Fandom Squad Shithead: A Naruto AU

[Gilzar]

Matsuda wasn't expecting Haruki to outline the entire mission, but she remained attentive none the less. The kid had a knack for just spewing out mission details, just like the first time she'd met him back at the interrogation core. She already knew most of the mission details by now, but it was still interesting to hear things from their perspective. Not many genin could say they encountered an S ranked criminal like Genzo and lived to tell the tale.

"So I heard." Matsuda replied. "Although Kaito left out the details on your close brushes with death."

Matsuda paused for a moment, taking a brief amount of time to look over the both of them.

"Are you both doing alright? I know it's not easy going through that for the first time."

Mizu's eyes looked back at Matsuda's, somewhat taken back. She hadn't expected the jonin to show interest in how they actually felt on the matter. They didn't really even know her that well, but she was checking in on them. It was a kindness Mizu wasn't used to. The girl briefly thought about her answer, then responded.

"I'm doing fine now. More exhausted than anything else." Mizu admitted. "It was rough after the first fight, at least for me. The last one wasn't easy to deal with either...I'm just glad it's over with."

Matsuda eyed over at Haruki, waiting for his answer.

 

[Pine]

At Matsuda's question, Haruki actually slowed what had previously seemed to be a near endless stream of consciousness spewing out of his mouth. He looked at Mizu with attention as she gave her answer. Even with him listening carefully, it didn't occur to him that the difficulties Mizu were reflecting on may have been more about the physical engagements they'd had with the rogues. "Yeah, it was pretty rough," he agreed.

Haruki paused for a moment to really reflect on how he wanted to answer. He wanted to continue to impress Matsuda, but it didn't seem like that was something he really needed to put a lot of effort into, given the unforeseen generosity she'd extended their way already just by joining them. That, and all the warm, inviting smiles she'd shown from the moment she saw them again all told him she was someone to trust as a good friend and confidant.

"To be honest, I got pretty scared a few times." When Haruki admitted this, he wasn't trying to play up his tone for any extra dramatics, like he had been doing before. He spoke soft and evenly. "Mizu already knows this, but I got really worried that I wasn't cut out for this. I hated when we had to fight, every single time." He paused again for a brief moment. "But after everything, it feels kind of nice, in a way. We got to meet some really good people, and it feels good that we were able to help them."

He looked directly at Mizu in that moment. Ever since Matsuda had asked to come along with them, the vast majority of Haruki's attention had been arrested by the older kunoichi. For now, though, he spoke directly to her. "Do you remember how after we got Rei, all those people in the village were really happy? Some of them were even cheering for us." It had been a really, really good feeling.

At around the same time as Haruki said this, a brief conversation had started across the room where the cafe's bar was. It was a man and a woman, who were easily in their early twenties. Although they spoke lowly to each other, Matsuda would have been able to hear enough of their exchange to likely get the gist of what it was about.

"What do you think you're doing?" the woman asked lowly.

"You know what," the man replied.

"The fuck you are. You're being ridiculous."

"Masa, you know me. I'm just worried about what some of the other customers might think if we let her in here."

The woman's voice, although lower, was an angry hiss now. "What other customers? She's just a girl. She deserves to be given just the same respect as we would give anyone else."

"Masa-" he started, but the clicking of heels was a telltale sign she was no longer interested in continuing their conversation.

Mizu, and perhaps Matsuda too, would have had a brief moment to continue their conversation before the woman made her way to their table.

The young woman standing behind them looked just about every bit as put together as Matsuda did. She had a bob of vibrant, pastel green hair, which darked to brown just at the roots. She had a bright yellow sundress that cut short, where a snake tattoo was partly visible wrapped around her thigh, and as she folded her hands together, they could see a thick coat of nail polish matched with her dyed hair.

"Good morning," she said brightly. If the two genin hadn't looked to see her behind the bar earlier, they would've never known she had just come from a heated argument. "I'll get you all started on drinks, but real quick, are you okay in that, dear?" The woman was looking directly at Mizu when she said this. "We're a hotel too, if you didn't know. I know this must be your first time here. We have a few spare robes for our guests, but I wouldn't mind lending you one. Whatever you would be most comfortable with, dear."

 

[Gilzar]

Matsuda listened intently to Haruki's confession. He spoke differently than before. There was less theatrics to it. His reflection on the fear and rewards of the mission felt genuine to Matsuda, who had a knack for telling when someone was lying. It was a pleasant change hearing the boy speak from the heart, rather than trying to put on a show for her.

Mizu also noticed the subtle change in Haruki. He looked to her and spoke about how it felt to save Rei. To be cheered for and appreciated after completing their task. Haruki made a good point. In the moment she never reflected on it, but it did feel good to be appreciated for once. Not once did any of those villagers give her a nasty look due to her jinchuriki markings like the people here did. Doing the right thing was always a rewarding feeling, but being appreciated for it was an even better reward.

"Yeah, that was a pretty good feeling. You could tell the people there really appreciated what we were doing."

As Mizu finished talking, Matsuda picked up on a hushed conversation just across the room. Although she gave no indication of it, Matsuda keenly listened in on the conversation unfolding by the cafe bar. Eavesdropping was a skill Matsuda was especially good at given her previous rank as an ANBU member. With just a fraction of her chakra, Matsuda could enhance her hearing and tune into any nearby conversation. Using this skill, she listened keenly to the rest of the conversation at the bar. It seemed someone wasn't too happy about Mizu's presence. Luckily, the woman talking to him seemed to made of strong values and ignored the man's bigotry.

Matsuda subtly turned her attention back to Haruki and Mizu. "You know, it's not a bad thing to be scared. It's normal. I feel fear in combat, and so does Katsuro..."

The jonin was about to expand on how one deals with the fear of death in combat, but the waitress arrived. She carried a bright and colorful aura that complimented the atmosphere of the restaurant well. Mizu couldn't help but eye how the yellow of her short dress complimented the bright colors of her hair and nails, as well as the snake illustrated across her thigh. She directly addressed about her about the state of her apparel, but not in a rude way. There was even an offer for a robe to cover herself up in.

"Uh..." Mizu awkwardly looked around for a moment. She wondered if her tattered apparel was going to be an issue. "Sure I guess."

When the time presented itself, Matsuda chimed in a quick question. "How's everything going back there?" She eyed the man the waitress was previously talking about.

 

[Pine]

The woman's lips parted to say something else when Matsuda interjected. She looked at the jonin both with curiosity and some confusion. "Hm? What do you mean?" Her eyes trailed back to where the man she'd spoken to earlier was standing and pouting. The man in question had looked away the moment Matsuda had given him her attention.

The woman at their table then started looking around the rest of the bar, trying to see if there was anything that would've appeared to be out of place to a casual observer. Clearly, she had thought no one else had heard the conversation she'd just had.

 

[Gilzar]

Matsuda just smiled. She had been hoping that maybe the woman would have spilled some gossip on some of the gossip on her rude coworker, but the subtle hint didn't work. Oh well.

"Oh...nevermind!" Matsuda said in a friendly tone, putting her menu down on the table. "I'll just have the hot lavender tea please."

Mizu was also confused as to what Matsuda was hinting at. She glanced over at the bar, trying to figure out what had caught Matsuda's attention. From what she could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The girl just shrugged it off, and proceeded to finish her drink order. "Could I please just have water?"

 

[Pine]

The woman looked back and blinked, but whatever confusion she'd had came to pass, and she was back in service mode. She nodded and smiled to Matsuda, then gave the same acknowledgment to Mizu. "Hot lavender tea, a water," she repeated, then looked towards Haruki. "Anything for you, dear?"

