Chapter Text
Ears, Nose, and Throat
Ch.1 Inuzuka Mimi
The sun was setting upon Konoha. Stars had begun twinkling in the distance, and the street lights gave off a soft glow. Restaurants had begun to prepare for the dinner rush, and Ichiraku’s ramen booth was no exception. Light from inside bled into the street, and the curtains did little to block the chatter between teacher and student. Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto sat side-by-side, slurping at their meal. When Naruto suddenly asked to wear the formers hitai-ate. “C’mon Iruka-Sensei, just for a bit?”
Iruka sighed but looked fondly at his student. “No way, but you can wear this when you finally graduate and become a ninja, and for that to happen you’ve gotta pass the test tomorrow.” ‘But the hitai-ate means so much more than being a ninja of the leaf’ he thought whimsically.
If Naruto noticed Iruka’s eyes dim a little, he didn’t show it. “But that’s so uncool!” Naruto whined, pouting a little.
----------o----------
The graduation exam came and went, and to Naruto’s disappointment, he had failed again. Roped in by Mizuki to steal a scroll containing forbidden techniques. Iruka stepped in and quickly foiled Mizuki’s plan, but had taken a giant shuriken to the back. The pair was soon found and rushed to the hospital, but not before Iruka passed Naruto and presented him with his own hitai-ate. After getting checked out by medics, Naruto and Iruka bid each other farewell and went their separate ways. Naruto, on his way home; and Iruka, to report to the sandaime.
It was late morning when Iruka stepped foot into his apartment. Exhausted, he made his way to his bedroom, shedding his vest and plopping it on his bed. He made to take off his hitai-ate next, only to realize it was missing.‘Oh right,’ Iruka thought, bumping himself on the forehead. ‘I gave mine to Naruto.’ Pulling out his hair tie, Iruka shuffled over to bed and fell backward onto the mattress. Getting up onto his elbows, he threw his hair tie onto the stand next to his bed. Only for it to miss. ‘Well damn…’ Was Iruka’s last thought before drifting off to sleep.
----------o----------
Iruka awoke sometime around noon the same day. Halfheartedly, he eased himself out of bed and ventured to his drawer for a change of clothes. Finding a pair of sweats, he threw them onto the bed. Reaching further into his drawer, he procured a bundled, white t-shirt. ‘How strange.’ Iruka thought. The t-shirt in question was heavier than it should've been. Quickly unfurling the shirt, Iruka had a hitai-ate in his hand. The brunette furrowed his brows. A standard blue hitai-ate? He would’ve mistaken it for his old genin headband, had he not seen that it was unequal. The realization came across his features when he realized just who’s hitai-ate he was holding, but the shock did little to stop the sudden rush of memories.
11 Years Ago
If one were to look close enough they would notice that dew still clung to the grass and leaves of Konoha. Cloudless blue skies and the vibrant foliage made for a beautiful morning. At the Academy, a classroom of new genin chattered excitedly. Shouts of “I hope we’re on the same team!” and “Anything to not be paired with him!” were thrown across the room. Their teacher sighed from outside of the classroom. ‘Finally,’ she thought, bumping her head against the clipboard in her hand, ‘I can get away from these kids!’ Grinning happily, she slammed open the door. The chatter in the room stopped, in favor of watching their sensei strut into the room. She stopped by her desk and leaned her hip against it.
“Alright children, it’s time to announce your team assignments.” The class started to cheer, only to be shut down immediately.
“Shut it!”
----------o----------
Uzuki Yūgao
“Team 5 will consist of Chigusa Risa, Umino Iruka,-” At that arrangement, I crossed my arms and scoffed. ‘The weirdo, and the prankster? I feel sorry for their third member.’
“And Uzuki Yūgao!” I sat up straight and spluttered. ‘You have to be kidding me!’ A dark aura surrounded me as I gripped the edge of my desk.
“Uh, Uzuki-san? Are you alright?” Iyashi looked at me worriedly. “Your eyes are bulging.” He added.
My face scrunched up in annoyance. “Buzz off,” I growled. ‘Before I castrate you.’
