"Lady Fifth."
Kakashi nods in greeting as he stands before Tsunade and Shizune in her office. He had walked in on the brunette chastising the Hokage for falling behind on her paperwork...and day drinking. He wished he hadn't entered when he did, so he wouldn't have to pretend not to have heard it. He respects the Hokage, as all his fellow shinobi do. He guesses everyone has a shtick. The Hokage is no exception, with her drinking and unfortunate gambling, but he couldn't blame her. He's well aware of the stress that comes with maintaining and protecting a village as significant as the Leaf. He's seen it. Minato-sensei. Lord Third. It always took its toll. Oftentimes, in this society, it ends fatally early.
It is an unfortunate job.
"I have the report of Miss Katsume's examination," he speaks formally, not much of a reach from how he does normally.
Tsunade looks up through the large stacks of documents Shizune decided she needed to catch up on post haste.
"Oh. Already? That was fast," she asks, surprise in her tone, "Alright, what is your report?"
Kakashi briefly recalls the valuable moments of the test. He was and is confident in his decision to pass her. He had a guttural feeling. Even with all her current abilities, she had considerable potential to surpass any current limits she may have. He clasps his gloved hands behind him before stating his report from memory.
"She passed my examination, exceeding my expectations greatly. I engaged in close combat at the start. She showed advanced abilities in taijutsu, and her physical strength was substantial. That was prior to her releasing the seal on her chakra," he explains. It felt oddly like he was boasting about her, but he overlooked the sensation.
Tsunade hums, causing him to pause. "Chakra Suppression, huh? Well, that explains why her chakra flow felt so weak. My apologies. Please, continue."
"Of course, I felt that as well, but when the seal was released, the pressure from it was immense. Without knowing her average chakra levels, it was impossible to determine the duration she had been suppressing it. Katsume also wields a rare crystal kekkei genkai. I've never seen one before, but I did determine it to be derived from Earth Style, finding fire and lightning types to be most effective in countering it. She has incredible control of her chakra as well as her extraordinary technique. She also informed me after the test concluded that she is adept in summoning techniques, but I have yet to confirm whether that is factual."
Tsunade listens intently as he explains his findings. It was all very intriguing, especially how Katsume could've developed a crystal kekkei genkai. Generally, they are genetic. However, there are fortunate exceptions. It wouldn't be surprising if she indeed had summoning techniques, as well, given herself and Jiraiya's talents. The endless questions whirling and swirling within her create a heavy wave of guilt to come crashing down over her. A relentless and brutal wave that shows mercy to no one. Not even the Hokage. A wave that drowns her in the missed opportunities, filling her every orifice with salted shame. Every question without a known answer is icy and pungent. Stuffing more shame, regret, and sorrow like an overwhelming force on her sense of self. No matter how strong she is or how well she can swim, this merciless wave can drown anyone. It is not selective in who it drowns. It crashes wherever it pleases, and no one can escape it. No one can outswim a relentless wave. She can only surrender. Submitting to its unbridled intensity as it pulls her under, she lets it fill her orifices and drown her in the lost experiences. After all, she only has herself to blame. She deserves to suffocate on her own excuses.
"Is that all," she asks the man before her.
"Yes, Lady Fifth," he answers as he passes her the written report and awaits her next order.
"Alright, I'm granting her promotion then. She'll be an invaluable asset to the Leaf Village. I want to assign her to Team Seven unofficially, and I'd like you to continue assessing her and her abilities, Kakashi."
Tsunade stares at her hands folded neatly on the desk over the document, reading the details of the examination silently.
He clears his throat gathering her attention, " With all due respect Lady Fifth, I sense there is something I am missing here. If Katsume is being assigned to my team, then I believe it to be crucial I have all the necessary–"
"Those are your orders." she interrupts, aggravated, "Just...keep an eye on her." Tsunade drags a hand over her face, resting her forehead on it as she reads. She doesn't have a plan. What is she supposed to do? It doesn't feel right to send her on solo missions right out of the gate. The paperwork for her promotion in itself is going to be a hassle; promoting a new citizen, skipping all necessary steps, all the way to jounin. Kakashi believes she is ready and trusts his judgment, but there is still so much unknown about her–her background is the main mystery.
"Keep me updated," she sighs heavily, "You are dismissed."
Kakashi nods and then bows before he withdraws from the Hokage's office. He was frustrated, though stealthily concealed by his mask and headband. It was times like these he was glad he had them to hide behind. Not hide. Conceal. He doesn't hide. To hide is to fear. And that is not what he does.
Following orders, he decides to search and locate Katsume and debrief her on her new position. It shouldn't be too hard since he was with her only a few hours ago. Now that he thought about it, he excused himself a bit awkwardly from their lunch date. No. Not a date. He mentally curses himself. Katsume probably would've found his thought amusing.
As he casually wanders the village in search of Katsume, he thinks over his new mission. He wasn't expecting her test to be merged into an elongated mission. Something is going on that Lady Tsunade does not want him to know about. What he couldn't understand was...why? Why would Tsunade want him to keep an eye on Jiraiya's daughter? Well, they are good friends, so he guesses it makes sense. But then, why is everything so secretive surrounding her? What happened in her past that she nor Katsume wouldn't want to speak about? With her skills, why wasn't she already a ninja? Who taught her what she knows? What was her life before she came to the village? He knew she wasn't here before a few days ago, that's for sure.
If the Hokage doesn't know about Katsume's connection to Jiraiya, why would she need to be monitored so heavily? He already sensed a few pairs of eyes on her during her examination. One pair, he was sure, was Master Jiraiya's. The other pair felt familiar. They were not ominous either, so it was probably an Anbu. That's a lot of eyes on one woman.
He runs his hands through his hair in frustration as he thought. Yeah, sure, she's powerful, but Tsunade wasn't aware of that fact because there would have been no point in assigning him to examine her. The Hokage could have just promoted her based on recommendation. So why? Why is it so important that she needs consistent security detail despite her obvious ability to protect herself?
There are too many questions for his liking.
The sun is making its dramatic departure from the sky, painting in it idyllic hues of orange, pink, and lavender. A glimmer of white bathed in the glorious hues of the atmosphere tugs his vision higher.
Ah, there she is.
He flashes to the rooftop of the round-rectangular apartment building. Katsume sits at the edge, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. Her back is turned to the man as she gazes adoringly over the village, unruly locks flowing leisurely in the calm evening breeze.