Haruki's eyes bugged a little. "Oh, crap. I wasn't looking," he said, glancing down skim over the menu. In the pressure of the moment, he couldn't even remember where the drinks were located on it. After a moment he asked, smiling shyly at her, "Do you have any cream soda?"

"We do," she replied. "Is that what you would like?"

He nodded.

"Alright, I'll be back with your drinks and that robe." She looked at Mizu then, because the girl had looked awkward at her initial offer, the woman tried to reassure her. "Only if you want it. I'm not trying to embarrass you. I just want you to be comfortable."

Without another word, perhaps sensing that Mizu did not seem to like too much attention being given to her, she hurried back behind the bar.

Haruki grabbed the menu and held it close to his face, to the point where he had completely blocked Matsuda from his view. He was really going to pick what to eat this time. Haruki slunk further and further down the slippery booth cushion, to the point where the only thing upright about him was his neck. No more than ten seconds passed before he flapped the menu against the table's edge and looked across it. "Miss Matsuda, how do you know Katsuro-sensei?" She had now spoken twice about their instructor, both times with a great sense of familiarity. She had even gone as far as to say that Katsuro felt fear in combat. This, the young genin found hard to believe.

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu was about to assure the waitress that it was okay, but before she had the chance to the woman escaped back behind the bar. It was strange for Mizu to have someone go out of their way to ensure she was comfortable. She appreciated the gesture the waitress had shown her, but at the same time she didn't want to be a burden. If the woman returned with a robe she'd gladly accept, but if not then she wouldn't make a fuss about it.

Matsuda watched Haruki fall back into the cushion of his seat. He intently began to read the menu, holding it so close that it completely covered his face. Then, without any warning he plopped the menu down and asked Matsuda just how she knew Katsuro. She paused for a moment, thinking of the best way to answer the question. There was a long history between the two of them. They had known each other for many years, and a lot had happened in those years. From rivals to comrades, it was too much to explain over a cup of tea. For now, Matsuda stuck to a simplified answer. Afterall, the boy only asked how they knew each other.

"I've known Katsuro for a long time." Matsuda replied to Haruki, "We graduated from the academy in the same class, even though I was younger than him. We've been on plenty of missions together since then. I even fought by his side during the war a few times."

 

[Pine]

The beginning of a small light seemed to spark between Haruki's eyes. He wouldn't have guessed that they had known each other for so long. "You two graduated together?" he repeated compulsively. Matsuda said that she had been younger than him when they did, but he wondered by how much. It was clear to him that Matsuda was pretty young for an adult, probably close to his sister's age, but he had a harder time pinning down Katsuro's age. It must have been closer than he thought. It was just hidden behind all the chain smoking and scars.

"What was he like as a kid?" He had to imagine he must've been a little different. Surely their sensei hadn't always been into day drinking.

Just then, he made a small gasp. The small spark in his eyes suddenly turned into a blaze. Haruki's face broke into a wide, mischievous grin. He leaned forward against the table and asked conspiratorially, "Do you have any embarrassing stories you can tell us?"

 

[Gilzar]

"He was absolutely insufferable as a child." Matsuda replied rather quickly. "Back then he was a grouchy, stubborn brat with a chip on his shoulder. Before he left the academy there really wasn't anything special about him. Katsuro was just the spoiled class bully."

Matsuda then gave both Mizu and Haruki a devious look. "He had a lot of embarrassing moments as a kid. His temper got him into a lot of trouble...but there is one story that stands out from the rest."

The smile grew across Matsuda's face, and she leaned close to Mizu and Haruki so she could speak in a softer tone. "Right after we both became Chunin, he landed himself in hot water with a diplomat from the Hidden Sound. You see, some poor sap accidentally spilled his drink on Katsuro right after going on a drunk rant about all of the money he had lost betting against the kid in the chunin exams. The man was completely oblivious to the fact that the kid he just emptied his drink on was Katsuro. I don't even think the guy realized Katsuro was in the room. But Katsuro thought it was an insult, so he gives the drunk a thrashing and throws him out of the restaurant. Little did he know that he just beat up the Sound Village diplomat."

Matsuda chuckled to herself as she recounted the details of the story. "I think half of the village heard the 'stern' lecture his sensei gave him afterwards. Then the Hokage gave him an earful about how bad it made the village look that their winner of the Chunin exams attacked a rival village's representative right after his victory. The old man nearly demoted him for it."

 

[Pine]

Matsuda's account of Katsuro as a child both did and did not surprise Haruki. It surprised him to learn Katsuro had been a notorious troublemaker in the beginning, and someone Matsuda would describe as a brat. It was exactly the same kind of behavior that seemed to get under their jonin-sensei's skin. At the same time, he wasn't surprised at all, because it also sounded like almost nothing had changed about him. Katsuro was still grouchy and he still had a fierce temper.

Nevertheless, Haruki latched onto every word the Uchiha woman had to say about his new instructor. He guffawed to hear he'd roughed up a diplomat over a drunken rant, then erupted in laughter to hear he'd nearly been demoted by the Hokage personally.

"Oh man," Haruki said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I wish I'd been there to see that."

It wasn't too hard to picture, though. Haruki must've seen Katsuro yell a thousand times by now, and he'd thrown that man back in Yusa out of the house, as well as Tetsuo out of the Hokage's office just a couple of days before. The way she described Katsuro was almost like-

Haruki slapped his hands on the table and gasped loudly, seeming to grow more and more out of touch with the quiet cafe atmosphere, and turned to look at Mizu suddenly. "Katsuro-sensei was supposed to punish Tetsuo as soon as we got back to the village," he told her, wide-eyed with this dawning realization. "Tetsuo must've snuck out of the office when no one was looking. He wasn't there when we were leaving."

Haruki gasped a second time, covering his mouth with his hands as he thought. He couldn't get away with this! Not after what he'd put their team through that morning. He'd just about abandoned them in the middle of a mission, and the only reason he got out of it then was because he'd pulled some con acting weird when he'd come back. He took advantage of the urgency of their mission then, and now he was taking advantage of the disorganization of returning to the village.

"I'm gonna' text him," he said.

Without pause, Haruki pulled his knees up to rest against the table's edge and fished his phone out of his pants pocket. He pulled open the group text they'd gotten yesterday evening and, as the first point of business, immediately opened and saved Katsuro's number as 'Sensei O7' in his contacts. He immediately drummed out three consecutive texts to the jonin, not giving a second's thought as to whether it would be a good idea or not:

Hey
Sensei
Arent u forgeting sumthing? :b​

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu couldn't help but laugh with Haruki as Matsuda recounted the embarrassing story about their sensei. She didn't laugh nearly as hard as Haruki, but the girl was definitely entertained. Much like Haruki, it surprised her to hear to hear that Katsuro was something of a troublemaker. It was easy to believe that he was a grouch even as a kid, but Katsuro was so strict with the rules that it was hard to imagine him breaking them as a youth. Still, picturing a young Katsuro getting in so much trouble was entertaining.

Haruki then gasped, exclaiming that Tetsuo had snuck away from his punishment. Mizu raised a brow at her comrade. They had only just gotten to the village, was Haruki really expecting Katsuro to punish him straight away? Their sensei looked tired and had already explained to the group that he had work to do. She doubted that Katsuro would forget about punishing Tetsuo. Yet Haruki just went ahead and texted Katsuro without any hesitation. Her stomach sank the moment she saw him sending messages for their sensei.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Katsuro is probably just going to punish him later when he's not busy."

Matsuda just looked at both of the genin with a slightly confused look. "What are you both talking about?"

-------------

"I'm confused Katsuro." Kaito admitted to the jonin. "Why exactly do you want to visit with Tetsuo's old instructor? He's moved on from any duties he formerly had with Tetsuo."

