Naruto 1. There's No Place Like Home

Umino Iruka, Jonin of Konohagakure, starred at the scroll in his hands. He still, despite holding the quite tangible object, could not fully accept its existence.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Iruka began. "Are you sure _I _am the right person for this… job?"

Tsunade sighed, both hands rubbing her temple, as if they could ease some of the pressure she was under. The decision at hand was not one easily reached. "Iruka, I'm going to be honest with you – I'm not sure this will even work. The specialists _who designed this_ don't even believe it will work. If I wasn't so afraid of it being the one time I'd win – I would bet on that scroll being nothing but a dud. On the off chance it does work, we need someone skilled enough that they could carry out the mission without hindrance. If it does, as we assume it will, nothing – well, at least it was worth the try." Despite this last bit, Tsunade was still unsure if the resources used in creating that scroll were worth it. Twenty of the best fuinjutsu experts Konoha had – minus the old pervert and his student – for an off-shot chance at something mentioned only once in a book so old half the symbols didn't even have a modern equivalent. The operation was extremely questionable at best.

The Jonin interrupted her negative train of thought: "and if it fails horribly?"

"How horribly," Tsunade shot back. Iruka simply raised an eyebrow – well, the one he had left.

Tsunade sighed, "Iruka, you and I both know your rank is less out of skill and more out of need – add in your injury-" at this, the bandaged right-half of Iruka's face twitched "-and you are the most skilled ninja the council considers expendable."

Those words would normally be a great insult, and Iruka would have insisted that no ninja – regardless of rank – was expendable, but the former Chunin instructor knew that, in a war such as this, the pool of 'expendable' ninja grew much larger than what the council members already considered.

"Very well, Hokage-sama," Iruka said, shoulders slumping in acceptance. "When shall I depart?"

The Sandaime's second successor's eyes softened. "Immediately." Iruka opened his mouth to speak, but the Slug Sanin cut him off, hand raised. "Whether this succeeds or fails, no one outside of this room or the council is to know of this."

His mind making the connection between the council and secrets, Iruka gave one final comment. "And as we both know, the council is amazing at keeping secrets."

Understanding that his comment was the end of the conversation, Iruka bowed low. "By your word, Hokage-sama." He turned and left, noticing Tsunade pull out a jug of sake as he did. He passed Shizune in the hallway, but outside of a small nod in her direction, said nothing.

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S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!

* * *

Tossing the last of his gear into a small case, he sealed the container into a storage scroll spread out on his futon. Sighing, the overstressed nin looked over the bare bones of what was left of his already-spartan apartment. Having removed all the weapons, clothes, and scrolls he expected to need, it left only the futon, a few pictures, some food he had decided against taking, and a small potted plant.

The Jonin walked over to the plant – it had seen better days, but considering what he would be doing in the next few hours, this may or may not be the best it would look for the immediate future. Or perhaps it would look better in the 'future'? Iruka sighed and left those thoughts alone – if the specialists couldn't give a definite answer of what the scroll would do, he doubted his own insights would be any more useful. Looking over at the pile of food he was not taking, Iruka noticed a few packets of ramen. He wished those, and the plant, could be left with Naruto, but doing so would bring up questions he couldn't answer.

Naruto. The sensei wished desperately he could say farewell to his former student, but he knew it would do no good – for him or the energetic blonde, who would no doubt insist on him being the one to test the scroll, or else insist his sensei did not go alone, but they had no other ninja to spare, and Naruto was needed far more here, defending Konoha.

Moving his thoughts along, Iruka walked over to his desk and the few picture frames resting on it. The first one was of him and Mizuki, taken on the day he was approved as an academy teacher. Seeing the smile the two shared – and Mizuki's hand resting on Iruka's shoulder – only reminded him of the traitor nin's intentions. Taking some of the courage he had gathered for his assigned mission, Iruka pulled the picture out of the frame and, a few seconds and one small fire jutsu later, the picture was just a pile of ashes on the floor. Biting his lip to help hold back tears, the Jonin moved on to the next picture. This one was of him and his Genin team – another male, the kunoichi of the trio, and then himself, with their sensei behind them, hands on each of the males, a smile on his face. He tore the top half – his sensei – off the picture and burned it, tucking the other half into a pocket of his Jonin vest. Finally, the emotional nin picked up the last frame. It held a picture of himself and his students – those who had passed the final test at least. This one found its way into his vest, alongside the picture of his team sans-sensei.

Iruka closed his eyes and allowed himself a single grim smile. In a few hours he would either be dead, back on the front lines, or… well, he tried not to think about the last option – about what would happen if he succeeded. He was finally moving beyond his past, no need to remember it now.

Giving his room one final look-over, Iruka picked up his storage scrolls, locked the apartment, and left.

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S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!...x…S,IS!

* * *

He met them at the tower in the center of training ground forty-four. The Hokage, along with the six fuinjutsu experts who had been recruited to make the scroll, were already prepared. It did not surprise him either when two Anbu stepped out of the forest behind him – it was essential after all that the Hokage ensures he was not followed. Calming his nerves, he approached the group.

"Hokage-sama," he said, bowing to the Sanin. Tsunade waited for him to rise, then nodded to one of the specialists, encouraging him to speak. The man stepped forward, facing Iruka.

"Jonin-san, please stand in the middle of our circle, and unfold the scroll over the ground underneath you" the nin repeated a phrase with practiced ease. Or at least, Iruka hoped it was from practice, he did not want to consider if this was possibly not the first time they attempted something of this scale. After following the instructions, the former Chunin turned toward the Hokage.

"I am ready."

Tsunade paused. "You do realize, Iruka," she said. "We have no idea whether this will work, or if it will change anything for us."

