Chapter Three: Andante
Iruka had dismissed his class for the day and was in the process of gathering his papers when there was a knock at his classroom door. Curious, he shoved the remaining papers into his bag and moved to answer the knock, thinking that perhaps another of the instructors was interested in grabbing dinner. He was surprised when he opened the door to find a strange Chuunin standing in the hallway.
The man looked vaguely familiar to Iruka. He had seen him around the village, most often in the vicinity of the new Hokage. The man had wild, spiky black hair and seemed to have picked up the odd habit of wearing bandages wrapped around the middle of his face.
Iruka blinked in confusion, "Can I help you?"
"Umino Iruka?" asked the man.
"Yes that's me," Iruka responded still puzzled.
"You have been summoned into the presence of the Hokage," the man said seriously, or would have, had the twinkle in his eye not belied his solemnity.
"I have," Iruka squeaked, "What does she want with me?"
At that point the strange man's attempt at sobriety broke down completely and he grinned openly, "Well it wasn't you specifically. She sent me to find someone who was good with kids, and your colleagues at the academy highly recommended you."
"Oh," said Iruka, not sure how to respond to that, "Um… let me finish getting my things together and I'll be right with you."
"No problem," said the other man, leaning against the doorframe.
Once Iruka had gathered everything he thought he might need, he followed the wild haired Chuunin out of the academy and the few blocks to the building that housed the Hokage's office. Instead of leading him to the office like Iruka had been expecting, the unusual man instead led him to a conference room on the bottom floor.
Pausing in front of the door, the strange Chuunin knocked once and was greeted by a woman's entreaty to enter. Opening the door, the Jounin and Iruka stepped through.
Inside the room the Hokage was seated at a large, round conference table, as were several other ninja, Hatake Kakashi, Genma, and a man known as Asuma whom Iruka vaguely recognized, among others. The three Sound ninja from the procession earlier that morning were also seated at the table, but, Iruka noted, somewhat uncomfortably, as their hands were still bound securely behind their backs. The entire group looked up as Iruka and the strange Jounin entered, causing Iruka to flush slightly and clear his throat.
"Umino Iruka, Madam Hokage," the wild haired Chuunin said in greeting, "An instructor from the academy. He came highly recommended." With that, the strange man pulled a file folder seemingly out of nowhere and laid it on the table in front of the Hokage. Interested, Tsunade leaned forward and idly flipped through it's pages.
"These are some fairly impressive abilities for a Chuunin," she said, with a raised eyebrow, "Is there a reason you've never attempted Jounin?"
"There – there's a reason," Iruka blushed crimson.
Tsunade blinked at him through several moments of silence, "And that is?"
"Um, I'd rather not discuss it in public," Iruka stated, turning even redder, "It should be in there if you keep reading."
Tsunade dug a little deeper into the file, eyes scanning for what she sought. "Ah, I see," she said lightly, upon discovering it, "Very well then. Have a seat."
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Iruka nervously hurried to a chair and pulled it close to the table.
"Now then," Tsunade begin, "We have an interesting situation here. I'm assembling a squadron of ninja to accompany these three," she motioned to the Sound ninja, "Into the forest to retrieve the rest of their party. This is not your usual hunt and capture, however, as our… guests have requested asylum."
A slight buzz of curious conversation rippled through those who sat around the table, but Tsunade raised her hand for silence.
"They seek asylum due to the fact that they are traveling with children."
The buzz became even louder, though Tsunade did nothing this time to quiet it. "That's where you come in," she said, turning to Iruka, "If there really are children among their group they're likely to be scared and confused. We need someone who will appear trustworthy to them. Someone who is capable of comforting them. Do you think you can do that?"
Iruka nodded. Dealing with children was what he did best. It was also the thing he loved most in the world.
"Good," Tsunade smiled, "The rest of you," she indicated the other ninja seated at the table, "Will act as guards escorting the… refugees to and from the village. There is the possibility of attack by Sound ninja who may be tracking them."
She looked pointedly at the three Sound ninja seated at the table, "There is also the possibility that this may be a trap. If that happens," she continued, never taking her eyes from the three, "You may kill them."
"You are in charge," she turned to Genma, "I expect you to have complete control over your men and for them to follow your commands without question. We can't afford to lose anyone. I want you all back here safely."
Genma inclined his head to Tsunade, "Understood, Hokage."
"All right then," Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled, "You all have your orders. Off you go."