Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto.
Summary
Life is hard for a chunin like Iruka. Grading tests, not killing students and sending ninja out on missions to their deaths. It's even harder when he has to take care of a jounin turned three year old chibi.
Sequel to Plastic Ponies.
Author's Notes
I live!
Sorry, I've been very busy, but I had to sort some things out in my life.
Expect chapters to come a little quicker since I now know what I am doing with this story.
I will never abandon a story I start.
The village of Konohagakue was often said to be the jewel of all the other hidden villages. It had it all, strong ninja, a bustling economy, a society deep-seated in its traditions, and a multiplex. And not just any multiplex, but the only one in all the known countries that showed all three Icha Icha movies. A pervert's wet dream, one could say, figuratively and literally.
All of these variables, including the random nosebleeds that had absolutely nothing to do with said movies, lived in peaceful harmony. The flowers bloomed in the spring, children attempted to sneak into movies, and the honorable Hokage always looked out for the good of the community. Of course, according to the Hokage herself, sometimes the good of the community involved a large amount of gambling.
And not all gambling had to do with money.
"Kukukukukukukuku, this is my most ingenious plan ever." A pair of feminine hands clasped themselves on a buxom chest, savoring the plot that had been set into motion only four days ago. "Everyone wins. I win, the brat wins and Iruka will most definitely win." Now a sly grin slowly curled over a pair of painted lips.
"The pieces are all coming together." A pair of toffee colored eyes looked over the surface of the desk, a crimson tinted nail gliding over a section of a worn roll of paper that had frayed edges. Written over its visible, unfolded surface were the names of countless generations of shinobi that had one single line connecting one name to a single other. The finger paused over a name circled in red and a frown marred the perfect face at seeing the many lines that seemed to never connect with that single name.
"Now, whenever I see that expression I know a storm is coming that's going to end with someone getting struck by lightning." A booming voice filled the office of the Hokage for a moment, drawing the attention of the lone occupant.
Tsunade flicked her hair over her shoulder, glaring at Jiraiya under hooded eyelids as she watched him stroll towards her desk. When his gaze wandered to the open scroll she quickly rolled it up with a snap of the wrist, "And why should I let you in on my little secret? For all I know, you might try and stop me."
The older-looking sanin shrugged as he leaned against the table, "To each his own, but I already know about your little scheme involving the brat. De-aging him wasn't a well thought out plan even by your standards." He scoffed and rubbed at his chin, frowning at Tsunade's wide smirk, "Unless making Kakashi younger wasn't originally a part of your little scheme."
"Of course not. That was just a means to an end that helps move the plan along. It was either that or waiting for Kakashi to get severely injured and then forcing him into Iruka's care." She shrugged elegantly, looking out the window at the hazy, wet, weather. "The only thing that matters is that he ended up with that chunin."
"And why's that? Why do you need Kakashi to be with Iruka?" Jiraiya sat down in a chair, sprawling his bulk out and relaxing for a moment.
The Hokage was silent, tracing an abstract shape on the window and watching it fade after a few seconds. She finally turned to her past teammate with a strangely serious look plastered on her features, and leaned against the wall. "I want him to be happy. Isn't that my job, to make sure that everyone in the village is happy? I just want the brat to enjoy life for the present, and to stop worrying about things outside his control." She smiled faintly, "That's my job."
Before Jiraiya could add anything to the woman's musings Iruka burst through the door, his hair in disarray and his coat dripping from the rain pouring outside. The chunin seemed even less rested than he normally was, even though he was on forced vacation dark, plum colored circles drooped underneath his eyes. The brown orbs darted around the room before landing on Tsunade.
"Ah, Iruka-sensei? What can we do for you?" Jiraiya said while he crossed his legs, watching the fidgety manner of the brown haired man from across the room. "How's Kakashi doing?"
Iruka sighed and rubbed the heel of his palm against his forehead, "He woke up at four in the morning and started training. Loudly." His eyes closed a moment as he swallowed thickly, "Then after that he tried to force me into a fight with him, thus rending my house into ground zero and waking up every person in a five block radius."
