The market was bustling with its usual chorus of clinking coins, merchants shouting about fresh produce, and children darting between stalls. Mayumi strolled through with a basket in one hand, humming a tune and enjoying the rare peaceful afternoon. That is, until she spotted him.
He was standing near the bookstore, pretending to flip through a magazine. Brown wig, pale contacts, and those ridiculous purple streaks painted down his cheeks. Mayumi blinked once. Then again.
"Oh, come on, Kakashi."
There was no mistaking him. The way he stood, the tilt of his head, the casual slouch of a man pretending to be incognito but clearly just bored. The Sukea disguise might have fooled some people, but not Mayumi—not when she'd spent years memorizing every subtle movement he made.
A grin slowly spread across her face.
"Well, well," she murmured, adjusting her walk and swaying her hips ever so slightly. "Let's see how long you can keep this up."
She sauntered over, casually leaning on the stand beside him.
"Hi there," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "You new in town?"
Sukea turned, startled—but quickly schooled his expression into that fake, overly enthusiastic grin he always used in this disguise. "Why, hello there! Yes, I'm just a humble freelance journalist passing through. Name's Sukea."
"Hmm, interesting." Mayumi tilted her head, pretending to study his face. "You know, you look... oddly familiar."
Sukea scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah, I get that a lot. Very common face. Nothing special."
"Oh, I don't know about that," she said, stepping closer. "There's something very special about your eyes." She smiled innocently. "Almost like... I've stared into them while you lectured me about mission protocol. Or while you were shirtless and making breakfast."
Sukea coughed. "I—well—I think you might be mistaking me for someone else!"
"Oh no," she said, lips twitching. "I'm very good with faces. But let's test it." She leaned in until they were nose to nose. "If you're not Kakashi, you won't mind me doing this."
Before he could react, she flicked his forehead. Hard.
"Ow," Sukea said flatly.
"Yep. That's the forehead of a retired Hokage," she said with a satisfied nod.
"I... You're imagining things."
"Oh, absolutely," she said. "Like imagining what my fiancé would say if I told him I caught a cute stranger wandering around the village, trying to look mysterious in a wig."
Kakashi sighed, the fake grin faltering for just a second. "You're impossible."
"But adorable," she whispered with a wink.
"I'm undercover," he muttered, voice low. "Can you not blow it?"
"Fine," she said, backing off with exaggerated innocence. "But I'm making no promises about what happens if I catch 'Sukea' again." She winked. "Maybe I'll ask you out on a date."
"I'll report you for harassment."
Mayumi laughed and turned to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Have fun being mysterious, Sukea. But maybe next time, try not to wear the same cologne you always do."
Kakashi—still very much in disguise—watched her disappear into the crowd, sighing as he rubbed his forehead.
He really should've known better than to try hiding from Mayumi.