“Is it Chigusa? He really did a number on you during that kenjutsu tournament awhile back.” Iyashi continued in a teasing tone. He paused, before snickering behind his hand. “Or is it because of Umino? That guy’s got the best timing!”
Tick marks appeared on my forehead. I reached around to grab my wooden sword as Iyashi continued to talk. ‘Castration it is.’ I thought darkly.
“I mean right when you and Gekko-senpai were talking that one time he-”
“IIIIIYYYYYAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHIIIII!!!!”
“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
----------o----------
Chigusa Risa
My leg would not stop bouncing. Despite my nervousness, I inwardly grinned at what my mother would have said to me. ‘Stop that leg bouncing, you’re shaking the entire bench and it’s inappropriate!’ Well, she can’t stop me here.
“-your journey as shinobi will only continue from now on as you grow with the help of your teammates and your jōnin-sensei-”
Not paying attention, I lay my head down and began to think. ‘I hope I’m not too awkward in front of my team, I mean Umino-san seems pretty fun and Uzuki-san seems alright, even if she’s a little loud.’ My thoughts turned to our soon-to-be sensei, to the weather outside, and then to food. ‘I wonder what ma is going to make fo- remember that time at the market?’ No, brain this is not the time. ‘That cute Uchiha kid at that drink stand?’ I don’t need to remember this right now. I felt embarrassment crawl up my spine. ‘And how you kept staring, and when you made eye-contact you bumped into a cart selling nuts-’ NoNoNoNoNo. I closed my eyes and tried to keep the memory at bay by concentrating on other things. ‘Okay, okay, calm down and try to sense your new teammates.’
I focused my consciousness and saw what seemed to be my classmates’ chakra. Most signatures were a shade of blue, though he had encountered some with a greenish tint. The feel of every person's chakra differed. Focusing on Umino-san first, his chakra felt...wet. ‘Cool, it feel’s like warm water. Now onto Uzuki-san!’ I found this to be a mistake. When I focused on her chakra, it felt like I had come too close to a wildfire. “Shit!” I cried out.
I barely managed to dodge the piece of chalk that came flying my way. Resulting in another curse word. Giggles started up around the class.
“Chigusa Risa!” Sensei boomed. “Is there anything you want to say?”
“Uh…” Was, of course, my intelligent reply. While ‘Gosh Darnit.’ Was my last thought before sensei called me down and launched a rally of verbal attacks.
----------o----------
Umino Iruka
I laughed as Chigusa got chewed out by the teacher. But stopped, as the classroom door slid open. A group of ninja walked in! How cool! I stared at them interested. There was even a dog among them! I studied the dog a bit more and noticed a hitai-ate tied around its neck. ‘Woah! A ninja-dog, but wait-’ My amazed expression dropped, and a shocked one took its place. ‘If that dog’s a ninja, could it be a jōnin sensei too?!’
I grew more worried as human sensei’s called out to their teams one-by-one. When Team 5 was skipped over, I cast nervous glances to my teammates. Uzuki-chan was sitting cool as a cucumber in her seat. Arm’s and legs both crossed, and if I’d watched her a second longer, she probably would’ve flipped her hair. My eyes zoomed to the front of the room, where Chigusa-kun was leaning against the blackboard. Then our eyes met. ‘CHANCE!’ I thought. I stared into his eyes intensely. Sending a message through my eyes. ‘OursenseimightbeadogOursenseimightbeadogOursenseimightbeadog’. He looked at me questioningly, before smiling and waving. I covered my face with my hands. ‘NO! That’s not what I meant!’
Soon only Chigusa-kun, Uzuki-chan, Dog-sensei, and I were left in the classroom. Uzuki-chan and I moved to the front row of desks and mirrored Chigusa-kun, who had taken to sitting on top of the teacher's desk. Between the three of us sat a large, gray dog. The three of us stared blankly at dog-sensei. ‘I know I’ve pulled off a lot of prank’s Lord Third, but you didn't have to assign my team a dog-sensei…’
“Hello, kiddo’s!”
