Iruka strolled down the streets of Konoha's bazaar. It was crowded as people flocked to buy the goods sold there. Every weekend the bazaar burst into life, teeming with foreign and local merchants alike. Iruka thought back to the events after the horrendous battle with Mizuki. Naruto was not Naruto, but Naruko, a girl.

Flashback

Iruka tried his best to stand up. But something must have been pressed against his nerves or something severed, because the feeling in his left foot and right arm was minimal. It was almost as if they didn't exist. Somehow, he was able to stand, pressing his weight on his right leg as he held a giant tree branch for a crutch in his left. His steps were slow and unsteady, but somehow he managed to walk to where Naruko was.

She was passed out from chakra exhaustion. Her breathing was ragged and quick. Iruka touched her forehead with the back of his palm. He frowned as it was warm. Naruko has used too much chakra in the battle and is suffering from minor chakra withdrawal. She had chakra burns on both her palms and parts of her face from the extensive use of the Katon jutsu.

Iruka carried her with his good hand, tucked under his arms as he fought from passing out from the bleeding wound from his back. He headed or the Hokage's office, as this is delicate matter regarding an S-class secret- the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

To say the Hokage was worried was an understatement. He was pacing left and right inside his office, waiting for the ninjas he dispatched out to report in. It had been quite some time already, but no one had reported in.

Iruka suddenly barged in the door, swinging his crutch at the Hokage's assistant menacingly as the young woman tried to block his entry.

"Hokage-sama!" he screamed. "I have the Forbidden Scroll with me!"

"Leave us," the old man ordered his assistant. The woman nodded and promptly exited the room, but not before giving Iruka a glare, slamming the door on her way out.

"Hokage-sama," he began as he released Naruko from his hold. The Hokage took her immediately, and placed her on the couch.

"Oh, I am so going to regret this," the old man said as he took out a scroll. He unwrapped it, and revealed the content inside. It bore the kanji for 'Man' in the center, surrounded by two half drawn semi circles and many other incantations and seals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

A middle aged woman appeared in the room. She was dressed in a black kimono and a white lab coat. She looked at the office before turning to the Hokage and glared at him.

"What would you have done if I was naked?!" he scolded both men. Both men turned beet red and looked away from the physician.

"I am aware that possibility exists," the Hokage said. "I would not have risked summoning you if it was not important."

"Eboshi-sama," Iruka said, getting both their attentions. "About Naruto's condition…" He left the sentence hanging. Eboshi turned to the couch, where Naruko laid unconscious. Her hands began to glow green as she slowly healed her injuries.

"Chakra exhaustion," she stated. "How did she get chakra exhaustion?"

"Well, Mizuki had tricked her into stealing the Scroll for him," Iruka began as he thought back to the battle. "Naruto wouldn't hand it over once she found out, so they fought. I tried to interfere as well, hoping to buy time for her to run, but was easily defeated. Naruto battled Mizuki before eventually killing him with a Katon jutsu."

"It still doesn't answer why she used up all her chakra," Eboshi stated as her brows furrowed.

"Well, at the same time Naruto casted the Endan, Mizuki casted Gokakyuu to fight. They were at a standstill for quite some time. Naruto eventually found an opportunity in Mizuki's lapse of concentration and pushed all her chakra into the technique, effectively killing Mizuki," Iruka explained.

To say the lady was furious was a major understatement.

"ARE YOU BOTH CRAZY?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She pointed a finger at Iruka. "WHY DID YOU NOT STOP THEM? YOU ARE BOTH EXTREMELY LUCKY THE COLLISSION DID NOT CAUSE A MASSIVE FIREBALL EXPLOSION!"

The Hokage was silent as he smoked on his wooden pipe. This was something he did not expect from his ninjas.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Sarutobi ordered sternly. Iruka nodded and started telling the story as Eboshi worked on Naruko's injuries. She analyzed the young blonde girl in front of her. The chakra burns on her palms and around her face was a small problem, as it can be healed easily by a skilled medic such as herself or Tsunade. The chakra exhaustion however, is another problem. To a normal person, chakra exhaustion will require weeks to heal. It simply was just not something a normal person could cope with. That was the reason soldier pills were invented.

"Iruka," Eboshi began, causing Iruka to stop midsentence and looked at her. Suddenly she was in front of him, her hands around his neck in a light chokehold. "IF you ever tell anyone that Naruto is a girl…" She tightened her hold on the young chuunin's neck to emphasize her point. Iruka only nodded.

"Iruka," the Hokage said, catching his attention. "Both of you had a hard day. Keep this a secret, Iruka, and go get some rest."

Iruka nodded and left for the hospital.

