Part 1: Winter Cheer
Overnight the world had been transformed; into a quieter, humbler, more entranced version of what was probably one of the loudest, most populated villages of the fire country. An inch of snow ran from roof to roof covering the garish red color that most decided to tile their roofs with and suddenly it seemed like they were in a different world. Classes had most likely been cancelled at the local schools, it normally snowed only twice in the winter months, so the adults were pretty generous whenever it did snow and let the children enjoy the spectacle.
Small icicles dripped off of every available surface reflecting off of the wide sky blue eyes of the young child that watched them from the safety of his papa's arms as they carefully raced from roof to roof trying to keep on schedule. Chubby arms were wrapped securely around the blue and white scarf covered neck of the elder boy and his legs followed the motion only around the waist covered in puffy blue material. The boy himself wore a puffy bright orange jacket over his pajamas and a pair of matching rubber waders that were almost to big for him, yet not big enough that they were in any danger of slipping off. Resting haphazardly on the elder boys shoulder was a dark blue diaper bag with various brightly colored cartoon characters prancing across it, proclaiming their ABC's.
Iruka readjusted the cloth handle of the bag and pulled the small boy closer to him, repositioning his arm so it could better support the ever growing weight. A yawn close to his ear let the boy know exactly how tired his son was, with a wince he hugged him a bit tighter, Kurenai-senpai was going to be so happy with him when he dropped Naruto off. She was going to have to deal with the crankiness that came from, as she put it, 'Irresponsible father's who think that two year olds can stay up as late as they can'. He let a small laugh escape, she may sound harsh but she really was quite proud of the way that he had immediately taken to the small baby and had taken care of both of them until Iruka had turned fifteen and was mature enough to actually adopt Naruto as his own.
As if the baby knew he was being thought about he blew a raspberry making Iruka glance down at him with surprise when the spit bubble that came with it popped right in the toddlers face. The boy blinked with great astonishment a few times then giggled with delight as his father shook his head, a small chuckle drifting from his mouth. Pausing on one roof he dug into the diaper bag and pulled out a tissue, deftly wiping the boy's face so it was free of any offensive liquid he stuffed the used tissue back into a random pocket, he didn't have time to dispose of it properly.
Starting back up he only had to jump two more roofs before he landed softly on one of the doorsteps. Knocking on it quickly he pulled the dark blue bag off of his shoulder and grabbed the strap in the middle so it hung comfortably by his side. The door creaked open and his warm brown eyes glanced up to meet bleary maroon eyes staring at him with something akin to confusion. With a smile he held out the back and a pale slender hand came to grasp it instantly.
"Sorry for coming so early Kurenai-senpai but Ibiki-sensei sent a messenger this morning that said the mission had been moved up by two hours."
The woman nodded and quickly concealed a nod before holding out her arms to accept the squirming bundle of orange and yellow. Naruto's face scrunched up as she took him and he let out a soft cry holding out his arms towards the brown-haired boy.
"Daddy!"
Iruka sighed and kissed the boy gently on his forehead before carefully wiping the few early tears that had magically appeared so suddenly in the child's eyes.
"Don't worry my Naru-kun I'll be back soon, okay?"
The words were murmured as he sniffed the sparkling blonde hair of his son, it smelled of the apple blossom shampoo that they had used last night during his bath. It was difficult to leave the precious little boy, but he also knew that he could ignore everything and focus solely on spoiling the child. As much as he would love to it wasn't healthy for him or for his father to spend every waking second with each other, yet he still wished he could have more time with him, it seemed that each day he grew bigger and stronger than the last.
Flashing a smile that betrayed none of his thoughts to the robe-clad woman he ruffled the pouting boys hair once more and then was off, hopping from roof to roof. The two stood in the doorway and watched until he was no more than a blur in the early rising sun and then slowly the woman closed the door with a silent prayer for the elder boy's safety. Glancing down at the young child in her arms she smiled brilliantly at the large yawn he gave her and proceeded to take off his outerwear.
Letting the jacket and boots drop in the entryway she shuffled through the house and back to her bedroom, Naruto had already begun to fall back asleep and she couldn't help but agree with him that a couple more hours of the delicious darkness was needed before either of them were the least bit eager to face the day. Coming into her bedroom she set him gently on his stomach in the waiting playpen. Digging his favorite white blanket out of the diaper bag she draped it over him, making sure no drafts would catch him. Then placing the dark blue bag on the floor next to the pen, she walked back to her own bed and fell gratefully into it. Within seconds both were fast asleep, dreaming of an elegant wonderland that lay for them when they awoke once again.
