A/N: I would have updated sooner if I liked writing this chapter XD. I hope you enjoy it though!


The Undoing I

The ball was hurled with such momentum that reacting a fraction of a second made a vast difference. Tsunade instinctively pivoted to the side and successfully evaded the incoming threat that could have defaced her. The moment the ball passed her by a hairline, she looked ahead to see who spiked it.

Hima.

The girl landed squarely on her feet. Her expression was tight and concentrated – she put a lot of effort into that strike. It wasn't a casual spike, and the intention was far from good. Tsunade's eyes darted over to Rin who scrambled up from the floor, clearly horrified and panicked. Did she try to prevent Hima from hitting the ball? Their eyes locked for a fraction of a second, and the apology set heavy in her expression.

A powerful 'thwack!' resonated throughout the gym upon impact. At that velocity, that was to be expected. But a thud and a horrific scream promptly followed. Tsunade spun around to see a girl cupping her chin to catch rivulets of blood pouring from her broken nose.

Holy fuck.

She hurried over to the injured student but Minato was faster, positioning her upright as he held her. Hurriedly, she rushed to the changing room and pulled out the first aid kit that was stashed in the teacher's locker. Together, she and Minato tried to diffuse the situation by dictating her breathing and keeping her as composed as possible. Tsunade held her hand to act as her anchor when she became light-headed, but the girl relented and rested her face on her shoulder. She urged her to keep her head upright.

"Breathe for me." Tsunade's voice was gentle and comforting.

In. Out. In. Out.

The entire incident lasted a few minutes and the on-school nurse handled the rest until the girl was driven to the hospital. Still, the entire ordeal felt like an hour for Tsunade as she acted as her emotional rock to keep her calm and steady. Minato gathered the entire class into the other corner of the gym and consoled Hima who started crying. As much as Tsunade wanted to roll her eyes, she kept her emotions under lock and key.

The majority of the volleyball team consoled Hima alongside Minato, and one escorted her to the water fountain so she could get some water. Everyone apart from Rin, Tsunade noticed. The brunette kept her distance and, while her expression seemed placid, her eyes were hardened. Like Tsunade, Rin wasn't moved by Hima's crocodile tears.

That made her feel better about herself.

During recess, Tsunade rushed to the infirmary room to wash her hands. The clear water from the tap and the blood on her skin bled together and created a gradient of red hues in the sink. Her eyes hardened as inks of red created a whirlpool in the centre of the sink as it drained away. She had been too engrossed in scrubbing the sight of blood off her fingers, nailbeds, and wrists that she didn't notice Minato's presence behind her.

She gasped when his hands found her waist. "Are you alright?" he asked softly against her ear.

"Yeah, I am," she replied, though strained. "It's just, I can't go to my next class looking like this." Like she was the remaining survivor in a horror film.

Minato's arms encircled her waist and he stepped closer to her until no gaps remained between them. "Of course," he replied understandably.

The heat of his chest resonated throughout her back, warming her. She hummed in approval when his hand languidly stroked her stomach. She liked the contact and it soothed the fury that pooled in her extremities. Since the start of this week, she has been under immense pressure from the harassment she received from her students and colleagues. Although the latter was more discreet, the older members were not afraid to gloat over her misery in front of her. The culmination of events has lit the match inside her that could set everything ablaze if not diffused.

Minato's presence was the calming balm she needed. She sighed and leaned back against him, craning her neck back as an invitation. He smirked and kissed her shoulder before he glossed his lips along the curve of her neck. He then kissed her right under her jawline before he moved to her cheek. Tsunade expressed a low moan, barely suppressing her approval.

"Is this making you feel better?"

She nodded before whimpering out, "Yes", when he nuzzled into her neck.

"Were you shaken up by the incident?"

Not necessarily but she didn't want to explain how much the sight of blood unnerved her, and why. "I'm fine," she whispered, hoping to preserve the tranquillity surrounding them. Her wet hands rested on the edge of the sink but she didn't want to move out of his embrace just yet. His arms enveloped her like a blanket during winter – she needed him right now. Just a couple more minutes.

"Your heart is beating fast," observed Minato.

"Oh?"

"Mhm." He nodded, sliding one hand up to her chest to feel the strokes of her heart. Though she knew he had other intentions in his mind. "Very fast."

"Minato….." she gently started, not wanting to chastise him.

He chuckled and withdrew his hand. "I would apologise but you already know that's a load of crap. I like touching you too much." His pleasure also derived from the fact that only he could touch her like this. Men had a habit to stake their claim; Minato was no exception.

