Chapter 3

Hiruzen Sarutobi's office was the picture of academia. There were scrolls, file cabinets, books (stacked by the dozen), and several shelving units. The last time Kazumi visited his office, it was to report the findings of her squad's last mission.

And that had been one month ago.

She inhaled deeply, noting the stale smell of tobacco and parchment. It hasn't changed a bit, she thought, glancing at his desk. How does he find anything in this mess?

"You must be curious as to why I scheduled this meeting," Sarutobi said. He approached his desk at a leisurely pace. "Well, I won't keep you in suspense…"

Kazumi watched as he lowered himself into the large, leather chair. Was he stalling on purpose? At the very least, it seemed there was no sense of urgency. That in and of itself put her at ease.

"Now then," the Hokage continued, "as you well know, Iruka's students graduated from the Academy last Monday." He produced a small tin of tobacco from his desk and uncapped it. "All of them passed – which was unexpected. There are usually one or two kids who don't make it."

"You remember Naruto, don't you?" Kakashi asked, glancing at the woman beside him.

"Of course," Kazumi stated. She smiled at the thought of him. "How could I forget?"

"Believe it or not, he made it too." Sarutobi packed loose tobacco in the bowl of his pipe. "Not formally, of course…Iruka chose to promote him after the business with Mizuki."

"Rightfully so," Kazumi interjected. "He is a gifted student. I have no doubt that he will excel as a genin."

"Oh?" Kakashi said, lofting a brow. "With such high praise, I hope he doesn't disappoint."

"That's right." Sarutobi held the pipe between his lips and lit the chamber with a match. "Naruto will be on Kakashi's team this year."

Kazumi's heart sank. She was all too familiar with Kakashi's evaluation methods. Suffice to say that his pedagogy had been a topic of debate in the past.

"Who will Naruto be working with?" she asked.

"His teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno," Sarutobi said. He took a sip of smoke before speaking again. "Both are exemplary students – though Sakura's talent lies more in theory than in application."

"Her exam scores were off the charts," Kakashi added. "But she needs to learn how to apply herself in the field."

A moment of silence fell over the room. While Kazumi enjoyed discussing former students, she did not want to monopolize the meeting. The Hokage was a busy man; he likely had other engagements to attend.

"In any case," Sarutobi waved his hand to dismiss the previous topic. "I called you here, Kazumi, because I have an assignment for you." He studied her expression – which was the picture of curiosity – before elaborating. "You were an asset to the Academy. Though you have proven yourself on missions, I find greater value in your approach to education."

Kazumi nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. She was content to listen until he had finished speaking.

"For this reason, I am assigning you a squad of genin," he stated. "You will oversee their training and – when they are ready – accompany them on missions." Sarutobi picked up a folder and offered it to her. "Here. These are their academic records. Please review them before meeting your students."

"Of course," she said. Kazumi bowed to the Hokage before she took the folder. "I am honored."

"She is elated," Kakashi corrected. His tone held a note of humor. "Oddly enough, we were discussing her career on our way to your office."

"Wait – you knew?" Kazumi turned her head in his direction. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I told him not to." Sarutobi chuckled at her reaction. "If he had briefed you beforehand, it would have been unethical."

"Unethical?" she asked. "How so?"

"Kakashi will oversee your progress." Sarutobi drew from the bit of his pipe. A puff of smoke filled the air when he exhaled. "Think of this as a practicum. Though these three genin are your students," he said, motioning to the folder, "you – yourself – are Kakashi's student. He will review your lesson plans, reports, and evaluations."

The joy that she felt evaporated in an instant. How could she work with Kakashi when his methods were radically different from her own?

"I know the two of you don't see eye-to-eye on every aspect of training," Sarutobi added, "but I believe that a different perspective will benefit you, Kazumi."

Kazumi took a moment to compose herself before answering. "I agree," she said. "His experience as a shinobi is invaluable." Her tone was sweet, but the words tasted bitter on her tongue.

"Then it is settled." Sarutobi affirmed his position with a nod. "Thank you both for your cooperation. The students of Team 6 are lucky to have you, Kazumi."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," she said, bowing at the waist. "I will not let you down."

Kakashi bowed as well. "I will walk Kazumi home and review the files with her."

"See that you do," Sarutobi said. "You meet the members of your squad tomorrow. Dismissed."

On his word, Kakashi and Kazumi took their leave of his office.Her vexed expression – eyebrows drawn, and lips pressed together – suggested that she did not want to talk. Nevertheless, Kakashi tried to engage her.

"I'm glad that we'll be working together," he said. "I know that it isn't so much a mission as it is an assignment, but–"

"Look." Kazumi turned to him when they entered the stairwell. She kept her voice low to prevent it from carrying. "There's a reason we don't talk about pedagogy. You know that."

"Hey," he said calmly, "let's take it one day at a time, Umi."

"Fine," she agreed, hugging the folder to her chest.

A cacophony of voices filled the first floor hallway. Unfortunately, they would have to weave through throngs of children to exit the building.

"We should probably wait here until they clear out," Kakashi suggested, reaching into his pocket. "I'm not in a rush; besides, it'll give you some time to look through that folder. Aren't you the least bit curious?" He pulled out a small orange book and leaned against the wall. Some things never changed.

"Wait," Kazumi said, "you're reading that series? Jeez…I'll never get over what passes for literature nowadays."

"Oh, this? It's just a bit of light reading…" The man cleared his throat and thumbed to the page he had left off on.

"You're not embarrassed to read that in public? I mean, Icha Icha Paradise is a bit racy."

"Umi…have you read it?" he asked. It looked as though his eye would bug out of his head if she said "Yes."

Kazumi leaned against the adjacent wall and shrugged. "It was advertised on a billboard near my apartment. …Guess I wanted to see what all the hype was about."

"Uh…" Kakashi blinked and slowly closed the book. He was unsure of what to say next, but his expression (or what Kazumi could see of it) said it all.

He was intrigued.

"Anyway." Kazumi paused; the raucous din had ended at last. "The halls should be clear now," she said. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Kakashi slipped the book back into his pocket and followed her down the stairs. "So…did you like it, Umi?"

"Like what?"

"Icha Icha Paradise."

"I'll leave that to your imagination," she said coyly. "All I can say is that the author has no idea how to write women."

As soon as Kazumi reached the ground floor, she exited the stairwell and opened the folder. At first glance, she knew: she'd have her work cut out with Team 6.