Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 11
Naruto angrily eyed the Uchiha from across the the wide chalk circle drawn into the sparring ground at the schoolyard. He considered himself a fairly upbeat person most of the time, but this asshole had found a way to push his buttons.
Most of the kids in class simply avoided Naruto these days, ignoring his very existence. They had learned during the first year of academy that he was no one to mess with, and now as the second year had begun, they simply treated him like he was invisible. It was infuriating to the outgoing boy, bringing back painful childhood memories of going to the playground in search of friends, only to have parents herd all the kids away while casting him disgusted or even fearful glances. The desperate desire to be noticed was part of the reason he had started coming up with ways to play pranks on people, at least if they were covered in paint, or whatever else, they were looking at him. The shock was better than the hate.
Now his peers were gathered around the two completely opposite boys with eyes locked in rapt attention on the pair. From near the back of the group Choji and Shikamaru shared a bag of chips as they waited with more nervousness than they cared to admit for the teacher's pet and the class clown to have their first face off of the year.
Mizuki-sensei, the new assistant teacher, walked to the outer edge of the chalk circle, a small smirk on his face that made Naruto even more suspicious of the guy. He had been giving the blond weird vibes since day one, his chakra felt like a boiling pot with the lid screwed on tight. At least Iruka-sensei was always polite, though not overly friendly to the blond outcast. He didn't single him out unless Naruto asked for it. And to be honest, he totally asked for it sometimes.
Naruto flexed his fingers and shook his hands out in anticipation of the start, glancing over at Hinata as Mizuki-sensei started the familiar recitation of the rules of a spar. She was nervously poking her fingers together, and giving him a pleading look that he read all too clearly. Don't do anything crazy.
He quickly refocused on his glaring opponent, ignoring the twinge of guilt her lavender gaze gave him and grit his teeth. He had no intention of holding back, this wasn't about him or his ego. It was about defending her, and putting this arrogant asshole in his place.
By now, as a second year academy student, Hinata had far and away blown past her female classmates in taijutsu. While a few, especially Sakura, had become more competitive within the academic realm, none could touch her out in the sparring yard. Regularly practicing and competing with two wildly different and equally strong boys like Neji and Naruto had helped the petite girl to become a well rounded fighter. Today, after two weeks of encouraging her and praising her, Naruto had finally convinced the shy girl, who still struggled with bouts of self doubt, to ask permission to join the boys for their sparring session.
She had barely been able to stutter out the question, but Naruto had beamed when she didn't back down, standing proudly behind his friend as if his physical presence could offer her more strength. He knew that if she was just given a chance, she would exceed everyone's expectations.
"There is no way I am wasting my time fighting with a girl," the flat voice of an annoyed Uchiha had cut in before Mizuki-sensei could give her an answer. Hinata's cheeks had instantly flamed red. She stood her ground but was biting her lip to hide its trembling, unwilling to look at anything but Sensei's shoes.
"Oi, Teme! Nobody asked you!" Naruto had instantly jumped to her defense. "Hime could kick the ass of half the boys here, she beats me as often as I beat her when we spar!" Placing an encouraging hand on her shoulder, he shook the other fist at his classmate, hoping she wouldn't give up after finally taking this big step. "She is really strong!" He added at a volume that ensured the whole school yard heard. He didn't care, because it was true.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better, Dobe?" Sasuke had rolled his eyes, these people just didn't get it. This wasn't play time, this was training. He had a mission and he needed a real challenge if he was ever going to keep up with That Man. Some girl called 'Princess' didn't exactly sound like the kind of competition he wanted.
"OooOOOooh, is the precious Uchiha scared of being beaten by a girl?" Naruto taunted. Hinata had grasped his arm, trying to get him to calm down before he said something really brash.
Sasuke clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Neither of you are worth my time. I'm here to be the best, not fight losers."
"You can't get better all by yourself, Teme! Who the hell turns down a good fight when its standing right in front of 'em?"