"I know." Katsuro replied, "I just want to talk to him. This kid's got a stick up his ass and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it. Maybe he can tell me something I don't know about the brat."

"Okay, but you don't need my permission to do that."

"I don't have any of the guy's contact information." Katsuro replied to Kaito. "I just need his phone number or address."

Kaito went quiet, thinking things over for just a few moments. "Okay, I will give you both. One moment."

Kaito then began to dig through his desk, searching for the file he had on Tetsuo's old instructor.

As the temporary Hokage was busy scrounging through his files, Katsuro's cell phone suddenly let out a ring signaling a text. When he reached in his flak jacket for his phone, it let out two more rings. He narrowed his eyes. Just what was so important? Flipping open his phone, he saw the string of messages Haruki had sent him. His student was inquiring if the jonin had forgotten something. Then he left some weird combination of a symbol and letter at the end of the message. Was that a typo, or something that kids were sending to each other now?

"The fuck?" He quietly murmured to himself as he reread the message a few more times. Katsuro had no idea what Haruki was referring to, and he didn't feel like playing a guessing game. Annoyed, he pounded his response into the keys of his phone.

What do you want?​

 

[Pine]

Haruki looked up from his phone finally to Mizu. She had one eyebrow quirked, and if he wasn't mistaken, his teammate seemed a little uneasy.

He furrowed his brow back at her, confused. He had thought Mizui would be on the same page as him seamlessly. She had seemed frustrated yesterday when Tetsuo's punishment got postponed, but now she didn't seem all that invested in what fate Katsuro had in store for their nasty, snarky, bully of a squadmate. If anything, she seemed like she might have been put off by his attempt to hold them accountable.

He looked at Matsuda when she spoke, who also seemed confused by the exchange. Haruki wasn't entirely sure how much was needed to be explained to keep her in the loop. She'd had the displeasure of meeting Tetsuo back in the interrogation core, so he figured she'd be able to fill in any blanks pretty easily. "Our 'teammate'-" Haruki said using airquotes, "-ran away in the middle of our mission because he didn't want to deal with getting in trouble for being a jerk to Mizu."

Haruki turned to look back at Mizu. His phone chimed an 'oink' to notify him of a new text, but he ignored it for now.

"He said he would deal with him as soon as we got back to the village." He shook his head at her in a way that said, 'So what is he waiting for?' and pantomimed with his hands. "Well, we're in the village now."

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu jumped slightly at the oink ringing throughout the room from Tetsuo's phone. Out of the corner of her eye she could see several patrons looking over at them, trying to narrow down the source of the noise. Even Matsuda seemed to eye the boy's phone for a moment. That was certainly an obnoxious ringtone, especially for a shinobi.

"Oh, I see." Matsuda replied. It wasn't really surprising that Tetsuo managed to get himself into trouble on their mission. He seemed to have a knack for stirring up trouble wherever he went. She recalled just how easy it was to get under Tetsuo's skin. Ever since their first encounter at the interrogation core Tetsuo had given nothing to her but mean glares.

"I wouldn't worry about it with Katsuro." Matsuda reassured to Haruki. "If Katsuro said he was going to punish him, he'll do it. My guess is that he's still trying to think up a punishment."

She chuckled once again. "That or he just wants a break from the kid for a few days."

Upon the topic of Tetsuo coming up, Mizu bitterly crossed her arms. An irritated look grew across her face. "Can't say I blame him."

-----------

"Here we are." Kaito stated to Katsuro as he set a file down on the desk. "Takashi Yamanaka. You'll find his number and address in this file."

"Thanks." Katsuro said. He promptly brought out his phone and entered Takashi's information into it. When he was finished, he folded up the folder and slid it back over to his superior. Kaito nodded to Katsuro and slid the folder back into his desk. Without speaking another word to each other, both men silently went on with their business. The Hokage resumed working on the various bits of paperwork scattered across his desk, and Katsuro left to find Takashi.

 

[Pine]

Matsuda's reassurance seemed enough to pacify Haruki. He let out a small sigh through his nose. "I guess," he said.

He didn't have a reason not to believe Matsuda's confidence in Katsuro following through. Like Mizu, he also couldn't blame him if he needed a break from their teammate even though he was an adult. He was clearly still disappointed, especially with knowing now there was almost no way he'd get to see it when it happens. He could only hope that, if Katsuro was still figuring out how he wanted to punish him, that it would be something so specially curated that it would come down harder on Tetsuo than any punishment before.

Haruki looked at his phone now to see Katsuro's brisk reply. He started to text him back, to call it off with a 'never mind,' but then abruptly he flapped his phone shut and replaced it in his pocket. He would let Katsuro marinate in what exactly his reminder texts had meant, just in case.

At that moment, the woman that had waited their table earlier returned with a small tray in one hand. On that same arm, she had a robe draped over her bicep.

"Here you are," she said, setting their drinks down one by one. Mizu's first, then Haruki's, both served in tall, clear glasses. In Haruki's, the green, melon-flavored soda fizzed, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream floated at the top. Haruki peered at the porcelain cup set atop a saucer she put in front of Matsuda. He was a little disappointed, seeing that the tea only had a weak purple tint, but there was a real sprig of lavender floating in it, presumably straight from the garden outside, and he supposed that made up for it.

"And here's the robe," she said, handing it to Mizu. It was white all around, likely meant to look generic, but the material itself was a soft silk.

"Has everyone had a chance to decide what to order?" the lady asked, folding her hands in front of her, looking very proper even as she held a tray.

Once again, Haruki's eyes widened with the realization he hadn't given any thought at all to what he was going to order. He quickly looked back down to his menu, scanning over the words with his finger as fast as possible, looking with great concentration as he tried to come up with something.

- - - - -

The address Kaito gave would lead Katsuro into the heart of the Yamanaka district.

Unfortunately for Katsuro, the district was clear across the village, near the complete opposite end from the Hokage's office. It once was just on the outskirts of the village, towards the village gates, but with the expansion of the Leaf Village over the past several decades, it was now instead almost at the village outskirts. Complimentary to the clan's symbol, bush clover could be found mixed in with nearly every collection of flora that decorated and brought color to the district. During this time, very few people were passing through the street. The vast majority of adult residents were away at work, while any enrolled child would be at the school.

Katsuro would eventually find himself in front of a modest, two-story duplex. The building's walls were a pale yellow, while the roof was patched together with lilac tiles. Frustratingly, Katsuro would not know for sure which side of the duplex was Takashi Yamanaka's exact residence until he had ascended the short flight of stairs and gotten a good look at the faded house number on the door. Standing before the door now, Katsuro could faintly hear nondescript sounds of activity, some very close to the door.

When he knocked, the immediate response was a low, half-committal growl, then an equally lazy 'ruff'.

"Hush, Seiba," a woman's voice said, coming from the other side of the door. Katsuro heard the clicking of a door being unlocked, which seemed to simultaneously silence the animalistic sounds he'd first heard.

The door cracked open a sliver. Immediately, the strong smell of paint came wafting from out of the house.

The woman who had answered was dark-skinned and a clean foot or more shorter than Katsuro, yet even with the majority of her body hidden, it was evident this was a young adult on the other side of the door. At first, her one visible brown eye widened with some surprise at the unexpected visitor. Then after giving him a onceover, it narrowed, seeming distrustful. "Can I help you?" she asked, somewhat curtly.

Almost immediately, the woman looked away, distracted. A dog's nose wedged itself in between the short woman and the doorframe, sniffing intensely. It seemed to nearly match her in height, and it pushed its way further between her breast and the doorframe. For the dog's efforts, the woman had stumbled and opened the door just a little more, showing chin-height curls of dark red hair and matching lipstick on her frowning lips. She readjusted to take a stronger stance between the door and the dog, leaving the gray face of a Great Dane stuck halfway, pulling its skin hard enough one eye seemed to almost comically bulge out.