"You know, I wouldn't have pegged you as a big pervert from our first meeting."

He chuckled, and the vibrations from his chest conducted through her body. Her heart raced. "Don't make me sound so one-dimensional. I'm a gentleman too. But even a gentleman can't deny you – you're sexy and sensual, and you feel so good when I'm inside you. You can't blame me for acting this way."

Like a dog without a bone.

The memories of last night could attest to just how much he obsessed and salivated over her body. Minato was driven by passion and lust – and Tsunade was caught in the middle of it. It would be a lie to say that she didn't also lust after Minato during their heated escapades, but it would also be untrue to say she felt the same magnetic force as he did for her.

Minato was a thorough lover – the best one she's had since Dan – and he knew how to make her tick, to render her a bubbling mess in his arms, and to set her soul on fire when she came undone. Despite all of that, she couldn't bridge an emotional connection with him, and that chasm often left her yearning in the middle of the night. And it didn't matter how hard she kissed him, or how much she moaned his name like a broken mantra. The truth remained the same – this was just a matter of convenience. If he was half the man he was in bed, she would have broken their arrangement. A part of her felt guilty for feeling this way, but she also knew that if she didn't fulfil his perversions he would have also abandoned her.

In the end, they served as conduits of their own fantasy. They had a mutual understanding and, yet, she felt as if she was breaching their contract by withdrawing her heart from the gamble. Why couldn't she emotionally invest in him as Mei advised her? She was able to with Kakashi, so why couldn't she with Minato?

"The nurse won't be back until this afternoon so no one will come in here. Well, it's unlikely," Minato added.

"And what do you propose we do in the next –" she checked her watch, "— 20 minutes?"

"Oh, don't start putting ideas in my head. Not behind this curtain and beside that bed, Tsunade."

She laughed. "Jesus! I wasn't proposing anything like that."

His breath was heavier and his grip around her waist tightened with anticipation. He plans on flinging her on the bed the moment she consents. "But we could, you know? A quickie. I'll make you come in less than 10 minutes. Plenty of time to get changed again."

His promise was golden, she knew, and her legs buckled at the thought. But she brushed him off. "I'm wearing trousers, Minato."

"It can come off, can't it?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "It's more convenient with a skirt because I don't have to fully strip. It's not fair that I have to be naked when you can just pull your shorts down. What if someone walks in? They'll see me bare." She made a valid point that made him think. It saved her from having to say her real reason – she didn't want to have sex with him. At least not right now.

"I do like you in your skirts." He was referring to the fitted tan skirt she wore a week prior. She had entranced Minato the moment she walked over to his car, and he was unapologetic with his advances that day because his gaze wasn't the only one that lingered on her legs and her ass. Their colleagues found themselves leering before they realised; even that married hen-pecked Shikaku ogled a couple of times during the day.

But Minato was the only one who could act on his desires when they were alone. He gripped her thigh with his spare hand as they drove home later that day, and purposefully glided to her inner thigh to silently voice his intentions. Tsunade invited him up to her apartment, feigning interest in sharing a cup of coffee with him, and he eagerly accepted. The moment they entered her home, her top was ripped open and she was pressured against the wall next to the door. Minato wasted no time bunching up her skirt around her hips as he propped her on the small round table. They didn't make it to her living room or bedroom which Tsunade was grateful for because they made a mess at the entrance.

Minato felt good inside her and she relished him during the moments they were intertwined. But all that fades away after her lust has been quenched. She may have shared her body with him but that was only a fraction of who she was as a person. What if she tried trusting him more? He hasn't given her a substantial reason not to besides his desire to keep his previous relationship a secret. But that was his right to keep – she hasn't told him about Dan, either.

"This might sound crazy," Tsunade started, slowly, "but I'm sure Hima was aiming for me back then. That girl hates my guts and her friendship circle has made it their life's mission to make my life a living hell here."

Saying it out loud relieved her. She didn't want to bottle it all up anymore and, perhaps, confiding in Minato was what she needed in order to find the missing piece in their dynamic. If she can lay down her irrationalities, insecurities, and fears with him then maybe….

"Oh?"

A sharp pang struck her heart. The sudden urge to backpedal and withdraw overwhelmed her initial desire to draw closer to him. Oh? That's it?

Minato was quiet for some time as he mulled through the words he was going to say. "Accidents happen, Tsunade," he then said. "Hima is a sweet girl and I can't see her doing anything beneath her."

