Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Naruto
Warnings: Over the course of the story… sex, violence, language, etc. Yaoi. Don't like, don't read.
Not too many people noticed when Umino Iruka stopped taking mission desk shifts. Those who knew him well figured that Hokage had finally gotten one too many complains from higher-level shinobi about his lack of proper respect for them, and those who didn't know him didn't really care which paper-pusher took their reports, as long as someone took care of the paperwork for them. When anyone did talk about it, it was usually concluded that he had decided teaching took up enough of his time, and he didn't really need the second job after all.
Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, surveyed the room covertly, wishing for something to break her boredom. She had to spend a certain amount of time handing out missions and taking reports, but she didn't have to like it. Shizune had taken away the last of her sake stash already, and the mission desk workers were being strangely quiet. She didn't even hear any gossip being exchanged, which was very strange, because the mission room was the favorite place of gossips. That's why Sandaime Hokage before her had specifically assigned a certain shinobi to hang around there and collect such gossip, though most people just assumed the shinobi in question had too much time on his hands. At the moment, said shinobi leaned up against the wall near the door, chewing on his senbon and looking even more bored than usual. Tsunade could take pity on him and dismiss him, but she figured if she had to suffer, her subordinates should suffer too.
A young blonde Chuunin sat behind the desk calmly doing her job. She took the reports, looked them over, stamped them, made notes when necessary, and spoke little. Tsunade felt like smacking her. It was unfair to be angry at someone for doing a good job, but this particular worker was a large part of Tsunade's boredom problem. She did her job quietly and well, never caused a scene, never gossiped… and Tsunade absolutely refused to learn her name. In fact, she typically chose to ignore her, and sometimes on a really bad day, she imagined a tan-skinned man with a prominent facial scar and a high ponytail in her place. Despite popular opinion, it wasn't her fault that particular man no longer worked at the mission desk, and on long days she missed him sorely… his kindness, his humor, and his temper.
It was the last shift of the day, and the room started to clear out. Tsunade finally nodded slowly to Shiranui Genma, who shifted his senbon from one side of his mouth to another and slunk away from his post. The young blonde chuunin at the desk started to pack up her things, but Tsunade shook her head and said "One more report to come in. You're not leaving until you get it." She sighed and set her chin in her hands. "Neither am I, for that matter, so the brat had better hurry up if he doesn't want his good eye blackened for him."
Hatake Kakashi didn't hear the threat, of course, but it probably wouldn't have made much difference if he had. He strolled into the mission room about an hour later, to find the Hokage napping her chair and the Chuunin at the desk sitting patiently. Tsunade jumped as he entered the room, and glared at him. Kakashi simply walked up to the mission desk, threw his report at the woman working there, and turned to walk away.
"You can't just throw your report at her, Kakashi!" snapped Tsunade, her hands curling into fists.
Kakashi didn't turn around, but he stopped dead in his tracks. "Ah, why not? It's not like she's going to say anything about it, now is she?" He pointedly waited a moment to see if the Chuunin would in fact protest, but she simply marked the proper places, stamped the report, and set it aside. Kakashi shrugged lazily and then slouched out the door.
Tsunade turned on the other woman, her eyes blazing with fury. "You can't just let them walk all over you! If you don't say anything about it, you get half-finished reports that are practically illegible, and idiots like Kakashi make you wait all day! Say something about it to him next time!"
The other woman bowed deeply, and said "Yes, Hokage-sama" softly, but Tsunade wasn't fooled. This woman would never stand up to her superiors, and thus never gain any respect. She would silently accept whatever they gave her, speak when spoken to, and address everyone as Jounin-sama, just as she had every day since her assignment. She wasn't worth arguing with, and Tsunade instead turned on her heel and stomped out of the office, determined to go find something to drink.