.
.
.
Snip. Snip. Snip.
Kazu lowers the pair of scissors in his hands, staring into the mirror. He examines his reflection, fingering his fringe to make sure that it's the right length, that the hair that frames the side of his hair isn't too long, that his pony tail rests at a comfortable length over his shoulders.
His mother has been getting more and more frustrated over his hair lately, citing that it makes him look too feminine. She says it like it's a bad thing. Personally, Kazu finds that he doesn't really care. Besides, it might become something he can use to his advantage in the future, if he doesn't grow out of it first.
Besides, he always admired…
Kazu refuses to go down that line of thought, setting down his scissors and turning away from the mirror. He spares a glance at the clock in the room, the clock hands reading just slightly past nine in the morning. Kazu raises his arms in the air, stretching as he yawns the drowsiness away.
His classmates should all be sitting in the academy, enjoying their morning class by now. And where he usually sits in the classroom would sit Yamanaka Inokazu - the shadow clone. Ever since he realised he can upkeep a shadow clone for the entire school time, he hasn't found a reason to go himself. He can send his clone in and spend that time doing something way more productive.
And that's exactly what he does.
He slips out of the window, making sure to close it behind him before sneaking to the library where he has been spending most of the time in. In the last few weeks, he's found a spot in the library, a secret little corner that no one else frequents, the perfect place for him to play hooky.
"He left his house at 9:13AM and made his way straight to the village library, spending the next eight hours reading in the usual corner. The nature of his reading materials have reached a standard that's common within Chuunin. He left the library at 3:42PM and arrived at the thirteenth training ground at 3:50PM where he stayed until 6:02PM. There are no irregularities with his training, consisting mainly of academy-approved taijutsu and bodybuilding. At 6:10PM, he picked up his younger sister at Yamanaka Flowers, the pair arriving home at 6:30PM. He has not left the house since."
"I see." Sarutobi Hiruzen leans back against his chair, setting down the papers in his hands. He lets out a long sigh, swerving his chair to stare out into the night sky. "Thanks for your hard work."
"Yes, Hokage-sama" The ANBU stands at attention. "If there is nothing else, then I will excuse myself from here." He takes a bow, turning to leave the room.
"Kakashi." The Hokage's call halts him in his step, Kakashi turning back to the old man in his chair. "Do you think I made the right decision regarding the boy?"
"Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen turns back to look at Kakashi, but he doesn't manage to discern much from Kakashi's body language. Kakashi is standing straight, the same rigidness in his body that he exhibits whenever on duty, his face hidden under his mask, a ceramic camouflage that Hiruzen always regretted making him wear.
"I think," Kakashi begins, his tone clinical, "it is the best decision for his safety. If Kumogakure knew of his involvement, then the situation would've been much harder to reconcile."
"Has he mentioned anything of the incident? What he did to the Kumo-nin?" Hiruzen pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against his hand.
"No, Hokage-sama. He hasn't mentioned anything outwardly, not about what he did that night or anything to explain why he exhibits abnormalities in his skills that are inconsistent with his previous progress and the incident in the hospital…"
"He doesn't have many friends in the village either, does he? Anyone he might confide in?"
Kakashi shakes his head, snorting at the idea despite himself. "Not as far as I know. He struggles to make friends with people his age and he's very guarded. I have spoken with his mother and I don't believe he has told her anything either."
"And he wouldn't tell his father…" Hiruzen lets out another sigh, a long, deep sigh that barely expresses the burden and exhaustion that he bears on his shoulders. "I've read through his file, the doctors think they should run tests to place him on the spectrum. What do you think, Kakashi?
Kakashi doesn't answer immediately. It's not something that he hasn't considered, but till now, he has yet to arrive at a proper conclusion for that matter. "Forgive me, but it's very hard to say. I have considered it myself with regards to his night terrors, his anxiety and his fixation on certain things. However, he hides them very well. He also shows a level of social incompetence and detachment from reality but I would like to argue that it's different from being on the spectrum. There is likely something else that affects him but I don't think it's autism."
The Hokage takes his words into consideration, leaning over his table and staring at one of the scattered reports on his desk: the complete file of Yamanaka Inokazu amassed in the last eight months. "That is noted in the files. Even if he was on the spectrum, his signs are of adults that have progressed through years of proper counselling, which doesn't quite make sense. What about his childhood? What do you know of it?"
