Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A New Beginning ❯ Growing Up ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Sytar Madison 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.04.2007 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 356 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.04.2007 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 356 | Status: Work In Progress
applies: The Naruto universe isn’t mine. Haya and certain future characters are mine.
I’ve been bitten by the Naruto bug again. Currently obsessed with Shippuuden and the first few seasons, before those awful fillers kicked in. Evil fillers.
Naruto knows, by then, that he’s not Kakashi or Haya’s biological child. Once he was old enough to understand, Kakashi told him. He refers to his birth parents as otousan and okaasan. This is an almost complete AU. Still taking parts from the canon Naruto universe but it’s also veering in a completely different direction.
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Several years later
A young blond child sits sideways on a lonely swing in the far corner of the Academy’s yard, waiting for his father to come. A sad sigh comes from him as he rests his forehead against the worn rope, his hands wrapped around it. ‘I failed again. Tousan is going to be so disappointed. I bet he wishes I wasn’t his son. Maybe I can go find kaasan. Would she want me? No...she did leave us..’
“Naruto.”
The voice calling his name doesn’t break through the child’s thoughts as he wonders how he can be a better son. ‘Tousan keeps telling me that my best is enough but what if it isn’t? What if he’s just saying that to make me feel better? He’s late again too. ….Maybe he won’t be coming to pick me up today. I should walk home but he made me…
“Naruto.“
….promise to always wait for him unless he has to go on a mission then Iruka-sensei walks me home. I’m not a child anymore! ….not a little one. Why is he making me wait? I can walk home alone….but everyone shoots me those hateful glances…why?
A hand lands on his head and roughly messes up his already spiky hair as the voice comes again. “Naruto, are you even listening?”
Naruto’s head shoots up and stares in bewilderment at his father standing there. “…You came..?”
Confusion appears in the one visible eye as Kakashi gazes down at the ten year old before him then sighs faintly. “Yes, Naruto, I came to pick you up like we agreed.” He regards the boy in front of him, noticing instantly that he is still wearing his goggles and not a Konoha forehead protector and a sad smile flickers under the mask. “Naruto, what’s wrong?”
Jerking, Naruto leaps to his feet, grabbing his schoolbag and throwing it over a shoulder then surges for the gates. “Nothing! Can we have ramen for dinner?” Shouts that over his shoulder as he bolts.
Kakashi follows at a more sedate pace, knowing that he will get what’s bothering his son out of him before the night is over. “No, we will not have ramen tonight. Ramen is only allowed on Saturday. You know the deal. Today is Tuesday and we’ll be having teriyaki with rice and vegetables. Now slow down, Naruto.” He glances to the side and locks gaze with a villager who was getting ready to throw something at Naruto. The woman hesitates before turning and stalking away. “Naruto, get back here.”
With a huff, Naruto stalks back to where his father is then whispers. “Ne, tousan?”
“Hm?”
“Why does everyone hate me?”
Silence hangs between them as Kakashi tries to figure out what to say then just places a hand on top of his head. “Maa, you’re just imagining things. No one hates you.”
“They do! No one wants to be my friend. Every time I try, they call me names and throw things. Even Iruka-sensei doesn’t like me much. Only Hinata-chan speaks me to and she stutters all the time.” Protests hotly as he glares up at his father then his shoulders slump as he kicks at the ground, whispering. “Is it because of kaasan? They hate me because kaasan left us.”
He immediately comes to a halt and reaches out, snagging Naruto by the back of his bright orange jumpsuit then spins him around to face him. Dropping to his knees so he’s on eye level with the ten year old. “Naruto, they don’t hate you because your kaasan left. There are plenty of families with only one parent. She’s not gone forever. She’s on a mission, a very important one. Haya will be back. After the mission is completed.”
“When?”
“That’s not something I can answer. Not even the Hokage knows when her mission will be over. We just have to wait and be patient.”
Watching Naruto mull over that, he rises to his feet and places his hand on top of his head then lightly nudges him forward. “Let’s get home so I can cook dinner.” Kakashi doesn’t wait for Naruto as he resumes walking towards the Tamanazi district, having not had the heart to move out of the house. A shouted ‘hey!’ and running feet makes him smile as his son catches up to him.
They pass the large wooden walls that divide Konoha from the Tamanazi clan’s land. The entire district deathly silent yet seeming to hold an echo from the past when it was full of people. Kakashi slides open the door of their house, pausing to remove his sandals before going further inside.
Naruto stops in the doorway, looking around the place he has always called home and kicking off his sandals, moves over to the large well taken care of shrine. He lights a stick of incense, placing it before the pictures of his grandparents and birth parents. He says a soft prayer in honor of their memory then backs away and goes to help his father in the kitchen. “Tousan?”
“Hm?”
“Why aren’t you and kaasan married? Like Otousan and Okaasan was?”
“Maaaa, there wasn’t time before she went away on her mission. Neither of us were ready for something like that. Maybe one day. Your kaasan is a very strong woman, she might not want to be married. Relationships don’t mean that you have to become married.” Calmly, he points that out as he begins to grill the chicken, lightly covering it with sauce and moves toward the fridge, opening it to check the contents inside. “Start the rice.”
He goes and opens the rice cooker, pouring in water and the rice before he replaces the lid and turns it on. Thinking about what he was just told. “What if you don’t like women?”
Kakashi’s head pops over the top of the fridge door, amusement warring with surprise as he stares at him then chuckles lightly, shutting the door after a moment. “If you don’t like women, you don’t like women. Preferring your own gender isn’t something bad, Naruto. There’s many same sex couples in the village. People will like who they like.”
“Everyone says you’re a porn-reading pervert, tousan. What would you know?” Tilts his head backwards to stare at his father upsidedown, a grin splitting his face as he ducks the mock swing at his head. Laughing, he runs for the living room.
Chuckling himself, he turns back to the grill and turns the meat over. “I better not catch you reading my porn!”
“NANI?! I wouldn’t read that shit even if you paid me!”
“Don’t curse.”
“MAKE ME!”
“I’ll take away your scrolls.”
“……..okay.”
̶ 0;Good boy.”
“I’M NOT A DOG!”
“Sometimes I wonder about that.”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”
“Yare yare, nothing.”
“I HEARD THAT!”
Laughter rings out from the kitchen as Naruto scowls heavily at the door separating the living room with the kitchen, arms folded across his chest. Turning, he heads upstairs to his bedroom and drops heavily onto the bed, sprawling across it. He stares up at the ceiling for a long moment then rolls over and picks up the picture resting on his small bookcase/nightstand. Trembling figures trace over the woman smiling up at him. “Kaasan, I miss you. Please come home soon.” The picture of the happy family is placed back where it belongs.
