An agitated vein in Nenshō's head pulsed rather aggressively pulling him out of his light sleep. He reluctantly opened his eyelids and surveyed the room. The first thing he saw was the empty sake bottle sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He gazed through the window estimated it was around five or six just a little after dawn. He must have dozed off sometime while he and Tenten were drinking sake. He looked over to his side where Tenten sat sleeping. Her head was tilted back facing the ceiling looking completely at peace. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed softly. Nenshō laid back and quietly watched her patiently waiting for her to wake up. Before long her eyes fluttered awake and she regained consciousness. "My head feels like shit." She groaned clutching her forehead and closing her eyes again.
"Looks like the sake hit you worse than me." He chuckled.
"Seems like it." She agreed standing up and striding into the kitchen. Nenshō followed her watching as she made herself a pot of coffee. "You should have woken me." She groaned taking a seat at one of the chairs at the table holding her head and resting her elbow on the surface.
"Don't look at me I must have fallen asleep the same time as you, sake certainly helped with that." He explained pulling up a chair for himself beside her. The sound of hot coffee dripping down into the glass pot was the only sound in the kitchen aside from their breathing. Nenshō watched the coffee pot slowly filled with the life giving black liquid. He turned his gaze back to Tenten who sat peacefully face resting in her hand eyes closed dozing off while she waited for the coffee to finish brewing. He could tell she drifted off again when she started snoring softly in the cute way she always used too. The sound of coffee dripping stopped and he reached over squeezing her shoulder prodding her awake. "Coffees done." He announced to her as she opened her brown eyes to look at him. She sighed and closed her eyes again. "I don't feel like getting up." She grumbled. "I don't think coffee can really help with that, I think I'll get a few more hours rest. Get some sleep before Eri wakes up."
"Come on just one cup and you'll be fine besides if you go to bed now you'll never get up, you weren't exactly very good at getting yourself out of bed." Nenshō said grabbing the coffee pot and looking through the cabinets for a mug. Finding one he set the porcelain cup in front of her and poured the steaming liquid grabbing for the cream and sugar for her just how she used to like it pushing the hot mug in front of her. "Come on drink up." He commanded her taking his seat next to her. She removed her face from her palm and looked at him with drowsy eyes; she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his gently leaning against him silently asking him to kiss her. He closed the distance and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back and laced her fingers through his hair moving off her chair and straddling his lap. They stayed locked like that for along moment before Tenten broke from the kiss and looked into his eyes breathing hard.
"Better than coffee." She whispered. "I should have done that last night."
Nenshō smirked. "I wish you did, I've been holding that back since I first saw you." He confessed to her running his hands up and down her sides. "You really need a shave." She said chuckling. "It scratches too much."
"Do I have to?" He asked not eager to get back in the habit of putting a razor to his face every morning.
"You do if I you want to kiss me again." She threatened grabbing her mug of coffee and drinking the hot contents. "I have a razor for you to use but I'm sure that isn't the kind you're going to use. Use the bathroom and be back before Eri wakes up." She ordered.
Nenshō sighed and reached for his kunai pouch only to realize it was confiscated and taken from him when he entered the village. Slumping again he looked around the table and picked up a butter knife and headed for the bathroom. "I'll bring this back." He said closing the door behind him and pouring his chakra into the piece of steel shifting it into a keen edged razor. He looked into the mirror and sighed bringing the razor to his face.
Kumo struck the match and fired up his pipe drawing in the smoke. "I guess I should be happier since your alive but considering the circumstances that's rather difficult." He said leaning against the tree the pipe's bowl glowing brightly sizzling as snowflakes landed in the bowl.
"It's not too bad really." Nenshō said lighting a cigarette trying not to think about how cold his freshly shaved face felt in the winter air. "Considering what I did this is a greater deal than I could have hoped to get. Remind me to send Ibiki a dozen fruit baskets for this sometime, that on top of all the nights I'm going to spend babysitting for you and Ino."
