The next day, when they told the client their plan, he seemed both excited about not having to walk for at least another five days and nervous about teleporting so many kilometres. In the end, the idea that it would take only a second—while the long walk was unavoidable otherwise—won out.
"And how does this jutsu work?" the client asked, looking at Kakashi-sensei with interest.
"Seina can explain it if she wants. She's the only one who can teleport us such a distance."
Haruyama turned to look at her, blinking in surprise. Seina smiled, a little less innocently. After all, he couldn't be so foolish as to keep thinking she was just a child, could he? Did he really think Konoha would send just anyone to protect him?
"I thought she was your apprentice, Kakashi-san."
"And she is, but she's also the Hokage's student. Seina is a tokubetsu jonin. She's acting as my backup and as our medic here, just in case... anything happens," the jonin shrugged.
"I must admit I didn't think you'd be so capable, Seina-san."
Seina nodded without speaking. She didn't want to give this man any more leeway.
"This jutsu is painless. It's faster than the blink of an eye, literally," she informed him. "Though I could make you unconscious for a few seconds to avoid the discomfort, if you prefer."
"I hadn't thought of that. Would that be possible?" he asked, indirectly questioning her abilities.
"Of course."
"Then let's do it. I'm tired of walking."
"Stupefy."
The client collapsed to the ground, like a sack of potatoes. Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow, holding back a laugh as he grabbed one of Haruyama's arms.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to do that," she confessed, hearing her teacher stifling a laugh.
Seina took Kakashi-sensei's other arm, and they disappeared. When they reappeared, they quickly realized they hadn't accounted for something very important about the desert: sandstorms. The sand and wind engulfed them, momentarily clouding their vision. Luckily, they were still holding hands thanks to the hiraishin.
"How far are we from the village entrance?!" he yelled to be heard over the howling wind.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu! We're just a few minutes away!"
She summoned the dragon as quickly as possible and then used a magical barrier to shield them from the sand and wind. Kakashi-sensei shook the sand from his hair, finally opening his eye to see where they were.
"Great idea!"
Kakashi-sensei picked up the still-unconscious client, and they climbed onto the dragon. In just a few minutes, they reached the entrance, where the guards were taking cover among the rocks of the gorge. They dismounted quickly and unsummoned the creature a few meters away, grateful for the limited visibility. The Sunagakure ninjas looked at them somewhat bewildered, but Kakashi-sensei acted as if everything was normal while they registered. She noticed, unsurprisingly, that they were the only ones entering Suna.
Once inside the village, with conjured scarves to protect their faces, they headed straight to the hotel. The receptionist looked at them with a stunned expression.
"Did you just arrive? You're lucky! This storm doesn't look like it'll clear up for a few days."
"Oh, really? Then we are lucky," said the jonin, clearly unimpressed. "Could we get an adjoining room?"
"What a mess," she laughed in the elevator. "Good thing he was unconscious."
Her teacher stifled another laugh, silently agreeing. Once they reached the client's room, she revived him. She left Kakashi-sensei to deal with him while she set up a barrier in the room and a tracking spell on his hair, just in case.
"Unfortunately, my contact in Sunagakure won't arrive for at least another two days. The plan was for me to arrive after him," Haruyama said tiredly while inspecting the bathroom. "I'll take advantage of the hotel spa, so you can take it easy for a few days."
"Understood. We'll discuss your security tomorrow."
The next day was a bit strange. As he'd said, the client spent the entire day at the spa getting massages and who knows what else, so she was left alone while Kakashi-sensei accompanied him for security. She took the opportunity to visit the women's spa that morning, then read a book in her room. If it hadn't been for the storm, she would have explored the village, but watching the sand whirlwinds obscuring even the nearby building, she thought it was best to stay inside.
The following day was similar. Supposedly, the other merchant planned to reach the village that day, but seeing that the storm hadn't let up, Seina and Kakashi-sensei silently agreed the mission might last longer than expected.
