Days passed, then weeks, and things got better. Not right away, not very quickly, but… Jun and his family got used to their new situation. They adapted.
Shiba Arata was reorganizing the police, aided by a handful of lieutenants. Jun was in charge of recruiting from genins. He had little time to see Iruka, but they often only crossed paths. Jun was less overloaded with work than a few months earlier. More people supported him. Natsumi and Susumu were often by his side, as was Gai, and Anko.
Iruka still had trouble remembering that Jun was a clan leader, despite the Uchiha clan crest-embroidered haori he had taken to wearing after the massacre. Jun had always worn black. He had always tried to blend in with the crowd. Not anymore. The haori were edged in red… With the Uchiha emblem in large embroidery on the back… It was a statement. Was it for those watching, or for Jun himself? Iruka wasn't sure. In any case, Jun was the clan leader and said it loud and clear.
He didn't look like he wanted to be a clan leader the way Fugaku Uchiha had been. He was a clan leader in the Shikaku Nara way, which wasn't surprising since the latter was his mentor. He formed alliances discreetly, slowly, without making waves. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Nothing extravagant. Iruka probably wouldn't have seen a thing if Mizuki hadn't complained, with a hint of jealousy, about Jun's newfound popularity.
Apparently, he was using his personal connections to get his foot in lots of doors. He already had a good relationship with the Nara, but right now he was apparently bonding with the Inuzuka and the Yamanaka. He didn't do anything blatant, but sometimes some high-ranking officials would suggest ideas that came from him.
Izumi Uchiha was starting to resume missions outside the village with her teammates, but she was working more in the hospital. Apparently, she specialized in eye care. Iruka wondered if it was her brother who had suggested it to her. Ever since Ise Hyuga's death, Jun had had a pronounced paranoia for anything eye-related.
Iruka was not supposed to know what happened during that mission, but the report had leaked at the time. In any case, whether the suggestion came from Jun or not, Izumi was concentrating on her studies. It was a good thing.
Little Kazuma Uchiha had entered the Academy with all the other six-year-old. But Iruka knew that Jun would have preferred to wait a year or two. He had mentioned it to him in passing, a little nervous about sending him so early to the Academy. Kazuma was smart and gifted. Jun was afraid that he would graduate early, like Itachi. He hadn't said it, but it was implied. And… Iruka quite agreed with him. Kazuma wasn't in his class, but he was trying to keep an eye on him.
Same thing for Karin and Neji. They weren't Uchiha, technically, but… Everyone who knew Jun also knew the kids around him. Especially since Karin and Neji were two particularly notable children. Neji was cold, abrasive, and arrogant. Karin was fierier, louder, and more aggressive. The fact that she was a stranger to Konoha was a sore point for her, and obviously, her whole class knew about it. Iruka did not envy their teacher. These two were a real headache.
Iruka had his own little devils to manage as well.
He knew Jun became irresistibly attached to the people around him, even those with whom he had a complicated history. It was inevitable that he would end up considering Sasuke as one of his own. And that was a good thing, of course. Sasuke was less tense, he was visibly receiving help with his training, and he was noticeably getting better. But he still didn't open up to his peers. He wallowed in stubborn silence and glared at anyone who approached him.
At the Academy, the children had gotten used to Sasuke's return, but his status as a member of an almost extinct clan unleashed passions. The mystery and the drama fascinated the girls. And his solitary temperament had already created a certain aura around him. Luckily he wasn't the last Uchiha, otherwise, it would have been worse.
There was Kiba Inuzuka, who was the class clown. And there was Naruto Uzumaki, who was… a ton of trouble locked in a weakling, and a cheeky first-class troublemaker. They were all exhausting to manage.
Iruka often told the adventures of these brats to Jun, but not as often as he would have liked. Their paths crossed relatively little compared to before. One day, Jun had invited him to eat ramen. He was soon going to leave on a mission outside the village and would miss Iruka's birthday. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a tradition for their group of friends to get together. It was an opportunity to chat and remember the old time.
But when they arrived at Ichiraku, Iruka paused when he recognized Naruto. He was a loud and disruptive student, but he was above all the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Iruka was doing his best to see the child and not the monster, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to have lunch at the same place as him. Naruto was making him uncomfortable.
Jun hesitated when he saw him too, but he stepped forward with a determined air and Iruka had no choice but to follow his friend. When they sat down, the kid looked up from his almost empty bowl and opened his eyes wide.
“Iruka-sensei? I didn't know you like ramen!”
