CTG 7

Part Seven… To Be a Jounin…

‘I don’t believe this. Elite… all over again.’
Michiyo examined all the pockets of the green vest she was given. Turning over on its side, she saw the special stitching that made her able to wear it without squishing her breasts.
‘The tailors of this either had a fun time with something so different, or pure hell.’
Michiyo giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Kakashi, once her mentor, was now her equal. He walked next to her, his nose in a book as the walked to her apartment.
“Nothing.”
“Are you laughing about the fact that Ibuki had absolutely zero success getting any answer you didn’t want to give? It made my day, personally.”
Michiyo grinned. Ibuki Moreno, infamous inquisitor of the Land of Fire. He was incredible at his job. It was such a pity that she knew almost all his tricks. Not to mention anything else would be ineffective due to her heritage. She almost felt sorry for his next victims. He would have HER level of standards pretty soon…
“Why don’t you try it on?” He looked at the green protective vest.
“This?” Michiyo hefted the thing in front of her in the air.
“Go ahead.” He returned to his book.
Michiyo frowned, but unzipped it and put her arms through the openings. She zipped it up again as she felt it close around her.
‘Not bad.’
There was a shallow concave on either side of the chest, and wasn’t showy in doing so. The vest’s hemline arched on her hips to allow her more movement, not to mention it allowed her to look a bit stylish. The collar’s opening was sharper than usual, but that was alright.
“It looks good on you,” he complimented.
“Thanks.” she smiled.
“By the way, you have approximately 10 seconds to hide that vest if you don’t want anybody to see it,” Kakashi said absently.
“What?”
He then prodded her toward a storefront with the smell of ramen drifting through. Past the flaps, she saw three distinct bodies hunched over their bowls of ramen. One was wearing pink, the next orange, and then dark blue.
‘Oh, HELL, no.’
“Alright, let’s meet your students!”
“Whaaaaaa~t?! Kakashi…!!”
“Sensei!” Sakura exclaimed.
‘Crap.’
“It took you long enough!” Naruto added.
Michiyo hid herself from view behind Kakashi. She was about to make an escape too, except that she was tethered there by something hooked into her vest. A kunai stuck between her back and vest was the answer. Kakashi’s hand was the cause. A glower at him was returned with a cheerful smile.
“One of these days, Kakashi. One of these days…”
He chuckled.
“Hey Kakashi-sensei, where’s Michiyo? She was supposed to buy me ramen? You said you’d bring her here.”
“Michiyo, what are you doing behind him?” Sasuke peered around the flaps.
‘Darn your eyesight, Uchiha! Darn it to heck!!’
“Michiyo, come on! You’re supposed to be buying me ramen!”
“Go ahead!” Kakashi said sweetly.
Michiyo glared.
“I’ll get you Kakashi. Just you wait.”
Kakashi answered by angling the kunai just so, and tugged her hem towards her… students…
“Michiyo, you shouldn’t be so impolite towards your sensei!” Sakura chided.
“I KNOW that.” Michiyo groaned.
“Then what”-
“That’s because I’m no longer an experienced sensei to her,” Kakashi replied. He then towed her quickly around to face her team before she could dig in her heels.
“See?”
Sasuke’s eyes widened. His chopsticks froze in their position. Sakura gaped. Michyo saw the shopkeeper turn around and drop his ladle when he recognized the vest. As always, Naruto had stopped in mid-slurp, and tried to figure out what was the big deal.
“Sensei, why is Michiyo wearing a mini-version of your vest?” Naruto slurped up the rest of the noodles, pointing at Michiyo’s vest with his chopsticks.
“Welllllll…”
“Hey, I know you!” The shopkeeper pointed at her.
“What?”
Everyone turned to the shopkeeper.
“You do?” Naruto asked surprised.
“Yeah! You’re the one who the Hokage advanced to jounin, aren’t you?”
Her teammates stiffened.
“Jou-jounin…?” Naruto asked softly.
“Are you serious?”
“You’re not lying, are you?” Sasuke’s eyebrows came down threateningly.
“No, no, I assure you!”
Kakashi scratched the back of his head, putting down his book.
“Word’s gotten around, then?”
‘It’s true?!’ Sasuke stared at open space.
“Of course! When a genin is bumped up to jounin less than a week after she even ARRIVED, word tends to get around FAST.”
‘Less than a week…?’ Naruto’s heartbeat was slowing down.
“I see.”
‘…’ Naruto looked into his bowl of noodles.
‘No, you don’t.’ Michiyo looked sideways at Kakashi. ‘He still hasn’t put his nose in that book. Even when matters are serious, he reads it.’
“Master Kakashi, why did Michiyo become a jounin so suddenly? Every ninja has to pass exams to advance in rank… how is it that Michiyo managed to skip all that?!” Sasuke pressed, leaning aggressively past Naruto.
“There are?!”
“Well…” Kakashi ignored Naruto’s surprise.

“She doesn’t NEED to.”