Chapter Text
It's already 7pm on a Friday in mid-June. Shino and Iruka entered the Hokage's office. It's seriously getting harder to get appointments from Naruto so imagine his disappointment when he saw another Shinobi seemingly waiting for his appointment as well. It seems like Naruto is talking to someone in his main office.
"Iruka Sensei. Shino! Good to see you." Shikamaru, Naruto's reliable confidant, smiled at the two teachers. "He's still talking to someone, then he’ll listen to a mission report, and you two can come in then."
"Thank you Shikamaru" Shino just nods. He is still non-verbal for the most part especially in this hour, where he should have been at home already.
Just before Shino could sit down in the waiting seats,the door to Naruto's main office opened. A woman holding papers and dressed in, what do you call them these days? Corporate attire? He's willing to bet she's not a kunoichi, her clothes are not clothes you'll wear in the field. Maybe she's a princess from another land? He continues to eye her, head to toe, thankful for his big chunky glasses, if you would call it glasses. Iruka is busy reading some papers. The other shinobi entered the Hokage's room while the woman dressed in black went to Shikamaru and began to talk. That's when Shino found his seat.
"It didn't go well?" Shikamaru said
"You know, I told you to schedule me this morning. He's in a good mood in the mornings, its hard to nego when he haven't eaten dinner yet"
"Maybe next time you should bribe him with ramen?"
"You know, it's not a bad idea. Or maybe that honey ice cream they're selling at the bazaar, I love those."
At the mention of honey, Shino raised his head. They produce the best honey in Konoha, no scratch that, in the whole of Shinobi Land.
"He doesn't have a sweet tooth"
"Too bad. Listen Shika, About this section" she said pointing to the papers in her hand. "Why is this so bad?"
"Hhnn. Who will do the background investigation? You?"
"I can do it! Or maybe I can hire someone?"
"You don't have the budget"
"Maybe I can lobby for an additional budget. Or can your clan donate? I'm sure your clan is quite progressive right?"
Shikamaru laughed. This girl is really stubborn and determined.
"If you plan on doing that, you should talk to all clan heads and lobby for this. I tell you, Good Luck with that."
Mina sighed. "How about the Aburames? I'm sure they'll support a noble cause. I believe they make tons of money from their honey and the by-products."
Shikamaru shot a look at Shino, and smirked. Iruka is smiling too.
"Yeah, you should meet the Clan head's son, Shino. He's next in line, the most sought after and most handsome bachelor. Maybe you can seduce him to donate a huge amount for your cause"
Shino coughed at the mention of the word "Seduce" but maintained his posture, sitting upright. Mina glanced at him, then went back to Shikamaru.
"Don't be scandalous!" Mina said then added with a seductive smile "You think you can set me on a date with the Aburame? This Shino?" This time Shino shot his head up at Shikamaru, blushing and clearly embarrassed. Iruka tried to contain his laugh.
Shikamaru laughed. "You serious? Cause I can summon him now." Shino's cheeks turned even redder against his pale skin.
"Yeah, I'm free tomorrow night."
Mina laughed. "Hey I'm kidding, I have no time for that... by the way put me on the calendar next week Friday" she leaned on Shikamaru's computer and pointed to something.
"Negative. We will be travelling to Suna next week"
"why? then put me on sked the first day he comes back to office. please i want a meeting in the morning"
"Okay. you have 2 weeks to prepare then. revise this" he pointed to something on the paper. "Compromise"
"Yes sir! Well, I should go now, it's nearly 8pm. Bye"
Mina also gave a quick bow to the two Shinobi then went outside.
"She's feisty." Iruka said "I think I haven't seen her here before"
"Ha! Yeah! Always a drag! She is the new head of the Office of Civilian Affairs. We're just working on something big, aaahh i don't even know why I got involved in the first place." He scratched his head.
Iruka laughed. "seems important though"
"it is. Hey Shino, when are you free for the date? I can set you two."
Iruka laughed again and tap Shino’s shoulder, "the most sought after and most handsome bachelor"
"That's, not true" Shino said
Then Naruto's door opened. Shikamaru said to them "your turn! Good luck"
---------------
"Let's get this over with! Can't wait to go home" Naruto said.
