Actual Ch. 6 material!
The small figure in the black cloak paused to look around as it came around the ravelin blocking the library's main doorway, then turned towards the door that led back through the stacks towards the administrative offices. When the receptionist cleared her throat and it paused and tilted its head - almost completely hidden as it was beneath low hood and a white full-face mask with no features beyond its eyeslits and the swirling leaf insignia on its forehead - inquiringly.
"Regulations require fingerprint and visual identification or a corroborating witness, on top of the token. New rules, sorry," she said, almost conspiratorially, as though to offer her alliance against the madness of the beurocracy.
She needn't have bothered; the visitor knew quite well how suspicious his attire would be found in a village of ninja. "Momoichi Haku, fresh Genin. To see Director Bakusuta," he said softly, tugging the glove from one stiff hand with the delicate care one showed to a limb not quite fully healed. When she had taken his scar-crossed thumbprint and started to go through her files to compare it he wiped the digit clean and reached up to carefully release the chakra seals holding the mask in place.
The sound of the motion made her mark her place with one thumb and look up - credit where it was due, her eyes barely widened and her face didn't pale more than a shade or two. He didn't try to smile - that only made the effect worse - merely met her gaze for a moment then raised the mask back into place.
When she had found the picture - and it was just as bad as the reality - she closed the book with only a little haste and met his eyes through the mask with a commendable attempt at calm. "All right. The Boss's office is all the way in the back of the main isle, right across from the stairwell."
He nodded and thanked her and went where he'd been directed, and let his sandal tap softly against the doorframe as he crossed it.
The Jounin looked up from the report he'd been going over, then rose with his remaining hand held politely in full view. "Thank you for coming," he said, "How's your handwriting?"
"Fairly good, though the doctors say I shouldn't do much of it yet."
"I'll need your help with a couple of things for the index project, then. Mine has never been more than passable, and I'm - I was - right-handed," and he made a little cross-body gesture that called attention to the missing limb. "The rest should just be standard D-rank fetch and carry."
Haku nodded, then, recalling some of the things he'd heard from Naruto and H-... his teammate about this man, said, "And the other reason?"
The usual shinobi reaction to an accusation of a hidden agenda would have been either contemptuously close-mouthed or artfully confused, but Neshan barely even hesitated. "I think that you and I need to talk about Zabuza."
He had to swallow against the sudden surge of pain. "I... there's... no need."
"You have a perfect right to hate me."
"Would there be a point to it?"
"No. But my answer doesn't matter."
"Ninja kill. Ninja die."
"Yes... Before he did, though, I asked him why he chose that fight."
"...why?"
"'For the sake of his hostage to fate'. I thought you should know."
And Haku eased himself into the chair before the desk and did not move. Eventually the Jounin went back to his report.
===============================================
"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."
The small figure in the black cloak paused to look around as it came around the ravelin blocking the library's main doorway, then turned towards the door that led back through the stacks towards the administrative offices. When the receptionist cleared her throat and it paused and tilted its head - almost completely hidden as it was beneath low hood and a white full-face mask with no features beyond its eyeslits and the swirling leaf insignia on its forehead - inquiringly.
"Regulations require fingerprint and visual identification or a corroborating witness, on top of the token. New rules, sorry," she said, almost conspiratorially, as though to offer her alliance against the madness of the beurocracy.
She needn't have bothered; the visitor knew quite well how suspicious his attire would be found in a village of ninja. "Momoichi Haku, fresh Genin. To see Director Bakusuta," he said softly, tugging the glove from one stiff hand with the delicate care one showed to a limb not quite fully healed. When she had taken his scar-crossed thumbprint and started to go through her files to compare it he wiped the digit clean and reached up to carefully release the chakra seals holding the mask in place.
The sound of the motion made her mark her place with one thumb and look up - credit where it was due, her eyes barely widened and her face didn't pale more than a shade or two. He didn't try to smile - that only made the effect worse - merely met her gaze for a moment then raised the mask back into place.
When she had found the picture - and it was just as bad as the reality - she closed the book with only a little haste and met his eyes through the mask with a commendable attempt at calm. "All right. The Boss's office is all the way in the back of the main isle, right across from the stairwell."
He nodded and thanked her and went where he'd been directed, and let his sandal tap softly against the doorframe as he crossed it.
The Jounin looked up from the report he'd been going over, then rose with his remaining hand held politely in full view. "Thank you for coming," he said, "How's your handwriting?"
"Fairly good, though the doctors say I shouldn't do much of it yet."
"I'll need your help with a couple of things for the index project, then. Mine has never been more than passable, and I'm - I was - right-handed," and he made a little cross-body gesture that called attention to the missing limb. "The rest should just be standard D-rank fetch and carry."
Haku nodded, then, recalling some of the things he'd heard from Naruto and H-... his teammate about this man, said, "And the other reason?"
The usual shinobi reaction to an accusation of a hidden agenda would have been either contemptuously close-mouthed or artfully confused, but Neshan barely even hesitated. "I think that you and I need to talk about Zabuza."
He had to swallow against the sudden surge of pain. "I... there's... no need."
"You have a perfect right to hate me."
"Would there be a point to it?"
"No. But my answer doesn't matter."
"Ninja kill. Ninja die."
"Yes... Before he did, though, I asked him why he chose that fight."
"...why?"
"'For the sake of his hostage to fate'. I thought you should know."
And Haku eased himself into the chair before the desk and did not move. Eventually the Jounin went back to his report.
===============================================
"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to kill you quite horribly now."