Corundum

8

"The personal management called", Anko opens the lunch break. "Suigetsu, you have to take some time off since you have to consume your vacation days for the last year. About 20 days are still left."

Even Orochimaru is present today. Your boss seems to have a weakness for Dango because he always confines itself to it.

You colleague starts to grin. "If you plan to put me into a long term research group..." – "You are clever enough to handle it by yourself." – "Well, fifty days of pure, well paid vacation. Hell would break lose here without me", the white haired one starts to tease the personal assistant. "Don't make me laugh. ____ seems to be fit enough to take on your work." Confident of her little victory Anko starts to grin even wider than the scandalized Suigetsu.

"I'd rather take the money than leave my desk for more than five days."

"That's what I told them, but they insist on you taking time off. Further you accumulated too many hours of overtime. You'll get them paid."

"Damn those bureaucrats!"

You listen quietly while eating some super spicy ramen. Next time you'll order something without that fiery-hot seasoning. But since Orochimaru invited you... you won't get excited about your wrong choice. Also you don't want to leave if your supervisor asks for an eating together.

"____", Anko focuses you, "You finished you job pretty early as I heard."

"I was given the order to examine some Baryte from Yumegakure no Sato."

"I remember, tell me more."

"Well, there is no geologically way for Baryte to form in the lands of Yume since there are no explored sedimentary-exhalative deposits or vein deposits...at least no known ones."

"How did you find out?" This time you caught Orochimarus interest.

"I checked the geological map and the internally mineral-distributor that collects all information about a country and its minerals. In the strict sense Yume has no industry, they live on banking."

"So the specimens were bought from another village?"

You nod.

"You stopped your work at this point?" Orochimaru eyes you with a maliciously grin that is definitely not addressed to you. "Under applicable Commercial Code you are not allowed to expel purchased mineral resources as your own. This law was passed to save smaller tradesman or small companies like Suna Diamonds was. As the world turns more corrupt with every day we had to pay attention back then. There were many traders that wanted to sell stolen gems or looted deposits."

Suigetsu adds himself to your conversation. "Yeah, that's a common problem. It takes a full day to write a report about it and then you send it to the legal department. They display reimburse for fraud then."

"I see", Dr. Snake concludes. "It was the right decision to hire you, well done ____. You are a responsible person as it seems."

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

By then you finished your mouth-burning ramen. Yep, next time you take something more digestible.

*

Time to go home now! Your belly is full, your desk is cleaned and the work is done for this week. And even Anko and Mr. Workaholic are satisfied with your doings.

So you wave Suigetsu who still puzzles over his vacation schedule goodbye, take the elevator down to the main entrance hall and leave the building. Since they've build a new subway stop around the corner you switched to the public transports. The whole city is a massive traffic jam. It would take a full hour to get here by car. Using the tube only takes fifteen minutes – and you don't have to fight for a parking lot down in the underground carpark.