Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Iruka's obsession ❯ Part 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Part 11

 

The persistent knocking on the door forced Iruka to sit up in bed and switch on the night light on his bedside lamp. He groggily looked at the alarm clock, noted that it was three in the morning and picked up his weapons belt before answering door. He pulled open the door, wondered who was bothering him at this ungodly hour and hoped it wasn't anything serious. No one came knocking at such an hour unless it was a village emergency or someone was dying on his door step. Either one was unlikely, since it had been a relatively quiet night, and he had not heard anything to suggest otherwise. And even if the village was in some sort of crisis, the first person to be awakened would not be the chuunin school teacher.

 

Unless Konoha was under attack from a group of diaper-wearing super-babies…

 

Iruka jerked open the door, kunai in hand to see something equally bad - Mighty Gai standing on his doorstep with a Hokage mission scroll in his hand.

 

“Good Morning, Iruka-sensei.”

 

Iruka almost stepped back and slammed the door but instead settled for a, “Go away and come back at a decent time.” He was barely dressed, in a pair of sleep pants and a sleeveless vest, and his hair was falling all over his face, blocking most of his vision. He would have felt self-conscious if he had not been too sleepy to care.

 

“I see why my rival's frozen heart melted at your sight,” Gai said with a blinding smile.

 

“What can I do for you, Gai-sensei?” Iruka forced out reluctantly.

 

“I'm here to give you your mission details,” Gai boomed as he thrust a scroll towards Iruka. He really didn't have any other choice; he took it, broke the seal and unrolled it. The room was still in semi-darkness, so he reached for the wall switch and switched on the main lights.

 

Then realizing he was being an extremely bad host, he pulled back and smiled. “Why don't you come in, Gai-sensei?”

 

“Don't mind if I do,” Gai said, stepping in, looking around with unconcealed curiosity. Iruka felt a little ill at ease as the jounin surveyed his surroundings, taking in Iruka's collection of little knickknacks on the windowsills, the mismatched furniture and the overflowing bookcase. “They were going to give me Neji, but there is some sort of ceremony at the Hyuugas', and he had to pull out. I specifically asked for you, sensei, when Tsunade informed me that the team was short by one member.”

 

Iruka wondered if the Hyuuga ceremony was for stamping an `x' on Ami's forehead then pushed aside the stray thought so he could concentrate on the scroll in hand. He focused on it closely and gasped when he saw the top left corner. “I've been assigned an A-rank mission,” he said in disbelief.

 

“Tsunade-sama was impressed with the way you handled the Mist-nin, and when I requested you ,she agreed readily.” Gai had requested him personally - he was somewhat pleased. Then he realized that the details of the mission were hidden, which meant only the mission leader would know them. It was an extraction mission; the team was supposed to get someone out of somewhere at a specific location for some unknown purpose. He looked up and frowned, ready to voice his objection, then stopped, blushing when he become conscious of what was in Gai's hand.

 

“Iruka-sensei,” Gai said in a loud voice, which probably had the neighboring chuunin reach for their wooden- handled weapons to knock on their walls. “I see you have similar reading interests as Kakashi.”

 

He really should have hidden his Icha Icha books or at least put a different cover on them. He just hadn't expected someone to visit him without announcing it beforehand. “I…” Iruka blushed then looked away. “It was just something confiscated from a student.” Iruka said weakly as the man pulled out his bookmark, with the Konoha academy logo on it. Iruka gave up on saving his dignity and decided to concentrate on the mission details instead. As expected, he was teamed with Mighty Gai, but the second member of the team surprised him. Then Iruka realized why he had been invited on the mission, especially by a jounin who had not noticed his existence a week and a half ago.

 

People had always invited him to be the third person on a date because he was steady, unassuming and never tried to prey on another person's boyfriend or girlfriend. He was the perfect “safe” friend who would chaperone from a distance and move away when not needed.

 

“Uh,” Iruka forced out with false cheer. Just because his love life was over before it started did not mean he was jealous of everyone else's. “Congratulations, Gai-sensei. A mission with Shizune is just what you must have wanted.”

 

“What?” Gai looked up from his examination of Iruka's paperweight, which had started off as a vase from the handicrafts class, and gave the impression of being slightly down at the mention of the medi-nin. “No, no,” he said hastily. “It's not what you think, sensei. While I did request you personally because you know my love for Shizune, it was because it would have been tedious to have to explain the situation to someone else. You, who have suffered a broken heart, would understand the pain and the suffering I will undergo as I have been paired off with her…”

 

Understanding dawned on Iruka. “You asked her?” he said already guessing the answer.

