Chapter 5

A chair clattered onto the floor as the girls ran around the classroom. Jun and Emiko – the two troublemakers of Team 6 – had managed to steal Naruto's wallet.

No one acknowledged Kazumi when she arrived. There were six kids in total. Of those six, two chose to ignore their classmates' antics. Sasuke Uchiha – a brooding boy with black hair – seemed deep in thought. The other, Hiroshi Sato, had his nose buried in a book.

"Hey, give it back!" Naruto shrieked. "That's mine!"

He lunged toward Emiko and tried to take it out of her hand. At the last minute, she dodged and tossed it to Jun.

"Who uses a frog for a wallet, anyway?" Jun taunted. She caught the purse with ease. "How old are you, six?" Before Naruto could grab it, she passed it back to Emiko.

Kazumi exhaled and made her way to the center of the room. She knew that shouting wouldn't work. It rarely ever did – especially when the kids were out of control.

"Raise your hand if you hear my voice."

Her tone was calm and even. Kazumi made eye contact with Sasuke first. As soon as her words registered, he raised his hand.

"Hiroshi."

"Hm?" The small, scrawny boy looked up from his book. He blinked, took one look at Sasuke, and immediately raised his hand.

These were words that Kazumi's students had heard countless times. Most of her strategies relied on groupthink – a phenomenon that occurs when people imitate each other for social acceptance.

"Naruto, just give up already!" Sakura yelled.

"Seriously," Emiko agreed. She held the wallet over his head as he jumped for it. She was tall – the tallest in the class – and as lithe as they come. Naruto didn't stand a chance.

"Raise your hand…if you hear my voice."

Sakura shot her hand up in the air as soon as the command registered. "Naruto!" she hissed, jabbing a finger over her shoulder. "Pay attention!"

"Worry about yourself, Sakura-chan," Kazumi said. "I'll handle it."

Jun, Emiko, and Naruto were still playing Monkey in the Middle when Kazumi reached the back of the classroom. When Emiko threw the wallet, Kazumi snatched it with one hand. The battered, frog-shaped pouch was free at last.

"Oh…h-hey, sensei," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

"It's alright, Naruto-kun," Kazumi replied. "Here." She offered the wallet and pointed to a desk. "Take a seat. Your squad leader will be here soon."

"Okay. Thanks." Naruto took the over-stuffed amphibian and tried to shove it in his pocket. The only sound heard was the jingling of coins.

Jun crossed her arms and slumped against the wall. She was a wisp of a girl with thin, ebon hair and pale skin. Her headband – which should have been on her forehead – was tied around her upper thigh.

Emiko, on the other hand, had bright, fiery hair and an attitude to match. She sat cross-legged on top of her desk. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You don't work here anymore."

Kazumi took a deep breath and made eye contact with Emiko. "Actually," she said, "I do." She turned on her heels and motioned for them to follow. "Jun, Emiko, Hiroshi – grab your things."

Hiroshi didn't hesitate. He slung his messenger bag over one shoulder and followed Kazumi to the door. Jun and Emiko, however, did not move.

"Girls," she said, "let's go." Kazumi's demeanor left no room for argument. She was unflappable.

"What are we going to learn from you anyway?" Jun peeled herself from the wall. "You taught us in year four. Pretty sure this is out of your league."

Her gaze fell on each of the girls before she spoke again. "Let me put it this way: You can learn from me…or not at all."

Emiko rolled her eyes and stood up. That was all the prompting she needed. The girl zipped her sweatshirt, tugged the hood over her head, and schlepped toward the front of the room.

Jun followed shortly thereafter. Before she left the room, though, she turned to Naruto and made the letter "L" with her fingers. Unfortunately, he was too busy to notice; for whatever reason, his attention had been captured by a chalkboard eraser.

"Weirdo," she muttered, shutting the door.

Kazumi looked at her squad. While she had anticipated some pushback, she could not believe what transpired in room 113. She felt jaded already.

"To say that I am 'disappointed' is an understatement," she said firmly. "You are genin now. I expect more from you."

Hiroshi shrank away from her words. The boy looked as if he might cry. "Gomen nasai," he squeaked.

It felt like someone kicked her in the stomach. Kazumi had forgotten how sensitive he could be. "Laps," she commanded, pointing to the schoolyard. "Ten of them. If you stop before you finish, you'll do ten more."

"Hai, sensei." Hiroshi turned and made his way to the yard. The sound of his sniffles echoed through the hallway.

Jun and Emiko did not argue; instead, they followed Hiroshi's example.

When all three children were out of sight, Kazumi heaved a sigh of relief. Would every day be a power struggle? With each passing minute, she became increasingly excited about seeing her friends after work. A cup of sake would do wonders for her mood.

"Well," someone called, "I'm impressed."

Kazumi looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Kakashi," she replied. "You missed lunch."

"True," he said. "But I did go on a run this morning." He stood beside Kazumi, waiting to see if any of her cherubs would return. "It was nice. You should try it sometime."

His comment struck a nerve. She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What? Was it something I said?"

"No," she lied. Her lips pressed into a small, forced smile. "Kurenai, Asuma, and I are going to Anago tonight." Kazumi turned to him. "You're welcome to join us. We're meeting at 6."

"Yeah, I could do that," he said wistfully. "Oh – did you happen to bring a copy of tomorrow's lesson plan? I'd like to review it."

"Damn it. I knew that I'd forgotten something this morning."

"Tell you what: I'll walk you home when we leave Anago. You can give it to me then."

"Yeah…yeah, that works." Kazumi glanced at the schoolyard. It came as no surprise that Jun and Emiko were sitting in the grass. "I should get back," she said. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. See you, Umi-chan." He waved goodbye before entering room 113. And when he did…

Thunk.