"How can spiking be an accident?" She had snapped unintentionally; she couldn't cover how disappointed she was with his response. It didn't help that his tone held an underlying fondness for the girl. Moreover, he didn't even ask her to elaborate. Instead, he played Devil's Advocate.

"Other girls were warming up with spikes. She must not have noticed you turn around when she prepared for hers."

"Her lack of awareness of her surroundings gives me little hope for the volleyball team."

"Don't be like this, Tsunade. You weren't hurt, right?"

"But someone was! The point isn't whether I got hurt or not but that she intended to. Doesn't the malice she has for me concern you a little bit?"

Tsunade wanted him to protest immediately, to interject, and to pacify her growing vexation. She wanted an iota of evidence that he cared about her outside of the bedroom and that their relationship could be deeper than she gave it credit for. He was quiet for too long, and his silence stung like an antiseptic on raw flesh – acute and sudden. But it was the clarity she needed. Perhaps it was her pride or her weak heart that made her have expectations for him, that made her subconsciously want something more out of this. Because if this was all they had, wouldn't that just make her a whore? Wouldn't this validate her students' mockery?

It didn't matter now because the hope she had to be understood by him was shattered completely. His calming presence suddenly became her origin of exasperation, and his arms now felt cold and constricting like an iron cage. She knew she needed space away from him lest she loses her temper.

"Forget it," she clipped, slipping out of his hold to dry her hands.

Minato's eyebrows knitted together in a tight frown. He looked genuinely bemused. "Don't tell me you're angry at me for not siding with you. I'm just trying to offer some perspective."

Tsunade dabbed her hands dry with a blue paper towel, purposefully bidding time to gather her thinning patience and to placate her indignation. Her lips pursed together and she kept her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth so she wouldn't hurl her frustration at him despite her desperation to vent.

"Hey," he said softly, "speak to me. Don't give me this treatment."

Minato grabbed hold of her wrist and yanked her back so she would make eye contact with him. His sudden forcefulness ruined the equilibrium Tsunade was trying to reinstate within herself, and she lost her grip over her inhibitions.

With a scowl, she pulled her arm away and pushed her hands against his chest, shoving him. He staggered a few spaces until the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed.

"What the hell?" he said, arms up in protest.

"I didn't want you to debate this matter with me. I just wanted you to care about me and to listen to what I have to say. But I can't do this with you when you keep burying my feelings with your own interpretation!" Her ribcage expanded at a rapid pace, as her pulse quickened, and her blood felt like fire in her veins, feeding her roiled state. If it were physically possible, she was sure she would have combusted by now. "And I don't know why you're holding her in high regard because it's clear as day why she's such a sweet girl towards you: she has a crush on you! Her infatuation towards you feeds into her malice towards me. Ever since students have seen us together she has become more hostile towards me. Can you call that a coincidence?"

Minato hesitated his reply, stopping himself promptly as soon as he opened his mouth. Now was not the time to say anything foolish because Tsunade's irritation was slowly bubbling into molten ire. While Minato was not the most perceptive person when it came to romantic advances towards him, he ensured he was sensitive to any cues from his students. Hima was always friendly towards him; she greeted him every time they passed each other, and she helped him when he needed an extra pair of hands, but she never crossed the boundaries. No outward flirtation – oh, that was the problem. He failed to register her motives as dubious because they were discreet.

After a few seconds of deliberation, he cautiously met the blonde's stern gaze. "No, I guess not. But I can't fathom a student going out of their way to inflict harm on you for a juvenile reason. She's on the volleyball team – she could be kicked out of the team for that. So, why would she? I know they're hormonal and dramatic but surely they –"

Tsunade sharply clicked her tongue. "You sound like Hiruzen, and I'm starting to get sick of this treatment! Just because your perception doesn't fit my reality doesn't mean you should disparage my experience. For the past few weeks, they have harassed me incessantly over a photoshoot I did back when I was in college. That was the ammunition they needed to dehumanise me. And every fucking day I'm reminded of how little they value me as a member of this school."

"Tsunade, I'm…"

She stepped back when he tried to remove the distance between them. "Don't touch me!"

He recoiled in shock. This was the first time she's ever truly raised her voice at him. "Tsunade," he said slowly and with enough caution, "I'm sorry, okay? Listen, if this is true, I'm sure the Headmaster will do something."

"If?" she snarled. "My god. You don't believe me! You don't even want to believe me."

