Naruto:This Time, I, Kotetsu Hagane, Will No Longer Be Lazy

Gate Duty: Kotetsu and the Hyūga Girl

The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, casting long shadows over Konoha's gates. Kotetsu Hagane leaned against the wooden post, arms crossed, staring out at the near-empty road. Another slow day. Another day of mind-numbing boredom.

He sighed heavily, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, glancing at his assigned partner for the day—a Hyūga girl.

Great.

She stood rigidly, posture perfect, her Byakugan-veined eyes fixed ahead as if the mere idea of acknowledging his existence was beneath her. Her pale skin practically glowed under the sunlight, and her dark hair was tied in an elegant yet functional style. She looked every bit like the Hyūga aristocracy she was.

They had been on duty together for hours now. And in all that time? Not a single word from her.

Kotetsu could handle quiet. But this? This was unbearable.

He shifted again, sneaking another glance at her. Yeah, she definitely thought she was royalty. He had worked with Hyūga before, but none as stiff as her. She was the kind of person who probably thought making eye contact with a commoner would tarnish her bloodline.

He let out a dramatic sigh and finally broke the silence.

"You know, I think I've met trees with more personality than you."

Her head turned ever so slightly, one elegant brow raising just a fraction. "Excuse me?"

Kotetsu grinned. Got her. "Oh, she speaks! I was starting to think you took a vow of silence or something."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Unlike you, I don't feel the need to waste my breath on meaningless chatter."

"Ouch." Kotetsu clutched his chest like she had physically wounded him. "That hurt. You really are a Hyūga, huh?"

Her eyes narrowed. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Kotetsu drawled, rocking back on his heels, "that you act like you're too good to even stand next to me. Let me guess—if you weren't on duty, you wouldn't even look in my direction, huh?"

She scoffed, folding her arms. "Why would I? I have better things to do than entertain the idle conversations of commoners."

Kotetsu let out a low whistle. "Wow. You really don't hold back, huh? Next thing you'll be telling me you don't even know my name."

She blinked at him, deadpan. "I don't."

Kotetsu's jaw dropped. "You—wait, seriously?! We've been standing next to each other for hours, and you don't even know my name?"

She shrugged, unconcerned. "Should I?"

"Yes! That's basic teamwork! You're supposed to at least pretend to acknowledge your comrades!"

The Hyūga girl sighed, as if speaking to him was an exhausting chore. "Fine. What is your name?"

Kotetsu straightened up, puffing out his chest. "Kotetsu Hagane. Remember it, because I'm probably the most interesting person you'll ever meet."

A slow, unimpressed blink. "Doubtful."

Kotetsu groaned, throwing his hands up. "You are unbelievable! I bet you Hyūga all have classes on how to be as stuck-up as possible!"

"We call it etiquette."

"Yeah, well, I call it being insufferable."

A faint smirk ghosted over her lips. "Says the one who's so desperate for my attention."

Kotetsu froze.

She turned back toward the gate, her expression once again neutral, but there was something—just something—in the way her lips twitched that made him narrow his eyes.

"Wait a second," he muttered, stepping closer. "Are you… enjoying this?"

She didn't answer.

Kotetsu's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you are! You like arguing with me!"

Still, she said nothing. But this time, there was no mistaking the way the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Kotetsu grinned. "Well, well, well. Maybe you're not as boring as I thought, after all."

"Keep talking," she said smoothly, "and I might just go back to ignoring you."

Kotetsu chuckled, folding his arms behind his head.

Yeah, this might actually be fun.

Kotetsu smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned slightly closer. "No way. Was that a joke? Now we're getting somewhere."

The Hyūga girl arched a single, elegant eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I wouldn't call it desperate—" He paused, then sighed dramatically. "Okay, maybe a little desperate. But can you blame me? I don't wanna hate going to work just because I know the person sitting next to me hates seeing my face."

She made a soft, almost amused noise, but it was so subtle Kotetsu wasn't even sure if he imagined it.

"Gate duty's an easy job for the most part," he continued. "Consistent pay, simple work, but it's still a twelve-hour shift. And let me tell you, the pay is not good enough to sit in silence that long. I'd go insane."

She tilted her head slightly. "And what does that have to do with me?"

Kotetsu grinned. "Because as much as you think you're different, you don't like the silence either."

That got her attention. Her pale eyes narrowed slightly, and she lifted her chin. "And how exactly would you know what I like?"