Iruka let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Then Jun leaned over and asked in a relaxed tone:
“Sensei”? Is he one of your little ones, Iruka?” Jun asked even though he knew the answer.
“Ah, uh, yes,” Iruka hesitated. “He's Naruto Uzumaki; he's in Sasuke's class…”
Didn't he recognize him? Iruka though. But Jun's expression didn't change. He showed no surprise. He knew who the boy was, and what he hosted within him. Yet, he looked back at the jinchuriki as cordially as if he were a normal child.
“Nice to meet you, Naruto. I am Jun.”
“Are you Iruka-sensei's colleague? Do you also teach at the Academy?” Naruto said immediately, jumping up in his seat.
Jun laughed.
“No, Iruka is one of my best friends. We were in the same class at the Academy. We’ve been friends since then. How long ago was it now, Iruka?”
“Hmm, ten years or so…”
“It's old!” Naruto exclaimed naively. “And you remained friends for ten years?!”
“Pretty much, yes,” Jun smiled. “That's why we're here anyway. Normally I’m invited to Iruka's birthday, but since I'll be on a mission at that time, I decided to invite him for some ramen.”
“What?! It's your birthday soon, Iruka-sensei?!”
Iruka realized he was staring at them with his mouth wide open and sat up suddenly, embarrassed, before admitting:
“In a week, yes. May 26th.”
Naruto leaned back in his seat, looking alarmed.
“One week! I have to start looking for a gift!”
The two adults stopped, hesitating. Iruka began to stammer out the beginning of an apology, frantically looking for a way out of it. It wasn't that he didn't want a present, but he didn't know… He didn't… It was Naruto Uzumaki. It was Kyubi's jinchuriki, and Iruka didn't want to be someone the boy noticed, he didn't want to get involved. He didn't want him to become his problem. Surely there was someone else to support the enthusiasm of this energetic kid, who brought back so many bad memories...
“Good idea,” Jun said, staring at him with a thin smile. “You are a good kid, Naruto.”
Iruka was cut short in his thoughts. Jun hadn't even turned to him. He leaned toward Naruto and whispered very low:
“His apartment could use some plants.”
Naruto’s face lit up as if it was his birthday, and jumped to his feet.
“Oh! I can find that. I’m going right now. See you later, Jun! See you later Iruka-sensei!”
And he sped off, leaving only an empty bowl of ramen. The owner shook his head amusedly, then took Jun’s and Iruka’s order. While the chef was preparing their dishes, Iruka cast a sidelong glance at Jun.
There was a short silence. Then Iruka said slowly, hesitantly:
“You didn't even hesitate. Whereas…”
There was another silence, a little longer. Jun’s gaze was lost in focus. When he spoke again, his voice was lower.
“I hesitated the very first time I saw him. It was in front of the Academy, and I immediately turned away. But I was ashamed of it right after, and I promised myself that the next time, I wouldn’t hesitate. Because I'm better than that. My father… Iruka, I loved my father more than anything, but he's been dead for seven years, and the thing that killed him as well as your parents, isn't here. You know that, right?”
Iruka gulped. He knew, but… It was easier to ignore Naruto, to ignore his problems and his burden than to force himself to face reality. Thinking about his parents still hurt, even years later.
“I know, but… Remember…”
“It's not a matter of remembering!” Jun interrupted, raising his head to look at him. “Of course, I remember, but I can't… I haven't… It's like what happened to my mother. Should I hate Sasuke and punish him because one of his distant cousins killed her? And even if he deserved to be hated for carrying the Uchiha name, something that isn't even his fault…Hasn't he suffered enough already? Shouldn't I be sorry, feel compassion, help and protect him because he's a child who needs help and protection, instead of looking for a scapegoat?”
This time the silence was longer and heavier. The chef had time to finish their ramen and bring it to them, smiling affably and politely pretending not to listen to their conversation. Iruka and Jun started eating their ramen. But Iruka wasn’t really enjoying the food.
Jun's words hit him where it hurt. How could he not have anticipated this reaction? Jun lived with Sasuke. But instead of ignoring him, he welcomed and raised him, while Iruka just averted his eyes and hoped someone else took care of the problem.
He was ashamed. He put down his chopsticks. He no longer had any appetite.
“You had never met Naruto before today?” Iruka asked without knowing why.
Jun shrugged without taking his eyes off his dish.
“I had seen him before. But I never spoke to him before today. Adult clan members are implicitly discouraged from approaching him, and it's even a ban for clan leaders. The Sandaime is very strict about it… Too much risk of a family using him to their advantage. The ban doesn't extend to children of different clans, but kids unconsciously model themselves on their parents, and… I guess Naruto doesn't have many friends because of that.”