"Hokage sama, we like to present our candidates for the Fall Graduation" Iruka said and gave a folder to Naruto.
Naruto began reading it "oooh. good. fire user huh. wow. promising. I know this kid! oohh. and this one. what? 15 out of 18??? What's wrong with the 3?"
Shino cleared his throat. "they are not yet qualified to take the tests"
"Are we judging them now even before they take the tests?" Naruto was clearly upset.
Iruka replied, ready to take the blame as the headmaster "They are constantly at the bottom of the class and at the rate they're going, they may not improve by the time they take the test, and possibly just fail it"
“Have you talked to these students?”
This time, Shino answered. “Not yet.”
“Have you gotten to the root of this? Why are they not performing well? Perhaps, a problem in the family? Health problems?”
Naruto looked at the names of the three shinobi. One of them is Nagisa Michiro. He sighed and thought out loud,
“Compassion and patience, these are what these kids need. What do they have in common?”
“They’re orphans,” Iruka said, knowing where this is going.
“I’m lucky I have you and Kakashi, I don’t know how I would survive without you two.” Then he turned to Shino , "You're privileged Shino, you have a dad and your whole clan to train you, but what about those who don’t have parents or a clan?”
Shino can’t speak. He feels ashamed, he feels like he let down these kids.
“Naruto, we understand.” Iruka said.
“Let everyone take the exams and see what you can do to help the three students. Maybe a special class will do? Naruto suggested.
“We will come up with something and loop you in”
“Thank you for all your work. I appreciate you two, Iruka sensei and Shino Sensei… now would you like to drink?” Naruto stood up and stretched.
“I don't drink” Shino said
“I am well aware of that Shino” Naruto said, recalling the incident.
“I’ll come with you” Iruka said to Naruto.
“Lets call it a day!”
Shino naturally fell behind in his steps, contemplating what Naruto said. He must make it right for his students. Some simply needed more help than the others. He saw Naruto, Irika and Shikamaru go out of the Hokage tower, him staying behind in his thoughts. From his right, a woman in black suddenly crashes into him, the papers and documents in her hand flying all over them. She tried to catch some but failed.
“Sorry i wasn’t looking where im going.” Mina said while collecting the papers on the floor. Shino helped in picking up as well, and handed her when he's finished.
“Be careful. I assume these are important documents”
“It is! Possibly life changing for many. Thank you sir. I better get going” She bowed to Shino and walked hurriedly towards the main entrance.
—----------
Three days later, on Thursday, Iruka met with Shino, Hanabi and Konohamaru in his office to discuss the three kids that needed help. They are in a meeting room sitting around a table.
“I thought about it and decided one of you will take a kid on your wings and train them outside school. I believe each one needs a different approach so with this set up you can modify the training.” Iruka said
Each of the sensei are holding papers, containing the kids' records. Hanabi proceeded to read
“Namaki. Age 11. Orphaned and living with her grandma aged 70. I’ll take her then. You think we can get along well, Shino Sensei?”
“Yes. You will. How about you Konohamaru?”
“Easy. I’ll take the fire user”
“That leaves me with Michiro then” Said Shino
“Good. You’ll train them during the summer break. Please also give a mock written test to check on their knowledge but we're mostly concerned with the practical exams.”
“Uummm. Since we will put in additional hours for this during our break, will we get compensation?” Konohamaru muttered. Hanabi nudged her with her elbows.
“ Don’t worry. The Hokage got it covered already. Out of his own pocket.”
“Oh. How nice of him.” Hanabi said in awe.
“I hope the pay will be okay for you, it's not huge but I think it’ll be enough” Iruka added. “Shino please talk to the kids and their guardians and ensure they’re on board.”
“Should I tell them they are shortlisted for graduation?”
“Im sure you can figure out a nicer way to say it.”
“Oh. I got it”
“And please, don't mention that it is the Hokage funding their training. He would like to keep it confidential, so as to protect the kids' feelings too. Just pretend this is normal protocol, that we just casually train those who need help.”