"No, wait, I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to! I thought you would have my back, or at least, have the patience to listen to me. But I was a fool to expect that from you. Because you're only in this to sleep with me, right? And now that you have, what incentive is left for you to act kind towards me?"

She laughed, half with self-pity and half with disbelief. This was her reality, wasn't it? Men never truly care about what she had to say or what she felt. They would only entertain her for a moment because they wanted to bed her. She wasn't the type of woman they wanted to cherish and love; she was the type they wanted to taint and possess for a night. Maybe two if she was a good lay. The period of time didn't matter, really, because they all ended the same.

With disappointment.

Jiraiya warned her about Minato. Jiraiya was right.

She left the room before he could say anything else.

The moment Tsunade slammed her classroom door closed the strength in her legs gave out, and she resorted to leaning against the door to keep herself upright. She choked out a sob but she quickly muffled her cries with her hand. Despite her efforts to suppress her emotions, wet tears ambled down her cheeks. She could taste the salt – the angst welling up in her heart. The disappointing outcome left a gaping hole in her chest, and she felt embarrassed for trying to expose herself to Minato.

She looked out of the window in the door and saw that the corridor was still empty. She was glad he didn't chase after her because she didn't have the strength to argue back.

Tsunade leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Breathe, she instructed her lungs to expand as she inhaled deeply. After a second, she exhaled in one steady breath. Her glassy eyes found the clock; she had 5 minutes to get a hold of herself. She then noticed the massive writing that vandalised her blackboard. It was the same kind she has been getting all week.

She trudged towards the blackboard, grabbed the eraser, and swiped across, erasing half of it. Her grip on the wooden handle of the eraser tightened.

Why is she the one cleaning up their mess?

Why is she putting up with this?

Her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to rationalise her emotions once again. Fuck that, she concluded. With the tightening of her jaw, she channelled all of her frustration into her dominant hand, and hurled the eraser to the other side of the room.

A dent on the wall marked the impact.


At the end of the day, Obito and Asuma hurried down to the gym to get some last-minute practice in with the basketball team before their big day. They were 10 minutes late because they both failed to do their Chemistry homework despite getting an extension. They forgot just how explosive Deidara-sensei can be when provoked – and missing homework was his main pet peeve. After promising that they will do better in the next semester, and profusely apologising, they were dismissed. Now, they were running late.

When they got in the changing rooms, they threw their bags on the floor and quickly stripped off their uniforms. Their seniors were already dressed; they exchanged idle chatter while they waited for Guy-sensei or Minato-sensei to allow them into the gym. Hidan's girlfriend, Hima, was sat on his lap while two other girls from the volleyball team loitered around in the corner of the changing room. The presence of these girls unnerved Obito but he didn't have time to bitch and moan. But much to Asuma and Obito's chagrin, the couple openly expressed their affection and tongued each other with feverish desire.

Obito wasn't confident that Hidan was going to stop, and he was scared to find out just how far he will go with this foreplay. He managed to avert his eyes at the beginning but his stupid curiosity got the better of him when he saw Hidan's hand drift up to Hima's chest. It was his mistake to stare because he locked eyes with his senior. Hidan smirked and broke away from his girlfriend, leaving her pouting.

"Jealous, Uchiha? Do you have a crush on my girl?" He added to tease, Obito knew, but he couldn't help but feel flustered. Hima was a conventionally attractive girl who garnered attention wherever she went. If people didn't want to date her, it was because they wanted to be her. Although Obito didn't conform to either he wasn't blind to her beauty. She was just not as beautiful as Rin to him.

Obito poked his head through the hole of his shirt, and he rubbed the back of his head in his moment of meekness. "Nothing like that, Hidan-senpai."

"So do you think my girl is ugly?"

Obito's face became red and the prickly sensation of anxiety at the back of his neck shot up to his ears. He felt light-headed; he was between a rock and a hard place. "N-Not at all! Hima is great but I-I don't have a crush on her! I'm not a threat at all. I mean, it's not like I could be a threat to you, Hidan-senpai – I'm not Kakashi. I mean…"

Holy fucking shit. Shitty, shit, shit, shit.

"Shut up, you dumbass," Asuma whispered.

"Stop tormenting him, Hidan. If you don't want people staring at you then you shouldn't be making out with your girlfriend in the men's changing room." Their other senior, Sasori, said.

Obito got along with everybody apart from Hidan because he was outlandish, bipolar, and caustic. Predicting the weather was easier than predicting his mood for the day. On some days, Hidan was tolerable and he got along with everyone amicably, including the benchwarmers. But on most days, like today, he was volatile. Hidan was just waiting for a reason to act out, to impose his dominance on the team out of self-satisfaction, and he baited Obito to give him the match. Thankfully, someone else intervened before he could light the metaphorical match.