"His mother insists he was a very well behaved child, if to the point of unsettling." Kakashi admits, recalling one of his earlier conversations at the flower shop, so many long years back when Yamanaka Inokazu was still but an infant, sitting in the corner of the store, a picture book in his hands and staring at him with round, wide eyes. "They say there was a period within three years of his birth when he insisted that he was a girl, biologically. He did not talk much but when he did, he talked of many fantastical things. They attributed it to childhood imagination, at the time, but the events and ideas were uncannily coherent for a three year old."
"Indeed, they mentioned a series of panic attacks that the young boy experienced prior to the incident four years ago." The Hokage flipped through the file, reading through the reports and words that he has read so many times in the last few months. "But after the attack, his demeanor and personality changed completely. His night terrors, however, increased in frequency. He has shown conscious effort in attempting to suppress them. They reported him as being 'skittish' around the time right before the Hyuuga incident."
"Hokage-sama, are you suggesting…"
"I don't know," Hiruzen shakes his head, his eyes meeting Kakashi's for a moment. He reaches out and picks up the pipe that sits at the corner of his desk, lights it, pressing the mouthpiece against his lips. "It's safe to assume, however, that Yamanaka Inokazu was aware of what would happen. I do not plan to push, however, for him to reveal everything right now. I fear that he might withdraw even more. He is still such a young boy."
"I disagree." Kakashi speaks up, his voice an octave deeper. "The boy is not young. When I was his age…"
"The times are different, Kakashi!"
Kakashi steps down, but he holds his ground, his eyes strong with dissent. He still doesn't agree,
"I'm not suggesting he's weak, Kakashi." Hiruzen notices the gleam in Kakashi's gaze, avoids it and turns to the night view instead. "You are aware why I am bringing this up."
"I have an inkling. You want to allow him to graduate early."
The Hokage nods, his eyes still kept on the view outside his window, overlooking the sleeping village. "His abilities has exceeded many of his peers, he is far above academy level, especially from what you have informed me over the months." He exhales, a soft puff of white smoke escaping from his lips. "He is more than qualified to be a proper ninja. Besides, I cannot have one of my best ANBU keep an eye over him any longer but I also cannot leave him unwatched."
"Is there something between the boy and his father?"
Kakashi doesn't receive an answer immediately. He waits, patiently, for the Hokage to give him a reply. It's silent between them for a while, a pregnant pause that would make anyone else uncomfortable. Kakashi merely stands there, his stance relaxing slightly, but still in attention.
"I permitted a mind-reading on the boy back when he was in the hospital. His mind is stronger than what any of us thought." There is a tone of regret laced in the voice, a deep apology. "He resisted, and became aware of what happened. As far as I know, they have yet to patch up the relationship."
"Hokage-sama! You-" Kakashi yells, ready to unleash the disapproval that has pent up in his chest regarding the treatment of the boy. He is silenced by the look that Hiruzen gives him, a glare from the corner of the Hokage's eyes that tells him to shut up.
"You care for the boy very much, but you must not let that cloud your judgement." Another strand of smoke leaves his lips, disappearing into the night sky. "I am not proud of my decision, but it was one that I had to make. I won't hear anything about it. You're dismissed."
There are many words on the tip of Kakashi's tongue, but he swallows them and nods. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Kazu brings the news to his mother first. She's at the flower shop, as she usually is, working at the counter when he arrives. Ino is absent, currently at home with the nanny. It's in the middle of the day, during school hours, and his appearance alerts her attention almost immediately. Her first reaction is worry, and then suspicion as Kazu seems perfectly fine, especially when he greets her with a cheerful tone in his voice.
"They're putting me forward for early graduation." Kazu announces. "Next march. I need my parent's approval, but I won't have to continue attending classes once I complete the graduation tests." His expression drops slightly then, a shadow casting over his eyes. "I need you to tell dad."
The thing about avoiding someone is that it can't go on forever. Eventually, one day, sometime, sooner or later, he'll have to face it, to confront it and deal with it. Kazu knows that. It's almost a miracle how smoothly he has been able to avoid his father up till then.
His mother refused to talk to his father for him, so Kazu is forced to do it himself.
His mother is currently downstairs in the living room, enjoying a cup of steaming hot tea, thinking about how she will brag to everyone else about her son's early graduation. Ino is sleeping soundly in her bed, exhausted after an entire day of running around with her brother. There's only one person behind the door, Kazu knows that. His hands hover mid air, knowing that he will eventually have to knock, but not finding the courage to.
He doesn't have to, in the end.
"Come in, Kazu." The deep voice is muffled by the door. It still sends a jolt of surprise through Kazu and his hand freezes where it hovers, his body tensing up. In retrospect, it's only given that his father would have known, would sense him standing in front of his door.
When Kazu doesn't move despite the invitation, the door swings open by itself. Yamanaka Inoichi stands by the doorway, staring down at his son, emerald eyes shadowed by the light in the room. Kazu freezes at the sight of his father, consumed by fear, the memories of pain fresh in his mind, the freezing knife threatening against his neck. His heart jumps, his breathing hitches, and he's drowning in the dry ocean, bracing for the impact that never comes.
"Come in, Kazu," he says again, taking a step back and allowing full access of the boy into the room.
The words pull Kazu out of his trance, the air returning to his lungs. He stumbles into the room, almost tripping over his feet in the process. He has been to his parents room many times before. Naturally, not lately, because he's been actively avoiding this part of the house for the better of the year. It hasn't changed and Kazu finds himself walking to his favourite chair in the room, the one by the foot of the bed, a deep red sofa chair with the fluffiest cushions in the house. He used to sit in that chair, listening to bedtime stories by his parents, but that was long ago.
Inoichi closes the door and takes a seat at the edge of the bed. His eyes never leave Kazu, whose eyes in turn are focused on the floor. The bed frame squeaks slightly under Inoichi's weight and it's only then that Kazu brings his head up, looking at the man which he calls his father, the man that he hasn't seen in months.
For the most, he looks the same as Kazu remembers, but then Kazu notices the deep stress lines that has settled on Inoichi's face, the dark circles under his eyes. Inoichi's cheeks are gaunt, and he looks so tired, exhausted, his hair hanging loose and disheveled. Kazu always had the image of his father looking impeccable, even at home, an image shattered by what he sees right now.
"I've been put forward for early graduation… father." Kazu meets his father's gaze, flinching as he does. "I will graduate next March, but I will need permission from my parents."
Inoichi's eyes widen at the news, regarding his son with a look of surprise. "Do you know why?"
Kazu shrugs in response. He looks away, wanting the conversation to be over with. But then he remembers how his mother insists that he needs to talk with his father, that they have to patch things up because she won't stand it anymore. He turns back to his father, swallows dryly as he meets the gaze of those emerald eyes once more, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "I guess they figured out that I've been sending a shadow clone to school."
That comes as news to Inoichi and he almost chokes at Kazu's casual admission of the fact. It is something that he wouldn't know, because he's always the first to leave the house every morning and the last to return every night. But as far as he knows, he hasn't taught Kazu anything of that sort, and they definitely don't teach that at the academy.
Kazu picks up on the confusion in his father's eyes and shrugs again, suppressing the shudder that threatens to overcome him. "Kakashi taught me that a while ago, among other techniques." Because you won't teach me, goes unsaid, the implications hanging in the air. The sentiment is not one that Kazu voiced once, ever. He understands, he really does, that his father is busy, that his father wants Kazu to enjoy his childhood beyond shinobi and training, Kazu understands that, he does. Especially after Kazu's lack of aptitude with Yamanaka clan techniques, Inoichi never showed it overtly, but Kazu feels his father's disappointment, so he stops asking, and he avoids it, because he hates being the disappointment.
"I will go to the academy and talk to your teacher for you."
Hearing that, Kazu stands up from the chair, turning to the door. He wants to get out of there. Now. He moives quickly. He's at the door, his fingers touching the doorknob.
"Kazu, wait." Kazu stops, but he doesn't turn around. He closes his eyes, focuses on controlling his breathing, trying to stop the shaking in his hands. "Kazu… I won't read your mind. Turn around. We need to talk."
Kazu takes deep breath. He turns around, gaze locking once more with his father. He sees the hurt in the eyes, the regret and the sympathy. Kazu flinches at the look, knowing that he's the one who put it there. He shies from the look, his gaze turning to the floor again. The awkward tension in the room makes him shift where he stands.
"It was an order." Inoichi sighs. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kazu." Kazu doesn't deign it a response, his eyes still on the floor, hands gripping into fists. "I had to, we had to know what was going on. You weren't waking up, but you were having nightmares, you were screaming. The doctors didn't know what was going on, no one did. Especially when you…" Inoichi trails off there, hesitates for a moment. "The Hokage ordered me…"
Kazu still doesn't reply, but his shoulders are shaking slightly. His eyebrows are furrowed together, eyes pressed shut, pursing his lips into a tight line.
"I know you're angry at me, Kazu. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. But…"
"I'm your son!"
Inoichi is interrupted mid-sentence, something that Inoichi never expects that Kazu will do. Kazu's voice is leveled but the conviction behind his words is something Inoichi has never heard before.
"Kazu…"
Kazu finally turns to look at his father. He's not crying, but the tears are threatening to spill, frustration and resentment overflowing. "That's a technique that you use in T and I, father. And you used that on me. I trusted you. I needed your comfort in that hospital room! My head was killing me, I was confused, I didn't know what was going on… and I thought… I thought… " Kazu shudders at the memory. "You said I'm angry at you, father. I'm not. I'm not angry, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of you."
Inoichi opens his mouth, but Kazu shakes his head. "I forgive you father, even though I never blamed you. Perhaps in the moment I did, but not anymore. I'm just scared, father. You've done it once, what's to say you won't do it again?"
Inoichi is silent as Kazu leaves the room. The door creaks as it shuts, the wind howls in the lonely night outside the window.
.
"I see not having to go to school made you even more of a recluse."
Kazu looks up from the book lying open in his lap, keeps his fingers in between the pages so the slight breeze doesn't mess up his pages. Kakashi stares down at him, eyes scanning the text that Kazu holds open before landing on Kazu's face.
"I don't want to be called that by you." Kazu rolls his eyes at Kakashi, turning his attention back to his book. Kakashi isn't wrong. Now that he doesn't have to report to anywhere or anyone, Kazu finds himself spending most of his time alone - often in some remote spot or another, by himself, reading. Lately, he favours the top of the Hokage monument, atop the cliff and under the shade of the trees, a quiet place where barely anyone frequents.
Kakashi shrugs at Kazu's remark, his attention turning to the text that the boy holds again. "Medical jutsu, Kazu?"
"Just… reading," Kazu murmurs, flipping a page. "They gave me books on medical knowledge while I was in the hospital, so I thought I'd read more into it. It might come in handy… eventually." He pauses mid-motion, unsaid words on his lips, words that he brushes aside for the time, and continues through the book. Kakashi doesn't miss the hitch in Kazu's movements, eyebrows raising. However, Kakashi doesn't press the matter any further, and Kazu doesn't elaborate, flipping another page in the book. He doesn't look up as he asks Kakashi, "did mother send you?"
"No," Kakashi begins but then he decides there really isn't any point in lying. "Yes. She's wondering why you are out here, and not at home, when your birthday party is about to start in… an hour."
Kazu lets out a sigh, shutting his book as he does. "Because it's not really my birthday party. It's a clan party, I'm just the excuse. They just had one two months ago with Ino and Shikamaru, and they will have one again in a few months with Chouji." He stands up all the same, dusting the dirt from his pants, repacking the open lunchbox that he has been picking at.
"You still don't get along with your father." It's not a question but a statement.
It gives Kazu pause in his movements, but he ignores it and continues packing up. "That's irrelevant."
"I'm changing the subject."
"Stop being nosy, it doesn't suit you."
Kazu knows he hit bullseye with that statement, Kakashi looks rather uncomfortable where he stands, sighing and brushing a hand through his hair. Kazu heaves the backpack over his shoulder and begins walking. He's aware of Kakashi's footsteps trudging after his.
"Are you going to follow me all the way back?"
Kazu only smiles when Kakashi's presence immediately disappears after the question, his backpack sinking slightly as a new weight is introduced.
Kazu ignores it until he reaches home, flipping over the lid of his backpack to find a brand new set of ningu sitting on the surface, a simple Happy Birthday scrawled on a note on top. He chuckles out loud, shoving it back into his pack.
"I'm home." He calls out, but no one hears it, the bustling and busy household drowning out his voice. With a sigh, Kazu sets down his backpack and heads to the kitchen, the clinging of utensils a telling sign of his mother's presence, bracing for the earful of lecture he's going to receive.
The birthday party passes as he expects it to - he ends up spending the majority of the time babysitting Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji. It's not an easy feat, keeping check of all three of them, but at least Shikamaru is an easy child to look after. After all, the boy barely wants to do anything.
