Naruto: North and South

A gray hoodie embroidered with a small dog pattern. Slim-fit trousers. Ordinary ninja shoes. No leg wraps. No forehead protector. Not even gloves for gripping kunai more securely. Nothing that marked him as a shinobi.

He pulled out his work card from his pocket and tapped in just before the late penalty time kicked in. BEEP. Another month of perfect attendance saved, that was close.

"Ah, so cute! Is that your cat, senpai?" The receptionist, Fuyuto, spoke with a blush that seemed almost theatrical. Kakashi sighed inwardly. Yeah, there's no resisting a cat-based attack in this world.

"Well, not exactly mine. I'm just temporarily taking care of it for a rather unique junior." Uchiha Itachi wasn't exactly a "friend." And Kakashi honestly didn't know how to befriend someone who had once wiped out an entire clan. The closest label they had was probably "senior and junior." After all, Itachi had been personally trained by him during ANBU days.

"Ehhh, so cute!" Fuyuto's eyes sparkled like stars, completely enchanted. The large orange cat shot her a cold glance, so regal it looked like it was judging her existence. And with just that one look, it gained another devoted cat slave.

Clock-in at 8:30. Work begins at 9:00. That half-hour was reserved for breakfast and preparation. The village public library provided meals for staff, simple rice balls and seaweed soup in the morning, boxed lunches at noon. Eight-hour shifts, three rotating days off, and a night duty rotation. It was, in essence, a 24-hour facility.

Staff gradually filled the break room. The orange cat instantly became the center of attention. And judging by its expression, it was enjoying every second of it. Still, its face remained as cold and dignified as its "owner."

"All right, everyone's here. Let's go over today's schedule." The speaker was the head librarian, a woman in her early thirties with long curly brown hair and faint freckles. Rumor had it her husband had died on a mission years ago, leaving her with a child.

And yet, despite that, she still had no shortage of admirers. Kakashi once thought a woman raising a child alone must have it hard. But after meeting her, maybe I was overthinking it. The women of this village were surprisingly capable. Or perhaps, it was simply a place where women were sharper than men.

"Eat quickly and get to work. In one hour, Shigure-sama will arrive personally for the awards ceremony. No mistakes allowed!" Today's event was a flower arrangement competition. The library doubled as a venue for village events, anything from flower arranging to taijutsu tournaments. The building itself was circular: a large central hall on the first floor, surrounded by bookshelves from the second floor upward.

Kakashi's job was book returns and shelving. So the event setup had nothing to do with him. He simply continued his usual work.

"Still, it's nice. They said if the Angel-sama isn't in the village, the event wouldn't even be held." Fuyuto pushed a cart of returned books as she spoke. Kakashi continued sorting volumes with steady hands while listening.

"Hmm? You're that excited about a flower arrangement contest? I thought guys wouldn't be interested." "Senpai, this is your first time, right? You don't know this yet, our village's best arranger is the Angel-sama. Supposedly, she even started the first-ever flower contest." "And since then, it's been held every year! All the participants are beautiful women!" Fuyuto's eyes were full of admiration.

Kakashi tried to picture Konan in his mind. Angel-sama, flower arranging? That combination doesn't really connect. But if Fuyuto said it was impressive, then it probably was.

"Ahh, too bad the prize this year is bad. Last year was amazing, first place got two luxury hot spring tickets to the Land of Hot Water plus a three-day trip. This year? Nothing great." While Fuyuto rambled on, most of the books on the cart disappeared.

The hall began to fill with noise, participants entering, spectators arriving. Seeing Fuyuto's distracted work ethic, Kakashi waved his hand lightly. "Go ahead. Take a look." Boys are supposed to care more about girls anyway. The rest of the work can wait. Fuyuto left happily.

Not long after, footsteps approached from behind. Kakashi turned, smiling with crescent eyes. "Yo, Lord Shigure. Long time no see."

Shigure stood there holding the large orange cat in his arms. His expression was as serious as ever. "Don't call me 'Lord.'" "Sorry, sorry. I appreciate you coming for the ceremony though. Aren't you supposed to be watching the event?" "I'm fine staying here."

He adjusted his grip on the cat. "It's dangerous to bring the cat out. If it gets lost, Itachi-sama will be furious." Kakashi laughed lightly. "No worries. It's still inside the village. Even if it gets lost, we'll find it. Besides, I think it just wants some fresh air."

Shigure said nothing. But his gaze softened slightly as he looked at the cat's golden eyes. "Was work okay? If it's too much, you can change roles." His tone was unexpectedly considerate. He knew exactly who Kakashi was, his background, his identity from Konoha, everything. And he also acknowledged something else: whether in reputation or strength, Kakashi was above him. Respect for the strong, that was something Shigure did not lack.

"This job is basically effortless," Kakashi replied. "Honestly, isn't 24-hour surveillance in a sealed village a bit too much?" His tone was casual, but serious. There were no visible patrols below, but inside the hall alone, disguised ANBU agents filled an entire squad's worth.

Shigure exhaled slowly. "I may have been overcautious." He lowered his head slightly. "We've never had a situation where Angel-sama was away for so long." His usually stern face carried fatigue.

Kakashi placed his book down and turned toward him. "Your leader really ran off without warning, huh. That's a troublesome boss." He smiled faintly. "But that's exactly why someone like you is there, to clean up after her mess." Shigure didn't respond.

Kakashi continued lightly: "Relax. Those people are the strongest I've ever seen. They might even be beating up aliens somewhere as we speak." He tried to joke. But Shigure didn't smile.

Kakashi sighed internally. Yeah, too stiff. Just like Konan said.

"I hope so," Shigure said quietly. And the rain of worry in his voice did not fade.

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