Chapitre 276: CH_8.11 (276)
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The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
Later that evening, Taro was free from his job, skipped on heading home, and went straight to another place where he might get some answers regarding the shocking news that Takuma was back home.
He rang the doorbell in a lovely apartment building, too good for him to rent. It took three genin splitting the rent to afford to live there. He waited a few moments before heavy footsteps echoed from inside, and Masaaki, dressed only in a pair of tight underwear, opened the door.
"Why are you naked?" asked Taro as he stepped into his friends' apartment.
"I'm not," said Masaaki. He had changed a lot since the Akimichi clan had taken him in. He had gotten bigger in every way. He wasn't rotund like his patrons, but he had grown taller and packed on muscle and some fat, which gave him an almost abnormal strength. Moreover, he had been receiving guidance from an Akimichi jonin once a week and worked with clan chunin nearly every other day. He had truly managed to make the most out of his opportunity.
If they fought, Taro wouldn't last half a minute before Masaaki would break him in half. Thankfully, Taro had refused to spar with him so often that Masaaki no longer asked him out for spar sessions. It was one of the things he left to their other friend, who still entertained the spar requests.
Speaking of the friend, Nenro was cooking dinner for the trio of housemates. He looked up when Taro walked in and asked, "Are you staying for dinner? Tell me now while I can still make more."
"It's fine," Taro replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Unlike Masaaki, Nenro hadn't changed much other than growing few inches and his voice finally deepening. However, when it came to careers, Nenro was the one to have changed the most. Three years ago, he was the first among them to work with a chunin regularly, and within months, he was in the rotation for several chunin-lead teams. By the start of their second year, Nenro was a mainstay in teams of several high-profile chunin teams.
He was gifted in presenting himself as valuable, and it felt like he could sell himself to anyone regardless of who they were. For a while, it felt like he would leave the Genin Corps to join a department, but he continued to stay. Many people, including Taro, thought it was a waste of his talents—but then he surprised everyone when a jonin had him lead a C-rank mission as a genin.
Jonin were considered hotspots within the shinobi organisation. A jonin had several chunin working under them, who further had genin working under them. They felt like informal companies with a jonin at the top. Being connected to a jonin, even if it was through a chunin, was beneficial. Being on a jonin's team increased a chunin's reputation, which gave them better missions to lead and allowed them to recruit the best genin for their missions, further growing their reputation.
Nenro wasn't a chunin, yet a jonin had him lead a team of genin on a mission. It was uncommon, but not rare, as experienced career genin who didn't meet the criteria to be promoted to chunin were often allowed to lead teams on low-stake missions.
However, Nenro was far too young and inexperienced—yet a jonin had directly recommended that he be allowed to lead a mission. Nenro wasn't a clan kid, nor did he have shinobi parents; he wasn't even born in the Hidden Leaf village—he was a nobody, which made people curious. In the past year, he had created a reputation for himself.
People had even created a title for him: Mercenary.
He managed to convert that one mission into several and was now receiving outsourced missions from the departments other people wanted him to join. Instead of joining one department, he worked with multiple on significant missions. He was essentially a rankless chunin. Not only did it reflect positively on his resume, but he also worked on a variety of different missions, which wouldn't have been possible had he joined a department.
Taro entered the living room and saw the third member of the trio slumped on a couch with her face into the cushions.
"A surprise to see you here," Taro said as he patted Ai's calves, and she raised her legs to make space for Taro to sit before lowering them in his lap. "I thought you were still doing additional training in the evening. What happened?" he asked.
Ai turned her tired face out of the cushions but smiled brightly at him, "I managed to close a complicated kunai wound on my own today without any mistakes or assistance, so sensei let me go home. He also gave me Saturday off. I finally have a long weekend!"
For others, a long weekend meant three days or more of no work, but for Ai, a long weekend was the standard two-day weekend.
Ai was an iryo-nin who was in training and working at a hospital. She literally worked as much as the other two combined and regularly pulled 24-hour shifts to get real firsthand experience with iryo-jutsu.
"I hate your father," Ai said with malice.
