Author's Note: Sorry for the late update you guys. Some life things happened and I wasn't able to make it to the computer to post this chapter.
Chapter Note: Moment of truth… and some action for once.
—
Despite Avurin's assumption of how her reunion with Gai would go, him crying and immediately hugging her, blubbering about knowing all along that she had to be okay, was not her expectation. She was shocked he wasn't yelling and screaming at her for betraying him, for making him feel such grief over her faked death. The almost unbearably strong embrace was definitely not something that she had expected.
"Asuma and I had a feeling that everything was not as they said it was! No one had an explanation for why your body was not recovered other than it being related to the war! Sure, several noble shinobi were declared Missing in Action, however we believed it would have been possible for you to want to leave after all of the horrible things you endured! I'm so happy that you decided to return, good friend! Oh, how we have missed you!" he continued to rant right into her ear as he squeezed her even harder. Despite her shock, she giggled and hugged him back.
"I never intended to betray you and Asuma, Gai. I'm so sorry for the grief I had to put you through. I'm back now, though, and I'm here to stay." She found herself reassuring her friend as he continued to squeeze her hard enough for her breathing to be restricted. Kakashi had been watching the reunion quietly but she could see his lazy smile under that mask.
"We tried not to give into despair in such a situation and I am happy you are safe! And to see you with my rival on a lovely outing such as this, oh how my heart blooms with the Power of Youth between you two!" Gai enthusiastically yelled in her ear, prompting her to pull away from him and hold him at arm's length. She smiled and patted him on the shoulder firmly.
"Ah I'm not sure about the Power of Youth between us, we've both matured quite a lot over the years, but it was Kakashi that brought me home. We are actually here since I just agreed to let him help me find somewhere to live since my family home was destroyed in the Nine-Tails attack. He's helped a lot since we ran into each other and I'm happy to say he's a good friend to me now." She carefully avoided mentioning that Kakashi had offered his family home to her, not knowing how the silver-haired man would feel about that information being out in the open so soon.
"Mah, Gai, you're intruding on our lunch. You'll have plenty of time with Avie later after I get her settled. I'll take a challenge from you later today." Kakashi drawled, pulling Avurin away from Gai and carefully pulling her to his side. Avurin would have chastised him for being rude, however she knew Gai wouldn't feel that way.
"I sincerely apologize for interrupting your lunch! I will take my leave now and run one hundred laps around the village as punishment but I will certainly find you later today! I must be almost late for training with Lee!" Gai yelled before bolting out of the restaurant. Avurin sighed and moved to sit back in the booth, slumping her shoulders as she sunk into the seat.
"He is still…" she trailed off.
"Exhausting?" Kakashi offered as he handed her a menu from where they had remained untouched after Gai's interruption. She just nodded and sighed again as she looked over the options.
Their lunch was mostly silent as they ate, both content to just eat and be on their way after the exhausting reunion for Avurin.
...
After they finished, Avurin was happy to accompany Kakashi on a walk through the village, getting time to enjoy the sights of the village that she had only gotten glimpses of the previous day. The new face of Lord Fourth on the mountain was familiar, yet at the same time, it wasn't and it brought a deep ache to her chest to remember what had happened while she had been gone. While she couldn't say that she regretted running away, she was still upset.
Kakashi distracted her from her thoughts by mumbling about how he would love to have a certain book in his hand while they walked through the village and she would occasionally snap back that she wasn't sure she should give it back to him after all of the grief he'd put his Genin through by being a pervert. They'd fallen into easy banter as they strolled through the streets with Kakashi taking the lead, seemingly without a destination in mind. She didn't pay attention to the direction that they were going until she started to notice that they were wandering into the fields that served as training grounds.
"Hey, Kakashi! Where are you taking me?" she asked with her arms crossed, already knowing that there was a half-brained plan forming in that handsome head of his if they were going into the training grounds. She heard him laugh lightly as he lifted his shoulders into a shrug.
"Mah, I thought we could spend some of the day training. If you're going to commit to being a Konoha shinobi, we have to make sure you're up for the task." He gave her one of those smiles that crinkled his visible eye over his shoulder. She huffed back at him as he turned back to watch where he was going, navigating easily through the trees.
"I didn't agree to training the day after getting back from an insane mission. You do remember that my chakra reserves are still pretty low, right?" she countered. She could see him tilt his head in a contemplative gesture but she knew she had already lost this fight.
"We'll take it easy. I just want to see what might need improving if you're serious about testing to become a Jonin. I don't believe you'll have a problem with that, though. You stood your ground against Zabuza and you have great instincts in battle." He absentmindedly put a hand over his side where she remembered her katana had scratched him. She had been on high-alert and any shinobi worth their vest knew not to jump in front of a comrade's attack, especially with a sharp weapon and little to no visibility. She wouldn't apologize for his mistake.