Hinata had felt close to cracking under all the pressure of the escalating situation. Despite all the progress she had made with her confidence in her skills, it was still so hard to be brave around other people besides Naruto-kun, and at that moment with the eyes of the whole class upon her, she was wishing she could shrink into her khaki coat and disappear. Ever since being branded she had committed her whole self to becoming the strongest kunoichi she could be and breaking free of her fate, and lately she had added a new goal: uniting the Hyuga. Seeing her brother, her father, and so many other strong members of the Branch family, and listening to her ambitious friend continually preach his beliefs about ending the cycle of hate, she had felt that her own Clan would be stronger if they could be united under a single banner. But it was easy to talk about her dreams with Naruto-kun and Neji-niisan. She knew the next step she needed to take was breaking out of her shell here at the academy. This had been her first attempt at being bolder like her best friend, and it was completely blowing up in her face.
Mizuki-sensei, who had been watching the back-and-forth between the two boys with a keen eye, mercifully stepped in at this point. "Take it easy guys, we can settle this right now," he said with a twist to his smile. "Naruto, if you say Hinata-chan is strong enough to beat you, then you fight with Sasuke. Prove you can beat him, and we will know she is worthy to play with the boys."
Hinata frowned at the round-about logic. She was the one asking to spar, not Naruto-kun. What did this even prove? What was Sensei doing?
Naruto's mind was going in the same direction. He was trying to vouch for his friend, not steal her spotlight. But before he could get the words out, Sasuke did the thing that triggered Naruto almost as quickly as insulting his Hime, the prick blew him off. Rolling his eyes and starting to turn away, the Uchiha's rejection meant the end of Hinata's hopes for a newer challenge. Fucked up logic or not, Naruto couldn't let his Hime down.
"Come at me, Genius," Naruto hollered at the retreating figure. "Do your worst! I dare you!" Unbeknownst to the keyed up boy, his words had struck a deep wound within the youngest Uchiha. Flinching with the painful memory of that same challenge coming from That Man, Sasuke whirled around with anger burning in his dark eyes.
"Fine," he bit out through clenched teeth, planting his feet firmly within the chalk circle. "Let us test our abilities."
And so now they found themselves nearly snarling as they performed the seal of confrontation, each not realizing that the other fought for reasons much deeper and more personal than just a simple academy competition. They were fighting to prove the worth of their beliefs; one that people were stronger when they worked together, and the other that he alone was supreme.
"Hajime!"
The two rivals tore into each other with a ruthlessness that they had not displayed in any previous spar. Naruto was wild as a whirl wind; Sasuke struck fast as lightning. Immediately Hinata's anxiety spiked, Naruto-kun was not fighting like his normal self, when he just wanted to be outside and burning energy. The harsh expression on his whiskered face was almost vulpine.
Each hit that landed was returned with greater power. The two unwavering combatants were more equally matched than anyone had realized. The spar dragged on, neither seemed able to gain a solid upper hand. Suddenly one of the hail of strikes Naruto was raining upon his opponent caught Sasuke in the mouth, spraying blood across the dirt much closer to the chalk borderline than the Uchiha wanted to be. The sharp pain caused a surge of adrenaline to shoot through his body, and seeing the smug look on the idiot's face, his fury ignited.
Ferocious determination had Sasuke's hand snapping to his hip pouch and before Naruto could wipe the cocky grin off his face, shuriken were spiraling towards the startled blond. Hinata gasped, this was supposed to only be a taijutsu spar, by employing weapons Sasuke had broken a cardinal rule. But surprise attacks were nothing new for the village pariah, and he reacted instinctively. Instantly retrieving his own kunai, Naruto deflected each flying weapon as fast as they reached him. Two of the blades ricocheted into a tree behind him, embedding deeply into the bark with their high velocity.
From the spot that she had elbowed her way into at the front of the gathered audience of classmates, Sakura blinked in shock. If those shuriken had actually hit their mark, Naruto would be badly hurt. She found the loud mouthed idiot as obnoxious as anybody, but those blades were thrown with a much heavier intent than to simply end a fight. Sharing a look with Ino-pig, who was holding back at least two other fangirls for the coveted front row view, Sakura could see her rival was thinking the same thing.
