Honesty
In front of the three genin stood a woman with long and vibrant red hair, it was so long that even when tied into a ponytail, it hung to the lower part of her hips. Her eyes were just as vibrant, a shade of violet Izumi had never seen before. She was dressed in a Konoha flak jacket, the green complimenting her hair. The same could be said about the uniform she wore, it only accentuated her gentle features.
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina, y'know!" The woman was also very loud. "You three are my first Genin team. I like eating ramen, especially Teuchi's ramen, it's the best! And spending time with my friend Minato, that's also great."
During the entire time she talked, Kushina wore a big grin. It was absolutely infectious, as it gave both Izumi and Chihiro the sudden urge to also smile.
"Us four are going to be a four-person cell from now on, a team." Her grin only got broader as she talked. Simultaneously, Kushina began talking faster too. "That means we need to learn to trust and to depend on each other." Her expression turned softer, giving her a glow. "I don't know you yet so, you better introduce yourselves. Happy, you're up!" Their sensei pointed over to Izumi.
Izumi shuffled on the bench, scooting around. "I'm Yamanaka Izumi," She began, head turned upwards towards their sensei. "I like flowers, reading, training with my friend and my father. I dislike oranges and, uh, lemon cake because it tastes bad. My dream or goal for the future is to be able to protect the people I love and to master my clan's technique."
"You're so cute! But you are right, lemon cake is indeed horrible." Kushina contorted her face into one of delight and then of disgust. "Next up, sleepy." She then pointed over at Sen, who wore an unamused question. Her hands were crossed behind her neck while her body lay relaxed against the tree stump behind her.
"I'm Nara Sen. I like sleeping, it's great. I dislike not sleeping. My goal is to be able to do anything I want, like sleeping."
"I also like sleeping!" Kushina grinned, turning towards the Akimichi of the team. "And now you, dopey."
"I'm Akimichi Chihiro," began the strawberry-blonde boy shyly, avoiding eye contact with his teammates. "I like my clan's restaurant food, especially when my mom makes it. Uhm, she works there as a cook and I think that's cool. I dislike non-nutritious food and my dream is to work in my clan's business, maybe also as a cook."
"That's great, y'know! A master chef in the making." Kushina flashed him a bright grin and Chihiro blushed at that.
Out of her pocket, Kushina pulled two bells on a string. The strings they were attached to were tied together into a knot that did not look as tight as it probably should be. One wrong move and it might pull apart.
"My friend Minato suggested I do a bell test to test you. But that's boring," She grinned in delight. "So let's skip over that," Kushina stuffed the bells back into her pockets, grinning at her Genin again. "How about instead, we get some ramen to celebrate being a team, that is way more fun, y'know! It's on me."
━━━━
The ramen from Ichiraku's was the best, there was no doubt for Izumi. Never before had she been in the quaint ramen shop near the market. Kushina-sensei had kept her word and indeed purchased two bowls each for her new students, allowing all three to indulge in what she considered to be the finest cuisine there was.
Izumi had ordered for herself and practically wolfed down the meal, despite having eaten just earlier. The taste on her tongue was heavenly, nothing like she had tasted before. The noodles were light as was the broth, a mixture of various tastes that went together so well that they were totally complimentary. Immediately after she had finished her bowl, Izumi had asked for a refill. She enjoyed the refill even more than the first bowl, thanking the man named Teuchi profusely.
That was how she told her best friend Kakashi about her day with her team, at least.
"Do say, Kashi, how is your team so far?" Izumi angled her body towards him, the soft grass on which she lay squishing against her side. No doubt later there would be green stains on her red top, but as long as she could spend time with her friend, she didn't mind much.
"Obito was late," answered Kakashi, annoyance clouding his features. "Who is late to when the teams first meet?
Izumi shrugged in response. Her mind supplied the name Nara Sen as an answer, though she kept herself from mentioning her lazy teammate.
