Chapter Text
Death, destruction, and desolation that was what greeted Iruka when he crawled out from under a chunk of debris where he had been hiding. The death rattles and battle cries intertwined with streets crumbling and homes bursting into flames were replaced with an eerie silence that suffocated the ruined battlegrounds. The horrible burning chakra that drowned the village and weighted on Iruka's chest like a boulder was also gone, leaving a frigid still air behind. The dust had yet to settle, lingering in the air, and the sun was hidden by dour grey clouds, giving the young boy no warmth. Tears were streaming down his face as he sniffled, the motion disturbing the deep gash across the bridge of his nose. The pain now was a dull ache, and most of the blood had dried.
"Kaasan, Tosan," Iruka's trembling voice called out, getting nothing but chilling silence in response. There were plenty of people around him, but none gave any chakra signatures, made any movements, asked for help… or breathed. They were hollow shells with their dark insides strewn across the dead battlefield. Iruka searched through the death and destruction for any signs of his parents. He remembered where he left them, but it was challenging to navigate with the dust clouding his vision and landmarks being nothing more than rubble. He didn't know how long it had been before he felt the heat of another's chakra, like finding a lit candle in a pitch-black cave. He latched onto it and followed after it, climbing over the rubble of homes and stepping over pieces of corpses.
"Kaasan, Tosan!" he cried out when he saw figures forming through all the muck in the air. Getting closer, he saw that they were a group of shinobis standing in an open field lined with bodies draped in white cloths, hiding them away from all the devastation. He slowly came to a stop, staring at the hope-shattering amount of white cloths that seemed to be endless. "You can't be here… can you?"
"We have another young one over here!" one of the shinobi called out, his green jumpsuit clashing with the greys of the air.
"I'm on it!" another shinobi replied, heading over to Iruka. The kunoichi's long, messy black hair was dusted grey from all the debris. She crouched in front of him, and he saw just how ruby red her eyes were, pulling him in like an Uchiha's gaze. "Would you like some help?" she asked, her voice gentle like a reassuring caress.
"H-Have you seen my mom and dad?" he sniffled.
"Hm, I don't believe so," she tapped her chin in thought. "Where did you last see them?" Mother embraced him, cold and breathless, with her back a mangled mess. Father collapsed in the dirt with his chest crushed in and ribs jutting out. The fresh memory's assault on his mind sent him back into a sobbing mess of snot and tears. At once, comforting arms wrapped around him, and a calming chakra like a warm summer breeze blanketed him.
"It's all right, I have you," she soothed. Iruka wrapped his arms around her, clinging onto the only warmth he had, and sobbed onto her shoulder, not protesting when she picked him up.
"Kurenai, is everything okay?" a different shinobi asked, an unlit cigarette forgotten behind his ear.
"No," Kurenai sighed, rubbing the young boy's back. "But we can try to make it better. I'll be back, Asuma. Continue without me." She walked away, humming softly. Where to, Iruka didn't know, but it didn't matter. No matter where he went, he wouldn't be in the loving embrace of his parents. Never again.
~ ✧ ~
Iruka was going to learn fuuinjutsu. It was a simple decision on his part after hearing from the Sandaime how his successor used the sealing arts to defeat and imprison the Nine-Tailed Fox and save Konoha from further destruction. Though the Sandaime had assured him that the Nine-Tails was to never escape again, Iruka wanted to be prepared. He listened closely in class when Hokoto-sensei went over basic fuuinjutsu in class and checked out extra books from the Shinobi Academy library on the ninja art. He read and took notes during his spare time in his dorm at the orphanage and the Sarutobi estate when Asuma was home from missions.
Mizuki teased him occasionally about 'how sticking his nose in a book wasn't the same as physical training,' but it didn't deter him. Kotetsu and Izumo didn't mind his studies, and Kotetsu even let him practice some seals on him, though that ended when Kurenai found them trying to test a seal's durability with a kunai. The Sandaime enjoyed seeing him studious and passionate about the jutsus, even letting him study in the Hokage's office—like he was now.
Iruka was sitting on the couch rereading the same lesson on The Parts and Functions of a Barrier Seal for the fourth time. He was reaching a barrier in his learning; the foundations had been drilled into his head with the more complex principles out of his reach. There wasn't a need for chuunin-level or higher jutsus in the academy library for students just learning about the basic skills of being a shinobi.
"Hey, Sandaime-sama," Iruka spoke up, looking from his book to the leader of Konoha sitting behind his desk with a pipe smoking from his lips. He politely held up a hand as he finished reading the last part of the proposal on his desk before giving Iruka his full attention. His old eyes were tired but still focused.
“What is it, Iruka-kun?”
"Do you have any scrolls or books on fuuinjutsu? If I keep reading the same thing over again, I'll drive myself crazy."
"You've already outgrown your sources? You learn fast when you set your mind to it," Sandaime smiled, amused. He breathed out a puff of smoke and tapped his chin. "Well, you have been on good behavior lately unless you've pulled some prank I have yet to learn about."
“Oh no, Sandaime-sama! I'm reformed." Iruka said in his most innocent voice, holding his hand to his chest. "I've grown and changed my wicked ways."