She was an apprentice under Taro's iryo-nin father, who had recently been promoted to the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin for his skill in iryo-jutsu. Ai started learning under him when he was a chunin, but now she was a tokubetsu jonin's select few students.
She was getting the best training one could ask for, but it took a lot to become a competent iryo-nin.
"I'll be sure to tell him," Taro said with a smirk.
"I'll kill you," she hissed. "The difference between some medicines and poison is in the dosage."
"Make it painless."
Ai scoffed before closing her eyes with a groan that partially sounded like she wanted to cry.
Masaaki returned from his room with a pair of shorts on. He slumped on the recliner opposite the sofa, working grippers in both hands. He truly was only concerned with being a combat shinobi with no other special skills. Most people stressed about narrowing their scope too much, but Masaaki was a single-minded individual who picked a goal and ran toward it without worrying about anything else.
"How was your day?" asked Masaaki.
"I had lunch with some academy classmates today," Taro replied, getting right to the topic he had come to discuss. "You remember Taketori Kameko from basic training?"
Ai, Masaaki, and Nenro weren't from the Hidden Leaf village and were trained at the local academy near their hometowns.
"The mean girl with the fast sword," Masaaki answered after a moment.
Ai opened her eyes and frowned at Taro. "Takuma's… teammate?"
"Yes, her. Apparently, she's back home, and Takuma returned with her," said Taro.
"What!" Ai immediately sat up, almost hitting Taro in the face with her legs
The sound of something being beaten by a mixer stopped, and Nenro walked into the room while wiping his hands with a hand towel. "How long?" he asked, mimicking Taro's own thinking when he first heard about Takuma's return.
"A week."
"Where is he?" asked Masaaki, clenching the hand grippers shut.
"Is he alright? Did he get injured? Is that why he hasn't reached out?" asked Ai, the worry having snapped her sleepiness away.
"I don't know," answered Taro. "Kameko told one of our friends that he didn't have a good time out there, but I don't know if he's injured or not," According to Aimi, Kameko didn't want to talk a lot about her time in the war and combined with her natural reservedness, she didn't get to know much.
"Where is he staying?" asked Masaaki.
"An inn or hotel? He stopped renting before he left," said Nenro.
"Or he's living with his teacher." Taro put his guess out. "Maruboshi Kosuke, the old man who stayed with Takuma when he was hospitalised. Does anyone have his number or address? He might know about his whereabouts even if Takuma's not with him."
Nenro and Masaaki replied simultaneously that they'd find Maruboshi's address.
"I'll find the address," Nenro took the responsibility. "I know a few people who might know."
"Why do you think he hasn't reached out? Even if he didn't want to meet, he could've just informed us that he's back home," Ai fell back and slumped into the coach as the short burst of energy left her. "And if we should be waiting for him instead of going to him? Maybe there's a reason he's taking his time, and we should respect it and give him his time."
Taro had considered that as well. He said, "That's conjecture. We don't know why he hasn't called, and hearing it from his mouth is better than to think of reasons without a basis. We go find him, and if he needs more time, we give it to him—but I think we should see how he is.".
"How long will it take you to get the address?" Taro asked Nenro.
"I'll have to make some calls, but I think... by tomorrow afternoon."
"Great, we go as soon as possible."
———
.
Maruboshi was worried because over a week had passed, and Takuma hadn't left the house since his arrival. He was recovering well—he didn't shut himself in his room and even took over the dinner cooking duties—a huge positive as Takuma looked burden-free while preparing the food. He took long barefoot walks in the garden, spending at least a couple of hours outside, but he hadn't shown any desire to wander into the village.
He understood that everyone had their own time of recovery, but Takuma had no contact with anyone except for him. By now, he should've called up his friends to inform them that he was back, but when he asked him to call them, Takuma replied he would do it tomorrow but never got to it. It was as though he was avoiding returning to his life before the war.
Maruboshi decided to see if he could pull him out of the home.
"Takuma, I am stepping out for some vegetables. There is a fresh breeze running through the village. Do you want to accompany me?" he asked.
Sitting in the living room and reading the day's newspaper, Takuma looked up and shook his head.