The addressed nin looked at his superior. "If you are trying to encourage me, you would have been better off quoting Gai." He shrugged his shoulders, partly to try to calm himself down, mostly just as a nervous tick. "I'm as ready as I will ever be, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade, for her part, did remain calm – years of sending leaf nin to their deaths had allowed her to shrug her discomfort off for the present, saving it for a future moment when she could allow herself to be weak. Now was not that moment. Now she had to be strong. Motioning to the gathered specialists, she, as well as they, began to pour their chakra into the scroll at the Jonin's feet. The scroll began to glow, as did the earth around it. It shifted from a white light, to yellow, to orange, eventually taking on a hellish red. As the shinobi around him grew tired, Iruka took up the final leg of this chakra race himself – shoving everything he had into the scroll. The others stopped, exhausted, as Iruka broke out in sweat, not only pushing his own energy into the paper below him, but holding back that of his allies as well. Finally, he grew too weak to continue, and the light exploded out of the scroll, the kanji seemed to float off the page as the world around him spun, fading to black.

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* * *

As the world came back into view, it seemed strange to Iruka. For one thing, he could hear birds, and if the blur of colors he saw was anything to go by, the trees Konoha was famous for were still alive and growing. Iruka shut his eyes in frustration. There was no way that scroll could have worked, the theory behind it was sketchy at best! Ignoring the headache raging inside him, the Jonin propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. He was still in the clearing at the center of training ground forty four...

Either one of the specialists had a sick idea of humor, or he was dead.

Iruka gathered his chakra with a single sign, forming a small sphere at his navel. "Kai!" But the images before him remained. Sighing, Iruka pulled a kunai out of the holster at his side. It was at this point that he realized he was dressed in old, standard issue chunin gear. His gear had evidently not come with him, if the jutsu did indeed work. Bracing himself, the former teacher did what he always taught his students was the last resort for escaping a genjutsu – he sliced the kunai across his forearm, inflicting pain on himself.

Nothing changed.

"You know, Iruka, if you want to bleed there's more fun ways to go about it," a female voice called out from above him. "I hear Ibiki's getting pretty bored nowadays."

Looking around, Iruka spotted the speaker crouching on a tree branch above him. His face blanched and his mouth turned down into a small frown. This was too soon – he had hoped for some time, a few minutes at least, to adjust if the scroll happened to work. Fate had other plans, however.

"Hello, Anko," the nervous Jonin squeaked out. The snake mistress' own smirk quickly turned down.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of me, Dolphin," she complained. "It's bad enough with the rest of the village acting like newly minted Genin – you at least know me well enough."

"Sorry," Iruka said, voice growing louder as he grew more confidant. From the way Anko was dressed – skimpy as usual – and the tone she was speaking to him in, he was able to start getting an idea of around what time it was. "It's been a long day for me, and I'm just nervous. I don't fear you Anko."

A smile bloomed on the scantily clad woman's face, sending shivers down Iruka's spine. "Not afraid of me, huh, then how about a light spar, seeing as you are taking up my training ground," she challenged him.

Iruka refrained from pointing out that any Leaf shinobi could use any of the training grounds, with the exception of ANBU practice fields and the academy's student fields. "As much as I would love to, I really should be go-"

"Cut the bullshit, Iruka," Anko cut him off. "You have time to spar – you never did win our bet you know." The male nin frowned at this – he didn't know the exact date so he was unable to give an excuse, and that- that agreement he had made with Anko as a Genin was _not_ something he wanted to remember. Sighing, he agreed.

"Fine Anko, a light spar – taijutsu and throwing weapons on-" again, the Jonin was cut off as the woman launched herself out of the tree and down at him. For his part, Iruka managed to react quickly and roll out of the way of Anko's drop kick. As her heel smashed a small hole in the ground – having been empowered both by gravity and by chakra – Iruka stood and gulped. It had been hard to twist his muscles to avoid that kick. He realized that his body must have changed as well when the scroll activated – it felt unnatural, responding differently than he expected. He wondered if this is what it was like for a Yamanaka.

Leaping to his feet, Iruka pulled a handful of shuriken from each pouch on his left and right legs – even after so many years, Iruka had never changed how he stored his equipment. It allowed him to grab and use various ninja tools faster and with greater accuracy, as it was able to be practiced until it was reflexive. His sensei had always stressed doing everything you could – using any small trick – to tap into your full potential for power.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the nin rushed at Anko, who was now facing him and bracing herself to leap away. Iruko took aim and threw, scattering the shuriken not at Anko, but into the air around her, limiting where she could dodge. Putting on a burst of speed, he reached her just as the shuriken did. He pulled back a hand, ready to go on the offensive, but being as he was still unused to his smaller body, he underestimated his reach and undershot, whiffing through the air in front of Anko's guard. Luckily for him, doing so brought him down into a crouch, and he was able to launch up and underneath Anko's arms – his hitai-ate connecting with her collarbone. Both nin stumbled back, quickly forming down into their taijutsu stances.

Anko smirked. "You know Iruka, you may have managed to put a trick or two up your sleeves," she called out. "But you aren't the only one."

At this, the snake mistress reached into her trench coat and pulled out three sticks of dango wrapped in paper to preserve their warmth. She pulled off the wraps and began eating the food.

"Say, Iruka," she called out, halfway through her final stick. "The academy starts tomorrow, doesn't it?"

Iruka perked up at this – at last, some information about the time he was in. "Yeah, Anko – why do you ask?"

She thought for a moment, before replying, "well, don't you teachers usually, you know, meet the class for an hour or so the day before to start introductions? You might not want to miss your own first day of school, _Sensei_."

