Confrontation
Mugen was out having lunch with his friends in a popular barbecue restaurant. He listened to his friends who are now have their own students. Mugen watched as Asuma was talking happily with Kurenai while Kakashi tired to avoid getting roped into Guy's ridiculous challenges as rivals. "Haha, you guys sound like you have your hands full with them but you seemed quite happy." The swordsman pointed out and they all smiled, agreeing him. "It's not bad but it's not the worse thing. You should try it, Mugen." Said Kurenai.
"Hahaha! That would be fun to watch! He would be so awkward in front of them. I heard from my students what you did at the academy." Said Asuma, laughing and drinking his beer. "Oh, great...!" Said Mugen and slammed his face on the table. "You're pretty lucky that he was teaching Summoning Jutsu. Just imagine how it would turned out otherwise." Said Kakashi, sighed. Mugen huffed and drank his beer. "But seriously though, you're not going to teach and lead your own students?" Kurenai asked and everyone at the table looked at him.
Mugen sighed and put down his glass on the table. "I'm not sure if I can…it's a responsibility that I don't want to bear.." He said, without looking at them. "You're talking about Orochimaru. Aren't you?" Said Kakashi. Mugen shrugged and looked outside, watching a group of kids chasing each other, screaming and playing. "I don't want to slip up and turn one of my students into the most wanted shinobi." He said took another drink from his beer. "Stupid. You can't control someone from being evil, Mugen. It just happens. If they become evil, it's not our fault. Sometimes it could be our fault but sometimes it is one's self." Said Kurenai, earned a nod from Asuma and Guy. Mugen groaned and rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright…you're right. But that doesn't mean I'm going to become a sensei. Ah, ah, ah! No, drop it." Said Mugen, as they tried to convinced him. They gave up on the subject and talked about something else especially about the upcoming Chuunin Exams.
Mugen listened while resting his chin on his hand. He looked around his table and felt something was missing. "Hey, Mugen." Everyone turned and greeted to that something, Anko. "H-hey. What's up?" He asked. "Lord Hokage summoned both of us including some other as one of the exam proctor." She said bluntly, avoiding the others' gaze and just stare at the swordsman. It took Mugen a few minutes to register what the kunoichi just said to him before he yelled, surprised. "S-s-seriously?! Damn it, we just talked about this!" The man panicked while rubbing his hair frantically. He finally stopped when Kakashi and the others told him to as the villagers in the restaurant were staring. "You're so embarrassing, Mugen…" Said Kakashi, letting out a sigh while Guy complimented him saying that he was happy that the man still has youth in him.
Anko turned and looked at him at the corner of her eye. "Come on, stop stalling and follow me!" She said and she walked out from the restaurant. Mugen got up from his table and veins on his temple started to show when his friends teased him, saying he was being scolded by the Mitarashi. "Shut up!" He yelled, put down his money and quickly followed the woman.
There were just silence between the two. Whenever Mugen wanted to walk side by side with her, she picked up her pace. He let out a sigh as he knew what he was about to say will not go into her head but he said it anyway. "You feel responsible on your sensei's actions and won't stop until you find him. I guess you will be back to normal when that happened but I'm sure it will be a long time…I missed my best friend who always laughed with me and our friends.." He said while looking at her and she didn't turned to look at him but kept walking. Mugen was about to grabbed her hand but she slapped it away but this time, Mugen managed to grab her with his other hand. "I want my friend back, it has been so damn lonely without her!" Said Mugen, holding her arm tightly.
Anko gritted her teeth, "Let me go…Damn it, why did I have to come and get you? You're an eyesore, minding people's business and a thorn of my side! Leave me alone and stop grabbing people like that!" Anko said and she broke free her arm while glaring at her. Mugen was surprised but not just by her words, she had tears dropping from her eyes. She ran off before the man could call out to her. He looked down and clicked his tongue before he went to the Hokage Mansion.
The Hokage told Mugen along with other Jounin about their tasks and which exam they have to be a proctor. As everyone had got their tasks, they were dismissed except Mugen as he didn't received his task. He didn't realize because his mind was on Anko. "Hey, Mugen!" The Hokage's words managed to enter his head and he replied by giving him a nod. "S-sorry, Lord Hokage…What is it?" He asked. The Third Hokage was surprised that he actually called him 'Lord Hokage' as he has always been calling him old man when no one was around.
The old Hokage cleared his throat before he said, "I want you to watch over the exams. It's not that I don't trust the Sand and the Sound but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. Whatever methods you use is fine just make sure no one suspects us suspecting them. The Anbu will also watch the events so, I want you to help each other." He said and smoked on his pipe. Mugen nodded, "Right, anything else?" He asked and was confused when the Hokage let out a tired sigh. "Please stay focused…This is an important task I'm giving you. Either you and Mitarashi talk and settle things now or do it after the exams!" He said. Mugen asked him how did he knew. "Come on, boy. I know the history between you two and you're actually an open book when you're troubled about something." The Hokage replied. "Now, run along and tell Mitarashi about her task. Try to get along." He said and the swordsman excused himself.
