Chapter 9

It was late afternoon by the time Kazumi left the hospital. Luckily, Iruka Umino had contacted Jun's parents in advance; he, however, had been unfortunate enough to receive the brunt of their ire.

The Kobayashi family might not have been a noble clan, but they were certainly one of the wealthiest. Jiro, Jun's father, ran a family-owned construction company. He himself was a civil engineer, responsible for the development of affordable housing. Her mother Aiya, on the other hand, sold real estate.

Jun's reason for attending the Academy was simple: her parents were seldom home.

Iruka decided to accompany Kazumi on her walk. His apartment was not far from hers, so it made sense to tag along. He strolled at the same pace with hands set firmly in his pockets. "You know," he said, "I hope you didn't take it personally." When Kazumi didn't respond, he paid her a sideways glance. "They can't touch you. You know that, right?"

She could not unhear the conversation that she had had with Jun's parents.

"How could you be so careless? Why weren't you watching her?!" Jiro removed a kerchief from his pocket and dabbed the sweat on his brow. "Her second day and she winds up in the hospital. Unbelievable."

"I want her removed from the program immediately, Iruka." Aiya held Jun to her chest and smoothed a hand over her silken, black hair. "I'll write to Lord Hokage myself if I have to."

"Kazumi-san?"

Iruka's voice brought her back to the present. "What?"

He sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't your fault," he assured. "Kids get hurt. Chunin and jonin get hurt. These things happen all the time."

"I know," she replied coolly.

"Hey," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm just trying to make you feel better."

Kazumi slowly came to a stop. "I know that too. I just – I'm angry, alright?" She inhaled sharply to temper her words. It was too little, too late. "Her parents could give a shit about her any other time, but she gets an injury – a sprained wrist – and suddenly I'm to blame? Really?"

Though well known for her optimism, Kazumi had a nasty temper. If pushed to her limit, she found it difficult to regain composure. Turning every obstacle into a "positive learning experience" took its toll over time; that was one of her most toxic traits.

A drop of sweat slid down the side of Iruka's face. Passersby took notice of her outburst. "Kazumi-san," he pleaded, "people are staring."

Her reputation was on the line. Kazumi licked her teeth and – quite literally – bit her tongue. Were it not for Iruka's gentle disposition, she might have even shared her stance with Jun's parents.

"I have to go," she said, glancing in the direction of the forest. Her patience had stretched dangerously thin. "Need to clear my head."

Iruka was in no position to argue. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll…see you soon, Kazumi."

The two colleagues went their separate ways. Although Iruka stayed true to his path, Kazumi opted for a jog in the woods. On the rare occasion that she did lose her temper, it was the first place she visited. Kazumi always found respite in the forest's embrace.

Clack, clack, clack, clack!

The sound of her stride echoed through the thicket. All Kazumi could hear, however, was the ragged sound of her breath. It was a wonderful sensation; at peak performance, she had no time – nor desire – to dwell on her mood. There would be time for reflection at home.

She reached her destination at last: a small, verdant glade. It was an intimate place – perfect for meditation. There were only two people who knew its whereabouts, and Kazumi intended to keep it that way.

She immediately unzipped her vest and tossed it aside. While the garment was necessary, it hindered her ability to move. Perhaps the vest was too tight…but that was an issue for another day. "Damn," she hissed. The taste of iron lingered on her tongue. "I-I'm out of shape."

Her last mission ended one month ago. Since then, she had done little in the way of training. Kazumi instead spent her days reading, writing, and snacking. What reason did she have to be motivated? Until she could be cleared for duty, A, B, and C rank missions were out of the question.

And then it clicked.

She exhaled and lowered herself into a soft bed of grass. "I was assigned to a squad because it's the only way I can be useful right now." Kazumi sprawled and gazed at the clouds. They had darkened since that morning; the sun was nowhere to be seen. Whether it rained or not was of no concern; as such, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her.

"So," someone called, "do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't need to sit up. Kazumi knew who had joined her in the clearing. After all, he was the only other person who knew where to look. "Who told you."

