They eventually establish a routine that Honōka can more or less follow. It involves Orochimaru booking the Third Training Ground every weekday from noon until five and then being aggressively disappointed when he has to track her down elsewhere. She gets the message.
Eventually.
The Third Training Ground isn't actually a popular training ground—which may or may not have to do with its reputation for being Orochimaru's jutsu testing ground, the Hokage's favorite training ground, and the site of the Memorial Stone. It feels important. Too important for casual training.
Her sensei isn't always around to teach her, but he still expects her to be there doing something productive, regardless of his presence. He calls it self-study.
Point in case—she's trying to figure out the ins and outs of water walking. She already taught herself how to walk up trees and walls, which requires a lot more effort than appearance dictates; her core strength has never been better. Water walking is proving tricky in other ways. The surface tension changes constantly, and her chakra seeks the relative stability just beneath the turbulent surface.
"Yo, Honōka. Training alone?"
She makes the so-so gesture at Kakashi. It's possible Orochimaru is nearby, watching. He's been testing the extent of her sensing ability in his own time.
Minato lands on the water next to her.
"Ah, water surface walking practice—that takes me back." Minato says. "Need any tips?"
She shrugs. He interprets that favorably.
"The surface of the river flows in one direction and pulls chakra away as you emit it, so it's like fighting an uphill battle. Meanwhile, your chakra naturally rotates around your feet and as it does, it digs into the surface of the water, causing you to sink."
"So, if I angle the tread of the rotation downward, I'll stop digging in?" She tries it and stops sinking. It was that easy, she thinks, shaking water from her sandals one at a time. What next?
"A quick study, huh?" Kakashi's sensei sounds equal parts impressed and disappointed. Weird.
"Do you need to use the Third Training Ground?" she asks. "Sensei is testing my range right now. It doesn't make any difference if it's here or somewhere else."
"The range of your sensory technique? How's that going?" he asks.
She gestures. So-so.
"Not so good then," Minato guesses, smiling sympathetically.
"What about you, Minato-san?"
"M-me?"
"Un. You're a sensor type."
Kakashi glances between her and his sensei in the resulting silence. He's grudgingly impressed.
"Well, I don't know if it's the type you're thinking. I wasn't born a sensor—I'm learning from the Toad Sages."
"I see." She's not sure how to digest that information, as it makes little sense to her. "Orochimaru-sama has been trying to figure out if I have advanced chakra sensitivity or some form of emotional hypervigilance."
She's never heard either term before, and wonders why they weren't taught at the Academy. Minato seems to know what they are, as he reacts with surprise and a concern that verges on pity.
Then, there's a feeling like someone breathing down her neck and she turns, heart thudding as cold sweat beads down her neck. Intense curiosity verging on annoyance—but it's Orochimaru-sama. She waves and he appears in a flickering shunshin. He doesn't acknowledge Minato or Kakashi.
"Fifty meters. You showed awareness when I actively observed you. What got your attention?" he asks.
"Curiosity." She lies.
"And how did you know it was me and not an unrelated passerby?"
"…"
"Well?"
"The intensity."
"And if someone else were to feel strong curiosity?"
"…" she considers. "Someone else wouldn't feel annoyed and curious when looking at someone unrelated."
"Annoyed…?" He turns the word over in his head like it's sour and crosses his arms at her. Finally, he acknowledges Minato.
"Minato, I believe I have booked the Third Training Ground for this period."
Minato rubs the back of his neck, feeling chastised.
She's only just realized, but Minato doesn't seem that old. A teenager.
"Sorry, Orochimaru-san—I got curious."
Orochimaru snorts.
"Honōka-kun, how would you describe Minato?"
"Overly sympathetic—sensitive. Idealistic. Shifty."
Her sensei smirks. He agrees. Minato reacts to each word like a physical pinch. They aren't very shinobi-like qualities, except for the last one, but she didn't mean it the way everyone else seems to have interpreted it. Oh well.
"Ano, Honōka-chan, how did you know I was a sensor type?" Minato asks.