:::
Slim fingers adjusted the slender microphone that rested on the left side of his face as his thin body pressed lightly against the dark slightly damp bark. His normally calm brown eyes were narrowed in concentration as he listened to a voice that quickly clipped instructions into his ear. He wore a pair of dark blue baggy pants that rode almost scandalously on his hips, that is when he let them, and a lighter blue hoodie with an orange logo on the back and the arm the sleeves having been pushed up to his elbow showing off a couple of braided bracelets. On his feet were a pair of blue sandal boots and his hair was tied high above his head, his light blue jacket and scarf had been abandoned when the sun had finally come out. Glinting from the top of his head was of course the hard won forehead protector held firmly in a place.
From the corner of his eye he could see one of his other teammates, Gekkou Hayate, a sweet boy, younger than his teammates by one year, unfortunatly plagued with an almost constant cough, yet he was the most skilled in Ninjutsu of the three. He wore a pair of Khaki pants, a form-fitting slim black shirt with a green vest almost reminiscent of a Chuunin's. His dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and his forehead protector was pulled completely over his head, a strange combination but it worked quite well for him. Over the channel he could hear the muffled cough of the boy and his brow furrowed with concern.
"Iruka"
He blinked at the sudden use of his name and immediately slid back into a more serious, focused frame of mind. Crouching he gave a light jump and landed on a branch at least five feet above his former spot. Scanning across his visible range he also sent out a probing net of chakra and suddenly it snagged on something. A sly smile graced his face and a hand came up to rest on his earpiece.
"3 yards to the left"
In less than a second all three Gennin's had acted, Hayate moved one and a half yards further and set up the perimeter. Mizuki, the third member of their team, meet up with Iruka and they surronded their prey in all of but one second. They had to keep their movements swift and perfectly timed if they wanted to actually come out of this with the upper hand, so that meant that Mizuki, the most spontaneous one on the team was keeping his enthusiasm on a chokehold, his intelligent mind keeping a keen track of every single movement their 'prey' made.
Iruka didn't waste time, the instant he heard the extremely soft conformation buzz that all clones had been taken care of, he threw out a deadly wave of needles that headed straight for the tall man who had paused a mere half second ago. The slender glints of steel came dangerously close to the broad back covered in dark green cloth before the large body suddenly turned and seemingly without any thought caught all sixteen needles in between the fingers of his right hand. Mizuki already having anticipated this development had sent off another wave of needles as Iruka leapt overhead, snapping a handful of shurikens at the distracted man.
With an elegant move that seemed out of place coming from such a large body, the man in question moved swiftly to the left, letting the shurikens sink into the still soggy ground and the needles to stabilize in the wet bark he had been leaning against moments ago. But what he hadn't been anticipating were three carefully aimed kunai that suddenly appeared and pinned him to yet another tree. Normally this would have been an easy problem for him to solve if it hadn't been for the chakra carefully concealed on the tips. About a yard away slender hands quickly sent out a long string of seals and the instant the chakra covered tips buried into the wood a special Earth Ninjutsu was activated.
The wood formed into long strips of green bark, alive with the power of new growth and slammed around the body that was pressed against it. Then as suddenly as it had come it melded back to it's normal shape, only trapping everything, except for the man's head, in the bark with a grip tighter than steel. Four beats passed as the three Genin watched the man carefully for any signs that the Ninjutsu had failed then they warily came into view, their stances indicating that any slightest movement would be meet with another carefully planned, yet devastating attack.
A deep, rare chuckle proceeded to come from the head that now seemingly grew from the bark itself as small black eyes studied the three carefully. Hayate emerged from the center, his hands still clasped in the monkey seal, his dark eyes steadily watching the tree for any resistance. Mizuki emerged from the left, his nimble fingers resting comfortably on the weapons holster strapped in perfect range of his long arm, he may have seemed relaxed but in truth he had the reaction skills of half a second. Finally Iruka moved in from the right, immediately assuming the role of team leader that fell so easily on his shoulders, while Hayate and Mizuki had their specialties it was Iruka's calm level head that brought the three of them together to make such a great team.
