Some of y'all (not all of you of course) might recognize this character. I did not steal her I promise, I wrote a little one-shot with this character some months ago and then deleted it. I am going to do a little more with this character. Fun fun. This is set a couple weeks before the Chuunin exams.

Day 9580

Nagasaki Ume, despite being blonde-haired, blue-eyed and a little clueless at times, was a genius in her own right. No, she didn't possess any particular blood line traits or any special family jutsus. Her family was deliciously middle-class with more than a liberal sprinkling of civilians. Her paternal grandfather was a mediocre ninja and one of her uncles had been a fairly successful ANBU interrogator until he was killed in battle, but her father worked unloading cargo for a grocer and her mother worked at home as a seamstress.

But because of this, Ume was a fast learner and she knew what it meant to work for work's sake, not for honor, not because she needed to prove something to her family or her contemporaries; but just 'cause, because man was not meant to be idle and because it would be a shame to see talent go to waste.

And she was talented.

Besides possessing a natural aptitude for leadership, she was a veritable encyclopedia on all things sharp and pointy and had the steady hand to back up that particular obsession. Standing at a little over five and a half feet, her arms were long and strong, lending themselves well to taijutsu. On the other hand, she lacked the patience to pull off a decent genjutsu, though she had instinct aplenty to detect them.

She had graduated at the top of her class three years younger than most of her peers, became a Chuunin a year later and a Jounin by the age of fourteen. Two years later she was recommended for service in the ANBU Black Ops by the Hokage, for a ninja from a thoroughly civilian family, with no special abilities other than work ethic and guts, this was quite the accomplishment.

She was smart, she was strong, and she was genuinely friendly. She thrived on the company of her friends, loved them dearly and fiercely. If worst came to worst, Ume was the one you depended on.

Which is perhaps what got her in this predicament.

"Look, I'm not in this." Ume, hands held high in surrender, backed away from Kurenai and Anko, who were arguing over what, she couldn't remember, but she wasn't going to get involved. In the face of her surrender, they turned from her and continued arguing. Shaking her head, she turned and smiled at the man sitting slouched, arms crossed, on the bench in front of the dumpling shop.

"Oh look who it is! Wonder-boy, whatever are you doing here fraternizing with us lesser mortals?" She let out a little giggle and sashayed over to the bench, shooting him coy looks out from underneath her eyelashes. She threw herself onto the bench and scooted in close to him, ignoring the little huff he made in the back of his throat and laying her head against his shoulder.

"I've told you not to call me that."

She waved the statement away with a negligent hand. "Yeah, yeah. More times than I can count."

His head tilted slightly the side, his grey eye smiling down on her. "Then why do you do it?"

She lifted her head off of his shoulder and smiled at him, her blue eyes and that little stud in her nose twinkling with a bubbling of mirth he was so familiar with, he could probably recreate it in his dreams. "Because it annoys you of course."

"SEE!" Both ninja looked up abruptly as Kurenai pointed a shaking finger at them. "Everyone knows that they've been fucking for years and nobody says anything about it. Nobody makes snide remarks about their personal life, nobody asks if they're going on a date. But if I so much as sneeze, well that must mean that Asuma and I are going to get married and have ten babies!"

There was a pregnant pause in which Ume blushed and Kakashi went absolutely still, neither really sure how they had gotten dragged into this.

Anko shrugged. "They're unapologetic. What fun is it to tease people who don't care if you know about their personal life? Everyone knows that Ume and Kakashi have been screwing each others' brains out for years, because, other than common discretion, they haven't tried to hide it. You see them walking around together and try to tease them about it, they look at you like you're an idiot. You, on the other hand, blush like a lovelorn virgin and Asuma tries to avoid the subject. You get it?" Kurenai seethed and Anko grinned. " 'Sides, I don't really expect them to ever get married. They just really aren't the domestic types, ne?"

Kurenai let loose a vile curse then stomped away.

Ume pouted at Anko. "I'm domestic..."

Kakashi snorted. "You can't even boil water."

Ume shrugged. "Neither can you."

Anko shook her head. "The fact that neither of you denied your relationship only further emphasizes my point."

Kakashi shrugged. "There isn't any point to arguing since everyone knows. Keeping secrets only makes people want to go snooping. If you don't bother to hide it, people will loose interest."

"Whatever. I have work to do see you later." Anko sauntered off leaving the two light haired ninja alone.

"Nagasaki-taichou." The ANBU dropped into a crouch slightly behind and to the right of the bench, head bowed and porcelain animal mask firmly in place.

"I'll be there." Ume sighed and rose to her feet. She smiled wryly. "Duty calls." She made to turn and leave, but Kakashi caught her wrist.

"See you tonight?"

Ume shrugged, smirking down at him. "Depends what the deal is. We'll see..." She leaned over and kissed him lightly through his mask. "If the world isn't ending and they don't send me out to save puppies or somethin', I'll be there"

He chuckled and whispered against his lips. "I'll wait up. My place or yours?" It was an stupid question, they both already knew the answer.

"Mine, if it takes awhile I'm gonna want to change clothes at least."

True, of course, but not really. She would have to change clothes regardless of the reason she was being called. It wasn't particularly in line with ANBU regulations to show up at your lover, or friend-with-benefit's, as the case was, apartment in uniform. If Kakashi wasn't ex-ANBU, the messenger wouldn't have summoned her in his sight to begin with. He wasn't technically supposed to know.

