Iruka & Naruto

It was so easy to get involved in Naruto's life that in retrospect, Iruka was even more ashamed of not having done so before. All he had to do was thank him warmly for his gift, a small potted plant, as Jun had advised, and offer to invite him to Ichiraku's later in the week… It was that simple.

Iruka had started paying more attention to Naruto. And… Of course, he was noticing more things. During training sessions, it was often Naruto who was called last, and the bell cut short his exercises. During kunai throwing lessons, Mizuki never bothered to correct his mistakes. During the team exercises, no one wanted to put themselves in the same group as him.

Iruka had often looked away, he had always told himself that it was nothing, it was not his problem, it was part of the normal life of a student… But it was all the time, every day, in all classes. Obviously, Naruto had no motivation to do his homework. Of course, he bristled when a teacher scolded him. He was driven to failure.

Someone should do something. But Naruto only had Iruka, so it was up to Iruka to act. He had been making excuses for long enough.

He got to work. He began by consciously praising Naruto for every correct answer, every good kunai throw, and every assignment completed. He made him do his taijutsu exercises with either Shikamaru Nara or Choji Akimichi, both of whom were relatively peaceful and hardly made fun of him, and he was careful never to put him last. He corrected the boy's form during throwing lessons or taijutsu class. The next time Naruto didn't turn in an assignment, Iruka made him stay in the classroom to do the exercise with him and help him with the questions.

It was not always easy. Naruto was bursting with energy; it was exhausting. And then, it was Naruto, and… Even if Iruka realized with surprise that he was a normal child, that he was even someone funny and endearing, he was still a neglected child who needed a lot of attention. Especially since the majority of people looked at him with disdain, and Iruka couldn't do anything about it. Taking care of Naruto was emotionally draining because it was constant work and lonely work.

It was because of Naruto that Iruka had his first big argument with Mizuki. Iruka almost went back on his word and let the little Uzumaki down. But he held on. And Mizuki… Mizuki despised Naruto. Sometimes Iruka thought to himself that it wasn't even because of Kyubi. It was just that Naruto was an outcast and that Mizuki was full of an inarticulate frustration that just begged to find a target. But Naruto didn't deserve this anger. He didn't deserve to be treated this way.

Iruka held on. Mizuki felt betrayed and called him names, but Iruka wouldn't back down. He didn't give up on Naruto. It was his first big fight with Mizuki, and it was tough. They stopped talking to each other for a few months. Even when they reconciled, their tone was cold and distant. There was a bond of trust that had been broken forever.

Jun had never liked Mizuki, and he was still there to comfort Iruka and take him out to drown his sorrows. Jun was a good friend.

Iruka updated him fairly regularly on Naruto's progress. He took a certain pride in it. Naruto was better at taijutsu, Naruto had come fifth in the endurance race, Naruto had done his homework on time… There were small things, but the boy was progressing. And it was thanks to him. Iruka had done that. He was a good teacher.

Of course, Naruto was still a troublemaker. He skipped classes less, but it still happened. And he loved creating chaos. During lessons, he sometimes threw balls of paper as soon as his teacher's back was turned... And reading out loud often turned into a dramatic story of stupid jokes, which made the other students laugh and distracted.

Jun surprisingly gave Iruka a very good piece of advice. It was the one who suggested to Iruka that if Naruto was clowning around so much during reading, maybe he just couldn't read well. Iruka managed to verify this and was amazed to find that the Uchiha clan leader had been right. Naruto could read, but not very well. His antics were meant to hide his ignorance… And it had worked. Iruka would have continued to be fooled if not for Jun.

When he asked Jun how he knew it, he just shrugged.

"Who would have properly taught him?" He blurted out rhetorically.

Naruto was a smart kid. He struggled with the basics but sometimes made implausible logical connections. He didn't know how to memorize the classic battle formations by heart, but he knew how to invent subterfuges and tricks to get past enemy traps without getting caught. Some of his ideas were completely outlandish, or ridiculously impossible, but Naruto was resourceful enough to pull them off. Ingenious, but above all incredibly stubborn. He refused the very concept of failure. If he was beaten or failed at something, he tried again until he succeeded.

And the Uzumaki boy loved and drank the compliments and encouragement like a flower soaking up the sun. How not to become attached to a kid who looks at you with adoration as soon as you send him the slightest sign of affection? Whenever Naruto's face lit up like this, Iruka felt his heart crumple like a piece of paper. Naruto had been so unloved, for so long. It was so unfair. He deserved so much better.

