[Fanfic]

[fujurpreux.livejournal.com]

Title: A Very Important Lesson
Rating: PG
Words: 628
Summary: Just at the end of the first arc, Iruka notices a gap in Naruto's education. Gen fic.

While Naruto devoured his ramen, Iruka wondered how much of the enthusiasm he was whitnessing was real and how much of it was pretended in order to comfort him. Starting the next day, Naruto'd be under one of the sannin's care —an honor for which practically anyone in Konoha would be willing to kill. Maybe with this new training Naruto'd be able to fully control the demon he carried inside of him, but he'd be away for years, and if he and Iruka ever see each other in that time, it'd be merely coincidental.

Iruka sighed nostalgically; the boy had become like a little brother to him. The chuunin felt depressed every time he saw the resentment in the eyes of most of the town's people when Naruto walked by them, and felt a twitch in his stomach whenever they whispered, calling the blond gennin a monster. Iruka sighed again; if they only knew him, things would be very different. Naruto would drive them crazy, but they'd never be able to hate him.

And then, Iruka remembered, and felt ashamed of the times when he thought ill of Naruto, not all that long ago...

"Is there something wrong, sensei?" Naruto asked; his empty bowl was on the counter and he was looking gravely at Iruka.

Iruka shook his head and smiled. "No, nothing." Now he was the one pretending. Iruka inhaled before confessing; the best way to get honesty is to be honest yourself, he thought. Besides, there was no one else at Ichikaru's. "I was just thinking how much I'm going to miss you."

Naruto grinned. "I won't be gone for long," he said, raising up a finger. "I'd never thought you were this sappy, Iruka-sensei," he added, mockingly.

Iruka decided that a growling would be an adequate enough answer, so he growled.

"Besides," Naruto continued, "when I get back, I'll be able to kick your butt all over Konoha without any effort."

"Don't be disrespectful, Naruto," Iruka said, the warning not at all heartfelt.

Naruto didn't seem to listen; he put his hands behind his head. "I'm gonna learn all sort of interesting stuff with that pervert."

"Don't be disrespectful!" Iruka yelled, standing up and hitting Naruto's head with his fist.

Naruto rubbed the tender spot. "But's true! He's a pervert!"

"Naruto!" It didn't matter if it was true; Jiraiya was an excellent ninja either way.

"Everybody knows that!" Naruto insisted.

It didn't matter if everybody knew it.

"He even asked me to teach him the Sexy no Jutsu!"

It didn't matter if—

"What?"

"Ero-sennin asked me to teach him the Sexy no Jutsu to go into the women's bath houses. He didn't say that exactly, but that's the only use he'd ever have for it."

Iruka rubbed his face. Naruto's innocence was doomed with that damned pervert around! The boy, in his inexperience, would believe anything the sannin were to say. Jiraiya was both powerful and skillful, but there was a reason he was banned from every bath house within several miles around from Konoha. Iruka rapidly got to the conclusion that the best way to counterattack the poison was to administrate the antidote beforehand.

The chunnin paid their bill and dragged the boy behind him. "Let's go to my house, Naruto," he said. "There are some scrolls I want you to see."

-

Half and hour later, Naruto found himself in front of all of the most didactic scrolls Iruka had on the matter at hand. His former teacher had told him to ask him any doubt he might have about the content. "Iruka-sensei..." Naruto said after a while.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"I already know all of this," the gennin said, annoyed. "And it was more fun to read it on Kakashi-sensei's books."

-

All of Konoha's denizens found themselves startled in their sleep when Umino Iruka claimed Kakashi's blood later that night.