Interlude: Friends, Old and New 2

Three hours later, Asuma jolted awake when a sandaled foot prodded his ribs. Blinking, he stared blearily up at Haruki, who looked rather annoyed. Yawning, he stretched and got to his feet, noting the amused glint in Inoichi's eyes as he took in his surroundings. His three students were gathered in front of him, munching on sandwiches and drinking from water bottles while staring at him with varied expressions of irritation and, on Ino and Chouji's part, exhaustion.

"Had a nice nap, Asuma-sensei?" Ino scowled at him.

Asuma stifled another yawn and mustered up a sheepish look for them. "How're the exercises coming along?"

Ino and Chouji both brightened at this question. "We got to the top of the tree," Chouji announced proudly, and Ino grinned beside him.

Asuma blinked in surprise before smiling broadly at them. "Great! You both got it in only a few hours. That's amazing!"

"What's amazing is your need for sleep, old man," Haruki grumbled from beside him. "Not even Kakashi slept during his team's exercises."

"I'm not an old man!" Asuma protested, holding back a grin at the easy banter. Haruki was good company when he opened up a little.

"With that beard, you look like you could be in your late thirties," Haruki shot back.

"I'm your age!" This time, there was real offense in Asuma's voice as he reached up to rub at his beard. It did not make him look old.

Laughter rang out and all three adults turned to look at the Genin on the ground. Ino bounded to her feet, having finished her lunch, and reached out to tug at Haruki's sleeve.

"Yeah, but Haruki-san doesn't have a beard, Asuma-sensei," Ino teased. "And," She turned to glance pointedly between the two Jonin. "He's better looking."

Asuma was somewhat surprised that Ino had said something so bold and guessed that they had gotten more comfortable in each other's company while he had been asleep. Ino may be outspoken and confident but Asuma had come to realize that she only spoke about people so playfully when she was at ease in their presence.

For his part, Haruki blinked down at the blonde, feeling rather thrown at the comment but chuckled good-naturedly after a moment. "Exactly, Asuma. Even Ino-chan says so, and she's the only one here who's got an eye for that sort of thing, which means I'm right."

Asuma scoffed, rolling his eyes as his female student beamed. He shot Inoichi a reproachful look when the man laughed and then turned a small scowl on the two boys still sitting on the ground. Both had amused grins on their faces as they finished up their lunches.

From his spot a few steps away, Inoichi surveyed Team 10 and the red-haired Jounin, and decided that accompanying the group today was one of the best decisions he had ever made. He eyed his daughter's hand tucked in a friendly manner in the crook of Haruki's arm as she continued to tease Asuma and debated the likelihood of the redhead shaking her off.

Earlier, while Asuma had slept, Haruki had simply heaved a resigned sigh and left him to it. Instead, he had moved away to help his daughter and Chouji as they continued their attempts at chakra control. Chouji had steadily gotten better and better, inching his way up the tree as the minutes ticked by, but Ino had only managed to get about halfway and no further. Two hours into the exercise and Inoichi had almost seen her frustration manifest a physical form when Chouji finally reached the top and flopped down on the ground for a breather.

In this, he and his daughter were the same, at least when he had been her age. He had been every bit as impatient and easily frustrated as Ino was now and that usually made itself known through an explosive temper. Inoichi had tensed when, after dozens of attempts and even more dents in the wood, his daughter had finally whirled on the sleeping figure of Shikamaru, mouth opening to vent her pent-up anger. He had often blown up at Shikaku and Chouza as well whenever he had failed at something multiple times and he knew Ino was no different.

But to his surprise, Haruki had cut in before Ino could say a word, and had asked the strangest thing.

"Azalea. What does it mean?"

Inoichi had had a hard time keeping the confusion off his face, and his daughter hadn't even bothered trying.

"What?" She had snapped, her ire obvious in the tone of her voice, and Inoichi had inwardly winced at the rude attitude directed at Haruki.

But the redhead hadn't even seemed to notice and merely cocked his head as he repeated his question. "What does an azalea mean? You work in a flower shop; you should know, right?"

Ino had pushed away a few sweaty bangs before snapping irritably, "Temperance, or to take care of yourself for me. What does that have to do with anything?"

Haruki had only shrugged and nodded at the tree. "One step. Go on."

Ino's brow had furrowed even further but had obeyed after a moment of hesitation, taking a step onto the tree so that she was standing sideways at the very base of the tree trunk. She wobbled a little and her arms flailed, and Inoichi had been sure she would fall again, but Haruki had quickly continued with another question.

"Bluebells. Meaning?"

Ino had automatically answered, having been drilled on the many different types of flowers since she was a little girl by her mother, and she had steadied against the wood as her mind focused on something else. "Humility and constancy."

Haruki had nodded and motioned for her to take another step.

"Tiger lilies?"

"Wealth and pride." Another step.

"Magnolias?"

"Perseverance, dignity, and nobility." And another.

"Buttercups?"

"Childishness or cheerfulness." And yet another.

And so they went; Haruki would toss out the name of a flower and Ino would counter with its meaning, and Inoichi could only watch in amazement as the red-haired Jonin talked his daughter down from her rage and up the trunk of the tree. Her two teammates had sat up at this point, watching her progress with quiet astonishment.

Finally, just before she had reached the top branch, Haruki had paused in his long list of flowers, head tilted back to maintain eye-contact, and offered a small smile up at Ino.

"One more then. A solidago?"

Ino had grinned, sweaty and smudged with dirt from all her failed attempts but had crowed triumphantly, "Success!", and had taken the final step, bringing her level to the highest branch of the tree.

Haruki's face had relaxed into a wide grin, hands still stuffed into his coat pockets as he rocked back on his heels. "Well, look at that. It seems like you can do it after all."

Inoichi had found himself smiling as well as his daughter's grin threatened to split her face. She had carefully made her way down the tree again, her steps much more sure and steady than before, and then she had bounced over to the redhead and thrown her arms around the Jonin in a grateful hug.

