A day off was always something the young genin looked forward to. After days filled with escort missions, physical training, and Kushina-sensei's routine evaluations, days like these felt like gifts from the heavens.
On that bright morning, Izumo, Kotetsu, and Natsu decided to unwind by strolling leisurely through the village.
"Let's hit the equipment shop first. I wanna check if they've got any new kunai designs," Kotetsu said excitedly, clutching a small pouch of leftover allowance.
"Why bother? You haven't even sharpened your old kunai," Izumo squinted at him.
"Hey! A new kunai has a fresh soul, you know!" Kotetsu defended himself with a grin.
Natsu chuckled softly behind them. The Hyuga girl rarely showed much emotion, but today, she looked more relaxed than usual.
After ransacking the weapon shelves without buying anything, they stopped at a snack stall and bought dango, mochi, and salted fish onigiri. They sat for a while at the market gate park, munching on treats and chatting.
"If only every mission was this fun," Izumo murmured, stretching.
Eventually, they wandered to their favorite cold drink stand in central Konoha. The day was hot, and a chilled drink was the perfect solution.
Izumo picked orange-flavored ramune, Kotetsu grabbed cola soda, and Natsu was still reading drink labels.
But then—Natsu froze. The bottle in her hand dangled in midair.
"Huh? Natsu?" Kotetsu asked, sipping his drink.
Instead of answering, Natsu narrowed her eyes, glaring across the street. "Oi… you guys… look at that…"
Kotetsu and Izumo turned to follow her gaze.
Across the not-so-busy shopping lane stood two very familiar figures: Uzumaki Kushina and Hatake Kakashi.
Kushina wore a casual cream-colored outfit with a cute pink ribbon at the waist, her red hair loosely tied back.
Next to her, Kakashi wore a light gray jacket, black gloves, and his usual unruly silver hair.
They weren't holding hands, but something about the way they walked and talked together… felt way too harmonious.
"Ehhh… Is this… a date?" Kotetsu whispered, eyes wide.
"No way… right?" Izumo looked equally unsure.
Natsu cleared her throat and shot them a dramatically serious look. She then pulled them behind a nearby wall like a ninja on a stealth mission.
"This is no time for blind speculation," she said gravely. "We need to know the truth."
Kotetsu gulped. "You mean…?"
Natsu nodded theatrically. "Secret mission begins now. Target: Spy on Kushina-sensei, who may be on a date!"
Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged tense glances.
"…Agreed."
Three small shadows zipped out from behind the drink stall and hid behind a stack of fruit crates. Their mission had begun—covert surveillance of their own sensei!
"Target is heading south, down the alley to the western park," Natsu whispered like a seasoned operative.
"Roger!" Izumo and Kotetsu responded in unison, though far too loudly for a secret op.
In the distance, Kushina and Kakashi seemed to be enjoying the day off, walking side by side and chatting. Kushina occasionally giggled, and Kakashi—though masked—looked surprisingly relaxed.
Meanwhile, behind a large tree in the western park, three heads popped out from the bushes one after another.
"I can't believe we're like real ninja right now," Kotetsu whispered, face dusty from crawling under a dango stall earlier.
"I can't believe you guys didn't know Kushina-sensei and Kakashi-senpai were close," Izumo muttered.
"Close? As coworkers or… as life partners?" Natsu replied dramatically, eyes still locked on the "targets."
Suddenly, Kushina and Kakashi stopped in front of a bookstand. The three nearly collided trying to stop abruptly.
"Split formation. I'll take the left, you two go right," Natsu ordered.
They crept to the side of the store, hiding behind a pile of used boxes and a promo sign that read "Buy 2, Get 1 Free."
Through the cracks, they saw Kakashi pointing at something, and Kushina chuckling before placing the pointed book into her basket.
"…Is that a romance novel?" Izumo whispered, eyes wide.
But the moment nearly turned disastrous when—
"A-ACHOO!!"
Kotetsu let out a loud sneeze from the dusty boxes.
Kakashi froze, turning back with sharp eyes.
The three genin froze like statues. Kotetsu slapped both hands over his mouth, face beet red.
Kakashi stared for a moment… then simply raised an eyebrow and turned back to browsing.
"…We live," Izumo whispered. "I thought we were goners."
Inside the store, Kushina giggled softly.
"Those kids really think we don't notice them," she murmured with amusement, glancing toward their hiding spot. "Let them be. Consider it field training."
Kakashi said nothing but nodded slightly, continuing to walk beside her.
The genin, now more certain than ever they hadn't been spotted, continued tailing the "couple" to their next stop: Yamanaka Flower Shop.
"Why the flower shop? Is this… romance proof?" Natsu muttered suspiciously.
"Maybe they're buying flowers for dinner!" Kotetsu added dramatically.
With every stop Kushina and Kakashi made, the kids' curiosity (and inner chaos) grew.
And somehow… this mission started feeling way more important than any of them had imagined.