Chapter 9

Naruto sighed, kicking a rock as he walked down the street to the academy. He never thought that the academy would be so boring and miserable! He thought that the academy would be about learning how to fight and kick butt, but so far it was just lecture after lecture. Naruto's fists balled in his pockets as he thought of his Sensei. Iruka Sensei was so stupid! He was just like the other adults, all he did was ignore him or look at him like that. Out of all the adults why did his own Sensei look at him like he was a monster?

He looked up when three boys approached him. Great. What a wonderful start to the day. Like he didn't have enough to deal with. "What d'you guys want?" Naruto grumbled.

The boy in the middle grinned, "Naruto, we've decided you can join our group if you want."

Naruto could feel his heart skip a beat, "What? Are you serious?" He shouted in excitement.

"Of course," the boy said, the mischief in his eyes glistened though Naruto didn't notice. "But, there's just one thing you have to do before you can hangout with us."

His excitement calmed down and his suspicions grew, "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"Yesterday my dad's patrol unit had a fight with some enemy ninja in the back hills and he said they left the courpses out there. If you can bring back something from one of those corpses then we'll let you join our group."

It was that easy? Naruto grinned, "For real?"

The lead boy and his friends had to bite back their laughter, "Yeah!"

His mind was made up, screw the academy for today! He had a battlefield to find! "Alright then, I'll bring back something for sure! Believe it!" With that, he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the three boys snickering.

Elsewhere that same morning, Iruka had left his home early. He had so much on his mind lately and wasn't sure of exactly what to do. Keiko was ignoring him, and Naruto was failing all of his classes. He was a horrible teacher. Though he had only been a teacher for a few years, he had never had such a difficult time with a student. His colleague had suggested ignoring Naruto and insisted that he could quiet down and stop acting out. But, now he was acting out even more! Not to mention the look on Naruto's face when Iruka would blatantly ignore or overlook him made him feel even worse.

Iruka stopped on a park bench and heaved a heavy sigh, what was he going to do?

"Hello there."

Iruka's head shot up and he looked around to find the voice before he looked up. Finding Kakashi Hatake in a tree above him.

"Ya know, this is my favorite spot. But, I can't really concentrate on my reading with all that sighing going on down there." Kakashi looked down at Iruka, curiously.

"Oh," Iruka said in a rush, "I'm so sorry, I'll just go." He stood up to leave but was stopped by Kakashi who had left his perch and landed before him.

"No, don't bother. I was just about to leave." Kakashi closed his book and placed it in his pouch, "See ya." Kakashi couldn't help but notice the posture Iruka held. He was certainly stressed and fatuiged over something but he willed himself not to care. It wasn't his place to get involved. They hardly knew eachother anyway. They had had dealing in the past but Kakashi would not consider Iruka a friend of sorts. He took a few steps away when he heard the man almost crumble onto the bench in a heep. It was like Iruka was dead on his feet. Not the man he remembered.

Kakashi paused, maybe he should talk to him. "What's wrong? You look depressed." His tone was even, almost annoyed. But, the fact that he even stopped to ask was proof enough that Kakashi cared even a little. "If you feel like talking, I'll listen."

Iruka closed his eyes as Kakashi moved to sit next to him on the bench. He was surprised at Kakashi's actions, not thinking the ninja would bother himself with the troubled of others. If he was who Iruka thought he was it was very surprising. Iruka looked up, but didn't meet his eyes. "Kakashi."

The ninja turned toward Iruka, he said his name as if it were a question. Did Iruka not remember him?

"That's your name, right?" There was a pause and Kakashi thought silently to himself that perhaps Iruka just didn't remember him in great detail. Iruka continued without a word from Kakashi, "The thing is, I'm that Naruto Uzumaki's homeroom teacher."

Kakashi nodded, feigning vague surprise as he leaned back to get more comfortable, "Really?"

"I went to go ask the Third Hokage to relieve me from my assignment, but he wouldn't see me. Truth is, I don't have any idea how to deal with that boy. Nothing works. I don't know why the Hokage thought I was the right person for this." Iruka leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of his head as his hands trembled from all the thoughts and stress. "I'm just not qualified to teach a kid like Naruto. I mean, Keiko would have been the obvious choice. She gets a long with him so well. But, I can't even ask her for advice, because she's ignoring me."