Ibiki almost sighed as he watched the three teenagers, it seemed strange that the three pre-teens that he had begrudgingly accepted the responsibility for three years ago had turned into such fine young men, confident enough in their own abilities that they could work extremely well in a team. With a gruff nod at Hayate, the boy quickly canceled the Ninjutsu and within seconds their sensei had been freed from his binds. Dusting off his robes with a particular ease, he faced the boy's and did something that almost gave them all heart attacks. He smiled at them.
"Well done boys. I do finally believe that you are ready for the Chuunin exam's."
The three stood surprise flashing across each of their faces before a loud yelp of happiness was heard coming from the white-haired boy's mouth.
"ALRIGHT!"
Iruka and Hayate exchanged long suffering glances, much to Mizuki's dismay before their carefully placed masks of quiet indifference cracked and they let out a combined yell as they tackled their teammate in happiness. Ibiki watched the proceedings with a critical eye, the smile never leaving his face, tomorrow they would start on a more rigorous training schedule one that would soon turn those yells of happiness into groans of exhaustion, but for today he simply let them be boy's as he had been once not so long ago.
:::
Kurenai-senpai: Team 8's dubious leader, I thought she would make an awesome person to baby-sit for Iruka .
Earth Ninjutsu: Pretty self explanatory, a Ninjutsu that uses the earth as it's main element.
Aya: Bird
Wee! Iruka is an awesome fighter! ::Giggles:: Seriously I didn't even know this until it suddenly appeared up on screen... ::Sigh:: I hope I managed to do a fairly believable job of portraying a "battle", it took me about a three or more hours to just write about four paragraphs.
I suppose Iruka is a bit young to adopt Naruto but when you think about the natural order of that village it's really not that strange. Who really knows what age those kids are allowed to be married even? I mean at 12-13 their already involved in highly dangerous ninja battles... and plus I just wanted to portray a teenage Iruka falling head over heals for a 17 year old Kakashi... Squee! So adorable!
Don't worry minna-san Kakashi will finally make an appearance in the next chapter including what Naruto and Kurenai where doing all day... It proves to be quite the day!
Loves!!
"But Memory blushes at the sneer,
And Honor turns with frown defiant,
And Freedom, leaning on her spear,
Laughs louder than the laughing giant."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Overnight the world had been transformed; into a quieter, humbler, more entranced version of what was probably one of the loudest, most populated villages of the fire country. An inch of snow ran from roof to roof covering the garish red color that most decided to tile their roofs with and suddenly it seemed like they were in a different world. Classes had most likely been cancelled at the local schools, it normally snowed only twice in the winter months, so the adults were pretty generous whenever it did snow and let the children enjoy the spectacle.
Small icicles dripped off of every available surface reflecting off of the wide sky blue eyes of the young child that watched them from the safety of his papa's arms as they carefully raced from roof to roof trying to keep on schedule. Chubby arms were wrapped securely around the blue and white scarf covered neck of the elder boy and his legs followed the motion only around the waist covered in puffy blue material. The boy himself wore a puffy bright orange jacket over his pajamas and a pair of matching rubber waders that were almost to big for him, yet not big enough that they were in any danger of slipping off. Resting haphazardly on the elder boys shoulder was a dark blue diaper bag with various brightly colored cartoon characters prancing across it, proclaiming their ABC's.
Iruka readjusted the cloth handle of the bag and pulled the small boy closer to him, repositioning his arm so it could better support the ever growing weight. A yawn close to his ear let the boy know exactly how tired his son was, with a wince he hugged him a bit tighter, Kurenai-senpai was going to be so happy with him when he dropped Naruto off. She was going to have to deal with the crankiness that came from, as she put it, 'Irresponsible father's who think that two year olds can stay up as late as they can'. He let a small laugh escape, she may sound harsh but she really was quite proud of the way that he had immediately taken to the small baby and had taken care of both of them until Iruka had turned fifteen and was mature enough to actually adopt Naruto as his own.
As if the baby knew he was being thought about he blew a raspberry making Iruka glance down at him with surprise when the spit bubble that came with it popped right in the toddlers face. The boy blinked with great astonishment a few times then giggled with delight as his father shook his head, a small chuckle drifting from his mouth. Pausing on one roof he dug into the diaper bag and pulled out a tissue, deftly wiping the boy's face so it was free of any offensive liquid he stuffed the used tissue back into a random pocket, he didn't have time to dispose of it properly.