"Oh, I hadn't realized.”
Jun finally looked up from his ramen. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he said frankly:
“If I could, I would do something. Someone, anyone, should do something. He deserves better. Not just because he was given this burden at birth, but simply as a person, as a child of this village that we have a duty to cherish and protect. He deserves better, and someone should do something about it.”
Iruka was well aware that the phrase " someone should do something " was not a very useful thing to say. No one said that and added “ and that someone is me ”. It was always someone else's problem. But Iruka was the only adult in charge of caring for Naruto. Even though he was also responsible for looking after thirty other kids, he was his teacher, the only pseudo-parental figure in young Uzumaki's entire existence. He was the only one with permission from the Hokage to look after him, while all the other adults were ordered to keep their distance. And then… He was also the only person sitting in front of Jun, to bear the weight of his gaze. Someone had to do something, and that someone was Iruka. That was what Jun’s words were implying.
And what reasons had he to say no? What excuse did he have to run away? He was responsible for all the children entrusted to him, and if Naruto needed more attention than the average pupil, by what right did Iruka have to shirk it? Because of his parents, who had been dead for years, and who would never turn their backs on a Konoha child in need of help?
Because of the Nine-Tails, the burden that had been imposed on a newborn that the village had spent seven years neglecting? Iruka was thinking about what Jun had done, confronting little Sasuke who would forever remind him of his mother's murder, and he was ashamed. Jun had struggled with Sasuke, but he had fought, he had made an effort and now, five months later, Sasuke was completely in his place within his family.
Iruka swallowed. He had no excuses.
“We didn't come here to talk about Naruto,” Jun said with a slightly pale smile. “Stop looking like a beaten dog. Why don't you tell me about your other students instead?”
The change of topic was welcome. Iruka directed the conversation to the heirs of clans, especially the little Shikamaru, and the conversation became lighter. At the end of their meal, Jun paid the bill, and Iruka pretended not to notice that he was also paying for Naruto's meal. They happily said goodbye, and Jun headed off to prepare for his mission while Iruka headed back to the Academy. His steps felt heavy.
His mind was occupied with a single sentence; someone should do something.
Days passed, then weeks, and things got better. Not right away, not very quickly, but… Jun and his family got used to their new situation. They adapted.
Shiba Arata was reorganizing the police, aided by a handful of lieutenants. Jun was in charge of recruiting from genins. He had little time to see Iruka, but they often only crossed paths. Jun was less overloaded with work than a few months earlier. More people supported him. Natsumi and Susumu were often by his side, as was Gai, and Anko.
Iruka still had trouble remembering that Jun was a clan leader, despite the Uchiha clan crest-embroidered haori he had taken to wearing after the massacre. Jun had always worn black. He had always tried to blend in with the crowd. Not anymore. The haori were edged in red… With the Uchiha emblem in large embroidery on the back… It was a statement. Was it for those watching, or for Jun himself? Iruka wasn't sure. In any case, Jun was the clan leader and said it loud and clear.
He didn't look like he wanted to be a clan leader the way Fugaku Uchiha had been. He was a clan leader in the Shikaku Nara way, which wasn't surprising since the latter was his mentor. He formed alliances discreetly, slowly, without making waves. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Nothing extravagant. Iruka probably wouldn't have seen a thing if Mizuki hadn't complained, with a hint of jealousy, about Jun's newfound popularity.
Apparently, he was using his personal connections to get his foot in lots of doors. He already had a good relationship with the Nara, but right now he was apparently bonding with the Inuzuka and the Yamanaka. He didn't do anything blatant, but sometimes some high-ranking officials would suggest ideas that came from him.
Izumi Uchiha was starting to resume missions outside the village with her teammates, but she was working more in the hospital. Apparently, she specialized in eye care. Iruka wondered if it was her brother who had suggested it to her. Ever since Ise Hyuga's death, Jun had had a pronounced paranoia for anything eye-related.
Iruka was not supposed to know what happened during that mission, but the report had leaked at the time. In any case, whether the suggestion came from Jun or not, Izumi was concentrating on her studies. It was a good thing.
Little Kazuma Uchiha had entered the Academy with all the other six-year-old. But Iruka knew that Jun would have preferred to wait a year or two. He had mentioned it to him in passing, a little nervous about sending him so early to the Academy. Kazuma was smart and gifted. Jun was afraid that he would graduate early, like Itachi. He hadn't said it, but it was implied. And… Iruka quite agreed with him. Kazuma wasn't in his class, but he was trying to keep an eye on him.