The academy teacher dropped into a chair, his legs sprawled out in front of him as he dragged a limp hand across the top of his head, resting it at the base of his neck. "Afterwards he tried to kill my cat, but luckily he started sneezing and sniffling hard and I had to drag him into his room and onto the bed after he tripped over a chair chasing Pickles-chan."
He sighed, "I think he might have a cold, but of course he wouldn't tell me." He rested his chin on his hand, slightly unfocused gaze vacantly staring at the village leader. "I was wondering if you could give me something for him, Tsunade-sama. I don't want him to be sick when he gets older and be even more of a pain."
The woman nodded, ignoring the look shot towards her by Jiraiya, "Of course, Iruka-sensei." She walked over to her personal set of medical supplies, looking over her shoulder at the exhausted chunin, as he remained obliviously staring at his feet with a small puddle of water forming underneath the chair.
"Here, I made him a formula that should have the cold gone by tomorrow, just make sure he gets enough sleep." She handed a small vial to the younger male, who blinked at her for a moment dumbfounded before raising his hand to take the object, "And this," She held out a packet of powder, "Is for you. Mix it with some water and drink it. We can't have you looking so exhausted.
"You're on vacation, even if you are looking after Kakashi." She spared a genuine smile for Iruka, "Trust me when I say this, a couple of hours without worrying about him will do you good." She smoothed back a couple of strands of dark hair, humming softly, "Iruka, it'll turn out fine. Rest and have a little fun when it snows."
Tsunade watched as the man walked out the door, his two packages safe in his pocket, and turned to Jiraiya who was looking worried. The blonde pulled out her chair and sat, looking out her large window through the rain to see the man trudge into the mud.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Jiraiya asked, moving behind the Hokage and resting his hands on her shoulders, "I really don't want the brat to get hurt, but I think I understand what you are aiming for."
"Sometimes…" Tsunade paused and a hand reached up and tugged on Jiraiya's coat, remaining there even as they watched the rain suddenly increase. "People have to be hurt to understand how it feels to have someone care…"
A thick silence descended over the room as the two mature teammates agonized separately over the fate of a certain pair of shinobi. Hopefully things would turn out right without their interference.
Iruka was angry.
Not normal, get-out-of-the-way angry, but the type of angry that made his students quiver in fear. The type of angry that destroyed the self-esteem of numerous full-grown men if they were caught in the heated gaze. The type of angry used only in the direst of circumstances.
Stomping in another puddle, he ignored the greetings of the few people out who were also caught in the horrible weather. 'Stupid Kakashi, stupid brat, acting like an idiot, couldn't let me sleep in and woke up the neighbors and then he had to go get sick and make me go see Tsunade-sama, who's up to something, but I don't know…'
The random train of thoughts continued as the chunin sensei shoved his hand into his pocket, drawing out the pair of keys to his house. Jamming them into his door, he unlocked the door and shuffled indoors all the while grimacing at the amount of water that poured off onto the floor. Kicking off his shoes and shrugging off his coat, his hand holding the drugs Tsunade gave him, he walked into the kitchen, intent on taking his medicine as soon as possible so he could take a nap.
'After I take this I can finally catch up on my sleep and forget about Kakashi for a while. He's probably in his angsty teen years and I don't feel like dealing with that.' He thought, stepping over a sleeping canine to continue on his way to his room. 'Then I can feed Pickles-chan and the dogs and get out of here again, away from his mood swings.'
Iruka stopped only a few steps from his room, repeating his thoughts word by word in his head, frowning. 'I don't have dogs…' An icy hand gripped his chest as he turned and saw, literally, every surface in his living room and the floor covered with dogs of various shapes and sizes.
"What the hell is going on?" He said loudly, drawing the attention of some of the animals, a few lazily raising their heads to stare at the man who dared to wake them from their nap. "And where is Pickles-chan?"
"If you mean the cat, it's somewhere in there."
He spun around glaring at the shorter, miserable looking Kakashi, who had a blanket wrapped around him and a couple more dogs trailing on his heels. "What did you do?" He noticed the teen's damp looking hair. "Were you training outside again?"
