Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you come back and continue to read!!
It's very encouraging ne....
Arigatou.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iruka reached behind his head and untied his hitae-ate headband and placed it on the sink. He stood in front of the mirror and took a good look at himself. There was nothing extraordinary about him. Even if you knew him you would miss him since he would blend in with the people in the background. His ponytail was beginning to droop from the shower's steam. Iruka yanked the rubber band out of his hair and threw it onto the floor letting his hair fall around his face. You've never been a true shinobi. Kakashi's words echoed through his head. It was an insult he had taken to heart. Being a shinobi was the only thing he had and the only life he knew.
* * *
"Hn?"
"I was just wondering..." Naruto paused, took another mouthful of ramen and said, "what's a true shinobi?"
"Someone who will protect the lives of others even if it costs them their own."
"It's not as simple as that..." Naruto trailed off as he dropped his chopsticks and picked up his bowl.
Iruka placed his chopsticks down and turned to look at Naruto who was busy slurping down the remaining contents of his bowl. Iruka smiled; Naruto was growing up before his very own eyes. The thing he cherished most about his job was seeing the innocence and youth in the eyes of his pupils. Maybe Kakashi saw something in the children he had failed to see. He thought by sheltering them, he was protecting them but in reality, he was only trying to hold onto something that wasn't his. Iruka had not wanted to see the innocence stripped from Naruto's eyes.
Naruto smiled at Iruka and pleaded his case, "One more bowl?"
Iruka laughed. There were some things that never change. Although he could see the fading innocence in the Naruto's eyes, the joy of seeing him grow was something of a surprise that washed away any doubts of Kakashi's as a competent teacher.
"Iruka-sensei, do you believe a shinobi's only purpose to fulfill is to become a weapon for your country?"
Whatever had happened during their mission to Wave Country, it seemed to have changed Naruto more than any schooling Iruka could have given him. He reached over and tousled Naruto's hair, "Yes but you should find your own way of being a shinobi."
* * *
Iruka himself had not find his own way of being a shinobi. How easy it was to give advice to others and yet how difficult it is to follow that very same piece of advice. Kakashi's words had taken its toll on him. Had it been anyone else, he knew he would not feel this way but Kakashi was one of Konoha's best shinobi and who else better to judge than him? The words were nudging him deeper in self doubt.
Iruka felt the warm water cover his head as he slid into the wash basin. Perhaps he would drown there and it would be over.
* * *
"Iruka-sensei!!" Naruto shouted, "Thanks for the ramen and thanks for answering my question! You're a much better teacher than Kakashi!" With that, the boy ran off.
* * *
Iruka re-emerged from the water as he remembered the last thing Naruto had said during their conversation together. He now knew what his way of being a shinobi was. Sure, the academy was safe and it protected him but he enjoyed it for far more than just that. The atmosphere gave him a sense of hope for the future. Kakashi was wrong. There isn't just one way to be a true shinbi. Besides, who was he to measure another man's courage.?
* * *
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed making the other man cringe.
Sasuke bowed, "Hokage-sama."
Naruto chuckled to himself. Paperwork and all diplomatic duties aside, that was what being Hokage was all about. Hearing those words come out of Sasuke's mouth was priceless. Naruto began to think of all other possible ways his position could give him power over Sasuke.
Sasuke coughed, "Hey. Snap out of it baka." Sasuke watched the lines on Naruto's face scrunch up into a frown. Hokage or not, there was no way he would let Naruto get the upper hand.
"You're rude." Naruto made a face and turned away.
"Anyway, I finished the mission and here's the report." Sasuke handed him the file and was at the door when he suddenly stopped, "Oh, and here's something you might find interesting."
Naruto caught the book Sasuke had just tossed him. It was one of Kakashi's Come Come Paradise books. Naruto grinned; so that's what Sasuke been doing on his missions.
Sasuke knew Naruto was a pervert like Jaraiya-sama, but he didn't have to look so obvious. "Baka. Look inside the cover."
Naruto pulled the cover back slowly and peered inside, "There's nothing here!!!"
Sasuke exhaled slowly and counted backwards from ten. No one ever said the Hokage had to be the brightest, just the strongest. "In the corner and look at the date."
Naruto squinted and looked more carefully. The publish date of the book was recent, perhaps only a month ago and in the corner in small letters read: Property of Hatake Kakashi - if I see you with this - hell hath no fury like a man without his porn.
"Where did you get this?!"
"Hidden Cloud Village."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ha Ha! Tricked you into a short chapter! I have more I'm writing but.. it didn't seem to belong in the same chapter so once I get that all typed out, you'll get an update!
Oh, and since people don't really read my comments at the beginning of the fics.. I've decided to post them here.
Ah, I've come up with this whole story about Kakashi's past and I wasn't sure if I should put that in this fic or if I should just create a separate story and make this an arc? This is technically supposed to be KakaIru and I thought maybe I shouldn't go off on tangents. Then again, it does give more depth to Kakashi and explains some of his personality. So what do you guys think? Create another story or just plop it here?