Orochimaru looks intrigued—he didn't hear that part of the conversation, or know Minato was a sensor type either.
"I didn't," she says. "You told me."
Confusion.
"…I did, but you asked me first…?"
She shrugs.
"You were sympathetic to my lack of progress. I guessed you were experiencing similar frustrations that you could relate to mine. You confirmed my suspicion when I asked."
"She got you, Sensei." Kakashi says. Minato winces.
"Excellent deduction, Honōka-kun. You may yet have a career with T&I." Something that makes him gleeful in a very not nice way. At least it's not directed at her.
"Orochimaru-san… is that a good idea? Honōka-chan mentioned she might be hypervigilant—emotionally hypervigilant."
Her sensei flashes her an exasperated look. Should she not have told Minato?
"Hypervigilance is likely a symptom of something else—possibly from engaging her extrasensory perception frequently, or even constantly."
That sends a shock through Minato. For anyone to extend their senses constantly is, well, overwhelming.
"Yes… on a separate note, would you happen to know what your student's nature affinity is? Honōka-kun has such an interesting way of describing Kakashi-kun."
Minato and Kakashi share a dubious look. Orochimaru can make a harmless question sound… not so harmless. They nod.
"Honōka-kun—what was that word you used again?"
"Staticky."
Orochimaru resists the urge to scowl at the unprofessional word, and Minato's eyes widen in surprise.
"Kakashi's nature is staticky! I mean, his chakra nature is lightning!"
Kakashi rolls his eyes. Minato is nearly giddy.
"Ne, what's my chakra nature, Honōka-chan?"
"Hmn…" she considers. He feels kind of wishy-washy. "Watery?"
Minato takes damage. He dramatically drops to his knees. "Not you too, Honōka-chan…!"
Orochimaru doesn't hold back his snickers, just hides them behind his hand. Kakashi flashes her an irritated glare for breaking his sensei. She looks to her sensei for the answer to Minato's bizarre behavior.
"Minato, like yourself and Kakashi-kun, is lauded as a once in a generation prodigy. Despite this, he is unable to grasp his natural affinity for water."
"H-hey, I can use it, it's just…"
"Underwhelming?" Orochimaru offers. "Perhaps your generation's genius passed you over in favor of Kakashi-kun and Honōka-kun?"
That actually makes Minato feel strangely hopeful. Weirdo.
Honōka considers him again and offers him a hand up. He gives her an authentic smile and accepts her help—though he obviously has to do most of the work himself.
"Maybe your chi is out of alignment? My friend was having trouble molding chakra until she stopped forcing it to conform to some expectation she had."
He's not following her, but considers it none the less.
"Maybe. When I found out I had a water affinity, I really wanted to emulate the Nidaime Hokage. I certainly had a lot of expectation for how to go about doing that."
Honōka shrugs.
"If I tried to learn things the way other people do, I'd never learn anything."
"Is that why you still can't throw anything without maiming yourself or causing friendly fire?"
She gives Kakashi the look and un-spools a length of wire from her armguard.
"Have you ever been rabbit hunting, Kakashi-kun?" she asks, channeling her sensei's brand of not nice. Orochimaru secretly finds it hilarious when she does that.
"Now, now, you guys!" Minato says, holding his hands up. He seems alarmed. "Let's not fight…!"
Kakashi is more relaxed about it and interprets it as her issuing a challenge.
"Have you learned any new moves since we last sparred?"
She frowns. She hasn't. Kakashi has.
"No."
Kakashi has a brief flash of disappointment, then his eyes narrow. He thinks she's lying, trying to get him to lower his guard—which he grudgingly respects.
"I'm not lying," she says.
He shoots her a look of disbelief. He's probably wondering if she can read minds. She can't, unfortunately.
"I've been figuring out the sensor stuff and learning general skills like wall climbing and water walking. I didn't grow up with shinobi parents, so there are lots of things I never learned that the Academy assumes students know already."
"…maa, that's true."
"Oh, so that's why we haven't seen you on any D-ranks, Honōka-chan." Minato says. "You've been quite busy catching up on the general skills and supplementary knowledge."
