Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto.
Summary
It all began with a harmless joke on an unsuspecting chunin. Nothing bad was supposed to happen, really, and Kakashi was supposed to go scot-free. Instead, he got saddled with the finished problem: One super-cute Iruka chibi.
Author's Notes
Yeah, first Naruto fanfic! This is something I thought of in Math class and was supposed to be learning logs, I hope that everyone enjoys it. I mean, who wouldn't? A chibi Iruka, a reluctant Kakashi… All rolled into one! Ah, seven days of hell for the copy ninja himself.
Plastic Ponies
The hokage sighed happily as he looked out his window, it was going to be a beautiful day. He chewed thoughtfully on his pipe when a yell echoed across the village but simply dismissed it as training. The elder watched his town slowly wake and prepare for morning, some opening shops while others tried to wake up.
Yes, it certainly was going to be a fine day.
"He's late." Naruto fumed, leaning against the bridge's rail. Five minutes ticked off. "He's still late." Naruto repeated, adding a small growl at the end of the phrase. Ten more minutes crawled past. "He's late!" Said fox whined, wanting to throw a childish temper- tantrum at this now know fact.
Sakura sighed angrily as she crossed her arms, "We know!" She yelled, glaring at the boy and stomping her foot to emphasis. "He'll always be late!" She muttered while Inner Sakura killed a Kakashi doll in more than a hundred ways.
Sasuke didn't even bother to include his voice in the conversation, instead choosing to stare down the road at the approaching figure. His two teammates continued to argue about their un-punctual sensei, even when the person was a few feet away. Only when Sasuke made an 'ng' noise in his throat did they stop.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled, launching himself at the older man and almost causing him to fall over. "Did you come to buy ramen for me?" He asked, forming teary eyes before he glanced up at his past teacher.
The teacher smiled down at the boy before turning his attention to his other students from before. "So what are you all doing here?" He asked, detangling Naruto from his waist to stand up straight. "It's eight, I figured you all would be sleeping instead of up."
"And what were you doing up so early?" Naruto asked, staring up the nostrils of the older man.
Iruka glanced down, his eyes closed as he grinned, "I have no classes today so I decided to just walk around the village and enjoy the view." He gestured to the blooming cherry blossom trees surrounding them in the park. "Besides, I should be asking you that question, Mr. I-like-sleeping-breakfast-at-three-in-the-afternoon."
The fox grumbled at the answer and question in one, crossing his arms and sulking on the ground. "We're waiting for bastard Kakashi-sensei." He said. "He's always late and I'm sick of it!" He jumped up when the excitement became too much for his body to hold in silently.
The chunin watched, baffled, as Sakura instantly shot Naruto down and clung to Sasuke's arm. His head was the only one that turned to see the said bastard appear on top of a decorative light pole. "Hello, Kakashi-san!" The fellow teacher announced, waving as he did so.
Naruto and Sakura stopped their squabbling to glare at their instructor as he landed a few feet away. "You're late!" Naruto yelled as he flipped the middle at Kakashi.
The coach shook his head mournfully; ready to tell his tale of angst and loss. He cleared his throat and held up a finger to execute his point, "On the way over I noticed that I was wearing my teddy bear pajamas and had to turn back because it would be most unfortunate if someone attacked me and I wasn't able to protect myself." The shadow ninja nodded his head solemnly, "Cotton animal undergarments just aren't what they used to-"
"LIAR!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison, accompanied by Sasuke's glare.
The gray haired man sighed and looked over to Iruka as if for help or just a share in the pity. "What are you doing here? Trying to win your students back?" He asked, ignoring his students at the moment. "Or," Kakashi slung his arm over the other teachers shoulders, "are you trying to become one of my students?"
The older man's eyebrow wriggled suggestively as Iruka's eyes became half lidded, a bored expression crossing his face. "Oh, yes, sensei. I dream of becoming your student every night, but unfortunately you have students now and I think you've wasted enough of their time." He groaned under his breath in dismay when Kakashi didn't take the hint to leave.
The three teens had stopped bickering to watch their teachers in interest. 'Whoa,' Naruto thought, 'I didn't know Iruka-sensei could be like that.' Sakura stared while her inner self screamed at the kawaii-ness of the two men, one practically on top of the other now. And Sasuke, Sasuke just stared at the ground.
"Really?" Kakashi asked, grinning under his mask and being betrayed by his curved eye. "I'll just have to remedy something." Stepping to the side he pulled out a glass vial, shoving the clear liquid down Iruka's throat before he could react. "That should help." He clapped his hands to get rid of invisible dust particles, a job well done.
Iruka's eyes widened as he sputtered on the mixture, "What did you do to me?" He yelled, grabbing Kakashi's vest and lifting him in an unknown display of power. The scarecrow shrugged and placed a hand on the man's wrist.
"I think I'm going to like this." He said as he pushed himself from the brown haired teacher's arms. "I don't know if you will." Kakashi smiled and jumped away while his hand went to his chin, "Don't entirely know what's going to happen though, but since you're such a good example I'm sure you'll handle it fine."
