The Butterfly Effect [Ch. 4]: Gold Star (Naruto)
Yes! That's right! In my new fic rotation, The Butterfly Effect has finally come up for its turn! Only three years since my last update, too... ::sweatdrop:: Almost to the day. (Fun fact: the amount of time since I last updated this fic is just slightly longer than the amount of time that Anne Boleyn was Queen Consort of England).
In this round of updates, the plan is to bring you chapters 4-10 out of an eventual (presumed) 25. And those updates are coming. Chapter 5 is very nearly finished.
Title: The Butterfly Effect
Chapter: 4 - "Gold Star"
Series: Naruto
Pairing: eventual Uchiha Sasuke x Uzumaki Naruto [not in this chapter -- they're eight]
Rating: G. PG if you're very sensitive, for discussion of violence and one naughty word.
Genre: AU, friendship/family drama
Word count: This chapter - around 4400 words. Whole fic so far - around 18,000 words. Estimated final total - around 120,000 words.
Summary: Spending time with Sasuke and training with Itachi is Naruto's best dreams come true, and Sasuke doesn't mind as much as he sometimes says. Itachi's next self-declared mission? Conquer the school system!
Previously:
:: Ice Cream Sunday : Problem Solved Forever : Get Your Own ::
[Gold Star]
"Did not."
"Did too!"
Naruto huffed, watching Sasuke bite off some fish and say, "Did not."
"I did too!" he grunted.
Across the table, Itachi-no-niichan smiled same as always, quiet and almost-not-smiling but just looking kind of happy. He hadn't even been mad when he came back from his mission and found out Naruto's babysitter ninja had come here to check on him when Naruto hadn't been at home. They'd tried poking their noses around, too, saying they wanted to make sure the place was 'safe' (as if Itachi-no-niichan would have things be 'not safe'! He was too badass for that!), but Sasuke'd been awesome and told them they knew they needed a writ from the Hokage to go searching stuff in his house. Naruto'd been ready to to blow 'em a raspberry and go run off with them chasing like always, but Sasuke'd took his hand instead, and said the babysitters'd better call the Hokage right now if they didn't like something, and the babysitter ninja had said to watch out for next time, but they'd still left.
Sasuke was cool like that, and Itachi-no-niichan had bought them ice cream again when he heard about it. But right now, Sasuke was just wrong about stuff.
Naruto told him, too. "I did too make a clone. And it even stood up for ten seconds!"
"Propping it against the wall doesn't count."
"I'll show you what doesn't count!"
Easy for Sasuke to talk when he was best at everything. But not for long! Naruto stacked the rest of his fish and rice and packed it into a ball he could eat while he trained. He'd have a clone before he left tonight -- he'd show Sasuke, and Itachi-no-niichan, too, and tomorrow he'd send his clone to class and Iruka-sensei wouldn't even know the difference!
But before he could leave the table, Itachi-no-niichan zipped behind him, and pushed him back into the chair. "No eating and training at the same time. Splitting your attention is a bad habit. What's our rule?"
Naruto swallowed his bite and pouted. "Do one thing, and do your best."
"Okay, then. Did the teacher give you a grade sheet?"
Grumbling, Naruto reached into his pocket for the crumpled paper. He used to throw them out before he left the classroom, but then Iruka-sensei started tacking them to his door at home with all the things he needed to work on circled in red. It wasn't like "Practice chakra control" or "Improve focus on projected image" made any more sense in his apartment than they did in the classroom. And "Remember your breathing" didn't make any sense at all! If he forgot to breathe, he'd be dead! How could he not be breathing?!
But that was school for you. Always talking about stupid stuff like putting air in your lungs.
Though now he was taking his grade sheets, sometimes Iruka-sensei left other things on his door -- like notes that said, "I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen if you tell me Monday about one thing you learned doing your homework this weekend." That was okay, he guessed.
He always had to come up with a different thing he'd learned, but there was way too much stuff to know anyway, so that was easy.
Itachi-no-niichan seemed to think the grade sheet was more than words, though. He smiled again when he looked it over. "This is good, Naruto. Your jutsu is improving."
"What? Where does it say that?!"
"Your teacher drew a happy face."
As Itachi-no-niichan turned the paper around, Sasuke and Naruto both leaned in to see. Sure enough, there was a smiley face next to where it said, 'Created a human figure with all proper limbs, visually similar to self,' before it said, 'Still lacks vitality and expression'.
Naruto didn't know those words, but Iruka-sensei said he'd get better marks when he made the clone stand up, so that had to be part of it.
Sasuke sniffed and went back to his dinner. "Well, I guess Iruka-sensei only does that when you're doing better. Still, it's not like you could've done worse."
But Naruto's eyes were frozen on the curves and dots in the corner of the paper. He'd seen them before, but he'd never known why they were there. He could see with his own eyes how much better the other kids did, and how his clones looked bad. He thought 'bad' was all they were. Iruka-sensei had been saying they were a little bit good? That's what he meant by smiling? But smiles were what grown-ups did when they were pretending they weren't upset.
When adults smiled, it always had that painful look behind it like they wanted to yell, but had to Keep Their Tempers -- except Itachi-no-niichan. His smiles were little, not so big and shiny as the rest. But Iruka-sensei...
Iruka-sensei wasn't like the others?
Well, he knew that. He totally knew that. Iruka-sensei was the only one who bought him ramen or said things to his face instead of behind his back. But--
Warm streams ran down his face, teardrops falling to his knees, and Naruto realized he was sobbing. The world was getting blurry. Everything felt dizzy. He dragged a breath in and pulled his shirt up to his eyes, trying to hold the crying in, but it shook its way out anyway. When Itachi-no-niichan mussed his hair, he looked up, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to stop.