At least he had Jun's support, even if he couldn't openly act. The rule that clan leaders should stay away from the jinchuriki made sense, but it was also profoundly unfair. Jun had assured him that he would find a way to act remotely. Maybe finding a way to get Sasuke closer to Naruto? Or have another clan member do it? Jun could maybe slip the idea to the Inuzuka or the Yamanaka. But Jun would need to solidify their alliance first before embarking on such projects.

But Jun already had a lot of stuff to deal with. Besides the Police, he was also interested in the Academy. Or rather, he constantly criticized the Academy's curriculum. He considered that there were not enough history lessons in the curriculum. Not enough chakra control exercises. Not enough introductory classes either. There were no classes explaining what Fuinjutsu was, nor classes preparing the students for Kenjutsu, or even lessons on elementary ninjutsu.

In addition to the dozens of projects he currently worked on, Jun also had his family.

Izumi wanted to become chunin soon, and Jun wanted her to wait for the next exam in Konoha to minimize the risks. Neji was spending more time with the Uchihas than the Hyugas. It was also out of the question to neglect his apprentice, Karin. There was also Sasuke and his solitary attitude. He had developed an emotional bond with his new family, but it was a very exclusive bond.

Neji and Karin included him in their duo, but Sasuke hardly spoke with anyone else. He had also become relatively protective of Kazuma. And Kazuma, by the way, had such good grades that his teachers were considering him skipping a class. Jun, who had feared exactly this scenario, was apprehensive.

Besides, he also couldn't take the pressure off by going on missions as much as he wanted. He had resumed assignments outside the village. But they were rare and didn't require him to be away for a long time.

"Do you have that much work?" Iruka asked him naively one day.

Jun looked at him angrily.

"Do you want to trade?"

"I'm good," Iruka said with a smile.

"I have the job of clan leader which fell on me overnight. Also, I must continue to do missions. In addition, I must participate in clan meetings and be familiar with Konoha's internal affairs! And I have to read a mountain of documents recovered from the Uchihas on their trade agreements, non-aggression pacts, and a whole bunch of archaic customs, and that's not counting the fact that I have to supply the police force with Binding Seals."

He let out an exasperated sigh, and Iruka cautiously stepped back. Jun has been on edge recently.

"And I'm not even counting the training! Shiba-sensei asked me to train all the new recruits. They were complete amateurs. It took me nearly six months to get them to a decent level. And on top of that, Kakashi has been on a mission for weeks, so Gai is frequently challenging me to Taijutsu matches."

He paused to catch his breath before continuing his monologue.

"And those geezers Koharu and Homura are getting on my nerves because four Uchihas aren't enough. They would like me to find a wife and start having kids. I'm only seventeen! There is no way I'm getting married now."

He stopped and exhaled slowly. He then looked back at Iruka, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and sketched a grimace.

"Yeah, life is complicated right now."

"Hm," Iruka hesitated. "How can I help?"

Iruka didn't really want to get involved in this, but he had to at least offer to help his friend. Jun's face softened, but he shook his head.

"I'm doing fine, all things considered. By the end of the year, the hardest part will be done with the police. And about the clans… I already have a good base. In a few months, I'll try a few suggestions, and we'll see where it takes me. As for the two geezers…"

He stopped and looked at Iruka seriously.

"I'm thinking about using science to increase the Uchiha clan numbers. Well, I need to think more about it."

Iruka was still replaying Jun's words in his head to see if it made more sense the second time around, but it didn't. Using science to increase the Uchiha clan numbers? What was he talking about? Jun seemed to realize that he had lost him and gave him a faint smile.

"What about you? How are your little monsters?"

"One of my little monsters is yours."

"Sasuke isn't even in your top three things that give you a headache. He's second in mine."

"Oh yes? And what is in the first place?"

"Gai's taijutsu challenges."

Iruka couldn't help laughing. Who didn't know about the crazy challenges of Gai Maito?

It was strange to think that Jun, his childhood friend, had become someone who survived Gai's challenges. Someone who was managing a family. Someone who led a clan. He had grown so much. And he had been through so much. Missions, bereavements, responsibilities. He had been a key figure in the Uchiha clan for nearly a year. And while he was constantly on edge after the massacre, he was beginning to thrive in this new position.