Chapter 4 – An Olive Branch Extends

I feel that I need to extend an apology to all of my readers for my prolonged hiatus. I started a new job, went through a divorce, and now I'm enthralled in searching for a house to purchase and all of those things have taken up a majority of my time. I never intended to abandon this project and I'm glad to be updating again.

Summary: Arashi extends an olive branch.

"I feel like a Genin again," Arashi complained. "Except, I feel like Jounin took me more seriously back then."

Daisuke sniffed. "You're such a drama queen, Shi-Shi-chan."

She glared at him over a cup of tea. They were currently sitting on the small balcony attached to his apartment. Despite the differences in their roles – Daisuke was now in the Torture and Interrogation squad with Ibiki while she spent most of her time either in a hospital or a library – they made a point to meet up to catch up over a drink. It was at those times that the kunoichi was forced to acknowledge that she had fallen behind.

"How's that?"

"Why do you even need to do some stupid project for studying Genin teams? Our village has been just fine with the set up it's had so far. It just seems sort of overbearing – which is totally you, by the way – but I can see why Jounin don't want you sniffing around so much. Let them develop their teams without that sort of intrusion."

Arashi sighed.

"I mean," he continued. "Imagine how Ibiki would have reacted. He would've thought someone, somewhere thought he was unfit to teach us. You've seen his temperament, right?"

A shudder ran down her spine, "Well, duh."

"You realize Kakashi's considered a genius, right?"

"You don't have to talk to me like I'm a child. I'm well aware."

"Well, then can't you see why he might not want you trailing after him? It could be anything from an issue of pride, or trying to honor the traditions of our village, or maybe he just thinks you're annoying. Personally, I think any of those are viable."

"Probably a little of all three." She frowned. "It hasn't been long since he's been out of ANBU, has it?"

"It's not like a keep up with ANBU's roster, but I guess not. I think he left a little before I joined."

"That makes sense. I didn't start sensing him in the village as much as he is now until not long before he became a sensei."

"Wait. What? Do you stalk half the village or something?"

She gave him a scandalized look, "No. I knew him when I was little, so it's hard not to notice him around."

He rolled his eyes. "A drama queen and a stalker. Did your dad have to fix him up when he got hurt or something?"

"Uh, he was hired to look after someone that acted as a babysitter for me when I was a child."

Daisuke choked on his tea and she watched him struggle to regain his composure. "So, you mean to say, he was your babysitter in a roundabout way?"

Her mortified expression was all he needed to see to know the answer.

"Holy shit, Shi-Shi-can – this is gold. No reason he doesn't take you seriously!"

She grimaced and stood up. "I'm going to go use your bathroom. Don't choke while I'm gone."

His laughter followed her into the apartment as she tried to drown it out. Her skin and pride burned with embarrassment, but she found her nerves soothed as she crossed through the small living room area of his apartment. The walls were covered in artwork that Daisuke had created and imbued with his chakra and genjutsu. Every time she entered that area, she would lose track of her thoughts and a feeling of peace would wash through her.

While she was sure that the pieces never changed, she could not remember any of them looking the same during her visits. She was also convinced that the scenes depicted were different, depending on the person that viewed them – just as his genjutsu had always been, using art as a way to use a person's perceptions against them.

She blinked and pulled her attention back. Her trip to the bathroom was just for her to catch her breath before heading back out to her old teammate. Since childhood, she had always experienced a disproportionate amount of frustration with him. Their personalities clashed and even with time, the improvements had been minimal. However, she knew if she gave in and told him off, it would equate to roughly the same thing as losing a game.

This sucks.

She picked at her face in the mirror.

He's a member of ANBU and has his own apartment. I still live with my parents and I'm stressing over stupid stuff.

For a moment, she wondered why she let herself become as lax as she was now.

Alright, enough of that depressive crap. It's not healthy.

When she returned to Daisuke – out on the balcony, as always, since all visitors struggled to keep a conversation going while under the effect of his artwork inside – she found him composed and waiting for her.

"So, I was thinking that maybe you're just overthinking everything, all teasing aside." He shrugged. "I mean, what are you really missing out on that you can't watch from a distance?"

"Do you know how many surveys and reports I've had to fill out for Team 7 that the other teams actually help me with?"

