Fractured

Determination

The inside of the Scientific Ninja Tools Research Lab was cold. Amado liked it that way. It helped keep his mind sharp. Sitting in front of a monitor depicting blinking charts and diagnostics, Amado sat with a cigarette in hand, eyes trained firmly on the screen. Kakei Sumire had gone home for the night, and the only people guarding him at the moment were the two Black Ops shinobi posted quietly outside the doorway, so the only noises were those of the various machinery whirring and clicking, and the occasional gurgle from the large tanks situated around the space.

He took another drag from his cigarette, the light from the monitor reflecting off the orange surface of his glasses.

The graph in front of him spiked for a moment and then dipped back down, and Amado narrowed his eyes before glancing at the large container behind him.

At this rate...

"Amado," Shikamaru's voice ran clearly through Amado's mind, interrupting his reverie. He was always keyed in to the sensory network. Part of the asylum agreement that he signed dictated that the Sensory Unit would remain active with him at all hours of the day so he could be easily reached, that is, until Konoha deemed it was safe otherwise.

Compared to tiptoeing around Jigen, this invasion of privacy was nothing. He exhaled a long puff of smoke. He could deal with the monitoring until they trusted him.

"What is it?" Amado replied flatly.

"Kawaki's MIA," Shikamaru replied.

Amado spun his chair, bracing himself with one hand on the desk. "What? What do you mean he's missing?" he said. He looked up as the ANBU Black Ops guards poked their heads inside the doorway to watch.

"He's outside the village and likely about to engage Code," Shikamaru explained.

"What?" he yelled again, "How'd you lose track of him?"

"He slipped out—suppressed his chakra," Shikamaru explained. Amado's cigarette pinched between his teeth as he grimaced. This was unbelievable. He curled a fist against the desk. "And that's not all," Shikamaru continued. "Boruto got out, too. He's chasing after Kawaki."

Astonishing. Such an astonishing dereliction of duties. He was livid, his voice a barely contained roar. "Don't any of your people know how to do their jobs? What are you watchers even doing?"

Amado released the fist he had curled, and he stood up to pace the laboratory. The guards were now stationed inside the room, but it was no matter. They likely were connected to this conversation, too.

"Do we know his motives?" he asked.

Shikamaru took a moment to reply. He was likely heading a number of various operations at the moment. "No," the Hokage's advisor replied. "But we do know Sasuke is currently with Kawaki even though we have since lost contact with him."

Well, Amado supposed the Uchiha was one of the best options for a body guard against an opponent like Code. He placed his thumb and middle finger across both temples.

Shikamaru continued saying, "Since both Kawaki and Code are untraceable with their chakra suppressed, the Hokage is having Boruto's shadow clone lead him to Kawaki's location."

Amado couldn't bother worrying about the safety of the Hokage at the moment. It would all be over if Code got a hold of Kawaki. Leaning on a hand against one of the tanks in the area, Amado sighed. He figured he knew what Kawaki was up to. That fool. His obsession with protecting the Hokage ran too deep. Too reckless.

And Boruto—it was hard to say now that Kawaki had lost access to the strength of his Karma, but Boruto was likely currently stronger that Kawaki. Still, from what he knew of the Hokage's kid, that blond was temperamental and easily swayed by his emotions.