Chapter 8: How the Children Somehow Managed to Make Friends with an ANBU Member and Cement their Relationship With Genma: The rest of the kids enter the Academy. Genma had thought that, finally, his time as their little care taker would draw to an end. It was unavoidable. Especially after Genma finally agreed to take the job Inoichi kept offering him, meaning he worked a lot more than the kids had ever come to expect from him.
..~..~..
Another year went by with its fair shares of birthdays, pranks, misadventures, and laughs. All of the kids loved being with Genma. They didn't leave him alone for more than a week at a time. And they had somehow ended up dragging Hana, Itachi, and Iwashi into their fun and games, so Genma had to look out for eleven hyperactive children being helped by three more than capable older kids.
It was good, though, to see Iwashi laughing and having fun. And it was even better to hear that he didn't frequent the bar so much now that he had friends and a place to go to after an especially difficult mission.
One lazy Sunday morning, Genma awoke with four small and warm bodies pressed against him.
When Itachi had first given him this bed, the kids had respected the fact that it was meant for Genma alone. But then Hinata had experienced a nightmare and clambered in for Genma to comfort her. And because the man couldn't kick Hinata out, he allowed her to stay. On a later night, Sakura dreamt about something bad and asked to sleep in the same room as him. And then Chouji had done so. And then Shino. And then Ino. And by the time Kiba and Naruto tried to lie about nightmares, Genma couldn't really turn them away.
But he kept strict rules about the new bedroom. It was only to be used for sleeping. Jumping and having fun was left for his regular bedroom. But because this room was still relatively unscathed, they couldn't go wild. And because the bed wasn't big enough for all of them, there was a limit to how many could come in.
Said limit was supposed to be two. Hinata and Sakura were usually the ones with nightmares, so they usually were the ones he allowed. But Chouji and Shino were rather susceptive to Kiba and Ino's wicked minds, so he allowed them in as well.
The man suppressed the loud yawn he wanted to make when he began to stretch, then looked down at the children around him.
He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't have to suppress a stupid smile as well.
The kids were adorable when they slept. Especially these four.
Genma didn't play favorites. He tried to give all of the kids the same amount of attention and love. He didn't really remember what it felt like to fight with his sisters for his parents attention. And he didn't know with certainty if that could be applied to the situation he was in now. But he knew that when kids had an adult figure they trusted, they wanted to be praised and loved. So he tried his best to make sure all of the kids knew when they did well and when they were being stupid. With finer words, of course.
These four were the ones that barely ever caused any trouble. They were quiet yet had a sense of wonder Genma just couldn't understand. He'd been forced to grow up rather quickly, but he remembered a bit of his childhood innocence. And it was nothing when compared to what these kids had.
Out of all of them, though, Shino was the cutest when it came to said innate affinity for awe. He was an Aburame. And Genma had sworn that all Aburame were born as boring as they are when adults. Shino, though, was anything but boring. And his reactions to anything that surprised or amazed him... He was the only Aburame he'd ever seen show so many emotions, if Genma could tell the truth. Of course, he was quiet and kind of socially awkward. But he got along pretty well with all of the children, even with those small quirks. Genma guessed it was because of that brother he'd never gotten around to meeting.
As he allowed a small stupid smile to form on his lips, Genma heard a soft knock on his door. The kids all stirred slightly, but soon drifted back into their sleep and curled up closer at the loss of the warmth of his body.
He jumped out of his bed as agilely and quietly as he could. And from the way none of the kids stirred this time around, Genma chalked up his somewhat rusty skills as less rusty than he'd thought. Then he moved towards his door and opened it, expecting either Itachi or Hana waiting for him.
He'd come to learn that Hana was as respectful as Itachi. Iwashi, though, was a pretty rude little shit that burst into his room whenever with the excuse of having known Genma for years now.
But it was neither of the older kids. Instead it was a member of the ANBU corps. A large man with muscle protruding at every point and a mask with what seemed like a snarling bear covering his face.
Immediately Genma frowned. But he soon questioned, "Yes?"
Having an ANBU show up at one's door was never a good sign. Especially so early on what was supposed to be a simple morning.
"The Hokage wishes to speak with you." The man answered gruffly, "Urgently."
Genma looked at him in surprise and worry. Then he looked back at all of the kids on his bed and frowned softly. "I can't leave these kids alone."
"I'll stay with them."
Genma didn't feel right about any of this. For a member of ANBU to stay with the children...
