Chapter 12

Another day in the books. Kazumi leaned against the cool, stucco wall of the Academy and watched as her students trekked home. Initially, the two genin walked side by side; but there must have been talk of another race along the way. Emiko suddenly tagged her teammate and dashed down the path. Hiroshi gave chase, almost dropping his bag in the process. Their rivalry reminded her of all the arbitrary contests she'd had with her friends.

"Yeah, alright! I've got enough for Ichiraku tonight!"

"That's what you want to spend it on?"

Kazumi turned her head toward the front entrance. Sure enough, Sakura and Naruto were bickering again. "Really?" she thought, "Sakura, we talked about this a few days ago…" Kakashi and the Uchiha boy followed without a word. It seemed that they, too, were tired of their squabbling.

Naruto's froggy wallet – which was quite fat with ryō – jingled as he held it. "Well yeah," he said. "Why, what're you gonna spend yours on?"

"I'm going to save it," she said matter-of-factly.

"Guys," Kakashi interjected, "let's just agree to disagree, hm?"

Kazumi rolled her eyes. Thankfully, Team 7 hadn't spotted her yet. "Agree to disagree?" she supposed. "That's ironic…" Their tiff was still at the forefront of her mind. How could he – a man with little teaching experience – question her methods? She set her jaw and moved away from the wall, eager to return to that cozy little hovel above the Nakamura Noodle House.

It didn't take long for someone to notice. As soon as she left the shady patch along the wall, her clothing stood in stark contrast against the bright, green grass. Naruto broke from his group and sprinted to meet his former teacher. He – along with Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest – had taken her taijutsu class at the Academy. "Kazumi-sensei!" he shouted.

Naruto didn't give her enough time to respond. As soon as he reached her, the boy hooked his arms around her waist. The collision almost sent Kazumi to the ground. He had always been an impulsive, energetic child; the gesture – though startling – did not surprise her. "Oof – hey, Naruto-kun." She squeezed him tightly and ruffled his hair before letting go. "How was your first mission?"

"Well…it was okay, I guess," he said. "But I don't think babysitting counts as ninja work. I want a mission – a real mission!"

She smirked. His enthusiasm was refreshing. "We all have to start somewhere. Be patient."

Her guidance seemed to have gone over his head. "Oh – and look at Gama-chan!" Naruto presented his chubby coin purse and shook it. "See, see?! I'm getting ramen tonight!"

"Naruto." Kakashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You should keep that in your pocket."

Kazumi nodded. Despite her petty attitude, she did appreciate Kakashi's input. "I agree with Kakashi-sensei. You wouldn't want anyone to…steal it." She sighed, recalling the events that transpired in Iruka's classroom. Jun and Emiko used his froggy wallet for sport. If she hadn't intervened, the girls might have stolen his money.

"Yeah…probably a good idea," Naruto replied. He shoved the pouch in his pocket and nearly popped a stitch. Perhaps he should do a bit of spending; at the very least, his wallet would be easier to carry.

Sasuke and Sakura awaited instruction. After all, Kakashi hadn't dismissed them yet; it would have been rude to leave – especially in the company of another adult. They looked absolutely spent. Despite Naruto's fervor, babysitting was no easy task.

Sakura spoke up first. "Uh…sensei?"

Kakashi looked over his shoulder. "Oh – you're still here. Sorry about that." Instead of dismissing his students outright, he turned and addressed them properly. "You're free to go, but if you want to stay…" Why did he keep them in suspense? Kazumi watched the kids' expressions; each of them seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. Even Sasuke – the most aloof child that Kazumi had met to date – did not break eye contact with his teacher.

"What, what, what?!" Naruto could not contain himself. "More training? A new jutsu? What?!"

"Well," Kakashi continued, "Kazumi-sensei and I are going to spar."

"We are?" she asked.

"Yes," he said plainly. Kakashi regarded her with a vacant stare. "Did you forget?"

