Chapter 14
Iruka was sent to Konoha with Soo-Jung and Jeong-Hwa. Chae-Seon’s genin team was with them, following the orders of the Mizukage.
“You’re not their teacher, though.” Iruka glanced where Chae-Seon was speaking quietly with her professional team. They were at a local shop, negotiating supplies for some sort of mission. They had been cagey about the type of mission it was, but their gear was significantly different than what he had seen them use before. It was lighter, it was less noticeable, and there were no identifying marks that would put them as members of the Kirigakure shinobi force. The four of them were going on a covert mission that required them not to be identifiable if they were caught. If there was one thing that could be dangerous, it was presenting as a rogue shinobi on any sort of mission.
“I’m taking over while she’s away. Chae-Seon’ll grab them when she’s done with her mission.” Soo-Jung grabbed another set of rations. “They’re used to being passed around, anyway. They can learn some stuff from me they might not from Chae-Seon.”
Iruka nodded. “Where are you guys staying in Konoha?”
Soo-Jung shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
Jeong-Hwa’s brows creased as he lifted a book of a shelf, checking the price before looking at the subject. “We can’t stay at an in, but there is a chance that the Mizukage can rent us an apartment for the duration of our stay.”
“I take it you’re the teachers then?”
“Yes.” Jeong-Hwa glanced at Iruka. “You’ve made significant progress, and I intend to continue your learning, given the opportunity, but it would be best to have native speakers around to correct grammar and help the students learn idioms.” Jeong-Hwa checked the price of the book again, biting the inside of his cheek as he considered it – a tell of his that Iruka was sure the man knew how to control when he really wanted to – before putting it back. “Besides. Soo-Jung and I will be doubling as ambassadors.”
“Ambassadors? Does Konoha have a treaty with Kiri?”
Neither of them answered, instead paying the merchant and dragging Iruka toward the border of the village. “It’s going to take us several days to get to Konoha, and there’s been some increased criminal activity the further from the village we get.”
“Really?”
“Are you surprised?”
Iruka glanced at some of the passerby as they walked towards the Mizukage’s office. “Why wouldn’t I be? Shouldn’t they be trying to rebuild?”
“With what resources?” Soo-Jung chucked a small pebble at Iruka’s head. “We’ve been working from the capital out to help rebuild to increase safety for our people, but there’s still only so much we can do. We don’t have all the money in the world, and no one wants to invest in a power that they aren’t sure is stable.”
“What did Kirigakure export before?”
“Mostly fish, but some spices and some softer woods for artisans.” Soo-Jung shrugged. “My dad used to make softwood pieces that sold really well in the Land of Fire.”
Jeong-Hwa threw a piece of wood at Soo-Jung. “Mine was a fisherman. He was teaching me when the war broke out. The last Mizukage had him killed for questioning the regime with some of his buddies on the docks.”
Iruka sometimes forgot that all of their countries were still autocratic. That they were still dictatorships. Konoha and others were prosperous and had good relations with the civilian sector that culminated in local council elections in-village. Smaller villages, or ones in more tumultuous circumstances hadn’t had that luxury.
Chae-Seon grabbed her supplies, sealing it into her belt. “Are we sure we’re ready for this?”
Suigetsu sealed his sword in his wrist. “As ready as we can be. We’re going after a damned good criminal organization, and we don’t know much more than the Mizukage about them. You’ve fought two of them before, but other than that we’re screwed.
“We have to work a cover though, so we’re cutting your hair and buying you a binder.”
“What about Haku? His hair is fairly recognizable.”
“You want to be the one to break it to him?” Suigetsu looked terrified of the prospect.
“He likes you best. Chojuro and I’ll be there to keep you from getting slaughtered, but that’s about all we can do.”
“Come on, Deongsaeng! You can’t do that to me! It’d be worse than leaving me to a pack of wolves.”
“I don’t know man, wolves bite hard.” Chae-Seon shook her head. “Haku would make your death pretty damn quick.”
There was a cold hand on her back suddenly, and she was certain there was one on Suigetsu’s as well. “Are you certain, Chae-Seon-shi?”
Suigetsu muttered a fast “Sadist” before he and Chae-Seon bolted from their positions.
“We’re changing curriculum?” The woman in front of Tsunade was another of a hundred angry civilian parents that had received the curriculum update notice.
“Yes.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms. “What was wrong with the old curriculum?”
“We are pursuing new alliances. In the interest of maintaining these alliances at all levels of the shinobi forces, we are adding the Korean language to the curriculum.”
“We’re adding those… those… those foreigners language to the curriculum?”
“Do you have an issue with that?”
“We already let them into the Academy. Why bother learning their language, too?”
The woman was irate, and Tsunade was sick of people taking a minor curriculum change like this and getting angry. It was fine to teach their children to kill, to take lives, but not to communicate with other human beings.
“Because part of an alliance is communication between the two culture, and that will be easier if our shinobi can talk with the shinobi of Kirigakure.”
“Why can’t they learn our language?”
“They do.”
The woman got up. “Hokage-sama, I just don’t understand. Why do we want these, these, these barbarians in an alliance with us?”
“Ma’am, you’re very close to stepping over the line, and you need to be careful. This is the new curriculum. If you have an issue with it, you can remove your child from the Academy. I am obligated, however, if you make that move, to offer your child emancipation. Any current student being pulled against their will is given this option, and following that, you would be required to cut contact from your child.”
“Hokage-sama, you must not teach these children Korean.”
“Ma’am, you may leave now.”
“Hokage-sama, you aren’t taking this issue seriously!”
“I told you to leave.”
“Hokage-sama!”
“ANBU.”
The woman kept shouting as she was guided out. There wasn’t much of a fight given, but she was strident.
“I’ll be removing my son and daughter from that school! If you insist on teaching foreigners and about foreigners, then I refuse to let you teach my children!”
Tsunade rolled her eyes. Sometimes her own people were infuriatingly stubborn and blind.