Now a full on knife fight, sparks flashed as both opponent's kunai clashed with metallic ringing reverberating throughout the schoolyard. The fierce competitors had long forgotten where they were, completely losing themselves in the fast paced battle with the single minded focus of warriors. A mighty swing of Naruto's kunai was deflected by Sasuke with enough torque to send the blond sliding sideways through the dirt, barely keeping his footing. With a growl Sasuke pressed his advantage.
Naruto was scrabbling in the dirt for his dropped kunai, when he saw the shadow of his attacker charging up behind him. He looked over his shoulder, hands still frantically feeling for his weapon, to see Sasuke bearing down in a full sprint. Naruto's fingers touched cold metal, but there was no time to spin around and fully block the oncoming attack. Hinata started to scream as Naruto blindly threw his kunai straight into the air, missing Sasuke by a mile.
The impulse to eliminate his opponent propelled Sasuke's hand downward as he held nothing back. But when his kunai stabbed into solidity, he found the blade embedded up to the hilt in nothing but earth, with Naruto's kunai spinning in the dirt beside his hands. He blinked away the haze of his anger. Where did he go?
The thudding sound of two feet landing on the ground behind him reached the Uchiha's ears. His head whipped around to realize that the supposed Dead Last had just executed a near instantaneous kawarimi with the kunai he had tossed into the air, without a single hand sign.
This time there was no gloating as Naruto immediately leapt at Sasuke, who barely shook off his shock to roll sideways before a flying kick could wallop into his back. The two again met each other in a barrage of blows as the class gaped at the brutal fight, and Mizuki mentally willed the Uchiha to end it once and for all.
Hinata sensed the vicious change in tone and ran over to the new sensei, tugging on his sleeve in alarm.
"You have to stop them, this isn't fair!" she cried. This was all her fault, if she hadn't tried to break the norm none of this would be happening. If something happened to Naruto-kun she would never forgive that bloody Uchiha, or herself.
Mizuki-sensei glanced down at her, but didn't budge. A calculating look came to his eye as he answered, "I'll allow it. Boys will be boys. Let them finish what they started."
Hinata's mouth gaped in dismay. This was crazy! Too stunned to think of another argument, her worried gaze was drawn back to the fight. Naruto-kun, please be careful.
The boys paid no heed to anything except every move of his opponent, the exhilaration of exertion drawing leering grins from their faces. But the stamina of the Uzumaki was starting to show its advantage over Sasuke, who was trying to hide his exhausted panting. There were only so many more of the surprisingly strong blows he could block. Naruto sensed his fatigue and redoubled his efforts, determined to claim his victory.
Sasuke's mind reeled at the idea of losing. He refused to fail, refused to allow this to happen. This idiot could not be allowed to beat him! He had to defeat That Man, if he couldn't even best the Dobe, what good was he? What good had the hours of punishing training been?
Desperation started distorting Sasuke's rational thoughts, the desire to win overruling his better judgment. A glance over his shoulder caused panic to awaken as he saw how close Naruto had pushed him to the edge of the circle. NO! Instinct took over, his hands flying through the familiar signs, and he blasted an unrestrained fireball straight at his classmate. The last thing he saw was the orange clad figure hit the dirt and curl up in a ball.
Shocked gasps rippled through the bystanders, and several kids in the front had to shield themselves from the heat of the blaze. Breaking the rules of a spar by using weapons was one thing, but surprise use of a deadly offensive ninjutsu was another entirely. Sakura's eyes watered as she gawked at the maddened object of her affection. Sasuke-kun, what are you thinking?
The fireball flew across the schoolyard, not dissipating until it nearly reached the tree line. When it cleared, Naruto was no where in sight. Sasuke paused, panting with fatigue and stormy emotions, Exhaling harshly, he let his body relax. I won.
Cool metal pressed into the soft flesh of his neck. His dark eyes widened in shock as Naruto's voice came from behind him. "Surrender, Teme. You're lucky you didn't burn my scarf."
Sasuke blinked, where Naruto had been standing, where the weeds were singed and still smoking from his fireball, there lay a single shuriken. Naruto had once again swapped himself with one of Sasuke's own forgotten weapons.