Anko was in the Forest of Death, sitting on a tree branch with her back resting against the trunk. Her mind kept repeating the scene between her and Mugen. She felt bad for saying all those things to her and it was on accident because they kept pushing her buttons. "Damn it…now I don't know f I should just leave it at that or apologize…I thought of talking to him about when we were on the roof and apologize about that as well but I didn't expect him to say that to me! Why does he have to be so stupid! Of all times he has to be a goofball…Idiot…" She thought and she buried her face into her knees while hugging them tightly.
While Mugen was looking for Anko, he ran into one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, and Naruto. The swordsman called out to them and greeted the legendary Sannin. "Oh, Mugen! It has been awhile!" Said Jiraiya and both him and Mugen shook hands. "Yes, it has. Hey, Naruto." Mugen greeted the boy and ruffled his already messy blonde hair, making him grin. The three then went to Ichiraku's Ramen as the two adults catch up. "So, how was the journey? Still doing your 'research'?" Mugen asked and Jiraiya laughed. "It was great! And of course I did my research, my boy! Expect another issue coming out soon!" He said, cheerfully.
Mugen laughed as well, "Haha, looking forward to it, Master Jiraiya!". Naruto slurped his ramen before he asked Mugen, "Sensei, how do you and Pervy Sage knew each other?" He asked. Mugen almost spit out his ramen out of laughter from Naruto calling Jiraiya 'Pervy Sage'. "Hahaha, that's a good one!" He thought and was rolling on the ground, laughing without the care in the world, in his mind. "Yeah, a long time ago. He was the fourth Hokage's sensei, you know?" He said and the blonde's eyes widen before he turned Jiraiya. "Is that true, Pervy- Ow! What's the big idea?!" The blonde yelled and held his head as Jiraiya hit him.
"Don't call me that! Especially around other people, shorty!" Jiraiya yelled at him and the blonde yelled back at them. Mugen just watched them argue while enjoying his meal. "He must be happy to teach his godson." Mugen thought. After that, they went off to train and Mugen asked every Jounin he saw about Anko's whereabouts. One of them said they saw her headed to the Forest of Death awhile ago and Mugen wasted no time to go there.
Mugen stood at the entrance of the deadly forest, looking at it. "Of all the places you have to go…" He sighed and jumped over the fence. He did some hand signs and summoned four Shadow Clones. "Scatter around and let me know if you found her." He ordered and they obeyed. Just a few seconds after his clones went in every direction, Mugen almost got eaten by a giant snake. He managed to avoid being asleep in its belly and dropkicked on it's nose. "No! Bad boy!" He said and continue to jump from tree to tree. Suddenly, a rush of memory went to him and showed him the location of the kunoichi.
He quickly went over to her and stood in front of her. Anko was still burying her face into her knees and she slowly looked up what was standing in front of her. "M-Mugen…?" She said, sleepily. Mugen was surprised that she could sleep in such a place. "Y-you were asleep? It's dangerous here, you know?" He said and did a hand sign, dispelling the other clones. He sat down, hanging his legs off the branch. Anko wiped her eyes and yawned. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"To tell you that you're going to be the proctor of the exam in this place. And…" Mugen trailed off, trying to think what he should say to her. Anko waited and tilted her head, "And what..?". Mugen sighed and got up before he crouched down in front of her, looking her straight in her eyes. Before she could say anything, he hugged her. "I'm sorry…Sorry that I kept pushing you..I know you felt guilty on what happened to me and how much you want to capture him for what he had done. But I kept pushing you instead of trying a nicer approach." He said and Anko tried to hold in her tears. She was about to gently push him, to break the hug. "It's because I cared about you..! I missed that cheery you, mischievous, hyper and always happy go lucky…I will wait for you and if you want, you can ask me for help…Not just me but the others." He said and that made her hugged him, burying her face into his chest.
Anko gently hit him and that made the swordsman chuckled. Mugen sniffed and wiped the tears that were almost pouring out from his eyes. Anko saw that and chuckled, "You're a grown ass man and you cried from that? Where's the tissue for the baby?" She said and they both laughed. "Shut up, you idiot..!" Mugen talked back to her while both rubbing their eyes. "Welcome back.." Mugen thought, smiling at her. "Now, can we please get out of here? Please?" Mugen asked as he noticed a lot of eyes around them, watching them.
Later that evening, as Mugen and Anko were walking down the street, they bumped into their friends. Kurenai greeted them and was very happy to see them both together. She grabbed Anko's hand, "Come on, we're going to hang out at the bar." She said and Anko replied with a nod while blushed a little and gave them a smile. They happy to see her smile back on her face and laughed when she teased Guy and Mugen.