Kakashi nodded slowly, "I see, that's why you look lifeless. There's no spark in your eyes." Iruka turned to look at Kakashi, though the other ninja didn't face him. What did Kakashi mean, no spark? Kakashi thought back to the day Iruka had decided to become a teacher, he was there that day. "Your eyes had a spark back then. Perhaps, you've forgotten a basic rule of teaching. 'You can't open the mind of another unless you have an open mind yourself.' Or, perhaps there's something else you're trying to forget."

Iruka looked away, his hands balling into fists, "The nine tails sealed within Naruto is responsible for my parents deaths." He thought back to the conversation he had with Keiko and sighed, "I'm fully aware that Naruto is not to blame for what occurred back then. But, whenever I look at him I can't stop thinking about what's deep inside of him, and about what the nine tails did." He leaned forward, his head falling into his hands once again as he thought of Keiko's loving smile as she would spend time with Naruto. "I don't think someone like me can make Naruto open up."

"Actually," Kakashi stated, "you might be one of the only one's who can open Naruto's heart." He stood and looked down at Iruka, "And that, is your personal ordeal."

Iruka blinked, "My ordeal?"

"Yes. Lord Hokage has presented you with a personal ordeal. I believe if you can just hang in there a little longer, you can find the way to reach Naruto in your own way. Then you can rise up to meet the Hokage's expectations." He gave a small wave of his hand, "So long."

Kakashi left Iruka with a lot to think about. Was what he said true? If he waited and hung on, would he really be able to find out how to handle Naruto? He thought back to Keiko and his conversation. How she knew that if he just took the time to get to know Naruto, his feelings would change. Iruka sat there for a long time, mulling over what Keiko and Kakashi had told him. Kakashi was right, his mind was closed. He needed to find a way to open it.

After a time Iruka realized he had lost track of time and panicked, rushing off to the academy to meet his class. When he entered the academy he only had a few minutes to get to his class. He composed himself before entering, he had to keep it together for the sake of his other students. Walking up to the podium everyone settled down. Iruka scanned the class, growing irritated when he spotted an absent student.

Iruka sighed heavily from the podium, "Alright guys, has anyone seen Naruto?"

A boy in the front shrugged smugly, "Nope, haven't seen him."

Suddenly, Shikamaru stood, hands on the table, "I saw him this morning heading into the back hills!" Shikamaru had had enough of this, someone had to step in!

Two of the boys who had confronted Naruto that morning stood, "Pipe down, Shikamaru!"

"What are you doing?" the other boy said. Shikamaru was going to ruin all their fun!

"Said he was looking for corpses, didn't he Hibachi." Shikamaru glared at the other boy, "You're pranks have gotten annoying, and so have you."

Iruka didn't have time to give Shikamaru praise. He had a bad feeling in his gut that said Naruto was in danger, and he was going to listen to it. He knew there had been a battle there the previous day and if Naruto found the battle field he could get caught up in something he was in no way prepared for. "Stay here, and study!" Iruka commanded them before he left just as quickly as he had came.

He had to find Naruto! He paused in his run and thought of Keiko. She would be so upset if something happened to him and he didn't tell her. Cursing under his breath, he ran to the library. A few of his fellow teachers shouting at him along the way though he mostly ignored them.

"Keiko!" He said whilst slamming open the door. He was met with the face of the head librarian and a few students who had been studying.

"Iruka, you know better than to barge in here like that!" The older man stated from the library counter. "Keiko has been away on a mission, so how about you hurry to your cla- hey!" Iruka left as soon as he realized that Keiko was not there. He didn't have time to find her then, there was no telling when or if Naruto would run into some unsavory characters.

Unknown to Iruka, Keiko wasn't far from the Academy. She had returned to the village that morning and was in desperate need of some sleep. Guy had insisted that they race the rest of the way to the village after waking up that morning. She sighed heavily and trudged along, almost dragging her feet. Maybe she should just head home. She could wait to go to the hospital until that afternoon. Keiko rubbed her shoulder where she had been struck by a flying kunai, the bandages were hidden by her top. The medicine she had taken was helping to reduce the pain but it still ached.

