A (Not So) Pleasant Visit

Miss Nao walked under the morning sun, her steps deliberate as she made her way to Kakashi's house.

It was a visit she had pondered over for days, the weight of her decision pressing down on her with each step she took. This would mean revealing herself as a person of interest to Kakashi. However, her master's wishes must be fulfilled.

When she reached the familiar doorstep, she paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before knocking.

Kakashi answered the door, his usual nonchalant demeanor on display. "Good morning. May I help you?"

"Good morning. I'm Miss Nao. The matron at Yuji's former orphanage." She introduced herself.

"Oh. Miss Nao." he greeted.

"Yes. You are Hatake Kakashi, Yuji's jounin sensei, right? I asked at the help desk. I hope I'm not intruding," she said. She did make a show of asking at the help desk. All it would take to blow her cover was one small mistake.

"Yuji's not home at the moment," Kakashi informed her, his voice neutral.

She nodded, a flicker of relief passing through her. "Actually, it's you I came to see, not Yuji."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but stepped aside, inviting her in. As Miss Nao entered, her mind raced, making mental notes about the interior. Nice escape routes, that would make a great defensive position. Her mind catalogued every information.

Kakashi's house was unexpectedly neat and organized, something no one would suspect given his lackadaisical nature. He led her to the dining table before serving her a cup of tea, the steam rising gently between them.

As they sat, Nao began, her voice carrying a careful mix of concern and formality. "I worry for Yuji," she admitted, setting the tone. "His approach towards the ninja profession... it's reckless, and his behavior can be quite fickle."

Kakashi listened intently, his gaze never leaving her face.

"He was always eager, even during his days at the orphanage," Nao continued. "So eager that he moved out immediately after becoming a ninja, not even waiting to reach the government-approved age of eighteen."

Nao sighed, the air heavy with unspoken worries. "I'm tired, Hatake-san. Tired of seeing children I've raised die before they even become adults. Yuji... he's been trying to fly before he learns to walk. And with these recent accusations against him, his eagerness to prove himself has only intensified."

Kakashi's expression softened, the usually unreadable shinobi showing a glimpse of his own concerns. "He is eager to prove his doubters wrong," he acknowledged.

"I trust you, Hatake-san, to guide him," Nao said earnestly. "Show him how dangerous being a ninja can be. If he understands the realities, perhaps it'll make him think more carefully about his actions."

Kakashi assured her with a firm, "I understand your concerns, Miss Nao. I'll do my best to guide him wisely."

She paused, her eyes searching Kakashi's for understanding. "Please, don't tell Yuji we had this conversation. He would know it was me who spoke to you and I fear it would make him distrustful of me. All I want is his well-being and happiness."

Kakashi nodded, "You have my word, Miss Nao."

With those final words, Nao felt a small measure of peace as she stood to leave. Taming a reckless subordinate. There's only one way it is done in ANBU. Taking them out to the field. Taking them on a mission. Preferably, outside Konoha.

Kakashi walked her to the door, offering a respectful nod. As she stepped out into the light, the weight on her shoulders felt slightly lighter, buoyed by the hope that Kakashi would indeed take her advice to heart. He had to.

*********

It's been a week since we began our Field of blades training and I could already see improvements. Nothing like danger to bring hardwork. My progress on my Nitro Boost Jutsu had stalled. Getting the chain reaction sequence right was taking time.

We stretched at the training ground, cooling off after our morning practice. As usual, Kakashi sensei was late. When he appeared in front of us, Naruto was already dozing.

"Look alive genins, we've got a mission." He declared. We stared at him flatly. "A C rank mission."

Naruto bolted upright. "Wha- What? Did I hear C rank?" He looked around wildly, the sleep gone from his eyes. "Someone, tell me I heard C rank. Tell me it wasn't some kind of dream."

"We have a C rank."

"YES!" Naruto howled into the air as we stared in shock. Finally, a C rank. "YES!"

"Calm down." Kakashi drawled, picking his ear with his pinkie. "You haven't heard what it is yet."

Silence.

"What's wrong? Are we at a funeral?" Kakashi cocked his head. "Well, I did kill the mood. Follow me."

We walked behind him as we headed to the hokage tower, speculating on what the mission would be. "It has to be an escort mission." Naruto whispered. "I can't think of anything worse than that."

"How is an escort mission bad?" I asked. "We at least get to leave the village."

"We could be made to escort some crybaby spoiled brat that we'll be forced to entertain every day of the mission." Naruto said.

Silence.

"Okay that's pretty bad." Sakura nodded. "I can't think of how any C rank mission can be bad. Maybe he's just messing with us."

We eyed him. It certainly could be true. He led us to the mission lobby and entered a different door from one we usually took. We entered a room in which the third Hokage sat flanked by two chunins sorting through documents. They looked up as we entered.

"Ah. If it isn't Naruto and his team." The third Hokage stared at us. This was the closest I've ever been to the third Hokage. The living legend. Konoha's first A rank Hokage.

"Hi Jiji." Naruto answered and Sakura mouthed 'jiji?' in shock. "We're here for a C rank mission. Please give us a good one."

"A good one?" Lord third chuckled. "Your sensei already chose one for you." He fished through the scrolls on his desk, chose one and stretched it towards Kakashi. "Here you go. An assassination mission."