Naruto and the others watched the teacher flinch at the words. "Why are you being so mean to Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked, wringing her hands as she looked at her present instructor.
"Not being mean." Kakashi laughed, "Just having some fun." He gestured with his hand. "Be back to normal in a couple of hours… Maybe."
The trio of teens turned to ask Iruka what that meant only to see a child of about three standing in a baggy pair of clothes. "I hate you." The child said as he sat on the ground, crossing his arms to fume at Kakashi. This made the boy look like Naruto when he sulked.
She couldn't help it; Sakura kneeled and pulled the tan child into her arms. "So cute!" She squealed as she cuddled the former teacher. Iruka whimpered at the action and struggled to become free. Sakura paused in her snuggling to look down at the youth in her arms. "What's wrong?" She cooed as she craned her head to see the boy's face.
The scrunched up face of Iruka was adorable, his scar a darker shade than his skin. "Don't like you." He whispered, pushing up his headband that was falling over his left eye. Sakura's eyes grew from shock at the bluntness of the statement, not noticing her teammates or Kakashi coming closer, the latter squatting to become level with her.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Naruto asked his teacher, making three pairs of eyes snap and focus on him. "I mean, does he remember us?" Kakashi rolled his eyes to show an answer to the question. "I'll take that as a maybe." The fox muttered, looking down at the child that used to be his mentor.
The brown eyes of Iruka sparkled with some sort of emotion as he crawled from Sakura's lap, drawing the attention back to him. His eyes turned to slits when he looked at Kakashi. A small hand raised and everyone held his or her breath, wondering if he would remember what the man did to him.
Kakashi closed his eyes and prepared for the blow he knew should, and would, be coming.
The jounin almost choked on his tongue when the hand was thrust through his hair.
Soft giggles reached his ears and Kakashi opened his eye to find Iruka only inches away from his face. The child continued to play with the gravity defying mass, laughing louder each time the hair sprung back into place.
Sakura pouted at losing the bioshen, her arms snaking out to snatch the small Iruka back to her chest. "We don't want you to hang out with him." She shook her head and pointed at her teacher, "He's bad and evil." The child's eyes grew to the size of saucers as Sakura became more and more animated at pointing out Kakashi's shortcomings.
"I wanna hold him!" Naruto yelled, reaching out to grab the small arm, "Let me do it, Sakura! You're hogging him!" The fox pulled harder, making the girl stand to stake her claim. Sasuke watched with his usual blank face on the outside, but his eyes shined to reveal he also wanted to hold Iruka.
"Mine!"
"Miner!"
"Likes me better!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
The young child could only take so much before his face screwed up and a shrill scream burst from his lips. His short legs curled under his body as he was jerked back and forth between Naruto and Sakura. Deciding this was enough; Kakashi stepped forward to take Iruka from the hell that was his students.
The small form quivered in the arms of the jounin, sniffling into the man's chest. "If this is how you treat kids, I hope you never have any." Kakashi said, earning a look of guilt from both. "Since I can't trust him in either of yours care." He ignored Sasuke for the moment, "I'm going to have to watch him myself."
About to argue, Sakura and Sasuke stopped Naruto in their own special ways, the girl clamping her hand over his mouth and the other boy punching him in the stomach. "Shut up!" She hissed, pointing at Kakashi. "We don't want to wake him up."
A soft sigh came from Iruka's parted lips as he burrowed deeper into Kakashi's chest, his small hand forming a strong hold on his vest. The ninja's eyebrow rose in amusement, "I guess you two tired him out." He laughed, the movement making the child pout and shift his weight.
The scarecrow turned to leave, again being stopped by his students. "Where are you taking him?" Sakura and Naruto asked in unison, scowling at each other when they finished.
"To his house, where else?"
Sakura focused narrowed eyes on her teacher before beginning, "You had better stay with him, or else." While inner-Sakura shouted curses that the teacher would never hear, though a shudder went down his spine for some unknown reason.
"Yeah! If Iruka-sensei is hurt in anyway…" Naruto let the statement hang, shaking a fist.
Kakashi shrugged, "I know, I know. You will kill me and tell the hokage it was an accident. Can I go now?" The three nodded, Sasuke adding his own threat by glaring at the back of his head.
Unnerved from the anger of his students, Kakashi nimbly jumped onto a rooftop to begin the way home. Forgetting that he didn't know the way to Iruka's house was no problem for the elite ninja. Speeding across the village, he unconsciously made his way closer to the hokage's office to ask some questions.
He opened the door cautiously, analyzing everything before stepping into the carpeted hall. A few ninja were walking through, minding their own business and never pausing to talk. Some look out of the large windows, wanting to leave and go outside but not daring to disobey their responsibilities to the village.
That was until Iruka awoke with an almost silent yawn.
Thinking this would do nothing; Kakashi continued to walk only to find his way blocked by ninja. Not the threatening kinds that could, and would, kill on sight. More specifically, the women ninja.
They all moved closer to the youngster, paying no attention to the man holding Iruka. A predatory gleam appeared in their eyes as they crept closer, some flexing their hands in anticipation. Silence echoed through the hall for a moment, Kakashi backing up to escape from the womenfolk.
