5 Rest and Relaxation…

…and Revelations of One Kind or Another.

"So what do you think was up with those hands?" Naeko wondered as she settled back into the steaming hot water of the bath. "They were kinda creepy, but also really cool.

"Well, whatever they are, they need to learn to watch where they toss people," Kotori grumbled, closing her eyes and letting the heat soothe her cramped muscles.

"You've got to admit that the thing with the lightning was cool, though. Kakashi-san looked like he was going to mess himself or something!" The dark-haired girl laughed. "Serves the Copy-nin right, that he's found someone else who knows his original technique."

Kotori opened one eye to look at Naeko curiously. "What do you mean, Copy-nin?"

"Oh, that. It's his nickname, from his ability to copy any technique using his Sharingan eye. Just about everything he knows, he's copied it from someone else – with the exception of what you saw Tai-kun do earlier today. That makes you wonder, though: If that's supposedly Kakashi's only original technique, then where did Tai-kun learn it?"

The redhead closed her eyes again with a shrug and an unconcerned noise. "It's beyond me, and as of right now, I really don't care. I'm just hoping that dumbass doesn't find some other way of making us look like fools in public."

"Aww, you're just upset it was a fight over something like a dirty book," teased Naeko.

Kotori frowned. "Exactly. With this on our record, it'll be a miracle if we're allowed to be true genin and to take on missions."

Naeko grinned. "I wouldn't be too worried about it, Tori-chan. Things always work out."

"Do I look like I'm worried?" Kotori muttered, sinking lower into the water.

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"Of course you are," Taiki answered from his own spot in the men's bath, separated from the two other members of his cell by a high wall, and taking especial care to make sure that his words could not be overheard. "You're just doing a very good job of not showing it. Like every other emotion…"

His musings were disturbed by the sound of the sliding door and two more sets of footsteps walking over to the pool. Glancing up, he flushed in chagrin to see the stern visage of his teacher, as well as the faintly amused countenance of Kakashi. "There you are," Takeshi said, sliding into the water across from his student and fixing the boy in a level stare. "Kakashi here told me that you took a nasty spill into some garbage today trying to evade pursuit. Mind telling me exactly what went on?"

"Well, er…"

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"Psst," Naeko whispered, poking Kotori in the shoulder and craning her neck to try and catch the conversation in the men's bath across the wall. "Tai-kun's getting grilled! Take a listen to this…"

Shrugging again, Kotori did not move from her place in the water, but instead only tilted her head slightly so that her sharp hearing could catch what was going on.

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"So let me get this straight." Takeshi frowned. "You picked a fight with an elite jounin over a pornographic novel?"

Taiki flushed bright red and muttered, "Yes, sir. I just wanted to borrow it…"

Takeshi shot a look at his colleague, who nodded in confirmation. "Thank you for being honest, Taiki. That's all I needed to hear. You see, initially I was quite disappointed in you three – I was actually thinking that you might behave yourselves and act beyond your age for once, and at first glance this could have been quite a travesty. You stole the private property of one of your superiors, refused to return it when politely requested to do so, and then challenged him over it. You then engaged in a high-visibility chase through the village, disturbing the peace and causing unnecessary threat to life and property, ultimately landing one of your teammates in a pile of garbage and yourself under a pile of merchandise from an ethically questionable store. Not exactly trophy genin behavior, wouldn't you say?"

Wishing he could disappear with the steam rising from the water, Taiki glumly shook his head. "And it was all my fault."

"You're right about that," his instructor commented with a cold smile. "However, my colleague here helped me to see things in a slightly different light. You and your teammates – a trio of unruly adolescents who mix like oil and water – actually took the challenge and did your best to meet it, as a team. Once you'd chosen your path, you stuck with it until the end, even if it was over something so trivial as one of Jiraiya's little bundles of smut. Naeko showed a level of devotion and a desire to protect you that was almost eerie. Then you trusted Kotori, whose abilities are just about as unknown to this village as yours are, to help you when you needed her. Congratulations, genin. You passed."

In the stunned silence that followed this, a pleased squeal of exultation could plainly be heard from the women's bath, provoking a grin from Takeshi who raised his voice slightly so that the female bathers could hear. "Yes, you two heard right. You've passed, unless you do something before the day is up to change my mind. And one more thing, Naeko – if you were to listen any harder, you'd burn a hole in the wall with your ear. Add that to your list of skills to work on."

A sheepish "Yes, Master Takeshi" was heard next, along with a derisive chuckle from the other occupant of the women's bath, then an offended "Hey!" and the splash of water being slapped at the mocker.

Hiding a small chuckle of his own at the sounds of aquatic combat that ensued, Kakashi interjected, "I do have a few questions of my own, concerning your choice of technique. First of all, what were those shadow hands that you used? Were they something you learned, or something you were born with?"

Taiki blinked. "…Something I was born with, as far as I know. Sorry I can't be of more help."

A shrug to this. "Not a problem. It's always interesting to see a new advanced bloodline crop up, and this is definitely a unique one. My other question is about that lightning technique - "

"Aaaaaaaaargh! Pervert, where the hell are you?"

All three males sat up straight in the water at this sudden pronouncement, distinctively in the voice of Kotori, who was clearly outraged. "I'm over here, Kotori," Kakashi answered after a moment. "What did I do?"

The door to the men's bath slammed open a few seconds later, revealing a dripping wet and steaming mad Kotori, her towel precariously loose on a frame that was already dangerously curvy for a girl not quite thirteen years old. Indeed, if there had been an eye capable of a detached opinion at that point, it would have pointed out that only the water and steam of the bathhouse kept the towel from sliding off altogether. As it was, the three males could see a series of strange, claw-wound-like scars covering the skin on her left side from the neck to the shoulder and even over her angrily heaving chest, as well as a peculiar mottled rash spreading rapidly over the rest of her pale skin. "I'm not talking about you, Pervert-san. This one is the king of perverts! Filth oozes from his skin like the foulest aura, and I swear he was peeping." Her eyes darted from one side of the bath to the other suspiciously, but did not find what they were looking for.

"Is she talking about who I think she is?" Takeshi muttered to the other jounin, who nodded once in confirmation. "Figures."

"You know the man?" Kotori asked, eyes glittering dangerously as she brought her hands together to crack the knuckles. "I will skin him alive and use his pelt as a rug."

"You'll probably see him around sooner or later. I wouldn't worry about it for now," said Takeshi reasonably.

"But I want justice!" the girl hissed, pounding one fist into the other palm for emphasis. "He was spying on me!"

"We'll take care of it, don't worry," Kakashi added.

"Men!" With this outraged outburst, Kotori stomped her foot once in pique and made to storm back over to her side of the bath, not noticing that her towel had come completely loose and now fluttered to the ground.

"Err, Kotori…" Takeshi ventured, trying to find the right words to explain.

"What?" the girl growled, spinning around, still unaware that she was quite exposed and remaining so until she saw Taiki pitch backward in the bath with his nose gushing blood. "Good gods!" she oathed, snatching up her towel from the ground and quickly wrapping herself in it again.

"What does Ren-san feed her for breakfast?" Kakashi idly wondered as they watched the girl retreat, to which Takeshi merely shrugged dazedly.

"Does anyone have another towel?" gagged Taiki, who was carefully holding his head over the side of the pool as not to taint the water. Almost as if in answer to this question, the door opened only wide enough for a pale arm to thrust through and pitch a rag in his direction. "Thank you, Tori-chan…"