Author Notes: I'm not sure where this came from, but here it is. There's likely to be at least one more part from this universe. I went back to part one and made some very minor changes for continuity's sake, but nothing that will be noticeable to most readers.
Written for Week 1 of KakaSaku Month 2021 on Tumblr: College AU
As the academic year spiraled into its usual organized chaos of meetings, faculty complaints, and campus events, Dr. Kakashi Hatake, Dean of the School of Engineering and Konoha's most successful current dean, suddenly had a new issue that took up his time. Namely, for the first time in his career as an administrator, he had some worthy competition for Konoha University's best and brightest students.
Dr. Sakura Haruno was whip smart, beautiful, an attentive dean, and had an immaculate reputation. She had worked as a trauma doctor in the best hospital in the state, and prior to that she had apprenticed under Dr. Tsunade Senju, one of the leading medical specialists in the nation and author of most of the medical books found in medical schools globally.
Konoha University was definitely paying a pretty penny to have Dr. Haruno on its payroll, risky business in a industry that was saturated with financial issues. But apparently, that gamble was paying off. In the semester and a half that she had been Dean of the School of Medicine at Konoha University, they had seen a 150% increase in applications to the medical school, and a 30% increase in majors in their undergraduate programs switching to pre-med.
Kakashi was as impressed as he was annoyed. Up until Dr. Haruno's arrival, he had been the dean pulling in the impressive numbers. His engineering program was still top in the state, but it was old news compared to Konoha University's new headliner. He had also lost no less than ten undergraduates to her pre-med program.
What he needed was something innovative to bring the spotlight back in his corner. While he personally didn't care about his personal reputation (aloof, cheap, antisocial..the list went on), the reputation of his programs needed to remain stellar. It was the only way to assure he didn't end up with budgetary cuts on his desk and unwanted pressure from higher ups.
And that's how Kakashi found himself participating in a yearly tradition he would normally never be caught dead doing: Dean for a Day.
The concept was simple enough: Students at the university applied to switch roles with the dean of their college; the student went to the dean's meetings for the day (or rather, the dean's assistant shuffled the poor student around to meet everyone in different departments and then the student joined one polished, overly boring meeting with the university president and the board of trustees), while the dean got to sit in on the student's usual classes (so long as the instructor was agreeable to the arrangement.)
Normally, Kakashi wasn't a fan of such gimmicks. He allowed his assistant to choose from the applicants every year, but rather than switch, he let the student follow him or his assistant around for a single day and get a real view of his work. He didn't have the time or interest to sit in on a bunch of undergraduate courses and listen to someone drone on, nor did he have the inclination to fill his schedule with faux meetings one day so the student could attend.
But this year was different. When second-year Biomechanical Engineering student, Inojin Yamanaka's application and schedule came across his desk, an idea began to form. As Sun Tzu had proclaimed: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."
Kakashi knew himself and his tactics very well. He knew the enemy, too, but didn't yet know the tactics she wielded to assure success. He needed to remedy that.
His assistant, Shizune, had nearly fallen over when he encouraged her to reach out to Inojin's Tuesday instructors for permission to sit in on the two classes he had that day: Multivariable Calculus and Biology I. He held his breath while waiting for an answer, but within the week he had the all-clear.
"What are you scheming, Dr. Hatake?" Shizune had asked him when he had chuckled in delight when she told him he had permission to sit in on Tenzou's calculus course and the Biology I lecture and lab run by none other than Dr. Sakura Haruno.
"Simply broadening my horizons, Shizune. No need to worry," he assured her, though her skeptical look let him know she didn't believe him for a second. "Look at this as an opportunity for an easy work day I the near future. Keep the schedule light that day so you can enjoy bringing Inojin around the campus. And lunch will be on me."
His final comment had Shizune's brows raised in alarm. "Now I know you are plotting something.
It was rare for Kakashi to arrive on time to anything, but since Tenzou and Dr. Haruno had invited him into their class he provided the professional courtesy of arriving early to remind them of his presence in their class that day and to inquire how and where they wanted him during that time. Although he knew both to be confident professionals, having a colleague observe a class could be nerve-wrecking, and he didn't want to interfere with their usual routine.
Tenzou, a math professor, colleague for many years, and a regular drinking partner, had taken his presence with an easy stride, and they spent much of the class time challenging each other with difficult calculations and questions that amused Tenzou's students.
Dr. Haruno, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten about his visit entirely. However, she seemed more amused than anything else.
"Dr. Hatake, what a surprise," she voiced as she entered the mostly empty lab and zeroed in on him sitting in the front row. She word a dark plum dress suit and a black blouse that should have clashed with her bright hair, but somehow did not. She titled her head in clear amusement as placed her items down and then swapped out her suit jacket for her lap coat. "Have you come to relearn the basics of biology? It's a bit out of your wheelhouse."