"It's okay, Naruto."
Sasuke was sitting frozen, with his eyes bugged out of his skull, chopsticks and rice half in his mouth. Naruto wanted to say he was fine, but the stupid crying got in the way.
He tried smiling instead. Then Sasuke handed him a napkin so he could blow his nose.
Naruto lunged full-tilt into Sasuke's shoulder, holding on as hard as he could.
"What're you doing, moron?" his friend growled, though he grabbed onto Naruto's back instead of pushing him away.
"D-dunno..."
"Well, don't do it again."
Itachi-no-niichan patted both their heads, saying, "Yours, too, Sasuke. How did you do?"
"All right, I guess."
Liar. He'd made two clones, and they were perfect. Sasuke was the best. That was probably exactly what Itachi-no-niichan was reading off the paper Sasuke handed him, because it's was true and all.
As Itachi-no-niichan poked Sasuke in the forehead, both of 'em got the family-only look Naruto'd never seen up close before this month. "I'm very proud of you, Sasuke. Keep up the good work. Let's put these up, shall we?"
Slow to leave the warmth of hugging his friend, Naruto turned his eyes to the wall. Next to the pinboard where Sasuke's grades and tests hung on the wall, there was a new pinboard he hadn't even noticed when he'd come in. And Itachi-no-niichan was tacking his grade paper to it! His very own!
"I get a board?!"
"You're not gonna cry again, are you?" Sasuke asked.
"Hell no!"
This was awesome! Drying his face with his shirt, Naruto ran over to the wall, too, with Sasuke strolling behind.
Itachi-no-niichan pinned it in the upper right corner, with a yellow pin right through the top!
"This way we can see how you're improving over your old work," he said, "and what to practice when we train."
"Really?! We're gonna make the teachers think I can do stuff?! Man, I am ready to rock!"
Sasuke scoffed and shoved him. But the nice way.
While Itachi-no-niichan stuck Sasuke's grades in line on Sasuke's mostly-full board, he pulled a second paper off the back of the grade sheet. "Parent-Teacher conferences are next week? I'll be home from my next mission in time for yours, I think, Sasuke. Naruto, didn't yours come with a scheduling notice?"
"Oh, I don't got one," he answered, grinning up at his grade paper on the pinboard so wide, his cheeks hurt -- but he couldn't stop. "Only kids with families get those. Say, can I come over again for another sleepover later?"
For a second, Sasuke's older brother was extra quiet, while Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm tighter. Maybe Itachi-no-niichan was gonna say no, after the way the babysitter ninja came in last time. But then he knelt down to look them in the eye, and he didn't look mad. Just quiet.
"Okay, Naruto. Now, if you come over here, do you think you can manage a clone to stay at your house that'll fool the people who check on you, or do you want me to write a illusion tag?"
"I... umm." He didn't need to think long to know his clones'd never fool the babysitters. Thinking of it that way made clones seem a lot less stupid than just schoolwork. "I think maybe... I can't do that. Yet."
"Then let's make that your first goal. And yes, you can stay over as long as you get an illusion tag from me first."
~//~
The Academy building was brighter and smaller-looking than Itachi remembered from his few years here -- years that'd been over around the same time Sasuke had been born. He could sense the 'concerned citizens' who'd been following him, the traitor Uchiha, since he entered the building. No doubt the same people who'd tried to nose around the Uchiha compound on the pretense of checking on Naruto. But, if they wanted to report to the Hokage that he was visiting a school teacher, they were free to do so.
He believed with his soul in what the village of Konoha could be. It was too bad so many villagers only seemed to believe with their mouths. He understood why the rest of his family had chosen as they did, but if the cycle of vengeance could stop, it would stop with him. His brother would live free of that, even if he had to clear the path with his own hands.
Itachi counted the numbers above the rooms until he found his brother's homeroom and knocked on the door, just in time. Iruka-san was packing up for the day. The teacher jumped three inches and did a doubletake at his gradebook.
"I-Itachi-san? I... But Sasuke-kun's conference isn't until Thursday..."
"I know." He widened his eyes so Iruka-san could see his Syaringan wasn't armed. With most chuunin, he'd curve his lip in a grim smile to make them quail, but he needed this one to stay and talk. "I wanted to have a word with you about Naruto, if I could."
Offering a chair, the teacher went from petrified to embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck with a wince. "I'm sorry, if he's been bothering you, please let me have a chat with him before you--" Blinking, Iruka-san backed up a step. "Oh. Oh. You... You're the Nice Guy. You are, aren't you? I... never..."
"I beg your pardon?"
Iruka-san studied him as if he were seeing him for the first time. "Are you the jounin who's been giving Naruto special lessons?"
Itachi frowned. He hadn't come here to be subtle, so he might as well get to the point. "Naruto was eager to learn, just not to do it at school. He thinks most of the teachers hate him and pretend he doesn't exist. I'm not surprised at the problems he was having if that's the case." It was too easy to see how Sasuke could have been the same if there'd been no one for him since before he could crawl.
This teacher's lip flared, as if he were planning to explain that he wasn't guilty. Then his whole frame shrank as he took his own chair. "Naruto sees more than they think he does. He deserves better than that." The man nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Itachi stop frowning, but he pulled himself together admirably. "I want to thank you for helping him. I give him as much direction as I can in class--"
"But if you spend too much time on him, it's not fair to the other students. I'm sure the parents would complain as well."
One of the first things he'd learned from Inoichi-sensei about interrogations was that, if at all possible, you should give your subject a reason to consider you an ally. Then, make them very uncomfortable, and make the act of telling the truth the thing that would make the discomfort disappear. The mind would find a reason for a person to do what he wanted to do, while extracting intelligence from someone who wanted not to divulge it was much harder.
There was no doubt in Itachi's mind that he had the necessary tools to make Iruka-san very uncomfortable when the time came, and if he'd judged the man correctly, there'd be no problem convincing the teacher that the two of them were on the same side in this. Itachi was prepared to reserve judgment until after their talk, but Naruto had made it clear that this teacher did honestly try to teach him.
"I... that's..."
Iruka-san gulped. No doubt he'd heard the same whispers Itachi had heard from people wondering why Naruto was allowed in the school at all. Too easy again to hear Sasuke's name instead. Sometimes, Itachi thought he did.
As Itachi let the silence linger, the teacher nodded and said, "I'm sure that's true. And outside of class... half the time, he still runs when he sees me. It's getting better, though."
Sitting forward in his chair, never breaking eye contact with his subject, Itachi told him, "Once Naruto has more positive experiences in the classroom, he probably won't run at all."
"I... I hope so. I like Naruto. He reminds me of myself at his age." Iruka-san let out a nervous laugh. "He's a good kid. He really is."
"I'd like you to tell me more about how he's doing in all his subjects."
The teacher's frown was a better sign than it could have been. Iruka-san wasn't going to answer yet, but he wanted a reason to. "I'm sorry, Itachi-san. I can only share that information with his parent or his legal guardian. A student's record is private."
"I wasn't aware that Naruto had a legal guardian. Is one of the village's caretakers designated to review his progress?"
"Well... the, ah... actually, the Hokage... He looks at Naruto's grades himself. He doesn't leave that to anyone else, given..."
The howls of the Nine-Tailed fox were heavy in the silence over the teacher's desk. Unsurprisingly, Iruka-san was reluctant to admit that too many ninja hated Naruto.
So Itachi offered him a way out. "... Given that he's Minato and Kushina's son."
The teacher answered with a grateful wince. "I never knew the Fourth personally."
"I only worked with him a few times in the war, but he made an impression." The discomfort Itachi was looking for started to creep into Iruka-san's face. "It's a relief to hear that the Hokage is so invested. But I'm not sure that makes him family."
"Be that as it may, Itachi-san... and with all due respect -- I'm glad you've taken an interest in Naruto's education, I really am, and I'm glad he's getting along so well with Sasuke-kun these past couple weeks -- but you're not Naruto's family either. I can't share private information with you simply because you did him a favor. Now, if you'd like to discuss Sasuke-kun, I can--"
"I'd like nothing better than to discuss Sasuke, either along with hearing about Naruto or during our scheduled appointment."
Itachi weighed the shock frozen on Iruka-san's face against the sweat beading on the teacher's forehead, letting the pressure of silence bear down. Once he saw Iruka-san start to form a statement to deflect him, Itachi cut him off.
"Iruka-san. Before I killed my parents..." he said, calmly, with his hands clasped on the desk to seem as unthreatening as he could. He saw the rush of panic in the teacher's eyes. He'd succeeded. "... After I dropped their squadron from the Hokage's window, my father said, 'You've chosen a path with more suffering than ours. I will always be proud of you. Please take care of Sasuke.' Those were his last words. Hearing him say that, I loved him more than I can explain."
He'd cried when he told Sasuke. He had no intention of crying now, and kept his face blank while the school teacher struggled to do the same.
"... I loved him for that, even though it took me standing with a sword to his neck for him to say it. I'd pushed myself all my life to maintain his approval, even when I hated everything he stood for; and as much as I hated the feeling that I couldn't fool him forever, and someday he'd realize I wasn't what he wanted me to be, I hated even more seeing my little brother chase that approval, full of the fear that he'd never be good enough. That day, I wasn't what he expected of his son, but he could still be proud of me for making a choice I believed in and putting my best into that choice. Learning to raise my brother may be something I struggle with every day, but I'm grateful for what I learned from my father when I ran him through. I tell Sasuke every day that I'm proud of him no matter what, and I want him to do his best. I know that's right. So when I look at Naruto, I can't help wondering... Who says that to him? If it's not supposed to be me, who is it? If you can't tell me about Naruto's school record, I want you to tell me who else wants to see him succeed, because that's the person I want to talk to."
Iruka-san was silent at first, frozen in his chair and barely breathing. Slowly, the man unclenched his fists from the edge of his desk. Under Itachi's constant gaze, he straightened his spine. The first sound he attempted came out like a hinge that needed to be oiled. The second sound did slightly better.
"I-Itachi-san..." the teacher squeaked, with shell-shocked eyes that looked ready to talk. "I... not as his teacher, but as someone who looks out for Naruto... I think... I can tell you what you need to know."
The mind made its own reasons.
~//~
Saying goodbye to Uchiha Itachi, Iruka could feel the life flowing back into his body. The man looked so young, barely older than their graduating class, but his aura and those somber eyes had filled the air like lead. Iruka had barely been able to breathe. There was still light outside the window, so their discussion about Naruto and Sasuke couldn't have gone more than an hour, but it'd felt like an eternity.
That was Naruto's Nice Guy?!
Still... even if he felt like hiding behind a closed door until his heart stopped pounding, then racing to the Hokage's office to ask why the hell the Third hadn't explained that the Uchiha had taken Naruto under his wing (he'd be damned if he'd believe the Third and old man Danzou hadn't known)... Itachi-san had sounded so... sincere. Iruka was sure, if someone like Itachi-san had shown an interest in him after his parents had died, he would've thought a man like that was the nicest guy in the world.
Here he'd thought, as a rookie teacher, he was too young to understand how to raise kids. Despite knowing everything he'd wished for when he was a child, being the one responsible made everything unrecognizable and strange. Now, here was someone four years younger than him, almost a child himself, putting words to all the things Iruka had thought he himself was too inexperienced to say.
He was so lost in thought, he almost didn't step back in time when the head teacher shot through the door, thick jaw set in a grimace.
"Iruka-kun?!"
"Kiritsu-sensei!" he answered, snapping into a salute.
"It's all right, he's gone. I have agents from the PTA tailing the Uchiha into town."
"Following... Itachi-san?"
That sounded neither safe nor feasible. Nor necessary, Iruka thought, for someone who'd just come for a conference. But the older man nodded as if it made perfect sense.
"Good work keeping him here so long. I didn't think you had it in you to stand up against one of his kind. But thanks to that, someone should be in with the Hokage now, telling them what happened. Who would've thought it was the Uchiha cozying up to the damned fox boy? He's trying to unleash the demon again, I've got no doubt."
Hearing the head teacher call Naruto that sent a chill down Iruka's spine, worse than the one he'd felt when Uchiha Itachi had walked into his classroom. He knew he'd heard everyone on staff say it before, but now it was like his ears had been wrenched open. The sound of it made him sick. Maybe Itachi-san was right, and Naruto really didn't have any allies here.
Except him.
Iruka had been on enough Naruto Watch missions to see how this would go -- the missions most other chuunin liked to call "Fox Hunts" when the Hokage wasn't around. He knew what was next, and what he had to do.
"Kiritsu-sensei, does anyone know if Naruto is in his apartment?"
"He's not. We've got people scouring the streets so we can lock him down until this is over. If you know where to find him, do it fast. I expect the Third to call you within the hour to report on everything the Uchiha wanted to know."
"Y-yes, sir."
With barely a nod for pleasantries, he was out the door, running with every ounce of strength he could muster for a particular grove in the back hills, in the shadow of the Fourth Hokage's image carved into the mountainside. If only Naruto knew how appropriate his favorite hiding place was.
"Naruto!" he whispered at a mediocre camouflage jutsu, with illusory leaves that were too big and too yellow for the brush he was in. When the clump of leaves started inching away, he hissed, "Don't run! I'm here to help, Naruto," but kept his voice low so no one else could hear.
Naruto's clump of leaves stopped moving. That was a start.
"Stay right where you are. A patrol's coming through." He thought he heard a tiny sob over the hushed sounds of ninja footsteps. "Quiet, now. You're a ninja in training, aren't you?"
Iruka stood in front of Naruto's camouflage as two chuunin came by to check this sector.
"Have you seen him?" they asked.
He shook his head. "This area's clear. I'll head in to report."
They ran for the next sector, leaving Iruka wondering what had gotten into him, that he was lying to the other ninja on patrol. His head hadn't felt right since this whole mess had started. Once he got Naruto settled, he was going to go straight to the Hokage and tell the truth, confess he'd hidden Naruto -- no waiting to be summoned. The Third had to have some piece of wisdom that'd stop all the confusion running around in his brain, so he'd know what was right.
Tiny hands gripped his pants at the knee. Iruka looked down at wide blue eyes, rimmed in red and sloppy with tears. "Iruka-sensei?"
He sat down, letting Naruto barrel into his chest, drying his tears. "I'm here, Naruto."
"They said they were gonna keep me away from Itachi-no-niichan. I don't wanna stay away from Itachi-no-niichan! I don't wanna stay away from Sasuke! I don't wanna!"
"Shh. It's okay. I'm going to talk to the Hokage, Naruto. I'm going to talk to the Hokage, and I'll tell him that for you. Now, do you think you can get to Itachi-san's house on your own?"
As much as he never thought he'd say that, Iruka was sure Naruto would feel more secure there than he would anywhere else in the village. And it had to be safe. No matter what the head teacher thought, he trusted his own impressions about Itachi-san. Kiritsu-sensei didn't see Sasuke and Naruto in class every day. Kiritsu-sensei hadn't looked into Itachi-san's eyes when he'd said how much he loved his brother, and worried for Naruto.
But Naruto shook his head into Iruka's shoulder like he wasn't going to move.
"I don't want to bring the babysitter ninjas to Sasuke's house again. They'll be trouble."
"Naruto..."
"I don't want Sasuke to stop being friends with me! Because-- because I'm--"
"Now listen, Naruto." The tiny blond rubbed his fists in his eyes and blinked back in silence. "If Sasuke were in trouble, would you stop being friends because he needed help?"
"Never!"
"So go to Itachi-san's house, tell him what's the matter, and I'm sure he'll let you stay there until I can ask Lord Hokage what to do. Can you do that?"
Naruto nodded. He looked like he could run now, and he knew the village's search patterns as well as any of the adults. Iruka had no doubt he'd make it.
"Atta boy."
"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto gripped his sleeve. The sun was starting to set, but his eyes were still clear blue, even though he'd been crying. "Why're you being so nice all of a sudden?"
Iruka rested his hand on Naruto's cheek, looking for the words. It felt just as warm as any child's. "Because you're an excellent student, Naruto. I want to see you work hard and become an excellent ninja." His little face brightened like Iruka had never seen anywhere outside of a ramen stand. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in class! It means I expect you to do your best. Got it, Naruto?"
"I'll be number one -- you know it!"
"All right, then. Now run."
More next week!
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
***************************************
Tremendous thanks to
sumeria for her beta help, and for her assistance in hammering out a rough plan for where this story will go. I'm really glad we can finally dust this universe off, at least for a little while. If all goes according to plan, the first drafts will be written through Chapter 10 before November (aka, when I stop writing fanfic for a month to work on my NaNo, followed by December, which is The Month of All the Giftfic, so further Regularly Scheduled Fic starts in January -- Next Up is Since Last Goodbye for all the Tezuka/Fuji fans who read my journal!)
Thanks for reading!
This entry was originally posted at http://psiten.dreamwidth.org/113152.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
In this round of updates, the plan is to bring you chapters 4-10 out of an eventual (presumed) 25. And those updates are coming. Chapter 5 is very nearly finished.
Title: The Butterfly Effect
Chapter: 4 - "Gold Star"
Series: Naruto
Pairing: eventual Uchiha Sasuke x Uzumaki Naruto [not in this chapter -- they're eight]
Rating: G. PG if you're very sensitive, for discussion of violence and one naughty word.
Genre: AU, friendship/family drama
Word count: This chapter - around 4400 words. Whole fic so far - around 18,000 words. Estimated final total - around 120,000 words.
Summary: Spending time with Sasuke and training with Itachi is Naruto's best dreams come true, and Sasuke doesn't mind as much as he sometimes says. Itachi's next self-declared mission? Conquer the school system!
Previously:
:: Ice Cream Sunday : Problem Solved Forever : Get Your Own ::
[Gold Star]
"Did not."
"Did too!"
Naruto huffed, watching Sasuke bite off some fish and say, "Did not."
"I did too!" he grunted.
Across the table, Itachi-no-niichan smiled same as always, quiet and almost-not-smiling but just looking kind of happy. He hadn't even been mad when he came back from his mission and found out Naruto's babysitter ninja had come here to check on him when Naruto hadn't been at home. They'd tried poking their noses around, too, saying they wanted to make sure the place was 'safe' (as if Itachi-no-niichan would have things be 'not safe'! He was too badass for that!), but Sasuke'd been awesome and told them they knew they needed a writ from the Hokage to go searching stuff in his house. Naruto'd been ready to to blow 'em a raspberry and go run off with them chasing like always, but Sasuke'd took his hand instead, and said the babysitters'd better call the Hokage right now if they didn't like something, and the babysitter ninja had said to watch out for next time, but they'd still left.
Sasuke was cool like that, and Itachi-no-niichan had bought them ice cream again when he heard about it. But right now, Sasuke was just wrong about stuff.
Naruto told him, too. "I did too make a clone. And it even stood up for ten seconds!"
"Propping it against the wall doesn't count."
"I'll show you what doesn't count!"
Easy for Sasuke to talk when he was best at everything. But not for long! Naruto stacked the rest of his fish and rice and packed it into a ball he could eat while he trained. He'd have a clone before he left tonight -- he'd show Sasuke, and Itachi-no-niichan, too, and tomorrow he'd send his clone to class and Iruka-sensei wouldn't even know the difference!
But before he could leave the table, Itachi-no-niichan zipped behind him, and pushed him back into the chair. "No eating and training at the same time. Splitting your attention is a bad habit. What's our rule?"
Naruto swallowed his bite and pouted. "Do one thing, and do your best."
"Okay, then. Did the teacher give you a grade sheet?"
Grumbling, Naruto reached into his pocket for the crumpled paper. He used to throw them out before he left the classroom, but then Iruka-sensei started tacking them to his door at home with all the things he needed to work on circled in red. It wasn't like "Practice chakra control" or "Improve focus on projected image" made any more sense in his apartment than they did in the classroom. And "Remember your breathing" didn't make any sense at all! If he forgot to breathe, he'd be dead! How could he not be breathing?!
But that was school for you. Always talking about stupid stuff like putting air in your lungs.
Though now he was taking his grade sheets, sometimes Iruka-sensei left other things on his door -- like notes that said, "I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen if you tell me Monday about one thing you learned doing your homework this weekend." That was okay, he guessed.
He always had to come up with a different thing he'd learned, but there was way too much stuff to know anyway, so that was easy.
Itachi-no-niichan seemed to think the grade sheet was more than words, though. He smiled again when he looked it over. "This is good, Naruto. Your jutsu is improving."
"What? Where does it say that?!"
"Your teacher drew a happy face."
As Itachi-no-niichan turned the paper around, Sasuke and Naruto both leaned in to see. Sure enough, there was a smiley face next to where it said, 'Created a human figure with all proper limbs, visually similar to self,' before it said, 'Still lacks vitality and expression'.
Naruto didn't know those words, but Iruka-sensei said he'd get better marks when he made the clone stand up, so that had to be part of it.
Sasuke sniffed and went back to his dinner. "Well, I guess Iruka-sensei only does that when you're doing better. Still, it's not like you could've done worse."
But Naruto's eyes were frozen on the curves and dots in the corner of the paper. He'd seen them before, but he'd never known why they were there. He could see with his own eyes how much better the other kids did, and how his clones looked bad. He thought 'bad' was all they were. Iruka-sensei had been saying they were a little bit good? That's what he meant by smiling? But smiles were what grown-ups did when they were pretending they weren't upset.
When adults smiled, it always had that painful look behind it like they wanted to yell, but had to Keep Their Tempers -- except Itachi-no-niichan. His smiles were little, not so big and shiny as the rest. But Iruka-sensei...
Iruka-sensei wasn't like the others?
Well, he knew that. He totally knew that. Iruka-sensei was the only one who bought him ramen or said things to his face instead of behind his back. But--
Warm streams ran down his face, teardrops falling to his knees, and Naruto realized he was sobbing. The world was getting blurry. Everything felt dizzy. He dragged a breath in and pulled his shirt up to his eyes, trying to hold the crying in, but it shook its way out anyway. When Itachi-no-niichan mussed his hair, he looked up, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to stop.
"It's okay, Naruto."
Sasuke was sitting frozen, with his eyes bugged out of his skull, chopsticks and rice half in his mouth. Naruto wanted to say he was fine, but the stupid crying got in the way.
He tried smiling instead. Then Sasuke handed him a napkin so he could blow his nose.
Naruto lunged full-tilt into Sasuke's shoulder, holding on as hard as he could.
"What're you doing, moron?" his friend growled, though he grabbed onto Naruto's back instead of pushing him away.
"D-dunno..."
"Well, don't do it again."
Itachi-no-niichan patted both their heads, saying, "Yours, too, Sasuke. How did you do?"
"All right, I guess."
Liar. He'd made two clones, and they were perfect. Sasuke was the best. That was probably exactly what Itachi-no-niichan was reading off the paper Sasuke handed him, because it's was true and all.
As Itachi-no-niichan poked Sasuke in the forehead, both of 'em got the family-only look Naruto'd never seen up close before this month. "I'm very proud of you, Sasuke. Keep up the good work. Let's put these up, shall we?"
Slow to leave the warmth of hugging his friend, Naruto turned his eyes to the wall. Next to the pinboard where Sasuke's grades and tests hung on the wall, there was a new pinboard he hadn't even noticed when he'd come in. And Itachi-no-niichan was tacking his grade paper to it! His very own!
"I get a board?!"
"You're not gonna cry again, are you?" Sasuke asked.
"Hell no!"
This was awesome! Drying his face with his shirt, Naruto ran over to the wall, too, with Sasuke strolling behind.
Itachi-no-niichan pinned it in the upper right corner, with a yellow pin right through the top!
"This way we can see how you're improving over your old work," he said, "and what to practice when we train."
"Really?! We're gonna make the teachers think I can do stuff?! Man, I am ready to rock!"
Sasuke scoffed and shoved him. But the nice way.
While Itachi-no-niichan stuck Sasuke's grades in line on Sasuke's mostly-full board, he pulled a second paper off the back of the grade sheet. "Parent-Teacher conferences are next week? I'll be home from my next mission in time for yours, I think, Sasuke. Naruto, didn't yours come with a scheduling notice?"
"Oh, I don't got one," he answered, grinning up at his grade paper on the pinboard so wide, his cheeks hurt -- but he couldn't stop. "Only kids with families get those. Say, can I come over again for another sleepover later?"
For a second, Sasuke's older brother was extra quiet, while Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm tighter. Maybe Itachi-no-niichan was gonna say no, after the way the babysitter ninja came in last time. But then he knelt down to look them in the eye, and he didn't look mad. Just quiet.
"Okay, Naruto. Now, if you come over here, do you think you can manage a clone to stay at your house that'll fool the people who check on you, or do you want me to write a illusion tag?"
"I... umm." He didn't need to think long to know his clones'd never fool the babysitters. Thinking of it that way made clones seem a lot less stupid than just schoolwork. "I think maybe... I can't do that. Yet."
"Then let's make that your first goal. And yes, you can stay over as long as you get an illusion tag from me first."
~//~
The Academy building was brighter and smaller-looking than Itachi remembered from his few years here -- years that'd been over around the same time Sasuke had been born. He could sense the 'concerned citizens' who'd been following him, the traitor Uchiha, since he entered the building. No doubt the same people who'd tried to nose around the Uchiha compound on the pretense of checking on Naruto. But, if they wanted to report to the Hokage that he was visiting a school teacher, they were free to do so.
He believed with his soul in what the village of Konoha could be. It was too bad so many villagers only seemed to believe with their mouths. He understood why the rest of his family had chosen as they did, but if the cycle of vengeance could stop, it would stop with him. His brother would live free of that, even if he had to clear the path with his own hands.
Itachi counted the numbers above the rooms until he found his brother's homeroom and knocked on the door, just in time. Iruka-san was packing up for the day. The teacher jumped three inches and did a doubletake at his gradebook.
"I-Itachi-san? I... But Sasuke-kun's conference isn't until Thursday..."
"I know." He widened his eyes so Iruka-san could see his Syaringan wasn't armed. With most chuunin, he'd curve his lip in a grim smile to make them quail, but he needed this one to stay and talk. "I wanted to have a word with you about Naruto, if I could."
Offering a chair, the teacher went from petrified to embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck with a wince. "I'm sorry, if he's been bothering you, please let me have a chat with him before you--" Blinking, Iruka-san backed up a step. "Oh. Oh. You... You're the Nice Guy. You are, aren't you? I... never..."
"I beg your pardon?"
Iruka-san studied him as if he were seeing him for the first time. "Are you the jounin who's been giving Naruto special lessons?"
Itachi frowned. He hadn't come here to be subtle, so he might as well get to the point. "Naruto was eager to learn, just not to do it at school. He thinks most of the teachers hate him and pretend he doesn't exist. I'm not surprised at the problems he was having if that's the case." It was too easy to see how Sasuke could have been the same if there'd been no one for him since before he could crawl.
This teacher's lip flared, as if he were planning to explain that he wasn't guilty. Then his whole frame shrank as he took his own chair. "Naruto sees more than they think he does. He deserves better than that." The man nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Itachi stop frowning, but he pulled himself together admirably. "I want to thank you for helping him. I give him as much direction as I can in class--"
"But if you spend too much time on him, it's not fair to the other students. I'm sure the parents would complain as well."
One of the first things he'd learned from Inoichi-sensei about interrogations was that, if at all possible, you should give your subject a reason to consider you an ally. Then, make them very uncomfortable, and make the act of telling the truth the thing that would make the discomfort disappear. The mind would find a reason for a person to do what he wanted to do, while extracting intelligence from someone who wanted not to divulge it was much harder.
There was no doubt in Itachi's mind that he had the necessary tools to make Iruka-san very uncomfortable when the time came, and if he'd judged the man correctly, there'd be no problem convincing the teacher that the two of them were on the same side in this. Itachi was prepared to reserve judgment until after their talk, but Naruto had made it clear that this teacher did honestly try to teach him.
"I... that's..."
Iruka-san gulped. No doubt he'd heard the same whispers Itachi had heard from people wondering why Naruto was allowed in the school at all. Too easy again to hear Sasuke's name instead. Sometimes, Itachi thought he did.
As Itachi let the silence linger, the teacher nodded and said, "I'm sure that's true. And outside of class... half the time, he still runs when he sees me. It's getting better, though."
Sitting forward in his chair, never breaking eye contact with his subject, Itachi told him, "Once Naruto has more positive experiences in the classroom, he probably won't run at all."
"I... I hope so. I like Naruto. He reminds me of myself at his age." Iruka-san let out a nervous laugh. "He's a good kid. He really is."
"I'd like you to tell me more about how he's doing in all his subjects."
The teacher's frown was a better sign than it could have been. Iruka-san wasn't going to answer yet, but he wanted a reason to. "I'm sorry, Itachi-san. I can only share that information with his parent or his legal guardian. A student's record is private."
"I wasn't aware that Naruto had a legal guardian. Is one of the village's caretakers designated to review his progress?"
"Well... the, ah... actually, the Hokage... He looks at Naruto's grades himself. He doesn't leave that to anyone else, given..."
The howls of the Nine-Tailed fox were heavy in the silence over the teacher's desk. Unsurprisingly, Iruka-san was reluctant to admit that too many ninja hated Naruto.
So Itachi offered him a way out. "... Given that he's Minato and Kushina's son."
The teacher answered with a grateful wince. "I never knew the Fourth personally."
"I only worked with him a few times in the war, but he made an impression." The discomfort Itachi was looking for started to creep into Iruka-san's face. "It's a relief to hear that the Hokage is so invested. But I'm not sure that makes him family."
"Be that as it may, Itachi-san... and with all due respect -- I'm glad you've taken an interest in Naruto's education, I really am, and I'm glad he's getting along so well with Sasuke-kun these past couple weeks -- but you're not Naruto's family either. I can't share private information with you simply because you did him a favor. Now, if you'd like to discuss Sasuke-kun, I can--"
"I'd like nothing better than to discuss Sasuke, either along with hearing about Naruto or during our scheduled appointment."
Itachi weighed the shock frozen on Iruka-san's face against the sweat beading on the teacher's forehead, letting the pressure of silence bear down. Once he saw Iruka-san start to form a statement to deflect him, Itachi cut him off.
"Iruka-san. Before I killed my parents..." he said, calmly, with his hands clasped on the desk to seem as unthreatening as he could. He saw the rush of panic in the teacher's eyes. He'd succeeded. "... After I dropped their squadron from the Hokage's window, my father said, 'You've chosen a path with more suffering than ours. I will always be proud of you. Please take care of Sasuke.' Those were his last words. Hearing him say that, I loved him more than I can explain."
He'd cried when he told Sasuke. He had no intention of crying now, and kept his face blank while the school teacher struggled to do the same.
"... I loved him for that, even though it took me standing with a sword to his neck for him to say it. I'd pushed myself all my life to maintain his approval, even when I hated everything he stood for; and as much as I hated the feeling that I couldn't fool him forever, and someday he'd realize I wasn't what he wanted me to be, I hated even more seeing my little brother chase that approval, full of the fear that he'd never be good enough. That day, I wasn't what he expected of his son, but he could still be proud of me for making a choice I believed in and putting my best into that choice. Learning to raise my brother may be something I struggle with every day, but I'm grateful for what I learned from my father when I ran him through. I tell Sasuke every day that I'm proud of him no matter what, and I want him to do his best. I know that's right. So when I look at Naruto, I can't help wondering... Who says that to him? If it's not supposed to be me, who is it? If you can't tell me about Naruto's school record, I want you to tell me who else wants to see him succeed, because that's the person I want to talk to."
Iruka-san was silent at first, frozen in his chair and barely breathing. Slowly, the man unclenched his fists from the edge of his desk. Under Itachi's constant gaze, he straightened his spine. The first sound he attempted came out like a hinge that needed to be oiled. The second sound did slightly better.
"I-Itachi-san..." the teacher squeaked, with shell-shocked eyes that looked ready to talk. "I... not as his teacher, but as someone who looks out for Naruto... I think... I can tell you what you need to know."
The mind made its own reasons.
~//~
Saying goodbye to Uchiha Itachi, Iruka could feel the life flowing back into his body. The man looked so young, barely older than their graduating class, but his aura and those somber eyes had filled the air like lead. Iruka had barely been able to breathe. There was still light outside the window, so their discussion about Naruto and Sasuke couldn't have gone more than an hour, but it'd felt like an eternity.
That was Naruto's Nice Guy?!
Still... even if he felt like hiding behind a closed door until his heart stopped pounding, then racing to the Hokage's office to ask why the hell the Third hadn't explained that the Uchiha had taken Naruto under his wing (he'd be damned if he'd believe the Third and old man Danzou hadn't known)... Itachi-san had sounded so... sincere. Iruka was sure, if someone like Itachi-san had shown an interest in him after his parents had died, he would've thought a man like that was the nicest guy in the world.
Here he'd thought, as a rookie teacher, he was too young to understand how to raise kids. Despite knowing everything he'd wished for when he was a child, being the one responsible made everything unrecognizable and strange. Now, here was someone four years younger than him, almost a child himself, putting words to all the things Iruka had thought he himself was too inexperienced to say.
He was so lost in thought, he almost didn't step back in time when the head teacher shot through the door, thick jaw set in a grimace.
"Iruka-kun?!"
"Kiritsu-sensei!" he answered, snapping into a salute.
"It's all right, he's gone. I have agents from the PTA tailing the Uchiha into town."
"Following... Itachi-san?"
That sounded neither safe nor feasible. Nor necessary, Iruka thought, for someone who'd just come for a conference. But the older man nodded as if it made perfect sense.
"Good work keeping him here so long. I didn't think you had it in you to stand up against one of his kind. But thanks to that, someone should be in with the Hokage now, telling them what happened. Who would've thought it was the Uchiha cozying up to the damned fox boy? He's trying to unleash the demon again, I've got no doubt."
Hearing the head teacher call Naruto that sent a chill down Iruka's spine, worse than the one he'd felt when Uchiha Itachi had walked into his classroom. He knew he'd heard everyone on staff say it before, but now it was like his ears had been wrenched open. The sound of it made him sick. Maybe Itachi-san was right, and Naruto really didn't have any allies here.
Except him.
Iruka had been on enough Naruto Watch missions to see how this would go -- the missions most other chuunin liked to call "Fox Hunts" when the Hokage wasn't around. He knew what was next, and what he had to do.
"Kiritsu-sensei, does anyone know if Naruto is in his apartment?"
"He's not. We've got people scouring the streets so we can lock him down until this is over. If you know where to find him, do it fast. I expect the Third to call you within the hour to report on everything the Uchiha wanted to know."
"Y-yes, sir."
With barely a nod for pleasantries, he was out the door, running with every ounce of strength he could muster for a particular grove in the back hills, in the shadow of the Fourth Hokage's image carved into the mountainside. If only Naruto knew how appropriate his favorite hiding place was.
"Naruto!" he whispered at a mediocre camouflage jutsu, with illusory leaves that were too big and too yellow for the brush he was in. When the clump of leaves started inching away, he hissed, "Don't run! I'm here to help, Naruto," but kept his voice low so no one else could hear.
Naruto's clump of leaves stopped moving. That was a start.
"Stay right where you are. A patrol's coming through." He thought he heard a tiny sob over the hushed sounds of ninja footsteps. "Quiet, now. You're a ninja in training, aren't you?"
Iruka stood in front of Naruto's camouflage as two chuunin came by to check this sector.
"Have you seen him?" they asked.
He shook his head. "This area's clear. I'll head in to report."
They ran for the next sector, leaving Iruka wondering what had gotten into him, that he was lying to the other ninja on patrol. His head hadn't felt right since this whole mess had started. Once he got Naruto settled, he was going to go straight to the Hokage and tell the truth, confess he'd hidden Naruto -- no waiting to be summoned. The Third had to have some piece of wisdom that'd stop all the confusion running around in his brain, so he'd know what was right.
Tiny hands gripped his pants at the knee. Iruka looked down at wide blue eyes, rimmed in red and sloppy with tears. "Iruka-sensei?"
He sat down, letting Naruto barrel into his chest, drying his tears. "I'm here, Naruto."
"They said they were gonna keep me away from Itachi-no-niichan. I don't wanna stay away from Itachi-no-niichan! I don't wanna stay away from Sasuke! I don't wanna!"
"Shh. It's okay. I'm going to talk to the Hokage, Naruto. I'm going to talk to the Hokage, and I'll tell him that for you. Now, do you think you can get to Itachi-san's house on your own?"
As much as he never thought he'd say that, Iruka was sure Naruto would feel more secure there than he would anywhere else in the village. And it had to be safe. No matter what the head teacher thought, he trusted his own impressions about Itachi-san. Kiritsu-sensei didn't see Sasuke and Naruto in class every day. Kiritsu-sensei hadn't looked into Itachi-san's eyes when he'd said how much he loved his brother, and worried for Naruto.
But Naruto shook his head into Iruka's shoulder like he wasn't going to move.
"I don't want to bring the babysitter ninjas to Sasuke's house again. They'll be trouble."
"Naruto..."
"I don't want Sasuke to stop being friends with me! Because-- because I'm--"
"Now listen, Naruto." The tiny blond rubbed his fists in his eyes and blinked back in silence. "If Sasuke were in trouble, would you stop being friends because he needed help?"
"Never!"
"So go to Itachi-san's house, tell him what's the matter, and I'm sure he'll let you stay there until I can ask Lord Hokage what to do. Can you do that?"
Naruto nodded. He looked like he could run now, and he knew the village's search patterns as well as any of the adults. Iruka had no doubt he'd make it.
"Atta boy."
"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto gripped his sleeve. The sun was starting to set, but his eyes were still clear blue, even though he'd been crying. "Why're you being so nice all of a sudden?"
Iruka rested his hand on Naruto's cheek, looking for the words. It felt just as warm as any child's. "Because you're an excellent student, Naruto. I want to see you work hard and become an excellent ninja." His little face brightened like Iruka had never seen anywhere outside of a ramen stand. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in class! It means I expect you to do your best. Got it, Naruto?"
"I'll be number one -- you know it!"
"All right, then. Now run."
More next week!
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
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Tremendous thanks to
sumeria for her beta help, and for her assistance in hammering out a rough plan for where this story will go. I'm really glad we can finally dust this universe off, at least for a little while. If all goes according to plan, the first drafts will be written through Chapter 10 before November (aka, when I stop writing fanfic for a month to work on my NaNo, followed by December, which is The Month of All the Giftfic, so further Regularly Scheduled Fic starts in January -- Next Up is Since Last Goodbye for all the Tezuka/Fuji fans who read my journal!)
Thanks for reading!
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