Iruka's face flushed a light red as she stressed the honorific – so he has only just been appointed an academy teacher then? He still remembered the day he met his class – because he was a new teacher, he had last pick of when he was able to meet his class, as each class would take up the academy's rather small training fields in order to either gauge the new student's skill levels or ensure returning students did not slack off over the break. Looking at the sun, Iruka estimated that he had only an hour at most before his time slot began – and Anko's words carried far more weight than she realized. His main goal was to change what he could for the better – and for him, that began with making sure his class was far more prepared than they had been. It would require some work, but he would find a way, even if it meant teaching them outside of the set school hours.

The Jonin – although at this point Iruka realized he would have to resign himself to Chunin duties once again – was brought out of his thoughts by three sharpened dango sticks speeding toward him – moving far faster and with more accuracy than he remembered Anko capable of naturally. Bringing his hands up to form a single sign, Iuka shunshined behind Anko – although he was not as quick as he had hoped, and one of his cheeks had a deep cut from one of the sticks. Latching onto the snake mistress was difficult, but Iruka managed to win the grapple and flipped her over, using his own chakra to add strength. Of course, Anko flipped the tables herself, and brought him crashing down next to her immediately after. Both shinobi laid still, catching their breath after exhausting themselves in the grapple. Anko looked over at Iruka.

"That wasn't fair you know, that shunshin – didn't you say something about taijutsu and weapons only?"

"That was before you used chakra to enhance your kick and throwing sticks," the weary sensei shot back.

Anko snorted, before erupting into laughter. Iruka simply stared – he didn't remember him and Anko getting along this easy in the past. Shrugging his shoulders, the academy instructor stood, wiping dirt, dust, and grass off his clothes a best as he could.

"Well then," he called out. "I should get going before I'm late to the academy." Had his own instructors heard him say that, they would have had a heart attack. As it was they simply rolled in their graves. Iruka gave one last glance at Anko, who was still on the ground with peals of laughter slipping out of her grinning mouth, and then shunshined away.

* * *

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* * *

A/N: First off, let me begin this by saying this is the longest chapter I have ever written – seven pages in my word processor.

Secondly, to anyone who actually reads my other stories – I would like to continue them, but all information I had on them was lost with my old computer.

Finally, I'm going to use the A/Ns below here to answer any questions you might have about the story – or if there are not questions, explain the choices I'm making as a writer. If only so I can get a better idea of why I write what I do myself.

So since this is the first time doing this, I'll explain something that is probably making you all wonder: why Iruka?

We've all read time-travel stories, they aren't new to , and most certainly not new to the Naruto fandom. That said, who is always the person(s) going back? Naruto, or X and Naruto, or Y who happens to go back for the purpose of making just Naruto stronger, or any number of characters, but always either including Naruto, or with the goal of helping Naruto – everything else that happens and everyone else who grows just happens because of the Butterfly Effect, nothing to do with the time-traveler directly changing _them_. But here's my problem – specifically with fics that send Naruto or Kakashi or a super-powered whoever back – time-travel is sketchy at best. Let's admit it, any fic that doesn't admit that this is a last resort is not being honest with itself. Now I understand if the people being sent back is for the humor of the story, or because they are the only ones left alive, but if you are going to make a story where they just happened to be selected to go back in time, think: why? Why them? This is something that has no guarantee to succeed – they are not going to risk their most powerful shinobi on an off-chance. Yes, they have to be strong and trustworthy and determined in case this does work, but you don't use your strongest nin as canon fodder. Even Orochimaru had the sense to test the Curse Seal on unimportant people before applying it to his main soldiers/new hosts! So the nin must be strong, but not necessarily important or priceless. Hence Iruka.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." – J.F.K. during his Inaugural Address

~Kep


	2. On the First Day of School

Iruka blinked to clear his eyes and wiped some of the leaves from the jutsu off his head. '_This_' he thought, '_is why I hate using shunshin to enter or leave a building.'_ Accepting his fate, though, and acknowledging the fact that he would have to rush as is to reach the academy on time, the Chunin ignored the dust and leaves on the floor to survey the state of his home. Mainly, the academy teacher familiarized himself with the buildings layout, and reviewed the gear he had on him and in various storages throughout the small apartment. Noticing that he was lacking in some of the tools his students would later go on to either specialize in or need to know how to lose, the academy teacher began making a mental checklist of items to pick up and various instruction books to have prepared.

Checking his watch, Iruka realized he had only ten minutes to make it to the academy, a task that would be tough to accomplish even if he used the rooftops. Accepting that he would be late, and that he might as well miss an additional five minutes to at least be somewhat prepared, Iruka began gathering up some of the items he would need for what he intended to accomplish – mainly, he needed to convince his class of the severity of their decision to become shinobi.

Taking one last glance at his room, Iruka leaped out of his window and onto the roof below – beginning the mad dash toward the academy. As the instructor made his way toward his meeting with his former – or would it be future – students, he couldn't help but get the odd feeling that he had forgotten something important. _'Ah, ´_ the Chunin thought to himself. _'I'm sure it's nothing.'_

Meanwhile, back in his apartment, two pictures lay forgotten on the floor, each brown and worn with age. It seemed some things did indeed follow the shinobi through the jutsu.

* * *

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* * *

Landing softly in the grass outside the academy, Iruka took stock of the situation. The designated meeting area was empty. The Chunin stood up, stretching his muscles in an attempt to work out the kinks developed from moving as thought his limbs were longer and more toned.

'_The lawns are empty,' _he thought. _'Why are the lawns empty?'_ Iruka sighed – of course things would never be that simple – this was _his_ class after all.

Channeling chakra to his nose and ears – a trick picked up from an Inuzuka teammate before his death – the Chunin perked his head up attentively, waiting for any signal from his missing students.

Suddenly, the bushes to the left rustled, and Iruka's hand shot down to his right kunai pouch, pulling out a blunted practice replica. Faster than a civilian eye could see, the sensei's hand shot out, the kunai shooting out into the bushes.