Kakashi shrugged. "You won't be wearing them long, so I don't see why it matters." Best to keep up the appearance anyways.

Ume laughed outright. 'Down boy, I'll see you later."

"You will."

Ume laughed again and then after a quick succession of hand signs, body flickered away. She arrived at her apartment quickly and after unlocking the door and re-locking them behind her, she moved to the middle of her living room and rolled the rug back.

Another quick succession of hand signs and she released the seal on the floor underneath her. Without pausing, she lifted up some of the floor boards and reached inside the compartment found there. Grunting lightly, she pulled a heavy chest out of the floor, released the seal on the chest and then unlocked the chest. She reached in and pulled out her ANBU armor and weaponry and set it on the floor before locking the box once more and placing it back under the floorboards.

After sealing the entrance once more and smoothing the rug back,She stripped out of her standard navy blue uniform and dressed with practiced ease, slipping her sleeveless black shirt over her head and black pants over her hips and strapping on her tall shin guards and black sandals.

Long black gloves were secured mid-bicep by hidden garters than covered by silver forearm guards, weapons packs were checked, double checked and then secured to her waist and leg. She strapped on her chest plate and fixed her katana to her back. She reached up and removed her hitai-ate, folded it and tucked it into her chest plate, before securing her white cloak around her shoulders.

She pulled her white hood over her head and fixed her Weasel mask over her face then left with another quick series of hand signals.

Dropping silently behind the other ANBU squad leaders, Ume rose and faced the Hokage.

The group waited in silence for a few more captains to arrive and then the Hokage spoke, "The bi-annual Chuunin exams have been scheduled for a few weeks from now. As you know, however honored we are to be hosting them this year, the hosting nation is always in an uniquely vulnerable position. In addition, we have received some intel that has led us to believe that this years competition may be more eventful than what is norm.

"This intel is shaky at best and rather vague, but fortune favors the prepared, so we are going to place twice the usual number of four-man squads on Exam duty. In addition two of our own and a Tokubetsu Jounin will be replacing the normal Jounin Proctors. Keep your guard and be constantly vigilant. If you see or hear of anything suspicious, be sure to report it to me directly."

He paused and looked down at the stack of papers in his hands. "Bird, Boar, Cat, Weasel, Snake, Bull, Ox, Fish, Fox and Tiger, step forward."

The ten captains stepped forward silently and the Hokage nodded. "You ten will lead the Exam duty teams. Snake and Bull: your teams will cover all possible entrances into the village. The identity of every foreign genin will need to be checked against our records and intelligence reports. Likewise,Ox and Fish, you will check the identities of any foreign chuunin or jounin. Fox and Tiger, you will be responsible for foreign dignitaries and Kage.

"Bird, Boar, Cat and Weasel: You will be responsible for surveillance of the actual exam rounds. You are to remain unseen and unnoticed unless absolutely necessary and are not to interfere in any fight unless I give you a direct order.

"Bird, you will watch the first round, Boar and Cat the second. Weasel, as our most experienced squad leader, you will preside over the third. In the event that an actual threat is acknowledged, all five surveillance squads are to report to the arena for duty under Weasel's command, unless otherwise directed."

"Do you understand the assignment?" The room remained silent, the curt nods of porcelain masks the only sign that the ninja had heard at all.

"Good you may leave. Teams will be picked upon assessment of squad needs. Weasel, a word."

Ume kept quiet and knelt at the Hokage's feet.

"You will be my personal guard until the end of the exam period and you will report to my office tomorrow morning in your Jounin uniform in order to help me pick teams. Understood?"

Ume nodded and then spoke for the first time in the last hour. "Permission to speak, my Lord Hokage."

He looked amused. "Granted."

"If a legitimate threat were to be identified, may I suggest that Cat and his team take over your guard during the third round of the exam."

His brow shot up. "Why, if I may ask?"

"I am honored that you would choose me to be your guard, but Cat is better at barrier jutsu and genjutsu. In the case that a serious threat was ever posed, you would be most vulnerable during that round, where you will be seated in one specific spot for a long period of time. Cat would then be able to respond and get you out of the arena or at least create a barrier around you to keep you safe and I would be better able to lead the two remaining squads as well as my own."

He nodded. "Granted. You will remain my personal guard for the time being, until such a time as when you deem fit to elect Cat as your replacement." He laid a hand on her head, with a kind smile. "See you in the morning, Weasel."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Ume was beaming under her mask when she returned home. She saw Kakashi's sandals by the door and assumed that he was waiting for her in her bedroom. She quickly slipped out of her ANBU uniform and stashed it in her locked and sealed trunk under the floorboards. After the hiding place was sealed and hidden once more, she slipped into her standard issue navy shirt and pants, not bothering with her flack vest, utility bags and sandals.

She opened the door of her bedroom and grinned at Kakashi, who was laid out on her bed, sans shirt, mask and forehead protector, reading his book.

Her grin widened. "Honey, I'm home."

He grinned back, his quiet unencumbered smile, showed off a row of white teeth and was so much more impressive than his one-eyed squint smile. "I see that. Is the world ending? I see you didn't have any puppies to save."

She shook her head, they both knew she couldn't say anything about the meeting, and walked over to the bed. Sitting on the bed, she stole his book and laid her head back on his stomach. glancing over the current page, she blushed. "Don't get any ideas. I don't know if I can bend that way, Kakashi."

"We will have to see."