Same thing for Karin and Neji. They weren't Uchiha, technically, but… Everyone who knew Jun also knew the kids around him. Especially since Karin and Neji were two particularly notable children. Neji was cold, abrasive, and arrogant. Karin was fierier, louder, and more aggressive. The fact that she was a stranger to Konoha was a sore point for her, and obviously, her whole class knew about it. Iruka did not envy their teacher. These two were a real headache.
Iruka had his own little devils to manage as well.
He knew Jun became irresistibly attached to the people around him, even those with whom he had a complicated history. It was inevitable that he would end up considering Sasuke as one of his own. And that was a good thing, of course. Sasuke was less tense, he was visibly receiving help with his training, and he was noticeably getting better. But he still didn't open up to his peers. He wallowed in stubborn silence and glared at anyone who approached him.
At the Academy, the children had gotten used to Sasuke's return, but his status as a member of an almost extinct clan unleashed passions. The mystery and the drama fascinated the girls. And his solitary temperament had already created a certain aura around him. Luckily he wasn't the last Uchiha, otherwise, it would have been worse.
There was Kiba Inuzuka, who was the class clown. And there was Naruto Uzumaki, who was… a ton of trouble locked in a weakling, and a cheeky first-class troublemaker. They were all exhausting to manage.
Iruka often told the adventures of these brats to Jun, but not as often as he would have liked. Their paths crossed relatively little compared to before. One day, Jun had invited him to eat ramen. He was soon going to leave on a mission outside the village and would miss Iruka's birthday. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a tradition for their group of friends to get together. It was an opportunity to chat and remember the old time.
But when they arrived at Ichiraku, Iruka paused when he recognized Naruto. He was a loud and disruptive student, but he was above all the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Iruka was doing his best to see the child and not the monster, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to have lunch at the same place as him. Naruto was making him uncomfortable.
Jun hesitated when he saw him too, but he stepped forward with a determined air and Iruka had no choice but to follow his friend. When they sat down, the kid looked up from his almost empty bowl and opened his eyes wide.
“Iruka-sensei? I didn't know you like ramen!”
Iruka let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Then Jun leaned over and asked in a relaxed tone:
“Sensei”? Is he one of your little ones, Iruka?” Jun asked even though he knew the answer.
“Ah, uh, yes,” Iruka hesitated. “He's Naruto Uzumaki; he's in Sasuke's class…”
Didn't he recognize him? Iruka though. But Jun's expression didn't change. He showed no surprise. He knew who the boy was, and what he hosted within him. Yet, he looked back at the jinchuriki as cordially as if he were a normal child.
“Nice to meet you, Naruto. I am Jun.”
“Are you Iruka-sensei's colleague? Do you also teach at the Academy?” Naruto said immediately, jumping up in his seat.
Jun laughed.
“No, Iruka is one of my best friends. We were in the same class at the Academy. We’ve been friends since then. How long ago was it now, Iruka?”
“Hmm, ten years or so…”
“It's old!” Naruto exclaimed naively. “And you remained friends for ten years?!”
“Pretty much, yes,” Jun smiled. “That's why we're here anyway. Normally I’m invited to Iruka's birthday, but since I'll be on a mission at that time, I decided to invite him for some ramen.”
“What?! It's your birthday soon, Iruka-sensei?!”
Iruka realized he was staring at them with his mouth wide open and sat up suddenly, embarrassed, before admitting:
“In a week, yes. May 26th.”
Naruto leaned back in his seat, looking alarmed.
“One week! I have to start looking for a gift!”
The two adults stopped, hesitating. Iruka began to stammer out the beginning of an apology, frantically looking for a way out of it. It wasn't that he didn't want a present, but he didn't know… He didn't… It was Naruto Uzumaki. It was Kyubi's jinchuriki, and Iruka didn't want to be someone the boy noticed, he didn't want to get involved. He didn't want him to become his problem. Surely there was someone else to support the enthusiasm of this energetic kid, who brought back so many bad memories...
“Good idea,” Jun said, staring at him with a thin smile. “You are a good kid, Naruto.”
Iruka was cut short in his thoughts. Jun hadn't even turned to him. He leaned toward Naruto and whispered very low:
“His apartment could use some plants.”
Naruto’s face lit up as if it was his birthday, and jumped to his feet.
“Oh! I can find that. I’m going right now. See you later, Jun! See you later Iruka-sensei!”