The fact that if she had come up with a better cover story, she would have very little paperwork to do was something that irked her on an almost daily basis.

"I mean, have you talked to him? Have you offered to help his team with a training session that would help them grow or do you just want to watch them like a mouth breather?"

"Talking to him isn't exactly easy."

Daisuke gave her a flippant look. "Says the girl that was friends with Itachi."

Her lips thinned into a line and she stared into her tea.

The despondence in her eyes was enough to chastise him into an apology, "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject like that."

"No. You're right. He wasn't the talkative type and I was able to talk to him about everything. Until he killed his family and ran, anyway."

The tension was thick in the air and he squirmed in his seat.

"I don't really have an excuse, do I?" She laughed. "I'm just overthinking things. I always do, you know? It's like if I don't use someone as a sounding board, I get overwhelmed and I can't think straight."

"Still," he frowned.

"It's been years, Daisuke. I'm fine and there's no point in people having to feel like they have to watch what they say around me." She waved it off. "I'd rather focus on the task at hand, anyway."

"Right." He nodded, forcing the uncomfortable expression from his face. "I think you just need to talk to him."

"Yeah, but what from there?"

"Geez, if you're worried about him liking you, that's a whole other thing."

She stared at him, sheepishly.

"You've got to be kidding me. It doesn't matter if the people you work with on missions like you or not – you just have to work well together. Our team managed to survive and we were at each other's throats for years."

"Look, I don't want a repeat of that."

"That's," he paused. "Understandable. How did Ibiki not strangle us?"

"As a sadist, I think he just enjoyed us torturing each other."

He snorted, "Of course. He probably did. You know Akio was his favorite."

"I don't think there was ever any question about it. How's he doing, anyway?"

"Much more intense stuff than we're doing, that's for sure." Daisuke replied with a shrug. "I don't envy him."

"Agreed. Although, maybe I should start taking more intensive missions out in the field?"

"You're a medical ninja. You could just decide that you're going to be on the medical squad and work in the hospital for the rest of your life, and I doubt there'd be many complaints."

"Obviously, but not everyone makes it back to the hospital in time for treatment."

They lapsed into silence and she watched him work on a sketch. Feelings of inadequacy teased at her thoughts and she wondered if their Sensei considered her a failure. She knew she could perform better, go on more missions, and make her name better known. A part of her felt that it was her lack of performance that fed into other shinobi not taking her as seriously as she felt they once did – or, perhaps she was a child and thought more highly of herself than she needed to at that time. She knew she was guilty of that through most of her developmental years.

As if a stray thought crossed his mind, Daisuke grinned and commented, "You know, Shi-Shi-chan, if you could cook like your mother, I'd say just feed him and you'd be fine."

"What?"

"Men like food."

She chose to not answer.

"Besides, you need to start looking for someone or your mother will never have grandchildren. That woman deserves everything she wants."

Arashi rubbed at her temples, "Stop nagging me for my mother, please. I hear it enough there. I don't need it here, too."

Daisuke innocently went back to sketching like the exchange had never happened.

She made a mental note to have a talk with her mother about not using her friends in manipulation attempts. However, that would have to come later.

Determination was not something that Arashi struggled with. Anyone that knew her recognized that she was stubborn and that once she set her mind on something, she would see it through. It had, effectively, both made her parents proud and exacerbated them through the years, but it served as a tool that kept her thriving through adversity. She had been in worse situations than trying to make nice with someone that seemingly wanted to have as little to do with her as possible.

Looks like they're finally splitting up for the day.

The binoculars held up to her face had become an all too familiar sensation over the past weeks, but she hoped that soon, the secrecy would no longer be as necessary. In her free hand was a scroll with an updated report. Just as she had promised herself, she intended to breach the aloof, stand offish demeanor that Kakashi kept her at a distance with. Hiding in bushes and behind buildings had a tendency to become tedious after a while and the frustration that came from it helped her to be bold.

If the other squads can be compliant, why can't the one I actually need to work with be more considerate?

Instead of heading off toward his apartment, Kakashi lifted his book to his nose and strolled down the street – in her direction. Behind him, his Genin went their separate ways. Arashi lowered the binoculars and tucked them away. A sigh slipped through her lips as she leaned against the building she was hiding behind and waited. He knew she was there.

