Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 40

The emotional rawness of the day (hell, the whole damn week) had left Yasu completely exhausted and in desperate need of a drink. The pair agreed upon a regular local bar that kept long hours, and was a favorite among the more clerical ninja of Konoha due to its close relation to Hokage Tower.

She and Iruka jabbered about what's been going on lately. He lamented to her about stubborn clan kids and late shifts at the Tower, and how he can’t go a single day without caffeine anymore. 

She told him about her increased taijutsu practice and how she had been developing her unique technique.

"Oh. That absorption thing you do?" he cocked his head to the side. "I always thought that was kind of weird.”

His companion practically snorted, “Weird? You hated it. You used to throw a fit whenever we spared and you couldn’t knock me down. Even when you and Mizuki teamed up against me.”

“I didn’t ‘throw a fit,’” Iruka retorted. “We were just frustrated that we couldn’t figure out how you did it.”

Yasu shrugged, "Sonosuke-sensei always thought it was just a quirk I had. It served me just fine, so I never really thought about developing it before."

"Sonosuke-sensei wasn't exactly a great teacher…" Iruka grumbled with a sigh, "I think he lost his passion for teaching a few teams before ours."

"True," Yasu agreed with a hum, "I still miss him, though."

She missed all of them. Something they never warned you about was how lonely it got after getting promoted to chunin. Sure, she had the occasional opportunity to work with others and meet new people, but none ever stuck around long enough to form a lasting bond like she did with Iruka and Mitsuki. Not to mention, she almost exclusively took solo missions. The only person she was ever consistently paired with was Yamato, and they got along like oil and water.

She felt a little bit of guilt gnawing at her stomach. After the invasion, she had poured herself into her work, desperate to avoid the shadows that the attack had left behind. She filled every waking hour with missions and assignments, only allowing herself to settle back into her apartment when she was too tired to notice the darkness anymore. 

"I'm sorry I haven't made time to see you. Things have been a little… weird lately."

"Good weird or bad weird?"

She paused, a thoughtful look passing over her face. "Good weird," she eventually answered, "Definitely good weird. How 'bout you?"

He shrugged, putting his hands behind his head in a lax way. "Eh… a little of both, I guess."

"Oh?"

“A lot of things are changing… Mostly things I have no control over. You know, I took the teaching route because I wanted to pass on the Will of Fire to the next generation, but it’s starting to become a little harder to remember that.”

They arrived at their destination, automatically slipping into a small booth along the far wall. 

“How so?” Yasu asked, voice clouded with concern as Iruka waved down the bartender. 

“My job’s become… Well, it’s messier than before. I got attached to my students, but they’re not my students anymore. They’re out on their own, with different mentors and goals, and I’m not part of that anymore.”

Her brows furrowed deeply. A chilled bottle of sake was placed between the two, the ceramic cups clinking as the bartender placed them down in front of them. The establishment was mostly empty, letting the two old friends exist in their own little bubble.

“That’s not true,” she argued gently. "Regardless of where they are, you helped them get there. They wouldn’t be where they are without your teaching and guidance.”

“Well… Sometimes I wish they weren’t where they are,” he smiled sadly with a helpless shrug. “Sometimes I wished they stayed where it was safe.”

Yasu stared at Iruka, a pained expression on her face. She was always the empathetic one among them, though mostly because she had to be. Now she knew the value of her role, as well as the unfortunate side effects. She hated watching the ones she loved consumed by their darkness, just as much as she hated confronting her own.

“It’s a double-edged sword, isn’t it? But that’s just the life of a ninja. The more we grow, the more danger we put ourselves in.”

“It shouldn’t have to be that way.”

Now it was Yasu’s turn to smile sadly as she refilled his cup, “It isn’t always. I mean, your students were able to grow up in a time of peace. Even our generation is a little spoiled, don’t you think? Maybe the best we can do is prepare the future generations. If anything, you should be proud of them.”

Iruka scoffed around the rim of his cup, “If only I could teach them how to take a hit like you, maybe I’d be more okay with it.”

Yasu shot back another gulp of sake, “I don’t think my resilience is a learned trait.”

“You know… Mizuki--” he flinched slightly saying the name, “Mizuki and I used to joke that if the world were to end, the only things that would be left are cockroaches and Ushi Yasu.”

Yasu crossed her arms in front of her and rested her chin on top of them. She looked up at her friend with a wide grin, “And I would always joke that we would all die young because we were such shitty ninja. But we’re both still here and I’m feeling younger everyday.”

“Funny, that.”

“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we stayed in the field? I mean, I like where I’m at, but I feel like all of our experiences were… I don’t know, sometimes I think all of that training we did was kind of a waste of time.”

“I don’t think we’d be better off, that’s for sure,” he gave her a half-smile. “But when it comes down to it, learning is never a waste. We just branched out to where our skills were strongest. We’re still on the shinobi path, we just took a different route than most.”

