Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @
[ https://www̧̧.patreón.com/fictiononlyreader ]
The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
Mor liked his current role in Ratel's squad. He was essentially a handler for other operatives as part of the anti-ROOT initiative, assigning cases to them while they handled the fieldwork.
His time in the field had been all but eliminated since he joined his new squad. That would be great, but as a handler, it was his job to find matters important enough for the operatives' time, which would usually require backend work like extensive information gathering.
But even that had been sorted for him because Ratel had essentially done the lion's share of the work when he compiled the scattered ANBU intel into one place. It was frankly as close to his ideal job as it could realistically get. Though there were "pain points" he had to deal with, if he could even call them that.
First, he wasn't the only handler; Boobook was in the exact same position as him. That birthed comparison, and even though it wasn't a competition, he had to ensure he wasn't falling behind her, which was a pain because Boobook was one dedicated kunoichi.
Mor was responsible for everything the operatives under him did, which meant their incompetence was on him. Consequently, he had to be more involved than he liked to keep messes to a minimum. Ratel was mostly hands-off but demanded updates and asked tough questions that he was expected to answer.
But even though things were good, annoying things were always bound to pop up. Ratel had ordered that any current case in its final stages be closed; anything that could be wrapped up, even if it meant rushing, was to be done within the next two weeks.
As a handler, he was naturally opposed to it because if anything went wrong, it would be on his head, but when his boss and other higher-ups wanted something, he had to deliver.
"What do you want, Mor?"
The moment he entered a small conference room with no windows and padded walls in the ANBU headquarters, he was met by a frowning operative with his arms crossed, openly glaring at him.
"Now, now, there's no need to be so grumpy. It's rude, you know," Mor said as he sat down at the head of the six-person table. "Let's start properly. How are you, Coua? I hope everything's fine. How's the family?"
"Get to the point. Unlike you, I'm busy," Coua replied with no change in expression.
Mor kept his smile because no matter how displeased Coua was, it would always be funny to him. He had first learned about Coua from Ratel, after all.
———
.
A couple of days had passed since Ratel had told Mor and Boobook to target ROOT's allies and acquaintances. Mor was making himself a steaming cup of tea in the snack room, taking the opportunity to have an informal one-on-one with his boss, who was heating up a massive plate of gyoza for an evening snack.
"Coua?" Ratel said, a faint furrow forming between his brows.
Mor nodded. "I'm thinking about giving him a case. He'll be a good fit." He had heard about Coua being obnoxious, but Mor had worked with some unpleasant people in the past. Just like any other place, ANBU also had some irritating personalities, and just like any other job, people worked together with those they didn't like to get the work done.
"Why? Is there a problem?" he asked nonchalantly. From Ratel's reaction, the young boss didn't have a positive impression of Coua. Talking about someone's dislike behind their back was a good way to build some rapport, and Mor was more than happy to use that to get close to his boss.
"Well, he did try to take this squad's leadership from me," Ratel said.
"Pardon?"
"Yeah, he went to Weasel and claimed that he'd be a better fit to lead the squad than me."
For a moment, Mor didn't know what to say because it frankly sounded like an absurd rumour, but given Ratel's personality, he wasn't the type to make this type of stuff up, so it had to be the truth. And that was absolutely insane!
"…I'll exclude him from consideration."
Associating with reckless guys like that was dangerous.
Ratel patted him on the shoulder before leaving the snack room with his plate of gyoza. "Our goal is total control of the initiative, and that means working with even the problematic guys like Coua. Use whatever resources you can get your hands on to achieve our goal."
After that talk, he went to Boobook to inquire more about Coua.
"He's decent as an operative," Boobook said as they talked in her office. "But as a person, he's an asshole who genuinely thinks too much of himself and is the type of guy who tries to get his way by speaking louder than everyone else. And you know how people can be; they sort of go along with it because it's a bother not to."
"Do you want him?" Mor asked, averse to working with the man after knowing what he did.
"I don't think he'll work with me. I heard he really wanted to be on this squad—"
"That's an understatement."
"—and probably holds a grudge that I got in over him. I'd have a better chance of converting a foreign spy than getting him to work under me because that's how he'll see it. He might even turn his back on working with us at all," Boobook sighed.
"That bad, huh?"
She laughed. "He's the biggest Weasel fanboy. Joined the initiative to catch the captain's eye. He'd do Weasel's laundry if that meant getting closer to him."
Mor straightened in his seat. The guy who had the gall to tell Weasel that his choice was bad was a fanboy? That was truly something.
"I think I'll try him out. Maybe I can do something with him."
A couple of days later, Mor was in his office, working on organising the documents part of the compilation Ratel had given them, when he heard a knock and saw Ratel at his door.
"I read that you got Coua onboard. Are you sure you'll be able to handle him?"
Mor broke into a smile. "I think we have him for at least a year, during which he'll be working very hard to impress."
"Good job, Mor." Ratel smiled.
———
.
