Dangerous Bond

Part 45

"Kakashi." The voice of Lady Tsunade came from a distance as the Jounin trained on his own in the early hours of the morning. 

Sweat dripped down Kakashi's forehead as he breathed heavily from the rigorous training. He glanced behind him with a glare. Hokage or not, the man was becoming really annoyed with the number of interruptions during training.

"Lady Tsunade, how can I help?" He questioned, getting straight to the point.

"What's this I hear about over-training genin?" She questioned with crossed arms. Her blonde locks flowed through the gentle night breeze as her glare set the atmosphere.

He sighed and straightened up "The Third and I had come to an agreement-"

"I know that. I agreed to let it continue when I became Hokage but I've been hearing complaints as of recent." She interrupted with an agitated sigh.

It became clear to Kakashi that she wasn't annoyed with him but rather those that complained. The Jounin didn't really know what to say. There wasn't much he could do to fix it.

"All I can give you is that I'm not overtraining anyone right now. My team is undergoing stability training right now which means no harsh training that could jeopardize their mental state." He explained with a reassuring smile although he was sure it just creeped Tsunade out.

Tsunade seemed to think over what he said, not that there was much to process.

"I see...very well, I'll leave it be." She said with a look of finality around her and just when Kakashi thought she'd leave, she looked up - another conversation clearly coming to the front of her mind.

"By the way, why did you turn the position of Hokage down?" Tsunade questioned with curiosity.

Kakashi simply smiled with an eye closed "I'm sure you've heard the reason by now"

Tsunade smirked and shook her head "Yes but I want to hear it from you. It would have made more sense to have you take the position." 

This confused Kakashi as he didn't particularly try to win favor with the village, especially the elders. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Tsunade rolled her eyes "Oh come on now, you're strong, smart and patient enough for the role. The old man was even training you on the legalities from what I heard, so why?"

Kakashi stared at her for a moment in thought "Hm... Maybe I don't have as much patience as everyone thinks" He mysteriously said.

Tsunade grew an irk mark on her forehead as she told herself not to beat him where he stood.

"Fine, keep your secrets." She huffed "By the way, I've got a mission for your team if you're interested" she continued.

Kakashi thought about this and wondered whether the trio were up to it to take on a mission right now "What kind?"

"B rank."

The Jounin narrowed his eye "You're sending genin on a B rank?"

Tsunade grinned "Well, from what I hear - your team has quite the reputation. I want to see it for myself." 

He couldn't tell whether she was mocking him or truly giving him praise. He sighed "Very well, we'll take it."

Tsunade gave a nod "Good, pick up the mission scroll tomorrow. You'll be going to the land of rain."

"Hai" Kakashi waved as he turned back to his training. Tsunade stared at the man for a moment longer, trying to figure out what kind of man he was, but gave up as he disappeared in a flash. She sighed and trudged back to her office.