“I guess you’re right,” Yasu’s nose crinkled in distaste. “That’s the first time I’ve ever said that to you.”

He rolled his eyes as he refilled her cup, “Liar. I’m right all the time.”

“Is that what you tell the kids at the Academy?”

The laughter and banter began to flow as easily as the alcohol. The pair carried on like that for another bottle… and then another and another. 

Before she knew it, Yasu’s hair was down and her sleeves rolled up. The geta sandals lay abandoned under the table as she threw her legs over her seat with her feet dangling over the edge. Irua looked much the same, save for his cherry-flushed cheeks and too-loud laughter.

Memories of Sonosuke-sensei and Mizuki bounced between them. They picked apart every embarrassing story, every inside joke, and all the good food they shared over the years. They began to talk about everything and nothing, merely filling a silence as they enjoyed one another’s company.

“Why don’t you come to family dinners anymore?” Yasu whined, “It would make dealing with my mom so much easier.”

“She always liked me the best,” Iruka smirked, “Probably because of my dashing good looks.”

Yasu barked out a laugh, “She likes you for the same reason she likes all men. You’re intimidated by her and therefore easy to manipulate.”

“Am not!” he replied childishly.

“Oh yeah?” Yasu nodded over his shoulder, “Well she’s standing right behind you.”

The noise of fear Iruka made should not be possible for an adult man. Yasu cackled as he banged the underside of the table trying to scramble out of the booth.

The glare alone would have silenced a weaker ninja, but it only made Yasu laugh harder. “Every time!” she squealed in delight.

“You’re a jerk,” Iruka huffed, downing the rest of his glass with a scowl.

“But seriously,” she nudged his arm, “They miss you. My brothers miss you, too. Even Saburo!”

“Saburo sees me all the time at the Tower. Besides, wouldn’t it be weird if I just started showing up again?”

Yasu shook her head, “Why would it?”

“Well, your mom might jump to conclusions. I wouldn’t want to get her hopes up.”

“She probably has a wedding kimono ready to go,” Yasu agreed grimly. “But don’t worry about that. I’ll set her straight."

“No you won’t,” he shot back with a smirk, “You’ll just avoid the subject until she finds an excuse to bring it up again.”

“My love-life is none of my mother’s business, and I’d say it to her face.”

“Oh yeah?” Iruka’s eyes grew wide as his voice dropped to a whisper. “Well she’s standing right behind you.”

Yasu rolled her eyes with a huff, “Yeah right, like I’m gonna fall for--”

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Yasu’s blood turned to ice at the sound of her mother’s voice.

Slowly, she turned in her seat, silently praying she had fallen victim to an elaborate genjutsu. 

Behind her stood a beautiful woman; tall, imposing, and impeccably dressed. A perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised at them, emphasizing her already sharp features. She was notably tall for a woman, and stood with the elegant posture of a noble but with the unshakeable resolve of a mountain. She had a full figure indicative of motherhood, with lean limbs and long legs. She looked unmovable, somehow powerful and unapproachable, yet it was impossible to ignore the sheer gravity she pulled. She had walked into the bar unnoticed by either of them, yet became the center of attention the moment she spoke. 

Everyone knew just by looking at her… Ushi Ume was a force to be reckoned with.

Yasu’s shoulders slumped, already knowing her fun was over and she had been defeated, “Hey, Mom.”

“Yasu-chan,” Ume greeted evenly. She took a single step closer to the booth and turned her focus to Iruka, causing him to shrink back against the wall. “And Umino-san. It is wonderful to see you again.”

Even a stranger could hear how her tone changed when addressing Iruka. He smiled back weakly, inching out of the booth to greet her with a proper bow, “It’s been too long, Ushi-san.” He squeaked.

“I hope you don’t mind the interruption,” Ume placed a manicured hand onto Yasu’s shoulder. “But I’m afraid my daughter has made us late to our dinner reservations.”

Yasu’s mouth twisted unpleasantly, but she remained silent. She tossed her teammate an apologetic look, which he seemed to understand.

“No worries, Ushi-san. It is getting late, after all…” he slowly began inching towards the bar, wallet already out to settle their bill. “It seems we lost track of time… And I have work-- er, class in the morning… And- and…”

“Alright,” Yasu sighed, shooing her friend away, “We get it. Get lost.”

“Thank you so much for your understanding, Umino-san,” Ume graciously turned away from the quivering shinobi, her icy stare honing back down to the girl in the booth.

Yasu didn’t need words to understand the look her mother was giving her. “Alright,” she all but groaned, “Let’s go…”

She stood half-way, only to be shoved back down into the seat. “You’re not going anywhere until I fix your hair, young lady.” Her nails scraped against Yasu’s scalp as she began to yank her hair back into shape, “Now what was that about your love-life?”