Naruto : The System Files

Chapter no.116 Ninja Intrigue

Owl stretched one last time before she gathered a few things and exited the hospital room, not before washing her hands with a copious amount of soap and water. She still had to report the potential progress to her commander. Dragon was taking a very personal interest in this blond recruit and Owl was beginning to have serious suspicion regarding his identity.

He had practically given the boy away by calling him "the prankster king" three days ago during his first virtual mission and there was only one person with this shade of blond hair in Konoha but Owl would not say anything before having seen his face.

They were all ninjas after all and deception was their job. For all she knew, the kid hiding behind the mask was not at all who she thought he was.

In a tired gait, the operator walked out of the hospital and flickered to the entrance of the underground complex in five jumps. A minute later and her knuckles were rasping against the door of her general.

"Enter." The distorted monotone called from behind the panel, which Owl pushed open and closed behind her immediately.

"Owl reporting, general."

"Ah, yes. How goes our little pedicure?"

The ANBU gulped down a retort. She could bite the head of her top commander off without repercussion. She was already tired of massaging feet, she did not want to peel potatoes.

"With due respect, general?"

"Go ahead."

"Could we say we have already had a good laugh, forgo the jokes, and move to the point?" Owl asked pleadingly.

Dragon looked at her silently for a few seconds. Owl could feel him staring at her and she started to sweat bullets. Had she crossed the line? Suddenly, she saw her commanding officer shake.

"It's a shame, I had a really good one prepared too. About you being into younger boys and foot fetish." The general said with mirth indubitably coloring his usually blank tone.

For a second, Owl felt nothing but a pure, unaltered fear of her officer before she regained control of herself.

"But you look tired so I guess it won't be for today." Dragon suddenly spoke with his voice back to its emotionless state.

"Report, operator Owl."

The woman felt her body sag slightly in relief, reassured that the general would not roast her beyond recovery of self-esteem and she coughed once to clear her voice.

"I believe we had a breakthrough today. Shortly before the end of the seance, I decided to try something slightly different. Until now, using the reverse Jyuuken to open the recruit's tenketsus was successful but only for a second. I asked the recruit to pulse chakra out of his foot and tried to strike at this exact moment. There was too much chakra for my byakugan to discern clearly what happened but the end result is the boy has now an open tenketsu in the middle of his right foot."

"What prompted this test?"

Owl shrugged. "Honestly? The lack of progress of the other method. I saw no reason to keep going when it was clearly unsuccessful."

"It could have hurt him."

"I pondered it for the entire session and saw no potential risk. At worst, it would have done nothing but blast away my chakra strike."

Dragon laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, his elbow firmly planted on the desk. "No ill-effects at all?"

"None my byakugan could detect at least."

"And the tenketsus is open."

"Yes, it was still open when he left, five minutes after the strike."

The commander hummed. "The combination of his chakra plus the reverse Jyuuken worked. What could it mean…"