Hidan shrugged. "I was joking. You knew that, right, Obito? See, he knows. Don't get your panties in a twist, Sasori. You're acting like Tsunade-sensei during our last period. She was in such a cunty mood for no reason. It pissed me off."

Obito heard through the grapevine about Tsunade's shift in mood in today's lessons. Instead of conducting the lesson she usually prepared for her classes, she tasked them with independent learning. It was just a professional way of saying that she didn't want to teach them and that they could go fuck themselves. The other gossip was she kept the vandalism on display for everyone to see for the entire day.

Hima groaned at the mention of her. "She was such a bitch today. She gave me detention for having an 'unacceptable standard' with my homework! Honestly, I think she's got it out for me, babe. I didn't even do anything to her!" Rin would say otherwise. She told them what happened earlier that day, and how Hima purposefully aimed the direction of her strike at Tsunade.

"She's probably jealous because you were clinging onto Hidan-senpai." A freshman quipped in. Both Asuma and Obito looked at each other with amusement on their faces. This sort of brown-nosing behaviour was common amongst the freshmen since they have made it their life's mission to kiss Hidan's ass as if their grades depended on it. Maybe they wanted to have an anecdote to share with their children in the future: how they were Hidan's bitch before he became famous. If only they spent half the time practising instead of licking Hidan's asshole, they might also have a shot at having a similar future themselves.

Hima pointedly looked at her boyfriend. "Do you think she likes you?"

Hidan smirked at the idea before he lamely shrugged. "I mean, I won't turn her down if she does."

"Hey!"

He laughed as he caught her tiny hands before she could hit him. "C'mon, babe, it won't mean anything. I just want to suck on those big titties of hers. See if milk comes out."

A handful of members agreed with the same amount of gusto. The air in the room reminded Obito of this morning's groupchat messages, and his stomach turned at the thought. Asuma distracted himself by taking ample time to tie his shoelaces. He would rather stare at the floor than at the faces of his teammates who grew unhinged at the mention of Tsunade.

"Women don't lactate unless they're pregnant," Sasori interjected. As if that made it any better.

"That can easily be arranged. It won't be hard for me to pump a load in her." Hidan grabbed his girlfriend by her waist and kissed her cheek. "You won't mind, right?"

Hima grimaced and then shoved him away from her. Quickly, she shuffled off his lap and gathered her belongings before she stormed out of the changing rooms. The two nameless girls scrambled behind her, carefully evading the door that was ripped open. Obito was surprised Hima left without spewing her usual profanities. Then again, she was subservient to Hidan.

"You shouldn't have said that." Sasori shook his head in disapproval. "Even if it is a joke. She's your girlfriend and that was disrespectful."

"It wasn't a joke," Hidan corrected. "I would love to pound Tsunade-sensei until tomorrow if given the opportunity. No one with a brain would pass up on that pussy. C'mon, Sasori, you have pictures of her on your phone." He smirked at his companion's stunned silence. "You also jack off to her, don't you? Which picture, hm? I personally love her in that sexy red teddy."

Sasori's cheeks grew flushed and the hue almost matched the redness of his hair. Compared to the other seniors, Sasori's confidence was not obnoxious and he preferred to keep to himself. But being friends with Hidan meant that he did uncharacteristic things in order to stay associated with one of the most popular students in school. Blatantly opposing Hidan was social suicide that guaranteed ostracisation. So Sasori did what he had to in order to prove himself to Hidan: he purchased fake IDs so he could slither into nightclubs with them, he stole money from his grandma to buy liquor, and he smoked cigarettes with them during recess.

Word has it that he even lost his virginity to a random woman at a club because Hidan incessantly attacked his manhood – or lack thereof. The only way to stop the teasing was to complete the task he set out for him: take a girl home and video the entire thing. Hidan distributed the sex tape in a private groupchat afterwards, and many seniors still praise Sasori for nailing "a hot bitch". Though Obito couldn't verify the substance of that rumour himself he still pitied Sasori for being forced to live a life that wasn't his.

"Why are you so hung up about this? It's just banter! Are you in love with her or something?" Hidan sneered with sadistic glee. "You are, aren't you?"

"I'm not!" Sasori denied it with a bite. "Just… leave it alone, Hidan."