 

“She was very nice to me.” Tears shone in Gai's eyes. “She told me that our Hokage could not function without her and she was also working in the hospital so had little spare time for a relationship…”

 

“That doesn't seem too bad,” Iruka said cautiously.

 

“But as I was leaving, I heard her tell Tsunade-sama that she did not like green,” Gai wailed.

 

“Green is an underrated color,” Iruka agreed feeling a little stunned as he tried hard not to laugh.

 

“Then they laughed,” Gai continued, sounding heartbroken. “They both laughed - that I'd dared to propose her. I was a source of amusement to her…”

 

“She probably didn't mean it,” Iruka said hastily, putting down the scroll to move forward and pat Gai rather awkwardly on the shoulder. “There, there ….I'm sure she doesn't mean it. She's just…”

 

“She doesn't like me,” Gai said in a stunned voice. “She thinks I'm amusing …nice, and entertaining, but …but…”

 

“It's not that bad,” Iruka said encouragingly. “At least no one's paying her to take care of you,” he muttered under his breath.

 

“When Neji turned down the mission, I thought -why not someone who understands --like you,” Gai, seated on the couch, continued despondently. “We could sit by the fire and swap manly stories about being rejected.”

 

Iruka hastily glanced at the scroll. A maximum of two weeks was allocated, barring acts of God. Iruka thought of fourteen nights of campfires, retelling stories of his failures and smiled weakly. “I'll get us some tea.”

 

“No, no,” Gai standing up with a spring. “I must finish my daily routine before getting ready for the mission. Be at the main gates by opening time with your equipment. Pack for a camping trip. This is going to be the mission of my life where I finally convince my true love of my intentions. If I fail, I promise to run around the village five hundred times on my knuckles.”

 

Iruka nodded helplessly.

 

“Oh,” said Gai as if remembering something interesting. “I'm the team leader for this mission, and I will tell you where we've going when we get there.” He walked backwards towards the door. “The springtime of our youth will be spent in worthy causes to serve our village to our utmost …”

 

Iruka shut the door on Gai's face as he was in mid-speech and sat down on the closest chair. He reread the mission specs to understand the possible natural obstacles they might encounter and the special clothing and equipment they needed to survive. It had been a while since he'd gone out on a mission, and it would be a nice change from his drab existence.

 

He briefly entertained the idea that they might be going to rescue Kakashi from some hideous dungeon then gave himself a rueful smile. The mission brief said retrieval not rescue, and a jounin, a jounin-level medi-nin and a chuunin sounded like an implausible combination for a rescue mission for Hakate Kakashi. It was more likely they were escorting some important person from one end of the country to the other.

 

He looked at the wall clock and sighed. There was plenty of time - but he was far too awake to do anything resembling sleep, so he decided to pull out every weapon in his stash and go over them one by one. He hadn't used some of them in some time.

 

It wouldn't be that bad, Iruka reflected. He did not feel as awkward around Gai as he usually did after their talks, and the spandex-clad man seemed more human now. He seemed much more approachable and, unlike some of the jounin, did not seem to focus on rank too much. And while Gai seemed insensitive at times, he also seemed a decent shinobi all around. And Shizune was one of the best medi-nins available, second to only Tsunade at the moment, though there was hope for Sakura yet. Overall, it was not going to be bad mission, Iruka finally decided.

 

He left for the main gate early with Izumo and Kotetsu, who were on gate duty that morning. Iruka knew for a fact that the two had emerged from Izumo's flat, hung over from a night of drinking. He had noticed that more and more, the pair seemed to be in the habit of getting drunk and crashing at each other's places; perhaps even when they were not drunk. But so far, it seemed to be just that, two friends sleeping over, and Iruka thought it too early to tease them about it. Those two had been together since genin days, and he did not think whatever was happening with them was anything casual.

 

He found himself a little excited as he reached the gate to find his two team mates waiting for him. “Good morning Shizune-sama,” Iruka greeted the female first. “Good morning, Gai-sensei.”

 

“TEAM,” Gai bellowed. “First rule, we do not use titles of honor on this trip. We are all ninjas of Konoha, serving our village the best we can, so we will address each other as equals. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?”

 

“Yes Gai-sensei,” bellowed Iruka, Shizune, Izumo and Kotetsu.

 

“Well then,” said Gai giving them a blinding smile. “Let's go.”

 

They set off at a reasonable pace, steadily jumping from branch to branch without much hurry. Iruka did not get much information about the mission, apart from the fact that they were meeting a person with information from a place near the Water country.

 

“Are we going to the border?” Iruka inquired warily.

 

“There's a tricky bit of water between us and the Water[1] Country,” Gai said with a smile. “Hard to cross if the person does not have chakra to depend on. So we're going there.”