Sitting up, he puts his feet on the floor and walks over to his desk, dropping down into the chair and picks up one of the scrolls he was given. Runs his fingers over it slowly then glances at his bedroom door. Swallows as he knows that he has to tell his father he failed once more. Closes his eyes against the tears that want to come, he doesn’t notice his father entering the bedroom.
Sighing at the sight in front of him, Kakashi disregards several ideas on how to handle this before deciding just to dive in. “Naruto.” He, for once, doesn’t take any amusement over watching his son leap up, knocking the chair over. “I know what happened.” He hesitates a moment before pulling down his mask and lifts the forehead protector, revealing his face completely. Kakashi knowing that he needs to show just how serious he is right now.
Jaw dropping, Naruto stares at the figure in front of him. “Tousan?”
“I know that you failed.”
“…….”
“Narut o, I’m sure you did your best. We’ll just train more so you can try again.”
“What if I never graduate?”
“You will. Do you think that this upsets me? That you haven’t graduated yet?”
“……….”
“N aruto, I wouldn’t care if you were twenty and just graduating from the Academy. As long as you are happy, then my feelings on the matter mean nothing. This is about you. Now let me tell you something and I want you to listen. You’re my son and that’s what matters to me. I don’t want you to be another me. Or about Haya. We both graduated young, younger then you are, yes, but that’s us. The normal age to graduate is ten to twelve. You’re only ten.” Crouches next to the chair and squeezes his shoulder lightly, both eyes on his face as he tries to make him understand what was normal for Haya and himself is not what will be normal for him. “I was five when I graduated. Six when I became a chuunin and by the time I was twelve, I was already a jounin. Haya was eight when she became a genin and didn’t make chuunin until she was ten. She then waited four years to become a jounin. Don’t try to catch us, son, be yourself and go at your own pace.”
Rising to his feet he squeezes on his shoulder again then turns towards the door, heading out into the hall. “After dinner, we’ll do some training. It should almost be ready.” He doesn’t look back as he goes back downstairs, hoping that he finally got through to the boy but can only wait and see. Pulls his hitai-ate back down over his eye and checks on the food.
“Naruto, dinner.” His voice easily carrying upstairs as he carries the plate of meat and vegetables to the table then goes to fix two bowls of rice. Placing them on the table just as Naruto comes into the kitchen. Instantly knows that something else is bothering him, settling down in his chair and picks up his chopsticks. “Itadakimasu.”
Naruto starts to pick at his food, glaring at it hotly while Kakashi eats and watches him. “Ne, tousan.”
“Yes?”
“Can you teach me how to summon?”
“Oh? Why the sudden interest?”
“..I thought that maybe they’d be my friend.”
“Naruto, nin-dogs aren’t pets. Neither are most summons. I could ask Tsume if she would give one of the puppies she breds to you, if you want a friend that badly.”
“Never mind.”
“Naruto. I don’t mind teaching you how to summon Pakkun and the others but they’ll never be pets. I’m sorry.”
Crushing his chopsticks in his hand, he rises from the table and starts to head for the door. His father is suddenly standing in front of him, one arm outstretched and eye narrowed. “Sit back down.”
“Make me.”
“Naruto, I can’t change something like that. Summons aren’t pets. Familiars are a completely different story. The Inuzuka clan breds dog familiars. I’ll talk to Tsume about it. Maybe a cat? If getting a puppy doesn’t work out. The Tamanazi clan had a summoning contract with the giant cats and most are very friendly. Haya took the fan with her so that’s out of the question. For now at least.” His gaze turns from stern to thoughtful as he considers this problem, pushing Naruto back towards the table and forcing to him to sit before he reclaims his own. “Give me some time to come up with a solution.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Hm?”
“I…I’m always alone, tousan. Even you aren’t around very often now that I’m older. All those missions. What…what if something happens to you? I’ll be an orphan again. I don’t want to be alone.” His voice trembles despite his best efforts to stop it and he scrunches up his eyes tightly to stop the tears forming.
“Naruto, I can’t promise that I’ll always return. That’s out of my hands. I will, however, always try to return.” A bare moment’s pause then he’s rising to his feet. “Let’s go.”
“What?” Startled, his head comes up, staring at his father in confusion.
“You’re right. You deserve some kind of insurance if I don’t manage to come back. You’re going to learn to summon my nin-pack.” Not waiting for a response, he’s already out of the house and moving towards the forest locate at the back end of the Tamanazi district. Hearing the sound of running and smirks to himself as he removes the two scrolls he picked up on his way out of the house. One much larger then the other and it’s the larger of the two that he rolls open partial.
“Come here and sign your name.”
The blond hunches next to his father as he scribbles his name on the spot pointed out to him then yelps when his father grabs his hand and twists it around. “What are you doing?!”
“Hold still. This won’t hurt much.” Drags a kunai across his palm then places his hand firmly under his name. Lets go of his son’s hand then cuts off some bandages from around his calf, binding it around Naruto’s bleeding hand. “Now we practice. Take this.” Holds out the small scroll to him. “Watch me first then you try.” Rising to his feet, he removes his own, biting on his finger then smearing the blood across the characters as he quickly opens the scroll. Spinning the scroll around for a few moments, he tosses it up into the air causing it to roll back up then jams it onto the ground after catching it. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”
A cloud of smoke bursts out of nowhere and when it fades, a pack of eight dogs sit in the middle. The smallest of the group looks up at his master. “What do you need, boss?”
“Maa, just teaching my son how to summon you.”
“You brought us here for that?”
“If something happens to me, I want someone to be able to summon you.” Kakashi’s voice holds no argument as he crouches to roll up the scroll. “I inherited this from my father and now my son is inheriting from me.”
“He’s not your son.”
Kakashi’s head slowly comes up to fix a glare on the pug who just spoke. “He’s my son in all ways except blood.” The words come out as a near growl. “You will not say that again, Pakkun.”
The other dogs look back and forth between Pakkun and Kakashi before looking at each other and all sighing in unison. One of them finally speaks up. “Stop it, Pakkun. Naruto is important to the boss. The boss is important to us.” The speaker lifts his head to stare at the pug.
“Fine.”
“You don’t like me much, do you, Pakkun?”
“Kid, it has nothing to do with that. You’re an obnoxious, noisy brat at the best of times but you have a good heart.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, was it?”
“Depends on how you take it, brat.”
“Enough. Naruto, you’re going to try now.”
With a puff of smoke, all eight dogs vanish without another word.
He turns to the blond and places his hands on his shoulders lightly. “You don’t need the scroll to summon them unless you want them to target a specific person. Then you use the scroll. For now, just smear some blood on your hand before doing the seals then place it on the ground while focusing your chakra and expelling it into that one spot. Say Kuchiyose no Jutsu as you do that. You should be able to summon at least one of them.”
