I had an idea for what I was sure would be Ibiki and Karin's eventual showdown before I read Chapter 489, and while I can't complain about the amount of dramatic flair she put into it, all I'm going to say is that this was my version. Anyway, this is written in honor of Karin's performance in 489. Karin has guts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Ibiki stared piercingly at the girl sitting in the hospital bed, who shot him a decidedly bored look right back, bland and unintimidated. She adjusted her glasses, and raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Yes?"

Ibiki sighed. Cocky. He hated cocky. Ah, well. It would make breaking her all the more enjoyable.

"I am here," Ibiki said softly, standing in the corner of the sunlit room like some great, dark bat, "for information, information you will give me."

The girl propped her chin up against her fist, and for someone handcuffed to the bed, she pulled off the gesture pretty well. "You think so?" Her flat voice dripped sarcasm.

This time, Ibiki resisted the sigh. He'd work her over for real when she was finally discharged from the hospital and he could get her somewhere a little more…private. For now, all he could do was a frankly tame version of his usual techniques, and wait until he had his usual surroundings to work with. Ibiki considered it a good thing he was so good at improvisation.

"And what makes you think I'll give you this information?"

Ibiki grinned. And as anyone knew, Ibiki smiling like that was never a good thing. "I think, ma'am, that you should be more concerned about what will happen to you if you do not cooperate fully with me."

At that point, Ibiki casually began to list off what the girl—Karin, he started using her name in addressing her—could expect even if she did cooperate, and what would happen to her if she didn't.

Karin didn't speak for a moment. She stared up at Ibiki with very wide eyes, and for a moment he was sure he had broken her. Well, that wasn't as hard as I—

"HAHAHA!" The girl was laughing. Ibiki gaped down at her in shock, for once in his life completely taken aback.

Karin reached behind her glasses to brush tears away from her eyes. "I always knew that if there was one thing Konoha was good at, it was breeding psychopaths." Her smile turned malicious. "But seriously, mister…

"I've worked for Orochimaru for seven years, stared down Hoshigaki Kisame, dealt with Juugo on his bad days, been in the presence of Uchiha Madara and Zetsu for more than two seconds, and survived being gored in the chest by your village's latest disaster."

Her face rearranged itself into cool detachment, and she said in a complete monotone, "Nothing. Scares. Me. Anymore."

She went on, stretching her hand out as if to admire a non-existent manicure, smiling with sickly-sweet humor. "Now, if you want my cooperation, I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement…"

At that point, Ibiki chose to leave the room. He stood against the wall outside, rubbed his forehead with his thumb and his forefinger, and told himself over and over again that no, he was not losing his edge.

It was the first time Ibiki had ever lost control of the direction of an interrogation. And he knew that if he had to continue questioning that gutsy—Ibiki did have to admit, it wasn't every person, let alone every little teenage girl who could look someone of his reputation in the face and laugh—little kunoichi, it wouldn't be the last.

Ibiki managed a sickened smile. Somewhere, Mitarashi Anko, that bitch, is laughing her head off at me.