“AAHHH! I DON’T WANT A DOG-SENSEI!”
“UMINO! WHAT THE HECK!”
“ACK! BOTH OF YOU STOP!”
----------o----------
Inuzuka Mimi
I fast-walked down the halls of the academy. Apparently, running is strictly prohibited, even if it’s an emergency. ‘Nice to see that sensei is still a witch.’ I was pumping chakra into my nose in order to follow the scent of my nin-ken, Nodo. If only I hadn’t stopped to check out that food stand. ‘Shit, now I’m late.’ I pushed myself to go a little faster.
Finally, I stopped in front of an open door. Peering inside, I noticed three kids sitting around Nodo. Behind him, sitting on the teacher's desk was a black-haired boy in a navy blue samue. Around his waist was a tan supply pack. Closest to the door sat a scowling, purple-haired girl. She wore a brown plastron that covered one shoulder over a sleeveless mesh top. Her black shorts stopped just above her knees. Farthest from her was a tan boy with a scarred face. He was decked out in all white, and his brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. I sweatdropped, ‘Their fashion is kinda weird.’ I looked down at my standard flak jacket and black clothing. ‘Am I out of the times?’ Really: the girl’s shirt exposed too much midsection, the ponytailed boy was wearing too much white, and the black haired boy wasn't even wearing proper samue pants, but black sweats!
‘Maybe it’s a statement,’ I stepped into the room. “ Hello, kiddo’s!” I drawled out. ‘Whatever, I guess these kids’ are kinda cute though.’
“AAHHH! I DON’T WANT A DOG-SENSEI!”
“UMINO! WHAT THE HECK!”
“ACK! BOTH OF YOU STOP!”
I cringed at their loud voices and my lips twitched down for a moment, ‘Maybe not.’
----------o----------
Inuzuka Nodo
The three pups trailed after Mimi, following her to the swing at the front of the academy. I lay down by Mimi’s feet as she sat on the swing. The other three stood awkwardly. I cocked my head in a confused manner. ‘Why don’t they sit down?’ I was about to voice my concerns, but Mimi beat me to it.
“Sit down, will you? You all standing is making me nervous.” She sighed, waiting for the pups to settle down before continuing. “Alright, I’m Inuzuka Mimi, 23, and a tokubetsu jōnin-”
The purple one raised her hand, “Aren’t we supposed to have a jōnin-sensei?”
I growled a little, annoyed. ‘Do you doubt Mimi’s skills?’ Before I could retort, a warm hand patted my back.
Mimi chuckled and continued to rub my fur. “Now, now, Yugao I’m still a jōnin.”
The purple pup, Yugao, glowered. “No, you’re a tokujō, under a jōnin.”
My owner sighed, stopping her petting. “Yūgao.” The girl looked up at Mimi’s stern tone. “Just because I’m a tokujō does not mean I am not skilled enough to teach you.” She stopped to look at all of them. “The Hokage and your Academy teachers thought that my skills would benefit you all in the long run.” Her gaze focused on Yugao. “It does not mean that you are inadequate in any way, so don't worry.”
The purple one huffed and turned away. While the tan pup tentatively raised a hand.
Mimi turned, “Yes Iruka, right?”
The pup looked down and scratched the facial scar bisecting his nose. “If you’re a tokujō Mimi-sensei, what do you specialize in?”
Mimi’s mouth morphed into a bright smile. “Look’s like someone was paying attention at the Academy!” At this, the tan pup flushed and smiled a little. “Anyways, I specialize in traps, and as an Inuzuka I’m also proficient in tracking.” She made an exaggerated wink, “Not to brag, but I am a master of Konoha’s very own Leaf-style kenjutsu.”
Yūgao visibly relaxed, and the third pup seemed to snicker at how uptight his pack mate was. I rolled my eyes. ‘The purple one is pretty stiff though.’