What was she supposed to do, admit that she was bitter and no longer interested? That wouldn't set a good example. "Yeah," she lied. "Sorry! It's been a long day."

"But you're still gonna spar, right?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "C'mon, sensei! Please?"

She couldn't bring herself to disappoint him. Kazumi smiled half-heartedly and nodded. "Sure," she said. "I don't have anywhere to be." That wasn't exactly true; there was a hot cup of tea and a book waiting for her at home. If their match was brief – which it would be – she'd have time to spare.

"I'll stay!" Sakura declared. "What about you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. His expression remained constant; did the boy ever smile? "I guess."

Kakashi jabbed a thumb in the direction of the schoolyard. "Alright. First one to the rope swing gets to sleep in tomorrow morning."

The three genin wasted no time. How could they pass up such a generous offer? Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto flew down the green, each determined to claim victory. Kazumi cast a sideways glance at her friend and raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow is a holiday," she corrected. "We won't meet with our squads 'til Monday."

"I know," he chuckled. "But now we have time to talk."

"About?" She turned her attention to the rope swing. Sakura had won. Much to the chagrin of her teammates, the pink-haired kunoichi happily skipped around the yard.

"We didn't end on a good note last night," he admitted. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze. He seemed unsure of what to say.

Kazumi shrugged her shoulders. "It's fine. I'm over it."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Kakashi lifted his head and stared into her eyes. "Really, Umi?" His tone fell flat. Apparently, he was none too impressed with her indifferent reply.

"I don't want to talk about it," she quipped. "It's in the past. Let's just…move on, alright?" Though she was eager to change the subject, Kazumi couldn't help but notice her hypocrisy; she would likely stew about it all weekend.

Kakashi threw up his hands. "Alright," he conceded. "Have it your way."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "What's taking so long?"

That was their cue. Kazumi jerked her head in the direction of the yard and stepped off. "Coming!" She walked at a brisk pace, eager to fulfil her promise. She'd have Kakashi on his back within minutes of their match.

"So," he said awkwardly, "doing anything tomorrow?"

"I have to pay a visit to Jun's parents." Kazumi slowed her pace as they neared the fence. She didn't want the kids to overhear their conversation. "They demanded a formal apology. If I do well, they might allow Jun to rejoin us."

What a ludicrous condition. Evidently, Kakashi felt the same way; he rolled his eye and mumbled something inaudibly. She couldn't be sure, but Kazumi thought it sounded like a curse word.

When they reached the school yard, Naruto dashed toward them. The rope swing he had been sitting on rocked violently and clacked against the tree. Sasuke and Sakura, on the other hand, sat quietly in the shadow of the building. They had calmed considerably since their race had ended.

"So," Kakashi began, "who won the race?"

"I did," Sakura replied. She perked up marginally at the mention of their contest. "But…hey, wait. Tomorrow's a holiday, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan."

She deflated almost immediately. "Great," she muttered. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

Kazumi dropped her bag next to the fence. It landed with a dull thud and rolled onto its side. "Alright," she said. "Naruto, join your friends; we'll get started as soon as my hair's up." She threw her head forward and dragged her fingers through the long, tangled tresses. Maybe she should splurge on a trip to the salon; it'd be nice to ditch the elastics for a change.

As soon as she finished, Kazumi rejoined Kakashi and his students. They were talking about the effectiveness of kunai in hand-to-hand combat. "Ideally, you throw it…but you could use one at close range. It all depends on the situation."

Naruto shot his hand up in the air. Before Kakashi could call on him, he blurted, "She's back!"

Kakashi looked over his shoulder. "All set?"

"Yep."

"Good." He regarded his flock. "I want you three to use this time wisely. Don't just focus on one person; Kazumi-sensei and I fight differently."

The sun would set soon. As Kakashi debriefed his team, Kazumi listened to the familiar drone of cicadas. The sound reminded her of the last conversation she'd had with Jun.