Haruki had frozen, flinching minutely in surprise, and Inoichi had almost frowned when the redhead glanced over at him with something akin to uncertainty. He would've thought that Haruki had been worried about his reaction if it wasn't for the fact that his long years as an interrogator had helped him pick up the confusion and discomfort and distress in the man's stance, as well as the silent scream for help in his eyes.

Inoichi had seen those emotions in some shinobi, not many, but enough to recognize it. He usually saw it in ninja that had been out on the field for too long and had forgotten what friendly human contact was like.

Inoichi had seen it before, but only ever in the war veterans after the Third Shinobi War.

He had straightened, mouth opening to tell his daughter to let go now because he had gone into the minds of some of those veterans and had seen a wrecked and ravaged world, desolate and dying, and if they weren't reintroduced to human contact in slow steps, it could (would) cause a breakdown or worse.

But Haruki had surprised him again when his body had forced itself to relax and an arm had circled around Ino's shoulders in an awkward hug, one hand patting her back before pulling away.

"Thanks!" Ino had exclaimed brightly, none the wiser as Haruki had smiled easily down at her, all the anxietyfearpanic hidden safely away from prying eyes.

"Don't think too hard," Was all the redhead had told her. "You were just concentrating too much chakra before, and it was dragging you down."

And then, fifteen minutes later, Haruki had settled the three Genin down with water and sandwiches and a soldier pill each. The redhead had made his way back to the tree he had originally been leaning against and Inoichi had found an apology at the tip of his tongue. It hadn't been his fault and it certainly hadn't been his daughter's fault, but the haunted, lost expression Haruki had directed at him had hit him hard, had brought him back to his days on the battlefield, and he had figured that someone should be sorry for putting that look on the Jonin's face, if only because Inoichi wasn't sure how to fix it. He barely knew anything about Kazama Haruki. At least with the war veterans, he had been ordered by the Hokage to mend the shinobi's mental stability as best he could. Somehow, he doubted Haruki would want him poking around inside his head.

But Haruki had only smiled at him, a little weary and a little grateful at the same time, as though Inoichi had already helped just by recognizing some of what the Jonin was going through. In the face of that smile, words had somehow seemed inadequate and Inoichi had remained silent in the end.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Inoichi studied the subtle tension currently lining Haruki's shoulders. Body language was something every interrogator had to know inside out and he detected the way the redhead would stiffen ever-so-slightly when his daughter or her teammates crowded too close. Yet Haruki was still bantering effortlessly with Asuma, actions relaxed and easy to the untrained eye.

Haruki was good, Inoichi approved. Even he probably wouldn't have noticed if not for Ino's hug earlier. But right now, to him, Haruki was clearly uncomfortable and it was even clearer that he wouldn't say anything to push the Genin away.

"Ino," Inoichi interrupted smoothly when the conversation paused for a second. "Did you take your soldier pill?"

"Oh!" Her hand slipped away from Haruki's arm and Inoichi waited until he saw the redhead relax again before turning to watch his daughter gulp down the military ration. Her two teammates followed her example before turning back to Haruki.

Haruki glanced at Inoichi out of the corner of his eye. The Clan Head wasn't even looking at him but he knew the interrogator well enough that he was sure Inoichi had called his daughter's attention away from him on purpose. Still, the man wasn't showing any signs of it so he put it to the back of his mind.

"Now then," Haruki began once he had all three Genin's attention again. "Your D-rank. Like Asuma said, you'll have to catch Tora for the Daimyo's wife." Here, a smile bordering on sadistic curled his lips up as he handed out wireless radios for the Genin. All three students eyed him warily as they accepted them. "But, instead of just running around anywhere you want, you'll be putting today's lesson to good use. Until this mission is completed, all three of you are only allowed to walk sideways or even upside-down. Buildings, trees, whatever; just so long as you don't walk upright. Understand?"

A horrified silence descended on the group. Asuma looked half-amused, half-appalled. "Are you trying to kill my students?"

Haruki attempted a reassuring smile that, in Asuma's opinion, wasn't all that reassuring, especially with the evil glint in the redhead's eyes. "Of course not. It's good practice. I've seen Genin do it before and they survived." Of course, they were his Genin, and his students had been downright awesome in his opinion. Nevertheless, after the exercise Haruki had put them through, all three probably would've cursed him out if it hadn't been for the fact that they had been too tired to do so.

Inoichi frowned, glancing sympathetically at his daughter. This would be tough, but if they succeeded, all three would never have to worry about chakra control again. Water-walking would come that much easier as well. "You heard him," He remained blank-faced when Ino shot him a betrayed look. "Get moving. It's already past one. At this rate, we'll still be here by dinner time."

Shikamaru looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world and the doomed expression on Chouji's face made it seem as if Haruki had sent them off to the gallows. Ino stayed silent for several seconds before throwing up her hands and marching forward, grabbing her two teammates by the arm and dragging them off to the nearest building. "Alright, let's do this. C'mon Shikamaru, stop being so lazy! Chouji, cut the mournful look! The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get to rest. Move it!"

Haruki chuckled and called out one last time, "We'll meet up with you once you complete the mission."

Shikamaru glanced back at him briefly, and Haruki hoped that at least the Nara heir had caught his hint. Akio had, and had prevented his two teammates from failing the mission in the end.

"Well," Haruki turned to the other two shinobi beside him and pulled out three more radios. "Let's go see how they do."

x.X.x

It was a rare sight for the former Head of Interrogation, the son of the Sandaime, and a rather unknown red-haired Jounin to be seen squatting on a rooftop together and snacking on dango while listening in on the curses and yells and 'troublesome's of a bunch of Genin, but Team 10 had been at it for four hours already and all three adults had gotten hungry.

It wasn't so bad, Inoichi mused as he listened to his daughter shout at the Nara heir for the umpteenth time since their mission had started. At the very least, he hadn't been this entertained in a long time.

"Ah, they got stuck again," Asuma observed from beside him, lying on his stomach as curses rang over their wirelesses. Where the heck had his students picked up some of those swear words anyway?