Nodding, Naruto slides the scroll into the pouch on his hip and forms the hand seals needed then drops down and jams his bloody hand on the ground. Eyes tightly closed as he focuses his chakra. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”
Smoke billows around them for a moment then vanishes, revealing a puppy.
Silence echoes between father and son as Kakashi gazes down at the tiny, barely two day old puppy. “Well that’s anti-climatic.”
“Tousan!”
“Keep trying. First, send the poor thing back.”
“How?”
“Maaa, I’ll do it.” He quickly forms the hand seals and places his palm by the puppy and with a pop, it’s gone. “I’ll show you how to send them back after you master this. Older summons can send themselves back as they please. The very young need a push in the right direction.”
Naruto plants himself more firmly on his knees then recrites the seals and places his palm on the ground as he focuses as much as he can. More smoke appears then as it clears, a small form latches itself onto Naruto’s hand. “AH! GET IT OFF!” Flails around as he slings his arm with the puppy attached.
Growling, the puppy chomps down further onto Naruto’s hand even as he’s getting swung around wildly.
“Naruto!” He grabs his shoulders, halting the movement then pries the puppy loose and glances down at it. “You know better.” Scolds the puppy in his arm lightly and stops his son from lunging and attacking. “Naruto.”
Skidding to a halt, a scowl forms on his face and folds his arms over his chest. “He bit me!”
“Hm.” Kakashi carefully looks over the puppy he’s holding and judges him to be at least seven weeks old. “You did much better this time. Not that this one would have been much help in a fight. He’s still older then the first attempt’s result.”
“Hey! I don’t want to be here any more then he wants me here.” The puppy finally speaks up, wiggling in the jounin’s arms. “Can I go home now?”
“Hai hai. Hold still and I’ll send you back.”
“Yay!”
Forming the seals slowly so Naruto can start learning them, he reverses the summoning and returns the puppy to where he belongs. “Keep practicing. Once you can summon a full grown dog, come get me.” He turns and heads back for the house.
“Nani?! Where are you going?!”
“Home. There’s things I have to do.”
“You just want to read your porn!”
“Hai hai.”
“Pervert, porn-loving bastard!”
A wave is the only response he gets before his father vanishes in a puff of smoke, signaling that he has left the forest.
“He’s not really teaching me. Showing me once or twice then leaving me alone to figure it out myself. Some father he is!”
“Do you ever realize that might be why he’s doing it? So you can figure it out on your own and become stronger in your own way?” A new voice speaks up from the shadows, startling the boy on the ground.
“Who are you? Come out! You‘re trespassing on private land!”
“Forgive me, Naruto-kun, but I thought of a way to help you graduate.” A silver haired man appears from the shadows, smiling at the blond as he approaches.
“Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help you.”
“How?” Suspicious blue eyes stare up at the man as he stays sitting on the ground, arms folded across his chest.
“There’s a scroll in Hokage Tower that has all kind of jutsus in it. It’s called the Scroll of Sealing. I’m sure if you get it, you can learn one of them and impress Iruka-sensei with it. He’ll be forced to graduate you then.”
“Really?!” He leaps to his feet and grins at the chuunin. “Thank you, Mizuki-sensei!” He bows then speeds off towards Hokage Tower.
Mizuki smiles slowly, pausing to glance over his shoulder and carefully leaves the compound before his presence is sensed.
Hours later
In the darkness, a pair of eyes appear, glowing brightly as the full moon emerges from the clouds. A bobcat jumps out of the shadows of the tree she was in, pausing to sniff at the ground. Her head lifts as she studies the mix of scents then growls softly. She turns to gaze in the direction Mizuki took then glances towards the house Kakashi is in, wondering for a moment if she should go get him. With a shake of her head, she turns and darts after Naruto. Her mistress having left her as a silent guardian before she left.
Suma lands on a roof at the edge of the Tamanazi compound and sniffs at the air just as several forms race past her. Her head turns to watch them before glancing back in the direction they came from. ‘Did he get to the scroll already? I must hurry. If only I had not been patrolling the far edge of the compound!’
She zeros in on Naruto’s scent and leaps off, following the trail into the woods. Voices float through the air and she comes to a halt, crouching then creeps forward, listening to the three male voices. ‘Naruto…his Academy sensei and the third…is the strange scent that was back at the compound. Damn, I should have went to get Kakashi. I can’t take on two adults by myself. What….? No, the silver one is going to tell him! Have to stop him.’
“You are a monster, Naruto-kun. A monster that killed Iruka-sensei’s parents. The monster that destroyed Konoha. Now give me the scroll.”
“No! That’s not true. Iruka-sensei, it’s not true, is it?!”
“He can’t tell you. It’s forbidden. The Third made it a law after the Fourth sacrificed himself.” Sneers down at Naruto as he pulls the shuriken off his back and starts to spin it. “Give me the scroll or I will be forced to kill you.”
“Run Naruto!”
Stumbling backwards, he falls on the ground then rolls over and starts to scramble away just as the shrieking of the shuriken flying through the air is heard. He freezes and covers his head then hears a grunt from behind. Slowly, he lifts his head to look up and stares with wide eyes at Iruka.
“I’m sorry, Naruto…”
“…Why…?”
220;Because you….” Iruka stares down at him, tears forming then coughs up blood, “you deserve better.” Reaching up, he pulls the shuriken free and slowly sits up. “Run, Naruto. Go!” Shouts when he hesitates and carefully rises to his feet.
Swallowing hard, he takes off, leaving his teacher to fight against Mizuki.
“I’ll deal with you later, Iruka.” Ignoring the injuried man, he sprints down the branch and leaps, landing on another and soon is out of sight.
Suma huffs as she moves out of her hiding spot and cautiously approaches the teacher. “Iruka-sensei. We must hurry.”
The man yelps and nearly falls, clutching the shuriken tightly in his hand as he spins, wobbling in place. “Do I know you?” Warily, he stares at the large bobcat before him, shifting in order to throw the shuriken in case.
“No. However, I know you. You are Naruto’s Academy teacher. Now come along. We do not have time to waste.” She moves back in the direction the others took off in and soon is racing off, ears twitching as she catches the sounds of Iruka following. “So good of you to join me. We must stop him from catching Naruto. He is not far ahead of us. Naruto is a short distance in front of him. Come, if we go this way, we can bypass him and get in place.”
He stares straight ahead as they detour, making no sound as he follows the cat. “I’ll henge into Naruto. Catch Mizuki off-guard. You get Naruto out of here.”
“I can only try. If I was Miko or Yayoi then I would have no problem removing him from the battle area. However, I am neither panther nor tiger. My job is nearly always intelligence, sending messages or guarding.”
Iruka doesn’t answer that as they land on a tree branch, the bobcat’s head lifting to sniff at the air. “He is approaching. Be safe, Iruka-sensei.” She quickly leaps down to the ground to resume the hunt for Naruto.