"Those are my orders." The man grunted, looking at the children staying inside of the room Genma had just come out of. "But your orders are to leave as soon as possible. The meeting with the Hokage is pressing."
The senbon enthusiast looked at the masked man for a moment, caught between arguing with him, but soon sighed and nodded softly. He hadn't found himself having to go to the Hokage a lot in the past few years because of his status as a caretaker. But that didn't mean he had forgotten the chain of command. And when a member of the ANBU Black Ops ordered someone to do something, it was best to not argue.
"They're usually pretty well behaved. But if they begin to try and fight you or something, just ask Itachi Uchiha to help you out." Genma informed the man as he stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him, then began to walk over to his kitchen. "Kiba and Naruto are the boys that will try to fight you. But if you distract them with some kind of game, you should be fine."
He didn't know exactly why he was telling this to the ANBU, but he felt the need to at least give him some help. He knew how difficult the kids could be. And how overwhelming their numbers could become. So even though he knew that this man was, without a doubt, battle hardened and used to coming across difficulties, he felt like he should help him out a little bit.
The man began a pot of coffee, not even noticing he was making for more than just himself, then opened his kitchen cabinets to grab a pack of cookies for a quick breakfast.
"Ino and Tenten are the girls that will most probably give you the most grief. But as long as you don't let Kiba or Naruto gang up on them, they won't see you as another stupid man and will at least respect you. Hinata and Sakura will both be terrified of your mask. I'm just warning you right now." Genma wanted the man to be prepared for the kids' oddest quirks, "Chouji will be too, now that I think about it... Shino and Shikamaru won't trust you at first, though."
As he spoke, the smell of freshly brewed coffee began to waft from the coffee maker. He didn't turn once to face the ANBU member behind him because he knew he was being listened to by him. And he grabbed a mug from the cabinets by the refrigerator before opening the door to grab the container of milk from inside.
"Itachi stayed the night, just like Iwashi Tatami. They both know this place like the back of their hands, so if you run into any problems, ask them to help you out. They're both respectful and understand the shinobi chain of command." The man poured some milk into his mug before placing it inside of the microwave to heat up, then returned the milk to its place. "And if at any point the kids become too much, you can return them to their respective parents. They won't question much once you tell them I had to go meet with the Hokage."
A few seconds of silence passed between them as the noise of the microwave heating and liquid pouring filled the kitchen. But soon the ANBU cleared his throat and Genma turned to him, finding him with his large arms crossed over his chest.
"I believe I am capable of taking care of some kids."
Genma couldn't help the knowing smirk that appeared on his lips at that point. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was a more than capable shinobi in the battlefield. But this was another kind of field altogether.
"I've heard those same words from mighty men." Genma smiled broadly, shaking his head softly. "But you don't really see Kakashi sticking his neck out to care of these kids when I'm not around. And Raidou refuses to have the kids around him as long as there's any kind of sugary substance around."
The ANBU's shoulders tensed minutely, clearly trying to seem more sure of himself than he actually was, but Genma decided to cut him some slack.
"Maybe you'll be the second to tame these wild demons."
When he walked into the Hokage's office, Genma didn't know what to expect. He had no idea if he was going to get scolded or even demoted because of his less than stellar record from the past years.
Even though he could go on missions, he was barely sent on them. He'd told Shikaku on more than one occasion that he was still capable of going out of the village on long missions, but he was always passed over when it came to those. And seeing how he was always tired because of the eleven demon children he took care of, he didn't really spend too much time getting annoyed by this.
Although it would really suck if he was told he was going to be put on probation for not being able to accomplish any of his shinobi duties. Because that would just be a bunch of bull.
"You wished to see me, Lord Hokage?" Genma bowed respectfully once he stood in front of the older man's desk, then looked up to see the man looking at him with a quizzical eye.
"I did." The man muttered after a few seconds of looking Genma over, then allowed a loose smile to take over his lips. "Tell me, Genma, how have you been? It has been some time since we last spoke?"
After the Fourth's death, the Third had made sure to keep constant contact with those that had been closest to him. And Genma had even managed to weasel his way onto incredibly difficult missions to take his mind off of his failures because of this. But ever since he started to take care of the kids, he had not had much of a reason to speak to the man before him. Except for that one time he had ended up having to explain why Iwashi had never gone to his shift at the village gates.
"I have been well." Genma swallowed through the lump in his throat, suddenly feeling like a kid that had gotten caught with his hands in the cookie jar. And he was very sure of how that felt like because of all the times he had caught one of the kids in that very position.