"Gah, who the hell…" the voice trailed off as another Chunin-sensei stepped out of the bush, obviously just as late as he, rubbing his thigh. "Are you crazy?" the sensei asked. "What would you throw around kunai for, there's no danger here!"

Iruka just shrugged, "a ninja must always be prepared for danger, even when he thinks he is safe."

The instructor just looked at him like he was crazy. "Even so, this is Konoha, not a war-field," he replied. "Anyway, they moved the class introductions inside, something about having to repair the training fields after an Uchiha and a Hyuuga from the sixth year class took their evaluation spar a bit too far," the instructor muttered this bit of information as he walked past, limping ever so slightly into the school building. He never saw the pale, unseeing look that came over Iruka's eyes as he mentioned Konoha not being a war-field. Nor did he see the same ghostly images of dead bodies, crumbling ruins, and black fire consuming the hidden village.

Snapping back to reality, Iruka followed after the instructor. "Konoha is not a war-field," he whispered to himself, "and I won't allow it to become one…"

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* * *

Back at Iruka's apartment, the door slowly creaked open – the invader clearly aware and weary of the likelihood of traps. Satisfied, the unknown figure opened the door fully, a smile growing on their face.

"Iruka-kohai," the figure called out. "I hope you don't mind me coming in uninvited – the neighbors were starting to get mad at me for knocking so loudly," saying this, the figure reached a hand up to rub their head, obviously the victim of the surprisingly accurate-thrower that was the old civilian lady next door.

Hearing no reply, the individual moved farther into the room, looking for signs of the Chunin. "Perhaps," the character said to themselves. "Perhaps Iruka-kohai is sleeping in late?" Accepting this to be the most likely option, the character proceeded further into the domicile, in search of a bedroom – stepping right over two old pictures, left unnoticed for the second time that day.

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* * *

Iruka entered his classroom – well, what he would come to know as his classroom – and saw exactly what he expected to see: a group of rowdy six-year-olds who were all anxious to become ninja, and had grown impatient waiting for their sensei. Scanning the crowd, Iruka took note of the (character) of each student, comparing it to what he remembered. Shikamaru, for example, was sitting quietly next to Choji, looking half-asleep with his chin resting on his hands, but closely observing his fellow students. _'That lazyness'_ Iruka thought, making a mental note, _'is one of the first things I'll have to get rid of – in all my students.'_

In the future, Shikamaru had been one of the few reasons Konohagakure was able to keep on its feet and remain in the war – once properly motivated, the boy was able to work out some of the most impeccable strategies. This train of thought, however, was leading to topics Iruka didn't have time to dwell on right now, so clearing his throat he called the class to attention.

Then he tried again.

Sighing in defeat, Iruka turned to the tried and true way of getting his class' attention – which in hindsight it probably how things went the first time – and used his Big Head no Jutsu. Finally, the class settled down and turned towards Iruka, eyes wide.

"Now that I have your attention," the Chunin began, "my name is Umino Iruka and I will be your instructor here at the academy."

Everyone was still quiet and staring – a testament to his jutsu's effectiveness.

Iruka sighed. "My job is to train each of you to be the best shinobi you can, but this is not a one-way street," the instructor began explaining. "Each of you must put in the effort if you expect to be of any use to the village. This is a two-way street – if each of you listens to me and does the work, you will succeed. I also need you to trust me – trust is a valuable thing in the ninja world, but whether you trust your teammates or not can mean the difference between life and death."

A few of the children's eyes lit up, as if they were beginning to understand what he was saying – not all of this class would be enjoyable, but if they listened and paid attention, they would understand that everything Iruka had to teach them is what they must know to become successful shinobi. Iruka decided to accept this small success for today and move on.

"Now, each class will begin with me calling ro-" the door sliding open cut off the instructor halfway through his statement. Stepping through it was something – well, someone – out of Iruka's nightmares. The Chunin closed his eyes and rubbed his head – he had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with this problem so early, but it was to be expected. Perhaps he could take him outside for a talk and – but no, he couldn't do anything so sudden, so soon. It would draw suspicion.

"Maa, Iruka-sensei, when you didn't show up in time I went to your house to see if you were running late," the man said, walking over to stand with Iruka next to the Instructor's desk. "We must have just passed each other on the way here – but I suppose it's all good now."

"Gomen," Iruka began. "I would have left a note saying I was running late – but I didn't expect you to visit my house, Mizuki-sensei." The scarred Chunin closed his eyes, trying to force a relaxed smile, closing his eyes and attempting to block the feelings welling up in him. He knew he'd have to face the man who almost killed Naruto – he knew he'd have to take care of him before his ignorance could damage the entire class – but by kami, he needed a bit more time before he could accept that he would need to kill his best frie- former best friend.

He must have managed to pass off being embarrassed rather well, because when he opened his eyes Mizuki was smiling and nodding his head good-naturedly. "Alright then," Mizuki spoke up, turning toward the class. "I already took roll, so I don't think we need to have Iruka-sensei go through it again, now do we," he asked, the class letting out a resounding "no, Mizuki-sensei."

Iruka decided now would be a good time to retake control of the class – Mizuki might be the senior instructor, but Iruka had plans for the class, and the best way to ensure they get carried out would be to have more influence over the students – if he let himself be resigned to the role of supporting instructor, that most certainly would go away.

"Alright class," Iruka called out, cutting Mizuki off from continuing his own speech. "I know for a fact that one of the other classes is using the front lawn to perform their evaluations, so while we wait for it to open up, who here thinks they know the three basic forms of ninja fighting?"

Iruka scanned over the crowd. He was tossing out a few basic questions to get a general feel for which students had already begun taking their training seriously.

One student, a civilian, raised his hand. Iruka was silently surprised that none of the ninja children had raised their hands – then he realized why. Each had their own specific reason as to why they weren't paying attention, but the fact was that the ninja-raised children had already decided this small section of class time wasn't important enough to pay attention to – they were simply waiting until they could use the field.

