Open-eyed Dreams

Chapter-4

Iruka stared at the Hokage's order clenched in his hand. He found himself speechless and completely baffled. Unpredictability was an intrinsic part of a shinobi's life, but sometimes, some situations threw even the best of them completely offguard. He briefly wondered if the Hokage was getting too old for his job, before dismissing the idea quickly from his mind, lest the Hokage, perched on his desk with hawk like eyes read his mind itself.

But in all seriousness, this was certainly not a good idea!

"Problem?"

The single worded question had the desired effect. Iruka shrunk back, swallowing heavily before choking out a strangled 'No, Hokage –sama'.

"Good, make the necessary preparations then".

"H-Hai'

Cursing his stuttering, Iruka bowed in front of the office and scrambled as quickly as possible. He wondered again at the implication of 'necessary preparations'. What preparations was he supposed to make anyway? Perhaps the installation of a fireball-proof classroom, no, academy building was required. He did need some kind of defence against the signature jutsu of the high and mighty Uchiha Clan, which would definitely incinerate his precious Academy at some point.

Really, the Hokage wanted Uchiha, and not just any Uchiha, but Uchiha Itachi to be the supervisor of a week-long training programme, that too, of the Academy students?

Of course, he himself had submitted a report to the Hokage requesting a week long practical training regimen to be included in the Academy curriculum as most of the students were totally clueless about the real life implications of being a ninja. He wanted them to know that 'playing ninja-ninja' in the Academy, won't help them survive the battlefield. Recently, quite a large number of students have been failed by their Jounin masters. Some of them returned to the Academy, and some of them just didn't. A part of him had rebelled against the idea of snatching away the innocence, care-free, and most importantly, death-free academy days of these young ninjas. The Academy perhaps, was the only part of a ninja's life where he wasn't worrying about how to evade death. There was no distrust. A kunai, to an academy child, was only a blunt object, to be held in the correct stance and aligned at the correct angle while throwing, right into the bull's eye. However, in the real ninja world, a Kunai was hardly that. It was a weapon intended for close range attacks or long range depending on the wielder, who can use chakra strings, additional chakra, or poison coating to make them more lethal. The huge chasm between the two implications was the dreaded place where many of these young enthusiastic children fell, some never to return to the world of living.

He had rebelled against himself, for inculcating the fear of death, as a subtle but extremely powerful motivating factor into spurring his students to develop the necessary survival skills before leaving the Academy itself. However, he finally concluded that perhaps giving them a sound warning was necessary if it could prevent some unnecessary deaths.

But did this task really require 'the Uchiha Itachi'. The kid who passed out barely six years ago, and is currently in Anbu squad already? Who had completed more B and A ranked missions than any other genin? Who was a walking machine, stoic faced, calculating and a damned perfectionist?

Iruka let a long sigh escape him. The scroll he was carrying would certainly cause havoc among the Academy's teaching staff.

"Good MORNING Class"

Iruka beamed at his genins-to-be. However, instead of getting the usual enthusiastic chorus of responses, he got a much watered down version of Good mornings. He wondered briefly, if it was due to the evidently false cheeriness in his voice, or the Uchiha brat standing in the doorway.

As his eyes traced the thirteen year old boy, he could not help but notice the suddenly tense atmosphere of the class. Every single student in the class had their eyes fixed on Itachi, as he strode proudly into the class. His usual all black attire seemed a little out of place in the presence of vibrant colours, but it definitely marked him out. Instead of fading into the shadows like a true ninja that he was, Itachi today, faded into the foreground.

Despite himself, Iruka felt a sense of envy bubbling up within his self. The boy had barely been there for three seconds, and already the entire class was quiet. AND He yet had to open his mouth! While he, an experienced faculty member, had to shout for a full three minutes every day before the class gave him an ear! Squashing his envy, Iruka cleared his throat, and set to introduce Itachi to the students.

"Class, this is Uchiha Itachi, a noble shinobi of Konoha, on active duty. As you know, there has been a change in the curriculum this year, to incorporate more practical exercises and field experience. Itachi-san here has taken out time for you all, so make sure you learn as much as you can, for one week, starting today, you will all be under the charge of Itachi-sensei. Don't give him a hard time.

His words were promptly forgotten as Naruto bounded up to the older Uchiha, with a splitting grin.

