CH_4.21 (121)

CH_4.21 (121)

It wasn't long ago, Kano remembered. The day Yakumi had dumped Takuma on her because he couldn't be bothered with the new outsider, who was the representation of a broken status quo brought upon the new developments in the political battleground between their clan and the Hokage's administration.

His situation wasn't unique, per se. There were others in the same position as him; it was just that he was the one sent to the Department of Organized Crime, while others were not. Perhaps it was her bias speaking, but Kano considered her department was different— stricter. The people had pride in their station as most had earned their way to it.

Her first impression of Takuma had been simple. The boy felt like one of those people who only had the job on their radar without a hint of interest in office politics, chatting with colleagues, after-hours get-togethers, in-office bets and games— in short, one of those really dull guys. At the same time, there was this veil over Takuma; she didn't think anyone knew of his life outside work. He got to work on time and left the moment his work was done. Kano was thankful Takuma at least informed her before he left for home every day in case she had additional work for him.

So, she didn't think Takuma would do what he had done yesterday, giving completion to his plans which, according to the boy, had been in the works for a good while. At least, now she knew what he did after work... more work.

And now she sat in her boss' office. Yakumi was behind his desk, looking as stoic as ever with a hint of displeasure between his brows as he stared down Takuma, who was sitting beside her. To the side, Setsuna sat comfortably on a double-seater couch with a steaming cup of tea on the table next to him.

"Let's hear about this gang war you claim you prevented, Genin Takuma," said Yakumi sharply.

Takuma was one to follow the proper dress code on a daily basis, but today he looked like he had spent an hour getting dressed up.

"The anonymous report that began it all wrote that one of the state pharmacies was supplying illegal medical drugs to the Maiko Triad," started Takuma. "At first, I didn't put much thought into the motive behind the procurement. My focus was towards the 'how,' 'what,' and 'who' of the situation. All the energy and efforts went into uncovering and outlining the supply chain of this operation.

However, as I began uncovering the details, I came across a string of unsolved cases regarding stolen raw medical-grade material from various refineries and producers. They were restricted materials used to make shinobi-grade medicines and combat enhancers. The medicines and drugs we seized yesterday had many of those stolen materials as part of their ingredient list."Findd new stories at novelhall.comi looked at Kano. She nodded. Haven read Takuma's references to those unsolved robberies in his report and the seized property. When those two things were put in front of her, it was clear, even without her iryo-nin background, that they were connected.

Takuma continued, "Of course, that wasn't my first chain of thought. I was of the mind that if someone had stolen something like restricted material, they would try to sell it for a profit. So, I approached our black-market contacts, but to my surprise, no one had even heard a whisper of those materials listed anywhere. That is strange, sir. I understand concealment is the law in illegal circles, but not even having a rumor in the mill is unnatural.

My conclusion: the robbers had stolen the materials for self-use."

Kano caught Yakumi glancing at Setsuna, who hid his quirked-up lips behind his teacup.

What was that about?

"The question then was of 'why'," Takuma took out three spiral-bound files and handed one to each chunin.

Kano was flabbergasted. When did he have time to prepare those? He had been in her eyesight from the moment she had gotten into the office late last night.

"What you have are the recorded cases of conflicts between gangs. On the first page, there's a graph of the rise in cases in the past year or so where known or suspected members of Maiko Triad are involved."

Kano didn't intend to give voice to her thoughts, but they unintentionally leaked out.

"Smart."

Kano expected Yakumi to fix her with a glare but found her commanding officer occupied with the file in his hand.

When she said 'smart,' Kano meant it.

"Genin Takuma," Setsuna stood a few steps from his desk. "Let me see you out."

Takuma hadn't seen Setsuna in a while. They had been in frequent contact during his training, but ever since he had started duty, their interactions had dwindled to run-ins which then turned into a couple of lunches when both of them were free.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting any of this when I came in today," Setsuna smiled.

"Did they call you personally?" Takuma questioned. As far as he knew, Setsuna was in charge of recruitment and training; his responsibilities didn't extend beyond that point.

Setsuna shook his head. "I was merely interested when I heard my secretary gossip. I had to see what you had done."

"And, what do you think?"

"Impressed," said Setsuna.

Takuma eyed Setsuna. What was the agenda here?

"I wasn't expecting you, or anyone of your peers, to make a move this big so soon. I don't know all the details, but I know Yakumi; he might have been displeased, for which he has cause— but I could see the gears in that man's mind turning; he was most definitely thinking if he could use what you gave him to eradicate a gang from the face of the village."

'He better do it, or none of this would be worth it,' thought Takuma. From today onward, whatever success originated from his operation would be in some way connected to him. The more they achieved, the more he was to benefit.

"Now, I don't disagree with Yakumi's punishment for you, but I do believe a reward is in order. What do you desire, Takuma? I will try to compensate you within the reach of my ability," said Setsuna.

Takuma took in a deep breath, feeling the tiredness settle in his bones.

'A reward, huh,' Takuma mused.

There were a hundred things he wanted, varying from impossible wishes of returning home to material wishes of a pay raise. But what could Chunin Uchiha Setsuna give him? What did he want from the man?

Takuma would've preferred to sleep on the offer and take some time to weigh the pros and cons of his wishes before giving an answer, but perhaps it was the fatigue and exhaustion that made him speak out the thing that stayed atop his mind.

"A teacher," he said.

"Pardon, I missed that."

"Get me a teacher... a genjutsu teacher."

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