Iruka didn't know how or why or when but both two students in his classroom, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, changed.
Every child matured. He knew. In fact, out of his entire classroom, the most mature student he likely would say would be Shikamaru, but he was a Nara, and if Iruka remembered Shikaku, he was perhaps the most mature and analytical man during his days in the Academy.
However, this was far different. What made Sasuke and Naruto stand out was how they were seen in the Academy.
Sasuke was seen as a quiet child. When Iruka prompted him for answers, the boy would respond with a somewhat descriptive answer that showed his intelligence, but also terse, going straight to the point. What concerned Iruka slightly was the stand offish attitude the Uchiha seemingly had. Unlike Kiba or more of the rowdy boys, he did not seemingly form any friendships in his classroom, keeping his distance from others, and was just as quiet, if not more so than Shikamaru or Shino. This had brought on a number of negative attention from the other boys, though had the opposite effect from the other side of the spectrum. He could see that a number of girls liked him for this attitude, but this didn't change his attitude, as he kept his classmates within arms reach. Shikamaru he could see with Choji, and Shino scooped up insects. Unlike other children who would play during lunch and recess, Sasuke kept his distance, eating silently before going over to one of the Academy's training grounds to practice his shurikenjutsu or the other techniques of the Shinobi with Taijutsu.
It was a concern that Iruka could not brush aside when Sasuke, like multiple other students, entered the Academy for their first day. Following the third week, he attempted to ask if he was alright, though the boy only gave a simple answer in response and did not elaborate any further.
Though the concerned feelings in his gut rang that he should do something more, perhaps there was even family or parental issues at home. Iruka decided to not push his concerns any further. He decided he would keep a closer eye on him.
Despite his attitude, Sasuke was the best student within the entire Academy, scoring high marks in all areas. If Iruka graded a work and came across Sasuke's paper or graded his area of the shinobi arts and knowledge of such, it was a perfect or near perfect score. Even so, as he turned Sasuke's work back to him, from the corner of his gaze, he found that Sasuke seemed dissatisfied whenever he had a mistake on his paper, his near perfect record seemingly meant nothing when one of the problems he answered incorrectly. Most students would proudly boast or be satisfied, but for Sasuke, it was as if his best wasn't enough, as he strove to do better.
Iruka found out that Sasuke was the son of Fugaku, the chief of the Konoha Police Force, a law enforcement of Konoha of sorts that enforced the peace and security of the village, and Mikoto Uchiha, as well as the younger brother of Itachi, who was renowned through the village as a prodigy of the Uchiha who broke the record during his years as a Academy student.
He then understood why Sasuke was like this. Sasuke had to fulfill expectations of his parents and his brother.
Sasuke mixed up the various applications of two types of Genjutsu and answered incorrectly? Itachi had scored perfectly on the same test.
Sasuke forgot one of the hand signs out of the many in the list required to perform the Mud Wave? Itachi answered them all with pinpoint accuracy, listing them without having to think on it.
Iruka felt as he should do something, but he knew from rumors and talks that Fugaku was a… stern man, when he spoke with Itachi one day following the end of one Academy day.
He felt that Sasuke did not need to prove himself that he was the best. It was stress on him and the feeling of inadequacy that he could clearly see that made the boy beat himself up for a simple mistake, showing a sign of inferiority complex.
His best wasn't enough. He had to do it Itachi's way.
Itachi had noticed himself and attempted, as much as he could, to push the attention away from Sasuke, but Iruka found it did little for his part.
He was unable to do anything. He thought of having a parent teacher conference with both Fugaku and Mikoto, but when the day came, Fugaku was stated to be busy as the Chief of the village, and Mikoto was busy herself. When he had asked Itachi when he came to pick up his younger brother the day following the conference, the young man had told him that it was clan matters that they were unable to attend. Iruka had sent a letter after to Itachi to let his and his brothers's parents know that he was always open to talk after the end of class. Itachi's response was that they will think about it, though they were far too busy.
The meeting never happened, as months passed.
Then, it happened.
The Uchiha Massacre.
Iruka had been picking up coffee, shuffling lesson plans for the day when he heard of news passing by.
Itachi Uchiha had slaughtered all those within the clans estate, save for his parents and brother.
He walked past a group of Chunin and Jonin, jabbing a finger at the image of Itachi in the latest edition of the Bingo Book, soon to spread through past Konoha walls and the Nations, as they spoke in hushed tones. One of the Uchiha Clan's and Konoha's greatest ninjas produced, now one of Konoha's worst traitors along with Kagura, a former ANBU who went rogue following her brief tenure under one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade Senju, and Orochimaru.
When he arrived the following day, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, and the entire class, of course, knew. It was not kept a secret among adults, and so it would be no different to children. He attempted to keep a semblance of peace, but it was growing difficult, as both female and male population repeatedly spoke about the massacre as did the adults. There was only so much he could do.
Iruka just felt a coldness seep through his stomach. No child such as Sasuke should have to experience such a traumatic experience, yet he did.
Sasuke did not return until the following month's absence after the usual 12 PM lunch/recess. All eyes fell to the student, and Iruka's heart reached out to the boy. For his sake, he greeted and told the boy to turn to page 40 in their ninjutsu textbook, and had ordered the rest of the population to leave him alone and turn their attention to the screen, alleviating as much attention away from him as possible so the boy could properly focus.
Iruka's concerns for him grew when Sasuke first entered the Academy. Now? They were doubled.
If Sasuke wasn't already antisocial, he was even more so now. During recess, he could not ever find him as he searched around. Even so regardless, Sasuke returned to the classroom after the break.