Haruki just sighed and checked the sky. His own Genin team had completed this mission in just under five hours. At the rate Team 10 was going, they probably wouldn't beat the record.

Because they could only walk on the side of buildings and telephone poles and upside-down under alcoves, all three students had had to keep doubling back whenever they found that they couldn't keep going on the route they had taken without jumping back to the ground or clambering up to the top of the roofs. Shikamaru had had the least problem with this, only getting stumped twice, but he had been too lazy to even try to give his teammates better directions, and it wasn't until Ino had caught on to this fact and had started yelling at him over the wireless that the Nara heir had started giving them instructions. Now they had their work cut out for them trying to catch Tora. While Haruki's rule restricted them, nothing restricted the cat from moving however she wished.

"Don't you think this is a bit hard for them?" Asuma winced when yowling was picked up on the radios, followed by more swearing when Tora inevitably escaped again. Judging by the rather stern frown on Inoichi's face, Ino was going to get an earful tonight.

Haruki shrugged, sitting with his legs dangling over the side of the roof on Inoichi's other side. "They can handle it. And once Shikamaru-kun gets his act together and stops sighing over everything, maybe they'll get somewhere."

"You think Shikamaru can come up with a plan?" Inoichi asked, somewhat curious to see how Haruki thought this strange mission would pan out.

Hauki hmm'ed an affirmation. "Chouji-kun's pretty good at sensing chakra signatures. He's the one who found Tora the last five times. Ino-chan's the fastest though and she's already managed to get her hands on that cat three times. She just hasn't been able to hold on to her. If Shikamaru-kun can come up with a plan to utilize those two strengths, maybe we'll all be home in time for dinner."

Inoichi nodded thoughtfully as Asuma dropped his head back down on his arms. "This is going to take a while," He muttered gloomily as his stomach growled.

Haruki rolled his eyes. "Go get more food if you're hungry. Oh, here," He withdrew a few bills and thrust them at the Jonin. "Get me some gyoza while you're at it."

Before Asuma could look more than a little indignant, Inoichi had also extended some money at him, nodding in agreement. "Get me some yakisoba, Asuma. The chicken one. Thanks."

Asuma spluttered out something that sounded a bit like 'lazy asses' but heaved himself up anyway, taking the money before shunshining away.

Inoichi and Haruki traded an amused look before settling into a companionable silence, listening to the latest generation of Ino-Shika-Chou stumble around the village.

"How did you know all those flowers?" Inoichi spoke up suddenly after a few minutes. "Some of the ones you threw out aren't all that well-known."

Haruki shrugged, his face carefully blank. "I had a friend who knew her flowers. Her family owned a flower shop as well; she'd talk about them sometimes when I dropped by."

Inoichi glanced sidelong at the redhead, and the interrogator part of him wanted to continue asking, but a bigger part of him wanted to leave it alone. It wasn't any of his business what the Jonin chose to say and not say.

They fell silent again and this time, it was Haruki who broke it.

"May I ask a question about your former job?"

Inoichi stiffened but nodded after a contemplative moment. The Jonin could ask; it didn't mean he would answer.

"If the Hokage asked, not ordered, asked you to take up your position in T&I again, would you?"

Inoichi arched an eyebrow. "Most people would ask why I left in the first place."

Haruki shrugged. He already knew why Inoichi had left. But he had always wanted to know if the feared interrogator would have refused to return if the Sandaime hadn't ordered him to. "Well, I'm not most people."

Inoichi fully agreed with that statement. He considered the question. It was a simple one, and it didn't require him to go into any details about his choice to retire.

"No," He voiced after a long moment. "Probably not. If the Hokage doesn't order me to, it wouldn't be an emergency. Short of that, I won't ever return."

Haruki nodded, quiet and unsurprised and said no more. He knew Sarutobi would order Inoichi back before the Chuunin Exams, but if the Yamanaka Clan Head didn't want to, then Haruki would put a stop to it. His time's Inoichi had taught him a few interrogation techniques privy only to the Yamanaka Clan just before he had infiltrated Iwa. He could do it now instead if he had to, although he shuddered at the thought of having to tear through another person's mind. He didn't know how interrogators could stand it day after day.

"Your food," Asuma appeared beside them again, looking mildly grouchy as he passed out their meals. The Jonin sensei had a dish of gyoza as well, though it was a larger portion than Haruki's.

Haruki accepted his with a grin and Inoichi nodded his thanks. All three dug in and almost choked when Shikamaru's voice finally rose to something above his typical lazy drawl and overrode Ino's ranting and Chouji's complaints.

"Alright, that's it. I can't stand this anymore. This is all so troublesome. Stop talking for a minute, woman, and listen to me. You're in charge of catching that stupid cat, but you'll come from the north. Chouji, find the damn thing but don't charge in. You've pinpointed it? Good. Stay where you are until I get into position. We're going to catch it just as it's leaving the alleyway. Ino, wait just around the corner. Catch it when Chouji chases it out. I'll snag its shadow once you've got it. Ready?"

There was a slightly stilted silence over the wirelesses as all three adults paused and listened intently until they heard two confirmations.

"Finally," Haruki gulped down the rest of his gyoza before rising to his feet. "Let's go watch."

Inoichi quickly swallowed the last of his meal and tossed the plastic bowl away in a garbage can down below. Haruki swiftly did the same before they both turned to Asuma. The Jonin blinked back at them, chewing slowly on a gyoza before shrugging as he swallowed. "I like to actually taste what I eat. I'll take it with me. Where are we going?"

Haruki twitched a little before heaving a sigh and waving a hand. "Follow me. We'll stay out of sight."

x.X.x

Ten minutes later, they watched from a distance as Team 10 grappled with a wildly struggling cat, all three gathered together on the side of a building as Tora's caterwauling rang throughout the street.

"Great," Asuma looked relieved. "They're done. Let's go cash this one in and go home." He made to jump down but Haruki's hand on his arm stalled him.