"I'm fine here. Please go ahead," said Takuma. "I'll do some cleaning in the meantime." He folded the newspaper and got up to go clean the bathroom.
Maruboshi silently sighed. While it was good that Takuma showed initiative without prompting, he preferred leaving the house and reconnecting with the village. With jute bags tucked under his arm, Maruboshi left the house and was surprised to see a group of people at his front gate as he stepped out the door.
"You are..." Standing before him were Takuma's friends and former teammates. He recognised them from Takuma's time in the hospital. He immediately closed the door behind him and walked forward to greet them.
"Hello, sir," said Ai. "We heard that Takuma's back home, and we're wondering if..."
"Good afternoon to all of you. Yes, Takuma is back. He is living with me. Do you want to meet him?" Maruboshi smiled because it was more than a pleasant surprise that Takuma's friends had come to his door.
The teenagers exchanged looks with each other.
"Yes, but we aren't sure if we're inconveniencing him. As long as he's fine, we can always come when he's ready to meet us," said Ai.
"No, no, you children are more than welcome to meet him," Maruboshi dismissed that opinion. He wanted Takuma to reconnect, and his friends coming to his doorstep was the best way to start it. "Truthfully, Takuma has had some difficult days since his return," their faces immediately fell, so he continued quickly, "but he is doing considerably well. I am worried because he has not left the house since his return, and I believe that meeting with all of you will be tremendously good for him... You have done the right thing by coming here."
He invited them inside and called for Takuma from the entrance hall without revealing the surprise.
———
.
Takuma rolled up his sleeves, put on rubber cleaning gloves, and was about to start cleaning the bathroom and the bathtub when he heard Maruboshi call for him. It sounded like he was at the front door. His ears twitched, and he picked up the other sounds.
He wasn't paying attention, but it sounded like there was someone with Maruboshi. He heard someone offering the customary apology for disturbing them. He wondered if it was one of the neighbours. Unlike his previous neighbourhood, the neighbours in Maruboshi were well-acquainted with each other. In his former place, the doorbell only rang once a month when the landlord came to collect rent.
"Coming!" he announced as he removed the gloves and stepped out.
He could already tell there were multiple people with Maruboshi just from the sounds. He reached the end of the hallway and reached the entrance hall, only to be frozen in his place when he saw his friends. He was stupefied, and his wide eyes jumped from person to person as the freeze response of his body kicked in.
"Hello, Takuma," Ai spoke first and tried to hide her worry in her smile, but her hands joined in front of her chest. The way she stepped forward the moment she saw him, everything about her body language, it all betrayed her thoroughly.
In response, Takuma turned his back to them. It was incredibly insulting, but Takuma wasn't concerned with his manners at the moment. He didn't want to see his friends—to be more precise, he didn't want his friends to see him. He was perfectly cognisant of his behaviour for the past week. He hadn't missed Maruboshi's subtle attempts to get him to step out of the house, but he felt safe in the four walls of the house that separated him from the outside world.
He knew he was being weak and pathetic—but he didn't want his friends to see him in this state, which was why he hadn't told anyone that he had returned or where he lived. Staying inside guaranteed he wouldn't run into anyone he knew because he genuinely didn't want anyone to see him as he was.
He closed his eyes as his heart began to beat faster. He racked his brain about how to deal with the situation now that his friends were there. He hastily formulated how to react and respond, wiped his eyes with his shirt, and put a smile on that felt torturous to face his friends.
He turned only to see Masaaki clear the entrance hall to reach him.
"Hey, Masaaki—" Takuma tried to sound upbeat but was cut off when Masaaki hugged him without saying a word. Masaaki was shorter but much bigger than him, and Takuma felt enveloped in his embrace. "It's nice to see you, buddy—"
"It's okay," said Masaaki, again cutting him off. "You're my friend. You don't have to pretend, just be you... I—none of us will judge, so it's okay if you don't want to smile; you never did it much before anyway. If you don't want to talk, that's also fine; we can just spar."
Takuma wasn't going to let his smile fall and was about to convince him that everything was fine, but when he heard that they could spar instead of talking, a massive wave of comfort and warmth spread through his body. His mind, which had been slow and heavy, felt lighter than ever before.
