Fan Fiction Name: The Trials of a Would-be Jounin
Chapter Name: Questionable Thinking
Info: After a visit to the Memorial Stone and a talk with his most memorable student, Umino Iruka decides to go for the jounin rank. Will he choke or will he get assistance from the most unlikely of places? Naruto II spoilers here!
Disclaimers: Well, I do not own any of Naruto, nor do I own the many characters of these fan fictions, save my own creations. It's sad, but all too true. How I wish I owned them….waaaaaahhhhh!!!!!
Tales of a Would-Be Jounin
Chapter 10
Anko could only have her emotions throw her from one side to another as Iruka told her what had happened the night of the Kyuubi attack over fifteen years ago. She knew about losing loved ones in that terrible day, but to hear something like what had happened to Iruka was damn near saddening. To be out on a nice day and expect to have fun, only to have a bunch of stupid jackasses mess with you. It only gets worse when a creature from your worst nightmares take away those you care most about and, even if indirectly, cause him the large scar that stretches across the bridge of his nose, making many of the opposite sex ignore him. Add to that his terrible reputation after that, it was no wonder the man had bonded so greatly with the loud Naruto. Naruto was much like a miniature version of Iruka, minus the scar and plus a nasty demon living in his stomach.
Iruka, Anko realized, was a man who was just as screwed over in life as she was. Left alone at an early age, betrayed by her sensei who had become the only father she ever knew, and having to deal with stupid, shallow people who wanted her for her physique and not her winning personality.
Not that there was anything wrong with her personality, right?
"Well, the rest of the way is for you alone. You gotta think about why you're here, and what that means," Anko said as she stopped, no more than twenty feet from the jounin building. She had to stop there, because this was his decision to make. But, she wanted to know that he had support. So, she did the first thing that popped into her mind.
After a few seconds, she pulled Iruka to her and thrust herself forward, cupping his face and meeting his lips in a sweet kiss.
After a few seconds, she ends the kiss with a smile on her face. Oh yeah, THAT felt good! "That was for good luck, Iruka-kun. You'll need it!" Anko yelled as she suddenly turned tail and began to walk away, the smile still on her face as she replayed in her mind again and again what had just happened. Her hands innocently behind her, she began to hum slightly, unaware of the unabashed stares and the shocked faces.
Iruka, meanwhile, could have sworn that what just happened was either an exhaustion-created illusion that couldn't have happened, or by far the most relationship-confusing moment in his life. Sure, she called him "Iruka-kun", but that was more from the fact that they had been around each other often. And not to mention that his brain refused to act at that moment. The contact, the flutter in his chest, and just about every secret fantasy he had had about the purple-haired kunoichi suddenly came up all in that moment.
Had he, in the two months of training with the woman, been so affected by her? It was like he was sixteen again, wondering if the cute girl from across the room would want to dance with him. Sure, this was a bit different, but the principle was the same. And the girl had not only come across the room and asked him but was willing to slow dance.
Jeez, why was he thinking about something as stupid as that? That sounded so retarded in his own head he silently berated himself for thinking it.
"Why are things so damn complicated," Iruka mumbled to himself as he turned to the Jounin building, walking to a place that could be the end of his trip for the time being or the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
- - - -
"Name and current occupation," came the stern voice from behind the table. Iruka didn't think that so MANY people would be there trying to become a jounin. Everyone knew the risks being a jounin, but in his head he had gotten an idea that only the best and the brightest were allowed to become jounin.
"Iruka Umino. Current occupation…" Iruka began.
"Well?" came the voice from the big man. It was obvious that he was irritated.
"…teacher at the Academy." Iruka finished, trying to keep his mind off of the two things that were foremost in his head. One was staring in his face right now and filling him with dread. The other…well, the other was just confusing.
"Academy teacher, huh? Like Kurenai before she became a jounin. Well, move along to the next section of the registration," The man said rather dejectedly as he waved Iruka along. 'Okay, that guy was a jackass. Like any other type of public worker that has to deal with idiots…' Iruka thought, and instantly he was smiling. Actually, it was closer to a smirk as he looked around trying to read the other people in the room. Jounin were heroes, and he wouldn't be surprised that some of these people were really idiots with delusions of heroism. 'I wonder what Anko would think…' Iruka thought pleasantly before his mind was again turned to the purple-haired kunoichi.