The civilian, for his part, had obviously decided he had waited long enough, and, clearing his throat to gather the attention of his sensei, called out the answer, "The three ways a ninja will fight is with ninjutsu, taijutsu, and ninja tools."

Iruka, turning his attention back to the civilian, called out a short praise before deciding he would need to address the small issue the ninja-raised families had. "Correct, the most basic skills we will practice here, and what most of the graduation exam will consist of, is ninja techniques, hand-to-hand combat, and your use of some common tools, mainly kunai and shuriken." He then added on, "when we do the small evaluation today, we will cover only the last one – tools. The others will be focused on later after explaining the background information you'll need to understand them."

While most of the civilian-raised kids nodded, and all of the ninja-raised children perked up their heads at this revelation, only one child – an Inuzuka boy – apparently had a problem with this. "But Sensei," he called out, his high-pitched prepubescent voice giving a slightly comical contrast to the rough-tough style of his clan outfit. "How are you going to help strengthen us if you don't know what we can do at the very beginning – you are holding those of us who already have some training back," the clan kid finished, obviously content that the few moves of his clan's taijutsu style he had learned earned him the right to act above the others.

Iruka decided he didn't like this kid – he needed to nip this in the bud now. "As your sensei, it is my decision what, and when, you will learn. I have my reasons for teaching you the way I will."

"But Sesei," the kid continued, "real shinobi have access to whatever material they believe they are ready for – why won't you help those of us who are ahead become more powerful – do you not want us to become successful ninja?"

"You think you're ready to become shinobi?" Iruka asked the smirking student.

"I'm here for a reas-"

"No." Iruka cut him off. "Whatever reason you have for being here, it certainly isn't because you are ready to become a shinobi."

"B-but sensei," another student called out. "Isn't that why we're here, to be trained as a ninja? How can you tell us we aren't ready to start learning if we are here – we passed the entrance exam."

"The entrance exam," Iruka shot back, "only requires you to be able to balance on a log, throw a kunai in the _general direction_ of where the testers want it, and be able to write your name." Iruka gave the class a long, sweeping glare. "All of these things, while forming the basics of the tools a ninja will use, teach you nothing about what you must do as a ninja." Here, Iruka paused. Looking over his class, he could see that he now had the full attention of them all, even those who had been clowning around to begin with. He also noticed a few pairs of eyes gathered at the door – apparently a few teachers who had decided to let their classes out early decided to stop in and examine the newest instructor. '_I suppose' _Iruka thought to himself, _'I might as well see how much I can impact the other classes – no reason to only focus on making my class actually be prepared as shinobi.'_

"Tell me," Iruka asked, refocussing his attention on his class. "Where does the loyalty of a ninja lie?"

Multiple hands raised, but Iruka knew each would simply say the same things – and none of them would be right. He decided to pick the Haruno girl – she already proved her intelligence to the class today, and she needed to learn that not every question could be solved with a textbook answer.

Sakura stood. "The shinobi's first loyalty is to the village," she began. "Afterwards may follow various organizations within their village, such as ANBU, or if they are an instructor, their students, with family sitting either above or below depending on the clan. Also-" Iruka raised his hand, cutting her off.

"Correct," he began, Sakura beaming in response. "But not entirely – anyone else?" Her smile disappearing, Sakura sat back down. No one else raised their hand. "Very well." The Chunin-sensei continued.

"A shinobi's first loyalty should be to the village, yes. This does not, however, mean that the shinobi is acting only out of the 'good of the village'" trying to lighten the mood slightly, Iruka actually raised his hands and made air-quotes upon saying this. "As a ninja, you must never allow yourself to become devoted to a single group or ideal for the sake of that group – even for Konoha. Rather, you should act out of love for the people of that group. We, as shinobi of Konohagakure, do not serve the Hokage out of loyalty to the seat of the Hokage – we serve him because of our loyalty to _him, _the man, and out of a desire to protect the people in the village who are precious to us." Iruka paused again for effect. "Nothing is stronger or more deadly than a ninja with someone to protect. Nothing – not even your own life – being at risk will empower you more than the desire to protect your precious people. Even a Jonin must be wary when he threatens an enemy Genin's family or team." Iruka new this to be true more than anyone – despite his best attempts at preventing it, he'd seen how Naruto was when deep in the conflict of the Fourth Shinobi War. Iruka decided to change the topic – he needed to steer this back in a direction that would actually help what he'd come here to accomplish. Inspiring everyone in the class was great, but he needed to weed out those who would not be able to handle the life of a shinobi.

"Tell me," Iruka called out, gathering the classes' attention once again. "Out of all of you – show of hands, please – who believes they are ready and willing to put the effort in and train in the ninja way?" Nearly everyone raised their hands.

"Once this is started, you must complete your shinobi education – not out of a demand, but because it will be almost impossible to change your life choice once you set out." As Iruka stated this, a few hands began to waver, but none dropped. "If you wish to stop and dedicate your life to something else, or if you want to wait for another year – no one will judge you, this life is not for everyone."

A few hands dropped, but the children remained, for despite the scare Iruka had given them so far, he had also inspired them greatly.

"Now," Iruka called, nodding slowly. "I need to determine what skill level you each are at, and I will tell you now rather than later – if you show up tomorrow, that will be your silent statement that you are ready, and we will begin actively training then."

Finishing his statement, Iruka began ushering them outside – while the training grounds may be damaged, he could still view what sort of training they might have been given by friends or family on the lawn, and hopefully, through questioning, be able to provide cover for his knowledge of what skills they would later develop.

Mizuki who, for his part, had been standing silently, lips slightly parted, since Iruka took control of the class from him, followed. He was stunned – this was not the Iruka he knew and was friends with.