Kotetsu shrugged, unfazed. "Because if you really liked silence, you wouldn't have responded to me at all."

For the first time, she seemed slightly taken aback. It was subtle—her fingers twitching against her folded arms, the briefest flicker of consideration behind her Byakugan eyes—but Kotetsu caught it.

She recovered quickly, huffing softly. "Or maybe I was just indulging your childish need for attention."

Kotetsu grinned wider. "Indulging me, huh? That's funny, because I don't think you even realized you were enjoying it. But hey, I get it. Must be hard coming from the oh-so-holy Hyūga clan, where talking to the lesser beings is probably considered a crime or something."

Her eyes flashed slightly, but there was no real anger in them—just that same sharp pride. "You really are insufferable."

"And entertaining," Kotetsu pointed out.

She shook her head, turning back to the gate, but the smallest smirk still played at the corner of her lips. "If that's what you need to believe to get through your shift, Hagane, then by all means."

Kotetsu let out a victorious laugh. Finally, he thought.

This might actually be the most fun gate duty he's had in a long time.

Gate Duty: The Boring Part—With a Twist

Kotetsu stretched his arms with a yawn as he shifted his stance, finally standing up straight. "Alright, time to actually do some work," he muttered.

The Hyūga girl beside him—whom he still didn't know the name of—remained as composed as ever, though she did give him a side glance. "You say that as if you weren't assigned here to work in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah," Kotetsu waved her off, cracking his neck. "Gotta keep morale up somehow, y'know?"

A few figures approached the gate, and both guards instinctively straightened, their earlier banter slipping into professionalism. The first arrivals were a pair of chūnin, both dressed in standard-issue flak jackets, walking up with a casual air but carrying the kind of readiness that only came from experience.

"Mission?" Kotetsu asked, already reaching for the logbook.

One of the chūnin, a man with a large scar down his cheek, nodded and handed over a mission scroll. "C-rank. Escorting a merchant caravan to a village near the Land of Hot Water. Shouldn't take more than four days."

Kotetsu took the scroll and jotted the details down in the logbook. "Names and estimated return date?"

"Morita Daiki, and this is Tsugihara Riku," the scarred man said, motioning to his teammate. "Return by the 20th, barring any trouble on the road."

The Hyūga girl finally moved, her pale eyes scanning them both before nodding. "Your identification checks out. Don't be late."

Daiki chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it, cutie." giving the girl a wink, with her being unimpressed.

Once their information was logged, Kotetsu handed the mission scroll back. "Alright, you're cleared. Safe travels."

The chūnin gave them a lazy salute before heading out.

Kotetsu sighed, shaking his head. "Wish I could get assigned one of those easy missions. Travel, eat some roadside food, come back, get paid."

The Hyūga girl didn't bother looking at him. "You'd be a liability outside the village."

Kotetsu gasped in mock offense. "I'll have you know, I'm great in the field."

"I find that hard to believe," she said smoothly, stepping forward as the next group approached.

A trio of merchants, accompanied by a single guard, trudged toward the gate, pulling a cart filled with supplies. One of the men, an older fellow with a large straw hat, stepped forward and adjusted his bag before addressing them. "Coming in from the Land of Fire's southern trade routes. We're delivering silk and rare herbs for the market."

Kotetsu nodded. "Papers?"

The merchant fished around in his bag before pulling out a small scroll and handing it over. The Hyūga girl took it, her white eyes scanning the contents before she gave a single nod. "Everything is in order."

Kotetsu waved them through. "Welcome to Konoha. If you're looking for a place to set up, head toward the merchant district. You'll find the market officials near the main square—they handle all trade permits and stall assignments."

The merchant tipped his hat. "Much appreciated."

As the cart rolled past, Kotetsu stretched again. "See? I do my job."

"Bare minimum competence," the Hyūga girl muttered.

"Damn, you really don't let up, do you?" Kotetsu muttered, shaking his head as he turned back to the next person in line.

This time, it was a civilian—a woman who looked to be in her late forties, clutching a small bundle of papers. She looked between the two guards hesitantly before stepping forward. "Excuse me… I need to hire a shinobi for a job."

Kotetsu gave her an easy smile. "You're in the right place. Head to the mission assignment office, near the Hokage Tower. They handle all mission requests and will match you with the right ninja for the job."

The woman let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you. I wasn't sure where to go."

