I chewed the last mouthful of jerky, my hands clamped around his shoulders like pincers.
Green life energy burst from my fingertips, turning into coils of vines.
Like nimble snakes, the vines creaked and cracked as they bound his green flak jacket tight.
"Sen! What the hell are you doing? Let me go!"
Kakashi twisted violently, his dead-fish eyes widening into circles.
His feet kept slipping in the muddy water. He tried to break free, but couldn't get any leverage.
"What's wrong with me? Kakashi-sensei, I'm doing this for your own good."
I snickered and tightened my grip, making the vines cinch even tighter.
"Reading dirty books all day and doing nothing useful will kill your fighting spirit."
"Today, I'm getting you a great job you can do for the rest of your life."
Wrapped up like an enormous rice dumpling, Kakashi toppled toward the ground.
Rotten leaves clung to his soaking white hair, leaving him looking utterly bedraggled.
"What great job? Stop feeding me that bullshit!"
"Carrying your bedding around in the middle of the night-you're running away from home, aren't you?"
He struggled to lift his head, his one exposed black eye filled with suspicion.
"Nonsense. I'm answering Auntie Hokage's call to get out and clear my head."
I tugged at the huge gray bundle on my back and hoisted him up with both hands.
"All right, Kakashi-sensei. You're becoming Hokage today, whether you like it or not."
For the first time, a tremor of fear appeared in Kakashi's dead-fish eyes at the word "Hokage."
"Hokage? You want me to take the fall for Auntie?"
"Sen! You bastard! Let me go! I'm not becoming the damn Hokage!"
He shouted so frantically that his voice nearly gave out.
"You're not? That's not up to you. You know Auntie's fists