Now that the tension had eased a bit Mimi moved on to more fun topics. “My favourite things are beef ramen and walking with Nodo here,” I snorted, ‘Yeah right, your favourite thing is to mess with Tsume and Kuromaru’ She glared at me, but continued. “I dislike seeing children get hurt and doing hand signs.” With her introduction over, she shifted her gaze over to the tan pup. “Alright, Iruka introduce yourself!”
The brown pup propped his head up with his hand and mulled over his response. “Uh, alright…” He straightened up, suddenly excited. “I’m Umino Iruka! Konoha’s number one prankster!”
I huffed, ‘Pup, that’s usually not something you should announce.’
He continued without a hitch, “My best subject at the academy was traps! I like hanging out with Lord Third, and enjoy going to hot springs! I really dislike mazegohan!”
Mimi laughed at this pup’s light introduction, then motioned for the purple pup to introduce herself. The girl flicked some chin length hair out of her face. “My name is Uzuki Yūgao, 11, and a genin.”
My ears perked at her imitation of my master. Looking up at Mimi, she seemed a little annoyed as her eyebrow began to twitch. ‘Huh,’ I thought ‘The other two don’t seem to be faring too well.’ The tan pup looked absolutely appalled at Yūgao’s tone and was gaping like a fish out of water. While the blue pup next to Yūgao was stifling a laugh behind his hand.
The purple pup, seeing her sensei’s annoyance and her teammates’ reactions widened her smirk. “I plan on mastering Konoha’s sword style. I like moon viewing, and I dislike annoying people.” At that, she glared at the tan and the blue pup.
‘And to think she was warming up to us.’ I was brought out of my musings when Mimi gestured to the blue pup.
There was a slight quiver in his voice indicating that he was nervous. “Ah, I am Chigusa Risa.” The rest of us waited silently for a response.
It was the purple pup who broke the silence. “Yeah, and?”
“Oh,” The blue pup looked a bit more anxious. “ Um, I’m alright at kenjutsu. I don’t particularly like anything, but I dislike fireworks.”
Mimi clapped her hands, gathering everyone’s attention. “Alright, now that we all know each other a little better you all are free to go.” She got off the swing and raised her arms up in a stretch. I followed as she began to walk away from the pups. Looking back over her shoulder she mentioned in an offhand tone. “Make sure you get to training ground twelve tomorrow by 6:30 a.m.”
We were nearly at the Inuzuka compound when I realized. ‘I didn’t get to introduce myself.’
----------o----------
The genin of team 5 sat on the ground where Mimi-sensei had left them. The breeze blew softly around them and rustled the leaves of the tree they were under. Iruka was the first to speak.
“Now that we’re a team I think we should start calling each other by our first names!”
Yūgao looked over to Iruka, her face holding a confused expression. “Eh? Why?”
Now it was Risa’s turn to be confused. “Yūgao, were you not paying attention in the academy?”
Iruka gave another bright smile, “That’s the spirit, Risa!” He leaned towards Yūgao and pointed a finger. “Now as for you,” he scolded. “Calling each other by our first names is basic team-building.” After a second he added, “Yūgao-chan.”
Risa laughed out loud and held his fist out to Iruka. “Savage, man.”
Yūgao was fuming. “Shut up R-risa!”
Iruka proudly accepted the fist bump, much to Yūgao’s annoyance. Fed up with the boy’s antics she huffed and left, but not before flashing some demeaning hand signs.
Grinning at Yūgao’s annoyance, Risa stood up and offered a hand to Iruka. “Do you wanna come with me? I’m gonna see if she knows anymore hand signs.”
Iruka took Risa’s hand laughing. The pair waited a moment before nodding at each other and taking off after Yugao, making sure to stay out of sight. In the end, they were invited in by Yūgao’s amused father for dinner, much to her exasperation.
----------o----------
6:30 a.m - Training Ground 12
The early morning sun brought just enough light for Inuzuka Mimi and her partner Nodo to follow the trail to training ground twelve. It was a peaceful morning until the clang of metal against metal echoed through the forest.
Glancing down at Nodo, the ninken nodded and held still for Mimi to climb onto his back. Nodo took off towards the clearing where the scents of yesterday's pups were. Arriving at the scene, Mimi was shocked to see Risa and Yūgao locked in combat. Iruka, who was standing under a tree, waved towards Mimi.
