Iruka doesn't want to miss Naruto's match, but he really needs to take a leak. The Hokage doesn't talk for small lengths of time, and Iruka is regretting drinking two litres of iced tea to get rid of the headache Kazama's constant worrying for Naruto gave him. Seriously, Naruto was just taking the chunin exams. It's not like they were setting him loose in a forest full of Whirlpool genins. Now THOSE chunin exams were always the most fun. Or at least that's what his parents told him.

Happily finished taking a leak, Iruka heads back to the arena. Iruka has barely gone two steps before Sparky flies down and lands on Iruka's head. Iruka takes the message inside Sparky's leg-holster. The message reads:

Iruka-boy,

Why is Naruto not home yet? You said the exam would finish at five, and it is almost six already! What is happening? Naruto better not be hurt!

Kazama.

Iruka sighs. Then he writes a reply, even though Sparky is trying to undo Iruka's hair and Iruka spends a good ten minutes searching for a pen. He has one in one of the seals on his clothing. Somewhere. Eventually he finds one in the seal behind his ear, which he now remembers he made especially to keep pens in. Where is his pen? Behind his ear. Always. He just has to remember.

Kazama:

Naruto is fine. He made it through the Second Round easily. Too many teams made it to the finals, so they are holding a preliminary round. I will bring Naruto home once it is over. And I will feed him on the way home.

Iruka.

Iruka does not add that he is planning on taking Naruto to Ichiraku's. Kazama will get worried that Naruto won't get enough nutrition if he does. With that done, Iruka gives Sparky the message and fixes up his hair. Then Iruka joins Naruto on the arena balcony. "What did I miss?" he asks.

Naruto grins at Iruka and says, "Sasuke won her match against some dude who can suck chakra, then Shino won against a kid from the Hidden Sound, then Madoka kicked Ino's butt, then Karin lost to a guy called Kabuto, but Karin awakened the chakra chains, so she got a lot from the fight. They are just about to announce the next match. Where were you?"

"Taking a leak and sending a message to Kazama to tell her we will be home a lot later than she thought we would be," replies Iruka.

"Oh," says Naruto.

"Now for the next match!" announces Hayate, from down in the arena. "Temari, Tenten, got down here!"

As the two contestants head down to the arena, Madoka turns to Iruka. "Iruka sensei," he says. "Naruto was eating Destroying Angel mushrooms while we were in the Forest of Death!"

"How in the Hell is he still alive?" yells Kiba, shocked.

"BUT THEY ARE SO TASTY!" yells Naruto. "I eat them whenever I find them! They are my favourite mushroom!"

Iruka sighs. "I never thought I would thank that furball for anything," he mutters.

"What do you mean?" asks Naruto, cocking his head to one side.

"Oh, um…" Iuka leans down and whispers in Naruto's ear. "If it weren't for your permanent resident, you would be dead. He is the reason you can eat poison and live."

"Oh."

"Begin!" Hayate calls out.

Iruka turns to watch the match. Tenten of the Leaf VS Temari of the Sand. No last names. That does not really mean much. Most people in the Leaf who don't give their last names are from the Senju clan and don't want to rub their superiority in people's faces.

Iruka is surprised when Tenten pulls out two scrolls and leaps in the air, unwinding the scrolls. Then, when Tenten sends all the weapons stored into her scrolls straight at Temari, Iruka shakes his head in disappointment. She made so many amateurish mistakes with that attack. Iruka is not surprised when Temari easily creates an invisible forcefield and blocks the weapons, which fall harmlessly to the ground.

"Gai, Tenten is your student, right?" Iruka asks the giant green eyesore.

"Why yes, that she is," says Gai proudly.

"She made several crucial errors with that attack," says iruka. "Her fighting style reminds me of traditional Whirlpool weapons masters, but she is sorely lacking in the areas that make weapons attacks like that one effective. What have you been teaching her?"

Gai's expression is the most serious Iruka has ever seen on those giant eyebrows. "Tenten has barely been using that fighting style for a year. She had no idea what she wanted to do or be when she became my student. It took a long time for me to find something she was any good at. Weapons and seals are all she can do, but this fighting style is not one I am familiar with. I help her as much as I can, but ultimately she is teaching herself."