"Enough!" Suddenly Iruka-sensei was there, grabbing each boy by the collar and yanking them apart so hard Naruto dropped the dusty kunai he had grabbed when he'd hit the deck. The teacher was up in the classroom grading papers when he had seen the fireball from his window and immediately used a shunshin to intervene. He glared first at Mizuki-sensei, who was looking chagrined, and then at the boys.
"Class is dismissed for the day. You all may go home. Except for you two," he growled, giving each dirtied opponent a shake. "You're coming with me. Mizuki, you as well."
As he turned to trudge up to the classroom behind the three others, Naruto caught Hinata's eye. He flashed her a grin and a wink that helped her feel a little better. Slinking up next to him before he went inside, she whispered, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, if I hadn't asked—"
"Stop thinking like that Hime, you did nothing wrong." Her friend sternly chastised her self deprecating thoughts.
Hinata sighed, knowing he was right, and forced herself to try and put her feelings aside. She looked up at his smudged face, one eye was swelling shut and his lip was split. But she knew he hated pity, so instead she gave him her bravest smile and said, "you were amazing out there, that was the fastest kawarimi of any academy student here. I don't even think Neji-niisan can do it without hand signs."
The praise had his face splitting into a huge smile that squinted both eyes shut. "He can't! But don't remind him, he's still butt hurt about it." Their laughter caught Iruka's attention and he had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling at the cute little pair. Schooling his features he called out, "come on Naruto-kun, I have work for you to do."
Hinata could almost see the little rain cloud form over his blond head as he whined. "I still feel bad about you getting hurt over me," she said as she fished the little tin of healing ointment out of her pocket and pressed it into his hand.
Naruto smiled ruefully as he took the gift. "No worries Hime. Sensei was being stupid about the whole thing, making me spar for your chance to join the boys. Although after seeing how dirty the Teme fought, I'm kinda glad it was me and not you."
Hinata frowned, the new assistant instructor apparently had a lot to learn. Reaching the edge of the schoolyard she said, "I'll wait by the swing for you to finish—"
"No, no!" He loudly interrupted, startling her with his vehemence. "Um, I mean, not today, its fine. Just go home with Neji. I'll see you tomorrow."
Hinata's forehead wrinkled in displeasure at the adamant refusal. "But it's your birthday and I..."
"Just, trust me. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise," and with a quick wave he disappeared into the building, leaving her standing alone in bewilderment.
The sound of scraping was the only thing that filled the empty classroom as the two boys worked their way desk by desk, row by row, removing every scrap of gooey gum that had petrified into a solid substance that could rival rock.
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who hadn't made any more progress than himself, and was scowling darkly at the underside of a desk, trying to dodge the chipped off pieces of chewed gunk that were falling into his face. The blond sighed and let his fatigued arms drop, the awkward position he'd attempted by hanging off a chair upside down wasn't doing his back any favors. This would be a hell of a lot easier if we worked together, he mused tiredly. Scratching his cheek he eyed his comrade in punishment, figuring the simple proposal was worth a try. Standing up he crossed the room and stood at the edge of the table that was rattling from the angry scratching underneath.
"Ah-hem," Naruto cleared his throat. The scratching stopped but no other acknowledgment was made. "If we turn it over it'll be easier," he mumbled, fully expecting his suggestion to be ignored. "Then we could get out of here sooner. Cuz y'know, I've got, um, stuff to do."
Nothing.
Naruto huffed, completely unsurprised, but just as he turned to head back over to his side of the room, a dark head appeared above the long desk. Sasuke didn't say a word as he stalked to the opposite end and grabbed the edge of the heavy wooden table. Naruto's eyebrows raised up into his hair, but he quickly mirrored the boy's actions before this opportunity disappeared.
One by one they flipped, scraped, and flipped again. The work went faster with the advantage of the new angle and they wordlessly made their way up the row. Finally, Naruto couldn't take the silence anymore, even bickering would be better than this. And he still couldn't quite let go of the fight. He wasn't really that pissed about the broken rules, if anything, he'd been digging the no-holds-barred clash, it felt good let loose. But the rude comment about Hinata's ability as a shinobi still irked him.
"I wasn't lying," he said, his voice echoing in the empty room.
