"Mom, do I have to?" A small boy looked up at his mother with big blue pleading eyes. The boy was short and had black hair that covered his head. His clothes were dirty and had had a couple holes in them, evidence that he liked playing in the woods.

"Yes, Metsuki Kiba Seika, you have to do this. This is for your own good." The mother looked down at her son with a stern but caring look in her eyes. "Do good now, the Hokage will only sponsor you if you get good grades. Ok, son?" The boy just looked at her and nodded. "Now go and have fun." She bent down and hugged the boy and gave him a gentle push towards the Village of Fire's ninja academy. Tears welled in her eyes because she knew that this would be the last time she saw her son. She turned walked towards the village gates. She looked up into the sky and thought, "Sandaime, I hope you know what you're doing." She walked out the gates with a casual glance to the guards. She looked back one more time and disappeared into the morning sun.

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Four years later...

"... And that is the secret of elemental techniques. Knowing this will greatly help you in the long run." Iruka turned to face the class after filling the entire chalkboard with notes. He searched the class for someone that looked like he was paying any attention. He didn't have to look far. Iruka fumed all the way up to a desk with black-haired, blue-eyed boy was laying back taking a nap. "Metsuki! Wake up!" The said boy snapped awake, and casually looked up at Iruka.

"What's up, Sensei?" Metsuki said with a small grin on his face. The entire class nearly fell out of their chairs in laughter. All except for the girl beside him, Genkaku, who was just shaking her head at him.

"What are you thinking, Iruka's going to have your but for this." Genkaku thought. She pushed her black bangs out of her face and tried to think of a way to help him. Being his best friend meant she got to do major things. Train from the ridiculous amounts of scrolls he collected by a means she didn't want to know, and help him out of trouble when he pulled a stupid stunt. She didn't have enough time to wake him up today.

"Metsuki, if your so smart, perform a fire jutsu." Iruka taunted. Metsuki was talented but he had no training in elemental jutsu as far as Iruka knew. Unfortunately for Iruka, he didn't know that Metsuki had been training on his own using scrolls. He knew a couple of the lower fire jutsus. Metsuki smirked as he stood up and walked to the front off the class. Iruka really didn't think he could do it or he would off told Metsuki to go outside. Metsuki stopped in front of the chalkboard.

"I don't know if I can do this, Sensei." He whimpered in a comical way. Iruka started to get nervous. Metsuki started the seals for the Phoenix Flower Jutsu, a C-class fire jutsu. He inhaled deeply, summoned his chakra to his lungs, a blew out one fireball at the board. Iruka watched in horror as his notes were blown to smoldering cinders by then fireball. The entire class fell out of their seats in laughter again with an embarrassed Iruka fuming about his notes. Genkaku just hung her head. Metsuki turned around to take a bow only to have Iruka's fist hitting the top of his head.

"You dumbass, you destroyed my notes and disrupted class."

"You told me to, Sensei!" Metsuki retorted.

"I meant outside, dumbass!!" Iruka screamed.

"You didn't say outside!!!" Metsuki screamed back. He stood up his toes to try to reach Iruka's height but he still wasn't tall enough.

"That's common sense!!!! You got detention until the Genin exam." Iruka scolded.

"That's tomorrow, you know." Metsuki mumbled as he moped back to his seat.

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That Night…

"Hokage-sama! What brings you here at this time of night?" Iruka stood up from his desk and bowed to the leader of the village. No one else but Iruka was at the academy at this time of night. The other instructors had long since went home.

"I heard you had an explosive situation earlier. Care to tell me about?" Tsunade was loving how she was making Iruka squirm. She already knew what happened but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease him just a little bit.

"Metsuki blew up the chalkboard with a fire jutsu after I challenged him to show me one." Iruka admitted, rubbing his eyes in frustration.

"Iruka, you got to stop that. First time, it was a challenge to make someone believe that he was me by using the transformation jutsu. He ended up going to the village market and raking up a 100 dollar tab that I had to pay. Now this." Tsunade put a lot an emphasis on the last part. That little stunt cut deeply into her gambling budget.

"He's very talented, so talented he's bored with the academy. It has nothing more to offer. So he pulls stunts to cure his boredom. He spent the entire detention perfecting his substitution timing. Not learn the substitution jutsu, but perfecting it." Iruka sat back down in his chair and returned to grading papers. Tsunade looked down at her main teacher.