"Hey ,Hey,hey, can you please teach me some cool jutsu so that I can beat the Teme there?" he yelled generously all the while pointing his finger at a mini version of Itachi himself. The rest of the class stood stunned. Unknown to all, almost everyone in the room had the same question running at Naruto's idiocy. Really, the kid never failed to set a new record of idiocy every day. Only he could have possible missed out the uncanny physical resemblance between the two of them, and not to mention their same titles of Uchiha.

Itachi stood very still. All this time he had been measuring the potential of every student. He had already recognised the Inuzuka, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara children. Having worked alongside members hailing from these clans,he already knew their signature techniques, idiosyncrasies, preferences and other details. But that of adults!

He was absolutely at a loss as to what to do with the children. Especially, noisy, rebellious , irritating, unpolished and HIGHLY IRRITATING children. He could never remember himself being so boisterous, LOUD, and so...childish, and a illogical reasoning that the purpose of learning a jutsu was not self improvement but just to beat someone else?

Inane!

'Just why did this mission had to be one week long? Perhaps he should have asked for a vacation, after all. He could have trained. The only advantage that Itachi saw in this endeavour was that he could spend more time with his little brother and see how he does at Academy. Apparently, his little brother was 'Teme' according to the blond boy in front of him!. His lips pressed harder into a thin line. He briefly wondered if the blond was even aware of the meaning of the word he had just used. He and his brother were the offspring of a perfectly lawful marriage, for crying out loud!.but who was to explain it to the noisy kid?

Iruka felt rather than saw Itachi's worsening mood. His growing annoyance could be felt sharply, from the close distance between them. Five minutes in, and all hell had already broke loose. When you have Naruto in the class,things like that happen. Iruka was about to catch Naruto by the ear and tow him off, when he heard Itachi speaking up for the first time.

"I shall decide that after seeing your performance"

The clipped, curt answer delivered in the toneless manner made Naruto stop. He was unsure what to make of this. Does this mean he would get some extra attention, as he had really wanted, or did this person too, ignore him, like others? Unknown to him, his wide blue eyes showed every thought of his, directly to Itachi. Itachi saw the confusion, expectancy, hope, and suspicion all swirling in chaotic circles.

Despite his growing annoyance, he felt humbled on seeing expectancy in Naruto's eyes. Naruto had expectations of him. The children had expectations from him. Itachi suddenly realised, that this mission was quite different.

He had never undertaken any mission like this. His instructions scroll just described that he had to take a week long training regime, and craft exercises suitable for Academy students, while making them aware of the perils of the shinobi more. But now, staring into wide blue eyes of Naruto,Itachi almost was not just about was responsibility.

Every word that he spoke, every trick that he taught, every gesture that he made, would be soaked up by these students. It would be embedded in to their memories, probably for lifetime, if he made a mark. They would reflect back and think of his teachings in moments of indecision. They would 'look up to him', as a guiding light, as the way out of obstacles, as a motivator. They would be placing their lives into his hands, they would rely on the tactics he has taught them. They would shape themselves according to his instructions.

Itachi did not quite like this realisation. He felt unsure, and that did not sit well with him at all. Confusion leads to chaos, and that can be fatal to a ninja. While Itachi had always considered his duty to keep his teammates safe and alive on his missions, he had never responsible for their emotional safety. While he had been idolised as the big brother by Sasuke, he still never had to grasp being the guiding light, being a role model. During his Academy days, he relied very little on teachers. His father taught him most of the jutsus, tricks and practical tricks, but only up to a certain extent. Itachi taught himself mostly. He relied on his own intellect, knowledge, logic and understanding. He did not have any role model. He was no role model. Sasuke wanted to be like him, possibly even beat him, to gain the attention of their father, but he never wanted Sasuke to be like him.

Here, he saw a similar version playing in Naruto's desire. And what troubled him was that, Naruto expected the same from him, acknowledgement. Well, mere desire won't get him anywhere, he would have to earn the recognition he craved.

"That is my brother you are talking to, dobe. He will teach the jutsus to only me"

The haughty, proud tone in which this was spoken made the blond pull a rather ugly face. He whirled around to face the offender, and a verbal battle ensued, which made Iruka step in with a thunderous "Quiet both of you." He then proceeded to tow Naruto back to his desk and forbade him from leaving it again.