“Henge.” He whispers that as he forms the seals, transforming into Naruto and glances behind him before taking off at top speed. It isn’t long before he hears someone coming up behind him and glances over his shoulder to see ‘Mizuki’ closing in. ‘He really thinks that’s going to work?’
“Naruto! Give me the scroll. It’s safe now.”
Spinning, he races at him, crashing into him and knocks both off the branches. Lands on the ground, falling against a tree as Mizuki rolls back to his feet and drops the henge.
“How did you know?”
“Because I’m the real Iruka.” He lets go of the jutsu, smirking at the other man. “Naruto is safe. You aren’t going to get to him or the scroll, Mizuki.”
“I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Reaching back, he removes the last large shuriken and starts to spin it.
“I’m going to protect Naruto with my life. You won’t find him.”
Suma stays crouching in the tree as she listens to the conversation going on from the other side of the tree. She glances down at the boy and frowns at seeing the tears. Very carefully, she peers down to see what is going on and her tail lashes as she considers what to do. Her eyes flicker back to Naruto, torn between her orders and the desire to protect. ‘Haya, you should have given me less strict orders. What should I do? Protect the boy or go guard the teacher? I can’t be in two places at once and this teacher deserves to live. He acknowledged Naruto. The first person outside of Kakashi and the Third to do so.’
The matter is taken out of her paws as Naruto suddenly bolts and kicks Mizuki just as he was about to release the shuriken, sending it spiraling skywards.
“You aren’t going to touch Iruka-sensei. I’ll kill you first.”
‘He definitely takes after his parents. Yondaime would be proud if he was here to see this.’ Her ears twist as she picks up a faint sound then lightly sniffs at the air. ‘Is someone coming? I can’t make out the scent yet.’
“I’d like to see you try, monster!”
“KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!” Hundreds of Narutos fill the clearing, surrounding Mizuki before they all attack the chuunin.
She lands quietly next to Iruka and cocks her head to the side as she watches the clones disappear rapidly. “Well that was something else to see.”
“I can’t believe he was able to do that…” His voice trails off for a moment then he calls out. “Naruto, come here.”
The boy blinks and faces his teacher, noticing the large cat next to him and shrieks. “Run Iruka-sensei! You’re going to get eaten!”
“..Naruto, she’s not going to eat me. She helped me. Now come here, I have something I want to give you.”
“Hmph! As if I would eat him. I bet he would taste terrible.”
“Really?
“I don’t eat humans. Too stringy and there is much better prey out there. However, I would make an exception for him.” Green eyes narrow as they focus on the unconscious chuunin in the middle of the clearing.
“You are not going to eat him! He’s going to go before the Hokage and be punished.” He gives her a look before turning back to Naruto and motions for him to come closer. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“I have a surprise and surprises can’t be given if your eyes are open.”
Naruto squeezes his eyes close as Iruka reaches up, removing the goggles then unties his hitai-ate to retie it around Naruto’s. Holding the goggles, he smiles, “You can open your eyes now.” Slowly blue eyes open to focus on the man before him.
“Congratulations. You graduate.”
“…..Really?!”
“Y es.”
“THANK YOU IRUKA-SENSEI! YOU’RE THE COOLEST!” Throwing his arms up, he lunges at the teacher, knocking both of them over.
“Humans. Always so emotional.”
“That’s why we’re human, cat.”
“So you decided to show yourself. Late as always, Kakashi.”
“Hm.” His single visible eye takes in the sight before him and clears his throat. “Nice hitai-ate, Naruto.”
The words are like a bucket full of ice water and Iruka is pushing Naruto off him to stare at the man standing nearby. Naruto jerks his head up and an even bigger grin spreads across his face as he races at his father. “Look! I graduated! Isn’t it great?!”
“Hai hai. You did great, Naruto.” Kakashi keeps watching the other man, seeing the changing emotions flickering across his face. “Maaaa, why don’t we go out and celebrate tomorrow? We’ll go to Ichiraku.”
“REALLY?! But but tomorrow is Wednesday! Does that mean we can’t have ramen on Saturday if we go tomorrow, tousan?!”
“Hm…well since tomorrow is a celebration dinner, I guess we can have ramen again on Saturday. Just this once, since it is a special occasion.” His eye crinkles up as he squeezes on Naruto’s shoulder and nudges him towards the scroll. “Would you like to join us, Iruka-sensei?”
“What? No no, that’s alright. I wouldn’t want to ruin your celebration dinner.”
“I insist.” Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder to see where Naruto is, he looks back at the teacher sitting by the tree. “I know that Naruto would want you there. We’ll meet you there at six. I’ll even be on time for once.”
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“Why would he want me to be there? I’ve done nothing but treat him badly since he has been in my class.”
“Maaaaaa, sensei, my son is quick to forgive people. You might think you have treated him badly but you did something few people in this village has. You acknowledged his presence. That alone gives him hope. It was not always positive but you always treated him fairly even if you were strict.”
Feeling his cheeks start to burn, he has to look down at his knees. “He reminds me of me when I was that around that age. My parents were killed by the Kyuubi. For years, I blamed that boy. I tried everything I could to get attention from anyone. He has you.”
“I’m away on missions often now that he’s older. I can’t always be with him.” Kakashi pauses as he watches Suma distract his son from returning to quickly. “May I ask a favor of you?”
“Anything.”
“When I’m away on missions, will you watch over him? I don’t trust the villagers not to try something. I usually leave one or two of my nin-dogs behind to guard him. I’d be able to focus better if I knew there was someone else besides the Third to watch him. Hokage-sama is very busy and unable to watch him often.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Good. Now let’s get this scroll back to Hokage-sama and you to the hospital.”
“Tousan! This cat is going to eat Mizuki-sensei!”
“Let her. When she falls over dead from choking on a bone, it’ll be her own fault.”
“How thoughtful of you, Kakashi, and for that, I’ll make certain to cough up the biggest hairballs in your clothing, hair and in your weapon pouches.”
“HEY! Don’t threaten my father!”
“I’d like to see you stop me, brat.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“I’ll call you whatever I please.”
“Maaaaaaa, now is not the time to start.”
“Hmph.”
“Shut up you mangy cat!”
“…….Watch your back, brat, I’m going to get you for that.”
“What?! Mangy!”
A growl fills the air before a loud shriek of pain erupts.
Iruka stays where he was sitting, staring in confusion at the scene before him. Grimacing, he shuts his eyes and thumps the back of his head firmly against the tree he’s sitting in front of. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’
“Maaa, time to go, Iruka-sensei.”
Opening his eyes, he looks straight up at the man holding a hand out to him and grasps it, allowing him to pull him to his feet. One last thought goes through his mind as he follows the taller man out of the clearing.