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* * *

Out on the grass, Iruka had the children form up into twelve lines of four, and although one line had three and he, by the kami, couldn't figure out why. Deciding to uncover which student had cut class later, Iruka proceeded to have them each throw five kunai and five shuriken at a tree seven meters out. While his students did so, the Chunin paced about, observing. He wanted to see what the children could do now, before he began teaching them. He also wanted to use this time to get a few things out of the way.

As he walked toward one of the farther groups, the Chunin noticed a child from an unknown ninja clan explain to a civilian the correct way to hold his shuriken. This brought a small smirk to his lips – perhaps his earlier lectures had instilled some sense of teamwork into his students. Looking back to his destination, Iruka noticed the student he needed to talk to was done, having lazily tossed his tools in the relative direction of the target and sat back down under a tree not being used as a target. It didn't matter much, but at least no students would complain about how he talked with just that student after making a big deal of working with them all together – they'd assume he was getting lectured for the lazy performance.

"Nara-kun, I need to speak with you."

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* * *

Iruka sighed, having just watched the last parent pick up their child from the classroom and leave. Today was tougher than he imagined – he needed a nice long sleep. Luckily, things were going as well as he could hope for, especially so soon. The only problem was –

"Iruka-kohai," Mizuki called as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "I need to talk with you before you leave, is that okay?"

Iruka paled slightly, on the inside – he kept his outside reaction as expected, a small, tired smile and a nod of his head. "Sure, Mizuki-senpai – I could use some coffee though, so let's head to the teacher's lounge."

Mizuki nodded, then opened the door. He turned back to Iruka, "coming?"

The two walked through the halls – empty, as all the other teachers had finished and were either heading home or in the lounge themselves. "So, Iruka-kohai, how'd you like your first day with your class?" Mizuki asked, trying to lighten the mood. The tension was thick between them, but Mizuki had no idea what caused it – what caused his friend to act so strange.

Iruka gave another exhausted grin, "good, but those kids will be a handful and a half. I'm starting to question why I let you talk me into this, Mizuki-senpai." Iruka forced himself to sound cheerful, trying to remember that this wasn't the man who had betrayed him.

"Because you needed something to do, you work well with kids, and I need someone to handle paperwork for me – while I'm no hokage, I still have more than I'd like, hence you, minion!" Mizuki's voice raised - he was glad Iruka was acting like his friend again. He'd have to remind him that he was supposed to be the senior teacher and lead class, but he would do it later.

"Speaking of paperwork," Iruka began. "Mind if I take a look at the roll sheet?"

"Yeah," Mizuki shot back, "you should probably get to know the kids names, huh." He handed him over the manila folder, already a few inches thick just from the roll sheet and small files on each student. He wasn't kidding when he said he had paperwork – and lots of it.

Iruka just smiled and took the folder, flipping it open and skimming through the names. He looked up a few he didn't recognize, like that of the kid who had helped the civilian and the Inuzuka who had been so cocky in class today, but mostly was looking for the one who was not here.

What he saw made him frieze in place.

Mizuki turned when he noticed Iruka had stopped, and was about to call out to him when Iruka shoved the folder into his hands, briskly walking away.

"Sorry Mizuki-senpai," the Chunin said, his voice and face blank. "I just remember a promise I made to meet up with someone else, I'll talk to you tomorrow though."

Mizuki just stood there, wondering what had made his best friend leave him so suddenly.

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* * *

Iruka's whole body tensed as he set his foot down on the landing of Naruto's floor of the apartment building. The boy had the whole area to himself – no one wanting to live near a demon – and although most would consider it a boon to not have to deal with neighbors, it only hurt the ostracized boy more. A shiver crept down Iruka's spine as he walked down the hall – he still couldn't believe he ignored the absence of Naruto the first time he had met his class, all those years ago.

Iruka came to a sudden stop. He smelled something strange in the air. He smelled blood.

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* * *

AND CUT!

Hey guys, so that right there is the latest chapter of "Sayonara, Iruka-Sensei!"

So I have three things to say, but first, thanks to all who reviewed last chapter: **Furudere **,** AnimeLuver778 **, and **ElectraSev5n **!

First off, no, this is not based off "Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei!" except the name. I thought it sounded cool and fit with the fact that Iruka is, you know, sent back in time? That said, the title is really happy sounding, and this story is nowhere near as bright and cheerful as I thought it would be when I started writing it. Oh well.

And second, I have no idea what pairings there will be – I will have romance, in small doses, but for now it doesn't fit and I have no idea what pairings will develop as my muse drives me onwards. Also, I've only ever had one girlfriend, and that left me more confused about how relationships are supposed to work than when I was single, so yeah.

Third – I was hoping to put out like one chapter a week, but then college was like "no, fuck you" so it'll probably be a chapter every two weeks or so. I'll try to get out the next chapter on the tenth though, because of Naruto's b-day. I put this chapter out on the second because it's my b-day, so I feel it's only fair to him…

So yeah, thanks for the reviews, and I hope y'all enjoyed this. This is so far my most successful story, even at only two chapters.

Also, this chapter was written a different way from any other story I've written, it was basically pieced together from snippets written on various papers, so it may need another rework, but I wanted to get it out today. Sorry for any missed mistakes or whatnots.

~ "No, fuck you." – college life

Kep


	3. A New Challenger Approaches

The Chunin sprinted the last distance down the hall, bursting through the shattered wooden pile that used to be Naruto's doorway. Broken glass and cracked ceramic littered the floor, as did a slick mixture of red and yellow. Blood and something with a sharp, stingingly sweet smell.

Even with all his training and experience as a professional shinobi, Iruka could not avoid getting cut – such was the prevalence of the dangerous shards. Ignoring the stinging, the worried sensei crept toward the small closet Naruto had for a bathroom, the sounds of broken sobs growing louder with each crackling step. Resting his hand on the knob, Iruka slowly pushed open the door.