The not-so-hushed voices of the children circulated, debating is he really Sasuke-kun's older brother, even after the proclamation has been yelled at full pitch and there had no denial on the part of the teacher. There were confused mummers at his young age, and new face in the Academy.

Itachi scanned the faces sitting in the classroom. His eyes immediately located a vibrant shade of pink hair, the one he had seen in the park just two days ago. He studied the little girl, who was studiously avoiding his gaze and persistently kept her head down. Everything about her stance screamed of shyness.

She was avoiding him.

But the question was, why?

Itachi was well acquainted with the burning curious gaze she had directed at him the other day. It had enough power to make the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The strong curiosity combined with a decidedly shy personality, was in Itachi's eyes, definitely odd.

Much to his displeasure, he had already acquired a few preteen fan girls, who were currently gushing over his definitely handsome looks. He was uncomfortably aware of their eyes raking through his face, marvelling at the pale skin, dark eyes and soft looking short bangs framing his forehead. Stray words like 'cool', 'handsome' and 'better looking than Sasuke-kun' strayed into his auditory range. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It took another 'Stop Talking' from Iruka to finally make the class quiet enough for Itachi to start.

Once Iruka made his exit, Itachi stood at the very center of the class. He was unsure of what to do. Last night he had planned to stick to taijutsu training for the day, but after witnessing the yelling brawl he was not so sure now. So he was to teach these children that real life missions are not all roses and sunshine. Usually this was done during the genin years,or when they go on a C ranked mission. But a little preparatory ground was required. What would be a better way than to start by first taking stock of the level of understanding regarding missions of these kids. Having decided he turned to the board and started writing.

Describe the procedure of carrying out a mission, irrespective of the mission rank.

Describe the various types of threats you face while carrying out a mission. Suggest ways on how to successfully nullify them.

Describe a mission, with realistic details, that you would like to take.

You are given three scenarios. Describe the course of action that you would undertake.

Your client is an old couple who live near the woods. They have reported of mysterious noises in the cellar of their house at night. Your four man team has been dispatched to investigate. Suggest the possible courses of action, and give reasons for your choice of action.

Your mission is to gather information about a list of persons who have been reported as 'disappeared'. Suggest the courses of action.

There has been news of food poisoning in an area of the town. A lot of people had fallen ill. Your task is two-fold. One to ascertain the cause of food poisoning. Two, to effectively distribute medical supplies. Along with your four man team you also have a three member team of medic nin. Describe how you tackle the situation.

"Your time limit is three hours. You can consult your textbooks if you wish. However, no two answer sheets should carry the same answer. You would not like the consequences"

With that monotonous instruction and barely veiled threat, Itachi exited the classroom.

Only to go in an adjoining room and find a suitable place from which he could spy on the kid's activities.

The children looked with open mouths at each other. "What just happened" seemed to be the unspoken question on everybody's mind. Perhaps for the first time in their lives have they seen such an eccentric teacher. He came, gave no introduction, asked for no introduction, taught no lesson, told no stories-but just wrote the questions to be solved and went away, just like that!

Most of the students knew that the answers to these questions were not to be found in the textbooks at all. This was so unreal to them, to be asked a question randomly, without having any lecture on the subject, without being told what the answer was. This was cheating!

The idea of bunking came into their minds, but they knew they could not do so. The only way out was to answer the questions. Besides, Itachi-sensei was nothing short of scary. They intuitively knew that to disobey his command would rather be a costly affair. Perhaps it was eerily still way he stood, or his face which never smiled. Or it could have been the way his eyes fixed them directly. There was nothing to do except try and think of the suitable answers to the question.

Sasuke was scowling. This was so not happening. His jealousy grew at the thought of sharing precious time with his nii-san with all the academy students. Just what was his nii-san doing in front of the class? Did this mean, that nii-san was the external teacher the Academy teachers have been talking about? His annoyance increased tenfold,at the thought of naruto being trained by his brother. HIS BROTHER.

Sasuke had every intention of monopolising Itachi's attention. But the more sensible part of his mind warned him against doing it. After all, nii-san had not even once mentioned his name, nor did he say anything when he had announced their relationship. But still. Nii-san was HIS.

Speaking of tests, Sasuke looked around and found his classmates struggling to come up with answers. He knew that his brother had been too generous in allowing three hours for answering the questions. This was just the testing phase. Sasuke knew first hand, just how much more complicated exercises lay in store for them. And he would be damned if he let any other student fare better than him!