“Mimi-Sensei!” He called out. Warily, Mimi slid off of Nodo’s back and made her way over to Iruka.
Stopping in front of her tan student, she gestured towards the other two. ‘When did they get real swords?'. “Why are they-!” But yelped when a wakizashi came flying towards them. Quickly she pushed Iruka out of the way as the short sword lodged itself into the tree trunk behind them.
Mimi was appalled. “Yūgao! Risa!” But her reprimand was cut short by the girl’s frustrated cry.
The purple haired girl stomped towards her disarmed partner and pointed her katana at his chest. “Grr! Risa! Take this fight seriously!”
Quickly, Mimi tended to Iruka; who had fallen and scraped his knee. Leaving him in the care of Nodo, she walked towards her shouting students. Well, student, Risa was staring at his feet as Yūgao got in his face. Mimi was exasperated. ‘Weren’t they they just sparring?’
She was brought out of her thoughts when Yūgao prepared to strike. “C’MON, SAY SOMETHING OR AM I TALKING TO A WALL!”
‘Oh shit!’ Mimi broke into a sprint and readied herself for the Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu. ‘I hope I make it in time.’ Only to jab her fingers at the first hand sign, the pain causing her to drop to her knees. “Yūgao! Stop!” But in the blink of an eye, Risa had unsheathed his daito and blocked Yūgao’s blow.
His eyes narrowed as they pushed at each other's blades. “You want a serious fight Yūgao-chan? I’ll give you one.” he hissed, kicking her in the chest.
Winded, Yūgao gasped and stumbled back; then dropped to a kneel. Risa rushed forward and swung his blade towards a crouching Yūgao. She flinched, expecting pain, but felt none. Confused, the purplette looked up. The point of Risa’s daito rested on her shoulder. Risa himself looked eerily calm, lips pressed into a thin line.“This fight is over.” He sheathed his sword and turned away.
Unknown to Yūgao was that Risa was freaking out internally. ‘Ack! Was that too much?!’ If one were to take a closer look at Risa, you’d see that the poor boy was shaking.
Yūgao wheezed out a laugh and stood up. “Oh man, I was beaten by a nervous wreck!” Walking over to Risa, she gave him a pat on the shoulder. “See? You just needed to take thi-,” she paused, looking at him closely. “Oh my gosh! Why are you crying?!”
The boy in question covered his face with his hands. Mimi, Nodo, and Iruka, deeming that the scene was safe, approached the two.
Iruka, seeing that his teammate was crying, rushed forward. He and Yūgao argued as they coddled Risa. Mimi couldn’t help but coo at the sight. “They are so cute! Right Nodo?”
The hound merely huffed. “They are to be shinobi, Mimi.”
Mimi pouted, “So serious.” She focused on her students, who had settled things by sitting upon Risa. Mimi cleared her throat, “Uh, alright. Now that you are all settled it’s time for your test.”
Iruka looked at her, stricken. “T-test?”
Yūgao raised her eyebrows. “What for?”
‘Oh boy.’ Mimi thought, starting to sweat a little. ‘I can’t just tell them that they’ll be sent back to the academy if they don’t pass. It would crush them.’ She glanced at Nodo for help, but all she got was an eye roll. She looked back to her students, who stared up at her expectantly. Even Risa had turned his head from its position on the ground.
Mimi just waved her hand nervously. “You know,” At this point, she was avoiding eye contact. “To test your skills as genin…” It wasn't exactly a lie. ‘If they don't pass, I’ll have to sneak into their homes to take back the hitai-ate.”
“Aww man,” said Risa, dirt stuck to his face due to his tears. “Another test…What a drag.”
“Very funny Risa,” Mimi said. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’ Straightening into a more confident stance, she began. “Your task for today is to capture me.”
“That doesn’t seem too hard,” Iruka said.
Yūgao flicked his arm. “You idiot, she’s older and more experienced than us.”