"Those kids you take care of... How are they?"
While Minato had been a straightforward, blunt, and sometimes oblivious man, the Third Hokage had been his extreme opposite. He enjoyed being mysterious and confusing. And he loved to weave perplexity with an affinity for edging his way towards a single goal, rather than going straight for it.
What he was playing at, Genma was not sure. And he didn't really know how to feel about that.
"They are well, Lord Third." Genma answered with a bite at his senbon, then moved to place his hands on both his hips. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, sir... But, would you mind getting to the point? I just left eleven demon children and two kids on the cusp of becoming demons with an ANBU member they've never met before. And I'm kind of worried of getting back and finding they've burned my apartment to the ground."
Before, he would have been even more blunt with his words. A bit more rude, too. But he didn't really feel like ending up on crappy D-Ranks because of disrespecting the man.
"Words I never thought I would hear coming from you." The Third commented with amusement, then reached into his desk to pull out his pipe. "Alright, you wish for me to get to the point? Naruto is nearing the age in which he'll finally join the Academy. And as I am sure you know, not many of our Academy teachers are eager to have him as part of their group."
Genma winced just slightly at the mention of the blonde haired boy, but soon sighed and nodded. It was no secret that even though the kids he took care of had taken to Naruto with barely any difficulty, the almost unanimous decision around the village was to keep as far away from them as possible. It was how most civilians felt. How most shinobi felt.
It wasn't farfetched to come to expect that none of the Academy teachers wished to take the young boy on.
"They are worried about discord among the students. They do not wish to have him in a group where he will be at constant odds." The Hokage explained, "And I do not wish for Naruto to find himself in a toxic environment formed by his fellow students."
Quite frankly, Genma never would have thought he would ever find himself in this position. He didn't even have a girlfriend, yet he was constantly feeling like an overwhelmed and overworked parent.
He blamed Neji for all of this...
Sighing softly, Genma shrugged softly before scratching at the back of his neck. "Naruto has friends, you know. Most of them his own age. You could always just put them all in the same group. It may seem like a show of favoritism towards the kid, but what's the opinion of the public matter when a kid's safety is in jeopardy? If Naruto's got his friends with him, he won't cause any trouble."
Naruto had found himself with a reputation as a troublemaker and overall bad child even though he had grown out of the horrible stage Genma had dubbed 'Terrible Threes' quite some time ago. He'd straightened up with the parental influence the parents of his friends had brought in. And being able to flee to his apartment whenever he wanted to had helped make him feel like he wasn't unsafe at all times.
"Not many parents will like the idea that their children will be in the same class as Naruto."
"And you think that matters?" Genma shook his head in exasperation, "I've ended up having to deal with a lot of shit the past year because of what's in the best interest of others in the village. And I've grown somewhat immune to caring about what others think."
This village cared so much about keeping those with money and power pleased that they forgot that these children were its future. It was a good thing he was around to not give any shits about what others wanted to knock sense into them.
"Naruto wants to become a ninja. And there is just about nothing in this world that will knock that idea out of him." Genma continued, taking note of the way the Hokage's face lost all hints of amusement and became completely serious. "He will need to go to the Academy to learn what he needs to know. You're aware of that. Or else he may just do something drastic to learn."
Naruto had never flat out told him, but Genma knew the boy was capable of seeking out a teacher that would teach him what he needed to know to become a shinobi. And there was no telling what he might do to get a teacher.
"Listen, you have to find a new Academy teacher. Someone that is fresh and green." Genma told the older man with a sudden weight on his shoulders. "And you have to make sure to tell them that there's no way they can get out of teaching Naruto. They're in it for the long run."
The Hokage looked at him through thoughtful eyes, then placed his unlit pipe down on his desk. "And how do you propose I do that, Genma? Not many would jump at the chance to teach him. You are more than aware of the feelings surrounding the child."
"I am. And that's why you pick the teacher you think will be the most fair, stern, and understanding." Genma told the man with complete seriousness, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am sure that you know someone that fits the bill. If you didn't, you wouldn't be having this conversation with me right now. Instead you'd be telling me that Naruto would not be joining his friends in the Academy."
A small smirk played on the man's lips, then shrugged his shoulders slightly before leaning back on his chair. "You have changed quite a lot recently, Genma. Your parents would be proud of the man you have become."