"Is that so?" The Sandaime chuckled. "Here," he reached into his desk and pulled out a set of keys with the Sarutobi crest. "You can search the entry level of the archives for any scrolls to scratch your intellectual itch."
"Thank you!" Iruka raced over and went to grab the keys, but the Hokage lifted them out of reach.
"Only the entry-level, understand?" he reinforced.
“Yes, Sandaime-sama.” The Hokage relinquished the keys to him. He grabbed his book bag and was on his way to the archives. After months of passing it by, but unable to enter, he opened the old archive door and stepped inside. The towering shelves that filled the tall halls held a mind-blowing array of informational scrolls and books. Once he had found the fuuinjutsu section on his own, as there was no librarian to ask for help, he realized it would have taken him years to read it all. The surplus of information was chaotic and overwhelming, but he found his eyes constantly drifting to the same place as he filled his bag with books and scrolls. In the further corner of the archives was a door shut by many locking seals. It screamed confidential and off-limits, which tempted Iruka to investigate even more. "I know Sandaime said I've been on good behavior… so if I break this one rule now, he would be too mad, right?"
Iruka went to the door and tried to open it with the keys. None of them worked, stopping halfway or not moving at all. "Duh, of course, the key won't open the door on its own. It needs a chakra push to trigger the seals." He tried the keys again, but this time, he sent a controlled push of chakra into the keys, attempting to find the right path to unlock the seals. On his fourth try, the key turned the whole way, and the lock clicked out, the seals flashing blue. He gave himself a proud pat on the back and pushed open a door, revealing a set of stairs that delved deeper into the archives. The stairway was chilly, and his tiny footsteps echoed, growing louder the deeper he went. The door at the bottom had the exact mechanism but twice the number of seals, taking double the time for Iruka to crack. He was nearly chakra-exhausted when he got the door open. He needed more practice in controlling his chakra output.
The room inside was unlit, but Iruka could tell it was smaller from the light at the top of the stairwell. There was an unlit candle hooked to the wall that he jumped up and grabbed. He signed Tora and focused on the warm chakra in his chest. "Fire Release: Coating Blaze!" he exhaled sharply, and a pathetic spark popped out his mouth, practically spitting on the candle. "Kaasan made it look so easy." A piece of floating dust tickled his nose, and he sneezed. A burst of small flames shot from his mouth to light the candle. He used the candle's flickering flame to light his way through the dusty shelves, cobwebs, and aged grime coating many of the old books and scrolls.
"Does no one come down here? Wait, what's that?" He turned his gaze upward to a book on a higher shelf whose spine was jeweled with red and black agate. He put the candle in his mouth and carefully climbed up the shelf to grab the heavy book. It slipped from his hand and landed with a loud bang on the hard floor. He cringed and listened for anyone coming to investigate the sound, sighing relieved when no one came. The faded blue cover had the symbol of a full moon with three four-pointed stars surrounding it. The title was in a language that Iruka had never seen, but underneath, written in harsh red ink, must have been the translation. 'Journal for the Tenshigan and its Sealings' "Sealings? That must mean fuuinjutsu. But what's a 'Tenshigan'? It sounds like those kekkei genkai the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans have." He excitedly stuffed the book in his bag and heaved it on his shoulder. He turned to a scroll on the adjacent shelf with markings similar to the book's. He reached for it, and a hand from the dark reached for him, gripping his hand like a snake would latch onto its prey. Iruka internally yelped, a frightened shiver running through his body though he remained perfectly still.
"What are you doing in here?" a grumbling voice questioned him, and Iruka looked to see an unfamiliar older man standing over him, wearing black and white robes and a deep frown. Bandages were wrapped around half of his face, tousling his shaggy black hair and covering one of his eyes. The exposed eye glared down at him accusingly, golden iris gleaming in the candlelight. "Dang it, I should've thought of a genjutsu to hide myself. I should've asked Tosan to teach me one."
"Just browsing, Shisho-san," Iruka sheepishly smiled. His smile wasn't returned.
"How did you get in here? This area's off limits." "He's the grumpiest-looking librarian I've ever seen."
"The Third Hokage himself let me have access," he answered more confidently. Gripping the candle between two fingers, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the archive keys. "See!"
"He… gave them to you?"
"Yes!" he proudly held up the keys. The librarian's frown deepened.
"That fool," he growled and snatched the keys from Iruka's hand, the boy noticing that the man's hand was also bandaged like his head. "Follow," he ordered but dragged Iruka by the hand out of the room and up the stairs regardless, not giving the boy a choice. "Wait, 'fool'? Is he talking about the Hokage?"
"You can't talk about Sandaime like that!" he tried, pulling his hand away, but the older man's grip held firm. The librarian didn't respond, continuing to lock the door and march Iruka out of the archives and down the hall. “You can't just drag me around like some dog," he protested, dragging his feet to no avail. I'm a future shinobi. I can blast you away with a fire jutsu, Shisho-san."
"You can attack me with one of those whenever you feel ready," the older man disinterestedly responded. Iruka took up the challenge, gathering the remaining chakra he had.