Flashback End

Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, sighed as Eboshi worked on Naruko in his office. It was needed as Naruko couldn't go to the hospital. People would not react well to the Jinchuuriki in a public hospital where the people are treated. It would cause a massive uproar and by god it would not end well for anyone.

"Eboshi," Sarutobi called. The physician only hummed in recognition. "Tell me how is she faring."

"I am telling you Sarutobi," she said sternly, using his name to express her annoyance. "She is lucky to be alive. I have given her some soldier pills as well as a suddenly chakra injection into her seven gates to get her chakra going. But if it happens again….it was already too close. A normal doctor would have given up."

Sarutobi nodded as he sighed with some relief.

"However, if it happens again…"Eboshi didn't need to finish the sentence. It was already obvious. "I can't always be there, Sandaime. Even if I want to be."

Sandaime sighed again. It was his second sigh in only a few seconds. Things were not as easy as they used to be for him when he was younger.

"Say, Sandaime," Eboshi called, causing the older man to give her his full and undivided attention. "Was it really wise to seal Naruko's power and memories away?"

Sandaime looked down on the ground as he smoked his pipe. "You know it needed to be done. I no longer have the power to kill Orochimaru. And Orochimaru wants power. The Shodaime's ability while is present in Yamato, was never as powerful as Harashima himself. Naruko on the other hand, because of what is inside her, the DNA that Orochimaru placed inside Naruko has merged completely with her own, making it an equal to Harashima himself. She might as well be her great granddaughter."

"Orochimaru would want that power, wouldn't he?" Eboshi stated. "The power that defeated Uchiha Madara."

The silence that followed spoke thousands as both physician and Hokage could only look at each other.

"One day, Saidaime," Eboshi warned. "She will release the seal. Be it intended, or not. Then her memories will return."

"I pray with all my heart and soul that day will never come," Sandaime said.

Iruka put his hand on his torso, feeling the bandages through his blue shirt. It wasn't so much his abdomen that hurt, it was his back. It was a lucky break as the slash he received missed his spine by 2 inches, otherwise he would have been handicapped in some form.

His stomach was grumbling, reminding him of the time of the day. His legs instinctively walked to one of his favorite places for food- the Ichiraku Ramen Stand in the centre of the bazaar. It was easy since he was already there in the bazaar, but his mind kept wandering to his disguised student. He just couldn't stop thinking about her- not in a sexual way. He sat down at one of the chairs and ordered the usual thing he had – chashew ramen. As he began to eat the delicious noodles, his spirits lifted as he slowly forgot about his student.

"Iruka-sensei," a voice suddenly rang out softly. Iruka looked up from his ramen bowl and turned to the direction of the sound. Blonde spiky hair greeted him, along with clear cerulean blue eyes.

"Naruto," Iruka acknowledged. "I assume you want to talk about the battle?"

The nodded from the boy confirmed his question. Iruka motioned for him to sit down beside him, which he accepted.

"I wanted to clear the air with you, Iruka-sensei," Naruto explained as the waitress took his order. "There are things which I kept secret from the world. From everyone."

"I saw the Genjutsu Kai, Naruto," Iruka said. "I know what you are."

"You know what happened to me, Iruka-sensei," Naruto stated. "People cannot know the real me. You were not supposed to know either."

Iruka winced. "Not everyone despises you."

"It is hard to tell who is who, especially if most of the time people attack me," Naruto stated, his voice shivering slightly.

"Can you risk it, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, gripping his tea cup tightly. "Can you risk telling people you are a girl, if you were in my position? I would not like to think of the most possible outcome."

Iruka could only nod. It would be foolhardy to risk telling people the Jinchuuriki is a girl, especially when the wounds of the night of the Kyuubi attack are so fresh. Oh, it would definitely not end well.

"I meant what I said at the forest, you know," Iruka said he looked the blonde boy beside him. "While you are its jailor, and the closest thing in the universe at the moment to the Kyuubi, you are not him."

"I know," Naruto answered. "I knew you meant it, Iruka-sensei. It was why I dropped the illusion."

Both ninjas smiled at each other, before enjoying the ramen and each other's silent company in comfort. It was a good day indeed.

That night, while Naruko was in bed, she kept turning and tossing. She didn't know why, but her heart was beating loud and fast. Sweat covered every inch of her body, soaking the sheets as well as the blankets. Her breathing was ragged and hushed. Something was about to happen, something big- she could feel it in her bones. It was calling out to her. Something massive was about to hit her. But she just didn't know was it was. She felt that it was so close, so very close. It was a familiar feeling, somehow she felt like she knew this feeling before. But for the life of her, she just couldn't remember what the hell it was.