It both surprised and hurt Genma to hear the man say this. But he composed himself as best he could then nodded at him. "Thank you, sir."
The man smiled softly and nodded, then began to fill his pipe. "I am sorry for having woken you so early for this meeting. But seeing how the Academy is set to begin the new school year in just a month, I wished to make sure that my choice for a teacher was the correct one." Then he cocked his head to the side slightly, eyes flashing before speaking up once more. "You will not mind it being a young teacher? He is sixteen."
Genma had said it would be best for the teacher to be a new one. But he hadn't expected this person to be so young. He was Iwashi's age!
But… Naruto listened to Iwashi, Itachi, and Hana. And if Genma made sure to tell the kid that he had to listen to him without any kind of fighting, then he was sure the new teacher wouldn't have too much trouble. He'd just have to make sure that if any problems arose, they didn't come from Naruto's end.
"And…" Genma swallowed somewhat uncomfortably, feeling suddenly unsure of the course Naruto's life would be taking now. "You're sure that this kid is the best choice?"
"Until further notice, it's the only choice."
The gravity of the situation was not lost on Genma. But he knew there wasn't much he could do about Naruto's current situation. Even though he took care of the kid, he had not gone a step farther than the rest of the kids. They were all on a level playing field with him. Clan children or orphans, he treated them all the same.
... Raidou had, at one point, asked when he would finally get around to signing the adoption forms for them all. And even though it had been a joke, it had struck a chord within Genma.
Adoption.
It was a pretty serious word in his mind. His sisters and him had been allowed to live together after his parents death because his older sister was competent enough to stay with them. But they had left when he became a genin, an adult under the eyes of the law.
"I trust in your judgement, Lord Third." Genma bowed once more, shoving all thoughts that dealt with adoption to the back of his mind. "May I take my leave now?"
The man spent some time looking Genma over. But eventually he lit his pipe, puffed out a cloud of smoke, and nodded. "We wouldn't want you to return to a home that is just ashes. Have a good day, Shiranui."
"You too, sir."
And with that Genma walked out of the office and made his way back to his apartment, hoping that the children would not, as he had joked, actually burned his apartment down. Because even though they were usually well behaved, he had no idea how they would take to someone like an ANBU being there, even though Genma wasn't.
Bear somehow became part of the kids 'Favorite Adults' list. Genma wasn't sure if it was because of the mask and the challenge it proved to be to take off (just like Kakashi's, the kids seemed to have an innate need within them to take it off and find out what was underneath) or because the man treated them like little soldiers instead of children. But the kids always asked for Bear and if he would ever appear ever again. And after a while of the kids trying to run away to chase after the ANBU to see if they could find him, Genma finally relented and sent Kakashi to fetch the man.
They didn't know who he truly was. Which was no shock, seeing how he was ANBU. But he was a gentle soul that played tea party with Hinata and Sakura with one hand, all the while being able to play sword fighting against Kiba, Naruto, and Sasuke at the same time with the other.
One time, Inoichi came in with Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Tenten, bearing pies from Chouji's parents with a broad smile on his face. And when he found the ANBU with Sasuke holding onto his neck as the man followed after Sakura, who wanted to play tea with Hinata and Bear, the blonde's face had been worth a million dollars.
Genma's only regret had been not having a camera for that amazing face.
"You have ANBU under your thumbs, too?" Inoichi had gasped out, turning to look at Genma with complete shock.
But, Genma had known there must have been more for that priceless reaction. If it had been any other ANBU, Inoichi would have been shocked, yes. But he wouldn't have looked so comedic. This must have been someone the man knew outside of the uniform. Someone that must have been the least likely to play with children if Inoichi was so shocked.
"The kids have a way with adults." Genma shrugged softly, then looked at Bear. "You going to stick around for the pies?"
The masked man had remained frozen for a few seconds before the kids that had come with Inoichi ran to him, begging him to stay a while longer before leaving. So the man had agreed. All because the kids were much too adorable when they actually used the word 'please'.
The summer went by too fast for the kids liking. Even though they were excited about going to the Academy, they also wanted to stay with Genma. They weren't crazy about not being able to spend their whole lives with the man like they had become accustomed to. And they had thrown quite a tantrum one night when the parents had told them they would not be able to stay overnight at Genma's apartment every single night.
It hurt to see them so distraught by the changes that would be coming into their lives. But Genma knew for a fact that the kids needed to get used to it. Even though they were still young, they were going to learn to be shinobi. And there wasn't such a thing as commodity when one was a ninja. They needed to learn from a young age that, even though they were kind of spoiled, they needed to get used to not always being comfortable or getting what they wanted.