"Snooping, Minato? It does not suit you." Orochimaru rebukes. Minato winces out a smile.
"Hey, why don't we have Kakashi and Honōka-chan do D-ranks together?" he proposes. "That way Honōka-chan learns her way around the mission desk and Kakashi takes a break—um, gains experience leading a team."
Orochimaru snorts. "If you think he is up for the responsibility, Minato." He doesn't mention that getting Honōka anywhere is like herding cats.
Naturally, D-ranks don't go well. Alternatively, they go too well.
Three of the supposed D-rank turn into C-ranks, as they apprehend a robber while painting a fence; face a flesh-eating boar while weeding a field; and bust a minor drug trafficking operation while cleaning up trash on the streets.
They're reporting their latest exploits to the Hokage while their respective teachers stand to the side. The Hokage already scolded Orochimaru and Minato for not supervising their apprentices more actively.
"You did not tell me your student was a danger magnet, Minato." Orochimaru drawls. He knows who is responsible for the situation. He just likes making Minato sweat.
"I swear, this has never happened before! Kakashi is very by the book, usually…"
The Hokage sighs out a stream of smoke and Honōka waves it away. Her sensei told her it's rude to show discomfort in front of someone smoking (if they're Hokage-sama or Mitsuha specifically) but she doesn't care.
"Kakashi-kun, Honōka-kun, do you have anything else to offer?"
Kakashi shakes his head. He already explained the mission parameters changed, and that it was their duty to apprehend the targets.
"Orochimaru-sama says it's my responsibility as a sensor type to identify dangerous individuals before my teammates while on missions. I deemed the targets dangerous enough to bring to Kakashi-senpai's attention." And, if Kakashi preens a little at being called senpai, it goes unnoticed by the adults.
"Sensor type?" Hiruzen sounds surprised. "Natural or acquired?"
"Natural," her sensei answers. "Innate, even. Honōka-kun, distance to targets and what alerted you to their presence."
"The robber—twelve to fifteen meters. Target was in the process of securing a hostage to use as leverage. The hostage's panic was overwhelming. The boar—fifteen to sixteen hundred meters—"
Minato chokes. "Fifteen hundred meters?!"
Orochimaru shushes him with an open palm held up. He's intrigued. Fifteen hundred meters is far for Honōka.
"Target was weird. All the animals in the vicinity were frightened. Target was anxious and confused on closer inspection—itchy. Inuzuka Tsume confirmed the target was rabid postmortem."
"Interesting. Continue."
"The drug trafficking ring—within two hundred meters. Targets were on the lookout for shinobi, agitated. Their behavior was suspicious. I used a henge to transform into a street kid and was approached by the targets. They assumed I was a buyer. We reported the incident to the KKB—so we didn't actually apprehend the targets. Uchiha Mikoto-san expressed to the Mission Assignment Desk that our tip was invaluable, resulting in the mission upgrade."
Minato radiates nervous energy, like drops of water jumping on a hot surface. Orochimaru is amused but is keeping a straight face. Hokage-sama seems fondly exasperated.
"It would seem you have a rare gift, Honōka-kun. I'm glad Kakashi-kun was there to keep you on protocol."
He puffs on his pipe and leans back in his chair. His mind is suddenly a million miles away, lost in thought.
"Personally, I feel both of you are operating on a level above genin—chūnin. However," before anyone can get excited about potential promotions, "Tobirama-sensei was loath to promote children to any rank before eight, which I've already undermined."
The regret, guilt, and self-loathing, is like a punch in the gut. She bites her tongue to keep from gasping.
It's gone as fast as it appeared, and the Hokage continues.
"So, I will not be promoting either of you to chūnin at this time."
Disappointment from Kakashi, relief from Minato, irritation from Sensei. Honōka decides it doesn't bother her one way or the other.
"However, given your talents, I will leave it to your teachers' discretion to take you on higher rank missions—where they will properly supervise your actions."
Honōka frowns. So they're chūnin, basically. Gosh, the Hokage makes no sense sometimes. Does he have morals or not?