 

[Gilzar]

For a moment, Matsuda looked at Haruki in curiosity, though her facial expression didn't show it. He seemed to be extremely disappointed in Matsuda's answer, in spite of her doing her best to reassure him that punishment was still on its way. Haruki clearly hated Tetsuo, so much that it seemed he wanted to know the boy was suffering as soon as possible. She couldn't help but wonder just what Tetsuo had done to him to earn this much of his ire. Moreso, she wondered just how the hell Katsuro managed to keep them from killing the kid, let alone getting him to work with them.

Shortly after, the waitress had finally arrived with their drinks, as well as Mizu's robe. "Thank you!" Matsuda promptly said to their colorful waitress as she set their drinks down at the table. After admiring the dim violet color of the drink and the small leaf of lavender, Matsuda gave a gentle blow to the hot tea before taking a small sip. It was the perfect balance between sweet and bitter, just the way Matsuda liked it. She set her tea back down on the table to let it cool off further. On the rim of the cup, a small impression from Matsuda's lipstick lingered on the rim.

Mizu also thanked the waitress upon her arrival. Immediately she slipped into the cozy silk robe, its smooth texture gave her a comfortable warmth. The girl then took a large sip of her water, as she listened to the waitress ask what they wanted to order. Just like Haruki, Mizu also came to the quick realization that she had not put any thought into what she wanted to order. A part of her was just planning on ordering whatever Haruki would order. However, she could tell the talkative shinobi's silence probably meant he had no idea what he wanted. Quickly, Mizu glanced down at the menu. In the heat of the moment she decided to just go with a standard order.

"I'll just have your normal Natto." She replied to the waitress.

Matsuda still kept her warm smile, taking some humor in watching the two panic as they decided on what to get. "I'm fine with just tea, thank you."


---------


Katsuro had not anticipated such a long journey to get to the Yamanaka district. Given that the Yamanaka clan's long history in the village, Katsuro figured that the clan would have established itself closer to the older parts of the village near the center. Yet this was clearly not the case. The clan have moved away from the cluttered center of the village and into the newly built outskirts. He wondered why exactly the clan did this but wrote it off as a space issue.

Before going to the district Katsuro took a quick detour back to his home to change his clothing. He quickly swapped his ruined clothing for a fresh set of clothes. This set was nearly identical, except that Katsuro's dark blue shirt now had short sleeves underneath the green flak vest. He promptly rolled up one of the sleeves, stashing a fresh pack of cigarettes in between the rolled short sleeve on his left arm. On his right arm he rolled the sleeve to identical length, and tied his headband just underneath the sleeve. Although there were still visibly bandaged wounds, the Jonin at least looked somewhat presentable now.

He locked up his apartment and departed for the rest of the trip. Using rooftops it only took him half an hour to get to the Yamanaka. Once he arrived at the district, he left the rooftops to walk the rest of the trip through the roads. Katsuro wasn't as familiar with this area as he was with the rest of the village, and for good reason. Some of these clans were stringy about outsiders. Some clans, like the Hyuga were completely forbidden to outsiders. Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan was tolerant of outsiders and even allowed them to live in the district so long as they respected the clan rules. Given that nobody had stopped him yet, Katsuro assumed the clan had no issue with him roaming about so long as he respected the area.

As he walked through the streets he couldn't help but admire the section of Konoha. The Yamanaka clan had mixed in bush clovers all over the area. Even a brute like Katsuro could admire the beauty the clan clearly put a lot of effort to instill in the area. With the cool morning breeze moving over him, he wished he could smoke to help take it all in. Out of respect for the Yamanaka clan though, he'd wait on smoking. After finally navigating through the duplex, Katsuro finally knocked at the door and watched the crack open. Immediately his nostrils were overwhelmed with the stench of wet paint.

Katsuro stood awkwardly outside of the doorway, taking in the scene before him. A woman noticeably shorter than him had answered the door, asking why he was there. Just before he could answer though, a dog of massive size jutted between them. Instinctively, Katsuro backed up, and slightly raised his palm in case he'd have to make space between him and the dog. Luckily the woman seemed to be holding the curious Great Dane at bay, albeit barely. A few more awkward moments passed before Katsuro fully trusted that the woman would be able to hold back the hound.

He relaxed a little, resetting his posture back to a more neutral stance. "Morning..." Katsuro said in a calm tone. "I'm Katsuro Katashi. I'm looking for Takashi Yamanaka..."

Behind his glasses he eyed the dog, still somewhat concerned with what it would do.

 

[Pine]

With Matsuda and Mizu's order both placed, the waitress turned to Haruki with a patient smile.

"Uhhhh," he started loudly. He wasn't processing anything that was written on the menu. Haruki bit his thumbnail, trying to find anything that stuck out to him. He almost just copied Mizu in the heat of the moment, but just as he was opening his mouth, he defaulted to what he had gotten here in the past. "I'd like the datemaki platter, please."

The woman nodded her head in acknowledgment to them all. "We'll have that right out for you." He thanked her, and with that, the woman left once again for the kitchen area.

Haruki quietly gathered the menus left and pushed them to the vacant corner of their table. While still a little bummed out, he at least had his drink now. Haruki grabbed the wrapped straw left by their waitress. He tore the end of it off. Out of habit, he pulled the straw partway out of the wrapping and turned to take aim at the companion adjacent to him, but then remembered his company and seemed to recalibrate his plan.

"Hey, Mizu," he said. Haruki then stuck the free end of the straw in his mouth, turned to her cup and blew, firing the straw wrapping so that it bounced harmlessly off her glass.

- - - - -

The woman seemed to only gain confidence in her stance against the pushy dog in the same moment that Katsuro did. She looked back up to the stranger at the door, only for her eyes to light up in recognition as the war veteran introduced himself by first and last name. The woman became silent for another awkward moment, looking him up and down with equally wary and calculating eyes. The Great Dane tried to take advantage of this, rolling its one visible eye between her and Katsuro while slowly trying to tunnel its head through the doorway.

The dog's conspicuous efforts seemed to once again draw her attention from her seemingly one-sided staring contest. She looked back at Katsuro and told him, "Wait one moment." She then used her knee to push the dog back from the doorway in order to shut the door. Immediately with the door closed, the dog's lazy growl-'ruff' pattern seemed to resume.

"Come here, Seiba," the woman's voice could be heard calling, followed by the sound of her clapping her thigh, then the jingle of dogtags retreating. Katsuro would then hear no more noises for approximately the next half minute, save perhaps for the muffled sound of soft voices in conversation and the gentle clanks of a kennel being shut.

When the door opened again, it would open all the way to a completely different person.

The man that stood before Katsuro was an average 5'10", and like the woman before him, must have been in his early or mid-20s. Nearly all similarities between the two ended after that. Unlike her, the man was lean with moderately-tanned skin and had a thick bed of dirty blonde hair, pulled back into a large bun that almost looked intentionally messy. Two chopsticks were stick inside the bun, where the two must have intersected at some point in it. His face was clean-shaven, only just starting to show bristles of hair sprouting around his cheeks and chin. A pair of round, thin-framed prescription glasses were pushed up the bridge of his nose with his knuckle.

This man, it was relatively safe for Katsuro to assume, was Takashi. Katsuro would notice that, for a jonin-level shinobi alive during the warring period, there were very few blemishes on his skin to be seen. The most that could be seen were a few shallow craters on his cheeks, but this could easily be attributed to nothing more than acne scars. These were largely overshadowed by the faint shimmer of what must've been some type of moisturizer. The woman's skin before him, too, had this same sheen.

