san, this is Maito Gai, a jounin and taijutsu expert."
"It's a pleasure to meet the honorable mother of the most hardworking assistant in Konoha!" Gai shouted with a thumbs-up.
Midori chuckled, took Gai's hand, and patted it gently. "What a delightful young man. My daughter and I would be pleased if you could help me overcome those dreadful stairs."
"Of course, Kamizuki-san! We shall vanquish those stairs together or I'll climb up the temple's thousand steps twice!" he promised before trying to lift Midori in his arms.
I tapped him on the shoulder before mom could hit him with her hidden tessen (she got mean when she thought anyone was disrespectful). "The wheelchair, Gai-san. Lift the wheelchair, not my mother."
"Of course! My apologies, Kamizuki-san, Maiko-san! How insensitive of me!" He rectified his mistake, and I had to rush forward to open the door for him. He didn't seem bothered at all by the heavy weight of the metal contraption. "There you go, Kamizuki-san! Shall I come back in an hour to help you on the way out after your lunch?"
"Ah, thank you Gai-san, but—"
"That would be so kind of you!" Midori interrupted me with a bright smile.
"We don't want to impose," I finished, holding back a sigh.
"Not at all, Maiko-san! I'll be there in an hour! Have a most enjoyable lunch!" he said with a thumbs up before disappearing into the crowd.
I tilted my head at Midori, unimpressed by her cheerful smile. "Okaa-san," I sighed.
"He's so entertaining!"
I shook my head. "You're a menace when you're bored."
oOo
In the evening, I was getting ready for a sleepless night after finally eating Aunt Izuna's delicious food, when there was a knock at the door. I froze and stared at it distrustfully before shouting: "If you're an ANBU, I'm not opening!"
"It's Genma!" was shouted back.
With a huff, I grudgingly opened the door. "What d'you want?" I grumbled. I wasn't feeling social, and I wasn't exactly fit to be seen either (those pajamas were comfy, alright?).
Genma leaned against the doorway and watched me knowingly. "Drinks with friends or turning around in your bed. Your preference?"
I tilted my head. "... When you put it like that…" I sighed because, damn it, I knew what was the best choice, but I didn't want to! And now I was whining... I really needed to get out. "Give me a minute to change."
"I was expecting more resistance," Genma admitted as he followed me in.
"Just because I don't do traumatic missions doesn't mean I don't have a clue how to deal with trauma," I replied as I pushed the door of my bedroom half-closed. "There is a reason I went to the Nara's place yesterday or didn't spend most of the day here. Just a warning: I won't be the best company tonight." I grabbed the first clean thing that looked appropriate for a social outing. It was the grey low-cut kimono top that had been banned from work.
"We don't expect you to be, sweetheart. We're here for you, not the other way around."
"Who's we?"
"It was just supposed to be us, Raidou and Rin but Kakashi invited himself and Gai followed."
"Sage," I breathed, "I thought I had my fill of Gai for the day… Don't tell me he gets worse when he drinks?" I jumped into black leggings, pulling and grumbling until it fit, and left my hair down.
"Eh… Not really. He doesn't get drunk. That guy has the constitution of a bear. Don't ever try to outdrink him. Even Kakashi knows better than to accept a challenge on that."
I walked out of the bedroom once presentable. "That would never cross my mind. I'm a lightweight, and I don't like to get wasted."
I grabbed my coat, put on boots, and left behind my apartment without a second thought.
I wasn't fond of drinking, but it definitely beat behind scared of the shadows in my room. Especially when I had Genma on my right, Kakashi on my left, and Rin in front of me to distract me and, in Genma's case, to comfort me by letting me lean on his shoulder. I was tipsy in less than an hour and engaged in yet another feminist conversation with Rin. When Genma chuckled, tremors going from his arm to mine, I asked petulantly: "What?"
"You're a belligerent drunk. I hadn't imagined that," he admitted with a grin.
"Damn right, I am," I grumbled, "and if that dude over there won't stop bothering that poor civilian, I'm going to go and punch him!" I pointed at a shinobi at the bar. A few seconds later, he leaned way too close to the poor woman who had been left alone by her kunoichi friend for just a few minutes. "Alright, that's it! I'm gonna punch him!" I declared, putting a hand on Kakashi and Genma's shoulders to support myself as I stood up.
Genma laughed, apparently extremely entertained by my bellicose behavior. Gai commented admiringly about my youthful spirit. Only Rin tried to stop me from making a scene: "Maiko-chan! Maiko-chan! Sit down, you're going to hurt yourself!"
"Nope! He deserves to be punched! I'm gonna punch him!" I decided very determinedly.
"Kakashi, stop her or she'll regret this tomorrow!"
"Maa, it's just starting to get interesting, Rin…"
"Kakashi!"