After several moments, the Jounin leaned over and peered around the corner of the building at her. "Hello there."

He extended the hand that was not holding his smut and waited for her to relinquish the report. Every time that she had done that, previously, he had poofed away to go about his own business.

"Before I give you the report, I'd like to speak with you."

"Oh?" He lowered the book, his eye taking on a serious glint. "Has something changed?"

"Ah, no. The report is basically the same as always, which is good, I guess."

The serious glint faded. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"

"Uh," she felt childish at that moment – childish for worrying about whether he liked her or not, childish for letting his demeanor throw her nerve as violently as it did – but she pressed on. "We're going to be working with each other for a long time. Unfortunately, I probably won't get to work behind the scenes forever with Naruto. That seal is going to weaken and, well, you've seen the kid. He won't know how to handle or contain it like his mother did."

The outline of his mouth twisted into a frown and he sighed, "He's not the brightest."

"I know that our roles are different and that while neither of us answer solely to the other, I want you to know that I respect and trust you as on this mission. It's my hope that you will not have difficulties viewing me as a capable kunoichi due to knowing me as a child and that we can develop a sound work relationship, if not a friendship of sorts. Just, please, don't continue to leave me out and keep me at such a distance."

"I didn't realize missing out on these missions had gotten to you so badly." He scratched at his chin, perplexed. "They're basically house chores and fetching lost pets. If anything, I thought you'd appreciate being able to continue your normal routines."

Daisuke's warning reverberated through her as it began to dawn on her that the Jounin's words were genuine.

"It's the damn surveys." She admitted. "I make the other squads fill them out every week. I've been doing it for you guys and it really sucks. I'd rather scrub my teeth with a brick than do anymore self-imposed paperwork."

Her response made his eye widen before closing in a smile as he chuckled. It took a moment for her to realize that she had done it – the ice had been broken. The change, while subtle, was as clear as day to her. His weight shifted as his stance relaxed. She recognized it as one that he would sometimes take as he bantered with his students.

"At least I have you laughing at me now. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but, it's something. Anyway, I have a couple questions."

"Oh? Alright."

"These reports – just let me know if you want me to include anything specific in them. I'm already helping Iruka with research on teaching methods because I apparently wanted to torture myself with additional work."

"You're very detailed, already." He leaned in and added in a slightly quieter tone. "I appreciate that you try to exercise your vocabulary when you describe the same status each week, but you can honestly shorten it. If there's no changes, you don't have to, erm, write an essay on it."

Arashi looked away and played with the hem of her scarf, "Ah, yeah. I get a little ranty, I guess. Sorry."

He straightened to his full height and returned his attention to his book. "You had another question?"

"Care to go get something to eat with me? Something that's not ramen and I'll pay."

Immediately, she could feel his stance stiffen. Standing as close as she was to him allowed her to gauge the flow of his chakra and something about it made her skin tingle. It probably did not help that the words tumbled from her mouth, nervous and unsure. It felt like an overstep of boundaries.

"Free food." Arashi pressed. "I'm hungry and I'm sure you are after everything you've been up to. Besides, I'd like to talk to you about maybe coming up with a training session that I could help with."

She could almost see the conflict going on in his head as he tried to think of an excuse to get out of it. His signature sparked and cracked – ultimately, he appeared to find the idea of tagging along less of a hassle than lying his way out of it.

He acquiesced with a shrug. "What did you have in mind?"

"Like I said, anything that isn't ramen."

The walk through Konoha was not as awkward as she thought it would be. He kept his nose buried in his book, but it helped her to not feel as embarrassed as she might have, otherwise. Even if he had wanted to banter with her while on their way to a restaurant, she would have had no idea what to say. Her actual mission was something she could not talk about, as it was meant to be kept a secret and she hated her self-imposed study. Beyond that, she knew none of his interests or hobbies. The only thing she had seen him read a trashy book that not even her mother took seriously.

Naomi described the content as "trashy", "tacky", and was adamant that it set unrealistic tones – with the added comment that she was aware that she reads low caliber books. Anything that her mother deemed that awful was something that the kunoichi never intended on reading. It made her question what about it that the Jounin liked.

Everyone has their dirty pleasures. Who am I to judge?