"You must forgive my appearance, I hadn't been expecting any visitors. I would shake hands, but..." Takashi finished his sentence by turning his hands over for Katsuro to see, then by wiping them on the dark green apron wrapped around his waist. His hands were speckled with an almost metallic gold, while the apron was a cacophony of all different colors splattered across it.

He smiled back at Katsuro. While the smile was warm and genuine, there was a notable nervous edge to it. "It's a pleasure to meet you finally, Katsuro Katashi. To what do I owe this honor?"

In the background, Katsuro could hear what must've been the dog chewing on a thick, plastic-y something. While standing off to the side, the woman was fully visible now from several angles. She was heavyset and had a purse slung over her shoulder. While she seemed dressed as though she were intending to go out, she instead watched the two men interact with tight lips and guarded attention.

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu watched the straw wrapping Haruki launched bounce off her glass. She awkwardly glanced between the wrapping and Haruki, not entirely sure what the point of all of that was. Was it a game of some sort? She hated to think about it, but aside from her time at the academy Mizu never spent much time with children her own age. The only person she ever spent time with was her uncle, and he never entertained any child-like activities. This was one of the first times she had ever spent time with anyone outside of her duties.

Matsuda watched the awkward interaction unfold from across the table. She raised her glass, and lightly sipped her tea as she waited to see what Mizu would do. Yet the girl did nothing. Her heart sank slightly, she had a good idea why Mizu could sometimes be awkward. But she wondered if Haruki had any clue? Before things could go on further, Matsuda set her cup of tea down and swept in.

"Mizu, Haruki, why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves? I don't know much about either of you."

Mizu's blue eyes shifted over to Matsuda, somewhat surprised by the statement "What do you want to know?"

Matsuda realized what she asked was a pretty broad question. She thought about something a little more specific to ask.

"What do you do when Katsuro's not dragging you around? Spend time with family, friends, or do you have a hobby of sorts?"

Mizu thought intently about the woman's question. "Well...the only family I really have is my Uncle Hisoka. He's pretty boring..." Once again Mizu paused awkwardly, thinking about her next answer. She didn't want to admit to Haruki or Matsuda that she didn't know many people outside of them. "I haven't really had time these last few months to hang out with anyone..." She hoped nobody would notice her lie.

"As for hobbies...I really like being active!" Mizu said with much more enthusiasm than her last answers. Matsuda watched in delight as a small spike of energy beam through Mizu's eyes as she finally got to speak about something she enjoyed. "Whenever I'm not on duty I'm usually exercising or training. It's just a really good way to cleanse the mind...plus it's kind of fun. Gymnastics is kind of my go-to, but I like everything else!"

Matsuda just smiled as she listened to the genin go on about her passions. "What about you Haruki?"

----------

The moment he said his name, the woman's entire demeanor had changed. The suspicious look was wiped off of her face, and she looked to be more surprised than anything else. In a moment, the door closed and the woman and dog vanished out of his sight. Alone once again on the walkway, Katsuro awkwardly waited like he was told to do. He looked around the place, trying to find anything that might grab his attention while he waited. Even though he wouldn't wait long, it was weird to him not having a smoke or a drink in his hand.

The door opened once again, but this time it was Takashi. Katsuro took a moment or so to scan over the jonin standing before him. Takashi looked like nothing he had pictured in his head. He looked more like a civilian than an elite ranked jonin. There didn't seem to be a scratch on the guy. Even the way the man introduced himself was just...different. There was an odd golden paint all over his hands, and Katsuro was sure the guy had some kind of lotion on his skin. Had he seen this guy in the streets, Katsuro would have just taken him for an artist or something.

Katsuro just nodded toward all of the honorifics thrown his way. He didn't take any pride in people treating him like he was special. Ever since the war ended people had started to recognize his name, for better or for worse. Even after two years it was still an uncomfortable nuisance Katsuro was getting used to.

Not being able to shake Takashi's hand, Katsuro gave him a respectful nod. "It's good to meet you too." He paused, still being able to hear the dog from inside the home. From out of the corner of the doorway he eyed the woman watching over their interaction.

"I came here to talk about your former student Tetsuo Ayane. I've become the brat's instructor and wanted to ask a few questions about him...but if this is a bad time I can come back later?"

 

[Pine]

Once again, Haruki had turned to Mizu in hopes of a certain reaction, this time to stir up some playful side of her, but she gave him absolutely nothing. He furrowed his brow and frowned at her, confused and frustrated for the second time with her as she subverted his expectations. She didn't even laugh a little bit, just looked at him blankly. Did she not like him now? Was she trying to embarrass him and make some sort of point in front of Matsuda that she didn't think he was funny?

Before he could stew over this for too long, Matsuda cut in and asked to know more about themselves.

Mizu, evidently not catatonic, answered first. Haruki dropped his straw in his drink and leaned forward with his arms folded on the table as he impatiently waited his turn. He only half-listened to her response as he thought over what to say for his own. The lie went over his head, and he did not think any deeper about the implications that could've easily been found in the fact that she only had her uncle as family. For the time being, he had completely forgotten the conversation they'd had on the path to the quarry, where Tetsuo had recalled her relation to the late Hokage. The only thing he thought about Mizu's entire response was that she sounded pretty boring in that moment. When she wasn't on a mission, she was essentially training in preparation to be on one. That was hardly a hobby to him.

By the time it was his turn, Haruki felt certain Matsuda would be much more interested in what he had to say.

"I do lots of different stuff," he began, sitting up straighter. "I haven't really had a chance to talk to them since we've been put on our squad, but my friends and I would hang out all the time after school. We'll go to the shopping district and look at all kind of stuff. We all got Yamogotchis last summer, but I lost mine when the rich guy's house burned down on our mission." Haruki sounded genuinely sad about this, but gradually cheered up again as he continued to talk about himself.

"But I have this one friend, Shion, who was in my class, he always comes up with cool games for us to do. Something he came up with is a game he called 'monkey ball.' It's like catch, but you have to be on a roof of some kind, and you have to act like a monkey the whole time." Haruki's smile broadened as he recounted this. "You get out if someone throws you the ball and you let it land on the ground. The first time we played it, it took the people running the shops so long to notice we were there. You could tell they were freaking out though, because they kept running around trying to figure out where all the noise was coming from," he said, laughing. "We haven't been able to play it in a while though, because Akio said he can't get groceries from the general store anymore without the cashier looking at him like he wants to kick his butt."

Haruki took a moment to sober up from his laughing, but he still had more to say. "Sometimes I get manga from the book store, but not like any shojo mangas," he said, even though sometimes he would peek at a couple of them if he was in the store by himself. "I mean the really cool ones with lots of fighting. I also really like going to the movies! I like going with my friends, but sometimes my parents take me. My parents are pretty cool." He paused just for a moment to take another quick sip of his soda. The ice cream had started to melt and blend into the foam of the drink just a little, sweetening the flavor even more. That was his favorite part of any cream soda. "I have to help out with the shop sometimes, but for the most part they let me do what I want. We try to eat at a bunch of different places, and usually when there's something new that opens up, they'll take me there if I ask. Sometimes I've even been able to go to the casino with them, but obviously they don't let me bet or anything like that."

Haruki's leg had started to bounce by this point at a rather quick clip. In his head, he started believe the soda was revitalizing him, even though in actuality it had no caffeine in it. He had a big grin on his face as he finalized his thoughts by saying, "I'm going to have to try to spend all my money from the mission before I get home. Otherwise, my parents are gonna' make me pay for all the clothes and stuff I lost."

- - - - -

Takashi's eyes widened just a little when Katsuro asked if he needed to return later. "No, no," he said, waving his hands and shaking his head emphatically. "Not a bad time at all. I've given my students a project to do at home for the next couple of days, so I have all the time in the world. Please, come in."