"Trap of Burning Punishment!" he grabbed the librarian's arm, expecting to see a web of seal marking form. Nothing more than a whimpering spark of chakra sputtered. The librarian stopped and scowled down at him as if insulted he'd been struck by such a weak attack.
"… It has a delayed effect?" Iruka embarrassedly smiled. The older man huffed and continued his march, barging into the Hokage's office unannounced.
“Sandaime-sama, help me!” Iruka pleaded, still trying to break free. "This librarian is kidnapping me!"
"Librarian?" Sandaime looked up from his report. He smirked to himself. "Please let the boy go, Shisho," he ordered as he finished signing his signature. "I allowed Iruka into the archives."
"So, you did give Umino the keys to the restrictive archives, Hiruzen?" the man's tone edged on fuming.
"That's Sandaime-sama to you!" Iruka finally wrenched himself free, retreating and rubbing his sore wrist.
"Iruka-kun, did you go past the entry-level?" Sandaime questioned, and Iruka guiltily looked down at the floor.
"I, uh, got lost?" he knew the flimsy excuse wouldn't be believed. "But I didn't get the chance to look at anything." Sandaime groaned but didn't question him on his second lie.
"My apologies, Danzo," the Hokage apologetically sighed. "I'll be more thoughtful with whom I lend my keys." He held out his hand, going back to his report. The librarian stared at the hand incredulously.
"I'm confiscating your keys."
"What?" Sandaime looked up, annoyed. "You can't do that. Librarians don’t outrank Hokages!" the librarian rolled his eye and stuffed the keys in his pocket.
"I'll return them once you complete today's paperwork." He turned to leave.
"Danzo!" the man ignored Sandaime as he left the office. "Asshole," the Hokage grumbled and leaned back in his chair. He gasped and quickly covered his mouth, looking at Iruka. "You didn't hear me say that." Iruka nodded and zipped his lips.
"It's okay, Sandaime-sama. My mom said a lot worse." It was surprising seeing Sadaime lose his usual professional tone and regal appearance, arguing pettily with a rude librarian and cursing. Though the Hokage quickly regained his composure and returned to work, it was a memory Iruka would keep.
About an hour later, Asuma came to the office to pick him up and take him out to ramen before he went on his mission. He was happy to share a bowl of delicious ramen with the Sarutobi, excited to delve into the old book inside his bag.
…
… …
… … …
Iruka sat at the small desk in his shared bedroom. All his roommates were out, Mizuki practicing his kenjutsu and Izumo and Kotetsu doing their chores around the orphanage. Sat in front of him was the massive book from the restrictive archives, waiting to spill all its secrets to him. He opened it, careful with the aged pages. It was filled more with the unknown language and detailed sketches of symbols Iruka had never seen. Red writing was also included, squeezed between the margins, and notes were made where the translator could decipher any meaning. The opening line read: I birth the Tenshigan to connect mine soul to the mortal world and the astral planes ruled by the long forgotten and the malevolent, to guide lost souls to thine final resting place and defend the mortal life from the depraved demons' ire and seal them away. Here swears I, Truest Tsuki no O.'
"Truest king of the moon? Tenshigan? Connect with the dead?" Iruka muttered aloud, eyes growing wide and stomach fluttering excitedly.
Iruka read what he could, getting bits and pieces of information about cursed seals, Aether chakra releases, and a recurring date: September 6th. He came across a loose folded page in the book and gently unfolded it. The entire page was written in red, and at the top was scrawled: Tenshigan Ritual: To Be Blessed with Angel Eyes. He continued to read with hungry eyes.
Closely follow the steps below to successfully complete the ritual. Beware if any ingredient/supply is missing, rule broken or step skipped, the consequences will be damning. Continue at your own risk.
Supplies:
- Blessed Ritual Knife
- Clay Bowl
- Red Wax Candles
- Silk Blindfold
- Blank Scroll
- Three Diospyros kaki Fruits
- Black Ink
- Paintbrush
Rules:
- The ritual must be completed on a full moon between three and four thirteen in the morning. If done outside of this time frame, the ritual will be unsuccessful.
- For your and others protection, do not let anything or anyone interrupt the ritual. Once it starts, it cannot be stopped.
- Under no circumstances do you remove your blindfold until sunrise. It is for your protection and sanity.
- After completing step four, do not trust anything you hear. Their tongues will lie.
- After completing step four, do not trust anything that touches you. Their hands will deceive.
- After completing the ritual, do not let them know you see. Their eyes will be your undoing.
- If you have any doubts about what you have read so far, do not continue the ritual.
Steele your heart, and may Tsuki no O be your guide.
Steps:
"Iruka-kun," Iruka internally flinched at the call of his name, gently setting down the paper. He turned around and saw a young woman standing in the doorway wearing an orphanage caretaker uniform resembling a maid. However, she was one of the few wearing a shinobi head protector. It was Sarutobi Emi, one of the primary caretakers, though her most notable duty was to care for the fox on the highest floor of the orphanage. "You're reading something fun, I bet." She gave him a sly smile.
"Fuuinjustsu is always fun," he returned her smile, turning in his chair and laying his arm to cover the book. "Did you need something?"