"Me and Ino aren't planning on having kids anytime soon so no worries on that front, and as good as your deal is I'm not comfortable with you roaming around Konoha acting as bait for the people who hunted you across borders. Now you're in the lion's den with no weapons."
"I wasn't planning to make a little girl with Tenten but look at me now. As for being bait it feels like a pretty small price for committing murder. Through I wouldn't mind being armed."
Nenshō sighed looking at his side where his kunai pouch sat. Kumo removed his holster and handed the pouch of knives to him. "Take it, I have more and I'm sure Kakashi won't mind you having it, we'll sleep better and you can use your Jutsu when you're attacked."
Nenshō took it and strapped it to his thigh. "By the way don't you have to go meet your students?"
"There not my students yet." He corrected tapping the ashes out of his pipe. "They still need to mass my test tommarow." Kumo walked off to go meet his possible pupils the smoke from his pupils leaving a trail behind him.
"Hey Kumo." Nenshō said. "I know you're not thrilled about this deal… but at least give the kids a chance, cut them a little slack."
"Did Zabuza ever cut us some slack?" he asked not looking back at him. Nenshō chuckled seeing his friends point. "Not even a little… has fun Kumo and try not to kill the brats."
Kumo tilted his head down to look at the three kids standing before him he clutched his pipe in his teeth and folded his arms in front of him. They looked up at him from their bench huddled in their winter jackets they all noticeably shivered. "State your names." He commanded deciding he was expected to run through the usual formalities even though he already knew their names and faces from the village files he had reviewed.
"Isao Nango." A brown haired blue eyed boy spoke up introducing his names. "I hope to someday join the ANBU Black Ops and my favorite food is-"
"I asked for your name nothing else, next." Kumo said rather curtly making the kid quiet down with an embarrassed look.
"I'm Kengo Nubari." The short red haired boy said knowing now that any other information was irrelevant to Kumo at this point."
"I'm Kikyo Bayou." The last one said sounding rather annoyed the white blond shoulder haired girl sat on the end of the bench arms crossed. Kumo took note of her eyes proof of her Kekkei Genkai. To most her eyes would appear to be brown but closer examination they were actually a deep dark red more of a maroon than a brown. It seemed she really had the same bloodline limit as Noburu. He wondered if the two of them were possibly distant cousins, she definitely had distant ties to the Mist village.
"Listen up." he said drawing off his pipe and letting the smoke. "Tommarow I'm going to test you, if you pass then I shall go on to and be your sensei, you will arrive here tommarow at six AM and don't brother eating I'll be treating you to breakfast. Any questions?"
"Why do you wear those tinted goggles?" Isao asked.
"He meant about the test Isao." Kikyo said correcting the young boy. Kumo sighed, he had a feeling teamwork wasn't in this groups repertoire.
Kengo raised his hand and Kumo inwardly sighed, still fresh from the academy. "What?" He said looking at Kengo.
"Do we need to bring anything for this test?" He asked timidly.
"That is for you to decide." Kumo answered him. "Bring whatever you feel you may need for this test, weapons scrolls and whatever equipment you feel will be useful to you."
"So what kind of test is this?" Isao asked.
"He's not supposed to tell us." Kikyo said before Kumo had a chance to answer the kid. Kumo looked at the young girl. The way Kengo shut up and widened the gap from her suggested everything. Looked like her other two teammates were scared of her. He made a mental note to ask at the academy about this, whatever this sense of fear was it towards her it wasn't listed in her file.
"Yes." Kumo said answering Kengo's question. "I'm not going to tell you how this test works, one of the purposes is for me to test your ability to expect the unexpected and prepare accordingly if you prepare your equipment poorly and work lightly equipped you can find yourself unequipped to handle various issues. If you travel too heavy you can find yourself weighted down slowed by your packs so plan and prepare well and be ready for a fight. Any further questions about the test?"
All three shook there heads.
"Very well then… I'll see you three tommarow."