All characters belong to the creators of Naruto not me.
AN: this idea came to me a while ago and I just had to write it. I've always thought of Iruka as the fatherly type and I just see him watching over Naruto like a dad.
If you were to enter Iruka's apartment you would find yourself in a very neat and clean place. The wall are painted white, the furniture is a light shade of green and the wood floors have the look of being freshly mopped.
In the guest room/office is Iruka's desk, it's a large piece of furniture that holds what Iruka liked to call an "organized mess". Stacks of papers that still need to be graded are everywhere, shielding the desktop from view. Smaller piles of already graded papers sit on the floor next to the desk and are waiting to be returned to their owners.
Empty coffee cups and dirty plates with bits of food still on them are scattered around the room as testimony to many late nights and long hours Iruka spent to help his students become better ninja.
Now all this seems ordinary for a teachers home, especially one that's single, but in the office room on the opposite wall from the desk and next to the window stands a bookshelf. On the shelves sit about a dozen pictures. All the pictures were of a blond boy with bright blue eyes and three whisker like lines on each cheek.
The youngest smiling face looked like it was taken when the child was near the age of eight. The boy had a smile that reached from ear to ear and he held a paint brush in his hand that was dripping with orange paint (there was also orange paint in the boys hair), in the back ground the Hokage tower could be seen with the name NARUTO painted across the side in large orange letters.
On the second shelf was a picture that had been taken in the Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, it was one of Iruka's favorites as it showed the now legendary rookie nine.
Picture
Naruto and Sasuke were standing on either side of Sakura who was sitting on a stool, Naruto had a big grin on his face while Sasuke had a more smirk like smile, Sakura was smiling sweetly with her hands folded in her lap.
Next sat Ino on the middle stool, she was winking to the camera and her hands were on her knees. In front of Ino was Shikamaru who had a board look on his face but he also had a smile and next to him ,with a bag of chips in hand, was Choji who was also smiling.
Sitting on the third stool was Hinata, she was smiling with a slight blush on her face and her forefingers pressed together. Shino was standing next to her, his hands in his pockets and his face was hidden behind his collar. Kiba was kneeling down in front of Hinata with Akamaru standing next to him, his smile was big enough to show his fanglike teeth.
Iruka was surprised that he was able to get that photo as it was a miracle they were all together and pure luck that he happened to have his camera with him.
There were also pictures from holiday's, birthdays and other important events in his and Naruto's lives.
Placed along side the pictures were things that held value only to Iruka. Fathers day cards made out of construction paper and written in crayons. A nine year olds' clay figurine of what looks like a fish with pointed ears that is in actuality a cat because the sculptor told Iruka what it was when he gave it to him for a Christmas gift. Glass marbles found in the park, bottle caps from shared drinks and other items with similar backgrounds were placed on the shelves.
On the top shelf next to a picture of Naruto when he was twelve was Iruka's most prized possession. It was a pair of goggles that had been traded years earlier for a forehead protector. That night Iruka had seen the great potential Naruto possessed and he realized Naruto would not only become a great ninja but also one of the greatest ninjas the village hidden in the leaves had ever seen.
The newest addition to the collection of photos was that of Naruto as an adult. It had been taken the day he had been named the sixth Hokage. He was standing on top of the Hokage's tower in the traditional white robe over his orange jacket and pants with the Hokage hat tilted up so to show his face. That day he had never been so proud of Naruto and what he had managed to accomplish. After all those years of hard work and hardships he had finally reached his goal, now everyone recognized him and gave him the respect he deserved. That picture quickly became Iruka's favorite.
These photographs held random moments in time forever frozen and put on display by Iruka like any other proud parent would do.
Late at night when he feels like he's never going to finish grading papers Iruka fixes himself a cup of tea and he takes a break. His eyes drift to the window and then to the shelves. A small smile comes to his lips and Iruka sighs as he thinks of the old days. After he reminisces for a while he finishes his tea and goes back to work.
Across the village is the Hokage's office. When Naruto is working late on unfinished paperwork he finds his eyes traveling from the papers to three pictures almost hidden behind the stacks of papers. One is of team seven taken just after they first met, another is of Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi while the three were having a drink together and the third picture is of a smiling young teacher with a scar running across his nose. Sitting next to the teacher was a young blond boy who was grinning ear to ear with a bowl of ramen in his hands.
The Hokage then sits back in his chair and stretches his arms. As he rests his eyes focus on the photo of Iruka and himself. With a smile Naruto goes back to work, his mind traveling to his younger days and he thinks about taking Iruka out for some ramen.
What do you think?