All his thoughts and the empty words he was about to utter disappeared, and just like that, he didn't feel like saying anything.
He was weak and pathetic—but he also was being stupid.
There was never a need to say anything.
He slowly raised his hands and patted Masaaki on the back.
"Got it," he said as the smile disappeared.
Even though he didn't want to smile and laugh, he realised he didn't need four walls to feel safe. He had no reason to worry because there were people who cared for him, and he could lean on them for support when he needed it.
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
Chapitre 277: CH_8.12 (277)
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @
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The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
Takuma gazed at his washed and ironed Police Force uniform he hadn't worn in a year—the last time being in it was before the assassination attempt. Beside it sat his standard Leaf uniform. His first outing in the town the day before had been with his friends for lunch, and afterwards, they stopped by several places, including the storage unit with all of Takuma's belongings, to retrieve his clothes.
"Are you going out, young Takuma?"
He turned around to see Maruboshi standing at his door, looking at him and the two sets of clothes.
"Yes... I went to the bank yesterday because my standard pay for the last ten months hasn't been deposited," Takuma sighed. "I have a month left on my Police Force contract, so I'm technically still employed there, and they handle my salaries. I need this sorted out before I start looking for an apartment without worrying about money."
Maruboshi entered the room and stood beside him. "And you're confused about what to wear?" he asked as they stared at the two sets of uniforms on the floor.
"I don't want to work in the Police Force anymore," said Takuma. His animosity and anger against the Police Force had long since subsided; after what he had gone through. However, that didn't mean all was forgiven; they had taken away something he had built from the ground up. "But at the same time, I wonder if I should renew my contract with them. I'll have a higher pay, and while I'm there, I'll just coast with the bare minimum work while preparing for the next Chunin Exam."
The Chunin Exam was a bi-annual event; the last one ended last month and he had enough time for preparation and was thinking about asking Masaaki and Nenro to make a team with him for the next exam in less than six months. As the minimum length of service, the one-year contract at the Police Force was a safety net for his resume if he failed his first Chunin Exam and didn't want a one-year gap in the Genin Corps.
"Any advice?" he asked. Choosing his uniform was his way of locking in his decision. The standard uniform signified separation, while the police force uniform meant using them as a safety net.
"Both choices have merit, but I suggest you go through with what makes you happy. It may feel as though there are several things more important than your happiness, but the truth is that you'll not regret anything as much as forsaking your own wishes," said Maruboshi. "Ask yourself this: does this bridge need to be burned, or does it need to be rebuilt?"
Maruboshi patted his shoulder and left the room for Takuma to decide.
Takuma gazed at his two uniforms and thought about Maruboshi's words, which brought up the faces of the team he had hand-picked himself. He had been angry when the Narcotics Taskforce was taken away and avoided his team during a period where a few words from him would have helped them a lot.
He didn't regret his actions, but they deserved better from their leader. Perhaps it was too late, but he had to try it. In the end, he chose the option where he would be happy while deciding to rebuild the , after a long look at his standard uniform, Takuma picked up the Police Force uniform for one last time.
———
.
Uchiha Kano was a senior officer in the Police Force's Department of Organised Crime and had great taste in fashion. The red-tinted shades that she never removed to obscure her Sharingan gave her a distinguished look, which she paired with kunai-shaped earrings and a choker to round out the outfit.
It was a regular day for her in her office and she spent the hours going through case files to narrow the suspect list. Kano looked into the bullpen at the two desks reserved for the two junior officers assigned to her. The desks were empty; undoubtedly, her two subordinates were near the water cooler gossiping again.
She shook her head and returned to her file, only to catch a figure walking to one of the desks. Thinking it was one of her subordinates, Kano looked up to call out to them, only to see it was someone else entirely. He was gazing at the desk with his hands in his pocket and even leaned down to look at the things on the desk.
The man had long hair tied in a short ponytail with loose hair framing his face and wore the uniform cap, obscuring her view of his face.
"Hey!" she called. "Can I help you?"
The man straightened and turned to her face, and Kano was surprised because even though his face was gaunt and there was a scar on the edge of his lips, she could recognise those uniquely tired eyes anywhere.
