Flash of Red and Black

Chapter XXIX

"Iruka-sensei!" I shouted after the man as he walked through the street ahead of me.

He looked around when he heard me, smiling when our eyes met, and he stopped and waited for me to catch up.

"What are you up to Naruto?"

"Just thought I'd drop by the Academy again, if you're not too busy."

"Are you sure? Wasn't there a big mission recently? I heard that you were at home resting since you had so many clones with teams out on missions," he said, looking at me worriedly.

"Thanks, but it's fine. I just thought I could sit in for a while, and maybe we could grab some lunch?" I asked, and Iruka smiled.

"Sure. And since you were busy on your birthday, I'll buy."

"Really?" I asked, and Iruka nodded.

"Yes! You're the best, Iruka-sensei!" I exclaimed, grinning at him.

Then we headed to the academy, and I followed him into the classroom after sending a bunshin to each of the other rooms. I grinned at the students who suddenly turned very quiet, and gave Kyou a little wave when he looked up.

"Everyone! The Hokage-sama has decided to pay us a visit today, so I expect your best behavior, alright?" Iruka called to the class, and immediately everyone that wasn't paying attention before looked up and stared at the two of us excitedly. I grinned at all of them.

"G'morning everyone!" I called and they all greeted me.

"What do you want to do this morning, Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked me. It felt really weird for him to talk to me so formally, but I knew it was because he was in front of his other students.

"I was thinking of playing a game later, but how about you guys ask me questions first? You can ask whatever you want!" I said, grinning to the class. Their eyes all light up and some whispered to one another, but it was a while before anyone gathered the courage to raise their hands. But when Kyou's finally went up, I grinned.

"Hokage-sama, what was the hardest jutsu for you to learn?"

"The hardest? Hmmm…" I pondered, tilting my head as I thought. "Well, that was probably Rasen Shuriken, since I had to learn how to use wind techniques and then learn how to combine those with the Rasengan, and no one else had done it, so no one could help with it," I said finally, smiling up at him. Then I waited again for another hand to raise.

"Hokage-sama? Umm… When you took the graduation exam, what was the hardest part for you?" a little blonde girl asked. I grinned sheepishly.

"Ahh… All of it?" I said, giving a little laugh before giving a better answer. "I couldn't for the life of me do a good bunshin, and then I was pretty useless on the written portion too."

"Then how did you pass the test?" a boy with long, brown hair in the back asked. I smiled and glanced at Iruka.

"Well, I had a lot of help from Iruka-sensei here. I'd probably still be an Academy student with you guys if it weren't for his help!" I told them, and their eyes went big, looking at Iruka as if he was a genius.

"Hokage-sama! Do you still go on missions?"

"Sometimes! Usually I just send a Kagebunshin, but I'll be leaving for Sunagakure no Sato tomorrow to meet with the Kazekage, so that's sort of a mission," I said, grinning at the girl in the back, and apparently everyone had gotten over their nerves because that question led to a rapid flurry of others.

"What kind of missions do you send kagebunshin out on?"

"The higher-rank ones, like ANBU missions."

"Why do you send them?"

"I want to help keep everyone safe."

"Do you ever send only bunshin on a mission?"

"Not usually, but if I think it's too dangerous then I would."

"What's Sunagakure like?"

"Hot. Sandy. The buildings are pretty cool, though."

"What kind of person is the Kazekage-sama?" someone asked, and I couldn't keep the smile from my face.

"He's a great friend," I said and some of the students gave a little gasp.

"You're friends with the Kazekage-sama?!"

"Yup. We weren't always friends, though. I met him the first time I took the Chuunin Exams, and he was super scary back then. But then I fought him and got to know him, and now he's a really good friend of mine and has really helped me out a lot, several times," I said, smiling at them. All of them seemed intrigued, and most seemed surprised.

"Isn't he a Jinjuriki too?" a boy in the back asked quietly. Some of the students looked confused, a few had eyes wide with surprise.

"You must like reading, huh?" I asked, and the boy nodded nervously. "I never was one for studying or reading, but some of my friends are. If you ever have questions or things you feel like reading, come see me and I'll arrange it for you, okay?" I said, and his eyes went big. I smiled reassuringly. "But to answer your question, he used to be a Jinjuriki like me, yes, but because of the Akatsuki, he isn't anymore," I answered, and the boy still seemed curious but apparently decided against asking anything else as one of his classmates spoke up.