Will update soon! [work sucks].
Arigatou.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iruka reached behind his head and untied his hitae-ate headband and placed it on the sink. He stood in front of the mirror and took a good look at himself. There was nothing extraordinary about him. Even if you knew him you would miss him since he would blend in with the people in the background. His ponytail was beginning to droop from the shower's steam. Iruka yanked the rubber band out of his hair and threw it onto the floor letting his hair fall around his face. You've never been a true shinobi. Kakashi's words echoed through his head. It was an insult he had taken to heart. Being a shinobi was the only thing he had and the only life he knew.
* * *
"Hn?"
"I was just wondering..." Naruto paused, took another mouthful of ramen and said, "what's a true shinobi?"
"Someone who will protect the lives of others even if it costs them their own."
"It's not as simple as that..." Naruto trailed off as he dropped his chopsticks and picked up his bowl.
Iruka placed his chopsticks down and turned to look at Naruto who was busy slurping down the remaining contents of his bowl. Iruka smiled; Naruto was growing up before his very own eyes. The thing he cherished most about his job was seeing the innocence and youth in the eyes of his pupils. Maybe Kakashi saw something in the children he had failed to see. He thought by sheltering them, he was protecting them but in reality, he was only trying to hold onto something that wasn't his. Iruka had not wanted to see the innocence stripped from Naruto's eyes.
Naruto smiled at Iruka and pleaded his case, "One more bowl?"
Iruka laughed. There were some things that never change. Although he could see the fading innocence in the Naruto's eyes, the joy of seeing him grow was something of a surprise that washed away any doubts of Kakashi's as a competent teacher.
"Iruka-sensei, do you believe a shinobi's only purpose to fulfill is to become a weapon for your country?"
Whatever had happened during their mission to Wave Country, it seemed to have changed Naruto more than any schooling Iruka could have given him. He reached over and tousled Naruto's hair, "Yes but you should find your own way of being a shinobi."
* * *
Iruka himself had not find his own way of being a shinobi. How easy it was to give advice to others and yet how difficult it is to follow that very same piece of advice. Kakashi's words had taken its toll on him. Had it been anyone else, he knew he would not feel this way but Kakashi was one of Konoha's best shinobi and who else better to judge than him? The words were nudging him deeper in self doubt.
Iruka felt the warm water cover his head as he slid into the wash basin. Perhaps he would drown there and it would be over.
* * *
"Iruka-sensei!!" Naruto shouted, "Thanks for the ramen and thanks for answering my question! You're a much better teacher than Kakashi!" With that, the boy ran off.
* * *
Iruka re-emerged from the water as he remembered the last thing Naruto had said during their conversation together. He now knew what his way of being a shinobi was. Sure, the academy was safe and it protected him but he enjoyed it for far more than just that. The atmosphere gave him a sense of hope for the future. Kakashi was wrong. There isn't just one way to be a true shinbi. Besides, who was he to measure another man's courage.?
* * *
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed making the other man cringe.
Sasuke bowed, "Hokage-sama."
Naruto chuckled to himself. Paperwork and all diplomatic duties aside, that was what being Hokage was all about. Hearing those words come out of Sasuke's mouth was priceless. Naruto began to think of all other possible ways his position could give him power over Sasuke.
Sasuke coughed, "Hey. Snap out of it baka." Sasuke watched the lines on Naruto's face scrunch up into a frown. Hokage or not, there was no way he would let Naruto get the upper hand.
"You're rude." Naruto made a face and turned away.
"Anyway, I finished the mission and here's the report." Sasuke handed him the file and was at the door when he suddenly stopped, "Oh, and here's something you might find interesting."
Naruto caught the book Sasuke had just tossed him. It was one of Kakashi's Come Come Paradise books. Naruto grinned; so that's what Sasuke been doing on his missions.
Sasuke knew Naruto was a pervert like Jaraiya-sama, but he didn't have to look so obvious. "Baka. Look inside the cover."
Naruto pulled the cover back slowly and peered inside, "There's nothing here!!!"
Sasuke exhaled slowly and counted backwards from ten. No one ever said the Hokage had to be the brightest, just the strongest. "In the corner and look at the date."
Naruto squinted and looked more carefully. The publish date of the book was recent, perhaps only a month ago and in the corner in small letters read: Property of Hatake Kakashi - if I see you with this - hell hath no fury like a man without his porn.
"Where did you get this?!"
"Hidden Cloud Village."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ha Ha! Tricked you into a short chapter! I have more I'm writing but.. it didn't seem to belong in the same chapter so once I get that all typed out, you'll get an update!
Oh, and since people don't really read my comments at the beginning of the fics.. I've decided to post them here.
Ah, I've come up with this whole story about Kakashi's past and I wasn't sure if I should put that in this fic or if I should just create a separate story and make this an arc? This is technically supposed to be KakaIru and I thought maybe I shouldn't go off on tangents. Then again, it does give more depth to Kakashi and explains some of his personality. So what do you guys think? Create another story or just plop it here?
Will update soon! [work sucks].