‘They’re insane…but it’ll be worth every moment. I hope.’
I’ve been bitten by the Naruto bug again. Currently obsessed with Shippuuden and the first few seasons, before those awful fillers kicked in. Evil fillers.
Naruto knows, by then, that he’s not Kakashi or Haya’s biological child. Once he was old enough to understand, Kakashi told him. He refers to his birth parents as otousan and okaasan. This is an almost complete AU. Still taking parts from the canon Naruto universe but it’s also veering in a completely different direction.
------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Several years later
A young blond child sits sideways on a lonely swing in the far corner of the Academy’s yard, waiting for his father to come. A sad sigh comes from him as he rests his forehead against the worn rope, his hands wrapped around it. ‘I failed again. Tousan is going to be so disappointed. I bet he wishes I wasn’t his son. Maybe I can go find kaasan. Would she want me? No...she did leave us..’
“Naruto.”
The voice calling his name doesn’t break through the child’s thoughts as he wonders how he can be a better son. ‘Tousan keeps telling me that my best is enough but what if it isn’t? What if he’s just saying that to make me feel better? He’s late again too. ….Maybe he won’t be coming to pick me up today. I should walk home but he made me…
“Naruto.“
….promise to always wait for him unless he has to go on a mission then Iruka-sensei walks me home. I’m not a child anymore! ….not a little one. Why is he making me wait? I can walk home alone….but everyone shoots me those hateful glances…why?
A hand lands on his head and roughly messes up his already spiky hair as the voice comes again. “Naruto, are you even listening?”
Naruto’s head shoots up and stares in bewilderment at his father standing there. “…You came..?”
Confusion appears in the one visible eye as Kakashi gazes down at the ten year old before him then sighs faintly. “Yes, Naruto, I came to pick you up like we agreed.” He regards the boy in front of him, noticing instantly that he is still wearing his goggles and not a Konoha forehead protector and a sad smile flickers under the mask. “Naruto, what’s wrong?”
Jerking, Naruto leaps to his feet, grabbing his schoolbag and throwing it over a shoulder then surges for the gates. “Nothing! Can we have ramen for dinner?” Shouts that over his shoulder as he bolts.
Kakashi follows at a more sedate pace, knowing that he will get what’s bothering his son out of him before the night is over. “No, we will not have ramen tonight. Ramen is only allowed on Saturday. You know the deal. Today is Tuesday and we’ll be having teriyaki with rice and vegetables. Now slow down, Naruto.” He glances to the side and locks gaze with a villager who was getting ready to throw something at Naruto. The woman hesitates before turning and stalking away. “Naruto, get back here.”
With a huff, Naruto stalks back to where his father is then whispers. “Ne, tousan?”
“Hm?”
“Why does everyone hate me?”
Silence hangs between them as Kakashi tries to figure out what to say then just places a hand on top of his head. “Maa, you’re just imagining things. No one hates you.”
“They do! No one wants to be my friend. Every time I try, they call me names and throw things. Even Iruka-sensei doesn’t like me much. Only Hinata-chan speaks me to and she stutters all the time.” Protests hotly as he glares up at his father then his shoulders slump as he kicks at the ground, whispering. “Is it because of kaasan? They hate me because kaasan left us.”
He immediately comes to a halt and reaches out, snagging Naruto by the back of his bright orange jumpsuit then spins him around to face him. Dropping to his knees so he’s on eye level with the ten year old. “Naruto, they don’t hate you because your kaasan left. There are plenty of families with only one parent. She’s not gone forever. She’s on a mission, a very important one. Haya will be back. After the mission is completed.”
“When?”
“That’s not something I can answer. Not even the Hokage knows when her mission will be over. We just have to wait and be patient.”
Watching Naruto mull over that, he rises to his feet and places his hand on top of his head then lightly nudges him forward. “Let’s get home so I can cook dinner.” Kakashi doesn’t wait for Naruto as he resumes walking towards the Tamanazi district, having not had the heart to move out of the house. A shouted ‘hey!’ and running feet makes him smile as his son catches up to him.
They pass the large wooden walls that divide Konoha from the Tamanazi clan’s land. The entire district deathly silent yet seeming to hold an echo from the past when it was full of people. Kakashi slides open the door of their house, pausing to remove his sandals before going further inside.
Naruto stops in the doorway, looking around the place he has always called home and kicking off his sandals, moves over to the large well taken care of shrine. He lights a stick of incense, placing it before the pictures of his grandparents and birth parents. He says a soft prayer in honor of their memory then backs away and goes to help his father in the kitchen. “Tousan?”
“Hm?”
“Why aren’t you and kaasan married? Like Otousan and Okaasan was?”
“Maaaa, there wasn’t time before she went away on her mission. Neither of us were ready for something like that. Maybe one day. Your kaasan is a very strong woman, she might not want to be married. Relationships don’t mean that you have to become married.” Calmly, he points that out as he begins to grill the chicken, lightly covering it with sauce and moves toward the fridge, opening it to check the contents inside. “Start the rice.”
He goes and opens the rice cooker, pouring in water and the rice before he replaces the lid and turns it on. Thinking about what he was just told. “What if you don’t like women?”
Kakashi’s head pops over the top of the fridge door, amusement warring with surprise as he stares at him then chuckles lightly, shutting the door after a moment. “If you don’t like women, you don’t like women. Preferring your own gender isn’t something bad, Naruto. There’s many same sex couples in the village. People will like who they like.”
“Everyone says you’re a porn-reading pervert, tousan. What would you know?” Tilts his head backwards to stare at his father upsidedown, a grin splitting his face as he ducks the mock swing at his head. Laughing, he runs for the living room.
Chuckling himself, he turns back to the grill and turns the meat over. “I better not catch you reading my porn!”
“NANI?! I wouldn’t read that shit even if you paid me!”
“Don’t curse.”
“MAKE ME!”
“I’ll take away your scrolls.”
“……..okay.”
̶ 0;Good boy.”
“I’M NOT A DOG!”
“Sometimes I wonder about that.”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”
“Yare yare, nothing.”
“I HEARD THAT!”
Laughter rings out from the kitchen as Naruto scowls heavily at the door separating the living room with the kitchen, arms folded across his chest. Turning, he heads upstairs to his bedroom and drops heavily onto the bed, sprawling across it. He stares up at the ceiling for a long moment then rolls over and picks up the picture resting on his small bookcase/nightstand. Trembling figures trace over the woman smiling up at him. “Kaasan, I miss you. Please come home soon.” The picture of the happy family is placed back where it belongs.
Sitting up, he puts his feet on the floor and walks over to his desk, dropping down into the chair and picks up one of the scrolls he was given. Runs his fingers over it slowly then glances at his bedroom door. Swallows as he knows that he has to tell his father he failed once more. Closes his eyes against the tears that want to come, he doesn’t notice his father entering the bedroom.
