That night, Iruka returned home. It wasn't actually that late. The sky outside had just turned a deep blue, and only a few streetlights had flickered on in the distance, but with nothing else to do, he had gone to bed early.
In the darkness, his thoughts, like untethered vines, spread wildly. Two images replayed in his mind—the moment of disaster in his childhood, the pupils of the Nine-Tails seared into his memory.
And for the past year, the figure of the blond boy in the classroom, on the training grounds, the curve of his eyes when he smiled, the pout when he was being scolded...
Before he knew it, he remembered the Third Hokage's words. It was because of that order that he had become a teacher, and Naruto's teacher at that.
"Iruka, I'm not saying I can't understand how you feel... but in a way, Naruto is just like you. He doesn't know the love of a parent, and because of that incident, the people in the village avoid him."
"And Naruto's mental state is not ideal. Because of his loneliness, this child has a maturity far beyond his years. If an ordinary child were ostracized like this, they might do something foolish to get attention."
"But... this child has instead distanced himself from those who actively reject him, completely shutting out the malice... but that doesn't mean he's gotten used to the loneliness..."
The Third had asked him to take care of Naruto, to be his teacher. Iruka remembered how much he had resisted it at first. He knew the truth about the Nine-Tails—the beast that had killed his parents was sealed within the body of the child before him.
Unlike the other villagers, Iruka knew very well—Naruto was no demon fox incarnation, just an innocent victim caught up in that disaster.
He had done nothing wrong. From beginning to end, he was just an innocent child... but even knowing this so clearly, Iruka still didn't know how to face Naruto.
When he first became a teacher, every time he saw that blond figure in the classroom, the image of the Nine-Tails would uncontrollably pop into his mind. That ferocious silhouette was like a thorn, piercing his thoughts.
What was he feeling back then?
Perhaps there was fear, perhaps a subconscious distance. But besides these, there was another emotion weighing heavily on his heart.
Guilt.
He knew he was innocent, he knew he was just a child, yet he couldn't help but quietly transfer his hatred for the Nine-Tails onto him... Every time he thought about it, Iruka felt sick with guilt. At that time, Iruka even wondered if someone like him was even qualified to be a teacher.
Someone had once told him, "If you don't open your heart, the other person won't open theirs either."
Later, Iruka had tried to slowly get closer to Naruto. All he could say was that the child was so sensible it was heartbreaking—even though he hadn't been able to stop himself from looking at him with prejudice at first, when Naruto looked at him, his unqualified teacher, his eyes were always filled with sincere respect.
And so, he had begun to return Naruto's greetings, and he had actively interacted with him in class. The days passed, and before he knew it, besides their teacher-student relationship, they had developed something more like a friendship.
In the time they spent together, Iruka hadn't even realized that his concern for Naruto had long since overshadowed his fear of the Nine-Tails.
And because of this, he always felt a little regretful—if only he had accepted Naruto's kindness sooner. And now, what should he do to truly do something for this child?
"Iruka... Iruka!"
Suddenly, a voice exploded in his mind—it wasn't his own jumbled thoughts, but a real, clear voice, right beside his ear!
"That voice... Lord Hokage?!"
Iruka shot up from his bed. He immediately recognized the voice; it was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi! Could it be... a long-distance telepathy jutsu?
"There's an emergency. Go to the Ninja Academy immediately. Naruto and Satsuki are there. It looks like they're forming the Seal of Confrontation. If this continues and an accident happens, it will be bad."
Naruto and Satsuki... at the Ninja Academy? And they're going to spar? Iruka instantly remembered what Naruto had said after school: "You can't become a strong ninja by just playing house all the time. See you, sensei."
A surge of anger welled up in him—those two hadn't listened to a single word of his warning!
He had no desire to sleep now. Iruka hastily grabbed his Chunin vest, put on his shoes, and bolted out the door.
"Naruto! You idiot!"
He roared as he ran towards the Ninja Academy, the night wind whistling past his ears, his only hope being that he would make it in time.
"Honestly, what's taking Iruka-sensei so long? He couldn't have messed up the simple task I asked the old man Hokage to do, could he?"
The training ground was empty. Naruto and Satsuki were standing in the middle of the open space where they had sparred during the day. There was no sign of them forming the Seal of Confrontation or preparing to fight.
Clearly, the Third's words just now were just bait to lure Iruka here.
The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the faint scent of fallen cherry blossoms. Satsuki tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and suddenly spoke, her voice holding a hint of an imperceptible pout.
"Hey... Naruto, don't you think it's a little cold now?"
Naruto was taken aback for a moment. He touched his arm. "Hmm? It's alright. The cherry blossom season just ended not too long ago. The nights aren't that chilly; it's quite warm."
"I see..." Satsuki replied, but her gaze unconsciously fell on Naruto's hands, which were stuck in his pants pockets. "Um... my hands feel a little cold. It's nice to be a boy. You can put your hands in your pockets without it being rude..."
As she spoke, she quietly swung her hands.
Naruto looked around—besides the two of them, there wasn't even a patrolling ninja on the entire training ground, only the streetlights casting a dim yellow glow in the distance. "Ah, what's the big deal? There's no one here now. Who's going to say anything if you put your hands in your pockets? It's fine not to follow those pointless formalities."
This idiot... does he have to be so direct?
Satsuki grumbled inwardly, but her face remained impassive, her tone holding a hint of a nonchalant sigh. "I can't do that. As an Uchiha, how can I just throw away my pride?"
"It really is a bit cold... someone's hands in their pockets look very warm. How nice..."
You're a Fire Style user, Nidaime, what are you cold for?
Naruto, of course, saw through Satsuki's intention—she just wanted to hold hands, right? Teasing a tsundere has its limits. A little teasing is fine, but if you really make her angry, it's hard to coax her.
At that thought, Naruto helplessly pulled his right hand from his pocket. He held it out to Satsuki, his tone as natural as possible. "Well then, want to hold my hand? Sorry, I don't have any gloves right now, so this is all I can do."
Satsuki caught sight of his outstretched hand out of the corner of her eye. She almost couldn't stop her lips from curling up, but she quickly suppressed it, deliberately putting on a reluctant look. "Yes... it seems there's no other way... well then..."
She was just about to place her cool hand in his—
"Naruto! Satsuki! You two!"
Iruka's angry voice suddenly exploded from not far away. Satsuki's movements froze, her whole body stiff, her outstretched hand hovering in mid-air.
Naruto's eyes, on the other hand, lit up, and he quickly withdrew his hand. "Great! Iruka-sensei is here! Let's go, Nidaime!"
With that, he turned and ran towards the school building. Satsuki stared at his retreating back, slowly lowered her hovering hand, an empty feeling still lingering on her fingertips, a hint of annoyance at being interrupted in her heart—but she quickly suppressed it and hurried after Naruto.