It slammed back shut.

"Go away," a frightened voice shouted! "Whatever I did I'm sorry, just please, go away…" it trailed off near the end.

Iruka fought back the salty water gathering at his eyes and steeled his resolve – he made a mistake in not checking in on Naruto as soon as he got here, but he would make up for it over time. For now, he needed to solidify his presence in Naruto's life and convince the boy he wasn't here to hurt him. Unfortunately, circumstances probably wouldn't let him be there as a brother for Naruto this time around – but hopefully he'd be able to make up for this by giving the young Jinchuriki proper ninja training, and by being there as a sensei actually willing to help.

He would miss those moments with Naruto though.

Shaking his head and gathering his thoughts, Iruka focused on the task at hand – he needed to calm Naruto down and get him some form of medical attention. Iruka raised his hand again, but this time, rather than reach for the doorknob, Iruka softly rapped the splintery oak surface. "Naruto Uzumaki, my name is Iruka Umino – I'm your sensei at the academy, please open up the door – I'm not here to hurt you," Iruka called this out, loud enough to be heard but still quiet, so as to not sound threatening.

There was shuffling behind the door – Naruto was probably moving some items he had barricaded the hinged piece of scrap wood with. Looking at all the destruction around him, Iruka couldn't help but gravely wonder what Naruto could possibly have used to block the opening. As the damaged and broken slab opened with a slow crawl, Iruka understood – Naruto had used the shattered remnants of his various bathroom apertures to clot the space in the opening.

A dull blue eye peeked at the Chunin from around what remained of the wall separating the two rooms – the blonde hair and sun-tanned face both matted and dirty.

"How can," the little boy sniffled, rubbing his already red eyes. "How can I trust you – _they_ always told me to open my door too, but they hurt me even if I listened…" A dead quiet ensued. Iruka didn't know how to answer.

'_How do I convince him I'm here to help – after all he's been through' _the Chunin thought, kneeling down so he would be on a more equal height with the young blonde. Then it hit him – Naruto was still young. Perhaps young enough that he could use his remaining innocence to trick him into trusting him – just for now, so he can start helping Naruto. All of the extra help he could provide Naruto if he earned his trust this early would outweigh any ill feelings that might develop between them when Naruto was a bit older. Thus, steeling his face into a shining grin, brightening his eyes, and generally making himself look as happy and trusting as possible, Iruka asked Naruto "would one of them be so gentle knocking on the door – or when speaking to you? Surely they are much louder and meaner than me!"

Morino-san would be proud.

True to his belief, Naruto was still young enough to be in a very impressionable state – by changing his own attitude and facial expressions, he was able to effect Naruto's own judgment and feelings. The door shut, and Iruka could hear scraping sounds – the scraps piled to block the door being pulled away, no doubt. Finally, a few moments after silence had again returned, the door opened just wide enough for Naruto to slip through. He closed it after him, blushing. Obviously even in this state, and this young, Naruto was embarrassed by the condition his home was in.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked. Iruka, still at eye level with Naruto, inclined his head, motioning for him to continue. "Why did you come to get me – other people would just leave me alone if I wasn't where I was supposed to be, unless it was to make me leave that is."

The honest confusion in Naruto's voice hit Iruka hard – was the small child's life really this hard before he became a Genin? Even afterwards, it wasn't like Naruto's life became better suddenly – how much exactly did he go through before he started to get treated fairly by the citizens of Konoha? It didn't matter – although Iruka didn't intend to coddle him, the Chunin swore he would make sure Naruto would get to live a more normal life, somehow.

"Something you need to understand," Iruka replied, realizing Naruto had been staring at him strangely while his mind drifted elsewhere. "Is that I am your sensei – I'm responsible for making sure you are strong enough to serve Konoha as a ninja. Part of that means we are tools of the Hokage and the village, and a tool is useless if bent or broken. I need to put aside my personal feelings when it comes to a task like teaching – every one of my students is equal in my eyes." While not the nicest thing to say, it would be enough to help Naruto grow more comfortable with Iruka and the other teachers – who he would deal with later in a similar manner. Luckily, Naruto seemed unoffended by his statement, rather, a small gleam ignited in his eyes. Perhaps this would help light a passion in him – the start of the so called 'Will of Fire'. Kami help them all, though, if it developed into the 'Flames of Youth'.

"Err, Sensei, should we leave, then, before the people who came before return?" Naruto asked.

Iruka paused for a moment. He didn't consider that his appearance would affect what happened next in this small scene. "Are you sure," he replied, "that those men will be coming back?"

"Hai," Naruto stated, nodding his head. "They said something about getting someone who knew a katon jutsu before 'finishing the job'."

The small smile that had been beginning to grow on Iruka's face disappeared. Why would they be returning with a ka- the liquids. Iruka sniffed the air – then took a look back at the wet floor. The scent of blood – the red substance – still permeated the air, but underneath was a tang of… kerosene. Most of it had been absorbed into the wood floor and various furniture and cloth objects, but enough remained that Iruka could identify the highly flammable ignition source. Now that he thought about it, Naruto's apartment always did smell smoky – why he never considered this, he just couldn't explain. Iruka turned back to Naruto, who by now looked morose and on the brink of hyperventilation.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, worry evident in his voice.

Iruka blinked to clear his eyes and mind before responding. "Naruto, grab what you don't want to leave behind – this place isn't suitable for you to live in anymore. I'll talk to the Hokage about getting you a better residence." Naruto seemed a bit unsure about this, so Iruka explained further, going back to his previous point. "You wish to be a ninja – a protector of the village and tool of the Hokage? All tools need to be kept in suitable storage." Hopefully this would also convince him to take a bit better care of his kunai and shuriken in the future as well.