"Hokage-sama! What's a 'Jinjuriki'?" asked a girl, looking confused. I smiled.

"A Jinjuriki's a person with a tailed beast sealed inside of him. You've heard about those, right?" I asked and she nodded. I was glad that the curriculum was changed so that talking about the Jinjuriki and the tailed beasts wasn't forbidden anymore. "I'm the current Jinjuriki for the Nine-tailed Fox, Kurama," I said, smiling.

"Isn't it scary having a monster inside you?" one asked, and I couldn't help laughing a little.

"I'm not sure I've ever really thought about it like that! I guess it was scary a few times when I hurt my friends because of him, but Kurama and I are friends now, so it's alright," I said, smiling at them, and again their eyes went wide. But I could hear Kurama grumbling in the back of my mind.

"You're friends with the Kyuubi!?" a few exclaimed.

"I'm friends with all the tailed beasts actually, aside from the Jyuubi," I said, and several gasps rang out.

"What are they like?"

"They're all really smart and proud, but Kurama's the most stubborn and has the worst personality of all of them," I said, grinning at them.

"Oi. Stop talking about me like I can't hear all of it, kid," Kurama growled at me.

"Would you rather talk to them yourself"? I asked, goading him.

"Being forced in the company of one snot-nosed brat is more than enough," he said, giving another growl. I chuckled before speaking aloud again.

"Any other questions?" I asked, looking around at them, but no one else spoke up, either unable to think of anything or too shy to ask. I shrugged. "Alright. If you think of anything, you can come see me any time, though, like I said, I'll be in Sunagakure for a while. But you can ask any of the other shinobi you want, and, of course, Iruka-sensei's here to help too," I said, and they nodded.

"Alright! So who wants to play a game?" I asked, and they all gave various affirmations as I glanced at Iruka. He gave a nod, and I smiled before turning back to the class. "Then we're going to play a game of hide-and-seek with all the other classes too, alright? All the students are hiding, and the other sensei and I will be finding you. I want to see how well you all can hide your presence, alright? So do your best!"

They all looked around excitedly and whispered to their friends.

"Then you'll have a 5 minute head-start. Ready?" I said, pausing until I felt the last of my bunshin in the other rooms vanish. "Go!" I called, and immediately all the students started dashing out of windows and doors, trying to find a good place to hide as soon as possible.

"What about traps and jutsu? And boundaries?" Iruka asked, looking at me once they were all gone.

"I want to see how many of them can look 'underneath the underneath,'" I said, smiling at him. Iruka's eyes widened, but then his expression softened and he smiled a little.

"You've got a lot of confidence in them, don't you?"

"'Course I do. You've been teaching them, and they've been working hard, right? So there's no way they won't become great shinobi," I said, grinning at him. He smiled back.

"I wonder how much better you'd be if you actually studied back then," he teased. I pouted a little.

"That's not fair! I was too busy pulling pranks! And that helped me with fighting too, you know! 'Cause now I'm good at setting up traps and complex fights, but what good would reciting an equation at the enemy do?" I muttered, and Iruka laughed before ruffling my hair like I was still twelve.

"Well, I guess you turned out alright anyway since you had some excellent teachers," he said, grinning. I thought about telling him not to be so full of himself, but I just grinned back. He was right. If it weren't for him and Kakashi and the Ero-senin, I never would've become Hokage.

"Mhm! Sure did!" I said, and he turned red, apparently not expecting me to agree, and smiled with embarrassment.

"Anyway, we should start looking for them now, right?" he said, scratching his nose as he tried to change the subject. I nodded and we set out, looking for the students with the other Academy teachers.

Finding everyone really wasn't all that difficult, but they all put in a good effort. Some of the students set up traps. Others used a henge to look like villagers. Several had clones around as distractions. Some worked together to distract the sensei so they could escape to another hiding spot. All in all, I was really happy with the results.