The male shrugged, pulling the blanket up higher as one of the dogs, it look like a greyhound covered in bandages, nuzzled against his hand trying to show support for its master. "I have to keep training." He said, eyes narrowing as his hand reached up to pet the sleeping pug draped over his shoulders.
"Kakashi, I really wouldn't have minded if you had just asked me before you summoned them all, but didn't you only have eight Ninken?" Iruka huffed, remembering from a conversation with Naruto how many of the summoning dogs the jounin had, not the insane amount that were currently sprawled out all over his house.
The younger male sniffed, the sound loud and guttural from his cold and a large percentage of the animals present lifted their heads, one nearby whimpering and giving a small bark. "They all needed homes, and they help me. They get bored sometimes." He stopped, shrugging at his excuse, daring Iruka to say he was lying.
Shaking his head, Iruka held out the small vial and sighed at the wary gaze the grey-haired teen stared at it. "It's for your cold from your training outside in the rain like an idiot." He ignored the scowl that blossomed underneath the tight mask; "It came from the Hokage so you don't need to worry about it being tampered with or something."
Kakashi grunted and reached a pale hand out to take the vial delicately between two long fingers, the muscles in his arm standing out in brief highlight before retreating back underneath the blanket. He nodded and downed the entire contents of the small bottle in one gulp, his mask appearing to never lower for the liquid to pass his lips. "I wasn't training. I just lost track of the time."
He paused, his eyes taking on a more calculating look, "When can I take more missions?" Kakashi asked, glancing around the room to try and find the chunin.
Iruka looked up from his position in the kitchen, a gaggle of puppies pawing at the hem of his pants, and took a sip of the mug he held in his hand. "I don't think you can go on any missions right now." He bent over and picked up one of the pups, making a cooing sound to the rest of them when they cried at not being picked.
The small animal snuggled underneath Iruka's chin, the wiry fur scratching against his skin as the man tried to take a sip of the medicine. "Think of this as a day off. A recovery day. I'm sure nobody will mind." He shrugged and watched as the teenager walk into the room, ignoring the puppy as it furiously licked at his face.
"It's my purpose to train and complete missions. I can't take a day off."
Iruka sighed and placed his cup on the table, pulling out a seat and sitting down. The puppies, seeing that he was stationary, crowded around his feet and settled down to argue over the best position to lie down. "You're on forced vacation, so you might as well get used to it." He took another sip of the liquid.
Kakashi's eyes blazed for a moment before he turned and stomped down the hallway, slamming the door and leaving the blanket behind on the floor. The whole pack of dogs paused for a moment, suddenly in tune with their master's feelings, shivering at the rawness of the emotion, before they went back to their more peaceful activities.
Rubbing his eyes for a moment, Iruka pushed up from his seat with a huff, murmuring a quiet apology to the nest of puppies that had just been disrupted by his feet. Shoving his cold feet into a pair of slippers, he wandered down the hallway after the young jounin all the while avoiding the puppies underfoot that were now determined to follow him. His hand was on the doorknob when a voice stopped him, coming from directly below.
"Master probably wouldn't like that."
The chunin looked down at the fairly large dog sprawled across the bottom half of the door, the Akita Inu in return giving a toothy grin. The puppies all gave yips of joy as they ran into the prone animal, crawling all over its body and making themselves comfortable.
"Keibi, Keibi, fun?" One of the pups asked from between the larger canine's paws, its short attention solely focused on the older being. At the suggestion the rest of the youngsters chorused in agreement, pushing and licking the older dog.
Yawning, the red colored dog nudged at the babies and turned his attention back onto Iruka, who was watching the interaction with a small smile. He cocked his triangle shaped head to the side and coolly watched the chunin for a moment out of unnaturally green eyes. "My Master does not wish to be disturbed. That is why I am here."
"I need to talk to him." Iruka's hand strayed towards the knob again and a deep growl erupted from the dog.
The puppies giggled a tumbled about a bit until another growl silenced them. "You will have to wait until Master wants to see you." Keibi said, standing and giving his whole body a shake, detangling the youngsters from his back and sides. "It is best to wait it out."