"At this rate, he won't be able to cross the desert for another week at least," Haruyama complained when he realized the meeting might be postponed. "I've seen all there is to see in this damn hotel."
Seina discreetly rolled her eyes, turning away from any reflective surfaces, just in case. Kakashi-sensei, the poor guy, had to calm him down with his words. Even so, his calm didn't last long. Haruyama was used to drinking and visiting different places every night, so being confined—even in a hotel suite—wasn't part of his plans.
"When will the other guests be able to arrive?" he asked a hotel staff member with a frown. "And how soon can we get out of here?"
"I'm afraid the storm will last at least one more day, but you can enjoy our leisure room in the meantime."
The leisure room turned out to be a mix between a casino and a performance hall on the hotel's ground floor. Kakashi-sensei and she followed him as he played cards. It seemed to keep him entertained for a couple of hours, but eventually, a losing streak put him in a foul mood again. And it was only early afternoon. Tired of dealing with him, she discreetly cast a spell to make him fall asleep in a lounge chair while his cocktail arrived.
Kakashi-sensei sighed beside her. Both pulled out a book and started reading, dismissing the waiter when he arrived with the drink. She woke him up in time for dinner. Then, when they finished eating, she cast another spell to make him feel terribly sleepy.
"You're doing this, aren't you?" Kakashi-sensei asked when they entered their shared room, behind the magical barriers.
"Of course. I'll keep him like this until the other merchant arrives."
Her teacher didn't even blink at her brazenness. He just smiled, clearly grateful.
The next day, a miracle happened. The storm stopped suddenly. Their client, with a huge smile on his face, walked out of the hotel, heading to the nearest fine restaurant. Kakashi-sensei and she followed a few steps behind. Now that they were no longer confined, she had placed one of her summons on his clothes to keep a close watch on him without anyone noticing.
Between her summons, her spell, and Kakashi-sensei's keen sense of smell, it was impossible to lose sight of him. To everyone's surprise, the other merchant arrived in the village that very morning, accompanied by none other than Gaara's team. The two men greeted each other warmly, like old friends reuniting at the hotel after lunch.
"I thought I'd be the last to arrive, and I almost went crazy being trapped in here!"
"You were lucky. We managed to find shelter before the full force of the storm hit. Fortunately, with Gaara-san's presence, nothing happened, and we crossed the desert much faster."
Seina noticed Gaara's slightly pleased expression—perhaps because he was being praised while also reminded why he was so useful in a sandstorm. No doubt it was due to his control over it, thanks to Shukaku.
"Seina. I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Gaara smiled, walking slowly up to her. He glanced at Kakashi-sensei. "Did you come with your team?"
"No. Just the two of us."
She left Kakashi-sensei watching the client from afar while she talked with Gaara. Apparently, he had been making progress with some civilians, rebuilding homes that had been destroyed by the wind with the help of his sand. Additionally, he was preparing for the chunin exam with his siblings, since none of them were promoted previously because, obviously, their primary goal in the last exams had been invasion, not promotion. It was a bit strange speaking with a former enemy, but it was clear that Gaara was changing rapidly.
"And how are Naruto and Sasuke?"
"They're obsessed with training," she rolled her eyes. "Now we all meet every Monday—the genins from my promotion—to spar and train together."
"Then they'll all come to take the exam, right?"
"Yes. Except for Shikamaru, who's already a chunin."
"Seina," her master called out. "We're going in."
The client and the other merchant began their meeting, leaving everyone else outside. She watched as Baki's team, Gaara's jonin sensei, was also present for the duration of the meeting.
"So, we won't see Nara in the chunin exams," Temari smiled slyly. "What a pity. I would've liked to beat him again."
"I'm not sure Shikamaru would feel the same..."
Temari and Kankuro chuckled at that. Seina noticed that Baki was watching them with a faintly interested expression on his severe face. Then, perhaps out of boredom, he turned to strike up a conversation with Kakashi-sensei, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
"We heard you were promoted recently," Temari remarked, glancing at her tokubetsu jonin uniform, identical to the one Konoha's jonins wore.