"Iruka did. I bumped into him on my way to the Academy." Kakashi approached but remained standing. "I had to file some paperwork."

"Should've been easy to complete," she said. "Doesn't take much time to write 'failed,' does it?"

"Actually, they passed."

Kazumi propped herself up on her elbows. "They passed?" She was absolutely gobsmacked. "Bullshit they did." Based on Naruto's relationship with Sasuke and Sakura, her disbelief had merit; Kakashi's exercise, after all, depended on teamwork.

"Really," he insisted, "they passed. All on their own."

She sat up when he confirmed the news. "That's great," she said. "Wow – how'd they do it? What happened?"

"Well," he began, "Initially, I did fail them." Kakashi sighed and took a seat beside her. "They were the worst genin I'd ever evaluated." He looked skyward. The scent of rain hung heavy in the air. "But they surprised me."

"How?"

"They disobeyed an order." Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. "I told Sasuke and Sakura not to feed Naruto…but they did it anyway."

"Wait, hold on – why weren't they allowed to feed him?"

"Because he tried to sneak one of the bento boxes during the exercise." He reclined and placed an arm behind his head for support. "But anyway, as I told them, it's better to break the rules than desert your friends." Kakashi turned his head toward her. "They thought for themselves, so they passed."

It was a sound lesson – one that Team 7 would not soon forget.

"So," he repeated, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't stand Jun's parents," she confessed. "They're never around. Hell, I don't even think they came to graduation." I didn't either, Kazumi thought. "She sprained her wrist in training today. Believe me, they showed up."

"How'd she do that?"

"We were running drills – Yakusoku Kumite Dai Ichi. Jun fell on number ten."

"You were?"

"Yeah…what, didn't you see my lesson plan? I left it on my desk for you this morning."

Kakashi immediately broke eye contact and looked at the clouds. The desk. "I, uh…no. I didn't see it." His cheeks burned behind the mask. "That desk…do you like it?"

"Huh?" She laid down and rolled onto her side. He had her full attention. "I mean, it's alright. Why?"

"Oh, I – well…I could use a new one." Kakashi cleared his throat. "Mine's getting old. I've had it for a while."

"I bought it from a carpenter," she said. "If you want, I can give you the name of his shop." Kazumi waited for him to either accept or decline the offer. When he didn't reply, she nudged his leg with the tip of her boot. "Seriously. It gets the job done. …Probably the sturdiest desk I've ever had."

Fuck.

Kakashi roused himself immediately. "Damn it," he muttered. A spurt of blood darkened the fabric around his nose.

"What's wrong?" Kazumi asked. "You alright?"

He turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, yeah…just a nosebleed. Happens when I lay down sometimes."

"You should get that looked at." The woman pushed against the ground and slowly climbed to her feet. "I could put you in touch with my sister. She's a medical-nin."

"I'll be fine," he muttered.

A drop of water tickled Kazumi's nose. Another flecked her cheek. The steady drip, drip, drop of rain resonated on the leafy canopy overhead. Kazumi could not help but laugh. After a long, stressful day, she had finally found resolution. It was time to head home.

"You think this is funny? Umi, we'll get soaked."

"I know," she replied. She smiled coyly as she traipsed toward the tree line. "At least no one will see the stain." Kazumi reached for her vest and slipped it on.

"Good point." Kakashi slid a hand into his pocket. "I suppose we should get going…not that it matters now." He sighed and leaned against a tree. "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"Not that I can think of. Why?" She was half-listening. It took more effort to zip the vest when it was wet.

"You mentioned kumite earlier." Kakashi crossed his arms. "Thought it'd be fun to have a match. Free sparring, of course – those drills are dangerous."

"You're such a jerk," she replied. Kazumi grinned in spite of herself. "Fine. Meet me at the Academy after work. Oh – and bring another mask. You might get a bloody nose."

The two of them shared a laugh as they exited the clearing. Come what may, Kazumi knew that she had someone to confide in tomorrow.