"Why are you here?" Kakashi stepped aside to let her in, then turned on the lights in the office.
"I came to check on you. Shikamaru mentioned you didn't eat lunch." Rin smiled the same gentle smile as always, as if none of the earlier unpleasantness had ever happened.
That was just her nature, which is kind to the core. Like sunlight that reached every corner, softly dispelling all the gloom in its path.
Even if she was unhappy, she would bury it deep inside.
"Ah… yeah, I guess I didn't." Kakashi scratched his head embarrassedly and said vaguely.
"I brought you something. Though I don't know if your tastes have changed after all these years." Rin chuckled and took the lunchbox from the bag.
"They haven't. I'll eat anything." Kakashi didn't know what else to say, so he took the lunchbox and started eating without another word.
He was indeed hungry, but more than that, he was afraid of the awkwardness.
Rin didn't seem bothered at all. She just sat there, watching him eat with a smile.
"Even grown-ups should remember to eat on time, you know."
"Yeah. Right." Kakashi broke into a cold sweat, 'Why did her tone make me feel like a child being scolded?'
To avoid further embarrassment, he shoveled food into his mouth faster.
"I'll wash it."
"No need. Just sit there. I'll do it." Rin effortlessly took the lunchbox from his hands and walked into the adjoining restroom, where the sound of running water soon followed.
"Want to go for a walk later? How about it?" She said it so casually, as if it were just an offhand suggestion.
"Oh… uh, sure." Kakashi blinked in surprise before hastily agreeing.
…
"Hey, Ino, don't those two look familiar?" Naruto, sitting on a rooftop, poked Ino, who is beside him, and squinted.
"Ow! Watch where you're poking!" Ino smacked his hand away irritably.
"Sorry, sorry! Got a little excited for a moment." Naruto laughed awkwardly, and then pointed again, "Look, look! Isn't that Kakashi-sensei and Nohara Rin?"
"It's Kakashi-sensei to you. Show some respect." Ino rolled her eyes but followed his finger.
"Yeah, yeah. Kakashi-sensei seems to be having an affair." He said excitedly.
Ino: "…"
"Keep your voice down! Don't let them hear us." Ino grabbed his ear and yanked him lower. Both of them are now crouching on the rooftop like a pair of sneaky spies.
"Ow! My ear!"
"Shut it! Or should I bring up last night when my legs went weak? I told you to stop, but you just kept…" Ino threatened, but she let go of him even after saying so.
"Okay, okay! I'll be quiet, please." Naruto immediately surrendered, his face flushing.
There were very few people in the village who could rein Naruto in, and Ino was one of them. Their youth burned bright and vivid, and from the very beginning, Naruto had never hidden his favoritism toward her.
Hinata could also keep Naruto in line if she got angry, but unfortunately, the girl was too naive and easily fooled by the scumbag Naruto. With a few sweet words here and a little coaxing there, she'd be completely disoriented.
On the other hand, Ino was much sharper than Hinata. She could see through Naruto's flimsy lies with ease, and she also understood that Naruto's frequent absences from the village weren't by choice… after all, given the kind of people in the village...
And even if Naruto didn't say anything, Ino could vaguely sense that he was still hiding something from her. Otherwise, how had he gotten his hands on those snow lotuses last time? Items from the Land of Snow, just casually acquired like that.
It was a coincidence that she happened to see Choji delivering a bunch of snow lotuses to his father-in-law. Ino happened to be there and immediately noticed something off.
But since these guys always stuck together like glue, Ino didn't bother interrogating Choji. After all, being too nitpicky would just make her seem petty.
Later, she tried various methods to investigate, even checking the ammunition inventory, but found nothing suspicious. Over time, her doubts gradually faded.
At that time, Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief, 'Ino had suddenly had a lot more free time lately. Truly, people shouldn't have too much free time… otherwise, their brains worked too fast.'
If not for his bag of tricks, Naruto would have been doomed long ago.
Meanwhile, Naruto deftly diverted Ino's attention by focusing on Kakashi's situation. He knew that despite her serious demeanor, Ino loved gossip just as much as anyone else.
"What do you mean by affair? I think Kakashi-sensei and Rin-san are perfectly normal." Ino huffed, finally releasing his ear but immediately pinching his waist instead.
"Normal?" Naruto winced in pain, "What kind of 'normal friends' stand that close? Even I don't get that close to Choji and the others."
"Oh really? What about with Hinata, then?" Ino narrowed her eyes.
"I'm innocent! Lately, aside from missions, I've only made time for you. When would I even have the chance to see Hinata?" He protested without a hint of shame.
"Hmph. That's more like it." Ino let go.
She didn't have a clear stance herself. She forbade Naruto from seeing Hinata, but what if he did so secretly? She did not know, and didn't want to know.
Her attitude wavered somewhere between disapproval and silent permission. If she was in a bad mood, she'd grill him relentlessly.
Deep down, she was resentful… why should she have to share with Hinata?
Naruto didn't dare complain. He was just buying time. In this three-person drama, he was the one who didn't deserve a name, wishing he could just vanish.
Since the Shinobi World was still relatively stable, all he could do was stall.
…
Konoha Street.
Kakashi and Rin walked into the bustling district, where the entire street was brightly lit with food stalls of all kinds. The streetlights here were far brighter than the dim, flickering ones elsewhere, and even the roadside was adorned with colorful lights.
"What did you have for dinner?" Kakashi asked, turning to her.
"The… the same as you." Rin suddenly averted her gaze, her words stumbling slightly.
"Huh? Don't tell me you didn't eat anything?"
"Of course not! Since I packed for you, I naturally made two identical portions! Dummy!" Rin retorted.
"Oh. Right."
"About the higher-ups suspecting me… why didn't you tell me?" Rin's question came out of nowhere, without any foreshadowing. Maybe she just didn't know how to ease into it.
After spending the whole evening together, this might have been what Rin truly wanted to say.
Kakashi's expression froze for a split second. His hand hovered midair before dropping back to his side. He didn't put them in his pockets, but just rubbed his fingers against his pants nervously.
"Did Naruto tell you?" He tried to change the subject.
After a brief silence, Rin didn't respond, which was as good as confirmation. Her eyes didn't wander but remained fixed on Kakashi, who grew increasingly uneasy under her gaze.
"Those are just trivial matters, actually..."
"Trivial enough to leave you distracted for days and skipping meals? Even if it's your own body, you can't just treat it like this!" Rin sounded genuinely upset now.
"I… I just thought what I said before was stupid." Kakashi scratched his head, avoiding eye contact, "We don't need to draw such clear lines. You're pretty much the only one left by my side."
(Guy:??? Did I just get written out?)
The air seemed to freeze at that moment… or maybe it was like someone had shoved the smoky aftermath of firecrackers into the space between them. A scorching emotion surged wildly inside Rin.
It rushed in through her eyes, cycled violently through her lungs, and churned her insides into chaos.
Seeing Rin standing there silently with her head lowered, Kakashi thought he'd misspoken again.