 

“We're meeting a civilian spy?” Iruka inquired.

 

“Something like that,” Shizune said evasively, and Iruka remembered the need-to-know aspect of the mission.

 

“Sorry,” he said concentrating on landing on a tree branch which had a nest on it.

 

“Did you bring the scroll?” Gai asked Shizune in the ensuing awkward silence. Iruka knew enough not to ask what scroll.

 

“Yes,” said the medi-nin with a nod. “In my backpack - but I don't think we'll need it.”

 

“I believe in being prepared for the worst,” Gai said with enthusiasm as if the worst was something to look forward to.

 

“I'm sure you do,” Shizune said a little tartly, and Iruka watched the jounin's face fall.

 

“If we're going to the meeting spot today,” Iruka hastily intervened. “Why do we have a two-week duration for the mission?”

 

“Because our contact might not be able to get out at the exact time,” Gai explained.

 

Iruka frowned, remembering that the mission scroll had mentioned something about transporting the person from one place to another. Were they escorting a civilian who was fleeing his home country with information? But he decided to put such speculations aside as they continued on towards their destination.

 

They reached the rendezvous spot a little before dusk and decided to set up camp in a small clearing they found in the woods. They had chosen a spot close to the river which acted as a border between the two countries. The river fed both Fire country tributaries, and the other side of the river was considered no-mans-land, a neutral territory between the two uneasy allies.

 

Gai distributed their work fairly; Iruka was in charge of perimeter security - he was to set up some early-warning systems without using chakra which would alert even the most incurious passerby. Shizune was in charge of setting up camp - the tents and the fire. Gai collected firewood and cooked them all an astonishing meal -- even better than what Iruka prepared at home--from their dried rations, which weren't the most palatable on the best of days.

 

“I didn't know you could cook,” Shizune said, sounding surprised, as they sat by the campfire eating their meal.

 

“There are a lot of things you don't know about me,” Gai said a little sadly but then turned to serve Iruka some more, breaking the moment before it was properly formed.

 

Unlike what Iruka feared, they did not swap depressing events of their lives while sitting in a circle around the campfire. Instaed, they told amusing stories about past missions…

 

“…came to Tsunde-sama and asked her if she could sew his foreskin back on. Seems he didn't want to be circumcised anymore…”

 

Argued over things theyh ad in common

 

“Naruto definitely loves Sakura—“

 

“No, no, my fine friend, his only love is the delicious noodle in broth—“

 

“Oh, you two are blind! Any woman can see it!...It's that Uchiha boy he's…”

 

…and once in a while Iruka would see Shizune look at Gai oddly as if seeing the man for the first time. He smiled to himself and thought, You turned down a good man, Shizune-sama.

 

…and, finally, sleep.

 

Iruka woke up at the same time Gai did and rolled in his bedroll, reaching for his weapons pouch. Shizune awoke as the other two came to their feet and reached for her backpack quietly. The sun was rising in the east, and the faint light streaming in through the leafy canopy colored their world a blurry-green. It was still early in the morning, an excellent time to catch them unaware, Iruka was sure, since most people were known to sleep deeply just before dawn.

 

“What is it?” Shizune asked, looking around in the semi-darkness.

 

“Someone sprang my traps,” Iruka replied in a low voice.

 

“I didn't hear anything.”

 

“I designed the traps so if they were sprung, I'd be the only one to know,” Iruka replied with a shrug, not bothering to tell her that he'd tied a string which lead from the traps to his big toe.

 

“How many do you count, Iruka-sensei?” Gai asked in a normal voice.

 

Iruka bit back the urge to tell the older man to whisper, since it was probably useless, and said in a low-pitched voice, “I counted nine all around us - apart from the obvious opening in front of us.”

 

“I'd say a few more behind the first wave,” Gai said, dropping his voice. “What do you think? Fight?”

 

“Too dark,” Iruka said with a frown. “They already know the territory if they're from here.”

 

“We had better avoid a confrontation with them so close to a large body of water,” Gai agreed. “If they are the ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village, some of their strongest ninjutsu is based on water.”

 

“I didn't think you were the type to back off from a fight, Gai,” Shizune sounded stunned. Iruka was equally taken aback but decided not to voice his astonishment.

 

“I'm not so vain I'd let me fellow ninja and my mission go awry in my search of a fight,” Gai scoffed loudly, and Iruka could see again that this side of the jounin was new to the medi-nin. It was new to him as well, but Gai hadn't exactly proposed to Iruka.

