RED • MITSUKI

xxix. GRADUATION

***

What rhymes with rain?

Coup de main.

It was exactly what everyone had been doing. Everyone except Haruko. Her injury wasn't very severe so she was going to act, but it wasn't in the time she wanted. She wanted to go and fight someone like Anko or Konohamaru, but that was everyone elses job. The girl had to wait till the big attack at Kakashi before she could fight.

It gave Haruko to process everything. From the moment she arrived to right now, it all seems like a fantasy. First, she meets an old friend, then she makes a rival, then she finds a boyfriend, then she befriends everyone in class and in her neighbourhood. Now, she's working together – sometime she thought she could never do, especially with all her trust issues – with her teammates to become actual shinobi.

"I used to think this village was so horrible. I used to believe the lies they fed me and smack upon my face," Haruko thought, watching as the people who were going to go attack Anko get ready, "but it's exactly a nice place. Even if it doesn't rain, it doesn't make it any different from my ideal home. The plants are real, the people are vibrant. It's like everyone lives with joy every second of their day.

And that's the kind of place I need to live in."

Mitsuki sat next to her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing~" Haruko said dreamily, leaning on the tree next to her. "Just stuff~"

"I think the tree did something to your head," Mitsuki smirked. "I haven't seen you since we started."

"We fought Kakashi with Boruto," Haruko said. "Ichiro and Eiji got along for once when they were fighting. Boruto was . . . y'know . . . Boruto..."

"And you? What did you do?"

"I did some tricks, a little wazza!" Haruko lifted her arms up, slowly regretting as pain came across her arm. "It was cool. Bet Kakashi was surprised!"

Mitsuki smiled softly at her. Right when he was about to say something, Boruto called him for attacking Konohamaru. "I'll see you at dawn."

"See you on the flip side!"

–•–

"Ready...

Set...

Go!"

Haruko, disguised as Boruto, ran along side of other fake Borutos. She jumped, aiming to hit his face but was kicked off to the side. She groaned, her transformation jutsu going off. She held onto her stomach, struggling to stand up.

"Did you guys listen to anything I said?" Kakashi asked lazily.

"We get it!"

"No, you don't. Not one bit. As it is, you're not compensating for the differences in your individual strengths. You're still scattered. Did you think all you had to do to defeat me was to attack at once? Don't underestimate a shinobi."

"You're the one who's underestimating us!"

"I guess a crushing defeat is the only solution," the former Hokage sighed. He began to wonder how he went from saving the world to babysitting wannabe ninjas.

Boruto jumped at Kakashi. "Do it now!"

Everyone stood up, sealing Kakashi. "A Sealing technique?"