Chapter 47
Spear and Shield
Chapter 45
The hawk had been sent for a short debriefing for all Village-bound jounin in regards to action on the border and increased security that would be implemented within the village walls. Gai listened to the jounin commander with a stern and serious expression, his mind preoccupied with this new development, all the while feeling a terrible worry that came with thinking of how this would affect his students.
Most jounin dispersed quickly. Gai simply began the short journey to the bottom floor to meet his students.
“Maito-san!”
Gai turned, pausing on the Tower steps as a figure approached him from behind. He cocked his head to the side, not recognizing the stout, mousy-haired man in front of him.
‘Eh…? Perhaps a fan?’ he thought with the sure-fire confidence of an idol. “Good morning,” Gai greeted evenly, racking his brain for a reason this man looked so familiar. “Can I help you?”
The strange jounin fell into step beside him as they resumed their descent, “Are you coming to dinner on Tuesday?”
“Hm?” Gai asked, genuinely curious, “Is there a banquet?”
The man shook his head, his shaggy mop of hair flopping over his hitai-ate. “No. Family dinner. With Yasu.”
“You know my Yasu-chan?”
“What?” the other man stopped short, “Of course I-- What do you mean--?”
“How do you know Yasu?”
“I’m… You don’t…?” The man’s mouth opened and shut a few times, his brain struggling to grasp for an answer. Eventually, he just pointed to himself, “I’m Saburo.”
Gai stared at him blankly.
“Maito-san…” Saburo’s jaw twitched, “We went on a mission together only a month ago.”
“Did we? I don’t recall.”
“To the Sand border, remember? To rotate outpost supplies? You and I had first-watch together while camping. For three nights in a row? I shared my instant ramen with you?”
“Hmm… No, that doesn’t ring a bell. Is your name Katsu by any chance?”
“Ushi!” Saburo retorted aggressively. “My name is Ushi Saburo. I’m Yasu’s brother!”
His impressive brows furrowed, “No… I met Yasu-chan’s brother at the teahouse. You’re not him.”
Saburo had to physically clench his fists to keep him from ripping out his own hair. “That’s Ichiro. I’m Saburo.”
Gai blinked at the other man, his mind racing frantically to put the pieces together. “Ichiro… Saburo… so there must be a Jiro, too.”
“Unfortunately,” Saburo grumbled at the mention of his older brother. “There’s actually five of us.”
“Five?!”
“Five brothers. It’s six of us in total, including Yasu.”
“... Five?”
“Yes, five,” Saburo sighed under his breath. “And we have a family tradition to eat dinner together at least once a week. All of us are in the Village this week, so it’s kind of a big deal. We asked Yasu to invite you, are you coming?”
Gai thought for a moment. Yasu had told him bits and pieces of her family, never really using names, but she did reference her brothers quite frequently. She had told him she had three older brothers (which he had thought was quite a lot to begin with), but now knew she was one of six total.
This bothered him. They had spent a substantial amount of time together. How had he never known she had five brothers?
“She… Hasn’t invited me…” Gai frowned.
“Oh,” Saburo shifted sheepishly, suddenly very much regretting approaching Gai in the first place. “Maybe she forgot?”
Had she? Or had she simply not wanted to invite him? Gai’s jaw worked with an uncertain frown, “Perhaps.”
“It’s alright!” Saburo immediately backtracked. “She can be forgetful sometimes. It doesn’t matter, you’re invited either way. I’m inviting you.”
That didn’t sit right with Gai, either. Yasu wasn’t the forgetful type. They had spent almost the entire day together, and she never brought up a family dinner. Then again, she had never mentioned five brothers, either. Gai had thought he knew Yasu fairly well. He had taken it upon himself to learn as much as possible about her once she had taken on the esteemed title of his student. At that point, he knew her chakra type, her combat specialties, her Academy grades, how many missions she had been on as well as what type of missions they were.
So how had he never known she had five brothers?
For the first time since the conversation started, Gai truly regarded the man in front of him. Looking now, it was obvious he was Yasu’s brother. He was much shorter than Ichiro, perhaps just about Yasu’s height, but with a more built physique and stouter stature. Ichiro and Yasu had more delicate features compared to Saburo, but the shade of their hair and the brightness in their eyes was just the same. Saburo was looking at him with a soft uncertainty he knew all too well, having seen the same expression on Yasu many times before.
Maybe Gai and Yasu weren’t as close as he once thought…
Then again, maybe this was an opportunity. Maybe he was being too cynical. Maybe this was an opening into Yasu’s mysterious homelife. Maybe this was just the chance he needed to truly get close to her. To truly get to know her.
“Yosh,” he grinned, giving the shorter man a dazzling thumbs-up, “I Humbly Accept Your Gracious Invitation, Saburo-san!”
Saburo stared at the man before him, wondering not for the first time what his overworked, down-to-earth, neurotic little sister saw in Maito Gai of all people.
“Good…” Saburo concluded. “My brothers are looking forward to finally meeting you.”
“Oh?” Gai beamed, not showing an ounce of humbleness in his flattery.
“Oh yeah. Yasu’s never brought home a boyfriend before.”
“... Excuse me?”