It wasn't often that Iruka was rendered speechless. He was used to dealing with small children, after all, and thought he could probably handle pretty much anything. At this moment, though, he didn't know what to say. Kakashi's face was younger-looking then he had expected. Iruka was suddenly reminded that Kakashi was really only about a year older than him. It was an easy thing to forget, between the mask and his experience as a shinobi.
"Do you trust me now? I'm trusting you right now, I'm showing you a part of me that practically no one sees, just like you opened up to me at the training grounds. Is this enough for you, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi stared right back at Iruka, examining his face just as intently as Iruka was his own. Coldness in Kakashi's visible eye seemed to belie his words; almost daring Iruka to say it wasn't enough, that he still didn't believe Kakashi wasn't playing some kind of game with him.
Iruka bowed his head, unable to meet that stare. "I trust you," he said softly. He meant it, because this was Hatake Kakashi, and whatever else he might be, he was a man who put his comrades above everything else.But it didn't make them friends, and it didn't mean he was going to let Kakashi any closer to him, impulsive hugs notwithstanding. Part of him said this, at least, but the part of him that was Iruka-sensei took in the cold eye and the vulnerable young face, and the lips that turned up in a real smile at his words, a smile he could SEE, and thought perhaps this man needed a friend himself.
"Then why don't you tell me exactly what is going on, so I can help you deal with it, or get you to the right person to do so? Then we can both go on with our lives, and you can yell at me all the time and terrorize everyone and paradoxically smother everyone with your infinite kindness at the same time."
That was enough for Iruka, definitely more then he could take. He exploded. "I shared something with you, that's true, impulsively and without realizing the consequences. I told you all I was willing to tell anyone, and I expected you to take that at face value and let it be! If you want to help me, you can stop interrogating my friends and family, stop making me feel guilty about all the people who for some reason seem to want me around, stop insisting I tell you things that aren't your business, and just be there for me when I want to talk, or not talk, like the other night! That's what helps me, that's what makes me feel better, not all this examining and rehashing and lecturing!" At the end of his rant, Iruka found himself physically shoving Kakashi away from him, suddenly disgusted by how close he was standing. Kakashi's eye widened in shock and dismay, and his smile went away. A carefully blank expression went over his face, but Iruka only saw it for a second, because Kakashi quickly covered it with his mask. In Kakashi's hand there was a kunai, but he didn't seem to even notice he'd grabbed it.
Iruka cringed. He hadn't meant to physically attack the man, and he hadn't meant to make him feel threatened. Suddenly he reverted to his extra-polite mode, bowing low. "Forgive me, Hatake-san. I appreciate your trust in me. I will cherish your thoughtful gesture, and in the future I hope I will be worthy of it." Then he turned and walked away, slowly, as if giving Kakashi a chance to stop him if he wished. When that didn't happen, Iruka picked up his speed and darted away, leaving Kakashi standing there alone. After a moment, he said quietly "What would you do for this man, if he were your friend, Obito?", and traced the name on the stone again, as he had been doing nearly every day for years now.
Naruto was exiting the Uchiha compound when Genma suddenly fell into step with him. "Whatever it is you want, this isn't a good time. Guarding my best friend who is essentially a prisoner is not a task that puts me in a good mood."
Genma was silent for a moment, and then he said "Watching my best friend fall apart and destroy himself doesn't put me in a good mood either. Neither does being interrogated about him by nosy Jounin who just might wind up causing him a lot of trouble, intentionally or not."
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, and turned on Genma. "Who is messing with Iruka-sensei?"
Genma looked around. The street was a little too busy for this conversation, he decided. "Can we get out of the street first?"
Naruto's teeth were bared, and his eyes had a glint of red in them. "That kind of reaction, with just the slightest mention of Iruka," Genma thought, suppressing a shudder. He knew Naruto though, knew that Iruka loved him more than anything in the world, and that meant a lot in terms of his trust of the young man. So when Naruto turned and ran off down the street, he followed automatically, not caring where he was being led to.
They ended up at the same training ground where Naruto and Iruka had been sparring last time, sitting on the grass, and at Genma's inquiry, Naruto explained that he couldn't go to the other place where Iruka trained, and so they always met here to work out. "It seemed as good a place as any to talk about him. No one really comes by here much, except creepy stalkers, that is." Naruto grinned and winked on that last bit, and his eyes were now as blue as the sky above.
"Okay, here's the deal. You know what my job is, I'm betting, just as I'm betting that Iruka has told you every embarrassing childhood story about me there is. If I were doing my job, I'd ask you everything you know about Iruka, and about what's bothering him right now. I'd report to the Hokage everything I know, because really someone ought to be doing something about a less-than-stable shinobi, especially one with the skill and security clearance of Iruka, regardless of rank."
Naruto looked like he was going to protest, but Genma flicked his senbon to the other side of his mouth and held up his hand. "I said 'if', Naruto-kun. I won't do that. In fact, what I want to do is ensure that whatever Iruka's issue is, it doesn't get out because he doesn't want it to. I have some theories about what is bothering him, and I'd bet everything I own that you know the whole story, but I'm not after that. I came here because Kakashi is planning to ask you, and he says it's because he wants to help but, while I'd trust Kakashi with my life in the field, I don't trust him with Iruka's sanity in this case. I don't want Kakashi to hear anything Iruka isn't willing to tell him himself, and so I wanted to warn you that you weren't to give anything away. It's not that I think you would talk to just anyone, or spill Iruka's secrets, but if it's your old sensei asking, it could be a little hard to keep things to yourself." Exhaustion and worry were clear in every line of Genma's face, and it wasn't a look that was often seen on him. Naruto's mind raced, but his easy smile belied his thoughts.
"Why is Kakashi-sensei involved in this at all? He wasn't there for the thing that upset Iruka-sensei, and he's never been a part of Iruka-sensei's life except through me, or mission-related stuff. What is his motivation here? Is he perving on my Iruka-sensei or something?" asked Naruto, that last part said with a light tone and then a laugh.
"Heh, I don't know about that last bit, but I think it's mainly some idea of helping the guy. You know how Kakashi is, with all his teamwork and stuff. I think he's seeing Konoha as his team right now and Iruka as an integral part of Konoha that is suddenly in danger. I know he means well, whatever he's doing, but I don't know that he won't make things worse instead of better." Genma paused, suddenly imagining what it could mean if Naruto's "joke" were the truth. "If he's 'perving on' Iruka, as you say, that could make some interesting fireworks!"
The fox-grin made another appearance. "As interesting as you perving on Iruka-sensei?"
Genma winced. "What a disaster that was! As friends, we can take a step back and not be so affected by each other, but even then Iruka and I pick up each other's emotions too much. A grumpy Iruka means a grumpier me, and an angry me means a completely out-of-control Iruka…" Suddenly the senbon hanging from Genma's mouth was in his hand and then flying, striking dead center on a practice target across the field. "I know what happened now! That's it, isn't it? The last time I saw Iruka lose control like that, it was right before he started acting funny, and…" Genma paled, realizing what he was saying.
"Don't ask me. I won't tell you anything. I won't tell Kakashi-sensei anything either," said Naruto darkly. Then, he sat up and folded his legs in front of him, looking far more like the child Naruto that he had been not so long ago. "Not that I know anything, of course. I'm only a dobe. I have to go find some mischief to get into to annoy Tsunade-baachan now… I hear she's bored!" And with a flash, Naruto was springing up and away, his blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight.
