Fox turned and saw Lin Ze, a flicker of delight crossing his eyes. He habitually patted Lin Ze's shoulder with his remaining arm.
"You're back? Did the mission go smoothly?"
"Yes, everything went smoothly." Lin Ze nodded and looked around the office Fox was in, piled high with files.
"Captain, what's all this...?"
Fox smiled, a hint of relief in his voice.
"Heh, as you can see, I've been transferred to logistics."
"I'm getting old, and I'm missing an arm. I can't handle the front lines anymore. Now I manage some of the new recruits' files and basic training. Making what little contribution I still can, I suppose."
Lin Ze nodded silently. This was more or less what he had expected.
Fox was a veteran, certainly, but losing an arm had greatly reduced his combat strength, not to mention the many lingering injuries he had suffered in the battle at Kikyo Mountain. A transfer to logistics was the most suitable arrangement.
Though he had left the deadly fighting on the front lines, at least he was safe. And training new recruits for the village was a way of carrying things on.
Still, for Fox, who was used to battlefields and squad operations, this sort of desk work would probably take some getting used to at first.
"That's not a bad thing. At least it's stable," Lin Ze said.
"Yes, stable."
They chatted about how things had been lately, and Lin Ze brought up Root as if in passing.
"Root?"
Fox's brow furrowed slightly. He seemed somewhat wary of the name.
"Why are you asking about that? That's Elder Danzo's territory. Things in there... are complicated."
"I'm just a little curious," Lin Ze explained without a change in expression. "We're all part of the ANBU system, after all. It can't hurt