Keiko was drug out of her thoughts when she noticed three people, none of whom she was expecting to see. In front of a snack stand there were her students Choji and Shikamaru as well as Kakashi. Kakashi was generally a surprise to see. Choji and Shikamaru on the other hand should be in class. Was Iruka loosing his grip on the other students as well? Keiko walked forward toward them, "Well, hello there, what are you two doing out of class?"

All three people turned toward her, Choji and Shikamaru's faces showing a little panic. Unlike Kakashi, Keiko was a face they both knew, and one they were not expecting. Choji panicked a little, "K-Keiko Sensei! We weren't skipping, we promise!"

Shikamaru stood a little straighter and nodded, "Yeah, Iruka gave us a free period."

Both Kakashi and Keiko were surprised, that was unusual. Especially to Keiko, this would be the first time she had heard of Iruka doing such a thing. The two ninja shared a glance. "Why's that?" Kakashi asked him.

"It's because of Naruto. He went to go look for a corpse in the back hills. Iruka Sensei had to leave class to find him." Shikamaru explained.

"He left class to go after Naruto?" Keiko asked a little surprised. Knowing how Iruka had been treating Naruto she was surprised that he would actually go after him instead of shrugging it off. At the mention of corpses though her confusion and worry grew. Why were there corpses in the back hills, and why did Naruto want to find one?

Kakashi sensed the gravity of the situation and asked, "Is that true?"

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, positive."

Sharing another glance with Keiko, Kakashi put away his book and placed a hand on the young boys shoulders. "Listen, having a free period doesn't mean you can leave school. Go back to the academy right now." He was met with grumbles from the boys and they began to walk back.

Keiko placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and he stopped to look at her. "Shikamaru, you're a good kid." She shrugged off her backpack, exposing her bandaged shoulder for a moment. "Keep an eye on this, I'll come back later for it."

Shikamaru took the bag and sighed before he and Choji continued on. Keiko smiled slightly when she heard him mutter what a drag it all was. She looked to Kakashi who looked at her with a calculating eye that she ignored. "We should probably get going. Hopefully Naruto hasn't gotten into too much trouble."

She was about to head out when Kakashi spoke, "You sure you shouldn't head to the infirmary?"

Keiko paused and turned toward him, "No. I need to be sure Naruto is safe first. How about you tell me what you know on the way, huh?"

The two began their trek into the hills. Keiko's anxiety rising when Kakashi told her that there had been a battle there the previous day so there could still be enemy ninja nearby. She hoped that Iruka had found him before anyone else did. "How do you know Iruka anyway?" Keiko asked him curiously.

Kakashi shrugged as they moved from tree to tree, "We were on a mission a few years ago. And we happened to have a conversation earlier this morning."

"Oh? What about?"

"Actually, it was about Naruto." He noticed her give him a surprised and skeptical look. "He's had doubts over his ability to teach Naruto. Seems he's also upset you've been ignoring him."

Keiko looked away, her face heating from some shame. "It's been a little difficult dealing with him lately."

Kakashi nodded, "Hmm." He could only guess as to the nature of their relationship but it would seem that right now it was strained. As they continued, Kakashi was the first to see them. "Up ahead." Both Keiko and Kakashi could see Iruka being tailed by three enemy ninja. Both of them prepared for a fight just before Kakashi threw a kunai with a paper bomb attached. They were just in time to stop the two from being pelted with shuriken.

The three enemy ninja shouted in surprise at the ensuing explosion. There was no way this one ninja had time to call for backup! They found their footing once again after the blast and looked toward the new arrivals who landed on a tree branch between the two groups.

Kakashi and Keiko stood, keeping an eye on the three ninja. "Are you and Naruto alright?" Keiko asked, eyeing the enemy coolly. Her eyes never left the three ninja though she wore a smile to try and hide her exhaustion.

Iruka blinked in shock, "Keiko, Kakashi, what are you two doing here?"