As much as she wanted to focus on going over training plans, she struggled to keep her thoughts organized. This was the first time he had been personable with her – as personable as one could consider a few words and a hesitant agreement for food – and she was unsure if he was feeling magnanimous that day or if Daisuke was right. If all she needed to do was stop assuming and talk to him like an adult, she was going to punch herself in the face.

Then it dawned on her – if they ate together, she would get to see what was under his mask. Curiosity made her peer over at him, but he paid no attention to it. When she was young, she assumed he was ugly and that was the reason he kept his face hidden. Now that she was older, she doubted that was the case. The sharp lines that she could make out beneath his mask led her to believe he had a nice nose and a good jawline. Her hunch was that he was simply a secretive person. Also, possibly suffered from some form of mental or emotional trauma at some point that led him to such a habit.

I can deal with quiet and secretive.

The restaurant he led her to was a teishoku style café. It had a small seating area inside the building that was mostly full. The scents that permeated the area reminded her of some of the things she ate at home. With a quick glance around, they located a free seat.

Areashi scanned over the menu and noted that the items were affordable and relatively healthy. As they looked over everything, not a word was exchanged. By the time a waitress came to collect their orders, she let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll have a, ahh, tonkatsu, with just standard stuff – rice, miso soup, and we'll just go with a salad."

"What would you like to drink?"

"Water, I guess."

The waitress turned her attention to Kakashi.

"Yakizakana."

"With rice and miso soup? What would you like as a side?"

"Salad. I'll have water with it, as well."

The waitress left to give the order to the kitchen.

Kakashi closed his book and placed it on the table. There was an uncomfortable silence for several seconds before Arashi pulled out the report and pushed to over to him.

"You had ideas for training?"

"A few. Nothing solid. They're just new Genin and it looks like their main struggles are basic ones each team deals with. What is your approach with them? Many squads are modeled after their sensei – tracking, infiltration, or combat centered, usually."

He leaned his head back and flicked his hitai-ate a few times, "They don't particularly have a predisposition to tracking or infiltration. However, I intend to help them be well rounded. To do that, though, they need to understand and improve on their teamwork."

"That's going to be a challenge, but it should come with time. I mean, Ibiki got my squad cooperating. We still couldn't stand each other for years, but we worked well together."

Kakashi hummed to indicate he was listening, while he looked over her report. After he criticized the length, she felt self-conscious watching him read it.

"Anyway, how is Naruto doing? Any growth?"

"A little. He's still… acclimating to not trying to do everything himself."

She knew he was trying to not be critical of the young Uzumaki.

"Of course," She grinned. "Who does he remind you of? His mother or his father?"

"His mother," he replied, quickly. "He lacks any of the talent his father had."

"Fair enough. Not going to argue with that."

The waitress returned what some food and drinks. Just from what he had ordered, she determined he was economical and practical with his choice of purchases. Paired with his tiny and likely cheap apartment, she assumed he was frugal with his money.

"I'm always going to feel guilty that I never had it in me to take care of Naruto and help fill that void in his life. I tried for a while and my little brother became resentful. I have a habit of putting too much on my plate."

"You have a brother now?"

"Yes. His name's Kazika. It took my parents a long time, but they managed to have a biological child."

The Jounin's voice settled into a teasing tone, "But did Ookami ever figure out that you're not really his daughter?"

Arashi's face burned and she stared down at her food. "Oh. You remember that."

He chuckled and she picked at her food, being sure to not look at him.

"I was an odd child and I was very pushy. Sorry about that. My parents really believed in letting kids be themselves and that's probably why I had so few friends, growing up."

"You weren't that bad. Spoiled, but it was," he paused for a moment, thinking back. "It was refreshing at the time. I had never seen a kid not affected by war."

She chewed on her lip, wondering if he was just trying to spare her feelings. "Thanks for the honesty. I never thought we'd have conversations like this. I guess I felt like I managed to make you hate me."

His signature fluctuated with her statement. She was reminded of when it was colder and less approachable.

"No." His tone was flat, almost hesitant.

"Yeah, I guess not." His reaction made her want to direct the conversation away from negativity. "You were quick to help me when I was attached during the final exam during my Chuunin Exam. Thank you for that – I never had a chance to thank you before now."