"Yes. Kotetsu and Izumo would like some help stocking the pantry. Kotetsu already dropped a water jug while climbing the ladder. No one was hurt this time, thankfully." Iruka remembered when Tsubaki had accidentally fallen off the ladder and broken her wrist before a Transformation Technique quiz. She wasn't the only one to break something, with many other kids managing to break a bone.
"I can help. Just give me a second."
“Thank you, Iruka-kun.” She lingered by the door, waiting for him to leave.
“Oh, Emi-san?”
“Yes?”
"How… How's the fox doing? Is the seal still stable?"
"You have nothing to fear, Iruka-kun," she sighed, reassuring him. "As long as Naruto is happy and healthy, there's nothing for the demon to feed on. And toddlers don't have much to worry about for a few years." She smirked. "Good. There's plenty of time for me to prepare." Iruka stowed the book underneath his bunk bed but kept the paper in his pocket. He was sure that his lie wouldn't hold forever and that the grumpy librarian would notice that one of his books was missing. But Iruka would ensure he held onto the paper… just in case.
~ ✧ ~
"What's the hand sign for wind release again?" Kotetsu asked, rubbing his head as if he were fending off a headache as he stared at the practice quiz his schoolbook supplied him.
"It's Inu," Mizuki smirked, having already finished his practice quiz.
"Don't listen to Mizuki," Iruka said, bopping the white-haired boy over the head with his fuuinjutsu scroll. “It's Tori."
"Ugh, I'm gonna fail this so bad," Kotetsu whined, sniffling. "You all will become shinobi without me, and I'll be stuck being the janitor or something."
"I'll be a janitor with you then!" Izumo said. "But that won't happen because I know you'll ace this exam. You've been working hard."
"Hokoto-sensei said we only need eighty percent on our paper exam," Tsubaki said, a taijustu book open in her lap. "We have room to make errors."
"Like you're gonna make a mistake, bookworm." Mizuki teased, earning him another whack upside the head from Iruka.
"What Mizuki is trying to say," Iruka said, "is that you're too smart to fail, Tsubaki-chan."
"Oh… thank you for the translation, Iruka-kun," Tsubaki returned to her book with a light flush of pink to her cheeks. Iruka didn't catch the glare Mizuki shot Tsubaki's way as a pair of shinobi entered the orphanage dorm room.
"I see Konoha's future shinobi are already hard at work," Kurenai smiled, Asuma standing beside her, hands in his pockets. The children's faces let up, worries of the genin entry exam washing away.
"Asuma-san!" Kotetsu jumped to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger. "I want a rematch. I'll beat you two outta three." The young boy flexed his small biceps, and Izumo rolled his eyes.
"Sadly, I'll have to do our arm-wrestling rematch next time," Asuma said. "I've gotta mission today."
"Another one?" Iruka frowned.
"Yeah, sorry, kiddo," the shinobi ruffled the Umino's hair. "The old man wants me to go kick someone's ass." Kurenai elbowed Asuma's side. "Butt, I mean." He corrected, rubbing his side.
"Hopefully, you'll make it back in one piece, Asuma-san." Mizuki gave a thumbs-up and an exaggerated smile.
"Your worry assures me," Asuma sarcastically replied.
"Are you ready to go, Iruka-kun?" Kurenai asked.
"Just a second!" Iruka quickly gathered his red coin pouch, even though the Yuuhi insisted she would pay, and slipped on his sandals on his way out with the kunoichi.
~ ✧ ~
They took the long walk from the orphanage to the Uchiha Clan compound so Kurenai could run her errands. Iruka didn't mind trailing behind the kunoichi as she delivered mail to the Uchiha police department and picked up handmade shinobi uniforms from the seamstress. They also ran into Denzo while he tended to the community garden. The wheelchair-bound Uchiha gave a happy smile and waved, and they also made a slight detour to help an older woman pick up her dropped groceries. They made their last stop at a quaint Uchiha Senbei café. Iruka remembered passing by but never going in. The bell above the door chimed as they walked in, the delicious smell of rice cakes and pastries hitting Iruka's nose.
"Good afternoon, Uruchi-san," Kurenai greeted the shopkeeper, who swept the floor, smiling wide when she saw the kunoichi.
"Oh, dear Kurenai-chan, how nice of you to drop by. Your young love isn't with you?"
"Asuma's on a mission," Kurenai blessed bashfully. "But I did bring a guest." Uruchi glanced down at the young boy whose face was hidden behind his big shopping bag. The kunoichi grabbed the bag to properly introduce the boy. "This is Iruka."
"Hello, Uruchi-san!" he waved with a grin.
"Oh, my," the older woman gasped, putting a hand on her chest. She shook off her surprise and continued to smile. "You came around a little sooner than I thought, but no matter. I promise to feed you well, little one. Please, the two of you, grab a table. Teyaki!" she called out to her husband as she rushed into the back of the store. Kurenai and Iruka folded their bags and took the table in front of the window.
"How are your studies coming along?" she inquired.
"Good, I think." He responded. "I got the basic techniques down, but my genjutsus are still sloppy. They don't fool anyone. Could you give me some more lessons, please?"
"Of course, I can. Genjutsu is a difficult art to master, even for some of the highest-ranking shinobis. Regardless, I know you'll pass the entry exam."