"But I want to stay with Genma! He would always walk Tenten and Neji to the Academy!"
Tsume growled as her son scratched at her arms, keeping him tightly gripped in her hands, but far enough to get at her face. "That was because he still needed to care for the rest of you mutts!"
"But... But... I want Genma to walk me to school tomorrow..."
"I do, too, Chouji."
Shikamaru and Chouji were the least loud of the children. They just stood in the middle of all of the chaos, looking desolate and saddened as they spoke to one another. But the rest of the demons... They were making their discontent more than clear.
"Please, mom! I don't want to go! I want Farmer man to walk me to school! I want to stay with Gen-Gen!" Sakura pleaded, standing rooted to her spot while her mother tried and failed to pull her out of Genma's apartment. "I want Gen-Gen!"
"Sakura, honey..."
"You can't make me! Shino, quick! Throw your ants at our parents!"
"Ino!"
"Shino, don't you dare!"
But the young Aburame's hand was raised, a large jar of ants gripped tightly while his whole body stood tensed. Shibi held his hand out in a sign to stop his son, but the young boy was just glaring at him.
"Allow us to stay." Shino's voice was deathly serious, something that shouldn't be possible with him only being six. "We want to stay with Farmer man!"
Genma knew how dangerous Shino's threat truly was. Those ants had been let loos in his apartment at least once before when the kids had tried to catch Kakashi by surprise. And it had been hell to round them up without accidentally killing any of them. Especially because none of the Aburame Clan had helped, seeing how they had deemed the chance of cleaning the ants up as a punishment for the kids having used them as such unconventional weapons in the first place.
"N-Nej-ji-n-ni-ni-n-ni-saaan!"
Hinata was a blubbering mess hugging her cousin tightly, all the while Neji tried to comfort her. Hiashi, though, was not being allowed to get close to either of them. Seeing how Tenten had managed to get into his weapons cabinet again- he really needed to hide those things better now-, the girl was threatening with bodily harm if anyone got too close to either Hyuga. Her mother was beside Hiashi, trying to make her see reason, but Tenten just glared at her and lashed out with her kunai.
Genma had never seen the kids so distraught. He'd seen them throw quite a bit of tantrums and stand up to their parents like a pack of rabid demons. But he'd never seen them fighting so much to keep change from taking place.
And he didn't know why, but it hurt a lot to see that the majority of them had tears streaking down their cheeks.
"Naruto, there's no reason for you to be fighting."
The senbon enthusiast looked away from the louder commotions to look over at the doorway into his kitchen, where Naruto stood with a glare on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Bear was kneeling beside him, a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking every bit like a person that cared even though this was the 'demon brat'.
Bear had been a good addition to their ranks simply because he talked to Naruto as if he were another child. He was kind of like Kakashi in that respect. Just less perverted, infuriating, and likely to disappear simply because he didn't want to eat the food Genma prepared for all of them.
"But I don't want my friends to go."
"You'll see them again tomorrow. They are still going to go to school with you." Bear replied softly, which made the young blonde sniffle and shake his head.
"But they won't be around as much anymore... I don't want my friends to go..."
Genma couldn't believe the amount of resistance the children were putting up. But from the way Inoichi, Shikaku, and Kakashi stood off to the side, Genma could tell that they, at least, weren't all that surprised with what was happening.
"Sasuke, please don't try to stab me."
"Let me go, brother! I want Genma!"
Taking in a deep breath, Genma closed his eyes and steeled himself. He didn't want his apartment to suffer any further damages from the children's resistance. Nor did he want to continue seeing them crying.
He knew he was going to regret this later on. But at the moment, it was the only way to diffuse the situation.
"I'll walk you all to school tomorrow. But you have to go with your parents to pick up your clothes so you have something to wear tomorrow morning and to go to bed."
For a second, everything froze. All of the adults and Itachi turned to look at him with varying degrees of shock clear on their faces. The cacophony that had taken over his home ceased, leaving nothing but a sudden peace. Then that was all destroyed when Kiba whooped proudly, jumping out of his mother's arms to run to Genma and glue himself to the man's legs.
One by one the children ran to him and hugged him tightly. Then they forced him to promise that this wasn't some kind of trick and he really would let them stay the night before their first day of school. Of course, Genma did so. He wasn't about to trick the kids into leaving his apartment. That just wasn't right.