"I won't be using the Kekkei Genkai. Not against a comrade. That jutsu is reserved for emergencies in battle. If that's what you're hoping to get out of this, just know I won't be using it in practice. Ever." Her voice was firm and Kakashi's back straightened as he looked back over his shoulder with a serious expression. He stopped for a moment and she stopped with him.
"I won't tell you what to do with your bloodline trait, but I do think you should consider training it in the future. From what we understand about it, you'll only improve your use of it with practice and if you only use it for life-or-death situations, you'll end up exhausting your chakra at the end of every battle just like last time. I'm not saying it has to be today or with me, but just consider it. I'm more interested in your talents outside of your Kekkei Genkai." Kakashi was firm but not overbearing and Avurin could appreciate that. However, she was also firm in not using such a jutsu against comrades for the sake of getting practice. It could be damaging and that kind of control required an unbreakable amount of trust from both sides.
"Fine. I'll think about it. For today, though, I'm not using it." She sighed and nodded towards the break in the trees as a gesture for him to continue walking. He gave her a pleased look and she knew she'd just agreed to training despite her initial aversion to it. The reassurance that she didn't need to use the Kekkei Genkai during training had helped, but she still knew she was going to be kicked around like a ragdoll by the Jonin next to her due to her lack of training for the last decade. It had been a miracle she'd been able to do what she had in the Land of Waves.
They walked into the center of the clearing and Kakashi turned to face her, a glint in his eye as he put one of his hands in his pocket. He pulled out a pair of silver bells tied together, waving them slightly so they jingled. He untied them from each other and tied one to each side of his vest. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at how ridiculous he looked.
"I think we both know that you're concerned about keeping up with me so I'll give you the same test I gave my Genin. Considering they usually take this test as a team of three, I think it balances out that you'll be on your own. The goal is to get these bells from me before the sun sets. If you can get one of them, I'll buy you dinner for tonight. If you get both, I'll buy dinner and write a recommendation letter for your Jonin test when you decide to apply. You will only be able to get these bells if you come at me full force without holding anything back. I will only attack if you drag me into battle or I am forced to defend the bells. Sound fair?" She could tell he had a shit-eating grin under that mask and despite his obvious joy in taunting her with bells of all things, she knew she would take the challenge. She casually placed a hand on the hilt of her katana and sighed.
"Fine. Sunset, right? So that's a few hours. Let's get this over with." She grumbled. He nodded and before she knew it, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, a log falling to the ground to take his place. She sighed and looked around the clearing, senses reaching out to feel for his chakra signature. She felt a small flicker of it about a hundred feet to her right and brought her hands up for a hand sign, disappearing in a quick flash to appear a hundred feet directly behind where she had originally been. She knew she couldn't go to him directly, he would see her before she even got close.
Masking her chakra, she started jumping along the highest branches of the trees as she followed his chakra signature. She was going to attempt to flank him by putting him between her and the clearing. Hopefully he would still be watching the clearing for any signs of her but she knew he was baiting her and would probably just be waiting for her to show up, likely to fall into a trap. In her opinion, the best way to handle a trap was to trigger it.
Closing in on his position, she slowed down and assessed the area between where she could feel his chakra. She couldn't see any traps laid but she didn't want to take the risk. Carefully maneuvering through the trees, she finally could see him lounging on a low branch, arms crossed behind his head as if he were taking a nap. She internally scoffed at his disrespect but if this was an act, she didn't know what he would do once he knew she was nearby. Taking her bow off of her shoulder, she carefully got into position and pulled the string back, feeling as chakra slipped through her fingers and created a barely-visible arrow in the bow.
She released it with barely a whisper in the air, sending it straight for his chest. To her surprise, he didn't move at all and it pierced him, creating a puff of smoke that quickly cleared and left a large indentation in the branch he had been laying on. She silently cursed. That had been a shadow clone, definitely bait. While most shinobi would not be able to trace the chakra arrow back to the shooter's location due to its transparency, Kakashi had the Sharingan. Her cover was blown.
"An arrow to the heart? That's pretty brutal." She heard the rumble of his voice right behind her ear as a kunai appeared in front of her neck, yet didn't press any closer. She formed a quick hand sign and flashed to a branch a few feet away, effectively getting out of his reach just as he grabbed another kunai. She slung her bow over her shoulder again and drew her katana quickly, not taking her eyes off of Kakashi as he watched her with an amused look in his eye.
"You did say to give it all I had. In a stealth mission, your aim has to be true and end in a swift death for success." she countered. He chuckled as she lunged for him, her katana cutting downwards towards his face as he brought the two kunai in front of him, crossed together to block the strike. The metal of the blades screeched together, creating small sparks as she slid the katana out of the block and decided to make a swipe for one of his legs. He jumped out of the way quickly, landing on a nearby branch slightly higher than the one she was on. He let out a low whistle and twirled one of the kunai.
"You follow the rules very clearly. However, I'm starting to think you don't even want the bells." He was teasing her again and she grit her teeth. He looked as if he'd just woken up, he wasn't even breathing any harder than when they had started. His casual slouch was still present and she could tell through his mask that he was grinning at her.