Since then, Coua had been doing work for Mor and Ratel's squad. At first, the man had been vehemently opposed to working with them, but a subtle word about Weasel seemed to calm him down. Mor gave him a couple of days to consider, and the man returned the very next day, expressing his desire to work with them.
"I need you to hurry with your case. I need it wrapped up in a week at most," Mor said bluntly.
"Not possible." Coua scoffed. Even if he wanted to impress Weasel, he didn't think putting a positive impression on his subordinates was necessary. The work was going to speak for itself.
"The higher-ups are pushing. Weasel wants to make a big show of the progress the Hidden Leaf has made against ROOT, so they want more work done before we spread it out. Listen, I understand that it sucks to be rushed. Others are rushing as well, but if you can't, it's fine; I'll do something about it."
Coua's eyes narrowed while Mor simply held his smile. He knew that Coua wasn't an idiot. By now, the man had caught up to the fact that Mor was using Weasel's name to get him to work.
Mor wasn't even being subtle about it anymore because it changed nothing. He had met his fair share of zany personalities, but few were as self-confident as Coua, who arrogantly thought he truly deserved more than others. He genuinely thought that it was only a matter of time before Weasel would recognise his value.
And while it was true that getting work done was good, he conveniently disregarded that others were also putting in the same, if not a greater, amount of effort, and that he hadn't done anything special, like how Ratel had, to catch Weasel's attention by truly setting himself apart.
"It'll be done," Coua said before getting up.
"Oh? Thank you, Coua. I know this will be tough, but I'm sure the captain will appreciate it," Mor smiled.
Coua made a face and then walked out with a huff, but Mor knew that internally, he did want Weasel to appreciate it.
"So easy," Mor chuckled to himself and left the conference room, but as he was making his way back to the squad offices, he bumped into someone he recognised.
"Weevil," he greeted the man with blackout shades and a coat that covered his entire body.
Before coming to Ratel's squad, Mor was considered a part of ANBU Captain Tachanid's circle by association with Barbary, who was also part of that sphere of influence. Mor had never personally stated it, but he was happy for people to think that as long as it benefited him. Weevil, on the other hand, as an Aburame, was actually a core member of that circle.
"May I have a moment?" Weevil asked. They went to a corner and began talking. Mor knew it wasn't going to be a random chat, and he was right when Weevil said, "Your squad has been the talk of the town. What you guys did with Baizan was impressive."
"That it was," Mor replied, given that their involvement wasn't a secret.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you," Mor politely smiled.
"I heard that you guys are going to do something big in a few weeks. What's that about?"
While people knew that Ratel's squad was behind Baizan, they didn't know the details. However, given that Ratel's squad dealt with ROOT, they could imagine that it had to do with ROOT. But the reason Weevil was here asking about it was because he wanted to know if it was different from all the other things Ratel's squad had been doing.
Mor knew Weevil was here on Tachanid's orders. He guessed that the ANBU Captain wanted to know what was happening. Weasel had kept the fact that they might have a route close to his chest. Only a select few people knew about it, but the sharp Aburame captain might have sensed something else was up.
He guessed that one too many unscheduled meetings with ANBU Commander Stag or the Lord Hokage might have alerted people that something might be going on, and they wanted to know what it was.
"We must've done enough damage to ROOT's interests that Weasel wants to make it known. Spread the word to let those who might still be willing to help ROOT know that ANBU will not tolerate it. The anti-ROOT initiative will be much more aggressive over the next couple of weeks. Weasel wants to make a big splash, so we're rushing a few things to make it more impactful."
He wasn't going to reveal the truth, but he could reveal what was technically true. If he put what they wanted ROOT to think out, then there was a chance that it might really make it to Danzō's ears. No organisation was airtight**,** after all.
"Is that so?"
"Keep an eye on it. I'm sure you'll hear the chatter."
Weevil was silent for a moment. "Then I hope that everything goes phenomenally."
"So do I."
They chatted for a couple more minutes before parting ways, and Mor continued his way to the squad offices, but stopped in the middle of a hallway. He had just risked his connection to Tachanid's sphere of influence. He could've given Weevil a vague hint that something else was going on, which would've been enough, but he had kept the core hidden.
He chuckled. A couple of months ago, he wouldn't have thought about doing that. It was only natural to hedge his bets and build as many connections as possible, so he would have options to rely on in the future. However, the image of seeing half a dozen Ratels every time he looked out of his office cabin made him act against his natural instinct.
Ratel was demanding and wanted high-quality work, but Mor had seen him work harder than everyone else with a simple drive and desire towards achieving the goal. It was earnest, and above all else, it was infectious.
When a leader established a culture and practised what he preached, people naturally followed their example.
"No, that couldn't be it." Mor chuckled again, feeling refreshed that he wasn't regretting his decision. "The best job I've had?"
It truly was, and he didn't want to lose it. He resumed walking, his steps lighter than before.
.
———
Chat with me and the rest of the community on our DISCORD server.
The link is in the synopsis!