"Hn."
Naruto clicked his teeth in irritation at the dismissive grunt.
"Hinata really is strong," he pressed. "She's not like those other fangirls. She trains everyday and is always pushing herself to be better. We're both committed to our goals and we'll never give up until we succeed. Its our nindo."
Sasuke's scraping slowed a bit, as he digested the words. Now that he thought about it, the weird eyed girl had never chased him like the rest of the rabid hoard of females who always seemed more focused on him than being a shinobi. But honestly, he didn't really care. "Whatever," he answered, and resumed his scraping.
Scratch...scratch...scratch...
"What about you?" Naruto pushed, boredom and curiosity making his exasperation with the apathetic boy take a back seat. "What's your reason for becoming a shinobi? Everyone kisses your ass, calling you 'The Last Uchiha' and treats you like some sort of museum relic. What gives?"
"Nothing you would understand, Dobe," he answers in a dismissive tone, abruptly standing up to grab his end of the clean table and flip it back over.
"Oh sure," Naruto nods with sarcastic exaggeration, moving to take hold of the opposite side. "You're probably right. I have no idea what it's like to go through life with a stick up my ass." They each growl as they lift and flip.
"Spare me the petty insults and just work, ok?" Sasuke snapped, slamming his end of the table down harshly.
Naruto can't quite let it go, continuing to provoke him as they move to the last desk. "Man, gimme a break, don't act like you don't walk all over this place thinking you're better than the rest of us." Flip, SLAM.
Both boys attack the bottom of the unfortunate table with growing aggression. "That's rich coming from the kid who won't shut up about being Hokage someday," Sasuke bites back.
"You betcha, dattebayo! And I'm gonna do it without stepping on everyone's heads to get there," Naruto emphatically jabbed his metal spatula at the increasingly aggravated Uchiha. Pinning him with a narrowed blue eye he loudly declared, "I'm gonna be a Hokage that everyone respects, they'll want to acknowledge me!"
Sasuke gave him a flat look as he pushed the metal tool away from his face. "Baka. Who cares what everyone else thinks."
"I do!" The blond forcefully drove his spatula down the underside of the table, chiseling off splinters and gum chunks. "This place is poisoned by hatred, and I'm sick of it! I'm gonna show them all how wrong they are about me..."
Scratch.
"About Hime..."
Scratch.
"About fate..."
SCRATCH.
"Especially fate. FUCK fate. I will be a Hokage who protects the Will of Fire, and I never go back on my word, dattebayo!"
During the intense rant, Sasuke's hand had stilled. He stared at the knuckleheaded prankster next to him with pity. The kid was more naive than he thought. Nothing was stronger than hatred. He had seen first hand what hatred could do, how powerful it could make one person. Sasuke was nothing without his hatred. It was what made getting out of bed everyday bearable. What pushed him to train. The key to avenging his clan. Without it, he would never defeat That Man.
"You're wrong," the Uchiha said in a somber voice that caught the rambling lecturer's attention. Sasuke was staring blankly at the desk, as though his thoughts were miles away. "The only way to defeat them, is to hate them more." Naruto blinked at the nearly defeated tone of his normally arrogant classmate. "Sasuke..."
But he was already on his feet and turning his back on Naruto. When he faced him again from the opposite edge of the desk, his expression was once again hardened into that perpetual look of annoyance. The conversation was over.
They flipped the table back up and without another word Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and left.
Iruka rubbed his temples as he exited the office where he had just wrapped up a stern conversation with the new assistant sensei. One would think that preventing students from murdering each other during recess would be common sense, he griped to himself.
He entered the empty classroom to find Naruto alone, staring out the window towards the sunset with an unusually solemn look on his face. The teacher paused at the rare sight, and suspiciously cast a glance around to make sure there weren't any traps rigged up in retribution for the punishment. Nothing obvious seemed amiss, and he settled his puzzled gaze back on the most challenging child he had ever met, who was disturbingly quiet.
The rare sight had his mind recalling the monthly meeting he had with the Hokage yesterday, where Iruka had vented about his exasperation with the wild young jinchuriki.