"We had to repeat your class – and you weren't even there! You just left!"

"Umi?"

A familiar voice drew her from her thoughts. Kazumi turned around immediately, bowed to her partner, and put her hands up. There would be time to reflect at home.

Kakashi bowed, too, and assumed his stance. "I told Naruto that he could tell us when to go," he said playfully.

The boy wasted no time. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hajime!"

Neither jonin attacked when Naruto initiated the match; poise was key – especially at their level. Kakashi and Kazumi circled each other, waiting patiently for an opening.

There it was. As soon as Kakashi reached for his headband, Kazumi leapt forward and delivered a left gyaku-zuki. The punch landed at abdomen level, causing him to lose his footing. Kakashi dropped to one knee and hunched forward; would he admit defeat so easily?

"She got him!" Naruto exclaimed. "Alright!"

Kazumi knew better than to believe the charade. "Get up," she urged. "We aren't done yet."

"No," he agreed, "we're not." When Kakashi lifted his head, there were two eyes staring back at her.

Kazumi balked at his audacity. "Seriously?! You can't do that!"

"Well," he mused, "when you set the conditions, you didn't say anything about dojutsu…"

What a cheeky bastard! Kazumi gritted her teeth and prepared for another round. Victory was doubtful now; his sharingan could anticipate – and mimic – every technique in her arsenal. "That's bullshit and you know it!" she yelled.

He sprang upright and closed the distance with a flurry of kicks. Kazumi managed to parry all but one. A strong side kick slammed into her solar plexus, knocking the breath from her lungs. She collapsed on hands and knees, unable to recover while standing.

It didn't take him long to respond. Kakashi quickly covered his left eye and approached with an outstretched arm. "Here, Umi-chan," he offered. "I didn't mean t–"

He had been foolish to count her out. Kazumi grabbed his hand, rocked back, and hooked her ankle behind his knee. The momentum sent him tumbling over her shoulder. Two could play at that game; since he insisted on dojutsu, she was more than happy to use grappling techniques.

Kakashi landed squarely on his back. He grunted and gazed at the sky, too disoriented to move. Their match was not over yet; Kazumi mounted his hips and leaned forward, pinning both arms above his head. "Had enough?"

The three genin talked amongst themselves as they sat on the sidelines. "Whoa, what's that technique?" Naruto asked. "I haven't seen that before…"

"Probably something she thought of last minute," Sakura replied. "What do you think, Sasuke?"

"I think Kakashi-sensei got distracted. He wouldn't have fallen for that if one of us did it."

It was the only explanation that made sense. Kakashi peered at his partner and smirked. "I wasn't expecting that," he admitted.

Kazumi gradually relinquished her hold on his wrists. "I saw an opening an took it," she explained. "We haven't sparred in years; I'd forgotten how clever you are."

"Likewise," he muttered.

"How long are they gonna stay like that?" Naruto groaned. His right eye twitched. "It's like they're acting out a scene from his book."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Naruto!"

He whirled on her. "What?! We're all thinking it! It's weird!"

"Hey losers," Sasuke drawled, "they're getting up."

When Kazumi offered her hand, Kakashi took it graciously and stood up. They had agreed to call it quits while Team 7 was bickering.

"Thanks," he said, dusting off his pants. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

The trio came rushing out to meet them. As usual, Naruto was the one to speak first. "She really got you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Yes, she did," he agreed. "Alright. You three should get home. We've kept you long enough."

The sun had already disappeared behind the great stone faces. All that remained was the soft afterglow of twilight.

Kazumi looked at each of the three children in front of her. "Let's walk with them, Kakashi," she suggested. "It's getting dark. I want to make sure they get there safely."

"Hm…alright," he said. "Don't forget your bag, Umi."

As soon as she gathered her things, Kazumi joined Team 7 on their walk to the village. The night had not gone exactly as planned, but she was happy to have shared it with them. Maybe she would have time for that cup of tea after all.