The change to Sasuke most individuals probably would not recognize, but Iruka did, and he supposed he was in more touch with feelings than anyone else. He recognized the irony of it. Emotions were considered useless to a shinobi and were tossed aside, as it hindered a success on a mission.
But Iruka disagreed with the notion. Maybe he wasn't in active force anymore, as he gave up the life of a shinobi to become a instructor to teach the aspiring students instead, and didn't understand the capacity of such, but Iruka was entitled to his own opinions, wasn't he?
Sasuke was far more quiet. While he raised his hand to answer questions before, now, he rarely ever did, as only did Iruka call on him did he answer. Otherwise, he was a child who kept most of his emotions in himself.
The change also was barely minor, but Iruka was perhaps that observant. During a test for kunai and shuriken throwing, as the Academy required a week per Academy curriculum standards, he had asked for a student to demonstrate and inform their classmates how to throw kunais and shurikens. It was taught per week to students to keep their minds fresh and to not spend time simply studying Jutsus, their applications, and core subjects.
Kiba was one of the many who volunteered, but what had shocked him, and perhaps the rest of the class, was Sasuke raising his hand to volunteer.
Sasuke had never volunteered before. Okay. He did, but it was never to teach other students. He never had done so for other students to learn what factors to take into account when throwing shuriken or kunais. Sasuke only simply done the task required but never gave advice to the rest of his classmates, often ignoring them or answering them to figure it out themselves.
When Sasuke volunteered, he told them to adjust their arm and take into account their body positions. Where to throw when the wind blows.
The class had shortly gotten to proceeding to the task. What proceeded to shock Iruka next was Choji asking for advice, as Shikamaru was behind him, hearing Shikaku's son telling his closest friend that it was a bad idea, that Sasuke wanted to be left alone. To perhaps the collective shock of the entire classroom, Sasuke, instead of refusing or ignoring the round boy, sighed and nodded, asking him to demonstrate it to him again, and he would show him what was he doing wrong.
If it wasn't enough, Sasuke continued to give tips and advice, but Iruka could see that the boy was still distant, keeping away from others, being still far too reserved.
Perhaps Sasuke was still the same? Iruka didn't know. When class ended that day, he told Sasuke to keep up the good work. The boy seemingly paused to think, nodding and bowing in respect, before he turned to depart.
As Iruka watched him leave, he thought the massacre would turn the boy into someone, even if it was just a hopeful fleeting feeling, that the boy would finally open up to others. After the massacre and horrors of what he had gone through, Iruka believed Sasuke truly needed it.
It was wishful thinking, but he couldn't help but hope.
Naruto… Naruto's change was far more apparent and difficult to ignore. Not that he was trying to ignore him.
Naruto was just as rambunctious as Kiba. Loud and perhaps the latter was only second to him that he, Kiba, and Choji were the most problematic students he had ever came across in his years as Instructor.
There was one thing most of all Naruto was known for, and throughout the Academy and the village, he was known for his pranks.
A paint bomb, expired condiments for food or leftover trash, Naruto pranks contained all sorts of concoctions known to man. Whatever it was, it was a nightmarish mixture that left whatever smelling for weeks, as the blonde boy cackled in joy and glee, reveling in the attention of such.
He wasn't just a handful in the village but also the Academy. The boy tended to either sleep or daydream often of other things, watching around the room for anything of interest.
Recently, Naruto had stopped. He had noticed that the boy, though the same smiling hyperactive ball of energy he always had been, toned his behavior quite a noticeable amount.
A few other students noticed this change in behavior as well, waiting for him to perhaps interrupt, but he never did. He found himself tensing and waiting for Naruto to shout something but the boy simply was, for the first time in his life, concentrating.
Concentrating and Naruto did not fit together. The boy could barely hold his attention before for at least thirty seconds before it wavered. But now, he was holding his attention for at least a large majority of the class.
Iruka believed it would be a prank of sorts. After all, Naruto was known for being unpredictable, and Iruka would not put it past him. One where Naruto was tricking all those within to slowly ease up for the opportunity of a grandiose spectacle.
But his concerns were unfounded as for the next test, instead of scoring the lowest, Naruto had to his baffled shock, scored at least slightly below average.
Of course, he was not the best, but he knew Naruto had rarely put the effort in before, his attention focused on causing mischief for attention when and where possible.
Iruka wanted to question why of course, but it would feel awkward. Who was he to judge Naruto's success? If Naruto decided he wanted to cut back on the pranks and focus in the Academy for once, wasn't that a good thing? Most students he was concerned with, as while civilians do indeed graduate, as it was believed and known that Kagura was born to civilian parents and became apprenticed to Tsunade before her treason, and a number of civilians as shinobi were produced in Konoha, though slightly less compared to the shinobi who traced their blood to a clan. He was worried for a number of them, as a majority seemed to not take the lessons in class as a shinobi at face value. Most seemed to treat it as a game or a time to hang out with friends, rather than the hardships that would come once they graduate.
Even Naruto had begun to take Sasuke's advice, while initially, the two, or rather Naruto, could hardly tolerate him, and Iruka was forced to split up the two multiple times in Taijutsu bouts and spars. He could see that Naruto's kunai and shuriken scores improved drastically, while still not the best, had at least scored around 10 to 11 out of 20 from a meager 5 to 6 out of twenty before. Before, the boy yelled at the Uchiha. Now, the boy simply scowled or rolled his eyes.
He had been concerned with Naruto before. Naruto, as reluctant as he was to admit it, was the worst. But now that he was taking the life of a shinobi much more attentively, it was uplifting.
Shuffling a few papers, Iruka leaned back on his desk, scanning up at the clock from the corner of the class.
Recess was about over. Soon, the class would begin again.
Kagura is from the Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 game, and is not to be confused with Kagura Karatachi.