"You have a lot in common with the boy, Iruka. He is an orphan just like you, and seeks to find a way to be recognized with any emotion other than the hatred he has grown up knowing. The pranks, the fighting, they are the child in him who simply craves attention. Take the time to really see him, and you will be surprised at the complexity of his mind, and purity of his heart. Despite enduring repeated rejection growing up, he has managed to create close bonds with two of the most promising children to ever come out of the Hyuga. He and Hinata have become stronger together than they ever could have alone. She is the discarded heiress of an elite clan and he is condemned for being the keeper who protects us from our worst nightmare. It would be understandable if they gave in to hatred, and spent their lives seeking retribution for the sins committed against them. But together, they instead have chosen to fight for a better tomorrow."
The scarred-faced chunin had laid awake long into the night contemplating the words of The Professor.
"Naruto-kun," Iruka says, and the boy spins suddenly, so absorbed in his thoughts that for once he was unaware of another's presence. "You both finished I see?" he continues, placing a hand on his hip as he scanned the classroom before fixing a stern gaze on the remaining boy. "I hope this is the last time I'll have to separate the two of you for pointless fighting."
"It wasn't pointless," Naruto stubbornly replied, crossing his arms with a pout. "He insulted my friend, and I will always defend my friends. He broke the rules of the spar and attacked me, and I will always protect myself when threatened," he declared, looking the Chunin straight in the eye with a defiant blue stare that gave him an eerie sense of deja vu. "Besides, Mizuki-sensei was there the whole time and he never tried to stop us."
Iruka stamped down the immediate reaction of any authority figure to demand that a child respect their elders and just shut up and say they're sorry. But studying the way this boy's eyes burned with conviction, he felt himself nodding at the bold statement. It was not a convenient perspective for a teaching environment, but it was the way a shinobi should think. He smiled and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, thinking how much taller the blond had gotten since last year. "Fair enough, but sometimes it is ok to be the bigger man and let bygones be bygones. Especially when on school grounds, eh?"
A small sheepish grin spreads across the whiskered face as he rubs the back of his head. "Hai, Sensei."
Iruka chuckles and turns to go, expecting the boy to follow him. but he remains standing by the edge of the last desk, nervously scratching a finger over some graffiti on the flat surface and looking out the window with a worried expression. Frowning, Iruka looks out the window over Naruto's shoulder, seeing nothing but the setting sun and the lights of the festival that is taking place downtown...oh, that means today is his birthday, and there will be...
The sensei looks down at the boy, so brave when defending his friends, yet still in need of defense himself. His heart softens as he remembers hearing about drunken villagers sometimes chasing the "Kyuubi demon child" on this day, thinking to exact revenge for their losses with the blood of an innocent jinchuriki, who lost just as much, if not more, as all of them. I see you, Naruto-kun. It is my turn to protect someone important.
"Y'know, I'm not one for festivals myself," he says as casually as possible, gaining the anxious blond's attention. "I was thinking of heading the opposite direction and grabbing some ramen on my way home. You wouldn't, by any chance, want to join me?"
Joy lit up Naruto's face and his eyes sparkled, "Hell yeah I do!"
Iruka laughed as the boy bounced out of the classroom behind him. With a crooked smile he teasingly asks, "Will Hinata-chan be joining us? You two usually head off together after school, is she waiting for you?" Iruka personally thought the pair of best friends made the cutest little couple, and was maybe a bit guilty of pairing them up together whenever a project came around. But he totally wasn't shipping his students, no way. That was much too unprofessional for a respectable instructor like himself. Nope.
"I, uh, sent her home with Neji," Naruto answers quietly. "Today isn't usually a good day for me, and I, uh, would rather her not get tangled up in, um, anything, y'know?" His fingers played with the end of his red scarf as he tucks his chin down into its folds.
Iruka's smile turns sad as he remembers the feeling of being alone as a child on his birthdays. And here was Naruto, who was willing to suffer the loneliness to ensure his friends stayed safely away from any danger he might bring down upon them. And this was the child everyone said was supposedly full of hatred and death? Yet here he was, once again protecting others at his own expense. While the last year of being the Chunin Sensei to the unpredictable pranking ball of energy had been, well, trying to say the least, Iruka had to admit, the kid's fierce loyalty to his morals was quite admirable.