Kazu gets better at the job of babysitting, because that's what he ends up doing for the majority of the time before his graduation. The Nara and the Akimichi invite him over and asks him to look after their children for them, knowing that Shikamaru and Chouji enjoy Kazu's presence more than in any other. And everytime Kazu goes, Ino throws a tantrum wanting to go too, and it often ends up being all three of the children gathered together with Kazu sighing tiredly.
Kazu suspects that his mother has something to do with it, if only as a way to stop him from spending the entire time by himself. It worked, regardless, and he becomes a frequent visitor with Ino at both the Nara and the Akimichi households, visiting at least once a week. Towards the end of the period, it becomes less of inviting Kazu over for babysitting, which entails him bringing Ino and Chouji along, and simply inviting Kazu over for dinner, or shogi in the case of Nara Shikaku.
Kazu is dreadful at the game, but they insist that he play. Shikamaru is glad because there's finally someone that he can beat instead of just losing nonstop at the hands of his father.
"And that, Inokazu-kun, is how you lose yet another game." Kazu lets out a sigh as he stares at his King in checkmate position on the board. He's playing with a rokumaiochi handicap and yet, he struggles to win against Shikaku. At the very least, he has improved from losing with a juumaiochi handicap and he takes pride in that. After all, he only picked up the game half a year ago. "Your graduation ceremony is tomorrow, isn't it?"
Kazu's hands reaches for his forehead protector absentmindedly. He took the graduation exam earlier that week along with this year's graduates, passing with flying colours.
Shikaku lets out a chuckle. "Your father couldn't stop talking about it yesterday when we were out drinking." The mention of his father still causes the corner of Kazu's eyes to twitch slightly, something that Shikaku doesn't miss either. Shikaku's expression softens, knowing what transpired between the pair. "He's very proud of you, Inokazu-kun."
Kazu focuses his gaze on the board and only hums softly in response. It isn't due lack of trying that there is still tension between him and his father. It just takes longer to heal a wound than to inflict it.
"Kazu-nii, play with me too." Shikamaru's lazy drawl interrupts the silence that settles between Kazu and Shikaku, the boy stepping onto the engawa-deck where they have been playing. Shikamaru lets out a yawn as he sits down next to the shogi board, his eyes scanning the finishing position of the pieces. The twinkle in his eyes tells Kazu that Shikamaru has figured out how the game went down already.
Kazu turns to look at the boy and then at the setting sun. "Maybe another day, Shikamaru-kun. I have to go."
"You're not staying for dinner, Kazu-nii?"
"Not today. I have to pick up Ino first and it'll be early for me tomorrow…" A small smile graces Kazu's lips as he raises a hand and pets Shikamaru on the hand, much to Shikamaru's chagrin as he tries to swipe the hand away. "Give my apologies to Yoshino-san for me."
Shikamaru snorts at the comment while Shikaku lets out a groan, neither of the Naras enjoying the idea of announcing Kazu's absence for dinner that day. Kazu only chuckles response, giving a final wave before he flickers away.
.
Kazu's presence draws a lot of gaze from the other graduating students in the classroom. He sits in one corner, a new book open in front of him. He hears the whispers and he is aware of the fingers poinited, but he pays them no attention, feigning ignorance and pretending that it doesn't concern him. It isn't hard to disregard the attention, the material he's reading on medical techniques requiring much of his attention and concentration to understand.
He only looks up and puts it away when the teachers enter the room, a banner hanging on the blackboard congratulating them on graduating. There is a short speech and some words of advice and instructions by the Chuunin teacher, the classroom eventually calming down from the excitement as the teacher goes on. Teams are being announced and Kazu perks up, waiting for the announcement of his name as they go through the different teams.
It never comes. There are fifteen teams in total, none of them consisting of Kazu. He raises his hand at the end of the announcement, bringing almost everyone in the room to stare at him once more.
"My name was not called, sensei." His admission brings snickers and laughs to the other students, and Kazu hears more than one unpleasant comment that questions the validity of his graduation.
"You are… "
"Yamanaka Inokazu."
"I see," The teacher flips through the pages of papers in his hands, clearly looking for the correct instructions. "You aren't assigned to any of the three man teams in this graduating class. You will, however, meet with your Jounin instructor and your new team at the third training ground." Kazu lowers his hand with a nod. "If there are no more questions, they you are all dismissed."
