Iruka had just sat down and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the last student left his classroom. That day had been... particularly bad.
For one, he had yet to be assigned a new assistant after everything that happened with Mizuki. Even though that was weeks ago...
For another, today was the day the new group of students in his room started learning how to use weapons. Oh, not real ones, of course, they were six and they just started learning basic safety with them today, they would start with blunted weapons in a couple of months. Until then, they were using wooden Kunai and Shuriken.
And, of course, being immature little brats that they all were, they wouldn't stop hitting each other with their new 'toys'... speaking of, he should stop by the hospital on his way home to check on his newest Aburame student... one of his neighbors had gotten a little enthusiastic with his wooden Kunai, and Iruka really hoped that the medics were able to save his eye.
And that, of course, was the source of his current exhaustion. After the incident, he'd had to spend the rest of the class time calming the sheltered children down after their first sight of blood and injury. Not exactly something he wanted them exposed to so early in their lives... he wouldn't be surprised if a few of his civilian students weren't pulled from the program overnight.
When the door to his classroom opened, he barely suppressed a growl of annoyance at what was undoubtedly a parent, enraged that their darling witnessed such a thing as what happened earlier that day.
Looking over, though, he was surprised to find Kakashi Hatake standing in the doorway, looking... well, Iruka couldn't really say how he looked. The fact that his face was mostly covered up made that rather difficult, and he was standing in the relaxed slouch/ready position that all Elite seemed capable of, it was a slouch that made it rather difficult to read their body language.
"Hatake, is there something I can do for you?" He finally asked after several moments of the Jonin not saying anything.
The one visible eyebrow furrowed slightly. "Hmm. I was wondering if you could tell me about Naruto's time at the Academy. His file seems to be very... incomplete." His displeasure in that was clear in his voice. Understandable, really, incomplete or bad intel got many Shinobi killed.
"Incomplete?" Iruka echoed, confused. Mentally, he went through the file in his head, but couldn't remember what was written in it. He frowned and sat back in his chair, absently motioning for Kakashi to come closer. The man ended up perching on the edge of a student desk in the front row, staring at Iruka expectantly.
"Well... he was only in my class for the past year, before that he was with Izumi." Iruka looked down in shame. "He could barely read or write. The only things he could read well were food menus, and even then he recognized Ramen names the easiest." Kakashi snorted in amusement, even as a light KI filtered through the room. "I...didn't even notice until two months of having him in my class. Nobody took the time to teach him... I was almost one of those. But he picked it up quickly. He is a very fast learner when he wants to learn something, the trick is getting him to sit still and focus long enough, of course." Case in point, learning the Shadow Clone jutsu in just two hours on his own.
"If he could not read or write, then how was he able to enter the Academy at all? And how did he pass the written tests of the previous years?" Kakashi asked, confused and alarmed.
"The only requirement for entry into the academy is that you can recognize and write your own name." Iruka said blandly. "And... I don't know how he made it to my class, but clearly he could manage just enough to get by." Iruka shrugged. "His Chakra control is abysmal, always has been. I've long suspected that his instructors before me didn't care enough to show him proper control, so he doesn't even know that there's anything wrong with the way he uses Jutsu. In fact, I would almost hazard a guess and say that everything he can do with Chakra, he taught himself after watching how everybody else did it. I gave him extra Chakra control exercises and helped where I could, of course, over the year, but... between his natural reserves and the... well." He trailed off, but Kakashi knew what he was hinting at.
"He simply has too much Chakra... he's never going to be able to control it the way he could have. I think the only chance he stood on that front was if he started doing advanced Chakra exercises since the moment his coils were developed enough."
Kakashi decided not to mention that his Chakra control issues weren't something he hadn't noticed, he had asked the Academy Instructor about Naruto's time in the academy, after all. "I noticed that his Taijutsu is... well, to say 'poor' would be an understatement." He said bluntly, and Iruka flinched back.