Mimi merely laughed and continued. “By capture, I mean you have to immobilize me.” She looked towards the early morning sun. “I’ll give you all till noon. Use any means necessary.” With that, she turned tail and sprinted into the forest.
“Hey!” With a shout, Iruka ran off after her.
“Iruka wait!” But it was too late, he had already disappeared into the treeline. She ran in after him. ‘He’s not thinking things through!’
The last member of team 5 stood up and slowly walked into the forest.
Nodo merely yawned and settled himself under Risa’s lodged sword.
----------o----------
After throwing Yūgao off his trail, Iruka tried to pick up on Mimi's. ‘Gee, this is harder than I thought’ Wandering through the forest a bit more, he stopped at a tree. ‘Too hard! There’s nothing amiss in the forest.’ The tan boy sat down on the roots. ‘Maybe I could lure her out by using ramen…’ he mused, absentmindedly scratching his knee. ‘Wait my knee! That’s it, I’ll just get Nodo to track her for me!’ He grinned to himself. “She did say by any means necessary!” Just as he got up to rush back to the clearing, a branch fell from above. A figure darted away among the branches, leaves falling in their wake. Iruka didn’t hesitate, ‘New plan. Follow Mimi-sensei!’
Sidestepping twigs and not slipping on piles of leaves was harder than anticipated. He followed her to another clearing, where a hardy tree sat rooted to the center. Mimi sat on a large root protruding from the ground. Iruka observed the field. The thicket surrounding the area provided ample opportunity to set up traps. He reached into his pack for wire and began scaling a tree. ‘To restrain her I’ll need to put wires there, there, and there.’ Reaching the desired branch and setting up the first part to his trap, he jumped to another branch. Only to feel a wire catch his foot.
‘What the?!’ Iruka suddenly found himself suspended mid-jump before hurtling towards the ground.
“AHHHH!”
As he fell masses of wires wrapped around him in layers. A chafing pull at the wire around his ankle indicated that he had stopped falling. Iruka struggled, but it only caused him to rotate. Looking up, Iruka was shocked to see that wire crisscrossed all over throughout the trees and tapered off the nearer they got to the ground. His observations were cut short when a pair of sandals came into his sight.
Mimi snickered at the sight of her upside down student. “How’s it hangin’, Iruka?”
Despite his position, Iruka couldn’t stop a goofy grin. “Not bad, Mimi-sensei.” He strained to look her in the face. “This trap is amazing Mimi-sensei! Did you set this up yesterday?”
The Inuzuka scratched her cheek. “Eh, no. But I did set it up with you in mind.”
Iruka was impressed. Not only had she set up such a complex trap so quickly, she made it so that he’d get caught in it for sure.
“Did you see me or something? I thought I was following a safe distance away?” After a moment's pause. “Please stop that.”
Mimi had taken to swinging Iruka back and forth. “Oh sorry, hold on.” She placed her hand on his cocoon to steady him. “I didn’t see you.” Mimi continued, pointing to her nose. “I smelled you.” The brunette began walking away. “Inuzuka senses. Now remember Iruka, You have until the afternoon.”
----------o----------
“You look like snot hanging from someone's nose.”
“You’re the only one who would think that!”
After Mimi-sensei left, Iruka quickly realized that no amount of struggle would loosen his bonds. His hands were bound, and his pack was encased in wire. He needed a way out, and it was getting increasingly laborious to breathe. ‘If only Yūgao or Risa could sense where I am,’ The idea hit Iruka like a rock thrown by Yūgao. ‘What am I thinking! My teammates are both sensors!’ The boy closed his eyes and began to gather chakra. When he had a decent amount, he released it as a wave. Its frequency wasn’t as high as usual, but it was practically a flare to any decent sensor. His chakra wave had done its job. Since Yūgao came crashing by. If only she’d stop making fun of him.
She rolled her eyes, “I bet Risa would agree with me.”
Iruka stuck out his tongue in mocking. “ I bEt RiSa WoUlD aGrEe WiTh Me.”