The bell rang, signalling another school day for Shino. He’s not that worried about the kids, he knows they know they are lagging behind. But He’s gonna have to choose the right words to tell the guardians.
The rest of the day went smoothly. He talked to the two kids in the morning and introduced them to Hanabi and Konohamaru. He will talk to Michiro after school.
He was in the middle of explaining something when the bell rang.
“Bye class, i’ll see you again tomorrow”
Michiro and Masaki are always the last ones to come out. He called Michiro.
“Michiro, may I talk to you for a minute?”
He gestured to his friend and said, “ You go ahead. See you tomorrow”
“Michiro, how are you doing? Have you been practicing your skills?”
“Yes! I always go and train by myself during my free time. Why? Is there anything wrong with it?”
“I have to be honest with you, I can see you haven’t been training lately. I’m here to offer help.”
“Sensei, will this affect my graduation?” the kid asked, worried.
“It will if you don’t put up the work. The exams are coming and you must train and study for it.”
“I will sensei. Thank you for reminding me.”
“Our headmaster is offering special training for you this summer break.”
“Oh. Uumm. Who will be my mentor?”
“I will personally train you. Maybe once or twice a week, depending on my schedule too. I have to talk to your guardian as well, preferably tomorrow after class. I’ll be here until 7.”
“I will tell my auntie about this. Should I come with her?”
“There is no need, I just need her to sign some consent forms and maybe explain how this would work. Please give this to her. And I look forward to talking to her.”
“Thank you Shino-Sensei”
“Have a Good night Michiro”
________
Shino looked at the wall clock. It's already 7pm but Michiro’s guardian is still not here. He already talked to other kids’ guardians and it went well. Compassion and Patience. He remembers Naruto’s words. But can she please hurry now, it's a Friday night and the other mentors are waiting for him for their night out. Suddenly the door opened, revealing a woman in her thirties, with brown hair flowing down her shoulders, wearing a dark blue coat and pants and a bag full of documents. She clearly was running and out of breath and without looking at him, she went inside and stood in front of his table. Shino was stunned. He recognized her. The woman was stunned as well. She recognized him. She then looked at the name plate on his table and said,
“Are you Shino Aburame? Michiro’s teacher?” the woman said with a slight blush on her face.
“Yes. And you must be Mina, his guardian. Please have a seat.”
Mina bowed low and quickly said “I’m sorry I am so late. I got caught up in work. I have to finish something and then I suddenly remembered this letter from Michiro. I just read it like 30 mins ago. I hope I didn't inconvenience you, it’s quite late already.”
Shino was stunned again. That's a lot of words. He processes his train of thoughts.
“There is no need to worry. I am not yet leaving.”
“Thank you Shino-Sensei” She said and this time she sat on the chair opposite Shino.
There was silence for a while. Mina stared at him, still catching her breath. Shino is also staring, though Mina can’t see it.
“Would you like a glass of water?”
“Oh yes please thank you.”
Shino stood up and went to the table to his right. He poured a glass and put it on the table directly in front of her. Mina immediately grabbed it and drank all of it, like it was liquid courage. Shinobis always make her nervous, especially if they are wearing some weird and impractical outfits.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yes. I ran from the Hokage building going here. I think I made it in just 20 mins.”
Shino thought, for a civilian wearing high heels, that's quite impressive.
“Impressive.”
“I know!”
“I can do it in 3 minutes though.”
“Yeah. coz you can fly around.”
Shino let out a small laugh. Mina too.
“We don’t fly. We jump.”
“That’s basically the same.” Mina is now smiling. All the nervousness is gone now.
Another silence. Mina then remembers the letter.
“Shino-Sensei, about this letter. Is my nephew in trouble?”
“No. He’s not in trouble. I just have to discuss something with you.” How should he put it into words? “I will be frank with you. Michiro is lagging behind in his skills. And if he wants to graduate in the fall, he has to put extra effort.”
Mina is speechless. How will she know? She is too busy with her work to even ask his nephew about school. Suddenly, she felt like she had failed him. She had failed her sister. His dream of becoming a shinobi is suddenly on the line, and she can’t help but feel responsible for it.
