[Sealed to active Konoha shinobi] Backdated September 7th

[thebestuchiha]

[Enough was enough. He'd been patient. He'd been nice. He'd been lenient. Now, he was going to be angry. It was too far to expect him to be a nice guy when one of their own shinobi was kidnapped from inside the village. Much too far. The scrolls that got the message glowed a brilliant, angry crimson, so the moment it was seen it would be more than obvious that the Hokage was not in a pleasant mood.]

I expect to be contacted within three days by everyone who has had guard duty of any kind within Konoha over the last seven days. Any who don't who are not on a mission and who do not do so will be dealt with using extreme prejudice.

Uchiha Obito,
Godaime Hokage.

Comments

[sealed to Obito]

[morningpeacock]

Hokage-sama, what happened?

[thebestuchiha]

Someone was hurt.

I'd rather talk in person

[morningpeacock]

I will be there shortly, then.

[thebestuchiha]

See you soon.

[morningpeacock]

[Gai arrived at the Hokage tower in record time (He knew. He timed this trip regularly) and stood at attention across the desk from Obito.]

Is there anything I can do to help?

[thebestuchiha]

He just peered at him for a moment, then came around the desk to hug him, that rather being the reason he needed him in person firstly, before he could get himself together to deal with this mess. "Yeah."

[morningpeacock]

Gai, surprised by the sudden embrace when he expected more official business, wasted only a second on his surprise before wrapping Obito up into a big, firm, comforting hug. Nothing needed to be said. He just wanted to lend as much support and strength as he could to his beloved friend, and being able and allowed to give that was more important to him than any ninja skill he could possibly offer up.

[thebestuchiha]

His voice was quiet even as he pressed his face against his neck, confident that for the moment Gai would be plenty alert to anyone busting in the window or anything like that, and just really needing to get it off his mind so he could focus on fixing the village so this couldn't happen again. His voice was quiet.

"I told her she'd be okay if she stayed in the village, and someone grabbed her for long enough to hurt her before anyone noticed." His voice was somewhere between anger and guilt and he tightened his hold. "That shouldn't have happened Gai. It shouldn't have."

[morningpeacock]

Gai didn't know to whom Obito made that promise or how she was hurt, but he didnt have to know. His heart broke for the both of them. Obito took his promises as seriously as Gai, and his protective streak was stronger than anything Gai had ever encountered. He could tell how hard this was. Obito hated to fail his loved ones.

"No," he agreed, speaking in a calm, subdued tone and stroking Obito's hair gently. "In a perfect world it would not have. But that is not something you can control. You may try to protect her, but we do not live in a bubble." He pressed a kiss to Obito's forehead and then leaned in, forehead to forehead. "You did everything in your power, Obito. This is not your fault."

[thebestuchiha]

"When she leaves the village without a team I even keep an ANBU on her to avoid things like this." He gave him a weak, pained smile. "She's been having issues but damn it. She's a nice kid. Told me just a few weeks ago she wanted to succeed me and everything. And bad security lost her an eye."

He pulled back a little to rub at his eyes, even if they weren't really wet, the action reflexive when he was emotional. "I'm so angry Gai. What am I doing wrong that my shinobi have been just... like these last months have been?"

[morningpeacock]

Gai framed Obito's face with his hands on the man's cheeks, his thumb stroking at the scarred cheek as if wiping at tears. His own eyes sparkled with un-shed tears for Obito and the girl. He had a sinking feeling he knew who she was, too. Hopefully the loss of her eye would not dissuade her from working towards her goals.

He shook his head. "I do not think it is anything just you have done," he said firmly. "It is something we have all done; do not forget: a failure of the team is not solely on the leader, but on each member as well. We are a we, not an I. Not a you. But regardless, we will consider our options, examine what might be done differently. I will help, if I can. I do not know if it is discipline issues or wandering loyalties or laziness, but we will change it. We must! We will identify the core problem and work to rectify it." Gai took his hands. "Do not lose faith. I believe in your leadership, Obito. Every leader struggles--every team does. But you will lead us to rise above these problems, fix this issue within our ranks, and Konoha will be better and stronger because of you!"

[thebestuchiha]

He'd managed to keep from finding himself in tears before, his mixed feelings having staved them off so he didn't have to worry but then Gai went and had to be all... all perfect at him. He felt proper tears well up and he turned his hands to squeeze Gai's.

"How do you go and do that? You always manage to make me lose my composure." He gave a teary laugh and leaned in, resting his weight against him. "Everything just feels like it's falling apart."

[morningpeacock]

Gai faintly blushed and smiled behind a few sniffles. He was certain that the lost-composure effect went both ways.

"It may feel that way, but it is not. It is just...an uphill climb, which is always a tough part of any journey." He shifted his hold on Obito back to an embrace around his middle, accepting as much of Obito's weight as needed. He knew how weary this made the other man. "People are like muscles. We grow stronger because we are pushed to our limits. Sometimes we do not want to train our spirits, because it is hard, it hurts, it tests us, but we become stronger for it and more aware of what we are capable of. You are capable of many great things--I know, and you will see."

[mokutonno]

[Yamato snatched up a pen, unease settling in his stomach as he responded]

Has something happened, Obito-sama?

[thebestuchiha]

Yes. I would prefer to handle it in person.

[mokutonno]

Understood and on my way.

[thebestuchiha]

Obito didn't answer with another note, and had finally shooed Gai away just a few minutes before, so he was calmer, but he was still agitated, and was tearing through the guard rosters now that he could focus.

That's what Tenzou would be arriving to.

[mokutonno]

Yamato was out the door before the ink had even dried on his reply. A village wide missive like that could only spell trouble and he hastened to Hokage tower, only slowing down when he reached Obito's office.
He only just remembered to knock as he let himself in.

"Here as you requested, Hokage-sama."

[thebestuchiha]

He looked up at once, then waved for him to close the door behind him, pushing back from his desk. It was considerably more loaded with papers than it had been a few days before. "I have to redo and go over every guard rotation roster immediately."

[mokutonno]

Yamato took in the desk and Obito's tense posture, everything screaming disarray and what he was beginning to suspect was panic. He shot the other man a searching look.

"What's happened to warrant this?"

[thebestuchiha]

"Rogue nin got into the village and kidnapped someone and no one noticed until the girl was maimed." He took a deep breath, reminding himself to keep at peace, if he was flustered and freaking out he'd never get anywhere.

[mokutonno]

The dread that he'd been holding off, finally sunk into his stomach and Yamato was silent for a long moment before he could find the will to speak.

"No one noticed? Who's overseeing the ANBU roster for your approval? They should be hung out to dry for this!"

Yamato bit off a further outburst, mind reeling at the idea that the village had been left so vulnerable as to let an intruder in at all.

[thebestuchiha]

"You were aware of the security leak, the one we had before when I got on everyone's case about omissions? I still haven't tracked it down." He was about ready to visibly rip his hair out over that too. "I'm almost completely certain they're related, and this is- agh!" He gestured sharply at the mess of papers, sitting back.

"Clearly the person I have overseeing doesn't know what the hell they're doing."

[mokutonno]

"Still haven't..." Yamato let the words sink in, not entirely processing them immediately and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Obito-sama, it's entirely possible that the person in charge is the security leak, if this is how they are helping you!"

He scanned the table, completely at a loss that Obito had been battling with this without a word until now and mind considering everyone he knew of any rank.

[thebestuchiha]

"Ha, they're already with Inoichi if that's what you were wondering about. Have been since I realized that the ANBU patrols had been as ineffective as the public ones. I've been talking with the Police force too... it's been a mess and more than a few groups are outraged it happened at all."