The third training ground is empty when Kazu arrives. He sees the three tree stumps that stand in a line in the glade, the KIA memorial stone further down. Kazu grimaces slightly at the irony before sitting down against one of the stumps and opening his book.
He is joined soon by someone. When Kazu looks up, the boy is crouching in front of him, eyes staring straight into Kazu's. The sudden close proximity surprises Kazu and he pulls back in reflex, blinking. Kazu is even more surprised when a large grin spreads across the boy's face.
"Yes!" He cheers, jumping up and pumping his hands into the air. "Finally, I'm getting a girl on the team!" Kazu opens his mouth to object, but it doesn't seem like the boy is going to listen. He shuts it again. Instead, Kazu sits there with the book still open in his lap, choosing to tilt his head and observe his new teammate.
He's older than Kazu, that is very clear. From what Kazu can see of his body build, he would put the boy at probably four years his senior. There are no distinctive features that marks him as a clan child - no Hyuuga eyes or Inuzuka tattoos or Aburame glasses for example - but Kazu can tell that this person is no ordinary ninja. The boy is but jumping around the area around Kazu, but there is a fluidity in his movements that suggests a high level of dexterity, as well as the simple fact that despite fleeting over the place, the boy is soundless.
Kazu only hears the soft breeze blowing, the rustling of the pages of his book and the flowing of water down the nearby stream. A distant cry of the birds.
The next arrival surprises Kazu, because it's a familiar figure, but one that he hasn't seen for over a year. Uchiha Itachi walks towards the two of them, the same surprise showing in his face as his gaze lands on Kazu. Kazu wants to smile and wave at Itachi, but then he recalls the aftermath of their last meeting, the deaths that his suggestion puts on his hands, so he settles with only a wave and a nod of acknowledgement. Itachi returns it with a nod of his own.
Their Jounin teacher appears just as Itachi gets close enough. The boy is now sitting on top of one of the stumps, regarding both Kazu and Itachi with interest. Kazu is still leaning against another stump, the book open in his lap. Itachi stands two meters away, hands in his pockets.
"I see you are finally all here," the female voice draws all of their gazes. Kazu shuts the book in his lap in favour of scrutinising his new teacher with the rest of his team. There isn't much he can discern other than that she's very pretty, and the frigid expression on her face can likely freeze the land of fire over three times. Kazu mulls over the words she said, trying to figure out what strikes him amiss. 'Finally', she said 'finally', suggesting that she has been here the entire time. Kazu quickly snaps his head around his surroundings, taking in the forest of trees and all the shadows in between.
He didn't notice her presence at all, despite sitting there for the last thirty minutes.
"This team," She begins, drawing Kazu's attention back to her again. There is something commanding about her tone, even though it's very soft and subtle, "is not your average genin team. You've probably worked that out by now. We'll start with introductions, from the youngest. Your names, hobbies, whatever knowledge you think will benefit the team." Her pointed gaze lands on Kazu.
Kazu puts away his book and stands up on his spot, nodding once at his teacher and then panning his gaze from Itachi to his last teammate. "My name is Yamanaka Inokazu." There is a cry from the boy at this, "You're not a girl?" Kazu chuckles slightly at the response and nods. "Yes, I am a boy. My hobbies are reading and spending time with my younger sister, Ino. I suppose I have picked up shogi too, recently, though I'm terrible at it. I've recently began reading up on medical techniques… I've just graduated so I have no experience but I will do my best." Kazu bows at this and looks up at his teacher.
She gives a low hum, but nods an approval before turning her gaze to Itachi.
"Uchiha Itachi. I graduated two years ago, but spent the last year rotating through many teams. My specialties lie in bukijutsu and my sharingan which amplifies both my ninjutsu and my genjutsu. My natural releases include fire, water and wind. I am proficient in taijutsu and my chakra control as well."
"So basically, everything." The dry comment goes ignored by everyone else.
"My weakness lies in my strength," Itachi continues, "I don't have many hobbies, but I enjoy training with Sasuke, my younger brother." He nods at the Jounin as a signal, who in turn, finally casts the spotlight on the final member of the team.
"So I'm stuck with a siscon and a brocon on my team. Lovely." The boy murmurs under his breath before looking up with a winning smile. "The name's Saizou. I came from the orphanage so no family or anything. I graduated last year, one teammate got made Chuunin and the other died so here I am. I'm a sensor, mainly. I know sensei was hiding in the tree in two o'clock position, third tree from the one that has the weird roots. I haven't learned nature transformations yet and I can't do genjutsu. I use senbons but I can work with most weapons." He shrugs before adding with cheek. "I like hitting on girls in my free time, does that count as a hobby?"