Takashi turned and retreated into what appeared to be a small entrance foyer to make room for Katsuro to enter. It was a pretty tight space for three adults to fit in. The door covered some sort of decor on one side, then a mat for placing shoes was on the other side. "Don't worry about taking your shoes off. It's a mess in here anyway," Takashi reassured quickly, even though his feet were completely bare.

Directly in front was a staircase leading to the only other floor of their side of the duplex. Takashi went straight to the window to open the blinds, leaving Katsuro to be the one to shut the door behind him. He could get a quick glimpse of the small kitchen/dining area to the left. While there were several options for storing spices and hanging utensils on the wall, nearly half of the table a kitchen counter's surface space was taken up by miscellaneous items, including several plants that had yet to be potted. Up ahead there was what could only be the living room. The entire floor was covered in a plastic tarp, which seemed to still be too big for its space, as some of the plastic was bundled and spilled into the narrow hallway the staircase created.

It had been relatively dark in the foyer before, but after the blinds were opened, a pleasant natural light filtered in. If there was any doubt before, it would be very obvious in his mannerisms and the way Takashi seemed to want to make himself smaller. Something had made him nervous.

He crossed the small room to where the woman stood in the hallway. "You're going to be late," he told her. He slid a finger under her chin to gently tilt her face up, then bent down to plant a brief kiss on her cheek. She met his smile with a serious expression. She stood with her arms folded over her chest, and for a moment, they stared at each other with the sort of nonverbal intimacy that communicated more between them than any outsider could hope to read into.

Finally, her stillness broke by looking at Katsuro, then back at Takashi, and she nodded. "I'll be back tonight," she said. The woman uncrossed her arms and lifted herself to her toes to cup Takashi's neck and kiss his cheek. She readjusted the strap of her purse and with a quiet, "Excuse me," she squeezed past Katsuro and left, shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, Takashi just stood there awkwardly. His hand came up to scratch at the back of his head where his hairline ended. Mercifully, he seemed to remember the appropriate way to transition things before either of them had to stand there too long. "We can sit outside," he offered, looking back at Katsuro. "That way we're not having to smell paint the whole time." He laughed just a little before moving on from the foyer to the living room.

Much of the light that had already been in the home came through in here. A pair of large shoji were on the other end of the living room and, while filtered by the divider, allowed plenty of light to shine through.

Their steps crumpled the tarp as they stepped in, and the source of the paint Katsuro had been smelling became plainly evident. Buckets were lined against the wall and brushes of many different shapes and sizes were strewn about. Splatters of paint told the rich, almost olive green of the walls must have been painted within the past few days. Every corner seemed to be sufficiently colored, so laying down this base color was not the cause of the project's ongoing construction. Instead, it must have been what Katsuro would be able to see on the northern wall. The metallic gold he'd seen on Takashi's hands was traced along a winding path over the green wall in a design that looked remarkably... okay. It was clearly supposed to be a vine of some sort, but the awkwardly shallow curves of it to the casual observer's artistic sensibilities would make the piece altogether look rather mediocre. The most generous interpretation one could give was that it was still clearly a work in progress.

Aside from the tarp, brushes and paint, there were a few pieces of furniture, such as bookshelves and couches, that were covered in tarp and shuffled around to odd spots, clearly meant to give better access to the walls without actually removing anything. The dog Katsuro had seen earlier was in a large crate at the centerpiece of the room, presumably to minimize any chance of getting paint on its gray coat. The Great Dane had stopped gnawing on its fake bone as soon as the two entered the room. It lifted its head, showing a white underbelly, before laying its head back on its paws with a sigh through its nose. Its eyes stared up at Katsuro, seeming to look as pitiful as it could.

"So," Takashi began as they traversed the living room, stepping around the brushes that dotted their path, "how is my star pupil doing these days?" Takashi, while still clearly on edge, looked back at Katsuro with a small, good-humored smile.

Then as an afterthought, he added, frowning, "You don't have any pet allergies, do you?"

 

[Gilzar]

Matsuda thoroughly listened to Haruki's words about his personal life, the same way she did with Mizu. She just smiled and listened as the boy went on and on about his friends, his hobbies, and his family. This one really likes to talk... Matsuda thought to herself behind her friendly eyes. He definitely seemed to enjoy whenever attention was shifted onto him. Perhaps that was related to why he ended up with Katsuro? Otherwise he seemed fairly normal for a boy his age.

Meanwhile, Mizu listened to Haruki with a bit of envy. Haruki made it sound like he lived a pretty entertaining lifestyle. She didn't know much about manga or Yamogotchis, but that game he was describing, 'monkey ball' as he called it, sounded like a lot of fun. She pictured the game being played on an empty rooftop, under the warm orange skies of a late afternoon sun. Getting in trouble for a game was something she could do without, but getting away from angry adults was also probably part of the fun. It was surprising to Mizu that despite Haruki being as social as he was, she didn't really get to know him or his friend group in the academy. Mizu couldn't help but wonder if his friends were anything like him.

Mizu debated about asking Matsuda something in return, but the woman beat her to it.

"That's right, I almost forgot about that nice bonus you all got from the missing-nin you brought down!" She raised a brow in curiosity. "What are you two going to spend all of that money on?"

Mizu let out a little sigh. "I was going to put it all in the bank but...I have to buy some new clothes. Most of my clothes got ruined from our last mission."

She gazed over at Haruki, wondering what he'd spend his money on.


--------------


Just when Katsuro thought things couldn't get anymore awkward, they did. The entire apartment was crammed with an uncomfortable amount of things for a man of Katsuro's size. It was clear this space wasn't meant to be used by this many people, especially with a giant dog lurking about. Random items lined most of the counters and table from what he could see. He was especially careful not to knock anything over with his elbows, but there were definitely a few close calls. This place was a fucking mess. Katsuro hoped that it was only like this because of the painting going on but...that was hopeful thinking.

Adding to the strange atmosphere was the manner which Takashi was behaving. It almost seemed like Takashi was trying to hide something. What exactly he was hiding wasn't entirely clear to Katsuro yet, but he had a pretty good idea that something was up. Before he could subtly investigate it further, Katsuro was forced to witness an uncomfortably intimidate kiss on the cheek between Takashi and his partner. As the two just stared at each other in bloom, Katsuro just stood nearby, mouth partly opened in disbelief that the couple would do something like this in front of a guest they hardly knew. He looked away from them to try and give them at least some bit of privacy, but it didn't change the fact that he was still in the room right next to them.

After what felt like an eternity of awkward tension between the two, the woman finally left. This didn't help ease the uncomfortable atmosphere though. Takashi and Katsuro just looked at each other for an ungodly amount of time. Still flabbergasted by the entire situation, Katsuro didn't know whether he should ask if they could get this over with or if Takashi would initiate. Luckily, Takashi eventually broke the silence and suggested that they should go outside.

"Lead the way." Katsuro replied without hesitation.

He followed Takashi through the clutter of the house. Once again he eyed the dog as he passed the kennel. While Katsuro wasn't much of a animal person, he knew a fine dog when he saw one. That Great Dane would be worth a lot of money to the right person. Katsuro wondered how they were able to keep such a large animal in a small place like this. One of them must have been good with dogs, otherwise this place would have been even more of a mess.

Almost through the home, Takashi shot a question back to Katsuro about how Tetsuo was doing. He also inquired about any possible pet allergies.

"Pissing people off left and right, starting problems where they're not needed, and just being a fucking dumbass. Probably not much different than when he was with your team. And no, I don't have any pet allergies."