Starting back up he only had to jump two more roofs before he landed softly on one of the doorsteps. Knocking on it quickly he pulled the dark blue bag off of his shoulder and grabbed the strap in the middle so it hung comfortably by his side. The door creaked open and his warm brown eyes glanced up to meet bleary maroon eyes staring at him with something akin to confusion. With a smile he held out the back and a pale slender hand came to grasp it instantly.
"Sorry for coming so early Kurenai-senpai but Ibiki-sensei sent a messenger this morning that said the mission had been moved up by two hours."
The woman nodded and quickly concealed a nod before holding out her arms to accept the squirming bundle of orange and yellow. Naruto's face scrunched up as she took him and he let out a soft cry holding out his arms towards the brown-haired boy.
"Daddy!"
Iruka sighed and kissed the boy gently on his forehead before carefully wiping the few early tears that had magically appeared so suddenly in the child's eyes.
"Don't worry my Naru-kun I'll be back soon, okay?"
The words were murmured as he sniffed the sparkling blonde hair of his son, it smelled of the apple blossom shampoo that they had used last night during his bath. It was difficult to leave the precious little boy, but he also knew that he could ignore everything and focus solely on spoiling the child. As much as he would love to it wasn't healthy for him or for his father to spend every waking second with each other, yet he still wished he could have more time with him, it seemed that each day he grew bigger and stronger than the last.
Flashing a smile that betrayed none of his thoughts to the robe-clad woman he ruffled the pouting boys hair once more and then was off, hopping from roof to roof. The two stood in the doorway and watched until he was no more than a blur in the early rising sun and then slowly the woman closed the door with a silent prayer for the elder boy's safety. Glancing down at the young child in her arms she smiled brilliantly at the large yawn he gave her and proceeded to take off his outerwear.
Letting the jacket and boots drop in the entryway she shuffled through the house and back to her bedroom, Naruto had already begun to fall back asleep and she couldn't help but agree with him that a couple more hours of the delicious darkness was needed before either of them were the least bit eager to face the day. Coming into her bedroom she set him gently on his stomach in the waiting playpen. Digging his favorite white blanket out of the diaper bag she draped it over him, making sure no drafts would catch him. Then placing the dark blue bag on the floor next to the pen, she walked back to her own bed and fell gratefully into it. Within seconds both were fast asleep, dreaming of an elegant wonderland that lay for them when they awoke once again.
:::
Slim fingers adjusted the slender microphone that rested on the left side of his face as his thin body pressed lightly against the dark slightly damp bark. His normally calm brown eyes were narrowed in concentration as he listened to a voice that quickly clipped instructions into his ear. He wore a pair of dark blue baggy pants that rode almost scandalously on his hips, that is when he let them, and a lighter blue hoodie with an orange logo on the back and the arm the sleeves having been pushed up to his elbow showing off a couple of braided bracelets. On his feet were a pair of blue sandal boots and his hair was tied high above his head, his light blue jacket and scarf had been abandoned when the sun had finally come out. Glinting from the top of his head was of course the hard won forehead protector held firmly in a place.
From the corner of his eye he could see one of his other teammates, Gekkou Hayate, a sweet boy, younger than his teammates by one year, unfortunatly plagued with an almost constant cough, yet he was the most skilled in Ninjutsu of the three. He wore a pair of Khaki pants, a form-fitting slim black shirt with a green vest almost reminiscent of a Chuunin's. His dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and his forehead protector was pulled completely over his head, a strange combination but it worked quite well for him. Over the channel he could hear the muffled cough of the boy and his brow furrowed with concern.
"Iruka"
He blinked at the sudden use of his name and immediately slid back into a more serious, focused frame of mind. Crouching he gave a light jump and landed on a branch at least five feet above his former spot. Scanning across his visible range he also sent out a probing net of chakra and suddenly it snagged on something. A sly smile graced his face and a hand came up to rest on his earpiece.
"3 yards to the left"
In less than a second all three Gennin's had acted, Hayate moved one and a half yards further and set up the perimeter. Mizuki, the third member of their team, meet up with Iruka and they surronded their prey in all of but one second. They had to keep their movements swift and perfectly timed if they wanted to actually come out of this with the upper hand, so that meant that Mizuki, the most spontaneous one on the team was keeping his enthusiasm on a chokehold, his intelligent mind keeping a keen track of every single movement their 'prey' made.