Their Captain shrugged. "All of you are wusses. No fun. What's wrong with admitting you want to rail the hottest teacher? It would be gay to say 'no'. And I don't know about you, but I'm not a fag."

The benchwarmers eagerly agreed with him as he looked around the locker room. Others murmured the same sentiment of desiring to score with Tsunade. The seniors kept to themselves because expressing an opinion meant ruining their cohesive unit.

"Nothing is wrong with fantasising but you're going out of your way to torture her. Do you really need to write 'whore' on the board?" Asuma snapped, startling Obito who could only look at him in shock. So much for solidarity. "You're only degrading her because you don't have the capacity to appreciate a woman you can't have. It's not like you were ever in the running, anyway."

Suddenly, everyone was too afraid to draw breath.

"Huh?" Hidan cocked an eyebrow up. "Say that again, Princess."

He has mockingly referred to Asuma as 'Princess' since his first year in the team. During a match, Asuma sprained his ankle and was forced to sit out for the remainder of the game during the third quarter. They lost because his substitute was subpar and he mostly jittered around in the court. It's been years since that incident but Hidan hasn't forgiven Asuma for it since he believed that their loss was his fault.

Asuma sighed. "Let's not do this bullshit. I'm not going to fight over some teacher with you. It's a waste of time and energy; I'd rather spend that effort on the court, Captain."

Hidan rose from his bench and approached Asuma with cocky confidence in his stride. His chest was buffed out and his shoulders were squared – one wrong move from Asuma and a fight might break out. This was the opportunity Hidan sought to put off some steam. He leaned his face close to his and glared into his eyes. Asuma's jaw clenched as he prepared himself for the inevitable. Both Obito and Sasori intervened before a bloody confrontation could happen: Obito slotted himself between them, and Sasori grabbed Hidan by his arm.

"Watch out, Princess." Hidan snarled. "You might hurt yourself."

Obito tried to mediate the situation. "Calm down –"

"What's going on here?" Minato sharply inquired, entering the changing rooms. "We don't have time for nonsense because your game is tomorrow! Get your kit and head to the gym immediately. Go, go, go!" He clapped his hands to urge them to take action.

"Y-Yes, Minato-sensei!"

The majority of the team scurried out of the room, passing Minato with their heads down because they could sense that he wasn't in a good mood. He was generally known for his level-headedness and easy-going nature, often posing as their friend as opposed to their teacher. Rarely did he raise his voice and impose an authoritarian influence on them. But whenever he did, his students listened because they knew that getting on his bad side was a death wish.

Just as Obito was going to pass him, Minato stretched his arm out and stopped the four of them. "What the hell are you thinking starting a fight before the Finals?" His voice was dangerously low and stern, and his eyes were piercing and dangerous. "Explain."

They exchanged glances.

Minato rubbed his forehead, impatient. "Obito, tell me what this is all about."

Fucking shit.

Did he choose him because they vaguely knew each other outside of school through Kakashi? Still, he shouldn't have put him on the spot. The route to take was obvious but it wasn't the truth.

"Nothing, Minato-sensei. We were arguing about who will shoot the most points in today's practice match." Shame tainted his tongue. He was glad Rin wasn't there to witness his lie.

Minato examined him, sceptically. After a moment, he stepped back and motioned for them to join the others. The rest of the practice went smoothly but that was because they had a healthy outlet to channel their frustration, being on opposite teams and all. Hidan's team won by 3 points since Sasori managed to score a buzzer-beater at the three-point line.


Rin and Kurenai tidied up their homeroom after every student had left. Shizune was unable to do so because she had a doctor's appointment and Obito had his basketball practice. The first thing Rin did was clean the blackboard since Tsunade didn't take the liberty to do it herself. It must be exhausting to read vile messages like this every day, Rin thought as she also wondered why would anyone bother to do this.

Kurenai stacked the chairs up on their respective tables and Rin swept the floor with a broom. It was just the two of them. Tsunade was nowhere to be found despite still being in the vicinity; her bag was still there and a fresh beverage was on her desk. A green post-it note was underneath it but the writing was left unfinished, and Rin didn't want to pry too much. Minato-sensei probably gifted Tsunade the drink.

"Do you think she's close to her meltdown?" Kurenai asked.

"She might be in the middle of one now," Rin replied.

Though she hoped she was mistaken, the probability was against Tsunade's odds. It was almost inevitable. Anyone who was put under the same degree of harassment, pressure and scrutiny as Tsunade would also bend and break. It was impressive that Tsunade hasn't yet. Rin stopped sweeping and retrieved the discarded eraser on the floor. When she stood back up, she realised that there was a new dent in the wall.