 

[Pine]

For the third time that morning, Haruki felt puzzled by Mizu's response. There was no anger this time, but he may have been even more confused than he had been before. He frowned at her and asked, "Why would you save it? Just have your uncle get your stuff for you." He then gave a small half-smile. "I don't know exactly what I'm gonna' get, but you should come look with me. Get yourself something you like."

- - - - -

"Ah," Takashi said, almost shakily as he looked away and tucked a few strands of hair that had fallen out of his bun behind his ear. The smile was still on his face, but the Yamanaka man had somehow managed to look even more uncomfortable than he did moments ago.

He stopped just before the sliding doors and scratched at the back of his neck. His lips parted and he took in a breath, as if he wanted to say something. Instead of saying what was most likely on his mind, though, Takashi gestured back to the crate in the center of the room after a pause. "Do you mind if I let him out? He'll just bark the whole time if I leave him in here."

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu looked over at Haruki, puzzled as well. Why was it such a bad thing to save her money? She didn't work for all of that money just to spend it all in one go, then not have it when she needed it. He mentioned that she could just get her uncle to pay for it. A frown escaped as she explained herself.

"My uncle's not like that." Mizu responded. "Hisoka is strict. He wouldn't buy me clothes just because I asked him to; especially if he knew I spent all of my money on other things. Now that I'm a genin he expects me to pay for these things on my own."

The frown left her face, as she realized Haruki probably didn't know all of this. "Plus, I don't ever know when he's going to be around. He kind of just comes and goes...I'd still be down to go shopping later this week though!"


--------

Takashi stopped walking, and so did Katsuro. He asked Katsuro if it was alright if he let the dog out. Katsuro glanced back at the dog once more. He raised a brow just out of Takashi's eyesight. Then why the hell did you put the dog away in the first place? Katsuro thought to himself. Everyone around here was acting so strange. Was there a dead body around here or something? Just what was all of the fuss about?

"Go for it. Doesn't matter to me."

 

[Pine]

"Oh," Haruki said, frowning again. "I'm not going to have money later this week, so I won't be able to do that."

It only then struck him how out of the ordinary Mizu's homelife seemed to be. Not only was it just her and her uncle, someone outside of her immediate family, but he was absent a lot too without warning. He had a hard time wrapping his head around how strict someone could actually be if they were gone all the time. To him, it sounded like a lot of freedom Mizu was missing out on utilizing.

The boy hummed to himself, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the sound as he tried to solve the problem he'd conjured in his head. After a moment, he thought he might have come up with a solution. "But he wouldn't know about the bounty money, would he? You could just spend that and pretend you just got what you did from the mission. He can't expect you to have money to spend that we weren't supposed to get."

- - - - -

"Alright." Takashi nodded and walked over to the crate. As soon as the door opened, the dog, who up until that point had seemed deceptively calm rushed out of the crate and made a beeline towards Katsuro. He pulled short just before running into the man and sat himself down. His tail wagged like a rudder, and he stretched his snout as far as he could from his sitting spot to try to lick Katsuro's hand.

"Seiba," Takashi said when he had walked back to the suji, clapping his hand on his thigh, "come on."

The stranger that had been welcomed into their home seemed to have an almost hypnotic hold over Seiba. But once Takashi slid open the door, the Great Dane seemed to snap out of it, his attention immediately being drawn to something in the yard. Seiba bolted out of the door and sprinted all the way up to the picket fenceline. A small flock of varied tits flew up into the air just before he could catch up to them. Seiba watched them retreat to a nearby telephone line, then dipped his nose to the earth to sniff along the fenceline.

Takashi left the door open as he passed through onto the hardwood patio. The roof hung over the building's wall just enough to provide shade over most of the porch. On opposite ends of the porch was a wooden patio table to the right, and a plush, rectangular floor cushion to the left. Takashi grabbed the only thing set on the table - a glass waterpipe - and sat crosslegged on the floor cushion. "Please let me know if I can get you anything, a water or tea, whatever you need. I would hate to be a bad host." Seeing as he had already settled on the cushion and now was rifling through the contents of a deck box next to where he sat, he seemed fairly confident that Katsuro was not about to make any requests on his own.

Unlike the chaos of the house, and now the visible collection of outdoor plants of which only half were properly planted, the deck box seemed meticulously organized. Takashi disassembled the waterpipe and retrieved a jug of purified water from the box and poured it into the base. For now, something between being outdoors and the ritual of working with the waterpipe seemed to have calmed the Yamanaka man somewhat.

"Have you ever smoked with a hookah, Katsuro?" he asked, eyeing the cigarette pack the other jonin had tucked away in the fold of his sleeve for just a moment. "This was a gift to me from a friend in the Wind. Their cousin was a glassblower." Takashi looked away to fill the tray with a layer of coal. He then made a few quick handsigns and, cupping his hand over his mouth, breathed a controlled fire that burned the edges of the coal in orange sparks. He flicked his wrist a couple of times, seemingly out of habit more than for any practical purpose as he lifted his lips away from the pipe. "I have a clean mouthpiece, if you would like to try," he offered. "I have mint, lemon, apple, and just plain tobacco, all grown from my sister-in-law's garden."

He set the pipe on the patio and, for a moment, he seemed to space out. Takashi's eyes were unfocused as he looked at the coals, their exposed skin flashing between shades of red and orange as they shared heat with one another.

Finally, he drew in a long breath through his nose that expanded his chest, then flattened as he sighed it all back out. "I want to make one thing clear, Katsuro." There was no inflection in his voice to suggest nerves anymore, or any anger or anything else of that nature. If anything, the jonin-sensei sounded pensive. "I would not have moved Tetsuo off my squad if I felt I had a better choice."

Takashi stared down at the pipe for another moment before continuing. "My fiance and I have no plans on having children. For me, my niece, nephew, and my students are my children. This extends to Tetsuo every bit as it does my other students of the past."

He sighed again, now turning his eyes to the yard below them. "I know he can be a handful. I'm not going to pretend like he is an innocent party in the interactions he has with his peers or anywhere else. I know the harm he causes, but... I also know he has a good heart. From the bottom of my heart, I truly do love him as if he were my own."

 

[Gilzar]

Mizu let out a small sigh in frustration. It wasn't like she didn't want to go out and spend what she earned. There was a small list of items she had always wanted to get in her head. Someday she would get those items, but going out and spending everything wasn't an option for her. Going around her Uncle's back wasn't something she was comfortable with either. Haruki wasn't getting that no matter how delicately she tried to explain it. She decided to put her foot down.

"I'm sorry Haruki, but I'm not going to do that. I'm happy to tag along if you'd like, but I'll just be getting clothes."

-----------------

Katsuro followed Takashi and his dog outside onto the patio. To Katsuro's surprise, the outdoor area wasn't nearly as bad as the rest of the house. It felt like he could at least stretch his arms out here if need be. Even with the giant Great Dane next to them it still seemed spacious enough for the three of them. Katsuro almost envied his fellow Jonin. His apartment didn't have anything like this. He would have been impressed with the place had he not immediately spotted the glass pipe just sitting out in the open.

Upon seeing the pipe, Katsuro just stared for a moment in disbelief. He tried his best to hide his frown, but the jonin just couldn't believe Takashi would have that out in the open. He was even further thrown off when his fellow jonin opened a neatly organized chest and started prepping the ornate piece of glass for use. Was he really going to do this in front of him? Katsuro had no issue with recreational activates such as this. However, the timing of this seemed completely unprofessional. Things like this still carried taboo amongst other jonin. When Takashi offered Katsuro if he wanted to try, he didn't know if he should have been flattered or disappointed the jonin was already this comfortable enough with him. Shocking as it was, he did his best not to judge. Afterall, Katsuro did have a of cigarettes and a freshly refilled flask of whiskey on him. He'd be a hypocrite to call Takashi out.