He shrugged. "You did well. I figured you'd make a good kunoichi after I got to break up one of your fights, but I didn't expect that."

The memory of him cleaning her scrapes ran through her head. She was more concerned about getting in trouble with her parents than anything at that point. The difference in her worldview then, compared to her mental state before she became a Chuunin stood in a stark contrast.

"I didn't expect that from myself, either." She shook her head. "Thinking back on when I was little makes me squirm – I mean, do you remember how much lotion I gave you? What's a boy supposed to do with all of that?"

A tense silence returned before he responded, "Ohh, I don't know. What any other fourteen year old boy would use it for, I'd imagine."

"Eww."

Arashi met his eye and they stared at each other, neither approving of where the conversation had gone.

Kakashi cleared his throat and promptly changed the subject, "Anyway, I'll let my squad know that you'll be tagging along for some missions soon. I'll let you know when to meet us for a joint exercise, so you don't have to worry."

"Sounds good."

With that, he poofed away and made his escape. Arashi almost yelled about uneaten food when she realized he had scarfed most of it down without her noticing.

She rubbed her temples and mumbled, "Dammit. I can't do anything right, anymore."

The kunoichi was convinced that Daisuke was right – she just needed to communicate clearly to resolved the issue and not so easily let herself overthink the situation. She was also convinced that she managed to make everything worse. Still disgusted with herself, she continued eating the food she had to pay for, experiencing a combination of relief and annoyance that she had to do it alone.

Well, at least no one I know got to see that crash and burn."

There we go. I'm sorry about how long it took to update, but I'll do my best to update once a week! Thank you to everyone that is still reading after all this time and I hope you enjoyed it! Anyone that cares to leave a review, please let me know what you think of the interactions in this chapter – please be sure to leave suggestions or criticisms, as I appreciate all feedback!

osnapitzlivia: Thank you! I've tried to make Arashi an analytical character, since she's in more of a support role. Also, good eye! I have a tendency to reference previous chapters, so kudos! I can't help but bring Ibiki back here and there – love the man.

Guest: It's safe to assume that some of the Sensei may know what happened to Arashi, along with some of the proctors. Beyond that, it's something that they did not feel at ease talking about. Kakashi does not know everything that happened to her, but may eventually.

Harmiona: Thank you! I'm glad you've enjoyed the series and I apologize that it's been so long since I've updated. This is the part that I intend to work on her maturity – she's at an awkward point of living a relatively sheltered life for a shinobi, since she took a step back from active, dangerous missions after the massacre. Now she gets to figure more aspects of herself out.

Ks: I'm glad that you enjoyed it that much! I don't know if I could've read it all in a weekend. I do hope that you'll continue to read, despite my long hiatus.

KyraReid: I am so happy I decided to use Ibiki as her sensei and I'm glad that you seem to have liked his portrayal in my fanfiction.

Windschatten: As always, I adore all of your reviews. They are always in depth and flattering and I've appreciated your continued interest in the fanfiction and the messages that you send to check on me. Genuinely – thank you.

I've tried, actively, to keep Arashi human. She has seasons of success and seasons of failures. Just because she is the main focus of my fanfiction does not mean she gets a free pass and I'm glad that it's appreciated it.

As for Kakashi, I want to have an honest perspective of him. She has no reason to idolize him. As an analytical character, she should see his faults and notice the issues that exist in his squad.

Sparksofrandomness: haha thank you for the review. This chapter had a bit more interaction between the two, but they're definitely still figuring each other out. Also, I hope you appreciate the lotion portion of their conversation.

FallingSnow12: Romance has been in the works for a long time. I'm just an avid fan of slow burns.

Guest: Here's an update and I do apologize for the wait!

Chibi-no-baka: Kakashi can be a dick and I don't want to give Arashi a free pass – even if a lot of it is just her overcomplicating the situation. I'm glad that you've enjoyed the series so far!

Aerica8: Thank you! I've appreciated and I apologize that it's been so long! I don't intend to abandon it again for so long!

Wonderland-Chic: I'm glad that you've enjoyed it up to this point and I apologize for my hiatus! Kakashi is a complicated character and from looking over the content, he has a tendency to keep people at a distance or push the away, even if it's unintentional, despite being a very loyal person. More of it will unfold and explain itself with time, though.