It took a little while. But eventually the kids all left with their respective caretaker to go to their homes, pack everything they would need for the night and following day, and Genma was left with only Kakashi in his home. Bear had gone off with Naruto to the orphanage to get the things the blonde would need.
For a moment, Genma took in the battle scarred apartment. There were weapons thrown all around, courtesy of Neji and Tenten, along with toys, jars, plates, and just about anything the kids had gotten their hands on to fight off their parents. Shino's jar of ants lay pristinely on his kitchen counter, the only thing that still stood straight after the kids had thrown their united tantrum.
He'd have to scold them all on it. He allowed a lot of things to slide usually. But this time they had toed over the line of going too far. And to make sure that they never did, he'd have to let them know they couldn't always get what they wanted.
He'd only allow it this once because it was the night before their first day at the Academy. But this would be the only time he'd allow this.
"You know... In the future, when they're all shinobi and great fighters, I don't think you'll have to worry about ever getting killed in the battle field."
Moving so he could grab a senbon that had been embedded into his bookcase, Genma plopped the metallic weapon into his mouth, bit it twice, then turned to Kakashi. "What are you raving on about now, Scarecrow?"
The man still stood comfortably by the hallway, eye focused on the book in his hands. But he soon looked up, eye squinting in a smile, "You've got yourself the equivalent of a small army at your disposal. If you train them right, you'd be unstoppable."
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Genma sighed and shook his head. "This won't happen again. They're going to begin their lives as shinobi. And soon enough, they'll forget all about Farmer man and Scarecrow." He waved his hand dismissively as he walked towards his kitchen, deciding to begin to make food before the hellions returned again. "That's why I don't fret too much."
He swore he heard Kakashi grunt amusedly at that. But the younger man didn't say anything after, remaining quiet as he continued to read.
Genma knew for a fact that he was just a passing fancy in the kids lives. Soon enough they would be forging their own paths in the world and wouldn't need him around anymore. And he was prepared for that. If anything, he yearned for it. He hadn't gone on a good mission in two years now. He would just be a faint memory in the kids lives once they were respected and capable shinobi and he was still working at whatever mission came his way.
Although he'd never admit it to himself, there was a pang in his chest when he thought about the kids in the future. He could see them all grown up, laughing and having great fun with one another, all the while still being professional in their line of work.
It was quite the sight. Although he could die without seeing it, knowing he wasn't all that important in their lives.
(He couldn't. He would much rather live to see the day the kids earned their hitai-ite and the day they became chunin. But Genma didn't fool himself. He didn't know if he'd be alive for one more day, one more year, or ten more years. Nothing was certain. And he could die happily knowing that, even though he still had quite a few regrets, he'd done the best he could with the cards he had been given.)
(Genma had no idea about this, but the kids really would become his small army.)
"I'm Genma Shiranui."
"Iruka Umino I'll be... Uh... Which one is your child?"
Genma smirked slightly at the teenager as he looked down at the nine munchkins he'd brought to his homeroom, then looked over the room. It was a standard classroom without any personal touches just yet. But this was a new teacher, which led Genma to believe that he had yet to be able to even decide on what he wanted his classroom to look like.
"He's got an awesome scar! Just like Rai!" Ino marveled at the horizontal scar that crossed over the tanned teenager's nose, then she tugged at Genma's pant leg. "Are we ever going to go ahead with the 'Awesome Facial Scar Club'? Because there are already two guys that can be members!"
"Ino, please." Genma shook his head with an exasperated sigh, then smiled softly at the pony tailed teenager. "I'm sorry about that. Ino can be somewhat... Blunt."
A side effect from hanging around Tenten too often.
"We're all his children, Pineapple-Sensei!" Kiba smiled broadly up at his new teacher, even though Genma immediately felt a shock of worry and disdain go through him.
"His name is Iruka-Sensei." Genma growled softly, then flicked the boy's ear slightly. Kiba shouted out dramatically at the hit, but soon shook his head, smiled broadly, and pointed over at the circular tables with five chairs each. "I call a table with Naruto and Sasuke!"
Naruto smiled broadly and grabbed his friend's hand, then Sasuke's, shouting out that they would get the best table in the whole place. Genma just let them go off with a soft shake of his head, then looked back at Iruka, took in the confused and taken aback look, and decided to explain himself before the younger male regretted having become a teacher.