Yūgao scoffed and drew her katana. “Whatever,” she quickly cut the wire encasing Iruka. He tumbled to the ground. “Watch your head.”
Iruka rubbed the back of his neck. “That would’ve been useful before you cut the wire.”
A rustling to the side caught their attention. Risa came forth from the brush; leaves and twigs caught in his hair. “Did you guys feel that chakra wave?” he asked, approaching the pair.
Yūgao plucked a twig from Risa’s hair. “Er,yeah. You see, Iruka isn’t completely useless.” she ignored Iruka’s annoyed ‘hey!’ and continued. “He sent out a signal of some sort that alerted us to his location.”
Iruka crossed his arms. “It’s not just a signal, It’s usually similar to echolocation and-”
“You should’ve seen Iruka when I found him, he was hanging upside down wrapped in those wires over there.” Yūgao cut-off, pointing to the tangle of wires on the ground and hanging from the trees.
Risa’s eyes followed Yugao’s finger. “Oh, so like a booger?”
Yūgao let out a laugh as Iruka shrieked, “Not you too!”
----------o----------
After the whole Iruka the booger discourse. The three began to discuss their battle plan. Team 5 sat on the root Mimi was sitting on previously.
“I actually passed Mimi-sensei on my way here,” Risa said.
Yūgao nodded along. “Did she see you?”
Risa shook his head, “No, she didn’t appear to notice me.”
Iruka gazed at the males disheveled appearance. “Hmm…”
“What is it Iruka?” Yūgao asked.
“Inuzuka senses…” he mumbled. “Oh! Of course.” He exclaimed. The brunette picked up dirt and threw it on to Yūgao.
“Iruka! What the heck!” She exclaimed. The purplette stood up and began backing away from Iruka.
Risa followed suit as Iruka turned to him. The brunette cackled evilly as Risa and Yūgao backed away. “I know how to capture Mimi-sensei!”
----------o----------
Mimi’s day so far had been nerve-wracking. It was her first time teaching children, and they seemed like good kids. Despite their unique personalities. ‘Yūgao is a bit intense, Iruka is too mischievous for his own good, and Risa is a total crybaby.’ The tokujō stopped and cupped her face as crocodile tears streamed down her face. ‘Which is so totally cute! It makes me want to hug them and never let go!’
Mimi had stopped among the brush in order to set up more traps. ‘Maybe I should just fib to the hokage and tell him that they passed.’ she thought, setting snares and trip-wires. A familiar smell prickled her senses.
She stopped in the middle of fixing up another trip-wire. “Hello, Nodo! Were you lonely without me?” Mimi reached to scratch the gray dog's neck. Only for him to rear back, panicked.
“What the-? Nodo, are you okay!?” A puff of smoke erupted where Nodo was standing. Amidst the smoke, Team 5 was panicking.
Iruka coughed on the smoke.“Oh no, the henge!”
“What do we do now?” Yūgao cried out.
Risa pulled at Iruka and Yūgao’s hands. “Just grab Mimi-senesi, c’mon!”
Mimi was caught off guard by the smokescreen. ‘A henge?’ Before she could back out of the smoke, she was tackled down by smaller bodies. ‘Huh?’ When the smoke cleared, Mimi found herself on the ground with Yūgao and Iruka each pinning one of her legs, and Risa straddling her stomach.
Mimi began, still a little dazed. “Well, I must say that I’m both a bit surprised and impressed.” Then broke out into a large grin. “Congratulations Team 5, you passed!”
Risa fist-bumped the air and let out a whoop of joy. While Iruka and Yūgao hugged each other due to the excitement. Until Yūgao cringed, “Oh, eww.” Before she could push Iruka away, Mimi got up and gathered all three of them into her arms.
Despite being meshed in between Iruka and Risa, Yūgao let out a laugh. Mimi placed them onto the ground and looked towards the sun. “How about a late lunch, my treat?”
As Team 5 followed their sensei, Risa couldn’t help but look back. ‘Aren’t we forgetting something?’
