Journey of the Three Failures

Chapter 21: Into the Guantlet

Journey of the Three Failures

Twenty-One: Into the Gauntlet

Part One: First Blood

Neji ネジ

"Mm-hmm..." Propping up the papers in my hands, I straightened them against my desk. The chuunin bowed.

"I presume my report is satisfactory, sir?"

I cocked my head slightly, eyes narrowed as I flashed a smirk. I'd required the boy to remain here while I read through it; he had stood patiently for ten minutes, but seemed quite ready to be on his way. "'Satisfactory,' you say? Why, yes – every single report you put in my hands is satisfactory. And that is a problem."

Sasuke looked up, mildly displeased at my scorn. "Pardon?"

I leaned forward, peering into his eyes. "What is this?" I said simply, gesturing at him before continuing. "Here you appear to me, the perfect, respectful subordinate ... and yet again you hand me this." The report in my hand was cast down to the desk with a clap. "Anything relevant enough to seem minorly useful, nothing usable enough to really provide us any sort of an edge. I don't care about a rabbit that was getting into their cucumber crop..."

"You must understand, sir, that I am not especially privy to much sensitive information over there–,"

"Is this your game? Play both sides, remain neutral, keep all your options open to you?"

"Sir." His voice was controlled, his face offended. "I believed we had resolved this, but it appears we have not. I have no intention of being subjected to more of your baseless accusations on my loyalty. If that is all you need, I will be on my way; it's time I met Godaime-sama."

His voice was controlled, yes, but nonetheless the one beside me seemed to tense at the escalation of his recently neutral tone.

"Uchiha," I said sternly as he prepared to go. "You are not dismissed."

He bowed his head, held in check but protesting all the same. "Time is short..."

I studied him closely. "It seems some odd occasion took place in New Konoha recently. A celebration of some sort, though for what we are presently unable to ascertain."

"A celebration, you say? I was not made aware."

"Shame," I sighed. "You're our inside man, Uchiha. A vulnerable moment for the resistance..." I trailed off, rubbing my brow. "You're a clever guy. When you bring us something groundbreaking... then I'll trust you."

He nodded in a few moments. My cool eyes sharpened on his.

"In the meantime, however... I've caught on to your trick."

He held my gaze squarely, and opened his mouth. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Impressive – it would have been, anyways. My mounting Byakugan relaxed. "The truth," I affirmed. "You say this now, and it is undoubtedly truthful. Will it be, however, in ten more minutes? Maybe twenty...?"

Genuine befuddlement continued to pool in his put-off eyes. "Time is of the essence, sir. I have been summoned by–,"

"Our Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you, I know, as soon as we are finished debriefing here. We have all the time we need... and if you are the loyal comrade you so ardently claim to be, would you not like me to help you in getting to the bottom of whatever machination compels you to deceive me...?"

His mouth opened, paused, and closed. But in that single frozen pause of intermittence, some untold machination of conspiracy blazed subtly beneath his charcoal eyes, one thousand blinding formulations and calculations there, off and gone in a flicker.