As The Leaf Turns

Thirteen: Take a Chance – Fall in Love


After the last few weeks, Iwashi was more determined than ever to ask out the pretty chuunin teacher. He had become her regular sparring partner, and they had gone to the coffee shop once, but Iwashi didn’t consider that dating. It was friendly camaraderie, and he wanted more. He wanted a real date.
It should have been easier to do when Ibiki told him he was coming with him to a special dinner and told him he would need to bring a date. Now, to get the courage up and stop stammering in the girl’s presence.
“Ano, Tenten-san?” he said as he stood in the doorway of her classroom. The students were gone and she was going over the various reports they had turned in.
“Oh, Iwashi-kun. I didn’t see you there. Come on in.” she called out and shifted the papers to the side as the man crossed the room. ‘Now would be a good time for him to finally ask me out.’ She thought to herself.
“I eh, I was thinking. I mean, you do eat, right?” he blurted.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It is one of my favorite necessities.” She said, smiling at him.
“Oh, crap. I mean, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I meant, I have to go to this dinner for the staff of the Chuunin exams and I need to take someone with me. I was hoping that you would want to dave a hate. I mean have a date.” He said and the color rose to his cheeks.
“I would love to. When is the dinner?” she asked.
“On the seventeenth. Are you sure?” he asked in return.
“I’ll be ready. Pick me up at my apartment. Here is the address, what time?” she asked writing the direction on a slip of paper from the drawer.
“Um, I guess six. I’ll be there.” He replied grasping the paper like it was spun from silk threads.
“Okay. I’ll see you then. Oh, we will be able to spar this weekend, still?” she asked and he nodded. She smiled and he felt like his stomach was made of sugar and was dissolving within him. Iwashi rushed out the door.
Tenten laughed when he was out of earshot. “What an adorable man.” She said to the rows of empty chairs.

Ibiki wore his suit and adjusted the jacket until he was satisfied. He had taken out his special formal scarf and covered his burned head for the evening.
He was standing outside of the door as he waited for his date.
She opened the door slowly and he took in the sight.
“You look amazing. I love that dress.” He complimented and she allowed a hesitant smile to fill her face.
The dress was long and made of a crisp Moiré Taffeta, cut close and exposing the shape she had hidden in the normal frumpy clothes she wore for her daily business. Her hair normally hanging limply around her face was pulled up and curled loosely and she had accentuated her face with a modest amount of make-up and that was also out of the norm for her.
“You are a flatterer Morino Ibiki. I happen to know that this dress is far from spectacular. But, thank you.” She added in gratitude for his continual attention.
“Maybe it’s just the way you fill it out. I think it the prettiest dress in the village. And don’t think of that as flattery, Shizune-san. It is merely an observation. Come on, we are meeting Iwashi there.” He said taking her hand and leading her down the street.
“Did he finally get up the nerve to ask poor Tenten out? She deserves to have more than a sparring partner, you know?” Shizune said, pulling up next to him and wrapping her hands around his arm.
“I insisted he bring a date. He doesn’t know many other girls, and he isn’t into guys. Tonbo assured me of that. And he would know.” Ibiki said, shifting his arm to pull her closer.
“Oh, then okay.” She said laughing. “As long as you have consulted with an expert.”
“Expert. No, just . . . what did Iruka-san call him? A dirty rotten man-whore who had better keep his hands off of certain former students, etc etc, I assumed that would be enough to list him as knowing if another man was of that persuasion.”
“Iruka-san?” she asked “Was this just before Tonbo came to us with multiple broken bones and several severe lacerations? I believe he was a guest of the hospital for at least two weeks.”
“I am not at liberty to give that information. Let’s just say that I know what caused the aforementioned injuries, and I feel they may be justified. I am a judge, you know?”
“Over Chuunin test, Darling. Not over Jounin over-extenuations. Now tell me all the details and I will determine if these things are just.” And she leaned closer to get the words as they slowly leaked out of the man.
Shizune’s eyes went wide as she listened and when the man came to the part about Gai, Kakashi, Iruka and Naruto, she gasped out loud.
“Well?” he asked.
“He’s lucky it was only Iruka that got to him. If Tsunade and Jiraiya knew, he would be in a lot worse shape. Naruto was only what, about sixteen?”
“He was said to be old for his age, but that does not excuse a man of thirty one from that kind of activities. And I do not accept the boy’s willingness as a factor. I have put him on some uncomfortable side duties and we are all watching him directly these days. He isn’t exposed to the underage applicants any longer (*).”
“He didn’t abuse his position, did he?” she asked, scandalized.
“Not that we are aware of. But if his morals are this low, we are unsure if it would happen. I am loath to trust him any further. But on the subject of Iwashi, I felt it worth the time to ask him. He seemed pleased to be of some service to me.” Ibiki turned away his face hard over his thoughts.
His own little brother had run away from him at that same age. If something like that had happened to Idate he would do a lot worse than Iruka had to the man, and that was what had stayed his hand when the ex-school teacher had come to his office that fine morning.
Shizune watched his face and understood his thoughts. She reached up and traced the small scar from his right eye down his cheek and to his neck where it disappeared beneath his collar.
“Ibiki? Idate is fine. Nothing like that happened and you did save his life. If he hadn’t run, he would have died or been taken by Aoi. Don’t beat yourself up over things that didn’t happen. He is happy and living in the Tea Country. We all know that.” And he looked down at her face.
“I know. It just hurts to remember how I felt when I thought he had died. But if that had happened to him, someone would have died. I can assure you. I would have killed the man that took him that way.”
“I think if it weren’t for his actual willingness, Iruka would have killed Tonbo for what he did to Naruto. But, in some cases we have to balance things like that. Tonbo is lucky that was the case for him. I don’t know if I can keep this from the Hokage though. I’ll think about it, okay?” she said as they arrived at the restaurant and found Iwashi and Tenten standing by the door.
“Ah, Iwashi. A good choice. A very good choice.” Ibiki said, eyeing the girl appreciatively.
“Thank you, Ibiki-san. You look very handsome, too.” Tenten said smiling up at him winningly.
She wore her hair down and it made her face look older and more mature, and the cut of her dress added to that illusion as well.
“Come on Tenten, tell me all about how you came to be here with this dashing young man.” Shizune said, pulling the girl toward the large room in the building that was reserved for the occasion.


::: Okay, so I don’t hate poor Tonbo, but those bandages? How can he see through them? I mean he can’t be blind or something, how would he judge the chuunin test that way? (*)And if he did what I was suggesting, he needs a great deal of punishment, and to have his supply cut off, at the very least.
I do not condone Pedophilia and from personal experience I can tell you that it is the one crime on the books that is considered un-rehabilitative.
The most a convicted pedo- can hope for is to be listed and watched for the rest of his life and I don’t think they should have that much.
Most victims either grow up to become abused again or abusers. It is a crime that keeps on hurting and is self-propagating. I advocate they be given stronger sentences in most cases and the one I was personally involved with only got 220 years. Not enough for the little girl that he molested, and not enough for me.
And I step down from the soapbox once more.

No reviews on that chapter, so I will only say, “Marielle, Marielle where for art thou? I can’t go on without an update on my fan club.

Next chapter is Another Inuzuka Takes the Big Step – A Baby Comes Our Lives