"Wait," Haruki murmured, blue gaze steady as he watched the three Genin. "They're not done."

Asuma and Inoichi shared a frown but stayed still and watched, listening to Team 10's conversation over the wirelesses.

"Finally!" Ino huffed, all but smothering the squirming cat inside Chouji's green jacket. "We're done, right? Let's get down! My legs are killing me!"

Chouji nodded in agreement, face red from exertion as they both made to step down.

"Wait a second," Shikamaru's hand shot out to snag Chouji's shirt as he glanced up and down the street.

"What now?" Ino snapped, frowning heavily as her feet slipped a little.

Shikamaru stayed silent for a moment longer, looking hard in all directions before running a tired hand through his ponytail. "I was afraid of this," He grumbled. "Wasn't sure if this was what he meant, but it seems like it."

"What are you talking about, Shikamaru?" Chouji took a steadying step up the side of the wall as he felt his bottom foot slide.

Shikamaru exhaled gustily, irritation warring with exhaustion on his face. "What was the last thing Haruki-san said to us?"

His two teammates frowned before Chouji spoke up, "He said he'd meet up with us after we completed the mission."

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded. "So where is he?"

They both looked around. Ino scowled. "You mean we're not finished? What else do we have to do? We caught the stupid cat!"

"He said after we completed the mission," Chouji recalled, tugging at his scarf. "And to complete a mission, don't we have to report back to the client or the Hokage?"

Ino looked gobsmacked while Shikamaru just tipped his head back as best he could while standing sideways. He had better chakra control than the other two but even he was ready to just give up. Actually, he had been ready to give up twenty minutes into the mission, but Ino would've never shut up if he had.

"Exactly," Shikamaru poked at the bundle Ino was still holding. "We need to get this thing to the Hokage Tower while walking sideways. God, we're going to be the laughing stock of Konoha by the end of the day. My old man is never going to let me live this down. This is so damn troublesome."

For once, both his teammates looked like they fully agreed with him. Shikamaru's shoulders slumped even further. "Can't we just give up? We could-"

"No way!" Ino barked out, elbowing him so hard he almost tumbled to the ground. "We just spent the last five hours chasing this stupid thing," Here, she shook the cat almost violently, jacket and all. (Shikamaru wondered if it would be considered a failed mission if they returned a dead cat to the Daimyo's wife. Then he wondered why he even cared. If it was dead, then they would never have to do this troublesome mission again. One failed mission was worth that, wasn't it?) "I am not going to give up now! We are going to complete this mission even if I have to drag you both all the way to the Hokage Tower!"

Shikamaru sweatdropped and shared a weary look with Chouji. His best friend shrugged, already resigned to their fate. They both knew better than to argue with their female teammate.

"Alright then," Chouji tugged off his scarf completely, too hot to keep it on. "Let's get going."

x.X.x

"You're a sadist," Asuma muttered, watching his team straggle towards the Hokage Tower. "Those three are never going to forgive me for inviting you."

Inoichi was torn between laughing and sighing. He settled for the latter and eyed the red-haired Jonin standing beside him. "What would you have done if Shikamaru hadn't caught what you said?"

Haruki shrugged. "They would have to do it all over again tomorrow."

Inoichi shook his head as Asuma stared at him in uncomprehending disbelief. "I am very glad you weren't my sensei." He spoke with feeling. "I would've died."

Haruki snorted. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. Now go ahead to the Hokage Tower, will you? Tell all the shinobi on guard duty not to move, even if they're asked to."

Asuma looked horrified. "Those guards stand on either side of almost every doorway!"

"Yup," Haruki almost chirped. "Your students will just have to go over instead of jumping across."

Asuma's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. I hope you realize that my students are going to hate me for the rest of eternity."

He shunshined off, leaving a satisfied Haruki and an utterly bemused Inoichi. "You push them pretty hard."

The smile on Haruki's face slipped a little as he turned to give Inoichi a fleeting look. "They're good. They've got a lot of potential. Asuma might enter them into the Chuunin Exams. If he does," His eyes flashed back to the group of Genin slowly making their way forward. "They'll need as much training as they can get."

Inoichi frowned. He was missing something here. Oh, he could see Team 10's potential as well. If they continued at this rate, he would approve of Asuma's decision to nominate them for the upcoming Exams. But Haruki's words sounded almost like a... warning.

"Come on," Haruki prompted, setting off after the Genin. I want to see how they get through the Hokage Tower."

Inoichi jumped after him, leaping to the next rooftop after the redhead.

"Haruki," He called out, eyes hard and voice completely serious for the first time since meeting the Jonin this morning. Haruki paused, coat flapping around him as a gust of wind rushed by. "Ino's my precious little girl. I wouldn't want anything happening to her. That goes for her two teammates as well."

The wind around them picked up for a moment and Inoichi knew it was reacting to Haruki when the redhead tipped his head over his shoulder to meet his gaze head-on, and for once, that cerulean gaze was completely unveiled. And Inoichi read understanding there, and silent promises grimly made and fiercely kept, all tied together with the adamant steel of a man who knew what it was like to lose something irreplaceable and cherished, if only because he had already suffered through it once.

Haruki inclined his head, eyes grave and meaningful. "They will be safe."

Four simple words, spoken quietly and without theatrics, and Inoichi, who had always been taught to look further, dig deeper, never stop until he hit rock bottom, believed him instantly.

And then Haruki blinked and the spell was broken, and the redhead moved away again, following Team 10. Without saying anything more, Inoichi followed, and wondered, for just a moment, why follow felt right.

x.X.x

"You were told not to move, weren't you?" Shikamaru accused through gritted teeth. At this point, he really couldn't have cared less that he was on the verge of strangling the Chunin on guard duty.

The shinobi blinked blandly back at him. "We cannot move," One said. "It's our job to stand guard here."

Swearing violently in his head, Shikamaru scooted around the guard, circling overhead to walk above the doorway. They had already passed several guards and Shikamaru had thought that maybe, if he asked nicely, then the guards would step aside so he could simply jump from one side of a doorway to the other. The width of the frame wasn't all that far and he would simply be able to move forward without taking detours. But the guards had refused to move, and Shikamaru swore that he would make Haruki pay for this torture in shogi, even if it took him a decade to thrash the man in a match.

Behind him, Ino was cursing under her breath almost maniacally as Chouji trudged after them, each step coming down probably harder than necessary.

"Shikamaru? What are you doing?"

Shikamaru froze, heart dropping when his father's voice sounded from somewhere below him. Stiffly, he turned his head to stare at his dad, and caught sight of Chouji's father a step behind him, frowning in consternation. Shikaku looked completely bewildered as he stared back, a few files tucked loosely under one arm.

Shikamaru felt for him; he was pretty damn bewildered himself. Why was he doing this again? He would've given up eons ago if Asuma had been the one to assign a mission like this to them. Granted, Asuma would neverassign a mission like this, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared much if Shikamaru did give up. But somehow, he thought maybe Haruki would be disappointed if he quit now. Later, he would have to think more on why he was actually bothered by that.

"Training, though dying is closer to the truth," He grounded out, before jabbing a finger over his shoulder. "If you want to know more, ask our sadist of a sensei. He's probably having a good laugh right about now."

"What he said, Tou-chan," Chouji piped up from behind him. "But we're almost done."

Shikamaru grimaced visibly, eyeing the last flight of stairs that would lead up to the Hokage's office. If they walked on the ceiling and then went over the stairwell...

"See you later, Tou-san," Shikamaru muttered distractedly as a route panned out before him. It would work. He was sure of it.

And without further ado, he hurried on, his teammates trailing behind him with dragging feet.

This was so troublesome.

x.X.x

"Our sons claim that they're dying. Would any of you happen to have some idea as to what's going on?"

Shikaku's dry tone came from behind them and the three shinobi, crouched in the shadowed doorway of an empty meeting room as they watched the Genin's progress, turned to blink at the approaching Jounin Commander and the Akimichi Clan Head beside him.

Without hesitation, both Inoichi and Asuma pointed at Haruki. "His idea."

Haruki arched an eyebrow at the other two but turned a slightly strained smile in Shikaku's direction without calling them out. "They're training. Their D-rank was to catch the Daimyo's wife's cat and now they're returning it to her."

"While walking sideways inside the Hokage Tower?" Shikaku pointed out.

Haruki shrugged. "They just learned the tree-walking exercise today, so I told them that they could only walk sideways or upside-down." He paused, and then added, "By the way, your son should polish up his acting skills. He's not very good at pretending to have no chakra control."

Shikaku shrugged, apparently not at all surprised that Haruki had caught on. He glanced at Chouza instead and gestured, "Haruki-san, this is Akimichi Chouza, Chouji's dad. You remember him."

Haruki nodded politely. "Hello again, Chouza-sama."

Chouza actually made a face. "Chouza is fine. No honorific please. It makes me feel older than I already am."

Inoichi snickered and Shikaku's mouth twitched up. Haruki looked between them for a moment. Even in his own time, these three were always much more comfortable and relaxed in each other's company.

"Chouza then," Haruki blinked when Inoichi cut in.

"Then me too. Inoichi is fine," The blond glanced at Shikaku with a smirk. "And Shikaku's just Shikaku. He already acts like a grouchy old man; there's no need to add anymore years to him."

Shikaku frowned at him before shrugging casually at Haruki. "Shikaku's fine."

Haruki nodded silently, glancing over at Asuma, who was looking somewhat amused. With an inward sigh, he turned back towards the group of Genin. "They're almost out of sight. I want to see them get past the Hokage's door."

Trading puzzled looks, the other shinobi trekked after the redhead as Team 10 disappeared to the top floor.

x.X.x

"Now what?" Ino glared furiously at the two guards on either side of the Hokage's office door. If she hadn't been so angry and tired, she would've felt rather sorry that they both shrank back a little. Apparently, they saw her father's glare on her face.

Shikamaru crouched on the wall, studying the doorway. On their way up, only the door at the entrance of the Hokage Tower had given them any real trouble. But that door had been high enough that they could go above the guards' heads and cross the threshold sideways. The Hokage's door, on the other hand, wasn't high enough for that. There was only about half a foot above the guards and that wasn't enough room for Ino, much less Chouji.

Which left the top. Which also meant, unfortunately, that they would have to enter the room by swinging down from a sideways position, standing upside-down on the thin ledge that was the doorway, before yanking themselves back up to a sideways position again on the other side.

This was beyond troublesome.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Shikamaru sighed, straightening. "I'll go first."

Cautiously, he inched his way to the edge of the doorway, took a deep breath, planted a foot as close as he could to the underside of the door, and let gravity do the rest.

Shikamaru could swear his heart stopped when he saw the floor rush up towards him and he had to fight to not throw up his arms, concentrating on keeping his feet stuck to the top of the doorway instead. It didn't help that Ino had yelped "Shikamaru!" as soon as he had swung down.

"I'm fine!" He snapped back, sharper than he had intended it. Grumbling wordlessly under his breath, he pulled himself up on the other side, gritting his teeth against the strain of his leg muscles. "Alright, next!"

Ino and Chouji looked at each other and it was Chouji who spoke up first. "I'll go first," He said firmly, clamping down on the embarrassed flush threatening to rise in his cheeks. "I'm heavier. If I lose my footing, I'll have both of you to catch me."

Ino blinked, obviously surprised, but nodded in agreement. She shuffled as close to the door as she could, glaring nastily at the guard below her when he glanced up.

Chouji gulped as he stared down at the floor. It seemed even farther than it had a moment ago. He took a deep breath, his grip on the scarf wrapped around his hand tightening. He had come this far. There were loads of times during the afternoon that he had wanted to just give up, but Shikamaru hadn't and Ino would've chewed his ear off, and he had figured he would eventually stumble and fall and that would be the end of this strange mission.

But that eventually had never really come. He would stumble and slip but he had caught himself with his chakra every time in the end, and pushing himself a little more and a little more after that had ultimately brought him to the last obstacle of this mission.

"Oi, Chouji, c'mon," Shikamaru's voice sounded from the other side of the doorway. "If you slip, we'll catch you."

A finger poked him in the shoulder and he blinked over at Ino.

"You can do it, Chouji," Ino grinned at him, and Chouji thought back and honestly couldn't remember a time when Ino had encouraged him. He couldn't remember his female teammate ever looking so sweaty from training either and not seem to care about it.

He took another deep breath and straightened. He had come this far; failing now would just be stupid. And Haruki had been the one who had assigned this mission. If the Jonin didn't think he could do it, he would've stopped him by now. He paused for a moment at that thought. Thinking back, he remembered that Haruki had never looked at him like he couldn't. And during the tree-walking exercise, the Jonin had only smiled at him and nodded at his progress. Chouji had ended up reaching the top before Ino, who was usually better when they trained.

Chouji straightened, frowning determinedly before sucking in a breath and letting himself fall. His eyes clenched shut instinctively even as he fought to keep chakra at his feet. He felt his left foot slip and panic immediately set in, his arms shooting out to grab at something.

Two hands clasped his own, and above the roar of panic in his head, he heard his teammates' voices shouting at him.

"Chouji, stop kicking! Calm down and concentrate!" "Dammit, Chouji! Foot! Your foot!"

His left foot slammed against a flat surface and he sent a surge of chakra down (or up, a part of his mind provided somewhat detachedly) and he was suddenly hanging upside-down, as if he was back in the forest and sticking from a branch.

"Man, that was way too close."

Chouji slowly opened his eyes, meeting Shikamaru's gaze above him. He stared back for a moment before a weak chuckle left his mouth. There really wasn't anything funny to laugh about but the sound made Shikamaru grin and set Ino off as she laughed, a little amused at their situation but mostly relieved.

"C'mon, step up," Shikamaru ordered, extending a hand to pull him up. Chouji accepted it without hesitation and pulled himself over to the other side of the door.

"My turn then!" Ino called from the other side.

Chouji blinked and then quickly spoke up, "Wait, Ino. Pass us the cat first."

Shikamaru patted his shoulder. "Good thinking. If we lost the cat now, I think I'd go crazy."

Muffled footsteps sounded before a bundle (which had long since stopped moving, and Chouji hoped rather half-heartedly that the cat was still alive. He didn't want it to die of course, but he couldn't seem to muster up much sympathy for it right at the moment.) was passed over to them. Chouji tucked the cat under one arm before shuffling over to the other side of the door, his other hand free to catch Ino in case she slipped.

"Ready?"

Shikamaru sighed and leaned forward. "Ready. Go."

Ino grimaced at the floor before gathering every last bit of courage she had. She had two teammates on the other side, ready to catch her if she fell, and as lazy and gluttonous as they could be, they had always listened to her. Perhaps it was time to listen to them, just a little.

"Ino? Come on. Don't worry. We'll catch you."

Ino huffed. They didn't have to say it as if she was going to fall for sure.

"C'mon, woman. Don't be troublesome. We're right here."

She scowled. She was not troublesome, stupid Shikamaru.

But, "Alright, I'm coming." She glared at the floor, daring gravity itself to pull her down, and then shut her eyes and dropped.

For a fraction of a second during her freefall, Ino seriously considered chopping off her hair as soon as she got home. The extra weight did her no favours and only served to unbalance her as she swung down. Her arms jerked out, grasping at air as she fought against the downward pull and momentum. Hands suddenly clapped around her feet and she found herself hanging only by her ankles for a brief moment when her concentration faltered. And then sense rushed back into her mind and she circulated her chakra back down to her feet, not breathing until she found herself firmly stuck to the top of the doorway.

Almost laughing as her heart pounded in her chest, Ino reached out a shaky hand that was immediately grabbed by Shikamaru and she was hauled up onto the other side, still slightly unsteady but slowly brightening as she realized they had done it.

"That was an impressive display of chakra control,"

The mild voice made all three of them freeze.

They were in the Hokage's office. The Hokage'soffice. Which would actually mean that the Hokage would be in here...

Their heads snapped around and they stared in growing dread at the Sandaime standing a few feet in front of them.

"Yes, they are amazing aren't they?"

All three automatically looked down to meet a familiar blue gaze, a proud glint reflecting back at them. Haruki gestured at the floor. "Come on down. You've done great."

Shikamaru was the first to move, all but leaping away from the wall before sinking to the floor, sitting down with a thump. Apparently, he had chosen to ignore the Sandaime's presence for the moment.

Chouji was next, jumping down and then staggering a bit but extending the cat in the general direction of the Hokage. The Sandaime chuckled and accepted the bundle, uncovering the jacket just enough so that one ear was revealed, twitching in irritation. Chouji sighed and dropped down beside Shikamaru, shoulders slumping with exhaustion.

Ino leapt down almost right after, legs giving out as she plopped down beside Shikamaru. Mission accomplished. Now she just wanted to sleep until the cows came home.

A hand on her shoulder made her stiffen and look around. She blinked in surprise as she caught sight of her father. How had she forgotten he was here? "Otou-san!"

Shikamaru and Chouji looked around as well. "Tou-san." "Tou-chan!"

Shikaku and Chouza stepped into the office, smiling at their respective sons. Asuma entered behind them, shaking his head in a mixture of pride and disbelief.

"That was some training," Shikaku remarked, crouching down beside Shikamaru.

Chouza nodded in agreement, placing an arm around Chouji's shoulders. "Unbelievable. I can't believe you all got into the office."

The Hokage chuckled and moved to place Tora into a small cage by his desk before returning with Chouji's jacket. "I will have Tora delivered back to the Daimyo's wife. And of course, this mission has been completed. I'll have your pay ready for you when you come in tomorrow morning."

All three groaned simultaneously. They didn't even want to think about tomorrow.

Foreign chuckles made them glance up as Haruki stepped in front of them, hands hidden in pockets again as he crouched down in front of them.

"Great job," He smiled softly at them and, despite their fatigue, they found themselves listening. "That was awesome teamwork between you three."

He paused before turning to Chouji first. "Chouji-kun, good job at sensing Tora's chakra signature. Not many people your age can track chakra as well as you can, and you'll only get better as you practice more. Your chakra regulation is excellent; while you were chasing the cat, you were able to switch from one surface to the next with barely any pause. Just work on your stamina; the only reason you didn't make that swing just now was because you were tired. The switch with your right foot was flawless."

Chouji flushed a little, straightening under the praise and nodded determinedly. "Okay, Haruki-san. Thanks."

Haruki nodded before shifting his attention onto Shikamaru. The Nara heir stared back grumpily and Haruki arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps we'll leave that shogi game for another day, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru scowled. "You knew we'd be dead on our feet. Or our butts. That's why you promised me."

Haruki smiled easily at him. "I did say anytime later. Don't worry; I'll play you whenever you want. I don't go back on my promises."

Shikamaru just huffed and slumped back against his father's knee. "So? What do I need to work on?"

Haruki tilted his head thoughtfully. "Great stamina, especially for someone who would like nothing more than to laze around all day. Good strategic thinking, although you could've thought up a plan earlier. I know you could have," He gave the boy a pointed look before continuing. "Your Kageshibari no Jutsu could use some work. I'm no expert on your Clan's techniques but your target won't always stay in one spot for a long period of time. You need to up its speed. Your father can probably give you some tips." The redhead glanced briefly at Shikaku, who nodded. It was only at this point that Haruki realized that he had the entire room's attention. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he tuned them out and turned back to Shikamaru. "Other than that, there wasn't much else I saw today that you would need to pay special attention to. I'd suggest eating more though." He reached out to gently circle one of Shikamaru's wrists with forefinger and thumb. "You're a bit skinny and I bet you're exhausted right now. Good stamina doesn't necessarily mean you'll still have energy after you slow down."

Shikamaru blinked at his own wrist before nodding. He supposed eating more would probably be a good idea. And he knew his shadow technique was slow. Maybe he could practice catching leaves first. Lighter objects would be easier to work on.

He didn't notice the veiled astonishment on his father's face as he accepted the redhead's advice. "Thanks, Haruki-san."

Haruki smiled again before turning to Ino. "Well, your chakra control's improved quite a bit from this morning."

Ino grinned tiredly. "My legs are dead."

Haruki chuckled. "Maa, your stamina needs some work as well. But you've got excellent speed. When you ran across flat surfaces without having to turn a corner, even if you were just leaping from building to building, you didn't have to slow down at all. Unlike Chouji-kun though, you do need to work on your chakra regulation. I think that's the biggest problem you'll have with chakra control. Water-walking will be a bit of a challenge."

Ino pouted before brightening hopefully. "Will you come back to train us for that?"

Chouji straightened as well and even Shikamaru glanced up attentively. Haruki arched an eyebrow. "You want me to come back? Asuma's been convinced all afternoon that you'll be cursing me out by the end of the day."

Asuma smothered a laugh with a cough, moving forward to stand beside Haruki. Chouji looked up at Asuma with a small frown. "I don't mind if Haruki-san comes back."

Asuma scratched his head. "Really? From all the swearing I heard today, I thought you'd be boycotting training sessions from now on."

Chouji looked a little flustered but shook his head anyway. "It was hard; really hard, but..." He glanced at Shikamaru and Ino who both had matching smiles on their faces, exultant and proud. "We did it. I mean, how many other Genin teams can say they learned chakra control and got through Haruki-san's mission all in one day?"

Asuma did laugh at that. "I don't think anyone'sgone through Haruki's mission before."

Haruki shrugged in response as he rose to his full height again. "Just doing the D-rank mission is boring."

"For you," Shikamaru griped. "At least it's less troublesome for us."

"But it helped, yeah?"

Shikamaru blinked and then heaved a resigned sigh. "Yeah, but it was still troublesome."

"Troublesome, but worth it in the long run. A lot of things in life are like that, Shikamaru-kun."

Haruki stepped back glancing absently at the window. His time's Shikaku had said that to him once, and he had never forgotten it. Checking the sun's position in the sky, he missed the startled look from Shikaku.

"But you will train with us again, right?" Ino persisted. "And next time, you can come earlier so I can show you around my family's flower shop." A bright grin, childish and innocent, and one that Haruki hadn't seen on Ino's face in a long time. "We even have solidagos, though most people don't want them."

Haruki smiled and looked over at Asuma. "Well, if Asuma doesn't mind, I'll come back next week if I'm not on a mission."

Asuma nodded readily. "If you can spare a few hours, come back anytime." He grinned. "I had fun today."

Three glares were immediately shot at him.

"You didn't do anything!" Ino protested.

Asuma drew himself up in mocking indignity as he waved a hand at Haruki and Inoichi. "That's not true. Those two made me their food runner today."

The two aforementioned shinobi shared an amused look.

"He was a good food runner," Haruki commented.

"I agree," Inoichi nodded sombrely. "He was very quick about it."

Asuma frowned at both of them while his students grinned. It was fun watching their sensei get picked on.

A quiet clearing of someone's throat made all of them look around. They all straightened (or scrambled to their feet in the Genin's case) when their attention fell on the Sandaime.

"Sorry, old man," Haruki apologized sheepishly, not seeing the startled looks behind him. "I made all this part of their training."

"I gathered that," Sarutobi watched them with an amused air about him. It was rare for the senior Ino-Shika-Chou generation to be so relaxed in the company of others nowadays, even when together. "But I do have paperwork to complete, so, if you're done here," He glanced meaningfully at the door.

All the adults sketched hasty bows or nods before ushering the Genin towards the door. Sarutobi met Haruki's eyes briefly and nodded when Haruki glanced at his private office. With a nod in return, Haruki turned and left as well, closing the door behind him.

x.X.x

"...And I don't care how tired you are; eat a full dinner before you go to bed. Understand?"

Much to the amusement of their fathers, all three students nodded obediently as Haruki lectured them. His eyes seemed to focus on Shikamaru as he finished, and the Nara heir rolled his eyes but nodded once more to show his agreement.

"Okay then; I guess that's it for today. Unless Asuma has something to add?" Haruki glanced over at Team 10's actual sensei but Asuma only shrugged good-naturedly.

"Nothing to add," The Jounin said with a wry smile. "Haruki covered everything. We'll meet for training tomorrow at ten as usual."

Groans immediately filled the air.

"But sensei!" Ino protested. "We're exhausted!"

"I have never worked so hard in my entire life," Shikamaru complained. "Give us a break, Asuma-sensei."

"We're dying," Chouji announced, rubbing at a thigh. "Give us an extra hour at least?"

Asuma crossed his arms. "No way. Ten's late enough."

Ino huffed. "I have to get up early to help my mom set up shop! Ten's not late!"

Asuma didn't even blink. Haruki shook his head and crouched down to whisper something in the blonde's ear. Ino's eyes widened and a gleeful light appeared in her eyes. Asuma watched her warily.

"Got it!" Ino sang out before looking up at Asuma. "Asuma-sensei, please give us an extra hour to sleep in tomorrow."

Asuma shook his head. "I already said n..." He trailed off when he caught sight of the big baby-blue eyes staring teary-eyed up at him. Oh crap.

"Ino..." He warned. The puppy-dog eyes intensified.

Asuma stared for a moment longer and then folded like wet paper. "Fine. We'll meet at eleven."

Ino cheered while Chouji and Shikamaru scoffed but didn't complain.

"Cool, that works!" Ino beamed at the red-haired Jonin. "Thanks, Haruki-san!"

Haruki chuckled, ignoring the dirty look Asuma tossed his way. "Maa, just don't use it too often or it might lose its effect."

Ino nodded enthusiastically while Inoichi sighed behind her. He had a feeling that look would be turned on him sooner or later. He shot a glare at Shikaku when the man elbowed him with a smirk.

"See you later then," Haruki nodded at the six in general. He and Asuma were going the same way.

Several goodnights later and the two Jounin were heading down a street away from the Hokage Tower, the setting sun casting an orange-red glow over everything.

Asuma had quickly lit a cigarette as soon as the two groups went their own way. He hadn't smoked all day and it had been chaffing on his nerves. Haruki didn't seem to mind and they walked in a companionable silence as they headed back to their respective homes.

"There was actually another reason I invited you today," Asuma admitted out of the blue. He wasn't sure how to post his question so he figured he might as well start with a confession. Beating around the bush never did any good.

Haruki only turned a mildly curious look on him. He had pulled out the hair tie holding back his hair and the crimson locks now hung around his shoulders again.

"The Sandaime is my father," Asuma started, but forged on when he didn't detect any surprise. "We had dinner a while back. We don't usually; I mean, we're not on the best of terms at the moment."

Again, he paused, waiting for the shocked exclamation that usually followed this revelation. After all, who wouldn't want a good relationship with the Hokage? But he wasn't all that surprised either when he didn't receive it.

"He invited me for dinner though, and it was actually alright." He turned to study the redhead. "He said he kept your advice in mind; what did you say to him?"

Haruki was silent for a while, gaze flickering from house to tree to shop. "Maa, it wasn't anything special." He finally said. "I just told him that, while he can have his own opinion on somethings, he should also try to understand the same issue from someone else's point of view."

He paused for a heartbeat before a small smile tilted his lips up. "Hearing someone is easy; understanding them is much harder. The trick is to want it, to place yourself in the mindset and experiences of another. That is the key to unlock the doors of peace between people and it's not easy. Some people use words and that works, while others trade blows," His smile grew a little wider. "And that works too. But either way, you still have to really look and really listen to understand."

Asuma frowned a little. He wasn't sure he completely grasped what Haruki meant, but he thought he might with some time. His father had prompted him to talk about some aspects of his life and the man had listened attentively the entire time, hung on to every one of his words as if they were important.

"But why?" He finally asked. This had been bothering him the most. It didn't really surprise him that Haruki had already known about his familial connection to the Sandaime; the redhead always seemed to know more than he let on. But he didn't get why the other Jonin would go out of his way to prod his stubborn father into action over something that really didn't impact Haruki in the slightest. "Why did you tell my father all that?"

Again, Haruki was silent for a long while, and Asuma was starting to think that the Jounin wouldn't answer as they reached the end of the street. And then Haruki smiled, sad and wistful and tired all at once.

"My parents died when I was a baby," Haruki didn't look at him, simply staring ahead with the glow of the sunset in his eyes, turning them to an almost-purple. "And I never had the opportunity to say goodbye to either of my godparents before they died too." The cerulean-turned-amethyst gaze finally met his own head-on. "I guess I told him because I think family is important. I think that if I ever had any family, even if I got into the mother of all arguments with them, I'd still want to do everything I could to make up with them."

Asuma couldn't even blink if he wanted to as Haruki's gaze seemed to deepen for a second. "Because you never know when that chance will be taken away. Then you'll be left with nothing but regrets, and I think that's the saddest thing of all; to know what you could've had and know what you should've done, but not have any way to fix it."

Asuma stayed still and silent, not sure what to say as that mesmerizing gaze finally pulled away and the redhead seemed to burrow deeper into his coat as a gust of wind rippled by.

"Well," Haruki continued in a much lighter tone. "I turn off here. I'll see you around, Asuma. Good night."

"Night," Asuma echoed, cigarette dangling absently from his right hand as he watched Haruki disappear down the street, crimson hair like a beacon of fire.

He didn't move until Haruki was completely out of sight, the other Jonin's words still ringing in his head. And then he turned and started making his way back to the Hokage Tower.

He wondered how his father felt about Korean; he had heard that Yakiniku Q had a discount tonight.