"No problem," Kotetsu said with a casual wave as she walked off.

He turned to his partner with a smirk. "See? Look at all this top-tier guidance I'm giving people. Konoha's lucky to have me."

She simply sighed, clearly unimpressed, before glancing at the next approaching shinobi. "More incoming. Pay attention."

Kotetsu scoffed but turned back to the job.

As much as he complained, gate duty wasn't so bad when he had someone to mess with.

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Gate Duty: A Subtle Catch

Hours had passed, and the monotony of gate duty had long settled in. The sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows over the gate's entrance. Kotetsu was still recovering from a particularly stupid argument with the Hyūga girl—something about whether shinobi should bother remembering every civilian they let through or if that was just a waste of brainpower. He had insisted that he had better things to do than memorize random merchants' faces, while she had haughtily claimed that true vigilance required total awareness.

"You probably remember the number of leaves on every tree you pass, don't you?" he had jabbed.

She had coolly responded, "And you probably forget your own mission briefings."

It was around then that the argument had died down, leaving them in a mildly irritated silence—until he walked through.

The man appeared to be a simple traveler, dressed in worn, practical clothes, a hood pulled just enough to shadow his face without making it seem suspicious. He walked with a relaxed ease, just another foreigner passing through Konoha's gates.

But Kotetsu had been on duty long enough to notice the tiny details.

The way the man's eyes flicked around just a little too deliberately, tracking the surroundings without looking like he was. The subtle shift in his gait, his footsteps too light for a regular traveler carrying a supposedly heavy pack. The split-second tension in his shoulders when they asked for identification—before he smoothly handed over legitimate-looking travel papers.

Kotetsu didn't say anything outright, but an uneasy feeling settled in his gut. Given recent events in the village, he wasn't taking any chances. He locked eyes with the Hyūga girl, who read over the documents carefully before giving a slight nod, finding nothing amiss.

"Alright," Kotetsu said casually, stamping the paperwork. "Welcome to Konoha. Don't cause any trouble."

The man gave a polite nod before continuing past them.

Kotetsu, however, subtly shifted his fingers in a coded signal. A shadow flickered from the rooftops—an Anbu operative acknowledging the message. The man was now being monitored.

He let out a slow breath, relaxing his stance. The Hyūga girl didn't say anything, simply returning to her usual stoic position.

Interrogation

It wasn't until later that they were both called in. The Interrogation Department had summoned them, and neither of them had much choice but to comply.

The room was dimly lit, the air thick with tension. A man with sharp eyes, clearly from Ibiki's division, leaned forward, staring at them from across the table.

"Explain your reasoning," the interrogator said, voice calm but firm.

Kotetsu crossed his arms, maintaining his usual easygoing demeanor despite the situation. "The guy was too careful. He was trying too hard to blend in, but I've been doing gate duty long enough to tell when someone's acting too natural."

The Hyūga girl frowned, clearly confused. "Then why did you let him through? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kotetsu turned to her with a smirk. "Couple of reasons. First? If I made it obvious I knew, the guy would've bolted or played it even safer. Needed to make sure he thought he was in the clear so Anbu could tail him without issue."

She opened her mouth, then hesitated, considering the logic.

"Second," Kotetsu continued, his smirk widening, "if I had told you, you probably would've attacked him on the spot."

Her eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that answer.

Kotetsu chuckled. "C'mon, don't deny it. I've been sitting next to you for twelve hours a shift. You don't exactly do subtle. The second you sensed something was off, you would've tried to corner him, and that could've tipped him off before we had any real proof."

The Hyūga girl blinked at him, clearly impressed despite herself. "…You figured that out after just a few shifts together?"

Kotetsu shrugged. "I'm observant. Sometimes."

She studied him for a moment longer, then let out a small hum, as if reevaluating him entirely.

The interrogator, meanwhile, scribbled something down on his clipboard before giving a satisfied nod. "Smart call," he admitted. "Anbu confirmed he was acting suspicious. We're keeping him under close surveillance."

Kotetsu grinned. "So… does that mean we're off the hook?"

The interrogator didn't answer, but Kotetsu took the lack of handcuffs as a good sign.

The Hyūga girl, meanwhile, looked at him with a newfound sense of curiosity. "Hmph," she finally said, turning away. "I suppose you're not as incompetent as I thought."

Kotetsu smirked. Finally, some credit.