"I hope so, too."
"Keep hoping and wishing. Believing you can achieve something makes it all the more plausible." Her red lips smiled, and she paused, taking a moment to watch the old woman they had helped earlier stroll past the store. "How's your fuuinjutsu coming along? Did you break into another archive?"
"No," Iruka scoffed at the light teasing. "I've been working on sealing away things. I sealed six kunais yesterday. I'm gonna try a whole set of shurikens next."
"As long as you don't experiment on your friends."
"Kotetsu wouldn't have minded if he got a scar."
"That's the issue," she softly sighed with a smile. "The positive is that you know your friends care about your goals."
"Right. I didn't think they would care about me at all… but they don't know I'm from Kiri, so…"
"What would that have to do with anything?" she quirked her head.
"I don't know…" he shrugged, looking down at the table. "They may think I'm some spy or secretly a shark monster."
"They wouldn't think anything of the sort." She reassured him, and he looked up at her. "But if you don't want to tell them, you don't have to… Do know that when I learned you were from Kirigakure, I never thought you were secretly a shark monster, Iruka-kun." She winked, and he giggled.
"We brought you both some fresh senbeis and green tea," Teyaki announced, carrying a tray of rice cakes. Uruchi followed with a steaming teapot and cups. They set the food and drink on the table.
"Thank you so much," Kurenai respectfully bowed her head.
"You're welcome, dear," Uruchi bowed back. "We'll be giving you a discount."
"What for? There's no special deal today."
"We just wanted to relieve you of some financial stress," Teyaki said. "I know the Sarutobis' have their wealth, but we wanted to help where possible. Raising a child is no easy task." Kurenai blinked, stupefied, and Iruka joined in the confusion.
"Pardon?"
"You're an honorary Uchiha in our eyes," Uruchi patted her on the shoulder. "We're here to support you." She leaned over and pinched Iruka's cheek. "Your little Iruka here has his daddy's eyes." "No, I don't. Why would she think—Oh, I get it!" Iruka laughed as Kurenai flushed in embarrassment, explaining through stutters that she had yet to bear any children of her own, and the Uchiha couple's faces shared the same apologetic pink.
~ ✧ ~
Iruka waved goodbye to Uruchi and Teyaki as he and Kurenai left the shop, his stomach full of delicious rice cakes and herbal green tea. The sun was setting, and chilly wind gusts signified that night was soon approaching. He held onto Kurenai's hand when they left the Uchiha district, and as they were crossing the bridge over one of Konoha's many streams, Iruka watched the dark waters glitter from the night stars. About halfway across, he noticed that an elderly woman was also crossing the bridge and coming towards them. The same old lady he'd seen earlier, the one they had helped.
"Iruka-kun," Kurenai spoke quietly, keeping her gaze forward, her grip on him tightening.
"Yes?" He nervously responded, feeling her normally calm chakra spiking sharply.
"When I give you the opportunity, run." Before he could ask her why, she retrieved three kunai with a flick of her wrist and flung them toward the old woman, who hurriedly ducked underneath the attack, being more than agile for a woman supposedly her old age.
"You've got a keen eye," she croaked, her sweet old face twisting with glee. A puff of smoke engulfed as her transformation ceased, revealing a much younger woman wearing a patched-together Kiri-nin uniform with a ragged dark purple scarf around her neck. "Shouldn't expect anything less from a Uchiha." Iruka spun around as a startled gasp came from behind, eyes wide seeing another supposed Kiri-nin being entrapped from a tree sprouting out from the cobblestone, his sword clattering to the ground.
"You've mistaken my ruby eyes for another," Kurenai said, dropping her bags to level a kunai towards the purple-scarfed shinobi. "I'm no Uchiha. I am Kurenai of the Yuuhi clan."
"Our buyer told us otherwise," the Kiri-nin's green eyes narrowed. "Doesn’t matter, as long as he pays up, I don't give a damn what you are." She unhooked the hefty kusarigama off her back and wrapped the chain around her arm, the nasty blade of the dangling sickle serrated and covered in dark stains. "We don't need to kill you honestly, but it's easier to collect your eyes, False Uchiha. Unless you're willing to give them up." Kurenai flashed her weapon in response, the trapped shinobi gasping for breath as vines wrapped around his neck. "Naturally." Her cruel eyes shifted to Iruka, the boy internally cringing. "What about the boy?"
"What of him?" Kurenai stood protectively in front of Iruka.
"He's Iruka, the kidnapped Umino of Kirigakure. His clan wants him back home. Willing to pay anyone top dollar for him. Wanted to take out two birds with one stone."
"You can't take me back! I won't go!" Iruka shouted back, a burst of anger burning his chest. "They're still after me?! Where'd they even get the money for a bounty?" "This is my home now!"
"That's what they all say," she snickered as she whipped around the chain, sending the sickle flying toward Kurenai's head. A glint in the dark snatched Iruka's eye, and he turned to the left to see a barrage of six shurikens zeroing in on the kunoichi, who was already in motion to fend off the sickle. "Hurry, Iruka!" He quickly pulled out four kunai and, trying to keep his hands steady, threw them at the approaching shurikens. He only managed to get two of them out of the air, and without a moment to waste, leaped up to catch them before they could strike Kurenai as she blocked the sickle with her kunai. He stifled a cry of pain as one of the shuriken lodged into his hand and the other two cut deep into his shoulder and side.