"None of these are my kids, Iruka-Sensei." He began, only to have Ino tug at his pant leg and glare up at him. "Of course we're your kids!"
He wasn't surprised to hear her say this. But the man, instead of trying to make her see reason, merely smiled softly and motioned for the table the three boys had called their own. "Why don't you six go ahead and pick out the table you want? So you're able to sit together for the rest of the semester?"
Hinata gasped at his words for some reason, then Ino nodded, grabbed both her and Sakura's hands, then began to drag them over to the table beside the one the three other boys had deemed as their own. Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were left fidgeting slightly before Iruka smiled down at the three of them.
"Those are all your friends?" He asked in a tone that sounded both caring yet stern, "Which one of you is the calmest? I believe it would be a good idea for you to sit with those three boys so they can help me keep them calm during class."
The three boys looked up at him for a second before Chouji muttered, "Shika and I are both good when it comes to keeping Kiba and Naruto calm..."
"But that'll be so troublesome to do every single day..." Shikamaru groaned, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Shino didn't say a thing. He just made his way over to the girls' table, apparently having decided that he didn't want to deal with three hyperactive boys for the rest of his semester.
Shikamaru groaned once more when Shino sat, but soon rolled his eyes and begrudgingly made his way towards the three other boys. And once all nine kids were seated, Iruka turned back to Genma.
"I'm kind of their babysitter." The man explained, shrugging softly. "The kids aren't mine, biologically speaking. But I'll most probably be the person you'll be seeing the most of when it comes to meetings, conferences, and whatnot."
Genma had come to the conclusion that Hiashi would do the same thing he'd done with Neji for Hinata. And there was no doubt in his mind that, if someone like Hiashi sent him in for his kids, then the rest of the parents would do the same. It was a given when it came to all of them.
Although now that the kids would be spending the great majority of their days at the Academy, Genma could actually go on more missions and earn more money and not have to continue accepting the kids 'gifts' whenever they were given their allowance money.
"For all nine of them?" Iruka was surprised by this, but seemed to be taking it in strides. He had yet to run off, after all. "Wait, you expect there to be parent-teacher conferences?"
Smiling with a nod, Genma looked at the kids, noticed the way the girls and Shino were pulling out their notebooks and pencils, even though the other five were laughing and telling jokes, then turned back to Iruka. "Please. I know there'll be meetings. But you seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders. And as long as we're able to keep a respectful and professional atmosphere, we should be fine."
The teenager blinked up at him before giving a stiff nod, then turned around to greet another parent as they walked into the room.
Genma decided that this was his time to take his leave, so he began to walk towards the door. But when he was there, he stopped and looked back at the smiling children.
They were together. They would be fine. There was nothing to worry about it.
... Hopefully...
For the first time in three years, Genma had nothing to do.
The Hokage hadn't given him a mission, even though the kids had been going to the Academy for more than a week now. And the kids weren't around to try and round up.
For the first time in three years, Genma felt like he wasn't doing anything productive.
Sure, he trained, strengthened his body for when a real mission came, and stocked up on his weapons. But there was only so much preparations one could do before they were more than ready for a mission.
He just stayed in his apartment, fidgeting around with his body. He'd cleaned his apartment about ten different times since the kids had entered the Academy. And he'd moved his furniture around to different positions about twenty times before he'd gotten it to look the way he wanted... Until he ended up deciding to change it once more when the boredom became too much again.
He had not noticed just how abundant the kids had become in his life until he was home alone and bored out of his mind.
... Was this the reason why some housewives ended up cheating on their husbands? Because they were used to having people around, but when there weren't, they grew bored?
The thing was, he knew he had other things he could do. He could seek out his friends, strong arm the Hokage into giving him a good mission, or even head out to try and find the romantic companionship the kids wanted him to get. But he just didn't want to. It was really weird, if he could tell the truth.
The seconds were ticking by in a insanity inducing, sluggish pace. The last time he had looked at the clock at his kitchen was what felt like an hour ago... But was really only half a minute.
He was going to go insane in his home.
The kids still came around, though. So he made dinner for them before sending them off to their respective homes. He was pretty sure that they would eventually stop coming around as they continued with their lives, though... So he couldn't count on them to break the haze that his life had become.
With a glare and sneer at the much too loud ticking coming from the taunting clock, Genma jumped up from the couch and began to make his way towards the kitchen.
It was only the afternoon. But the kids were supposed to arrive in a good three hours. And he should begin making their food now.
Not like he had anything better to do, after all.