She looked at the corner of the eraser with curiosity. Did Tsunade throw this?

"Asuma had a word with his dad today. Apparently, this was the least of his concern because 'nothing has happened yet'." Kurenai spoke in a hushed manner to ensure that anyone passing by was not privy to her gossip. "So my guess is he's not going to help unless he's really given a reason to. Like, if they act out the things they said this morning in that groupchat."

Rin cringed. "I hope it doesn't have to come to that! They intend to–"

"Please don't say it," Kurenai sharply interjected. "I don't even want to think about that."

"But they could!"

"I know that," she hissed. "That's why it makes me uncomfortable."

Even after finishing up their chores they didn't see Tsunade. A paranoid part of Rin thought of the worst but Kurenai rationalised her fears by reassuring her that the basketball team were in the gym under Minato's supervision. She added that Tsunade might have opted to stay in the staffroom to finish her paperwork because of the added privacy. The chances of her being in a dire situation right now were slim. Rin's shoulders slumped back in relief as she believed everything Kurenai said.

They walked side by side down the science corridor with a black plastic bag in each hand. They planned on getting a cup of coffee and catching the bus into the city centre after throwing the trash away. Asuma and Obito told them they would catch up with them at the coffeehouse after practice if they went overtime. They should be done by now.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get their new Spice Pumpkin Latte!" Kurenai exclaimed with a bright grin. "I've been looking forward to it since the start of winter."

"You know, they didn't really change the formula…."

"Oh, it was fine the way it was, anyway."

Rin sighed. She didn't take Kurenai to be a Starbucks addict but her recent expenditure on coffee proved her wrong. When Asuma told her that it was the side-effect of forbidding her from drinking too much matcha tea, she thought he was kidding. Now she wasn't so sure. Just as they were about to turn left into the stairwell they bumped into Hima who pushed past them.

"Move, Nohara!" she sneered. Her tone was more vindictive than this morning. Something must have really pissed her off. But that didn't explain why she was stomping through the science department with a stack of paper cradled in her arms.

"What the heck was that for?" Rin shrieked. In hindsight, she was better off keeping her head down. Instead, she grabbed her classmate's wrist and yanked her back to confront her. "You're acting like a real bitch today, you know that?"

Hima slapped her hand away. "And what are you going to do about it, huh?"

"Let's just go," Kurenai whispered as she tugged her sleeve.

"W-What? No. She's been acting out since this morning just because she's not getting the attention she wants. I'm sick of pampering her just because she can cry on demand like a dog."

The scowl on Hima's face darkened, and her eyes narrowed. "What. The. Fuck. Did you just say?"

It happened all so fast that Rin couldn't fully comprehend what caused the throbbing sensation on her cheek. Did she just slap her? A small inkling of blood slithered out from where Hima's nail scratched her skin, confirming that she had just been struck.

"Rin!" Kurenai pulled her back but she was too late.

Before Rin could process anything, her body reacted accordingly and she retaliated by striking her back. Hima gasped, faltered back from the impact, and instinctively cradled her cheek in surprise. In her moment of weakness, she lost her grip on the wad of paper she held, and the contents spilled all over the floor. There were dozens and dozens of pictures of Tsunade, and each picture was defaced with insults written in red ink. Rin and Kurenai looked at each other as the revelation sank in.

She was the one who pinned those pictures across the corridor before. She was the one who streaked 'filthy slut' across the pictures in red.

Hima scrambled to the floor in a feeble attempt to gather them back up before they could piece the pieces themselves. She was already too late.

"It was you…."

"Yeah, well, so what?! You guys better not tell this to anybody, or I'll get my boyfriend on –"

"This is… sad." Kurenai finally said. "Why are you even bothering?"

Hima scoffed. "I'm not going to justify myself to either of you. So just move on with your pathetic lives and forget what you just saw. We're even now, right, Rin?" She was referring to their exchange of slaps.

Rin could barely feel the sting anymore. The same couldn't be said for Hima; her cheek was burning red and she couldn't stop touching it.

"No. We're not two of the same." Rin said, grabbing the printouts from her hand. "The Headmaster needs proof, right? Well, we have it right here. And since users are automatically recorded in the school printer he'll be able to identify who used it last." She looked at Hima at the end, drinking in her defeated expression as she finished her sentence.

"No!"