"Thanks, but I'm good." Katsuro said, declining the offer.

Takashi then went into detail about how much his students meant to him. He described to Katsuro how he saw his students as his children, and that extended even to Tetsuo. There was a passion in Takashi's voice when he spoke about how Tetsuo has a good heart, and even went as far to say that he loved the boy as if he were his own child. Once again, Katsuro was thrown off by the strange Jonin. Katsuro understood and respected the unique bond between student and instructor. But he wouldn't go as far as to say he loved his students. Takashi was the first instructor he'd ever met who described it like that, especially for a little shit like Tetsuo. Maybe more felt that way and just never so openly spoke about it. The veteran shinobi respected Takashi for his passionate philosophy. However, he could definitely see Tetsuo completely walking over this man.

"The kid might have a good heart, but he's got a stick up his ass the size of your dog." Katsuro bluntly replied to the man's passionate speech. "I'm trying to figure out why that is...or at least get some insight on how to talk some sense into him. Specifically with his opinions on Jinchuriki...You had him right out of the academy, so I was wondering if you had any insights on him that aren't on his file."

 

[Pine]

Haruki also gave a small, frustrated sigh. He rolled his eyes away and set his elbow on the table, cupping his chin on his palm. His leg was still bouncing. "Whatever. Forget it."

Mizu either couldn't see or didn't appreciate that he was trying to help her. She desperately needed to loosen up a little. He started to wonder if either of his teammates had any concept of the word 'fun'. A part of him regretted inviting her to eat with him that morning, because she was really starting to bring him down.

He looked at Matsuda, having forgotten for a moment that she was even there. He cleared his throat stiffly and unnaturally then sat up straight, because he didn't want the jonin to see him in the mood Mizu had put him in any longer. For the time being, he didn't have anything he could think of to say.

Luckily, to either break or postpone the tension at the table, the waitress returned. She set the natto Mizu had ordered in front of her. The bowl was a little on the smaller end for it being the only thing she had ordered. The fermented soybeans were set atop a bed of steamed rice, long since chilled, as was standard. The additions that set it apart were the curls of green onion on top of the onions, then the yolk from a large egg placed in the very center. She also set down a couple of small side plates, one with slices of pickled plum, the other with shreds of dried seaweed already soaking in soy sauce.

"We're still working on your datemaki platter," she said to Haruki, "but it shouldn't be too much longer."

He nodded at her, forcing a small smile, before she retreated back behind the bar.

Haruki looked at Mizu's bowl and thought about commenting on it, reinforce what he'd said earlier about their natto being particularly well done here, but he decided quickly that he didn't want to talk to her in that moment. Unfortunately, for the time being, he couldn't think of anything to he could say to Matsuda either. To pass the time, he dragged his drink closer to him and began to take a long, slow sip of his soda.

- - - - -

Takashi looked back at Katsuro's quip and gave a surprised laugh in response. It sounded light and airy, and it was that one small comment that seemed to eradicate any of the tension left in the Yamanaka man. "I suppose that's one way to put it," he said.

Takashi reached over to scoop from the mint-tobacco blend and carefully set it in the bowl. He talked as he tore a sheet of foil and began wrapping it around the bowl. "I never really pay much attention to those files. They're written by overworked teachers set in charge of managing upwards of twenty children at a time. I understand why those who disturb the peace don't get looked upon favorably in the records. It's an enormous task trying to stay objective, one that I do not envy."

As he finished crimping the foil, Seiba returned. The enormous dog hefted himself up the stairs and once again went straight to Katsuro. The dog rounded on the veteran shinobi, trying his best to extract every bit of information he could by sniffing the jonin's rear with intensity.

"I think I may have some idea of the kind of information you're looking for, but first, what's this business about jinchuuriki? It's not something that's ever been brought up for as long as I was with him."

 

[Gilzar]

Just like that, Haruki dropped the subject and no longer seemed to show any interest. Mizu glanced over at him, mouth slightly gaped in disbelief. All she did was disagree with him, and now he was blowing her off. He was no longer the talkative, animated person he was just a minute ago. Now he was silent. The only thing he did was adjust his posture so that he didn't look nearly as bored as before.

She stared down at the table to hide her emotions from Haruki and Matsuda. Even though it was just a minor slight from Haruki, it still hurt. Immediately she thought back the other day on the train, and how similar his behavior was then. Mizu had just a minor disagreement with him and he instantly became jaded, just like now. Beneath the table her hands quenched into tight fists. This was the second time she tried to be his friend only for him to treat her like this, and it frustrated her. Why did he do this?

Before she could think into it any further, her meal had finally arrived. Once again she thanked the waitress. The food looked absolutely delicious to her. Her nostrils picked up the smell of the rice, the eggs, and the vegetables with ecstasy. Unfortunately Haruki's meal was not ready yet, and he'd have to wait. Mizu didn't necessarily pity Haruki for having to wait, but it was bad manners to eat before everyone else got their meal. Mizu would resume staring down at the table, waiting for Haruki's meal to arrive so she could dig in.

Meanwhile, Matsuda also noticed the change in Haruki's behavior. To her it just looked like typical child-like behavior. Haruki didn't get his way, and now he was just pouting about it. She caught the boy briefly looking at her, before he cleared his throat loudly and adjusted his posture. The jonin couldn't help but quietly snicker to herself as she once again began to sip her tea. It wasn't hard to see through Haruki's little act. Did he always try to look this presentable around his superiors, or was she special?

Matsuda also saw how Haruki's change was affecting Mizu. The girl tried to compromise with Haruki, but he was having none of it. She could tell the girl's feelings were hurt, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. It pained Matsuda to see her this way. This was supposed to be a fun little break for the both of them. Instead, there was drama brewing beneath the surface. If Haruki wanted to impress people, this wasn't the way to do it. A devious idea then began to brew inside of Matsuda's head. Haruki would know exactly how Mizu felt by the end of this, Matsuda would make sure of it.

Matsuda set her tea back down on the table. She then leaned in toward Mizu and rested her cheek on her right palm as she looked at her with a friendly smile.

"Mizu, I know I've said this before, but I really do love your hair... Who cut it?"

Mizu blushed from the compliment, as well as the fixated attention. Her mood visibly lightened, lowering her shoulders as she looked up at Matsuda. She remembered Matsuda mentioning on the way out of the interrogation core that she liked her hair. It was actually one of the reasons Mizu chose to wear her hair down rather than in a ponytail. A small smile began to grow across her face from the compliment.

"Really? I...I mean - Thank you!" She paused for a moment, before looking over at Haruki. "Haruki is actually the one who cut it. I had to clean it up a bit when I got home, but it was pretty much him otherwise!"

"Did he now?" Matsuda asked coyly, barely giving Haruki a glance.

----------

A slight grin grew across Katsuro's face as Takashi laughed. He didn't think the jonin would laugh at that, but it was a pleasant surprise none-the-less. Takashi then went on to explain that he didn't really trust student files, and why. He actually made a good point Katsuro had never thought of before. Teachers at the academy were busy and overworked. Katsuro had always written off any file inaccuracies as the work of incompetent instructors, but Takashi's thoughts made a bit more sense to him.

The dog then returned, and Katsuro was the unfortunate center of Seiba's attention.

"Well, the kid's got something agains-" Katsuro was suddenly interrupted by Seiba intensely sniffing his rear end. He put his hand back to try and distance the dog from sniffing him, but wasn't having much luck. Seiba kept nudging past his arm. He did his best to ignore it as he spoke to Takashi.

"He doesn't like Jinchuriki. Spouts all that bullshit most of the villagers think, about how his teammate is dangerous and all that crap. Tried telling him none of it was true but he wouldn't have it."