Sighing at the sight in front of him, Kakashi disregards several ideas on how to handle this before deciding just to dive in. “Naruto.” He, for once, doesn’t take any amusement over watching his son leap up, knocking the chair over. “I know what happened.” He hesitates a moment before pulling down his mask and lifts the forehead protector, revealing his face completely. Kakashi knowing that he needs to show just how serious he is right now.
Jaw dropping, Naruto stares at the figure in front of him. “Tousan?”
“I know that you failed.”
“…….”
“Narut o, I’m sure you did your best. We’ll just train more so you can try again.”
“What if I never graduate?”
“You will. Do you think that this upsets me? That you haven’t graduated yet?”
“……….”
“N aruto, I wouldn’t care if you were twenty and just graduating from the Academy. As long as you are happy, then my feelings on the matter mean nothing. This is about you. Now let me tell you something and I want you to listen. You’re my son and that’s what matters to me. I don’t want you to be another me. Or about Haya. We both graduated young, younger then you are, yes, but that’s us. The normal age to graduate is ten to twelve. You’re only ten.” Crouches next to the chair and squeezes his shoulder lightly, both eyes on his face as he tries to make him understand what was normal for Haya and himself is not what will be normal for him. “I was five when I graduated. Six when I became a chuunin and by the time I was twelve, I was already a jounin. Haya was eight when she became a genin and didn’t make chuunin until she was ten. She then waited four years to become a jounin. Don’t try to catch us, son, be yourself and go at your own pace.”
Rising to his feet he squeezes on his shoulder again then turns towards the door, heading out into the hall. “After dinner, we’ll do some training. It should almost be ready.” He doesn’t look back as he goes back downstairs, hoping that he finally got through to the boy but can only wait and see. Pulls his hitai-ate back down over his eye and checks on the food.
“Naruto, dinner.” His voice easily carrying upstairs as he carries the plate of meat and vegetables to the table then goes to fix two bowls of rice. Placing them on the table just as Naruto comes into the kitchen. Instantly knows that something else is bothering him, settling down in his chair and picks up his chopsticks. “Itadakimasu.”
Naruto starts to pick at his food, glaring at it hotly while Kakashi eats and watches him. “Ne, tousan.”
“Yes?”
“Can you teach me how to summon?”
“Oh? Why the sudden interest?”
“..I thought that maybe they’d be my friend.”
“Naruto, nin-dogs aren’t pets. Neither are most summons. I could ask Tsume if she would give one of the puppies she breds to you, if you want a friend that badly.”
“Never mind.”
“Naruto. I don’t mind teaching you how to summon Pakkun and the others but they’ll never be pets. I’m sorry.”
Crushing his chopsticks in his hand, he rises from the table and starts to head for the door. His father is suddenly standing in front of him, one arm outstretched and eye narrowed. “Sit back down.”
“Make me.”
“Naruto, I can’t change something like that. Summons aren’t pets. Familiars are a completely different story. The Inuzuka clan breds dog familiars. I’ll talk to Tsume about it. Maybe a cat? If getting a puppy doesn’t work out. The Tamanazi clan had a summoning contract with the giant cats and most are very friendly. Haya took the fan with her so that’s out of the question. For now at least.” His gaze turns from stern to thoughtful as he considers this problem, pushing Naruto back towards the table and forcing to him to sit before he reclaims his own. “Give me some time to come up with a solution.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Hm?”
“I…I’m always alone, tousan. Even you aren’t around very often now that I’m older. All those missions. What…what if something happens to you? I’ll be an orphan again. I don’t want to be alone.” His voice trembles despite his best efforts to stop it and he scrunches up his eyes tightly to stop the tears forming.
“Naruto, I can’t promise that I’ll always return. That’s out of my hands. I will, however, always try to return.” A bare moment’s pause then he’s rising to his feet. “Let’s go.”
“What?” Startled, his head comes up, staring at his father in confusion.
“You’re right. You deserve some kind of insurance if I don’t manage to come back. You’re going to learn to summon my nin-pack.” Not waiting for a response, he’s already out of the house and moving towards the forest locate at the back end of the Tamanazi district. Hearing the sound of running and smirks to himself as he removes the two scrolls he picked up on his way out of the house. One much larger then the other and it’s the larger of the two that he rolls open partial.
“Come here and sign your name.”
The blond hunches next to his father as he scribbles his name on the spot pointed out to him then yelps when his father grabs his hand and twists it around. “What are you doing?!”
“Hold still. This won’t hurt much.” Drags a kunai across his palm then places his hand firmly under his name. Lets go of his son’s hand then cuts off some bandages from around his calf, binding it around Naruto’s bleeding hand. “Now we practice. Take this.” Holds out the small scroll to him. “Watch me first then you try.” Rising to his feet, he removes his own, biting on his finger then smearing the blood across the characters as he quickly opens the scroll. Spinning the scroll around for a few moments, he tosses it up into the air causing it to roll back up then jams it onto the ground after catching it. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”
A cloud of smoke bursts out of nowhere and when it fades, a pack of eight dogs sit in the middle. The smallest of the group looks up at his master. “What do you need, boss?”
“Maa, just teaching my son how to summon you.”
“You brought us here for that?”
“If something happens to me, I want someone to be able to summon you.” Kakashi’s voice holds no argument as he crouches to roll up the scroll. “I inherited this from my father and now my son is inheriting from me.”
“He’s not your son.”
Kakashi’s head slowly comes up to fix a glare on the pug who just spoke. “He’s my son in all ways except blood.” The words come out as a near growl. “You will not say that again, Pakkun.”
The other dogs look back and forth between Pakkun and Kakashi before looking at each other and all sighing in unison. One of them finally speaks up. “Stop it, Pakkun. Naruto is important to the boss. The boss is important to us.” The speaker lifts his head to stare at the pug.
“Fine.”
“You don’t like me much, do you, Pakkun?”
“Kid, it has nothing to do with that. You’re an obnoxious, noisy brat at the best of times but you have a good heart.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, was it?”
“Depends on how you take it, brat.”
“Enough. Naruto, you’re going to try now.”
With a puff of smoke, all eight dogs vanish without another word.
He turns to the blond and places his hands on his shoulders lightly. “You don’t need the scroll to summon them unless you want them to target a specific person. Then you use the scroll. For now, just smear some blood on your hand before doing the seals then place it on the ground while focusing your chakra and expelling it into that one spot. Say Kuchiyose no Jutsu as you do that. You should be able to summon at least one of them.”
Nodding, Naruto slides the scroll into the pouch on his hip and forms the hand seals needed then drops down and jams his bloody hand on the ground. Eyes tightly closed as he focuses his chakra. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”
Smoke billows around them for a moment then vanishes, revealing a puppy.