"Everyone! You all did a really great job. Being able to hide your presence is one of the most basic aspects of being a shinobi. But you also have to have an escape planned in case you get found, and even though I didn't tell you that before, you all were able to figure it out and do it on your own," I called to all of them once they were all rounded up in the training ground. "I'm really proud of you guys. Keep up the good work. I'll be looking forward to assigning you to genin teams," I said, grinning at them all. They looked a little tired from the game, but they all smiled back proudly. Then I looked to the group of teachers behind me and smiled at all of them too.

"Thank you guys for your hard work. You've been doing a great job. If I can ever do anything to help, let me know," I told them, and I saw them all swell with pride before nodding.

Then the students were dismissed for lunch, and I waved goodbye to the students and other sensei as I walked up to Iruka.

"Ready for some Ichiraku?" Iruka asked as the yard cleared out.

"Yup! I'm starving!" I grinned.

"Some things never change, huh?" he said, smiling. I just laughed.

"Can't help it. The Hokage needs to eat too," I said, and he chuckled.

"It's reassuring, though," he said, smiling towards the sky. I cocked my head to the side a little, confused.

"Whaddya mean?" I asked, and then he looked at me, still smiling fondly.

"You've grown up well, Naruto. But I'm glad that you haven't forgotten who you are," he said.

I shrugged, scratching the back of my head as Sakura's face (and fists) came to mind. A chill went down my spine

"Well it'd be kinda difficult to forget. I think everyone would beat me back to myself," I said, and Iruka laughed.

"You do have a great group of friends supporting you," he said, smiling. But then his expression became more serious. "Of course, I'll help you however I can too, you know," he said, and I smiled a little, giving him a nod.

"Yeah, I know," I said before looking away. I was trying to keep in mind what Ino told me the day before, but it was still hard.

Silence fell between us as we continued walking to my favorite ramen stand, and after a long moment, Iruka spoke up again.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" he asked, stopping. I stopped too and glanced at him before trying to calm myself.

"A lot of things?" I said, smiling half-heartedly as I scratched the back of my head, glancing at him for half a second before looking away again. He didn't move, apparently waiting for me to explain. I sighed, letting my hand drop along with my smile.

"First of all, I wasn't at home resting until a few days ago," I said quietly, looking up at him. I saw realization and then a flurry of other emotions rush across his face.

"How about we get the ramen to go?" he replied just as quietly, and I nodded, glad he understood. We walked in silence to the Ichiraku and ordered our food before heading back to his place.

The door shut behind us and he put the food on the table before motioning for me to sit. I did, but just stared at the food, and he didn't move to eat yet either.

"What mission was it?"

"The one Ebisu was on," I said, finally looking up at him again. Worry flashed through his features again.

"I see," he said quietly after a while, and I nodded half-heartedly. It was silent for a few long moments until he spoke up again.

"It must have been a very difficult mission," he said, and I nodded again.

"We went after Orochimaru… We won too, but…" I said, trailing off as memories flooded my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, as if I could get rid of the images flashing through my mind that way.

"What else happened?" he asked gently.

"Orochimaru captured me for a while… And he brought Sasuke back and made me fight him again," I mumbled.

"I see," he said again. It was quiet for a while, but then I heard his chair move and footsteps. Then a warm hand fell on top of my head, ruffling my hair gently.

"You worked hard, Naruto. You did a good job protecting everyone," he said, and my head snapped up, looking at him, but hardly able to see through my stinging eyes.

"But Ebisu! I couldn't—"

"He knew what he was doing, Naruto. It's not your fault," he said, cutting my off. "Don't torture yourself with those kinds of thoughts, okay? I know it's hard, but don't blame yourself," he added more gently.

I looked away and sniffed before giving a little nod. Then he gently ruffled my hair again before sitting back down.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself again before looking across the table at him and giving him a little smile.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," I said, and he returned the small smile and nodded.

After mentally shaking myself again, I broke my chopsticks and dug into the food, slurping up my favorite meal, and Iruka followed shortly after.

We talked some after that, just normal chit-chat about the Academy, I left shortly after I emptied my bowl, letting Iruka get back to work, and as I walked back to my office, I felt a little lighter.

Maybe Ino was right, I mused as I walked. Maybe I could rely on everyone a little more and not keep it all to myself. A faint smile crossed my lips at the thought. Maybe I can do this.

