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Chapter 5

5

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned to see an orange figure rush up to him. He didn't need ninja skills to know it was Naruto. Only one person of his acquaintance was as noisy as his former student.

"Hey, Naruto!" he greeted the blond shinobi. "You're back from your mission early."

"Yeah, it was peanuts. Those losers didn't stand a chance! Dattebayo!" Naruto bragged in a loud voice.

Iruka couldn't help but smack Naruto on the head. "Shut up! Don't go bragging like that! You should always take your missions seriously."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Sheesh, sensei! I was just telling the truth." Then he mumbled, "Didn't know old people could be touchy like that..."

"You were saying something?!"

The blonde shinobi stepped back. "Eh? Oh-nothing, nothing..."

Iruka decided to let it pass, since last time he checked, he was the adult here and not Naruto. He looked at his former student. He may have grown as a shinobi, but as far as maturity is concerned, Iruka's afraid Naruto's still a long way back.

"Sensei?" His voice broke Iruka's reverie. "I'm kinda hungry. Let's go to Ichiraku's!"

Iruka smiled. "Sure! Akira will be meeting me there anyway. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

The blond's face immediately lit up. "Oooh great! I haven't seen her in a while. That'd be awesome!" The pair began to walk towards the famous ramen stall. Naruto continued his rant.

"How is she anyway? Is that wolf of hers still huge? I haven't gotten around to visiting the Academy. Is she alright?"

Iruka heard the concern in Naruto's tone of voice. His concern for Akira has always been genuine and went deeper than friendship. They are after all, "kindred spirits".

"Yeah, she's the same as usual," Iruka replied, choosing his words carefully. "She's with the Hokage at the moment though, discussing some stuff..."

Naruto's carefree expression sobered. "Yeah, that stuff. With the wolf and the kid..." He saw Iruka's surprised face and Naruto shrugged. "I heard it while I was walking towards here." He shook his head lightly. "The villagers are mad again, are they?" When Iruka remained silent, Naruto sighed. He may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but Naruto knows how jinchuriki are treated. After all, he's a jinchuriki too.

Iruka sensed the blond shinobi's change in mood, and he knew how the village's treatment of Akira affects Naruto. The two are close friends.

'But now he's different,' Iruka thought as he and Naruto walked along the street. 'Slowly, he has gained friends and people who respect and recognize him. Over the years, he had proven slowly that he's not only the 'nine-tails kid' but Uzumaki Naruto...I just wish it could be the same for Akira.'

Iruka sighed. "Well, cheer up Naruto! It wasn't that bad. The Hokage had sorted it out, so there's no problem." He smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Akira's with her now, probably just discussing some minor matters. Besides, we know how that wolf roll, she's a tough one."

That seemed to lift Naruto's mood. "Oh right! Heh, I bet Granny's tearing her hair out at Akira right now."

Iruka chuckled. "You bet. Hey, how about this, I treat you and Akira to Ichiraku?"

Naruto's blue eyes grew wide as saucers. "Really?! Alright! You really are the best Iruka-sensei, dattebayo!" He ran towards the stall, excitement evident on his face. "C'mon Iruka-sensei I'm starving!"