"Iruka, get up, you can grade papers later. You need a drink and so do I." Iruka looked up at her for a moment and then complied. "You know who Metsuki reminds me of? She was just like him during her academy days. I think she graduated before you though." Iruka looked at the Hokage and tried to think of who she was talking about, but he was drawing a blank. The Hokage looked at the full moon that was rising in the sky, "In fact, she still acts the same way at times, and I think she still needs to take a genin squad." Tsunade chuckled at that thought. That would almost be an inhumane punishment for the genin, even by shinobi standards. Just then Iruka realized who the Hokage was talking about.

"You're going to assign her a genin squad. God help that squad." Iruka stated as the two walked to the nearest bar.

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The next day...

Metsuki walked into the academy courtyard filled with students and their parents wishing them luck. He watched this scene for a few seconds, and then feeling of sorrow entered him. He started thinking about his Mom, who left him to go God knows where. He clenched his teeth and his hand balled up into a fist. But his thoughts were soon interrupted by a hand waving in his face.

"Metsuki? Hello? Anybody in there?" Genkaku stated, her eyes peering right into his face. He woke up for his trance, blinked a couple of times, and then pain of her standing on his foot started registering.

"Genkaku, you're standing on my foot!" Screamed Metsuki, hoping around on one leg now that Genkaku had stepped of his foot.

"Sorry, but you were just kinda standing there." She apologized, shrugging her shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal. Maybe not to her but Metsuki sure thought it was.

"What the hell? First you don't wake me up when Iruka finished his lecture, now your standing on my toes. What's next? Am I going to be dodging kunai this afternoon!?!" Metsuki hobbled and limped over to get into her face. She just got right up into his.

"You might be doing it right now if you don't shut up, dweeb!"

"Bitch!"

"DWEEB!"

"BITCH!"

"YOUR BOTH DWEEBS!" Genkaku and Metsuki looked up at a very pissed Iruka standing over them. "GET in the exam building now!" They both quickly said "Yes, Sensei." and ran like their lives depended on it to the exam building. Iruka drooped his head and started rubbing his temples. "This day is going to give me an even bigger hangover than I already have."

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Later in the Exam Room...

"Do a clone jutsu and have at least three clones." Iruka stated as him and two other chuunins sat behind a table waited for Metsuki to do the requirements. Metsuki did the sign for rat and the room filled a puff of smoke. After clearing, there were about seven Metsuki clones in the room. The other Chuunins seemed impressed and nodded at Iruka. Iruka picked up a headband and tossed it behind him. The other chuunins looked at Iruka like he was nuts. They glanced backward and then did a double take. Metsuki was standing behind them putting on his headband. "Metsuki." Iruka said while writing down his notes.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Quit showing off, you pass. Come back at one o'clock to get your team assignment." Iruka stated, never looking up from his paperwork. Metsuki smiled big and vanished out the door. The chuunin to Iruka's left looked at Iruka and said,

"Iruka, how did he get back there, and how you know he was back there? I never saw it." Iruka finally looked up from his paperwork and looked at the chuunin.

"I know every one of these kids. He's a show off and extremely quick. In fact, he's faster than most chuunins I know. Well, that was the last one. Thanks for your help." Iruka thanked the chuunins as they stood up and walked out the door. Iruka looked up at the ceiling and thought back to a conversation he had with the Hokage lat night.

"Iruka. Why don't you stop teaching for a while. Sakura and Shikamaru can handle it." Hokage said, taking a sip of her sake.

"Hokage-sama, no offense, but why would I want to do that."

"To train for the Jounin exams coming up. You and I both know you have the talent and the ability. You might be a little rusty since you haven't taken a mission in a while, but you can do it."

"You overestimate me, Hokage-sama." Iruka replied, staring at his sake.

"You underestimate yourself, Iruka. Just think about it, and your sake is going cold. Drink it already."

Iruka looked down at who passed and started writing down teams. He stopped for a second again, and thought, "Maybe she's right. It might be right thing to do." With that, Iruka returned to creating the teams.

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At Ichiraku Ramen...

"I see you didn't wait for me, huh, Genkaku." Metsuki said as he walked up to her table. She looked at him and finished swallowing her food.

"You took too long, what were you, like the last one to be called?" Genkaku joked. Metsuki sat down, order a bowl of chicken ramen, and pointed at his newly acquired headband.

"Yeah, Iruka called me dead last, but as you can see, I passed." Metsuki's food arrived in front of him and he started devouring it.

"I hope Iruka-sensei puts us on the same team." Genkaku stated trying not to be disgusted at the speed at which Metsuki was eating.

"Mea Tuo." Metsuki said with a mouthful of ramen and then had to dodge an incoming slap, which he did without a problem. "What was that for?" He asked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. Don't you know any manners?" Genkaku yelled.

"You know I don't, so quit preaching." He retorted.

"Shut you dweeb." she said as she just laughed at him.