I almost laughed when I walked into my office and saw Ino sitting there.

"Good afternoon, Naruto!" she said, standing up when I walked in.

"What's up, Ino?"

"Just wanted to see how you're doing today," she said, looking me over.

"I'm alright. Spent the morning at the Academy. They're all a lot better than I was," I said, smiling. She laughed.

"You didn't set a very high bar, though," she said, grinning at me. I smiled sheepishly.

"Still, you should go check them out some time. There are probably several good candidates for becoming med-nin too."

"Sure! I haven't seen Iruka-sensei in a while either. How's he doing?" she asked and I smiled a little.

"He's good. I talked to him a little earlier," I said, and then her expression changed to a thoughtful seriousness.

"How'd that go?"

"It was okay. I didn't say much, but it helped a little, I think," I said, and she nodded.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that," she said, and I nodded. Then it was quiet for a while until she spoke up again.

"I'm sure you could talk to him more, if you want. If you think it would help, I can go with you," she said gently. I smiled at her.

"Thanks, but it's alright for now. He's helped me more than enough anyway," I said, and she smiled back a little and put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure he would be happy to help you some more if you wanted, though," she said, gently squeezing my shoulder before letting go. I nodded.

"I know. Maybe another time."

"Are you sure you're okay to do this mission tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, it'll be alright," I said, and she just stared at me for a little longer.

"Do you want me to come over later?" she asked, and I considered it for a little bit before shaking my head.

"It'll be fine for now. Just enjoy your night before we leave," I told her and she nodded after a while.

"If that's what you want, then that's fine. Let me know if you need anything," she said before leaving. Then I finally sat down at my desk and started on putting together the reports I needed to take to Suna with me.

The shadows in the office grew long, but I was still putting the stuff together when a knock came from my door.

"Come in!"

"Hoka—oh… Um, Hokage-sama, there's an Academy student here who would like to see you, but if you're busy I can turn him away," the genin said, glancing nervously around at the papers strewn about the room.

"It's fine. I need a break anyway," I said, smiling at her from my seat on the floor in front of a towering stack of papers. She nodded and left, and soon there was another, softer knock. I called for him to enter, and immediately the boy's eyes went big with surprise.

"S-sorry to bother you, Hokage-sama! I can go—" the well-read boy from the Academy earlier started, but I cut him off.

"Don't worry about it, Chikao-kun," I said, smiling up at him, still sitting on the floor. His eyes grew even wider and his body tensed with nervousness when I said his name, and I could almost see his light brown hair suddenly stand on end with anxiety.

"I just said don't worry, didn't I? I've read up at least a little on all the academy students," I said, smiling at him still, and he relaxed just a little. "What can I do for you?" I asked once he seemed a little less tense.

"I was wondering about what you said during class this morning," he said nervously, and I cocked my head to the side.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Ah, I mean about the Jinjuriki… Um, you said that the Kazekage-sama used to be a Jinjuriki? How does a person stop being a Jinjuriki?" he asked hesitantly. I smiled and motioned for him to sit down with me. He stiffly sat down, his posture formal, and I repressed a chuckle.

"You've read about the war, haven't you?" He nodded. "Well, the Akatsuki collected all the Bijuu in order to bring back the Jyuubi. To do that, they had a statue, Gedo Mazo, absorb the Bijuu directly or through the Jinjuriki," I told him, and he frowned with concentration.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous for the Jinjuriki?"

"Yeah. Extracting the Bijuu kills the Jinjuriki," I told him, nodding gravely, and his eyes went wide.

"Then how did the Kazekage-sama live?"

"He didn't. We were able to revive him, thankfully, but… Well, Chiyo-obaachan gave her life in the process," I said, smiling a little sadly. He frowned and looked down at his hands sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said quietly, glancing up at me. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's alright, but now it's my turn to ask questions," I said and he immediately tensed but nodded seriously.

"What makes you so interested in the Jinjuriki?"

"W-well, I heard some rumors about the Jinjuriki, so I started reading about them," he said quietly, shifting his weight from side to side on his knees.

"What kind of rumor?"

"That you were mistreated when you were younger since you're a Jinjuriki," he mumbled, glancing at me nervously.