"I'll have to knock you down to even get a chance at them. We have all afternoon and I'm just getting started." she shot back as she lunged for him again, this time making the hand signs for a Water Release that she knew wouldn't take too much of her chakra, Water Bullet. Spitting out the water bullets in his direction as a distraction, she quickly followed behind the jutsu, swinging her katana at his midsection where the strings of the bells were exposed. Kakashi avoided the water bullets with little trouble, only one of them grazed his shoulder and cut a small line through his vest, before he jumped out of the way of her katana. She cursed but knew they were still in the early phases of their battle. She would need to wear him down before she'd be able to actually hit him.
They continued dancing around each other for a few minutes before Kakashi waved at her, taunting her again before he disappeared, leaving another log in his place. She fought back a frustrated scream as she paused and assessed the area around her, waiting in case he decided to attack in her hesitation. She knew that he had said he wouldn't attack unless it was to defend the bells or fend her off, but she was still cautious. He was having too much fun with this.
After a few moments, she felt for his chakra again. This time, she couldn't even find a flicker. He was at least taking her seriously now. She glanced at the branch he had disappeared from and saw a very light scuff on the branch, likely from his shoe as he had disappeared. It was barely noticeable, but the scuff showed her the direction he'd propelled himself at the last moment. He had gone back towards the clearing. She cautiously jumped among the branches back towards the clearing. Sure enough, he was sitting in the middle of the clearing, casually reading a very familiar bright orange book. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her jaw protest from how hard she was clenching her teeth together. He'd taken her book while she hadn't been looking that morning.
Keeping her emotions in check, she used her bow to aim another chakra arrow at his midsection. She smirked to herself as she let it loose. This one would be triggered to explode with the force of a paper bomb on contact and he had no way of knowing that. He may have also been expecting her to react more haphazardly to him stealing her book again and wanted her to charge in, yet it was obvious bait. She wouldn't fall for it every time. She also knew he wouldn't fall for such an obvious ranged attack.
As expected, he simply moved out of the way, attempting to continue to taunt her by continuing to read the book. However, as the arrow sailed past him, she couldn't help but laugh a little to herself. It met the ground behind him and exploded on impact, enveloping the area in smoke. She put her bow over her shoulder and drew her katana again. This wasn't a game of tag. As soon as she caught a glimpse of silver hair followed by the rest of Kakashi jumping out of the smoke, she lunged.
He wasn't as surprised by the explosion as she had wanted judging by the almost bored look in his eyes but the distraction had done its job. She appeared next to him as he was lunging out of the way of the smoke and slid her katana just under his arm, cutting the string of one of the bells. The scene seemed to move in slow motion as she lunged for the bell that was falling, her hand outstretched to grab it as soon as she was close enough.
Her world turned upside down within the blink of an eye and the bell fell into the grass right in front of her. Above her, Kakashi chuckled as he pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, leaning his weight on the one hand, keeping her pinned just barely out of reach of the bell. She glared at him with everything she had, forcing herself not to shiver at the Sharingan she was making eye contact with.
"Very clever. However, not enough. Want to try again?" he asked as he glanced at the sky, forcing her to acknowledge that it was getting later in the afternoon. The sun wasn't quite setting just yet, but they were approaching the golden hour of the day.
"You wouldn't leave me to find dinner myself, would you? You know I don't have any money." She smiled almost coyly, putting off an air of sly confidence, tilting her head just so while maintaining eye contact with the Jonin above her. She was usually above such low tactics, but she couldn't deny the effect it had on the man. Kakashi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and the grip on her wrists loosened enough for her to pull both of her wrists out of his grip, quickly snatching the bell off the ground. She felt his weight fall on her for a moment before he pushed himself up enough to not crush her. She turned her head back to face him, realizing she was very close to his face as she held the bell in between them, still smiling.
"It seems I won't have to face that dilemma tonight…" Kakashi muttered as he gently took the bell from her, putting it in his front vest pocket. After a moment of just staring at each other, he slowly pushed himself up to sit on his haunches, holding out a hand to help her sit up. She took it and smiled in thanks.
"I think we're done for today. You owe me dinner!" She pulled herself to her feet and laughed at the look of betrayal on Kakashi's face from where he was still sitting. "Don't take it personally, 'Kashi. Utilizing the weaknesses of your enemy, even in a spar, is a key component to being successful in a mission." Kakashi seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts as he stood from the ground, scratching the nape of his neck as he laughed softly.
"You're right. I guess my weakness is a little too obvious in that kind of situation. You did well today but you still didn't get the second bell. You're free to train with me anytime to get it, though." She nodded and held her hand out.
"Shake on it. I'll take you up on it again soon. I'm rusty and I'll need the workout." she told him, fighting not to let her hand waver. He looked down at her hand and smiled before gently shaking it.
"Of course. Anytime. Let's go get your dinner."