"Alright, alright. Maiko-san, sit," Kakashi ordered. With a sharp tug on my hand, he brought me back on the cushion I was sitting on before I could take a step toward my goal.
Because it was too much effort to try to stand up with his arm curled around my waist, I whined, pouted, and pointed at my punching ball for the evening. "But… the pig!"
"I'll handle it, Maiko-san!" Gai announced spontaneously, standing up with a grace and an easiness that was just unfair considering he had drunk twice as much as I did.
I leaned back against Kakashi (since he had stopped me, the traitor, he could handle my weight) and tilted my head to watch Gai. He scared the pig away with barely a few words and gave a big grin at the civilian and her friend, who appeared just in time to catch what had happened. "Oooh," I said as they talked.
Genma followed my stare and snorted. "Looks like Gai will get lucky tonight. The white knight show always agrees with him."
Still feeling vindictive, I kicked him until he was pushed out of his cushion. "Good for him! I didn't see you offering to help."
Genma laughed again (he was a happy drunk and that was no surprise). "But you had it under control, Mai-chan."
I huffed and pouted some more. "Rin-chan said no."
Genma laughed even louder. Rin giggled while Raidou was trying to hide a smile behind his hand. I glared at them all (or tried to, I wasn't sure of its efficiency when I was still pouting) before turning around to glance at Kakashi.
His eye was crinkled in amusement, but he wasn't mocking me (visibly). "Rin is a very stern mistress, isn't she?"
I nodded very seriously and curled against his side to lean my head on his shoulder. "You're all lousy friends. Kakashi is better," I declared.
Genma only laughed more in response. I grumbled and closed my eyes.
They were so silly. I didn't like them at all …
…
... …
"Maiko-san, it's time to go home."
I grumbled and curled tighter against the source of warmth. "No. Don't wanna. Home's scary."
...
"...Rin is offering to let you stay with her."
I blinked and looked up slowly. The bar was much less crowded and lively. Rin was staring at me with concern from the other side of the table.
"Oh," I breathed, realizing that I had dozed off. "Yeah. That would be nice. Thanks." I tried to pull away and straighten on my own, but my body definitely wasn't cooperating.
A pair of hands held me by the waist to help me up then an arm went under my knees, and I was lifted. I put my arms around Kakashi's neck to make it easier for both of us. "Yeah," I mumbled, "that's probably safer."
He eye-smiled at me. "I'm glad we agree."
I dozed off once again on the way to Rin's apartment. Once there, I only woke up enough to drink a glass of water before sprawling on a futon.
When I surfaced, late in the morning with horrible morning breath and a full bladder, I was alone. Rin had to go to work and left me to sleep. But I had slept. At least, that was something.
"Not so lousy friends after all," I concluded.
oOo
The next day, my very tentative composure was challenged.
Debriefing had never been so dreadful, not even after Orochimaru bit off parts of me.
I was in an interrogation room (one of the friendliest ones, no doubt) for more than half an hour now, reciting in detail what had happened that day to a young man who introduced himself as Dokuraku Mawashi. He was wearing the grey uniform of the Interrogation Force and, apart from his glasses, he was perfectly unremarkable.
"Alright. I think we have covered the attack itself," he said finally. "I understand that you do not remember the questions asked to you. If it comes back, please immediately contact us."
I nodded obediently.
"Now, I'd like to come back on several other details."
I stopped myself from sighing. I nodded and raised a glass of water to my lips.
"It has been noted that you had your morning off, but that you were planning to see Nara Yoshino at ten o'clock. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"What is your relationship with Nara-san?"
"She helped me when I worked for her as a genin then offered me to fill in for her when she had to stop working at the end of her pregnancy."
"Why were you meeting?"
"I wanted to speak with her."
"What about?"
"It's private."
"A few days before, you had concerns about the private life of Nara Shikaku. Was this related?"
"I don't see how this is related to my assault, Dokuraku-san."
"Please, answer the question."
I sighed but nodded. "Yes, it was."
"Is it possible that you were attacked to prevent you from speaking to Nara-san?"
"I don't see why. It would have been useless anyway, I talked to her afterward."
"Does the topic of your conversation could affect in any way Konoha's operations?"
That question was so loaded that I looked him right in the eye with a raised eyebrow to show that I wasn't fooled or amused. "Nara Shikaku is fully aware of the content of our discussion. You might want to redirect your questions on the subject to him. I have no doubt that he'll be better able to answer you to your satisfaction."
He looked down, made a note, and changed the order of his papers. "During this week, you had a quarrel with Uchiha Hideaki. What was the subject of it?"
"He's the jounin sensei of Uchiha Itachi, and Hokage-sama had forbidden the genin from taking more than D-rank missions for a few weeks. Hideaki-san contested this decision."
Mawashi crossed his hands before him and watched me intently and impassively. "What was your response?"