 

“We have to break through their ranks,” Shizune observed. “And move away from the river as fast as possible. If we get herded into it…”

 

“If we move into Konoha they might not attack us unless they want to declare war on us,” Iruka said thoughtfully. “Maybe they don't intend to let us get onto safe ground.”

 

“We have no choice but to fight back,” Gai observed. “Shizune and I'll take the front - unless, sensei, you are well-versed in offensive fighting.”

 

“I'll watch your back,” Iruka said without missing a beat. No matter what the situation, he knew exactly what his strengths were, and he was not the sort that utilized brute strength or berserker attacks. He silently palmed his kunai and crouched low. His low chakra made it difficult for most to detect him on most occasions, and he could bring it down even more when needed. In the confusion Gai and Shizune were about to create, Iruka was sure he could sneak up from behind for a surprise attack.

 

“Did they find him?” Shizune asked as the prepared for their attack. “Do you think…”

 

“It could be a regular border patrol, and perhaps we were careless,” Gai said confidently. “We did not specify a meeting point so …”

 

“Now,” said Shizune moving forward in the blink of an eye. Never having seen her in actual combat, Iruka was impressed by the speed with which she moved. Her needles were flying in a half arc, even as she moved forward swiftly.

 

“KONOHA WHIRLWIND!” As expected from Gai, Iruka thought as he ducked lower. If the fight was to continue at this rate, he might not need to do anything, Iruka speculated as a ninja hidden in the branches dropped heavily down. Shizune might lace her needles with sleeping potion instead of poison, but it was just as effective in a fight to knock out an opponent.

 

Still, Iruka decided to move secretly behind the enemy just in case. He sank lower to the ground then froze when he realized something. He had really sunk into the ground - up to his ankles.

 

Oh shit, water ninjutsu…he looked up to see Shizune was also in the same predicament as he was, so there was no need for him to shout a warning. There were one or more water users in the group and they were using the water from the nearby river to turn the ground they were standing on into mud. Mud laced with chakra, as gripping as super glue and nearly impossible to break free from. Iruka automatically fell back to what he'd learned when Kakashi had stuck him to the box in the bottom of the academy basement. He concentrated on breaking down the chakra around his feet and absorbing it into him. It was slow going, since the mud was constantly rotating, pulling him deeper into the ground. He was sunk up to mid calf on one leg, listening to Gai take down enemies around him, as he pulled free. One of his sandals was lost in the mud, and he was in the danger of sinking back in as soon as he'd broken free.

 

Using the water-walking technique, Iruka ran over to Shizune to help her out when the ground underneath gave a heave. Iruka fell onto his butt in an undignified heap - both of Shizune's legs snapped like dry kindling, and he heard the double snap reverberate even as she screamed in pain.

 

Iruka jumped to his feet and then moved swiftly in front of the fallen medi-nin, shielding her from the kunai that came toward her. He parried them all away, knowing that should he move, they might pierce her in her helpless state. He threw a couple of shuriken in the direction from which the kunai had originated, though he had little hope of hitting the target.

 

“Sensei.” Shizune's voice was surprisingly calm. “I'm free.” Iruka turned around fearing the worst, and though it wasn't as bad as he'd expected, it was slightly distressing. Her legs were free of the mud but they were both broken messily, white bone showing through the skin, caked with mud, but still visible enough. “I need to set the bones before I can heal my legs,” she explained. “I've cut off the pain receptors and blood supply to the lower legs, which is the best I can do right now. If you can help me…”

 

Gai landed on the mud next to her, picking her up in one clean move and tossing her over his shoulder. Iruka winced at the jarring her already broken legs were undergoing, but he knew they did not have time to stop and give first aid. Instead, nodding to Gai to show he understood, he leapt up, intending to reach a tree branch.

 

It was then that a body of water hit them. It was a sheer mountain of water, taller than the tallest building in Konoha, and churning in the brown water, Iruka could see floating logs, rocks and even fish.

 

“Oh my God,” Iruka thought as the water hit them. “They brought the river down on us.”

 

 

[1] I for starters have no idea where the Hidden village of the Waterfall is. I assumed it'd be in the Water country. This village was shown in the second special. The village is hidden behind a waterfall, and the entrance is hidden so ninjas from other villages can't attack the village of the Waterfall. I know it's near the Konoha border, because it's mentioned in one of the filler arcs where Tsunade fears an attack from the village and moves Gai and all the senior ninja to guard the border. Episodes 197-200 arc.

 

A/N - The next few Chapters are being processed but I do have a nice Gundam Wing fanfic which I have ignored for a long, long time. I need to put up a chapter even though I balk at the idea of writing a threesome. (Er…never mind) Chapter 12 will be posted day after tomorrow. Thursday - local time.