But just when his feet were about to cross the threshold into his kitchen, he heard his door open. The chakra signature was familiar, and from the way no traps were set off, Genma guessed it must have been one of the parents. And when he looked over at his door, he found Inoichi smiling softly at him with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Shiranui! Good to see you're still alive!"
There was a mischievous glint in those blue eyes. And it was almost terrifying how similar Inoichi and Ino could be when being sneaky.
"Inoichi. What are you doing here?" Genma questioned as he changed course and headed towards the older male, somewhat confused by his sudden appearance.
He hadn't done anything to warrant any kind of visit from the parents... And from what he knew, the kids had yet to get into trouble at the Academy. They were all actually behaving.
"I've come to offer you a job." Inoichi answered, which immediately made Genma wince slightly.
Again? He'd already told Inoichi he wasn't all that interested in joining T&I. He knew he had the skills to be a Tokubetsu Jounin. But he was kind of okay just being a chunin, like Iwashi. Raidou had already made the jump and insisted that Genma and Iwashi should get their lives together again.
"Listen, Inoichi, I'm flattered, but-"
"Nonsense." Inoichi interrupted, then patted Genma's shoulders, "Genma, all you do know is hang around your apartment and do nothing. You're like a bored housecat that can only swat at the occasional fly!"
Out of all of the parents, Inoichi was the most okay with physical contact. Genma had been forced to learn that this was just his way of being and not get too annoyed with him.
But he seriously did not like being shaken like some kind of cocktail shaker.
"Wait," The senbon enthusiast's eyes narrowed, a frown coming onto his lips. "How do you know that?"
But Inoichi didn't seem affected at all by Genma's distrust. He just continued smiling broadly. "I'm a ninja! And Head of T&I!" The blonde was clearly proud of his accomplishments, which Genma couldn't disagree with. But he was so cheery... It made no sense sometimes. "Now come and work for me. You have all of the skills to be great at information gathering and the level head to keep from doing more harm than good on suspects. You'd really be an invaluable asset."
By the end of his words, his tone had sobered and become more serious. But there was still a light smile on his lips.
Inoichi had offered him this same job a few years ago after the Nine Tails' attack. And Genma had refused it simply because of pride. This time around, though... Well, his moments of stupidity spurred on by pride were much less...
If he accepted this job, he'd have a steady income. And he wouldn't have to worry about the kids revolting over him leaving for too much time because he'd be in the village doing his job. And what would be so bad about getting a slight promotion? More money meant less worry about life and the kids getting what they wanted and needed.
And after having spent five days bored out of his mind and having been just an inch from murdering his wall clock, Genma guessed accepting the job wouldn't be the worst thing to do. And it wasn't as if working would be all that bad either. It would keep him occupied and an excuse to not ask the Hokage to go on long and hard missions.
Was there really a reason to not accept the job?
Sighing softly, Genma relented. "Just don't expect me to wear that stupid uniform."
"It's great to have you on board, Genma!" Inoichi suddenly wrapped his arms around the younger male and hugged him tightly, then let him go, smile still present on his face. "Let's go! I want you to meet the rest of the crew before the day ends!"
Genma knew most of the people that worked at T&I from before. Anko was still insane as ever, Tonbo was still sarcastic and aloof, and Shimon was still pretty funny.
There were undeniable similarities between Ibiki Morino, the quiet man that kept to himself even when the rest of the members of T&I got together to have fun, and the ANBU Bear.
But when Genma noticed it, he decided to keep quiet about it. There was a reason why ANBU kept their identities secret. And as long as Bear continued to appear sporadically to make the kids cheer and learn, Genma had no reason to flat out ask him.
"You kids..."
"We want to go with you to T&I!"
Genma was tired. And he was being called in by Inoichi to try and help out with a hotheaded suspect. Ibiki was off on a classified mission and the rest of the members of T&I had been deemed as completely counterproductive for the nin from Iwa.
It was a Friday afternoon. The kids had come in asking for fun and to sleepover. But Genma was so tired...
He could either fight against them... Or just let them come along...
"Just don't break anything. And you're going to stay with whoever I leave you, understood?"
All eleven children began to cheer as soon as they heard that. And Genma, even as his body felt as heavy as lead, couldn't help the small smile that came onto his face as he ushered them out of his apartment.
..~..~..
It has taken me a bit of a while... But I've managed to update again!
Tell me what you think in a review! They keep me going even when university tries to bring me down!