Naruto nodded his head, and took off through the apartment. Even at this young age Naruto was very silent as he passed over and around the broken glass and other objects that obscured the floor from view. When he wasn't shouting to the heavens, the boy truly acted like a proper shinobi.

Once he had his equipment gathered, Iruka put his arm around Naruto and instructed him to do likewise to him, before walking outside to the balcony and leaping to an adjacent rooftop. Explaining that they would be going and speaking to the Hokage immediately, Iruka began leaping from roof to roof towards the Hokage Tower. He would like to take the main road, as approaching properly from the entrance of the tower would lend an air of seriousness and propriety to the discussion he would have with the Hokage. He would like to, but he couldn't. If he did, he would have to walk the last bit of distance on the main road, and it wouldn't do to have citizens see him with Naruto this early – it would take away some of his credibility as an academy instructor before he could begin influencing the future Konoha ninja. It also wouldn't do to expose Naruto to the glares of the ignorant civilians so soon after… well, it was just best to take the rooftops and enter through the window. Iruka just hoped that the Hokage wasn't in an important meeting right now.

Iruka was brought out of his train-of-thought by Naruto exclaiming "Sensei – look!" Naturally, the Chunin turned, just in time to see a second explosion of fire jet out from Naruto's apartment building. Both had come out from the top floor – where Naruto lived – and despite his initial worry Iruka continued towards the tower, knowing that nobody important was hurt in the blast.

No one wanted to live near the demon, after all. At most, the igniters lit themselves ablaze. Just as well, he supposed.

"Looks like I'll definitely need a new place to stay now, Sensei. Good thing you got me out of there, huh?" the blond shouted, oblivious to the damage the inferno would have caused_ him_

All thoughts of _that_ were flooding Iruka.

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* * *

Ten minutes later Iruka was face-down on the floor with Naruto nearby on his rear, rubbing his head and looking up at the four ANBU restraining his instructor. Perhaps, Iruka thought in hindsight, going through the window in a time when it has not yet become commonplace was not the best decision. Throughout all this, the Hokage remained in his chair, engaging in his pipe and reviewing the final piece of paperwork of the day. Satisfied, the Professor put down his tobacco, before turning to the restrained Chunin and his grandson-figure. His face was calm, but Iruka knew that the Third was no doubt running through countless scenarios in his head. Deciding to take advantage of the strangeness of the situation, and the leeway it gave him, Iruka acted.

Lowering his head in the closest thing he could manage to a bow, Iruka struggled to get the words out around the glove of one of the ANBU, who was currently restraining his neck in a tighter-than-necessary grip. "Hokage-sama, if possible I would like to talk to you about Naruto."

The Hokage, now recovered from the small shock he had gotten when the newest Chunin-sensei and Naruto flew in through the window, understood. Something had happened. He grunted out an order for his ANBU to return to their posts around the room, before turning to look down on Iruka, who was now kneeling in a more proper bow.

"You are the newest Chunin-instructor, yes?" Iruka nodded. "And I presume Naruto is one of your charges?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Satisfied, Sarutobi sat down, motioning for Iruka to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Naruto had already done so, any sense of decorum lost on the boy.

"So tell me then, Umino-sensei, what seems to be the problem," the Hokage asked, straight to the point.

Iruka leapt at this chance – he explained Naruto's absence, his travel to, and experience at, Naruto's apartment, and his assessment that, perhaps it wouldn't be best to leave the number one most-wanted-dead child living on his own.

Each word caused the stress lines in the Hokage's face to deepen, and his macabre expression to become more pronounced. As Iruka said his final word, the wise leader pulled a bottle of sake out, pouring two dishes, one for himself and one for the sensei across from him.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Umino-sensei," the Professor said, voice hoarse. "I assure you, I will take care of things from here."

Recognizing his dismissal, Iruka raised his platter, finished the fiery liquid, and left.

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* * *

Returning home, Iruka closed and locked his door, before heading to hang his jacket and retrieve a pair of sleeping clothes. As he opened the door to his closet, he stepped back in shock.

Tied and gagged in the center of the small room was an exact copy of himself.

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A/N: Quick question – you guys prefer ANs before or after the main story?

Now, to explain – I was going to put this up the 10th last month, then realized that it was Naruto's bday and not a right occasion for a sad chapter. Then I was going to put this up the next Friday, but when I got home my dog was dead, so that was a no go. Then the next weekend was paintball. Sorry, but shooting my fellow Eagle Scouts in the face was more important to me than posting a chapter. Then Halloween, and I worked a Haunted House each day that weekend – I got about 6 hours of sleep over 3 days, most of it in cars while being driven around places. Now it's this week and here's your update.

Thanks so much for the support btw, this is my most popular story and I think it will be the first multichapter I will finish!

Now onto some Review Replies:

Korregidora - Thanks!

AnimeLuver778 - Thank you, I believe I answered your question in the story, but if there's any confusion, let me know!

Furudere - I like you. You make me think. Anyway, so I sorta answered your question at the end there, and I hope the tale I spin lives up to what you imagine.

WishStar - Danke! Everyone is a huge Iruka fan, they just don't know it yet... *cue evil gleam and sudden knife blade in hand* But yes, part of this is to show off the Dolphin I love, and part of this is to try to present a hyper-realistic version of time-travel Naruto-style. Granted, it won't be dead serious, as I understand the need for comedic relief and whatnot, but I'll try my best to make the comedy fit as seamlessly as possible - a challenge as I've had to erase whole paragraphs already I'll admit, when they get a bit off track.

So yeah, this is the shortest chapter so far, and I apologize, but this was a natural breaking point and I didn't want you all to wait for another few weeks while I hash out an addition chapter to combine this with!

~ "If we are to reach real peace in the world, if we are to carry out real war against war, we must begin with children." - Mahatma Gandhi

\- Kilo E. Prowers


End file.

Naruto, Adventure