Shino saw a tear or two drop from her eyes. How can he screw this up? Did he choose the wrong word? “Are you crying?” he said.
Mina didn't realize that a few tears got out of her sad eyes. She immediately wiped them off.
“Sorry, I wasn’t aware of his studies. He just always says that he is training during Saturdays when there is no school. I assumed everything was fine.”
“I talked to Michiro, and it seems like he is training on his own. Usually, training on your own does not give good results.”
“Sensei, I’m not a shinobi, I’m sure you're aware of that. What can I do? I don’t want him to miss his chance to graduate.”
“Well, the headmaster asked me to train Michiro during the summer break. It's like a special class to help him prepare for the genin exams. The reason why I called you here is to let you know if you agree.”
Suddenly her eyes lit up, Shino took note of it, and her lips gave him a wide smile.
“Oh wow. Thank you for this sensei. Thank you for giving him a chance to prove himself.”
“You do not need to worry. Why? Because your nephew has potential, he just hasn't see it yet.”
“Thank you for your kind words. Ummm, so tell me how this will go? Will he go to school during the summer break? And how many hours are we talking about?”
“The school is closed during summer, so we will have to find a suitable location. As for the schedule, Michiro and I can settle what works for us, since I may also have missions during the break.”
“I see. And, how much will this training cost?”
‘Don’t tell that the Hokage paid for it.’
“Its a free training. We do it during breaks to help our students.”
“Wow. I have no words, sensei. But can I look at the contract? I have to read every detail first. You have one don’t you?”
Contract? Shino is not sure if what he prepared will count as one but he gave it to her anyways.
“Hhmmm. Time of your choosing. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, blah blah blah. Written exam at home. Free of charge, courtesy of the academy. That's an important part!” Mina said and eagerly signed at the bottom of the paper. “Can I have a copy of this too? Just in case?”
“Sure, I will give it to Michiro on Monday.”
“Well, umm, thank you again Shino-sensei.” Mina said while standing up. Shino also stood up. Mina offered her hand to shake. Shino at first, didn’t know what to do, decided to take it and shake her hands. Her hands are soft and small against his, while his are rough. His kikaichu suddenly buzzed a little too wild so he let go of her hand immediately.
Mina makes her way to the door and stops before opening the door. She turns around to Shino who is still frozen at his place.
“Ummm, last week, at the Hokage’s office, I believe you heard me and Shikamaru talking, umm, please do know that we are just joking around and I have zero intention to seduce you into agreeing into the law.”
Shino blushed and swallowed. “Of course. I understand that's just a friendly banter”
“Yes, Gosh Shika didn’t even tell me the person he is talking about is there at the office at that moment!”
“He did that on purpose,” Shino muttered.
“Uummm. Soooo, is it true that you're the most sought after bachelor?” Mina said grining.
“Thats not true”
“What? The sought after or the bachelor?”
“The sought after part”
“Oh. I see. Though I must say, he also got the handsome part right” Mina said with a shy smile.
Again, Shino froze and blushed hard. His beetles are now in a frenzy, his stomach with fluttering butterflies.
“Good night Shino-sensei!” and with that, Mina left his office with the click and clack of her heels.
That night, Shino didn’t sleep well. He keeps on replaying his conversation with Mina. Her eyes, her smile, her messy hair, how she was out of breath when she entered his office, the rise and fall of her chest, her soft hands, and the way she waves her hand while she talks. And she thinks he’s handsome! Shino can still feel the butterflies in his stomach. It’s been a while since he felt these butterflies, or maybe these are just his beetles? He recalled his non-relationship from 8 years ago. He confessed his love, she doesn’t reciprocate and told him he is just a friend, and that she is in love with someone else. He was so heartbroken that he asked his dad to fix a marriage for him to help him get over her. His dad did not indulge him, and said to him that he’ll get over her eventually. He then busied himself with research about medicinal plants and insects and travelled a lot because of it, before applying to be a teacher at the academy.
He thought these butterflies were long gone, but now they’re back and Shino still doesn't know what to do, how to make them go away.