And he sped off, leaving only an empty bowl of ramen. The owner shook his head amusedly, then took Jun’s and Iruka’s order. While the chef was preparing their dishes, Iruka cast a sidelong glance at Jun.
There was a short silence. Then Iruka said slowly, hesitantly:
“You didn't even hesitate. Whereas…”
There was another silence, a little longer. Jun’s gaze was lost in focus. When he spoke again, his voice was lower.
“I hesitated the very first time I saw him. It was in front of the Academy, and I immediately turned away. But I was ashamed of it right after, and I promised myself that the next time, I wouldn’t hesitate. Because I'm better than that. My father… Iruka, I loved my father more than anything, but he's been dead for seven years, and the thing that killed him as well as your parents, isn't here. You know that, right?”
Iruka gulped. He knew, but… It was easier to ignore Naruto, to ignore his problems and his burden than to force himself to face reality. Thinking about his parents still hurt, even years later.
“I know, but… Remember…”
“It's not a matter of remembering!” Jun interrupted, raising his head to look at him. “Of course, I remember, but I can't… I haven't… It's like what happened to my mother. Should I hate Sasuke and punish him because one of his distant cousins killed her? And even if he deserved to be hated for carrying the Uchiha name, something that isn't even his fault…Hasn't he suffered enough already? Shouldn't I be sorry, feel compassion, help and protect him because he's a child who needs help and protection, instead of looking for a scapegoat?”
This time the silence was longer and heavier. The chef had time to finish their ramen and bring it to them, smiling affably and politely pretending not to listen to their conversation. Iruka and Jun started eating their ramen. But Iruka wasn’t really enjoying the food.
Jun's words hit him where it hurt. How could he not have anticipated this reaction? Jun lived with Sasuke. But instead of ignoring him, he welcomed and raised him, while Iruka just averted his eyes and hoped someone else took care of the problem.
He was ashamed. He put down his chopsticks. He no longer had any appetite.
“You had never met Naruto before today?” Iruka asked without knowing why.
Jun shrugged without taking his eyes off his dish.
“I had seen him before. But I never spoke to him before today. Adult clan members are implicitly discouraged from approaching him, and it's even a ban for clan leaders. The Sandaime is very strict about it… Too much risk of a family using him to their advantage. The ban doesn't extend to children of different clans, but kids unconsciously model themselves on their parents, and… I guess Naruto doesn't have many friends because of that.”
"Oh, I hadn't realized.”
Jun finally looked up from his ramen. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he said frankly:
“If I could, I would do something. Someone, anyone, should do something. He deserves better. Not just because he was given this burden at birth, but simply as a person, as a child of this village that we have a duty to cherish and protect. He deserves better, and someone should do something about it.”
Iruka was well aware that the phrase " someone should do something " was not a very useful thing to say. No one said that and added “ and that someone is me ”. It was always someone else's problem. But Iruka was the only adult in charge of caring for Naruto. Even though he was also responsible for looking after thirty other kids, he was his teacher, the only pseudo-parental figure in young Uzumaki's entire existence. He was the only one with permission from the Hokage to look after him, while all the other adults were ordered to keep their distance. And then… He was also the only person sitting in front of Jun, to bear the weight of his gaze. Someone had to do something, and that someone was Iruka. That was what Jun’s words were implying.
And what reasons had he to say no? What excuse did he have to run away? He was responsible for all the children entrusted to him, and if Naruto needed more attention than the average pupil, by what right did Iruka have to shirk it? Because of his parents, who had been dead for years, and who would never turn their backs on a Konoha child in need of help?
Because of the Nine-Tails, the burden that had been imposed on a newborn that the village had spent seven years neglecting? Iruka was thinking about what Jun had done, confronting little Sasuke who would forever remind him of his mother's murder, and he was ashamed. Jun had struggled with Sasuke, but he had fought, he had made an effort and now, five months later, Sasuke was completely in his place within his family.
Iruka swallowed. He had no excuses.
“We didn't come here to talk about Naruto,” Jun said with a slightly pale smile. “Stop looking like a beaten dog. Why don't you tell me about your other students instead?”
The change of topic was welcome. Iruka directed the conversation to the heirs of clans, especially the little Shikamaru, and the conversation became lighter. At the end of their meal, Jun paid the bill, and Iruka pretended not to notice that he was also paying for Naruto's meal. They happily said goodbye, and Jun headed off to prepare for his mission while Iruka headed back to the Academy. His steps felt heavy.
His mind was occupied with a single sentence; someone should do something.