He trotted past Iruka into the living room, turning to look over his shoulder at the man. "I suggest you doing something more productive with your time, like eat or sleep." The canine grinned as the puppies cheered, the little voices filling the room and waking some of the lighter sleeping dogs who then snarled at the nuisances.
Iruka groaned as he walked back into the kitchen, plopping down into his chair and staring out the window at the pouring rain. 'If only it was nicer outside, I could shove all of these dogs outside and relax and think about what I can do about Kakashi being such a brat.'
The chunin sighed and turned his head to watch the Akita stroll into the room and pull the refrigerator. His eyes widened slightly when he heard a plate placed on the floor and the canine mumbling about not having any fresh meat. "Are you just going to eat my food and ignore me?"
A snort came from behind the door before it closed, the plate laden with food clamped between its jaws. The dog walked over to the table and released its newly found meal and eyed Iruka. "I'm hungry. It's hard to guard things, and I can't go outside to hunt."
The chunin visibly gapped when the dog winked at him. "Be lucky it is only me who's hungry. The rest don't have as choosy a palette and you would have had no food in a couple of minutes." The Akita snickered quietly to itself and jumped onto the other chair, gracefully making no sound as it landed.
"Where did Kakashi get all of you?" Iruka asked, watching the dog delicately lift a morsel of food and swallow it, "I thought he only had eight of you." He returned to the question he had originally asked Kakashi, hoping he would actually get a straight answer this time.
Keibi swallowed, the movement making the Konoha headband reflect silver for a moment, "We're bound to him. We all have our skills to help Master when he's in the field." His tail wagged for a moment, "He signed his name many times on the scroll for our help."
Iruka nodded and watched the puppies in the other room tumble over themselves, knocking into some of the larger dogs and getting a nip here and there. An older dog hobbled over, its headband tugged firmly over its eyes, and the other dogs paused for a moment as it found a more comfortable place and settled down, showing respect for their elders.
"But why does he need so many of you? Iruka asked, leaning back on the two legs of his chair, his slipper covered feet hanging limply as they barely touched the ground.
"It is so Master can handle every matter thrown in his path. You never know when you'll need a pup to calm a noble's child, or someone to go undercover to find out secrets. People don't usually pay attention to dogs, especially when our headbands and such are stripped."
The Akita glanced over its shoulder at the rest of the pack before jumping off the chair and motioning for Iruka to follow it to the front of the house. "I wish to speak with you outside, before that horrible Pakkun finds his way in here and stops me from talking." The dog rolled its eyes as it thought of the other summon.
Iruka paused at the front door, pulling on his rain jacket and boots again as he held the door open for the canine. The chunin sighed when he saw the dog wasn't going to just stand outside the house so he followed it as it trotted off into the storm, it's white undercoat making it slightly easier to find in the murky weather.
"Where are you taking me?" He grumbled, pulling his coat tighter around his body, grimacing after he stepped in another puddle that the dog had leaped over.
The Akita paused for a moment under a store awning, seeming to silently laugh as Iruka grumbled, and scratched behind its ear. "I'm taking you to Ichiraku. It's the last place the idiot pug would look, and Master can find me if he needs to. It is one of his favorite places."
Digesting this information, Iruka pushed bad the sodden flap of fabric and took a seat on one of the stools, his bones thawing from the heat from the grills. Ayame turned and gave a smile after ordering Nishi and Matsu to clean up the mess they created, and skipped over to the counter.
"Hello, Iruka-sensei. I wouldn't imagine you to be out in this weather." She sighed, "The only reason I'm here is because father is making me work." A glare was aimed at the old man working behind her. "So what would you like?"
Before the tired chunin could order his lunch, for it was only around one in the afternoon, Ayame squealed and reached out to pat Keibi who had just jumped up on the seat next to Iruka.
"Aw! Iruka-sensei, is he yours?" She asked, turning and speaking baby talk to the dog, which seemed like he was enjoying it. "He's so adorable! And he has such good manners, look, he's not even jumping over the counter!" Ayame gushed, turning to her father and sending a dirty look, "See, dogs can be good! I'm going to get one next time I leave and you can't say no!"