"Interesting," says Iruka, deciding to keep an eye on this kid. The Leaf and Whirlpool often had inter-village marriages. Maybe Tenten is part Whirlpool, and if she is, then she will need proper guidance.

Tenten is beaten now, lying faceup at a painful-looking angle atop Temari's fan.

"The winner is Temari!" says Hayate.

Temari smirks and sends Tenten flying across the arena. A second later, Rock Lee jumps down and catches his teammate. "Nice catch!" sneers Temari.

"How dare you treat an opponent in such a manner?" demands Lee.

"Oh shut up and get yourself and that loser out of my way!" jeers Temari.

"How dare you!" says Lee, angrily, running forward and aiming a kick at Temari. "Leaf Hurricane!"

"Stop, Lee!" Calls Neji Hyuuga.

Temari blocks Lee's kick with her fan and says, "You're just as much of a wimp as your teammate!"

"That is enough, Lee!" says Might Gai, jumping down into the arena to stop the fight by force if necessary.

"Gai sensei…!" protests Lee.

"Temari!" snaps a gravelly voice. Iruka looks over at the speaker and sees a red haired boy with a gourd strapped to his back glaring down at Temari. "Your match is over. Now get back up here and stop playing in the trash."

"What?" growls Lee, glaring up at the redhead.

The redhead looks down on Lee with so much contempt that Iruka wonders if they have some personal beef with each other.

"You kids from the Sand better listen to this word of advice," says Might Gai, placing a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Be careful: this boy is stronger than you think."

Sparky flies down and lands on Kazama's shoulder. Kazama takes Iruka's message, sighs in worry and gives Sparky a treat for his effort. Kazama turns when she hears the back door open.

Jiraiya, whom they convinced to stay and train Naruto, comes out of the house and sits down beside Kazama. "So what's the verdict?" he asks.

"They are holding a preliminary match," Kazama tells him. "Iruka will bring Naruto home after it is finished and feed him on the way. Probably at Ichiraku's, but I will pretend not to know. Naruto deserves it."

"What's it like, raising Naruto?" asks Jiraiya. "I raised a trio of orphans once, but all I really did was train them. I imagine your role in Naruto's life is a lot different."

Kazama laughs. "My role? Sometimes it seems like Naruto could have raised himself and turned out fine. He doesn't really need me or Arashi. But he is happier with us than he was without us." Kazama sighs and leans back, looking up at the sky. "No, he doesn't really need us at all. He only really needs Iruka."

"That...seems a bit strange," says Jiraiya. "How did that kid manage to look after another kid for a year and a half, all by himself?"

"I am still trying to figure that one out myself," says Kazama, shaking her head. "When we arrived here, and were given charge of those two boys, I thought Naruto would be the one who needed us, but he didn't: Iruka was enough." She laughs softly. "That boy was trained to teach someone just like Naruto. I got jealous of their bond, and took it out on Iruka, and tried to keep Naruto away from him."

"That does not sound like it would have been a good idea," comments Jiraiya.

"It wasn't," says Kazama. "We nearly came to blows over Naruto's welfare and education. And then I realized something very important - something my jealousy stopped me from seeing. Naruto might not have needed myself or Arashi, but Iruka did. He's not like Naruto, who can handle anything and get back up with a smile on his face so long as someone believes in him. If you leave Iruka to his own devices he'll do something stupid. Like make friends with a disturbed man who ends up betraying the village, or having underage sex."

"I'm all for sex," says Jiraiya. "But not underage sex."

Kazama laughs. "Iruka never did tell me who he had underage sex with, just that it was totally consensual, he regrets nothing and he told Arashi everything." Kazama smiles. "At first I wanted to get rid of Iruka as soon as he turned 18, but now I know that if I tried to get rid of him, Naruto would burn the village to the ground in protest."

Jiraiya laughs heartily.

"Iruka's a good kid," adds Kazama, wanting to tell Jiraiya what only members of her family and the Hokage know. "That's why we adopted him."