"That's right."
"So, what will you do now? Move up again, or wait a while?"
"Why would I wait?" She shrugged. "I'll take the jonin exams this year."
"But how old are you? You must be around 12 or 13, like Gaara!"
She shrugged again. They chatted for a while until they had nothing left to say, and then she leaned against the wall beside Kakashi-sensei, who was still talking with Baki about a special type of food from Sunagakure.
After a while, Haruyama came out with the other man, slapping him on the shoulder with a broad grin. Seina assumed that everything had gone well. The mission felt incredibly long, even though it had only been six days. Now that she thought about it... escort missions weren't her thing. She found them boring and dull. She stifled a yawn as they left the meeting room and headed toward the hotel buffet.
"Have you finished the meeting?" asked Kakashi-sensei.
"Yes! Much sooner than expected, too! We reached an agreement easily, so we can leave tomorrow," he confirmed. Seina almost broke into tears of relief.
"Understood."
Now that she knew they were leaving the next day, Seina smiled as she enjoyed the hotel spa one last time. That night, they ate well and went to bed early. Even Haruyama seemed eager to head to his room earlier than usual, for once.
The next day, she said goodbye to Gaara and his team, and they left the village. Haruyama again agreed to be transported unconscious with the hiraishin, so they saved time and reappeared in the Land of Fire. Since Seina had never been to the civilian capital, where the daimyo resided, they would have to escort the client on foot.
"Still, being able to appear somewhere in the blink of an eye is fascinating," praised Haruyama, nodding in her direction. "I thought this trip would take two weeks, but it'll end up taking half that. I'll be able to take a week off since I had it tentatively blocked off!"
Seina rolled her eyes. Hadn't he been enjoying the hotel spa for the past three days? Some people lived well. Hi no Miyako, the capital, was southwest of Konoha, closer to the Land of Waves than the village. That's where she had teleported them at Kakashi-sensei's request, knowing the distances well and understanding they would arrive faster than if they returned to Konoha or to the area near the border with the Land of Rivers where she had used hiraishin to reach Sunagakure.
They stopped to eat after several hours on the road in a very small village. Haruyama started talking about the greatness of the capital and his newly renovated house... blah blah blah. Frankly, Seina stopped paying attention. They reached Hi no Miyako as night began to fall. They accompanied him to his home, where they were invited to stay the night, but they left before he could convince or pressure them.
"We can return to Konoha quickly," Kakashi-sensei assured him. "Thank you for the offer, but there's no need to go to any trouble."
"Ah, yes, the wonderful hiraishin. So, this is where our adventure ends, Kakashi-san, Seina-san. Thank you for your service."
"It was a pleasure."
Seina gave a silent bow. They bid farewell to Haruyama and left. She took in as much as she could of the massive capital, seeing the daimyo's Japanese-style castle on top of a hill.
"I'm sure you'll get to see it all calmly sooner or later," Kakashi-sensei assured her.
She left one of her sealed stones a few minutes from the capital, under Kakashi-sensei's watchful eye, who observed as she hid it and placed a few imperceptible barriers to prevent anyone from accidentally taking it or building over it. She used the hiraishin a third time, appearing close to Konoha.
"I don't like escort missions," she grumbled as soon as her feet touched the ground. "What a bore."
"I could tell," he laughed. "They're too tame for you. Luckily, we saved a week of babysitting thanks to you."
"Don't even mention it," she replied firmly. "If I'd known, I would have suggested it right after leaving Konoha."
Kakashi-sensei laughed again at her words, putting his arm around her shoulders affectionately.
"Come on. Let's finish this once and for all."
Getting back to the village, making their way to the mission department, and then heading home was, by comparison, a piece of cake. They took barely an hour to pass through the entrance gate. Seina, hearing the silence, understood that they were alone.
"Luckily tomorrow is Wednesday, and I don't have anything to do," she sighed in relief, throwing herself onto the couch.