"Unfortunately, Mizuki was often in charge of leading the morning exercises with the students, and teaching Taijutsu. At least while he was in my class. I doubt that his previous instructors were any better about it, either." Iruka said apologetically. "Socially, well... lets just say that Naruto's never had any friends. He and a group of boys hung out occasionally, but they mostly followed his lead when he made his escapes, I have no idea if they stuck around once 'free'. He misses many social cues... like when he was always asking Sakura out for dates? I don't think he really knows the difference between a 'date' and just hanging out with a friend."
Mentally, Kakashi groaned. Great, he was going to have to pull the boy aside to fix all his bad habits, both with his Jutsu and his personal life. Well, the boy knew Shadow Clones, maybe he should start abusing that little fact. He could always have a group of clones go with a clone of him to work on some advanced Chakra exercises, some theory stuff he should have learned in the Academy, and social skills. Taijutsu stuff would have to be done with the real Naruto, of course.
"And, of course, he's a trap-making genius, and a stealth and evasion expert." Iruka said casually, and watched Kakashi's head snap up to stare at him incredulously.
"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.
"You know those pranks he's always pulling? Swap out the harmless projectiles for something a little more deadly, and you have a fully functioning trap for any enemy. When he painted the Hokage Monument? Broad daylight, wearing that kill-me-orange jumpsuit of his, and nobody noticed a thing until he opened his mouth and started yelling his accomplishment for the village to hear. The dye in the Hyuuga clans showers? He slipped past all those clansmen with their Byakugan active. And the Uchiha, back when they were alive, never could prove it was him that 'tar' and feathered Fugaku. The regular chases he leads multiple Chunin, Jonin, and the occasional ANBU on throughout the village. He broke into and stole the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, from the Hokage's Vault. That alone should say something." Iruka pointed out, and Kakashi could only stare.
Mentally, he reviewed every prank he could think of that Naruto had actually been caught for... or let himself be caught for. Dimly, he realized that Iruka was right. Naruto was a genius with traps, he would just have to discuss the possibilities of switching the paint and glitter with Kunai and Shuriken.
"Huh." Iruka nodded smugly.
"Beyond that, I don't know what I can tell you that you probably haven't already noticed." He said after a few minutes.
"Did he even ever attend any of the health classes?" Kakashi asked after a moment.
Iruka frowned and thought back. "The health classes were all taught by the Academy nurse... I can't recall ever seeing him in the room during those lessons the few times I looked in to make sure they were behaving." He confessed. "The other teachers did have a habit of... kicking him out of their classes. They always claimed he was being disruptive, so there was nothing I could do about it short of complaining to the Head Instructor. He always took the other teachers sides, even when I asked Naruto what his side was." He looked apologetic. Of course, that usually ended in extra punishment for Naruto, so eventually he stopped complaining about it and did his best to catch Naruto up on what was covered in the class he was kicked out of.
"Hmm. So, he eats that way because he honestly doesn't know any better?" Kakashi mumbled to himself.
Iruka coughed. "His budget is also very tight, he only gets so much money from the Orphan Stipend, and it only goes so far when he has to pay rent and buy school supplies, too."
Kakashi tilted his head in confusion. "The Orphan Stipend should be more than enough for proper food. Especially since he doesn't pay rent. The Hokage handles that, because the landlord tried to charge him at least triple what the rate actually was when he was younger." He said slowly. Not to mention that his apartment building was a dump. The rent on a place like that wasn't very high to begin with, so even if he was paying his own rent, without being overcharged, he should still be able to comfortably afford food, supplies, and still have some left over to treat himself a little bit.
"... Does Naruto know that?" Iruka asked.
Kakashi frowned. "He should... I would imagine that the Hokage told him of the arrangement when it first started." He said, and made a mental note to ask Naruto about it. He sighed. "Thank you, Umino, for the information. I better get back to my team, I left them with a Clone while they finish up their D-rank for the day." Both Chunin and Jonin made a face at the mention of D-ranks.
"It was my pleasure, he may not be my student anymore, but..." Iruka shrugged.
When Kakashi was gone, he sat back in his chair and thought for a bit before deciding there was nothing more to be done about it, and he might as well let Kakashi handle it. That didn't mean he wasn't going to help out every now and then by providing Naruto with a sounding board should he need it, or that he wasn't going to continue being there for the boy.