Saizou's words brings half a smirk on their teacher's lips, she narrows her eyes slightly at the boy but doesn't say anything. She turns instead, to look at the rest of the team, her gaze going from one to another. "My name is Kosuke, Anayama Kosuke. I will be your Jounin instructor."
"Kosuke-sensei, you're ANBU aren't you?" Saizou asks, a gleam in his eyes. Kazu almost expects Kosuke to be angered or irritated at Saizou's interruption but she doesn't. Instead, she seems impressed, her eyes imploring him to elaborate on his reasoning. "It's the way you hide," Saizou explains with another casual shrug, "I know the way ANBU hide, they hang around at the orphanage a lot. It's either ANBU or enemies, and I don't think you're hostile are you, sensei?"
"Yes, I was ANBU. And I will be returning to my post eventually," Kosuke confirms, "I'm on a recovery period, let's say. I gave birth recently."
The reply surprises all three of them, the shock apparent in the children's eyes, Saizou lets out a whistle. Kazu is the first to recover, offering his congratulations with a smile on his face. "Congratulations, Kosuke-sensei. I'm sure your baby will grow up very healthy." Saizou and Itachi also offer their congratulations after Kazu, Kosuke accepting the words with a small smile.
The smile disappears quickly, however, as Kosuke's face becomes serious once more. "I've already mentioned, but this team is different from usual genin teams. I will be returning to my duties within the year so we either get you all to chuunin by then or we disband and you get sorted into new teams. This might be a little tough on you, Inokazu, but I trust you will be able to handle yourself. After all, you were made genin by the recommendations of Hatake Kakashi and the Hokage."
This comes as news to Kazu, his eyes widening. "Kakashi did?"
"He didn't tell you?" Kosuke raises her eyebrows. Kazu shakes his head, earning a subtle hum from Kosuke. "In any case, you will catch up to your teammates." An order, not a request. "We will start with D-rank missions, but we won't be doing those for long. I aim to move to higher rank missions soon. We will start tomorrow. Meet me in front of the administrative building at eight in the morning."
"Yes, sensei," is their collective response.
Kosuke nods in approval, "then you are all dismissed for the day. I will suggest you work on getting to know your teammates if not today, then eventually." She disappears immediately after, one moment she was there, the next she's gone. Kazu blinks because there isn't even a breeze that signals her departure, or a flurry of leaves, or the rustling of the grass under her feet.
"Well then, sensei said to get to know each other," Saizou begins, stretching his arms and crossing them behind his head. "Shall we go get something to eat, share some life stories, make a blood pact and then swear as blood brothers?"
The sarcasm in Saizou's words clearly puzzles Itachi, the Uchiha looking slightly perplexed as Saizou grins at him. Kazu can't help but chuckle. It evolves into a laugh, a melodic ring that echoes in the training grounds. Kazu doesn't remember the last time he has laughed out loud. Saizou joins in the laughter, Itachi regarding the two of them weirdly.
"We can get dango, Itachi." He drops the suffix, because they're teammates now. Kazu offers a smile, seeing the twinkle in Itachi's eyes at the mention of 'dango' and knowing that he laid the right bait.
Saizou shifts his gaze between the two of them, eyebrows raised. He supposes he'll just have to ask about that over dango. He lets out a soft groan, reminding the other two of his presence. "I'm hungry, let's just go." He doesn't wait before he begins walking, the rustling sound of activity behind him being the only sign that his companions are coming along.
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A/N: I will be away for the holidays so I thought I would get this up even though I only updated a few days ago. The next update won't be till January so Merry (early) Christmas and an (early) Happy New Year to all my readers.
Let me know your thoughts on the bit between Kakashi and the Hokage which is more third person omniscient than third person point of view that I've been writing. Do you want to just stick with Kazu or do you want to know more of what goes on outside of his little bubble? Drop me a review or a PM!
Kosuke is a canon-ish character that hasn't appeared in the story other than brief mentions, with no name or personality attached so I made one up for her. Props to those who may or may not notice the reference. (It'll be revealed eventually anyways.) Saizou is just an OC because I need someone to point out how dysfunctional Kazu and Itachi are.