Silence echoes between father and son as Kakashi gazes down at the tiny, barely two day old puppy. “Well that’s anti-climatic.”
“Tousan!”
“Keep trying. First, send the poor thing back.”
“How?”
“Maaa, I’ll do it.” He quickly forms the hand seals and places his palm by the puppy and with a pop, it’s gone. “I’ll show you how to send them back after you master this. Older summons can send themselves back as they please. The very young need a push in the right direction.”
Naruto plants himself more firmly on his knees then recrites the seals and places his palm on the ground as he focuses as much as he can. More smoke appears then as it clears, a small form latches itself onto Naruto’s hand. “AH! GET IT OFF!” Flails around as he slings his arm with the puppy attached.
Growling, the puppy chomps down further onto Naruto’s hand even as he’s getting swung around wildly.
“Naruto!” He grabs his shoulders, halting the movement then pries the puppy loose and glances down at it. “You know better.” Scolds the puppy in his arm lightly and stops his son from lunging and attacking. “Naruto.”
Skidding to a halt, a scowl forms on his face and folds his arms over his chest. “He bit me!”
“Hm.” Kakashi carefully looks over the puppy he’s holding and judges him to be at least seven weeks old. “You did much better this time. Not that this one would have been much help in a fight. He’s still older then the first attempt’s result.”
“Hey! I don’t want to be here any more then he wants me here.” The puppy finally speaks up, wiggling in the jounin’s arms. “Can I go home now?”
“Hai hai. Hold still and I’ll send you back.”
“Yay!”
Forming the seals slowly so Naruto can start learning them, he reverses the summoning and returns the puppy to where he belongs. “Keep practicing. Once you can summon a full grown dog, come get me.” He turns and heads back for the house.
“Nani?! Where are you going?!”
“Home. There’s things I have to do.”
“You just want to read your porn!”
“Hai hai.”
“Pervert, porn-loving bastard!”
A wave is the only response he gets before his father vanishes in a puff of smoke, signaling that he has left the forest.
“He’s not really teaching me. Showing me once or twice then leaving me alone to figure it out myself. Some father he is!”
“Do you ever realize that might be why he’s doing it? So you can figure it out on your own and become stronger in your own way?” A new voice speaks up from the shadows, startling the boy on the ground.
“Who are you? Come out! You‘re trespassing on private land!”
“Forgive me, Naruto-kun, but I thought of a way to help you graduate.” A silver haired man appears from the shadows, smiling at the blond as he approaches.
“Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help you.”
“How?” Suspicious blue eyes stare up at the man as he stays sitting on the ground, arms folded across his chest.
“There’s a scroll in Hokage Tower that has all kind of jutsus in it. It’s called the Scroll of Sealing. I’m sure if you get it, you can learn one of them and impress Iruka-sensei with it. He’ll be forced to graduate you then.”
“Really?!” He leaps to his feet and grins at the chuunin. “Thank you, Mizuki-sensei!” He bows then speeds off towards Hokage Tower.
Mizuki smiles slowly, pausing to glance over his shoulder and carefully leaves the compound before his presence is sensed.
Hours later
In the darkness, a pair of eyes appear, glowing brightly as the full moon emerges from the clouds. A bobcat jumps out of the shadows of the tree she was in, pausing to sniff at the ground. Her head lifts as she studies the mix of scents then growls softly. She turns to gaze in the direction Mizuki took then glances towards the house Kakashi is in, wondering for a moment if she should go get him. With a shake of her head, she turns and darts after Naruto. Her mistress having left her as a silent guardian before she left.
Suma lands on a roof at the edge of the Tamanazi compound and sniffs at the air just as several forms race past her. Her head turns to watch them before glancing back in the direction they came from. ‘Did he get to the scroll already? I must hurry. If only I had not been patrolling the far edge of the compound!’
She zeros in on Naruto’s scent and leaps off, following the trail into the woods. Voices float through the air and she comes to a halt, crouching then creeps forward, listening to the three male voices. ‘Naruto…his Academy sensei and the third…is the strange scent that was back at the compound. Damn, I should have went to get Kakashi. I can’t take on two adults by myself. What….? No, the silver one is going to tell him! Have to stop him.’
“You are a monster, Naruto-kun. A monster that killed Iruka-sensei’s parents. The monster that destroyed Konoha. Now give me the scroll.”
“No! That’s not true. Iruka-sensei, it’s not true, is it?!”
“He can’t tell you. It’s forbidden. The Third made it a law after the Fourth sacrificed himself.” Sneers down at Naruto as he pulls the shuriken off his back and starts to spin it. “Give me the scroll or I will be forced to kill you.”
“Run Naruto!”
Stumbling backwards, he falls on the ground then rolls over and starts to scramble away just as the shrieking of the shuriken flying through the air is heard. He freezes and covers his head then hears a grunt from behind. Slowly, he lifts his head to look up and stares with wide eyes at Iruka.
“I’m sorry, Naruto…”
“…Why…?”
220;Because you….” Iruka stares down at him, tears forming then coughs up blood, “you deserve better.” Reaching up, he pulls the shuriken free and slowly sits up. “Run, Naruto. Go!” Shouts when he hesitates and carefully rises to his feet.
Swallowing hard, he takes off, leaving his teacher to fight against Mizuki.
“I’ll deal with you later, Iruka.” Ignoring the injuried man, he sprints down the branch and leaps, landing on another and soon is out of sight.
Suma huffs as she moves out of her hiding spot and cautiously approaches the teacher. “Iruka-sensei. We must hurry.”
The man yelps and nearly falls, clutching the shuriken tightly in his hand as he spins, wobbling in place. “Do I know you?” Warily, he stares at the large bobcat before him, shifting in order to throw the shuriken in case.
“No. However, I know you. You are Naruto’s Academy teacher. Now come along. We do not have time to waste.” She moves back in the direction the others took off in and soon is racing off, ears twitching as she catches the sounds of Iruka following. “So good of you to join me. We must stop him from catching Naruto. He is not far ahead of us. Naruto is a short distance in front of him. Come, if we go this way, we can bypass him and get in place.”
He stares straight ahead as they detour, making no sound as he follows the cat. “I’ll henge into Naruto. Catch Mizuki off-guard. You get Naruto out of here.”
“I can only try. If I was Miko or Yayoi then I would have no problem removing him from the battle area. However, I am neither panther nor tiger. My job is nearly always intelligence, sending messages or guarding.”
Iruka doesn’t answer that as they land on a tree branch, the bobcat’s head lifting to sniff at the air. “He is approaching. Be safe, Iruka-sensei.” She quickly leaps down to the ground to resume the hunt for Naruto.