The man simply grunted in reply and prepared Iruka's order, which he knew from heart from all the visits.
"Actually," Iruka smiled and scratched his nose nervously, "He isn't my dog. He is one of Kakashi-sensei's Ninken. But he is very well mannered." He allowed himself to finally give in to the appeal and pet the fluffed dog, which seemed to be beaming under all the attention.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." Keibi said as he turned to Ayame, "And if it isn't a bother, could I have a bowl of Tonkotsu ramen?" The Akita licked its chomps as the girl nodded and turned back to her father, leaving the canine and human in private.
Iruka sighed and took his coat off, draping it on the other chair next to him. "So, what did you need to tell me that couldn't have been said in my nice, warm, dry house?"
"Well…it's more a matter of ask and tell." It shifted uncomfortably, "Master has been ageing, which is strange in itself, but we, as a pack, wanted to inform you of the coming stage in Master's life, since it was a hard time in our lives and it will undoubtedly be hard in the coming days."
The dog paused as Ayame came back with their orders, receiving a scratch on the head before she turned back to argue with her father over something.
"As most know, since rumors get around, my Master was a part of the elite group known as the ANBU." Iruka leaned closer, wondering what this would have to do with him taking care of the younger man. The Akita sighed and stared into its cloudy soup, turning back to the chunin after a moment.
"Master was very…strange during that time." It paused again, "I do not understand human emotions, nor do I try even after all these years, but Master often told us he felt empty or cold after his team completed missions." It cocked its head towards the chunin, "You must understand, since you are human, so perhaps you could explain it to me so I can explain it to the rest?"
Iruka stared at the wood counter as the dog started its ramen, his thoughts mulling together and turning into a mess much like the weather, "So, Kakashi-sensei was under twenty years old and already an ANBU captain?" He asked quietly, seeing the dog from the corner of his eye nod.
He slurped up a couple of noodles, thinking over the information given to him. "He felt like a machine…" Iruka whispered quietly, knowing the Akita heard, his hand around the chopsticks tightening slightly. "Kakashi-sensei, if I recall correctly, had no real teammates since he lost them at thirteen…" He paused again, his mind in teacher mode, "So he refused to get closer to anyone in fear of losing them too."
The Akita nodded and opened its mouth to respond, but then it suddenly stopped and turned to stare outside, its ramen bowl licked clean of any liquid or food. Iruka was going to ask what was wrong but then the question was answered almost immediately as the old Team Seven came in through the rain, gasping and groaning to themselves as they tried to rid themselves of the water.
"My hair is ruined!" Sakura moaned, closing her umbrella that had seemed to have a malfunction along the way. "Naruto, this is all your fault!"
The blond pouted and grabbed onto Sasuke's arm, which was halfway out of the coat's sleeve, "Is not! We have to tell him, even if he doesn't want to hear! It's the only choice!"
"Maybe for your little brain to think of!" Sakura stuck out her tongue.
"I can be right sometimes, Sakura-chan!" Naruto followed suit.
Sasuke sighed and pulled off his coat the rest of the way, "I don't think it matters, but we should tell him before he figures it out and kills the whole village." He threaded his free arm through his hair and stopped when he spotted Iruka and a large dog staring at him.
His eyes widened comically and Iruka almost thought that the stoic Uchiha was going to faint. Instead, he tugged gently on Iruka's hand that was still grasping his arm and pointed towards the chunin as stealthily as possible, which wasn't quite since the ramen stand was quite small and they were only a foot or two away from the other party.
A girlish scream was the answer.
The Akita hopped down from its stool and shot a look at the blond who had shrieked so…femalely, and nodded to Iruka. "I shall possibly continue this conversation with you later, sensei." The dog them trotted into the rain and disappeared as quickly as a ghost.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the hyperventilating Naruto, wondering why she stuck together with the moron before turning towards her past teacher, her hands folded in front of her demurely. "Iruka-sensei? We know we shouldn't do this, but we have something to tell you.
"It happened four years ago…"
Author's Notes
Oh noes! What shall happen?
Actually, it's more like: What will Iruka's reaction be to the secret!
Review! It makes me think faster, and then write faster!
;D