Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Ibiki, or Idate. I own Rei, though.

Shut Up Idate

"I see," said the Boss. Ibiki knelt down in apology in front of the noble old man, who was frowning slightly. "You are fortunate in that Kaganu was a recent acquirement, so Rei hadn't yet formed much of an attachment to him. I will overlook this incident."

"Thank you, Oyabun," Ibiki replied. He glanced to the side, where the blind girl was sitting. After the dog's burial, he had offered to guide her to her destination, and found out that she served Boss Jirocho. That fortunate coincidence had allowed them to travel the rest of the way together to see the Boss of Ibiki's brother. Idate himself was now standing in attendance behind the Boss.

"Now, as to business," the Boss went on. He gestured at the young man behind him. "I had originally hired Rei to instruct Idate in matters of diplomacy, as I am training him to be my successor."

"I am honoured, Oyabun!" Idate interjected. "I will strive to fulfil your utmost request for me! I will lead the organisation to a new era of…"

"Shut up, Idate," the Boss tossed across his shoulder, before continuing to address Ibiki. "As you can see, he has trouble knowing when and where to speak. This will be a hindrance to him, so I hired a professional diplomatic advisor to teach him propriety. But, since you just killed her dog, she is now hampered in her movements and in performing her duties."

Ibiki winced inwardly.

"Nevertheless, as a guest in my household, and since you came to visit your brother, who should be seeing Rei a lot, I hereby charge you to accompany Rei as her guide and eyes until we acquire another trained dog." Boss Jirocho leaned back with a satisfied smile. "That should at least solve our immediate problems, and kill quite a few birds with one stone."

"Are you sure, Oyabun?" Idate asked. "With all due respect for my brother, Rei-san is a delicate woman and I'm not sure if having a foreign ninja to be so close to…"

"Shut up, Idate." This time, Rei's soft voice joined the Boss. The young man shut up. Well, at least he obeys orders now, Ibiki thought, remembering a certain fiery incident in the boy's past.

Boss Jirocho frowned. "Nevertheless, the boy is right. I trust that there will not be any… improprieties… while Rei in your care, Morino-san."

Ibiki stood to attention. "You have my word as a Konoha shinobi, Oyabun."

Idate snorted, but the Boss nodded. "That's good enough for me. You are dismissed. Return Rei-san to her quarters, please. We will be having dinner with one of the outlying plantation owners in a few hours. Rei, Idate, you are both required to be there. Morino-san, you are most welcome to join us."

"Thank you for your generosity, Oyabun." Ibiki saluted, then went over to Rei and gently stood at her side. She smiled up at him. He found himself returning her smile, even though he knew she couldn't see it.

"Please take care of me, Morino-san," she said softly, and put her hand in his. Slowly, he led her back to her rooms, then went to his quarters to unpack. The next few weeks were going to be more interesting than he had anticipated.

Dinner was a surprise. Ibiki and Rei sat flanking the young Idate, near the middle of the table. At the head, the Boss and the plantation owner sat discussing politics and policies, negotiating for trade deals. The trio listened in to their conversation, and Rei instructed the young man in the nuances of the negotiations going on. Ibiki was impressed by Rei's intuition and knowledge of the motives and attitudes of the people around her, especially when she was hampered by the lack of visual clues. It almost rivalled his own ability to read other people – and he wasn't blind.

Information-gathering theory held that 70 percent of a person's mental attitude was communicated through non-verbal clues like body language and tone of voice. As Rei could not see the body language of the people, it meant that she was basing her analysis on the 30 of information that she could pick up, and the tone of voice alone. And yet, her readings of people were as accurate as Ibiki's own. It was stunning. No wonder the Oyabun had hired her to be a diplomatic advisor. She was a genius in her own right.

Ibiki listened to her whispered commentary to his younger brother, as she taught him how to read the person's tone of voice and what method would be best to follow under those circumstances, occasionally interjecting his own comments, based on visual clues, in order to give Idate a more rounded perspective. Idate glowered at him, but Rei seemed happy to have Ibiki's insights added to the conversation. It made her job much easier, after all. So the two of them continued eating and commenting merrily on the people around them, while the sullen young man in between them picked at his food and tried to absorb all that they were teaching him.

Dinner passed by in a flash.

After the guests had departed, the Boss called them all in for a meeting and asked Idate to present his own opinions on the matter. Idate gave a short, sharp report, which was half accurate, and half wild-conjecture. Ibiki sighed. The boy had a lot to learn, even though he would be a full-grown man fairly soon.

"Do not forget what your brother has pointed out, Idate-kun," Rei said, after he had finished. "How would that affect your view of the landlord's motive for acquiring the fifty-hectare field?"

"I suppose… it would mean that he was trying to outdo his neighbour in time for the yearly festival?" Idate ventured, rather quietly.

"Correct," the Oyabun said. Ibiki blinked. He had pointed that out to Idate numerous times in the conversation before. Why did it take such a long time for the young man to mention it? The Boss turned to Ibiki. "Well, Morino-san, it appears that you are quite adept at diplomacy as well."

Ibiki cleared his throat. "I serve… in a related field, Oyabun. Information-gathering and reading other people is one of my specialties, yes." For some strange reason, he was reluctant to mention his real job in front of these people. Only those in Konoha needed to know. And they were not from Konoha – not even his brother, now.

"I would also like to request that you help Rei in the instruction of your brother, then. Her comments indicate that you would be most helpful in that respect."

Ibiki bowed. "That would be an honor, Oyabun." Idate shot a glance at him, and it looked like he was about to say something again, but Rei quelled him.

"In that case, you are dismissed. Please guide Rei back to her quarters. Idate, stay a little longer."

Ibiki went over to the lady again, and took her hand in his. "Thank you for your assistance tonight, Morino-san," she said.

"It… ah, was my pleasure, Rei-san," he replied, gently guiding her out of the room.

When Ibiki returned to the room that he was sharing with his brother, Idate was already waiting for him.

"Look, aniki," the young man burst out, as soon as Ibiki had closed the door. "What are your intentions towards Rei-san?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean – do you have any feelings for her?" the youth was rather passionate about this. It was only to be expected, after all. He was young, still full of life and vigour, not old and jaded like his brother. "Rei-san is a beautiful woman, and to think of someone like her and you…" He stopped as he realised he had crossed the line.

"Shut up, Idate," Ibiki growled, menacingly. The boy was feeling jealous, of course. He must be attracted to his young teacher.

"Well, is there?"

"Of course not," Ibiki snorted as he changed into sleeping attire. "I am merely repaying a debt I owe to her for killing her dog, and for teaching you something useful in life."

"Hmph."

"Shut up and go to sleep, Idate."

Author's Notes: Note that Idate and Boss Jirocho only appear in the anime, not in the Naruto manga. Apologies for taking such a long time to update. I have been spending the last few months reading TONS of romantic manga in order to prepare for writing romance (and the fact that I happen to like reading it). You'll see the fruits of my readings in the next chapter... Credit should really go to Mitsuru Adachi, though. His storytelling techniques for romantic comedies are superb.