“Henge.” He whispers that as he forms the seals, transforming into Naruto and glances behind him before taking off at top speed. It isn’t long before he hears someone coming up behind him and glances over his shoulder to see ‘Mizuki’ closing in. ‘He really thinks that’s going to work?’
“Naruto! Give me the scroll. It’s safe now.”
Spinning, he races at him, crashing into him and knocks both off the branches. Lands on the ground, falling against a tree as Mizuki rolls back to his feet and drops the henge.
“How did you know?”
“Because I’m the real Iruka.” He lets go of the jutsu, smirking at the other man. “Naruto is safe. You aren’t going to get to him or the scroll, Mizuki.”
“I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Reaching back, he removes the last large shuriken and starts to spin it.
“I’m going to protect Naruto with my life. You won’t find him.”
Suma stays crouching in the tree as she listens to the conversation going on from the other side of the tree. She glances down at the boy and frowns at seeing the tears. Very carefully, she peers down to see what is going on and her tail lashes as she considers what to do. Her eyes flicker back to Naruto, torn between her orders and the desire to protect. ‘Haya, you should have given me less strict orders. What should I do? Protect the boy or go guard the teacher? I can’t be in two places at once and this teacher deserves to live. He acknowledged Naruto. The first person outside of Kakashi and the Third to do so.’
The matter is taken out of her paws as Naruto suddenly bolts and kicks Mizuki just as he was about to release the shuriken, sending it spiraling skywards.
“You aren’t going to touch Iruka-sensei. I’ll kill you first.”
‘He definitely takes after his parents. Yondaime would be proud if he was here to see this.’ Her ears twist as she picks up a faint sound then lightly sniffs at the air. ‘Is someone coming? I can’t make out the scent yet.’
“I’d like to see you try, monster!”
“KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!” Hundreds of Narutos fill the clearing, surrounding Mizuki before they all attack the chuunin.
She lands quietly next to Iruka and cocks her head to the side as she watches the clones disappear rapidly. “Well that was something else to see.”
“I can’t believe he was able to do that…” His voice trails off for a moment then he calls out. “Naruto, come here.”
The boy blinks and faces his teacher, noticing the large cat next to him and shrieks. “Run Iruka-sensei! You’re going to get eaten!”
“..Naruto, she’s not going to eat me. She helped me. Now come here, I have something I want to give you.”
“Hmph! As if I would eat him. I bet he would taste terrible.”
“Really?
“I don’t eat humans. Too stringy and there is much better prey out there. However, I would make an exception for him.” Green eyes narrow as they focus on the unconscious chuunin in the middle of the clearing.
“You are not going to eat him! He’s going to go before the Hokage and be punished.” He gives her a look before turning back to Naruto and motions for him to come closer. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“I have a surprise and surprises can’t be given if your eyes are open.”
Naruto squeezes his eyes close as Iruka reaches up, removing the goggles then unties his hitai-ate to retie it around Naruto’s. Holding the goggles, he smiles, “You can open your eyes now.” Slowly blue eyes open to focus on the man before him.
“Congratulations. You graduate.”
“…..Really?!”
“Y es.”
“THANK YOU IRUKA-SENSEI! YOU’RE THE COOLEST!” Throwing his arms up, he lunges at the teacher, knocking both of them over.
“Humans. Always so emotional.”
“That’s why we’re human, cat.”
“So you decided to show yourself. Late as always, Kakashi.”
“Hm.” His single visible eye takes in the sight before him and clears his throat. “Nice hitai-ate, Naruto.”
The words are like a bucket full of ice water and Iruka is pushing Naruto off him to stare at the man standing nearby. Naruto jerks his head up and an even bigger grin spreads across his face as he races at his father. “Look! I graduated! Isn’t it great?!”
“Hai hai. You did great, Naruto.” Kakashi keeps watching the other man, seeing the changing emotions flickering across his face. “Maaaa, why don’t we go out and celebrate tomorrow? We’ll go to Ichiraku.”
“REALLY?! But but tomorrow is Wednesday! Does that mean we can’t have ramen on Saturday if we go tomorrow, tousan?!”
“Hm…well since tomorrow is a celebration dinner, I guess we can have ramen again on Saturday. Just this once, since it is a special occasion.” His eye crinkles up as he squeezes on Naruto’s shoulder and nudges him towards the scroll. “Would you like to join us, Iruka-sensei?”
“What? No no, that’s alright. I wouldn’t want to ruin your celebration dinner.”
“I insist.” Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder to see where Naruto is, he looks back at the teacher sitting by the tree. “I know that Naruto would want you there. We’ll meet you there at six. I’ll even be on time for once.”
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“Why would he want me to be there? I’ve done nothing but treat him badly since he has been in my class.”
“Maaaaaa, sensei, my son is quick to forgive people. You might think you have treated him badly but you did something few people in this village has. You acknowledged his presence. That alone gives him hope. It was not always positive but you always treated him fairly even if you were strict.”
Feeling his cheeks start to burn, he has to look down at his knees. “He reminds me of me when I was that around that age. My parents were killed by the Kyuubi. For years, I blamed that boy. I tried everything I could to get attention from anyone. He has you.”
“I’m away on missions often now that he’s older. I can’t always be with him.” Kakashi pauses as he watches Suma distract his son from returning to quickly. “May I ask a favor of you?”
“Anything.”
“When I’m away on missions, will you watch over him? I don’t trust the villagers not to try something. I usually leave one or two of my nin-dogs behind to guard him. I’d be able to focus better if I knew there was someone else besides the Third to watch him. Hokage-sama is very busy and unable to watch him often.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Good. Now let’s get this scroll back to Hokage-sama and you to the hospital.”
“Tousan! This cat is going to eat Mizuki-sensei!”
“Let her. When she falls over dead from choking on a bone, it’ll be her own fault.”
“How thoughtful of you, Kakashi, and for that, I’ll make certain to cough up the biggest hairballs in your clothing, hair and in your weapon pouches.”
“HEY! Don’t threaten my father!”
“I’d like to see you stop me, brat.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“I’ll call you whatever I please.”
“Maaaaaaa, now is not the time to start.”
“Hmph.”
“Shut up you mangy cat!”
“…….Watch your back, brat, I’m going to get you for that.”
“What?! Mangy!”
A growl fills the air before a loud shriek of pain erupts.
Iruka stays where he was sitting, staring in confusion at the scene before him. Grimacing, he shuts his eyes and thumps the back of his head firmly against the tree he’s sitting in front of. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’
“Maaa, time to go, Iruka-sensei.”
Opening his eyes, he looks straight up at the man holding a hand out to him and grasps it, allowing him to pull him to his feet. One last thought goes through his mind as he follows the taller man out of the clearing.
‘They’re insane…but it’ll be worth every moment. I hope.’