"Do you want to know?" I asked. His eyes went big as he looked at me, but then ducked his head back down quickly, nodding just a little.

"I-if you want to tell me. I know it's really personal! So if you don't, I really get it!"

"I was. Iruka-sensei was the first person to acknowledge me as anything other than a container for the beast that attacked the village," I said, looking at him seriously. Slowly, he looked up and his eyes met mine. He looked conflicted, but then he seemed to gain courage and suddenly he was much closer and his hands were on both my shoulders, looking me in the eyes.

"The whole village definitely cares about you now! And you're really strong, so I'm sure everyone acknowledges you as a person!" he said very seriously, and again I had to repress the urge to laugh, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings.

"Thank you, Chikao-kun," I said, smiling at him before ruffling his wavy hair a little. He let go of my shoulders quickly and gave a small nod, looking down again, before I retracted my hand. "Why were you so worried?" I asked, and he glanced up at me for a second before quickly averting his eyes, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Well, I asked my dad about the rumor one time… but he just looked really sad when I brought it up. And I think… he might have been one of those people. The ones that were mean to you… And I don't like that since I know you're a really great person since you always help us and since Iruka-sensei always talks about you so fondly… But I know he feels really bad about it! And he definitely is sorry! So… even though he was mean… I don't want you to hate him for it… since he's actually really nice," he said, mumbling nervously. I smiled gently and dropped my hand on his head again, forcing him to look at me.

"How about we go see him?" I asked, but he looked nervous. So I just smiled a little more. "It's alright. He raised a good kid like you, so I'm sure he's a nice guy. It was a long time ago, so I don't want him to keep dwelling on it either," I said, and slowly Chikao gave a small smile and nodded. I grinned and stood up, and he followed suit. Then I picked him up and plopped him onto my shoulders, earning a surprised giggle from him before we headed out. I followed his directions and eventually arrived at a little vegetable shop in the middle of the town. I vaguely recognized the shop name and suppressed a frown as I recalled some unpleasant memories, but the weight on my shoulders helped me pull myself back to the present.

I pulled him off my shoulders and set him down, enjoying the bright smile that looked up at me.

"The shop's already closed for today, but we live upstairs," he said, giving a little explanation that I nodded at before he walked in and I followed behind.

"Mom! Dad! We have a guest!" he called quickly, pulling off his shoes as we entered the well-sized apartment.

"Shouldn't you give us a little more warning before you bring someone—Hokage-sama! W-what a surprise! Please, come in! Is something wrong?" his mother asked, looking between us with shock and worry. I just smiled pleasantly at her and at her husband when he appeared behind her a few moments later. His face was definitely one I recognized.

"Of course not, Hayashi-san. I'm sorry for intruding without warning," I said, giving a little bow.

"No! Please, call me Maki. This is my husband, Hideki. Please, please, come in. Would you like some tea? I'm still making dinner, but you can stay if you like," she said, obviously flustered as she bowed. I glanced at Hideki and he tensed but bowed some as Chikao tugged my sleeve a little.

"Tea would be wonderful, but maybe we should save dinner for another time. I shouldn't stay too long since I'll be leaving for Sunagakure no Sato tomorrow morning," I said, hoping to calm them some. They all nodded, though Chikao looked a little disappointed as I entered the apartment. Maki led me to the living room before excusing herself to the kitchen, and I sat on a couch next to Chikao with Hideki sitting across from us.

"Is there something we can do for you, Hokage-sama?" Hideki asked, his shoulders tense still, despite trying to seem relaxed.

"Chikao-kun just stopped by my office after his classes today with some questions and worries, so I thought coming here might help him get rid of them," I said, smiling at the man. And he immediately glanced between the two of us, concern and worry evident on his face. I watched him squirm a little before turning to Chikao.

"Would you mind going to help Maki-san for a minute?" I asked. He nodded and got up to head to the kitchen too, but when he glanced back, I just gave him a reassuring smile. Once he was gone I turned to Hideki.

"Your son is a very caring boy. Very smart too," I said, smiling at him. Hideki nodded gravely, and after a few quiet moments, I spoke again.

