The sun was too bright; her pillow was too comfortable. 

"Hana, get up!"

Kushina's voice hit like a paper bomb.

Hana groaned and cracked one eye open, immediately regretting it. "What time is it?"

"You're fifteen minutes late," Kushina said, hands on her hips, fully dressed and not amused. "Minato's already at the Hokage's Tower with your team."

"Damn it!" Hana leapt out of bed, scrambled for her clothes, and shot toward the bathroom like her life depended on it.

"I tried waking you earlier," Kushina called from the hallway. "You said something about ramen and punching time in the face."

"Sounds about right," Hana muttered through a mouth full of toothpaste.

She finished getting ready in record time, poured herself a quick cup of milk, and popped open a pre-packaged bowl of ramen. It wasn't ideal breakfast, but it'd do. She practically inhaled it, grabbed her pouch, and dashed out the door, shouting, "Love you!"

By the time she reached the Hokage's office, she was panting and sweaty, strands of her hair sticking to her cheeks. And to her horror—everyone was already there.

Kakashi didn't even look surprised. "You live with him. How are you still late?"

Hana huffed, brushing back her bangs. "I...got lost on the path of life, okay?!"

A beat of silence.

Even Obito gave her a look.

Minato sighed quietly. "Just try to wake up earlier next time."

"Won't happen again, Sensei. Promise."

The Hokage looked amused but didn't comment. Instead, he started going over their first mission briefing.

"A woman in the village has requested assistance with her yard. It's overgrown, and she's dealing with back issues."

"We'll take that one," Minato said.

Hana blinked. "Gardening? Seriously?"

Obito muttered under his breath, "This better not be the whole mission."

After leaving the tower, Rin looked up at Minato. "Are you coming with us, Sensei?"

"Nope. I've got paperwork," he said. "But I trust you can handle it. I'll check in later."

They arrived at the client's house to find the yard in total chaos. Vines, weeds, and untrimmed bushes ran wild.

Minato clapped his hands. "Obito and Rin, take the front yard. Hana and Kakashi, you're on the back and sides."

Obito looked way too excited to be partnered up with Rin. Hana had to hold back an eye roll. 

Once Minato left, she and Kakashi stared at the backyard.

"Where do we even start?" Hana asked, already dreading it.

"Weeds," Kakashi replied. "I'll get buckets."

He returned with two and handed one to her. They got to work, silent but strangely efficient. Kakashi kept his focus sharp, and though he said little, he didn't seem annoyed by her presence.

They filled both buckets fast and dumped them into the bin. When they finished pulling weeds, Hana looked over. "Now what?"

"There's grass seed in the shed. We need to replant."

He poured seed into the emptied buckets. It took longer than expected, but they worked in sync. At one point, Obito passed by and lingered for a second. Hana caught it in her peripheral but didn't comment.

"Done?" Kakashi asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Hook up the sprinklers. Then we do the side yard."

Hana grabbed the hoses—and instantly regretted it. They were knotted, color-coded chaos.

"Who does this?!" she muttered, tugging.

Her foot slipped. She fell on her butt with a loud thump.

Kakashi walked over. "Here. I'll do it."

She stood, brushing herself off. "That didn't happen."

"Sure."

He untangled everything in seconds.

Show-off, she thought, watching him attach the hoses like he'd done it a hundred times.

While she used her water ninjutsu to fill the well, Kakashi connected the sprinkler. Then came the garden—vines to trim, flowers to deadhead, dirt to rake.

"Turn it on," he called.

Hana twisted the nozzle. Nothing.

"What the hell?"

Kakashi walked over and crouched beside the spout. "Found the problem. The hose is torn." He shot her a dry look. "Probably because you were wrestling it like a wild animal."

Hana rolled her eyes. 

He patched the hose with tape. By the time they finished, Hana sighed with relief. "We should check on Obi—"

She tripped over a bucket.

Blushing furiously, she shoved it into the shed.

"That—"

"Didn't happen. Got it."

Just then, Rin and Obito appeared.

"You guys done?" Rin asked cheerfully. "The front yard was easy."

Bragging much? Hana thought.

"We finished ages ago," she said. "No issues whatsoever."

Kakashi gave her a look but didn't say anything.

The homeowner asked them to clear another patch. Hana sprinted ahead.

"Wow, you're really fast—HEY! Those were my strawberries!"

Rin helped her fix it while Kakashi sighed audibly.

Minato arrived not long after. "All done?"

"Totally," Hana said quickly. "Piece of cake."

Please don't say anything, Kakashi.

Minato raised a brow. Just one. The kind of look that said, 'Really?'  Without saying anything.

Kakashi remained silent, mercifully.

Hana gave a tight smile, pretending she didn't see her uncle's face.

Minato looked faintly amused as he thought, 'She's terrible at lying, just like Kushina. But...she got the job done. That's what matters. Still, I'm definitely hearing about those strawberry plants later.'

They got paid at the Hokage's Tower. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Over the next few days, they rotated D-ranked missions. Cleaning, dog walking, library repair—and the dreaded babysitting.

Rin and Kakashi handled the kids like pros. Hana? Not so much.

She got drooled on, tripped, used as a human napkin. Obito wasn't doing much better.

When they were dismissed, Minato pulled Hana aside. "Kushina wants to know if you're coming home for dinner."

"Tomorrow. I want ramen tonight."

She turned and caught up to Obito. "Wanna come with me? I think we earned it."

Obito hesitated. "I'm actually going with Rin to that new BBQ place."

Rin smiled. "You can come too, Hana."

But Hana could tell—Obito wanted this to be a them thing. She shook her head.

"Nah, I'm good."

She walked off, fists clenched. She didn't want to third-wheel. Again.

Ichiraku was quiet when she arrived. She plopped onto a stool and rested her head on the counter.

"Rough day?" Ayame asked gently.

"Yeah. Miso ramen with extra pork, please. And, um...jasmine tea."

Ayame nodded and disappeared.

Someone sat beside her. She instinctively shifted. "Sorry."

"You're fine."

She turned and blinked. "Kakashi?"

He nodded. "Didn't feel like going home."

"You like ramen?"

"Sometimes. Figured it was better than eating alone."

She was stunned. "Thanks... for coming. I didn't want to eat alone either."

"Minato-sensei's big on teamwork," he said. "Guess this counts."

As they waited, they shared pieces of themselves—training stories, quiet laughs, and silences that felt less awkward the longer they sat there.

Hana smiled to herself. Maybe this team wouldn't be so bad after all.

Meanwhile, Kakashi glanced at her from the corner of his eye, thoughts drifting as she talked.

'She talks too much. Charges in too fast.
But...she's quick. And she doesn't quit.
If she learns how to use that speed right...
She could actually be good.
Still needs work.
But not bad.
Not bad at all.'