Change in Plans [Ibiki]
(backdated to roughly a year ago)
Ibiki leaned back in her chair, sitting parallel to her desk rather than perpendicular, legs crossed at the knee, her elbows resting on the metal arms so her gloved fingers touched together at the tips. Narrow, dark eyes that regarded everything and everyone with always at least a trace of suspicion seemed to pierce the quartz analog clock that quietly ticked away the day's hours. A desk lamp provided a focused source of illumination, otherwise soft-lit lamps contributed their shadowless light to the office.
Ruthlessly organized stacks of paper ringed three of the outside edges of her desk, all awaiting her critical inspection and signature before underlings delivered orders to interrogators, reports to appropriate departments, and sundry other nuisances that a successful Torture and Interrogation division required in order to run smoothly.
She knew the rumors circulating about her office, a veritable dungeon worse than anything her... subjects ever stepped foot inside. They amused her to an extent; really, no one ever thought of the problems that accompanied such a setup. Moisture meant moldy and/or deformed papers, and thousands of sheets of said along with numerous scrolls stuffed her locked file cabinets (always within reason, and in order). A single light source cast long, deep shadows that while intimidating made performing any sort of thorough search through records and files sheer hell. A cold cement floor Ibiki almost found laughable; actually carpet covered the stone. For as deep in T&I as her office stood, the sun warmed nothing therefore she ensured appropriate accommodations.
Still, every chink imagined or otherwise in a visitor's mental defenses always served to give her the advantage. And in her own office, Ibiki allowed for nothing less.
But she thought about none of the rumors or the true office conditions. Her attention, rather, she focused on the file open on the center of her desk, the contents strewn in such a way that moving any one paper would quickly reveal the information she wished to doube-check. Not that she necessitated a review - Ibiki possessed an impeccable memory. For good reason, she kept a quiet yet vigilant eye on the person whose file lay there. After Itae and her sister, no one wanted to risk the Hyuuga going the way of the Uchiha because of one angry, temperamental, brilliant, powerful child.
True, Hyuuga Nejiko had matured, or at least projected the an air of such. But then Ibiki doubted that the Hyuuga permitted anything else if the air of uncertainty that shrouded the clan's Heir gave off any indication. Uzumaki began the process of pushing the Hyuuga genius down another path, and Ibiki suspected the private conversation between Nejiko and Hiashiko immediately after that fight affirmed the change.
No shift in personality, however drastic, excused the Hokage's circumventing the process by which ANBU decided the placement of a newbie in their organization, or even the type of mission handed out to the same. One eased the new recruits into the faceless role. ANBU personified the highest investment a village made. Hence the reason the total recruited rarely reached triple digits.
Like everyone else in the village and even moreso for the missions they performed, ANBU followed the will of the Hokage without question, but even so... More than a few ANBU grumbled at the seemingly preferential treatment accorded the young Hyuuga. No 'hazing' rituals existed (again, no hurting the village's investment without reason), but ANBU kept quiet on their own ways of dealing with... upsets. Because the Hokage ordered it, no official test of skills to determine the niche. Rather, the experienced ANBU saddled with handling her insinuation to the organization's ways ought to be allowed certain... latitudes.
A quiet, dark smile pulled at her scarred face.
Sarutobi Asuka stated upon her return to ANBU that she preferred training newcomers over missions. Given the track record between the Sarutobi clan and members of the Hyuuga, Ibiki foresaw much antagonistic entertainment surrounding the chain-smoker teaching the genius.
A small slice of reciprocating spite for Asuka's questioning of her methods involving the question of Yamanaka.
Two birds, one stone.
Perfect.
Ibiki leaned back in her chair, sitting parallel to her desk rather than perpendicular, legs crossed at the knee, her elbows resting on the metal arms so her gloved fingers touched together at the tips. Narrow, dark eyes that regarded everything and everyone with always at least a trace of suspicion seemed to pierce the quartz analog clock that quietly ticked away the day's hours. A desk lamp provided a focused source of illumination, otherwise soft-lit lamps contributed their shadowless light to the office.
Ruthlessly organized stacks of paper ringed three of the outside edges of her desk, all awaiting her critical inspection and signature before underlings delivered orders to interrogators, reports to appropriate departments, and sundry other nuisances that a successful Torture and Interrogation division required in order to run smoothly.
She knew the rumors circulating about her office, a veritable dungeon worse than anything her... subjects ever stepped foot inside. They amused her to an extent; really, no one ever thought of the problems that accompanied such a setup. Moisture meant moldy and/or deformed papers, and thousands of sheets of said along with numerous scrolls stuffed her locked file cabinets (always within reason, and in order). A single light source cast long, deep shadows that while intimidating made performing any sort of thorough search through records and files sheer hell. A cold cement floor Ibiki almost found laughable; actually carpet covered the stone. For as deep in T&I as her office stood, the sun warmed nothing therefore she ensured appropriate accommodations.
Still, every chink imagined or otherwise in a visitor's mental defenses always served to give her the advantage. And in her own office, Ibiki allowed for nothing less.
But she thought about none of the rumors or the true office conditions. Her attention, rather, she focused on the file open on the center of her desk, the contents strewn in such a way that moving any one paper would quickly reveal the information she wished to doube-check. Not that she necessitated a review - Ibiki possessed an impeccable memory. For good reason, she kept a quiet yet vigilant eye on the person whose file lay there. After Itae and her sister, no one wanted to risk the Hyuuga going the way of the Uchiha because of one angry, temperamental, brilliant, powerful child.
True, Hyuuga Nejiko had matured, or at least projected the an air of such. But then Ibiki doubted that the Hyuuga permitted anything else if the air of uncertainty that shrouded the clan's Heir gave off any indication. Uzumaki began the process of pushing the Hyuuga genius down another path, and Ibiki suspected the private conversation between Nejiko and Hiashiko immediately after that fight affirmed the change.
No shift in personality, however drastic, excused the Hokage's circumventing the process by which ANBU decided the placement of a newbie in their organization, or even the type of mission handed out to the same. One eased the new recruits into the faceless role. ANBU personified the highest investment a village made. Hence the reason the total recruited rarely reached triple digits.
Like everyone else in the village and even moreso for the missions they performed, ANBU followed the will of the Hokage without question, but even so... More than a few ANBU grumbled at the seemingly preferential treatment accorded the young Hyuuga. No 'hazing' rituals existed (again, no hurting the village's investment without reason), but ANBU kept quiet on their own ways of dealing with... upsets. Because the Hokage ordered it, no official test of skills to determine the niche. Rather, the experienced ANBU saddled with handling her insinuation to the organization's ways ought to be allowed certain... latitudes.
A quiet, dark smile pulled at her scarred face.
Sarutobi Asuka stated upon her return to ANBU that she preferred training newcomers over missions. Given the track record between the Sarutobi clan and members of the Hyuuga, Ibiki foresaw much antagonistic entertainment surrounding the chain-smoker teaching the genius.
A small slice of reciprocating spite for Asuka's questioning of her methods involving the question of Yamanaka.
Two birds, one stone.
Perfect.