Chapter 14

The weekend was, unsurprisingly, very dull. Though the lack of activity might have perturbed some people, Kazumi enjoyed her time off. She found joy in the little things – especially after a long week. Now reemployed, there was little time to socialize or enjoy hobbies; the kids – her kids – came first.

Nevertheless, Kazumi had been productive on her three-day weekend. She visited the Kobayashi residence as planned to discuss Jun's status as a genin. The conversation went as expected; after a bit of self-deprecation, Jiro and Aiya agreed to reenroll their daughter in the program. Kazumi hoped that Jun would be waiting in the field with her teammates when she arrived.

It was uncharacteristic of her to be late. Kazumi valued punctuality and strove to set a standard for her students. Still, there were times when it couldn't be helped; sleep continued to elude her – especially in the early morning hours. She knew what was causing her bouts of insomnia, but Kazumi preferred to feign ignorance and sweep her troubles under the proverbial rug.

"About time they let you come back! Jeez. Your parents really suck, don't they?"

Emiko's voice was unmistakable. Ordinarily, Kazumi would have scolded her for such a rude comment. For now, though, she'd let it slide; she felt vindicated by Emiko's opinion.

"Good morning," she said, waving. "Sorry I'm late!"

None of them seemed to mind – Hiroshi, least of all. As usual, his book consumed him. Emiko flicked him upside the head to redirect his attention.

"Ow! What'd I do?"

Emiko gestured to their teacher. Hiroshi dog-eared the page he left off on before shoving the volume in his bag.

Jun was less animated than her peers. She sat atop a boulder, picking idly at a patch of moss. "Yeah," she agreed, "they do suck."

Grass squished underfoot as Kazumi approached. An overnight rainstorm saturated the ground. She would have been more than ten minutes late if the main roads were affected. "I'm so glad to see you! How are we feeling today?"

Emiko crossed her arms. She did not seem eager to share. "How come you're late?"

Kazumi's smile faltered. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"Yeah, well. You said that a few days ago, too."

"You're right," she conceded, "I did. So…I guess I'm feeling tired today. Anyone else?"

Hiroshi raised his hand timidly. "I-I'm excited. The new issue of Calamity Classroom comes out today. Mom said she'd get it for me while I was out."

Emiko rolled her eyes. Before she could utter a word, Kazumi sent her a glance that said don't. The last thing she needed was an argument to start the workweek.

She provided several seconds of think-time. When no one answered, Kazumi decided to move on. "Anyway," she said, "we're going to try something new today."

Jun lifted her head and slid off the boulder. "Like what?"

"A mission."

Emiko cheered and slung an arm around Jun's shoulders. "Finally! I was getting so bored!"

Jun leaned into her friend. The smallest smile crept across her face as she said, "Me too."

Hiroshi, however, did not seem eager. His face paled when Kazumi delivered the news. "A-Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean…what if we're not ready?"

They were as ready as they could be. Kakashi and Kurenai were right: it was time to assess their team working skills. Even the most skilled ninja were useless if they failed to cooperate.

"I considered that," Kazumi replied. She made eye contact with each of them before proceeding. "But here's the thing: I need to see you in action before I make that call. You're–"

"So," Emiko interjected, "all those drills were basically pointless."

Kazumi set her eyes on the red-headed child. Her expression lacked amusement. "I am speaking," she said coolly. "If you have something to say, raise your hand when I finish."

It was uncharacteristic of her to be so stern. Whenever Emiko interrupted, she usually shifted the conversation in her favor. The sudden change in demeanor left little room for argument.

"As I was saying," she continued, "you're genin now and I intend to treat you that way."

The finality of her statement held their attention. In a few short minutes, everything changed. There had been no clean break from the Academy for the members of Team 6. Though she supplemented their skills, Kazumi taught them little about teamwork.

The Hokage was wise to pair her with Kakashi; she needed a mentor who could change her approach to teaching.