Anko. He would be the first to admit that she was very lovely. Her smoke-brown eyes mirrored everything about her. The way they slipped from side to side mischievously, and they mirrored the seemingly-innocent way she walked when she was about to be treacherous. The way her eyes would reflect the warmth of her smile and her embrace, making all the warmer. The way her eyes became fierce when someone she cared for was threatened.
Like the way she looked at those two jerks when they knocked him down.
Would that even had been possible? She cared for him? It was ridiculous. She was a damn jounin who had never even seen him before the day he went to ask her to train. He was just an underachieving teacher who really had nowhere to go except taking drastic measures…
…like the measures he was taking now.
Damn it! even when she was on the other side of town that woman would not leave him alone! Even with the most innocent of smiles and the most tentative of positive comments, he would yearn for more. He would miss the smile almost immediately and wish she wouldn't stop talking. To continue to hear her voice. It was almost like he loved the woman.
"Now that was funny. Loving a woman who I've only known for two months," Iruka said, unintentionally saying his thoughts aloud as he continued on his way to the next part of the registration. He continued to think, ignoring everything in front of him until he nearly collided with someone in front of him. The kunoichi in question shot his an icy look, but again his thoughts were drawn from the room and back to the purple haired kunoichi.
"Next!" came a voice from ahead, and Iruka realized (much to his chagrin) that the kunoichi had already done the second part of her registration. Iruka, noticing the glares he had received from both the proctor in question and several people behind him, shuffled forward and around the tarp to the next table, obviously embarrassed. The person sitting there simply watched him as the proctor took his position at the line again.
"Show me your most advanced jutsu," ordered the woman in question, her face covered in wrinkles and her face showing no emotion. Iruka thought for a second, mentally going through all his techniques. What was his most powerful…
After a flash of inspiration, he grinned wickedly. Yup, he was going to do that.\
A flurry of hand signs and chakra uses later, it had appeared in his hand. It was not like Narutos Rasengan, a whirl of chakra spinning every which way in a mad rush of power. It clung to his skin, and it was only the fact that the shadows were far darker than usual is what gave away the fact it was more than just a shadow. This was the one move that had been able to stop the great Hatake Kakashi in his tracks. It tired him out, but he was now a little better in his use of chakra and wasn't a fatigued. It was definitely something the woman had never seen. And as hse brought his hand down and summoned the shirling sphere of shadow and chakra, she still managed to keep an impassive face when he dismissed the Hage Sennpu
"What is that technique and where did you learn it?" She asked in the same manner as if he had just done some unimpressive clone jutsu.
"Well, it's called the Kage Sennpu and I actually developed it myself," Iruka said, his confusion and nervousness leaking out. The woman simply took down some notes and waved him along.
- - - - -
'How much longer', Iruka thought, boredom seeping into his mind. He had been going from proctor to proctor, doing everything from taijutsu to weapons usage to meditation. This didn't make any sense to him. It was like they were trying to bore him into leaving. But one thing was bugging him. It had first begun when he showed the woman the Kage Sennpu. He could have sworn that there were other eyes on him. From within the crowd. He was sure some of them were curious of the man who had been training with Anko Mitarashi, but most of the time he felt like they were being more…well, more critical of him. One person of interest was the very kunoichi he had almost run down at the jutsu table.
Then again, maybe it had to do with his 'hot body'. Iruka began to chuckle slightly at the thought. So Anko-like it even caught him by surprise. Wow, maybe he was becoming a pervert like her. After all, she had been giggling hysterically just like Kakashi. Like she enjoyed those dirty books.
"Every prospective jounin to the front!"
Iruka was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard the first proctor, the large man at the front, call out to the large group. Iruka got up and began walking to the stage area when he noticed something odd. About a third of the class was at the front and turned around, like they were bodyguards.
"Attention all, I may reveal to you know who will be allowed to participate in the jounin exams that will be held in one months time," came the proctors scratchy voice. Iruka, however, couldn't keep his eyes off of the class members who were now looking over the rest of the class. There had to be about a dozen of them looking at the rest.
"However, this is not merely a simple registration. There have been twelve full jounin watching your very move and evaluating each and every one of you." The proctor said as the twelve up front snickered.
'So, we were being watched the whole time and being evaluated,' Iruka said as he silently cursed himself. The whole thing earlier with Anko really messed with his head. How would it be possible for him to be allowed to take the damn test!
"I will now announce the twelve candidates for the jounin exam…"
END
A/N: Yay! Cliff-hanger, cliffe, what have you, I did it!!!! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Anywho, enjoy!