"Then he comes up with this excuse that he had to help some grandma on his way to the training ground."
She giggled at that. "You know Obito, when isn't he ever late?"
Kakashi was not as amused, annoyance still evident. "I wish he wasn't. He keeps dragging out the start of training. It's annoying." He turned where he lay, angling his body towards Izumi.
"How much was he late?"
"An hour." Underneath his mask, he frowned, so much so, that it was visible on the outside.
Izumi let out a whistle. "Oh man, that's a lot. I was thinking, like, ten minutes. Give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe it is a one-time thing!"
The silver-haired boy scoffed. "I don't think so."
She smiled at him, shuffling into a comfortable position. "I hope it is. But see the positive, Kashi, at least he shows up. It could be worse."
He sighed. "You're right, Izu."
The nickname made her heart flutter. She pushed the feeling away and put on a smug expression. "I'm always right."
Kakashi shook his head, a smile worming its way onto his face. "You aren't."
The brunette wagged her finger in his face comically, leaning up on her elbows to do so. "See, here you are wrong, my friend. The exception proves the rule."
"You're right?" He offered, just as he did last time.
Izumi let out a groan. "Not again! Stop disproving my rules, Kashi." She turned away from him, mumbling something about him being a 'meanie'.
He let out a quiet laugh, shoulders moving from the force of it.
Slowly, the brunette turned to face her friend again, a giddy smile making her eyes crinkle in delight. "You're my favorite meanie."
His laugh came to an abrupt stop. "I, uh, thank you?" He was absolutely perplexed, with his eyes widened ever so slightly as a result.
"But that's what I like about you so much. Your honesty. I mean, sure, you can be a little brash sometimes, but still. I like that about you, that you don't lie to me to make me feel better or something."
"You like me being honest with you?" He furrowed his brows, smile persistent.
Izumi nodded, sighing. "I dislike being lied to. I mean, my whole childhood I had to listen to people tell me that my pains will get better, that I will be fine. All lies. They never really stopped," The brunette took a deep breath, closing her eyes in thought. "That's what I appreciate about you so much. You are honest. Thank you for that."
"You don't have to thank me." He turned away from her slightly, avoiding eye contact.
She gave him a pointed look. "Well, I want to."
Kakashi knew that this was a discussion he couldn't win. "Fine." He rolled his eyes playfully, seeking eye contact with his friend again.
Their eyes met and Izumi sprung up, startling her companion. "Oh, this reminds me, I need to tell you something!" Izumi's cerulean eyes were blown wide as she spoke. "The bruise from last week's training was really annoying today, I couldn't lean on my elbow properly. You should have seen that, Kashi. I probably looked ridiculous."
Izumi let out a loud laugh, letting her body fall back into the grass.
"You always look ridiculous."
His statement made her laugh more, her hands wandering to grasp at her sides. Kakashi found it peculiar how she could find something funny in everything, somehow, but he found it to be endearing, a good quality of hers. The way she laughed made the tension he felt loosen, almost disappearing completely. He felt his cheeks begin to warm the more she laughed.
Once Izumi had calmed down, she resumed her previous position. "You're funny too. That's what I also like about you," She told him. "You're really fun to spend time with. I don't think there is anyone I would rather talk with weekly than you." The way she smiled at him was as bright as the sun.
"I also like to spend time with you, Izu." admitted Kakashi, voice significantly quieter than hers.
"I'm glad you do," Izumi relaxed into the grass, turning to look up at the clear blue sky. "because I can't think of anything better." She paused, allowing for the tranquility to ease between them. Her gaze was fixated on a single cloud in the sky, shaped similar to a rabbit. "I'm just wondering ... are we still going to train together, now that we both are on Genin teams?"
Kakashi turned to look at his friend to read her expression. She appeared calm. "We can, if you want to."
He could watch another smile blossom on her lips, making him also smile.
"I would love to, Kashi. I would absolutely love to."