"If you want, we can train more calmly, just you and me."
"Sounds good."
They went to sleep shortly after. They weren't very tired, but it was nice to get back into a home routine. The next day, they woke up a bit later than usual. Kakashi-sensei's "calmer" training turned out to be a taijutsu and kenjutsu sparring session. Who was he kidding? He definitely didn't know the meaning of relaxation.
"In two weeks, you'll finally find out where you'll take the jonin exam. Are you nervous?"
"No."
"Not even a little?" Kakashi-sensei asked, watching her curiously.
"No. Worst-case scenario, if I get assigned somewhere tough, I can register without giving my last name and change my appearance during the exam."
"That might not be enough. More and more people are starting to recognize your name. You've even met two jinchuriki from different villages. And let's not forget the people who saw you in the chunin exams and the rumours that Tsunade-sama has taken on another apprentice."
"They're just rumours."
"Maybe, but I'd bet anything that some people outside our country know your name, and they're not exactly trustworthy."
Seina watched his serious, somewhat worried expression. What conclusion did he want her to reach? Was he hinting that she shouldn't take the exams if they were held in Kumo? Or that she should be more careful when showing her unique abilities? Her teacher seemed to read her expression, because he sighed, touching his forehead as if he had a headache. She noticed how tense he was, sitting beside her on the artificial grass of the training area.
"Turn around."
Raising an eyebrow at her, thoughtful, he obeyed. Conjuring a stone under her seat to elevate herself slightly, she sat behind the jonin and began massaging his shoulders, infusing green chakra into her hands. Kakashi-sensei visibly relaxed as her fingers kneaded his strained muscles and massaged his neck.
"Are you that worried?"
"Of course. I don't even want to imagine how I'd feel if…"
"But nothing's going to happen," she interrupted, hugging him from behind and whispering in his ear, "Trust me."
For a moment, he seemed like he wanted to say something but held back. He just nodded, interlacing their fingers and resting his head against hers. Seina kissed his cheek. She understood perfectly how hard it was to think or imagine that a loved one could be in danger—especially when you'd never had anyone to worry about besides yourself. It must have been the same for Kakashi-sensei, she thought, recalling his father or even his former genin team.
"You know… Now I'm starting to understand why there are so few high-ranking ninjas, and why so many of them retire by 30 or 40," her teacher reflected aloud.
She immediately understood his reasoning. Rising in rank meant taking on more dangerous missions and a greater likelihood of injury or death, meaning you could lose loved ones more easily than a mere chunin.
"Have you ever thought about retiring?" Seina asked curiously.
"I hadn't considered it… until now," he confessed. "The truth is, I don't see myself retiring anytime soon."
"Neither do I," she laughed, giving him another kiss on the cheek. "Besides, you're a valuable asset to Konoha. I doubt they'd let you retire so soon."
"I know. Maybe in ten years."
"And what would you do if you retired? I can't imagine you without the uniform, honestly."
"Well, I could take my position in the clan, be the leader full-time. I could… teach."
"Teach? Who?"
"Seina… do you want to have kids?"
She froze for a moment because she had never thought about it. Despite her mental age, she had her whole life ahead of her, but… now that she considered it... Could she see herself having kids with Kakashi-sensei? The answer came to her immediately. She didn't even have to think it through or imagine him caring for their children.
"Yes. And you?"
Kakashi-sensei turned around in her arms to look directly into her eyes.
"Honestly, before I met you, I would have said no. In fact,… I can only imagine having kids if it's with you."
"I know you'd be a wonderful father," she smiled.
Kakashi-sensei closed his eye, touched. He rested his forehead against hers as if he couldn't speak. Seina couldn't help herself, so she leaned in and kissed his lips gently. A hand cradled her face softly, and he kissed her back, once, twice, three times, as if he couldn't stop. She smiled.
"You keep torturing me," he whispered against her lips. "I wish all the torture I've been through had been like this."