Hiroshi, slack-jawed, paid a sideways glance to the girls beside him. Jun seemed dumbfounded, too; she stared – wide-eyed – at the tree line across the meadow.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Kazumi sighed and stooped to their level. The ground squelched when her knee found purchase on it. "We should've had this conversation on day one. I made the mistake of treating you as students instead of teammates. It stops today."

Her approach might have been gentler if she was well-rested. Instead of asking for forgiveness, Kazumi stood up and turned her head in the direction of the Academy. The Hokage would brief them at ten o'clock. If they were lucky, their assignment would be simple.

The walk to the Academy was a quiet one. Even Emiko – the loudmouth of the group – hadn't said a word since they left the field. As they neared their destination, Jun fell in step beside her teacher. Their footsteps echoed in the long, empty corridor.

"Why today?" she asked quietly. "I wanted to ask you back there, but…"

Kazumi looked at her. Though she did not smile, there was kindness in her eyes. "Well," she began, "I did some thinking last weekend. I thought about you…and about how we left things."

Jun flushed and hid behind her curtain of long, dark hair. "Oh."

"And I realized something." The door to the Mission Assignment Desk lay ahead. She stopped short of the it, intent on finishing their conversation. "If you're going to succeed, I need to give you a chance to try."

When Jun didn't reply, Kazumi filled the silence by knocking on the door. She wasn't the least bit surprised. Given the nature of their last conversation, she didn't expect Jun to open up any time soon.

The door slid open to reveal a panel of ninja. Among them were Iruka and, of course, the Hokage himself. Kazumi and her students bowed before entering the room.

"Good morning," Sarutobi said. He motioned for them to approach. "I wondered when I would see you, Kazumi-san. I trust that everything is well."

"Absolutely," she chirped. The cheerful façade had returned at last.

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied. "Now then, let's see what we have for you…"

Emiko, Jun, and Hiroshi waited expectantly. Kazumi kept a close watch on them, all the while praying they would behave. She did not want to appear incompetent as an educator or a disciplinarian.

"Hm." Sarutobi sipped on his pipe as he reviewed the list of D-rank missions. "This could be interesting…yes, I think this'll do nicely." He beheld Team 6 before delivering the verdict. "The Yoshida family is having an estate sale. They would like a team of genin t–"

"Seriously? That's it?"

Kazumi flinched when she heard Emiko's voice. So much for good behavior.

"What, were you expecting something else?" Sarutobi sighed, releasing a plume of smoke from his mouth. "Iruka, I trust you reviewed D-rank missions in your class…"

"I did," he confirmed. "Several times, in fact."

"I thought so."

"May I address my student?" Kazumi asked. She inhaled sharply, knowing full well that she'd hear about the incident later.

"Please," Sarutobi said.

"Arigatou gozaimasu." She wasn't chipper anymore. Kazumi placed a hand on Emiko's back and led her away from the group. "We talked about this." Her voice was soft, yet sharp. "You do not, under any circumstances, interrupt someone when they are speaking."

"Well yeah, but–"

"No 'yeah, but' – it's disrespectful."

Emiko raised her hand.

Kazumi sighed. "What is it?"

"You interrupted me, sensei."

It took great restraint to remain calm. Kazumi closed her eyes, bit her tongue, and chose her words carefully. "You're right. I did. I'm sorry." When annoyed, she had a habit of speaking in short, choppy sentences.

"I accept your apology."

"Wonderful," she muttered. "Look: I know this mission isn't as exciting as you'd hoped, but we have to start somewhere. Would you prefer to babysit or grocery shop? I'm sure there are plenty of those tasks to choose from…"

"Pfft. No."

"Alright," she said. "We'll make the most of it, then."

"Kay." Emiko buried her hands in her pockets and rejoined the group.

Kazumi, exasperated, approached the board. "We would be glad to meet with the Yoshida family," she declared, bowing her head. "Thank you for your consideration."

Once the paperwork was squared away, Team 6 took their leave. Kazumi led the charge, her jaw set in a most unpleasant way. She'd had her fill of Emiko and it wasn't even noontime.

There was an autumnal chill in the air.