Hitting the wall seemed to be the signal, all launching at the child and the jounin. A chorus of 'aw's' and 'adorable' were shrieked from the mass, grabbing Iruka into the fray. Suddenly, one of the ladies, not yelling in happiness, broke from the group.
"Get him off me!" She screamed, waving an arm through the air as she panicked.
Everyone paused to watch her run in a circle, continuing to flail her arm erratically. Kakashi quickly appeared next to the woman, slamming his hands onto her shoulders to stop her from escaping. Looking down, he spotted the cause of the screaming: Iruka had wrapped around her arm and was biting down on her wrist.
Kakashi prepared to pry off the child, about to use a simple jutsu, unaware of the crowd forming. He stepped closer, being careful to warn the woman of what he was about to do by forming the proper hand seals.
The air became heavy, both ninja freezing in place as Iruka swiveled his head to stare at the rescuer. The mob sucked in their breath as they waited for the encounter that follows, secretly enjoying the free entertainment.
A jubilant shout was screamed through the hallway as the child vaulted off the lady. She teetered back and forth, almost falling, and turned to scold the boy. Nestled in Kakashi's chest, Iruka glanced over his shoulder fearfully at her and whimpered.
His arms latched around the man's neck and his small legs struggled to encircle the large chest. He mumbled and lowered his eyes, letting out a squeak when he noticed how high he was off the ground. His body tensed and he tried to flatten his body against Kakashi.
The scolder paused in mid-sentence at the sight, finger still pointed at Iruka's back, and broke down at the cuteness.
The crowd, sensing an agreement was formed, surged forward. Kakashi finally surrounded the child with his arms, an extra precaution against the women. They all kept their distance, learning from the horrible event that had happened before.
"He's so cute, Kakashi-san." A woman cooed as she looked at Iruka instead of the ninja she was talking to. She smiled when Iruka turned to look at her with wonder filled eyes.
Another joined the conversation, "Is he yours? The mother must be especially beautiful to have a little angel like this." She pressed a finger against the laughing youth's nose, making a small hand reach up to curl around the body part.
"Yeah, Kakashi-san! Who's the mother?" Others cried, moving against the teacher. He looked around for an opening to flee to but found none; these women were good at trapping their prey. A soft pulling made him flinch in instinct before remembering he was holding a child and the ladies weren't attacking. Yet.
'Correction,' he thought, 'Someone I don't even know who I probably cursed for life.' He sighed and turned to leave, only to recall he was against a wall with no freedom in sight.
Iruka, finding that pulling wasn't doing the job, went to extreme measures. Poke. Poke.
Pokepokepokepokepokepokepokepoke.
Growling, and turning to his attacker, Kakashi found Iruka staring up at him expectantly. "What is it?" He hissed, turning to nod at a woman quickly after she finished her question on abortion pills.
The child shook his head and pointed, hitting a lady in the eye by accident. A small hole had appeared and the ninja took his chance. Dashing through the crowd and to the door of the hokage, Kakashi ran, hearing the pound of the feet behind him.
Closing the door, the jounin panted and leaned against the large oak door. The hokage watched the man with amusement as he chewed lightly on his pipe. "Every time you come here…" He paused to look back over his village through the window, "Causing trouble." He grumbled.
Kakashi sighed, his one eye rolling in aggravation. "It isn't my fault." He muttered in irritation at the questioning, placing the smiling Iruka on the leaders writing table. "If he wasn't so cute I would've arrived earlier."
"You'd still be late." The elder chuckled as he turned, an eyebrow rose at the child sitting on his desk. "What's this?" He asked, both eyebrows rising this time, "I don't run a daycare here." He paused, talking around his pipe as he chewed. "Of course daycares only take responsibility of children. Screaming jutsu." He stated, circling the boy, who was currently counting his toes.
Grinning beneath his mask while moving away, the ninja who began the problem was faced with something else that was his fault. Hundreds of hokage surrounded him. "So, who's the victim of your little game this time?" They all asked as one, making the room shake slightly from the volume.
The question echoed around the space, bouncing off the walls to hit Kakashi full blast. "No one of importance… To me." He added as an afterthought. Finally breaking under the glare, he sat down on a chair hastily, "It was a chunin," That glare never relented, "who taught Naruto…" He grumbled while crossing his arms like a boy caught doing a prank in a catholic school.
Konohagakure village was usually peaceful during the day, allowing many to enjoy the solitude and silence. Of these were the animals that also lived in the village, never at arms with the villagers. Currently a flock of large birds had taken it on as their right to roost on the highest point in the town, otherwise known as the hokage's office.
They squawked and preened under the noon sun. Some were settling down for a nap, relishing in the fact that smaller birds would not bother them. An adult or two watched over the young, making sure the chicks didn't wander from the nest and fall to the ground.
Relaxation floated over the rooftop as sleep claimed many of the birds. This, it seemed was the life for them. But, alas, as always, there is a small flaw in paradise.
"You did WHAT!?"
And the birds took flight.
To be continued…
Ending Notes
Don't know if I'll continue.
Review if you want to, maybe this story has potential.
Flames will be used to keep self-warm, and for inspiration.