"I am a student for the day, Dr. Haruno, so I'm looking forward to hearing about any interesting advancements in your field of expertise."
"Wonderful. I'm sure it's been decades since you took an introductory biology course. We've grown leaps and bounds since then." She gave him a friendly grin when he clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to be wounded by the comment.
"Don't let my gray hair fool you. I'm not that old, Dr. Haruno," he told her, trying his best not to sound like a man trying to assure her that he was still well below geriatric age.
She hummed noncommittally in response, and went to the task of setting up the room and her notes for the class. "Feel free to stay where you're seated; most students love to gravitate toward the back so they can discreetly check their phones during the lecture. Ask anything you want, or work on your own thing, I don't care either way. During the lab though, I ask that you remain as an observer only, since we're in the middle of a dissection for this unit."
"Fair enough," he agreed. "How many students do you have in this course?"
"Twenty-three."
Kakashi grimaced, and they shared a long-suffering look. The introductory courses were always overloaded; it was a problem in most universities, no matter the subject.
"It could be worse. Introduction to Philosophy has one hundred seats in each section. Imagine all that grading."
"I don't even want to imagine it," Kakashi shook his head. His graduate courses usually held 12 students maximum, and that felt like too much at times.
Students started to shuffle in, giving him a quick glance but otherwise seemingly uninterested in the new presence. When class began, Dr. Haruno did take the time to introduce him to the students, and he was grateful when she left it at the basics and didn't ask him to say a few words to the class.
Kakashi settled into his chair fully expecting to be bored, but instead he found himself with a lot to consider. Despite it being an introductory course, Dr. Haruno was alight with excitement as she worked through her lecture, relying on a balance of board notes in her beautiful, looping handwriting, open-ended questions for the students to consider and respond to, and breaks for some hands-on group work. Her teaching was nothing short of dynamic, but was also clearly not a performance for his behalf. Her students were engaged, but not confused by her approach, and despite the large group, she knew each and every name when students raised their hands to ask a question.
Two things were very apparent to him by the time the class took their break before shifting into their lab gear: Dr. Haruno was going to absolutely destroy his streak as the most successful dean at Konoha University in no time, and he had a lot to learn from her.
He spent the hour lab taking notes for an upcoming meeting, though his mind and gaze was determined to constantly shift back to the action in the lab. Dr. Haruno had a watchful eye with her students despite the large number of them; it was almost as though she could sense when a student was struggling before the student themself could vocalize it. It was fascinating to watch, although as the lab wrapped the lesson and set about clean up, Kakashi still had no idea how to use these new insights in his favor.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Dr. Haruno asked ten minutes later while she repacked her supplies. The last of the students had asked their questions and left the room, and Kakashi was due for a late lunch before a evening program, yet he lingered.
"I did. But I do have a question for you."
"Okay."
"Why is a professional of your caliber teaching an introductory biology course? It's well beneath your skill and expertise, and certainly a waste of your valuable time." Many didn't bother to teach at all once they became an administrator, though Kakashi himself would teach a graduate level course here and there. He certainly would not be caught dead teaching first and second year undergraduates, most of whom had zero interest in his field of expertise.
"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Dr. Hatake. Teaching the introductory biology course provides me with a wealth of information."
"Do explain," he encouraged her. "But please, call me Kakashi."
He had hoped she would extend the same courtesy to him, but she did no such thing. They stepped out of the lab and into the hall, walking in step toward her office wing.
"Introductory courses are where you feel the pulse of a university,"she offered vaguely, and Kakashi pressed when she didn't say anything further.
"I'm afraid I'm not one for medical metaphors. Perhaps you can elaborate."
"Perhaps I could," she replied. "But my teaching philosophy is to allow students to ruminate on a piece of information and see what they gain from the knowledge."
"Ah, but I'm your colleague, not a student." Despite his growing frustration, his voice remained friendly and carefree.
Still, it seemed he wasn't getting anymore insight from her that day.
"You're a student for the day, are you not? So as a student, it's best to reflect on new knowledge."
When they came to her office door, he made a silent offer to hold her materials as she unlocked the door, which she gratefully accepted. He would accept this temporary loss with grace.
"Feel free to stop by whenever you'd like to chat, Dr. Hatake." And there was that cheeky grin of hers again, a clear sign of her victory. "So long as you stay out of my college's supply closet."
"Have a good day, Dr. Haruno."
As she closed the door, Kakashi finally got a good look at the poster that adorned the front of it. In the center sat a large poster, its bold red and orange swirls accentuated another Sun Tzu quote:
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."