Hima tried to lunge at Rin but Kurenai pushed her back with the bin bag she was holding. "Just stop acting so pathetic. You were going to get caught eventually, anyway."

"But if you report me then I'll be kicked off the volleyball team! And what chances will you have of winning without me?"

Shit. That was valid. As obnoxious as Hima was, she was a formidable player. Without her, a gaping hole will be present in their team formation and they didn't have enough time to compensate for it. Even so, she needed to be humbled.

When Hima sensed that Rin wasn't going to relent, she tried to use force again. At first, Rin only meant to evade her until she grew tired, but when her back hit the wall, she was forced to slap her again. Hima recoiled once more. This time, the strike did not reward Rin with the same satisfaction as the first. She didn't mean to….

"What the fuck did you just do to my girlfriend?"

Rin's eyes gaped at the sight of Hidan eclipsing behind Hima, keeping her upright as she put on another waterworks show. This time, Rin believed it to be genuine. Hidan's expression was sinister as he glowered down at them with questionable intention. Before Rin could look up from his fingers that curled into a fist, she staggered back from an unseen force that blurred her vision. She vaguely felt Kurenai intercept her fall. She may have shouted her name or at Hidan – maybe both – Rin couldn't tell since her ears could only interpret white noise.

"…..what the fuck is the matter with you?!" she heard Kurenai cry.

Rin winced when she touched her face. A bruise had already formed from the impact.

A handful of footsteps thundered up the steps or maybe down the corridor. She couldn't pinpoint it due to her disorientation. Still, she made out two silhouettes that jumped on Hidan.

"You bastard!"

Rin snapped back to reality and witnessed Obito tackle Hidan down to the ground. He drew his fist back and pummelled it down into his stomach. Hidan responded by backhanding Obito and kicking him away from him. Asuma tried to restrain Hidan from behind but he was flipped over to the floor. A loud 'pop' was heard when his back hit the ground, and Asuma writhed in pain.

Obito took another swing at Hidan and connected his knuckles with his cheek. He thought the impact was enough to make him recoil but Hidan immediately responded with a jab of his own. The raven-haired ducked away from the second strike and rammed his shoulder into him, pushing him into the wall. He could have thrown in a handful of punches that would have determined the fight had he not been intercepted.

"Sasori, you bastard!" He tried to wriggle out of his hold. "Let go unless you want me to kick your ass too."

"You guys need to stop fighting! You might get expelled or — Hidan, no, no!"

"Keep him there," Hidan sternly ordered as he buried his fist into Obito's stomach.

Obito's vision blanked for a second as the wind was punched out of his gut. He doubled over and dropped on the floor, gasping for air and simultaneously heaving from the pain. His forehead pressed against the cold floor as he tried to compose himself but he was kicked down before he could try.

"Keep your bitch on a tighter leash, you hear? She slapped Hima so I had to teach her a lesson. Understand?"

Obito clenched his jaw as he withstood the pressure of Hidan's foot on his head. The heel of his shoe pressed deeper against his skull as he tried to rise against it. The fury he felt in his heart right now was insatiable, and it will not be doused by a fucking foot on his head. Much to Hidan's surprise, Obito slipped from under him and performed a left hook that caught him off-guard.

He stumbled back a few paces but Obito was quick on his feet. He followed him with lightning precision and intense hunger in his eyes. Sasori intervened again and he missed his opportunity to overwhelm Hidan into a corner. Instead, his vision completely blacked out for a couple of seconds when he was sucker-punched in the face. He expected to fall back down again but he was kept up, and Hidan didn't follow through with his flurry of punches as he anticipated.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tsunade vociferated as she caught Hidan by his wrist to pull him back. She then looked around her: two wounded girls and three beaten-up boys. The terrible migraine she had earlier knocked on her temples again, making her grimace. This was a mess she wasn't sure she could handle by herself.

Obito gazed at Tsunade and Sasori in front of him, wondering who was propping him up. "W-What….?" Obito mumbled, craning his neck back. His eyes widened as the sight of silver filtered his gaze. It had only been a few weeks since he last saw his friend but he looked like he aged a few years.

"Don't." Kakashi slowly warned Hidan.

He huffed and snagged his arm away from Tsunade, conceding.

Rin pulled herself up and rushed over to them. Of course, she was going to run up to Kakashi. She must have missed him terribly having not seen him for the past couple of weeks. Obito expected Rin's arms to wrap around them both, particularly around Kakashi, but he was shocked when only he was pulled into her embrace.


A/N: As always, let me know your thoughts! :) It keeps me going hehe.