"He was very concerned about me, you know. He asked if I was mistreated as a child because I'm a Jinjuriki, and even tried to console me," I said, and Hideki looked away before meeting me with sad eyes.

"I am sorry, Hokage-sama. I-I don't know if you remember me, but I know that I didn't treat you well as a child, and I deeply regret it. Not just because you're the Hokage, but because I was so completely in the wrong. I know that what I did was wrong, and I'm very sorry for it," he said before standing up again and then bowing deeply for a while. I let him apologize, but after he held the bow for a few seconds, I took a deep breath and stood, putting my hand on his shoulder, making him rise up again.

"Thank you, Hideki-san, but you don't need to hold onto your regret anymore. I've grown up well, and you've done well raising your son," I told him. His eyes widened again before he gave another bow of gratitude.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," he said quietly and I just smiled at him. He wasn't the same man from my childhood, so there was no reason to hold a grudge. Once we were both sitting again, I saw Chikao's head peak out from the kitchen doorway, and I couldn't help laughing a little and giving him another reassuring smile. He ran back into the living room, joining me on the couch again, looking between the two of us before smiling broadly.

I smiled at him and ruffled his hair again before looking up at his father.

"Chikao-kun seems to be pretty well-read," I commented, and Hideki nodded.

"He got it from his mother, but yes, he's always got his head in some book or another," he said, pride showing on his face.

"Well I've got several friends in the Nara clan, so I'll ask if he can browse their library sometime," I said, smiling at them both. They both looked at me, surprised, and then Hideki's expression changed to gratitude while Chikao's changed to excitement.

"You're sure? We wouldn't want to cause any trouble," Hideki said, and I just smiled.

"It's fine. I'll have someone arrange a visit for him."

They both thanked me and Maki returned shortly after with tea. We all chatted and listened as Chikao told his parents about the game at the Academy that morning, but once my cup was empty, I headed home after promising Maki that I would visit again.

"You've been busy," Kakashi called when I walked in, and I smiled as I took my sandals off again before sitting at the table as he set down the last plate.

"I visited the parents of one of the Academy students," I said. Kakashi just cocked an eyebrow as he started eating. "Chikao-kun was worried about me and worried that I disliked his dad since he figured out about how I was treated as a kid," I elaborated before I dug into the food myself, humming happily at the delicious food, but Kakashi gave me a concerned look.

"So you met with his parents to calm his worries?"

"Yup," I said between bites.

"And?" Kakashi asked after I didn't say anything else for a while.

"And I recognized his dad, but he apologized. And I need to ask Shikaku to arrange for Chikao-kun to visit the Nara clan's library," I said before starting on my bowl of rice.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and I suddenly had the feeling that Ino had talked to him sometime, not that I minded.

"Okay. It was weird. But he was definitely sorry, and his son's a good kid, so it's okay I guess. It was just weird, watching him bow and apologize so much when I remember a very different expression on his face when I was younger. But seeing him smile while Chikao-kun talked was a much better expression," I said, musing aloud, and Kakashi smiled a little.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, smiling gently. I nodded.

"Yeah. I talked to Iruka-sensei some today too," I said, and he nodded.

"How'd it go?"

"Good, I think. I feel a little better, and I don't think I worried him too much, so I think it's okay," I said, and he nodded again.

We finished eating quietly and cleaned up, but the moment the last dish was placed in the cabinet, I found myself wrapped up in Kakashi's arms, squeezing me tightly.

"Good work today, Naruto," he said quietly, and I smiled even as my eyes started to sting.

"Mhm. Thanks," I mumbled, burying my face into the crook of his neck.

As long as I've got them, I thought to myself.

"You can do this," Kakashi mumbled against my head, and I laughed aloud before pulling back to grin at him.

"Yeah!"

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! I'm glad to finally be back on schedule too. I'll be pretty busy next weekend, but I'll still try hard to get another chapter up. (Who knew that this would end up being this long!? O.o )

Anyway, thank you everyone for reading, but an especially big thanks to Bethlovesall and Melyway since I can't PM you my thanks. But I really, really appreciate everyone's support and I hope you're all looking forward to the Suna mission! ^_^

Let me know if you've got predictions/suggestions or anything else! I hope you have a wonderful day!