"Iruka-kun!" Kurenai cried out in alarm, turning her attention to the wounded boy.
"Water Release: River Strike Jutsu!" Iruka only had a moment to process the shout in the dark before a rush of water shot over the other side of the bridge and crashed into them with the strength of a charging bull. The world spun as he was knocked to the ground, their bags and coin purse lost to the river. Dazed and coughing up water, he saw Kurenai in no better position, having been thrown against the railing and left to gasp for breath. The tree trapping of the shinobi fizzled out of existence like a mirage, the man gasping for breath. A collector-nin stood atop both sides of the railing. "Don't make this too easy, Uchiha-chan," the one that had thrown the water jutsu boasted, an ugly grin marring his face.
"I'd prefer she stay down. Less work for me," the other said, twirling a shuriken around her finger.
"Kurenai-san!" Iruka tried running to the downed kunoichi but was grabbed from behind by the strong arms of the collector-nin, now free from Kurenai's genjutsu. Iruka’s arms were kept restrained in the bear hug-like hold. "Let me go!" he screamed, his legs kicking but too short to hit anything.
"Wait—" Kurenai's cry was cut off as the lead collector-nin whipped her chain to wrap around her neck, dragging her to the middle of the bridge with the sickle burying itself into the ground.
"Hurry up and take her head," the shuriken shinobi practically yawned as she moved to step on Kurenai's back, keeping her in place and flicking her blonde hair out of her face.
"Yeah, yeah," the ugly, smiling shinobi pulled his axe from his back and slowly approached the restrained kunoichi.
"Please, stop!" Iruka pleaded, thrashing with all the chakra he had coursing through him like lighting burning through a tree. "You can just take me, okay!"
"We were gonna do that anyway, kid," the axe-wielding shinobi smirked as he raised his blade, already stained with the blood of other victims.
"Kurenai, please—" the axe swung down, blood sprayed up like a fountain, and a head rolled. "… get up." Iruka's broken whimper left his trembling lips, the fight leaving his body and a petrifying shock settling in. "Why?... Why again?" "It's not fair…" he whispered, glossy eyes staring off distantly. Seeing Kurenai's head callously picked up by her silky black hair in the dirty hand of the lead collector-nin made his previous anger return with a fury, a seething snarl taking over his young face. "Why can't you leave us alone?!" he screamed, every word fueled by ire. "We fight so hard to live in peace. Why do you monsters have to ruin everything?! It's never fair!" his hands balled into fists as hot tears fell from his eyes. “Give, Kurenai back!” “… I want Tosan and Kaasan back.”
"Life's not fair, kid," the executor said, leaning against his bloodied axe.
"He's right. Life isn't fair for anyone," the shuriken shinobi agreed, tightening her grip on her ninja tool. "Including the cruel." In one sharp motion, she flung her shuriken squarely into the executioner's forehead, a moment of fright frozen on his face as his body hit the ground. Iruka stared in confusion as the traitor sent another shuriken at the leader.
"What?!" the leader gasped in shock, barely stumbling back to dodge the attack. "But—why?" she looked down at the head, and her eyes widened. Wrapped around her dirty fingers was silky blonde hair, and she dropped her teammate's head to the ground. "Witch!" she cursed and violently yanked her sickle out of the ground to slice into the "traitor's" head, whose body burst into a batch of lovely pink tulips, their sweet smell familiar to Iruka and emboldening him with a rush of joy and furious chakra. Moving his arms to sign painfully twisted the shurikens deeper inside of him, but he finished the seal, nonetheless.
"Trap of Burning Punishment!" he managed to grab the collector-nin's thick arm, black seal marking spreading over it that quickly turned a hot amber. He screamed in pain as the seal went through his patchwork uniform to burn deep into his skin, dropping Iruka as he waved his smoking arm.
Once again, the tree sprouted from underneath the burned collector-nin, snaring him in its bark. Above him sprouted Kurenai's sleek form, phasing through the trunk, a kunai in hand that she swiftly sliced through the trapped man's neck. A beautiful array of colorful flowers spouted from the open wound in his neck, some sweet-scented petals tickling his nose and cheeks. The tree faded, and the dead man collapsed on a cushion of red roses and pink poppies. Kurenai safely landed on the bridge, unscathed.
"Damn you!" the only collector-nin left standing furiously swung around her kusarigama, sickle flying through the air. Kurenai was ready to dodge the attack; however, with a burst of chakra, the sickle sharply changed its trajectory towards an unprepared Iruka. The young boy threw up his arms to shield himself. Even so, he could see Kurenai throw herself in front of him, watching with wide eyes as the sickle ripped across her chest. The kunoichi's successive movements were too quick to follow, but he felt himself picked up and fall through the air, landing gently. Opening his eyes, he found they had suddenly jumped down to the river below, finding his footing on the running water. The final collector-nin stood opposed to them, holding out her sickle that dripped with fresh, rosy blood.