----------o----------
Risa was halfway done with his first bowl when he realized they had forgotten Nodo. Iruka patted his teammate’s back as he had begun coughing.
Mimi looked at him worriedly, “You okay there, Risa?”
He smiled nervously, “Everything's fine.” Wiping his mouth with his wrist, the young genin shifted away from his team. ‘I can’t tell them now, It’d be awkward!’
Yūgao and Iruka shrugged off their teammate’s turmoil, as they became immersed in a conversation discussing the applicability of wire. Mimi took a sideways glance at her awkward student as she sipped the broth from her bowl. Getting up, she placed ryo onto the counter. “Since you all did so well today, I’m giving you the rest of the day off.” Risa voiced his acknowledgment, as Iruka and Yugao merely nodded.
The tokujō reached up to ruffle Yūgao’s hair and tug on Iruka’s ponytail. “Same time. Meet me at Training ground 12 again for some real training.” She stopped her ministrations when Iruka’s ponytail became loose, and Yūgao’s hair became mussed. She then used both hands to tussle Risa’s hair. “If you’re lucky, I may even take you all to the mission room to pick up your first mission.” With that, she released Risa and turned tail, walking out of Ichiraku Ramen.
----------o----------
7:26 p.m - Hokage’s Meeting Room
“Inuzuka Mimi. Step forward and report.”
“Yes, Lord Third.”
Mimi had schooled her features into a passive look when she walked into the meeting room. But her face twitched as she stood before the hokage. “I accept Chigusa Risa, Umino Iruka, and Uzuki Yūgao of Team 5 under my tutelage. The three appear to have a natural feel for teamwork, and demonstrated a mastery over the henge taught at the academy.” She paused, before offering a wolfish grin. “I was fairly impressed at their observational skills. They took into account my Inuzuka lineage during their plan to capture me. Their precautions allowed them to get close to me.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen peered at the Inuzuka. “Thank you, Mimi-san. A written report will need to be turned in by the end of this week.” The sandaime closed his eyes thoughtfully, ‘Iruka should hold up on those pranks of his with a sensei to keep him busy.’
‘He’s not saying anything.’ Mimi shifted from her position, “Lord Hokage?”
‘Whoops.’ Hiruzen chuckled lightly and waved his hand in dismissal. “Nothing, you are dismissed.”
----------o----------
Omake - The Plan
Iruka blushed heavily from his position in between Yūgao’s legs, “Why do I have to be the tail end?”
Risa grunted as his purple-haired teammate shifted, her elbow’s digging into his shoulders. “This isn’t easy for me either.” Yūgao replied hotly, “how come I’m being carried by you two idiots?”
“Because Yūgao!” Risa groaned, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “You’re the lightest out of all of us.” He then tried to glare at Iruka, “As for you Iruka, this is what you get for throwing dirt at us.”
The tan genin scoffed and looked anywhere but forward. “Hmph!”
From behind the group, Nodo struggled against his gag and binds. ‘Those brat’s!’ He flopped around and growled out profanities, but each one was muffled by the gag in his mouth.
Their only female teammate groaned, “Let’s just get this over with!”
Risa nodded in agreement. “On three. One...Two...Three!”
‘Dog! Boar! Ram!’
“Henge no Jutsu!”
----------0----------
“This is so Cool!”
“Really, Iruka? You’re going to blow our cover.”
“There is no Iruka, for we are one.”
“That’s weird even for you, Risa.”
No passerby usually spared Nodo a glance. Seeing a ninja dog on the street wasn’t too much of a sight with the presence of the Inuzuka clan in Konoha. Even if he was fairly larger than other Inuzuka dogs his coat was a matte grey colour that was often overlooked. But hearing 3 different voices coming from the same body was a different story.
‘Nodo’ stumbled his way through the forest. Several falls and smacks on the head by Yūgao later, Iruka and Risa were moving in sync. The trio spotted Mimi-sensei crouched down, Iruka quietly informed them of the traps she had set up around her, and the best path to take. The three took a breath in unison and approached their sensei.
Present
Iruka put down the hitai-ate and tried not to sob.
End Ch.1