They had been like that since the first day she met him.
"Takuma?"
"It's been a while, hasn't it," Takuma said casually as he walked into the office. "I see you have new subordinates. May I sit?"
"Of course. When did you return?" she asked.
"Last week. I was sent home early," Takuma said as he sat down. "I heard that the ANBU took over my case from the Police Force."
The assassination attempt on Takuma had been seen as a slight against the Police Force, and they had been adamant about finding who it was until the trail went cold. They could've gained instant progress if they hadn't been stubborn about solving the case in-house and refused to share information with ANBU, who instantly recognised the blacksmith's touchmark.
Kano felt embarrassed because she was the lead officer on the case. The case started back up when they received a package through the war commission with another dagger bearing the same touchmark—and this time, ANBU came with it as the war commission had chosen to contact them before coming to the Police Force. It was revealed that ROOT was behind the assassination, and it automatically became ANBU jurisdiction.
"I managed to make more progress on the case while fighting a war behind enemy lines," said Takuma. His tone was flat, but Kano could tell he wasn't pleased.
"I wanted to get our liaison with the ANBU to take a look, but I wasn't allowed to share anything with anyone outside the force," Kano sighed.
"Useless pride," Takuma said, and it was true. Pride and politics interfered with things where they didn't belong. The case would've gone to ANBU regardless, but at least there would've been some progress. He continued, "Give me the case files, Kano."
"There's not much—"
"I don't care. I want any and all work that you guys did."
Kano wasn't allowed to give him the case file; they both knew it, and he still asked, which meant he wanted them anyway. She nodded and unlocked the cabinet behind her to take out a copy of the case file she had kept after ANBU took everything away.
She knew this wasn't against the rules, but technically, Takuma was still part of the Department of Organised Crime, and she could share certain material with her 'peers'.
"I am sorry that I couldn't make any progress," she said, sliding the file toward Takuma. "Truly."
"I don't blame you," he said with a sigh as he glanced inside the file. "This place is the real problem."
Kano's eyes narrowed behind her shades. She was part of the so-called place that Takuma called a problem. It was built by her clan and was one of the symbols of their prestige and power; saying that it was a problem was an affront to her clan. But she didn't say anything because she recognised that Takuma wasn't pleased with the Police Force and how they handled his position and case.
She switched the topic. "How was it out there?" she asked.
"Terrible." Takuma stood up, surprising Kano. "I want to stay and chat, but I have a lot to do, and I'm sure you do as well. I'll just pop in to meet with the team before I meet Setsuna. Let's chat some other day."
Kano was taken aback and shook her head bitterly. It couldn't have been clearer that he was upset with her. He had only come to her for the files, and was leaving after he got what he wanted, wasting no time playing nice.
"Of course," she replied, standing up to see him out. "One thing, the team has moved. You won't find it in the old place." She gave him the directions to the Narcotics Taskforce's new location inside the headquarters.
Takuma had a peculiar look, and she knew why. The new location was bigger because the taskforce had grown in size, and she guessed that it was a complicated feeling that the team he had built on his own had grown in his absence, especially when he was unwillingly removed.
As Takuma left, Kano thought if she should call ahead to tell them that Takuma was coming just in case something happened, but decided that she wanted no part of the drama and left Yakumi, the new head of the Narcotics Taskforce and her former boss, to deal with it on his own.
———
.
The Narcotics Taskforce's new office space was massive. The team had added new members, causing it to grow twice in size since Takuma was forced to vacate his position. He recognised the first people he saw in the bullpen from other departments and teams, and his first thought was that he would've not added them to the team if he had been in charge.
"Hello, do you want something?" asked a man. He was a Uchiha who had unlocked his Sharingan, which surprised Takuma because he had only managed to get one Uchiha on his team, and he hadn't even unlocked his clan's eyes until the farm raid.
"I'm here to meet Fuma Arisu. Could you call her, please?" said Takuma.
"May I ask what this is about? She's busy right now. If it's not urgent, you can leave a message with me, and I'll give it to her when she's free."