Iruka whipped his head up to Kurenai. There wasn't a scratch on her; her unique shinobi uniform was intact, and her chest was unscathed. "But I saw the sickle cut Kurenai-san. Did she use substitution?"
"Iruka-kun, you need to escape." Kurenai's voice was strained, but she maintained a calm strength, holding a hand to her chest.
"We'll escape together!" the boy argued, planting his feet. A sorrowful shine raced across her eyes.
"You said you weren't from the Uchiha clan!" their attacker sneered, leaping from the bridge and readying her weapon.
"Indeed," Kurenai replied, "However, I never said I wasn't a genjutsu prodigy in my own right. For a hunter, you have yet to prove you have the mental fortitude to face me, let alone a true Uchiha." She clasped her hands together, chakra surging as her crimson eyes gleamed dangerously in the moonlight. "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu."
"Just die!" the collector-nin furiously signed, the water around her starting to writhe and bubble. However, she suddenly broke the jutsu when a spindly spider with prickly legs and beady red eyes crawled from underneath her sleeve and hurriedly crushed it with a slap of her hand, mucky green blood seeping into her skin. It wasn't the only one. "What the hell?!" she cried out in panic as more skittering spiders crawled out from her clothes. No, they were starting to tear through her skin, serrated pinchers chewing through the soft skin to free themselves from their fleshy cocoon. She frantically tried killing the bugs, tearing at her skin and ripping out chunks of her white hair as they infested her scalp.
"Hurry, that won't hold her forever!" Kurenai grabbed Iruka's hand and ran with him out of the river and into the woods for cover. Iruka took the lead as Kurenai started to slow down and pant. "Is she chakra exhausted?"
"C'mon, Kurenai, we have to keep going!" He encouraged her, practically dragging her down the path.
"Go on ahead of me," she hissed out, clutching her chest. "I'll catch up."
"No—no, we stay together," he shook his head and gave one final tug to encourage her. She collapsed with a pained grunt, his eyes widening as he saw a dark pool of blood seep into the ground around her. "Kurenai!"
"Iruka—" she weakly raised her head and coughed, a stream of blood dribbling out of her mouth. "She's coming." Iruka's eye caught the whizzing shadow in the trees and grabbed the last kunai strapped to his leg, keeping track of the collector-nin's jumping pattern from branch to branch. "Focus, Iruka! Breathe…” Letting out a breath, he flung his kunai at the attacking shinobi, it flying past her bleeding head.
"Lousy ai—" her taunt was cut off as the kunai ricocheted off a tree behind her and boomeranged to stab her in the back, knocking her out of the air. She hit the ground hard.
"Get up, Kurenai!" he pleaded, hooking his hands underneath her arms, trying and failing to pick her up, falling down himself. "We have to—"
"Stop," she gasped and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, the remainder of her warmth comforting him like a lit fireplace on a winter's night. “It's alright, Iruka," her drained voice comforted him, blood seeping from her mouth and mixing with her cherry lipstick. “You'll be alright…
"… You need to run, little dolphin," Mother pleaded with her last breath, a smile on her dying lips.
"I'm not running!" Iruka declared with tears in his eyes, managing to drag the injured Kurenai to a tree and propping her up.
"… Little brat," the collector-nin hissed, pulling the kunai out of her back and getting to her feet.
"Iruka, please…" Kurenai coughed, now failing to hide the deep gash sliced across her chest.
"No, I'm not leaving." He ripped out the shurikens in his side and shoulder and gripped them tightly, staandig protectively in front of Kurenai, the chilly winds tossing his hair as he stared down the collector-nin despite his fears, fueled by anger. "I'll save you this time." He promised.
"Your clan will have to settle for you in pieces," his attacker growled, raising her sickle, and Iruka raised his shurikens in kind.
The black-and-white figure came from above, racing down from the sky like a shooting star and colliding on top of the collector-nin with a bone-breaking crunch and spray of blood. A ghostly white mask silently stared back at Iruka. The Hound stood atop the downed assailant, wiping his tanto clean on his arm protectors.
"… Ryoken-san?" Iruka whispered the name in quiet surprise, the flood of relief cooling the burning sting of his wounds, the shuriken slipping out of his relaxing grip. More Konoha shinobi appeared, most wearing Anbu masks, except two.
"Kurenai-chan!" Raido called out, rushing to the kunoichi’s side, his worry stretching the scars on his face.
"Still… here," she mumbled, exhausted.
"Raido-san, get Yuuhi-san medical attention," Hound ordered.
"Right!" Raido carefully picked up the injured kunoichi, Kurenai giving Iruka a small smile before she was flickered away.
"Iwashi-san, Tori-san, stabilize this intruder and send her to the intelligence division. The rest of you get this mess taken care of."
"Yes, sir!" the shinobi responded, immediately going to accomplish their tasks. The Hound approached a numb Iruka, looking down at him.
"You're wounded," the Anbu observed.
"It doesn't hurt that much," Iruka replied, trying to keep a tough face.
"I'll escort you to the hospital," he said matter-of-factly, turning around.
"Okay," the boy still had the energy to climb onto the shinobi's back, who flinched terribly. "What?"