He reached over and ruffled the outrageously spiky yellow hair. "Tell you what, I'll add extra pork to all your ramen since it's your thirteenth birthday, and you can tell me all about this Hokage business you're always going on about. Deal?"
"Yattah!"
Kakashi snapped his head to the left of his hidden position when he sensed movement coming from the alley. His fingers instinctively reached for his kunai, ready to deal with any attack that came his direction. Already he had "gently" deposited no less than six assholes who had attempted to break past Naruto's traps and get into the jinchuriki's apartment. The police would be kept busy booking all the idiots into cells, and the night was still young. The fact that most of the patrols were occupied down at the festival itself had the Copy Nin voluntarily posting up in his current position, overlooking the boy's home.
Damn he hated this day.
Refusing to be distracted by his own dark thoughts, he sniffed the air as the footsteps drew closer, trying to get an idea of how inebriated his latest victims were. But as the faint aroma of ramen reached his sensitive nose, he relaxed. When Naruto and Iruka rounded the corner he nodded in satisfaction at the way the chunin scanned the surrounding area before wishing the beaming boy a happy birthday and watching to ensure he safely entered the building and reset the traps.
Silently he dropped to the ground well within the instructor's field of vision, holding up his empty hands to show the instantly guarded shinobi that he was unarmed and no threat.
Iruka squinted at the dark figure. "Kakashi? What are you doing here? Look, if this is about that last group of genin you failed, don't bother, I actually agree with you this time and they're repeating the third year, ok?"
The often-assigned but never-committed sensei smirked under his mask. "Mah, mah, Iruka, relax. I'm just babysitting our favorite little falsely accused scapegoat on this special occasion. Did you see Hinata-chan home as well?"
The chunin tiredly shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "No, Naruto-kun sent her home earlier with her cousin. He didn't want her to get involved in anything."
"Hn," the Copy Nin was not surprised, for all his carefree attitude, the little Pup was very thoughtful, especially when it came to his best friend who was a girl. He shamelessly giggled to himself. He totally shipped those two.
"Kakashi," Iruka's voice was thoughtful, and his gaze lifted to the window of the dark apartment where his student had hunkered down for the long night. "He says he is going be Hokage. That Hinata is going to fix the Hyuga. That they're going to end all the hatred and protect everyone." The man's scarred face darkened as he frowned and looked back at the waiting shinobi.
Kakashi tilted his head, confused at where this was going. "Yeah, and?"
Iruka huffed and tossed his arms in exasperation. "C'mon, that's crazy! I mean, have you seen the way people look at him? And the Hyuga? I've met with them in regards to Neji a few times and they are... just..." the man cast his gaze around looking for the politically correct term before exhaling and rubbing his face. "They a goddamned nightmare, if I could find a way around all the red tape I'd report them for child abuse."
"Wouldn't recommend it," the other ninja snorted. "You might find a decapitated horse head in your bed one morning."
"What?!"
Kakashi waved his hand through the air, "Inside joke."
Iruka blinked in mild horror at the former ANBU, remembering why his peers called the guy more than slightly unhinged.
The fireworks show began from the top of the steep hillside, causing both men to look up towards the Hokage faces. Their carved expressions seemed to come alive in the flash of colored lights, as though reflecting the mixed emotions of the two shinobi below.
It was Kakashi who finally spoke. "They're special kids Iruka. They truly do have the Will of Fire, and they never give up. Not on their dreams, not on each other, and not on us. That's more than I can say for myself." His normally lazy tone was gravely serious and he straightened to his full height before stating, "I believe in the worth of their dreams, and I am willing to put my faith in them."
Iruka chuckled mirthlessly as he turned to head home. "I know, you're right," he sighed. "And that's what I'm afraid of, nothing is freely given in this ninja world. Everything is earned, prices must be paid. I hate the thought of what kind of suffering lies ahead of them." He looked up once more at the humble apartment of the most amazing student, no human, he had ever met.
"But I'll do anything to make sure they succeed."