Iruka didn't waste time, the instant he heard the extremely soft conformation buzz that all clones had been taken care of, he threw out a deadly wave of needles that headed straight for the tall man who had paused a mere half second ago. The slender glints of steel came dangerously close to the broad back covered in dark green cloth before the large body suddenly turned and seemingly without any thought caught all sixteen needles in between the fingers of his right hand. Mizuki already having anticipated this development had sent off another wave of needles as Iruka leapt overhead, snapping a handful of shurikens at the distracted man.
With an elegant move that seemed out of place coming from such a large body, the man in question moved swiftly to the left, letting the shurikens sink into the still soggy ground and the needles to stabilize in the wet bark he had been leaning against moments ago. But what he hadn't been anticipating were three carefully aimed kunai that suddenly appeared and pinned him to yet another tree. Normally this would have been an easy problem for him to solve if it hadn't been for the chakra carefully concealed on the tips. About a yard away slender hands quickly sent out a long string of seals and the instant the chakra covered tips buried into the wood a special Earth Ninjutsu was activated.
The wood formed into long strips of green bark, alive with the power of new growth and slammed around the body that was pressed against it. Then as suddenly as it had come it melded back to it's normal shape, only trapping everything, except for the man's head, in the bark with a grip tighter than steel. Four beats passed as the three Genin watched the man carefully for any signs that the Ninjutsu had failed then they warily came into view, their stances indicating that any slightest movement would be meet with another carefully planned, yet devastating attack.
A deep, rare chuckle proceeded to come from the head that now seemingly grew from the bark itself as small black eyes studied the three carefully. Hayate emerged from the center, his hands still clasped in the monkey seal, his dark eyes steadily watching the tree for any resistance. Mizuki emerged from the left, his nimble fingers resting comfortably on the weapons holster strapped in perfect range of his long arm, he may have seemed relaxed but in truth he had the reaction skills of half a second. Finally Iruka moved in from the right, immediately assuming the role of team leader that fell so easily on his shoulders, while Hayate and Mizuki had their specialties it was Iruka's calm level head that brought the three of them together to make such a great team.
Ibiki almost sighed as he watched the three teenagers, it seemed strange that the three pre-teens that he had begrudgingly accepted the responsibility for three years ago had turned into such fine young men, confident enough in their own abilities that they could work extremely well in a team. With a gruff nod at Hayate, the boy quickly canceled the Ninjutsu and within seconds their sensei had been freed from his binds. Dusting off his robes with a particular ease, he faced the boy's and did something that almost gave them all heart attacks. He smiled at them.
"Well done boys. I do finally believe that you are ready for the Chuunin exam's."
The three stood surprise flashing across each of their faces before a loud yelp of happiness was heard coming from the white-haired boy's mouth.
"ALRIGHT!"
Iruka and Hayate exchanged long suffering glances, much to Mizuki's dismay before their carefully placed masks of quiet indifference cracked and they let out a combined yell as they tackled their teammate in happiness. Ibiki watched the proceedings with a critical eye, the smile never leaving his face, tomorrow they would start on a more rigorous training schedule one that would soon turn those yells of happiness into groans of exhaustion, but for today he simply let them be boy's as he had been once not so long ago.
:::
Kurenai-senpai: Team 8's dubious leader, I thought she would make an awesome person to baby-sit for Iruka .
Earth Ninjutsu: Pretty self explanatory, a Ninjutsu that uses the earth as it's main element.
Aya: Bird
Wee! Iruka is an awesome fighter! ::Giggles:: Seriously I didn't even know this until it suddenly appeared up on screen... ::Sigh:: I hope I managed to do a fairly believable job of portraying a "battle", it took me about a three or more hours to just write about four paragraphs.
I suppose Iruka is a bit young to adopt Naruto but when you think about the natural order of that village it's really not that strange. Who really knows what age those kids are allowed to be married even? I mean at 12-13 their already involved in highly dangerous ninja battles... and plus I just wanted to portray a teenage Iruka falling head over heals for a 17 year old Kakashi... Squee! So adorable!
Don't worry minna-san Kakashi will finally make an appearance in the next chapter including what Naruto and Kurenai where doing all day... It proves to be quite the day!
Loves!!
"But Memory blushes at the sneer,
And Honor turns with frown defiant,
And Freedom, leaning on her spear,
Laughs louder than the laughing giant."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes