Extended A/N for Iruka's timeline in the Pockyverse
I'm playing with Iruka's timeline in a big way, but I think it's off to begin with. Mostly, I've squished his early years together.
One data book has him as 25 when the story begins. That would make him 13 when Naruto was born and Iruka's parents were killed. Nope, doesn't work for me. When Iruka says he messed up a lot in school after his parents died, I get the feeling it wasn't just for a few months. More like a year or more.
Another data book has him as 23, making him 11 when his parents died. That's closer, I think, and that's the age I'm using in this story. Except, the books agree he became a genin at 11 and a chunin at 16. So, I squished that to he became a genin at 12, nearly 13, so a year and a half at the academy. But it means he was only a chunin for 3 years, not 5. Hence the whole Ichi/Taki/Ruki thing - there has to be a reason he finds the chunin exams dangerous and potentially debilitating to Naruto later on.
Personally, I think he was younger, like 9 or 10. That would fit the entire timeline, except it would make him only 21 or 22 when the story begins. Actually, I find that works well - his thought process and actions, even his personality, are more easily explained that way. That fight Iruka has with himself while Naruto is completing his fight with Neji during the chunin exam - that sounds like a young man to me, not a 25year old. Yeah, 25 isn't all that old, but Iruka seems young, he's even drawn young, compared to characters who are supposed to be around his age. Yeah, it's in the anime, not manga, so not quite canon, but I think somebody else is picking up on my 'hmmm, 25? don't think so' idea.
For those who want my 'proof', see v.1 ch1 of manga. When they pull Iruka away from fighting during kyuubi attack, he's not wearing a hitai-ate. Later, when he's remembering his youth and talking about acting out at school, still not wearing a hitai-ate. So, still at Academy, NOT genin.
UPDATE 9 Aug 07:
Well, it looks like I didn't need to modify his timeline too much after all. The given age of '23' is in the fanbook issued during the chuunin exams - AFTER his birthday. Which would make him 22 at the beginning of Naruto. But I have written mucho chappies of this, and I don't think I'm going to go back and change it. Not until it's done and nobody would notice *grin*.