"I reminded him that the Hokage's decisions were not debatable. He accused me of jealousy and holding back his student. I pointed out that his student was eight and deserved some rest."
"How was he when he left?"
"Pissed."
"Did he make any threat against you at that time or at any other time?"
"No."
"Did anyone threaten you in any way recently or formerly?"
"I am responsible for upholding Hokage-sama's schedule and decisions, for turning the unwanted away, and for answering every request who doesn't necessitate his attention. What do you think?" I drawled.
"I'll need a list."
"Sure. Do you want me to limit it to assault threats or should I include all of them?"
"Everything you can recall."
"That will take me the afternoon. You're harsh," I sighed, kissing goodbye to a relaxing end of the day.
"Can you think about anyone in particular who would have attacked you, Kamizuki-san?"
"I don't know… maybe someone who would benefit from making you suspect the Uchiha clan or make you doubt the Jounin Commander?"
"What makes you think I do?"
"I'm not an idiot. You're not the first to ask me if I have seen my attacker make hand seals or if I noticed his eyes. I didn't, and genjutsu via eye contact is a Sharingan specialty. How convenient that I had a row with one of the Uchiha a few days earlier. No matter that I have had disagreements with people of every clan and division. For example, ten days ago, your colleague Morino Ibiki tried to intimidate me. He's also proficient in genjutsu, especially those used for torture, isn't he? He also has direct access to psych evaluations and mine includes a detailed report on my encounter with Orochimaru."
"Are you accusing Morino-san?"
"No. I am pointing out the flaws of your interrogation, Dokuraku-san."
"I see..." To his credit, Mawashi had an excellent poker face. He gathered his papers in a neat pile as he said: "Thank you for your time, Kamizuki-san. That will be all. You'll be contacted if any other questions emerge. In the meantime, you're cleared to go back to work since you don't look traumatized…"
It took me a few seconds to ascertain that yes those words had truly passed his lips. A second more to regret that table and chairs were bolted to the floor and I couldn't throw them to his face.
As he stood up, I did as well, like a Jack-in-the-box, pressing my hands flat on the table as I leaned toward him. "Excuse me?!" I hissed.
He took a step back but didn't correct himself. "I said—"
"I heard what you said! Not looking traumatized enough?! Is that it?! Is that what you say to the kunoichi who have been raped on the field? the kids who come back from their first kill? Is it?!"
The door flew open. From the corner of my eyes, I recognized Genma. I ignored him, beside myself with fury. "It's fine, you look fine, just go back to work?!"
Genma pushed me away from the table, probably worried I might get physical (after the other night, I couldn't blame him, and it was after all very tempting). I let him, but glared over his shoulder and pointed at Dokuraku. "You're a poor excuse of a human being, you piece of crap!"
Yamanaka Inoichi stepped into the room and waved Mawashi out the door. The asshole ran away without further ado. Inoichi followed, leaving us alone.
Without any target to scream at, I calmed down slowly. Genma was keeping me with my back against the wall but wasn't restraining me.
"Easy, sweetheart. Deep breaths."
I cleared my throat and became embarrassed for losing my temper. Noticing it, Genma smiled slightly.
"He was an asshole," I defended myself nonetheless because he was .
Genma hummed noncommittally and led me outside.
To my utmost embarrassment, the Hokage was there, speaking to Inoichi and Shikaku. He turned to glance at me and said: "Maiko-san, take the rest of the week. I'll see you Monday."
Apparently. I had looked traumatized enough this time.
oOo Bonus oOo
In the Observation Room
"She's astute," Inoichi commented when Maiko pointed out the incriminating evidence against the Uchiha and how convenient it was.
"She is," Shikaku and Minato agreed.
"She's also quite loyal to you, Shikaku," Inoichi pointed out with an amused glance at his friend.
The Jounin Commander shrugged, unbothered by what had been said or implied about him in the interrogation room. He had shared the details with his friends, Minato, Inoichi, and Chouza, but from everyone else point of view, he might have been compromised because of his family issues.
"Right now, she's mostly at the end of her tether," Genma warned them, his senbon going nervously from one corner of his lips to the other.
"You think?" Minato asked. He would end the interrogation if necessary. He didn't have the time to.
When Mawashi stopped talking and Genma caught sight of Maiko's expression, reminiscent of a recent evening, he bolted out of his chair. "Fuck. He's dead." He might have found it funny when he was drunk but attacking a comrade in the line of duty was something else entirely.
"She had a point, Inoichi," the Yondaime said once Maiko had left. "Is this the standard treatment for traumatized shinobi?"
"No, Hokage-sama. Mawashi was out of line. I'll handle it."
"I expect a formal reprimand."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Inoichi bowed his head respectfully. They were friends but Inoichi knew his place, especially when Minato was displeased.