"Your students told us what happened and we got a little concerned." Kakashi told him as they watched the three ninja regroup and begin a jutsu. "Run, Iruka!" He shouted as himself and Keiko moved forward to meet their enemy head on.

The two of them stopped when the three ninja combined, fired a massive fire jutsu in their direction. Thinking quickly, Kakashi erected his mud wall for the two of them to seek protection behind as Keiko moved behind him. Just before the dust settled Keiko took the chance and launched herself up above the wall, using the smoke as cover before surprising the three. Keiko did an elaborate flip, weaving a few hand signs before a barrage of icicles launched themselves toward the three.

One of the three did not react fast enough and was knocked out of the tree, an icicle piercing her chest. The remaining two managed to dodge the attack, drawing their weapons to respond to the new threat. Still in midair, Keiko drew her katana, bleeding her chakra into it and using the energy to preform a powerful downward strike that the two were forced to dodge. Splinters of wood flew everywhere from the force of the blow. When Keiko took a brief moment to recover the two thought they had a chance and moved in to attack.

All the commotion prevented the two remaining ninja from noticing Kakashi who seemed to appear out of nowhere from behind Keiko. There were a few terrified screams before Kakashi swiftly attacked the two of them with his Chidori, giving them no room to fight back or defend.

Kakashi sighed, looking down at the three dead ninja. Seemed the clean up team would have a little more work to do. He turned to say something to Keiko but was surprised to see her collapse onto her knees, leaning on her katana. Her breathing was labored and her face was sickly pale. He crouched down next to her, "You alright?"

Keiko smiled weakly, "Yeah, just tired. Think I exhausted a little too much chakra." She was already feeling weak before tagging along, but there was no way she would have been able to rest not knowing if Naruto was alright. Thinking back, it would have been unlikely Iruka could have handled all three of them on his own while also keeping Naruto safe.

Kakashi nodded, "Your wound."

Her hand went to her shoulder and looked down. "Shit." Her wound opened and the blood was beginning to soak through the bandages and onto her top. "Guess I can't get my nap in now." She forced herself up onto her feet and sheathed her katana before trying to take a step, stumbling.

"Careful." Kakashi warned, gripping her arm to hold her steady. She nodded in thanks as Kakashi moved her arm over his shoulder and helped her stand beside him. "Let's get you to the hospital, hmm?"

Keiko laughed, "That might be best. Its good to know Naruto and Iruka are okay." She let out a long heavy sigh, "Lord knows I'll be hearing everything from Naruto." She loved him like a baby brother, and she knew there was truth to the things he said but she knew there were times he embellished details. Some things she didn't need him to embellish, because she saw them. Perhaps, she should talk to Iruka, maybe something happened and he finally came to his senses.

Kakashi began moving them through the trees back to the village, Keiko helping pull her weight the best she could. "Worried about Iruka now too?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, even though I'm upset with him he's still a friend." She sighed. There was a comfortable silence before Keiko tried to strike up another conversation, "We worked pretty well back there."

It was true the two had moved together in sync with little to no communication. Kakashi tilted his head to the side in thought, "You did create a good distraction."

"Well, I am a distraction." She joked back. Smiling, she continued, "I know you are part of the Anbu so you have your own special missions. But, it would be nice to go with someone other than Guy. I love him to death, but he's got to realize not everyone has his stamina."

Kakashi deadpanned thinking about Guy over the years. "When hell freezes over," he said with a sigh. Guy was persistent.

Her smile widened in mischief and she joked, "I can help with that."

"Hmm."

Keiko chuckled and finally said, "I do believe this is the most I have ever heard you speak."

"I suppose, I've just had a lot to say."

She nodded, "I'm sure the others would love it if you talked this much with them. Guy is persistent in getting you to join in a night out with us."

Kakashi nodded, choosing not to answer and the two fell into a comfortable silence.

Wow! Over 50 follows! That's amazing! Thank you for the support and the reviews! We got 2-3 chapters left before we are to the beginning of the series and a lot is going to happen so the next few chapters might get a little on the longer side.

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Posted - 6/4/2021