"Ouch."
I pulled my hand back instinctively as a droplet of oil escaped the pan. Hideki sat at the table, watching me cook his lunch patiently while Emi engaged in some early morning practice outside.
"Why I can't have ramen for lunch?"
I chuckled and gestured at him with a chopstick.
"Growing boys need more than just ramen, you know. Besides, don't you get tired of it every once in awhile?"
He shook his head earnestly.
"There are all kinds of flavors!" He opened his arms apart wide as if to demonstrate this.
"Too much delicious!"
"Too much delicious?", Emi repeated from the doorway. "That doesn't even make sense."
To emphasize her statement she threw a shuriken into the ceiling, hitting dead center of the panel.
"Emi, how many times have I told you to practice outside?"
I handed her the still steaming lunch to hold as I searched the kitchen for an accommodating lid. Finding what I was searching for I wiped it off and handed it to her. At the moment the shuriken un-wedged itself from the ceiling and landed in her plate of food.
"Cool!" she said as she quickly covered her food and ran out the door.
"Wait!", I yelled out behind her.
Hideki too had now accompanied her in her sprint and I ran after both of them. "REMEMBER TO TAKE IT OUT BEFORE YOU EAT!"
Shizune had informed me earlier that she'd deliver the results to me at home. That instantly caused me concern, though she insisted that it was simply out of convenience; she claimed to have business to attend to on this side of town today.
I had been pacing in the front yard all morning trying to busy myself with cleaning. Really, all I was doing was moving leaves from one pile to another, then glancing up every few seconds to see if I could spot a certain dark-haired figure approaching.
It seemed forever until a thin figure was seen on the horizon. I stopped sifting the piles and was going to walk inside but waiting any longer would have been torture. I began running towards her, slowly at first, then at full speed. By the time I reached her I was beginning to pant, though more from nervousness than exhaustion.
"Shizune….what…i-is"
"Don't worry Hinata-san, your children are currently in great condition."
I rested my hands on my knees and tried to calm myself with deep breaths. I wanted to thank Shizune for not drawing out the results, but something was bothering me.
"Wait…what do you mean currently?"
"The results show everything as normal, but the fact is that we still aren't sure about the mechanism involved. It's possible that the immunosupression is only dormant currently."
I'm sure my face must have given away my panic because she placed her hand on my shoulder and began talking rapidly.
"Ah, but, don't worry! Everything looks as it should and there is a pretty good chance your kids are perfectly normal. If there was anything abnormal we would spot it, I promise! If you like we can schedule regular check-ups to put your mind more at ease. "
I nodded tersely as I tried to clear my head.
"Hinata-san, for their sake, please don't worry. Everything will be ok."
I looked up at Shizune and smiled. "Everything will be ok". I wouldn't be able to count the number of times Naruto had told me that over the years. There is no way Shizune could have known, but that was exactly what I needed to hear.
"Thank you, I'll do my best."
Emi returned home that day and wordlessly made her way to the back yard, where she began once again practicing, though visibly more tenaciously than she had this morning. It was unlike her; usually after a day at the academy she'd make a point to come tell me about how her day went and list off the things she had learned. Silence was most unbefitting of her.
Hideki threw his pack on the floor and peered at me from behind the counter.
"Are we having ramen for dinner?"
"Hideki, did anything interesting happen at school today?"
"Nope". He munched thoughtfully on a cookie. "But the older classes fought against each other."
Mock matches at the academy were a fairly common occurrence. Students were pitted against each other until only one winner was left standing for each year. It was used mostly as a means for the instructors to assess what the students had learned so far and where they stood among their peers. For Emi, it was a point of pride, however. She had always been top of her class since joining the academy. On these days she usually came running home with excitement.
I stepped out into the yard and watched as she practiced her ninjutsu diligently, waiting for her to pause so that I could get a word in.
"You're working so hard today Emi, why don't you come in and take a break?"
"Can't, I got second place in the mock matches today."
"Second place is great Emi, you should feel proud of yourself!" Truthfully I was surprised to hear this news as well. Perhaps I had gotten too used to my daughter's virtuosity, but I found it difficult to imagine her losing.
"This Yasahiro guy isn't even that great at taijutsu or anything, he just tricked me into losing."
"Yasahiro?" I had learned the names of all of Emi's classmates by now, and this name did not sound familiar.
"Yup. He's a new kid. I've never even seen him takes notes in class, I don't know how he could have beat me."
"Yasahiro, was it?"
"Yup, Yasahiro. Yasahiro Nara."
A Nara, that made sense. Even Emi's physical prowess and her position as an excellent strategist could not save her from being out-thought by a Nara. I had heard that Shikamaru had recently returned to work as a tactician under Kakashi-sama. I knew he had children, but I wasn't aware that one of his sons was Emi's age.
"Well Emi, there is nothing you can do but train harder. I believe in you and if you need help there are plenty of capable ninjas around that would be glad to help you."
"Hmm", she tapped her chin and considered my words for a moment. "You're right! I won't lose to him again, you can bet on it."
The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. Emi spent most of her time practicing , with Hideki occasionally joining her. I had taken to visiting the Hero's Memorial at odd times. Despite my earlier promise to Kakashi-sama I still preferred my solitude, and I suspected that he enjoyed his as well.
I was sitting in the living quarters one evening when a rhythmic knock was heard at the door. I wasn't expecting any guests, though my teammates had a habit of showing up uninvited so the knock did not come as much as a surprise as it should have.
The guest that I was to find, however, was most surprising. Standing on the other side of the door was the tall, slight figure of the silver haired Hokage, who greeted me with a small wave.
"Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the path of life."
"Uh…………" I was trying to articulate something eloquent to say when Emi appeared at my side.
"That's a lame excuse and I've heard you use it before, Kakashi-sensei."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Emi, why didn't you tell me you invited Kakashi-sama over?"
"You told me to!"
"I did?"
"You did?", Kakashi asked.
"You said I should get capable ninjas to help me train, and isn't the Hokage the most capable ninja in the village? Let's get to training already Kakashi-sensei!"
Emi sprinted outside and got started on a set of push-ups. I turned to Kakashi and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry for any trouble my daughter has caused. I had no idea she was going to ask for your help and I would have discouraged her if I had known. You must be so busy with your Hokage duties, you don't need to take her on as a protégé."
"I know I don't need to, but I want to. What's a favor between friends? Besides, it gives me a chance to escape Shizune's clutches – the paperwork is never ending."
Still, I felt somehow indebted to him. Having the Hokage as a personal tutor was no everyday occurrence. I was only ashamed that I had nothing of equal value to offer him, and I doubted that he would accept monetary compensation. I could feel my cheeks start to flush as I tried to think of a proper payment for his assistance.
"Well then, will you at least stay for dinner?"
"Now that is an opportunity I could never pass up", he stated, and with a smile he went and took his place next to my daughter.