"... I'd prefer if you called her now. Please tell her that Takuma is here," he replied. He had complicated feelings about seeing the Narcotics Taskforce's growth, but he was pleased to see someone fielding people for Arisu; it meant that she had enough on her plate that she couldn't meet people randomly, and her team members understood it.
"Takuma?" said the Uchiha, his brows rising in surprise. "You're Takuma?"
"That's my name," Takuma nodded with a smile. "Would you please go inform her?"
"Ah, yes! Please wait a moment." The Uchiha quickly walked away and whispered something to another man on his way, who looked at Takuma in surprise.
Takuma didn't notice the interaction and gazed around the new space. In the old space, there were only three rooms. Takuma used one as his office, the other as a filing room, and the final was turned into a break room. The bullpen was also small and barely spacious enough to fit the team at the start, never mind the current number.
The new bullpen was tremendous with actual space to walk comfortably. Takuma found a spacious break room and other rooms labelled as [Evidence Locker] and [Archive], which used to be just the same filing room, among a couple more doors.
He was impressed and envious. The team was naturally getting more funding now when he couldn't even schedule a meeting about more money in his time.
"Takuma?"
Takuma responded to his name and turned to see Minoru, the Narcotic Taskforce's prized sensory-nin. There were big mainline departments that didn't have a sensory-nin. A lot of credit went to Arisu for recruiting him, but he was still proud that they had managed to get him on the team.
"Long time no see," Takuma said as they hugged briefly. "How are you, my friend?"
"You're really back…" Minoru said, looking spaced-out.
"I'm back from the war, yes," said Takuma and shook his head somberly.
Minoru read between the lines, and his smile dropped when he realised that Takuma meant he wasn't planning to return to the Narcotics Taskforce. "I-I see," he looked disappointed. "Are you sure? Won't you reconsider? Look at this place; we are bigger now and can actually do everything you used to talk about."
Takuma shook his head. "Sorry, buddy. I don't think it's going to happen."
Even if he wanted to return, which he did not, he had ended his cooperation with Enomoto; trying to rebuild it would send the message that he needed Enomoto, which would give the latter power over him. Going back to targeting drug trades without that connection would put him at risk of being exposed through mutually-assured destruction. Moreover, his team would notice he wasn't as effective as he used to be, which would be a problem in itself.
Minoru looked sad but nodded regardless.
"How's everyone?" asked Takuma as he patted Minoru's arm. "I hope the team is still doing good work."
"Things have changed. We have to be more organised because of our size, and Chunin Yakumi has a different way of doing things," Minoru said.
Takuma nodded. "I figured."
He noticed how Minoru was careful not to praise how things were done so as not to upset him. During Takuma's time, the team had been small enough to afford flexibility, but organisation and structure were required as the size grew, something they weren't exactly good at and adding more people came at the cost of flexibility. The Narcotics Taskforce had moved from a "new startup" stage to an "established company" stage.
Takuma looked past Minoru and saw people in the office gazing at him. "What's up with that?" he asked.
Minoru looked back. "Ah, you've developed a reputation," he smiled. "People know you as the outsider genin who established a sub-department that regularly outperformed others of bigger size, and then you went to fight in the war, which further bumped up your reputation."
"That's nice, I guess," Takuma said as he glanced at the watchers.
"It is. The people who come from outside the clan want to join the team, but because we're part of Organised Crime, no one can get it," said Minoru. The Department of Organised Crime was one of the most sought-after departments, but people had to pay their dues before applying for the limited number of openings. The higher-ups wouldn't allow new joiners to start there immediately. Takuma started directly in Organised Crime because the higher-ups wanted to promote the new external hiring, but that seemed to be a one-time thing. "You've become an inspiration and goal for non-Uchiha and the affiliated clans."
"Yeah... I heard they're using me as marketing material," said Takuma, unable to decide how he felt about that.
"Finally, you show your face!"
His musings vanished when he heard he'd desperately missed for almost yaer. He turned to face Arisu stomping her way through the office. She was the person he had spent most of his time before he was deployed and his partner with whom he had built the Narcotics Taskforce—his first ally and one of his few close friends.
"Hey... long time no see."
"Fuck off!"
If he could smile, he would've grinned.
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
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