"I didn't mean—Never mind," he sighed and leaped through the trees en route to the hospital, holding onto the boy's legs to keep him from falling at his fast pace. Iruka held on tight to the Anbu.
"Thank you for saving me again, Ryoken-san," he thanked the shinobi.
"I'm only doing my job," the Hound responded. "If I didn't, you'd be dead playing shinobi."
"… I want to be a real shinobi one day. I want to be so strong that I can fight off all the monsters and protect the people I love. Just like you, Ryoken-san." Iruka grinned.
"… Sure," the Anbu didn't say anything else on the trip to the hospital.
~ ✧ ~
Iruka only had minor injuries. He needed a few stitches and bandages, but he was out of his hospital bed by the time Asuma returned from his mission. His panicked and terrified eyes that he rushed into the hospital with were gone the second he saw Iruka running down the hall to greet him. The Sarutobi was silent, though words weren't needed as his warm hug spoke for him, I'm so happy you're okay. The pair of them waited by Kurenai's bedside, her chest wrapped tightly in bandages that rose and fell with her soft breathing as she slept off the anesthesia from surgery. Sandaime checked on their status and informed them of the collector-nins' buyer.
"Some high-ranking gangster from the Kisigari village wanted to include the Sharingan in his collection. He was clearly ignorant of what a true Sharingan is if he targeted Kurenai specifically."
"Give me his name, and he'll be dead by tomorrow," Asuma threatened, a death grip on his unlit cigarette.
"No need, Asuma-kun. Anbu's Root has already handled the perpetrator."
The next day, when Iruka was starting to fall asleep in Asuma's lap, Kurenai opened her ruby eyes.
"Kurenai?" Asuma gasped, and Iruka immediately sat up, grinning from ear to ear as he saw the young kunoichi slowly wake. She returned the smile.
"Are those my boys?"
"Kurenai!" Iruka gasped and restrained himself from practically throwing himself on top of her and instead gently grabbed her waiting hand, careful of the IV. "Are you okay?"
"I still get to open my eyes and see you, both of you," she smiled at Asuma as she rubbed the bandages over her chest. "That's okay to me. What about you, Iruka-kun?”
"I'm good as ever. I only got a couple of scratches."
"I'm sure," her thumb rubbed over his bandaged hand.
"Look, we got you flowers," he pointed to the bouquet of cherry blossoms on the nightstand.
"They're so beautiful. You have great taste."
"Well, Asuma-san picked them out, but I agreed."
"Thank you," she softly chuckled, wincing slightly when she strained her chest. "You've been up all night, I bet. You need to get some rest."
"No, I don't," his ensuing yawn betrayed him.
"Seems my brave hero could do with a nap."
"You're the one who saved me, Kurenai," he hugged her arm, clinging to the soothing warmth of her chakra as if it would disappear at any moment. “I'm so happy you're still here."
"Me too," she managed to sit herself up and lean over to kiss Iruka atop his head. When she pulled back, Iruka saw her eyes waver with glossy tears. Asuma called in Emi to escort him back to the orphanage. Iruka heard Kurenai's gentle cries, which went silent as the door shut behind him.
"Let's get you home, Iruka-kun," Emi said, holding his hand as they walked back to the orphanage. "You had a long day."
…
… …
… … …
When they reached the orphanage, it was nearing dusk, and Iruka planned on climbing into his bed without waking Mizuki above him or any other kids and sleeping off his nightmarish night. So he was more than surprised when he opened his dorm room and was bombarded with a spray of confetti and a chorus of "Welcome back!"
"Huh?" Iruka muttered, stunned, pulling a string of pink confetti out of his hair.
"What is all this?" Emi asked, an amused smile on her face.
"We wanted to throw a little celebration for Iruka," Kotetsu explained, spitting out confetti.
"We heard that you and Kurenai-san were ambushed," Izumo said. "We knew you were gonna be fine, but still."
"We put our money together to get you a present," Tsubaki said, holding out a poorly wrapped box with a crooked bow. “We let Kotetsu-kun wrap it.”
"Hey, I didn't do that bad a job," Kotetsu crossed his arms, and Iruka grabbed the present, tearing off the loose wrapping paper and opening the box.
"Oh," Iruka gasped, and his eyes widened as he pulled out a blue dolphin coin pouch, a green patch sewn to its side.
"I hope my patch job isn't too bad," Tsubaki said. "Mizuki-kun thought your stuff would've been lost in the fight. The dolphin was his idea."
"Really?" he turned to the white-haired boy who had been unusually silent, his arms crossed and looking off to the side.
"You said you loved dolphins, so…" Mizuki shrugged, trying to put on a nonchalant demeanor.
"Thank you!" Iruka hugged the other boy, and after a moment of surprise, Mizuki hugged back. "Thank you all. It was really nice of you guys to do this."
"We can have a special dinner tomorrow," Emi suggested. "Tonight, get some sleep. All of you."
That night, Iruka slept deeply, and though the book from the restrictive archives was long gone, the paper for the Tenshigan ritual rested underneath his pillow.
~ ✧ ~
The sun smiled brightly on the clear day as Iruka stood before the Memorial Stone, the names of Konoha’s fallen heroes etched into it. This time, there were no tears in his eyes.
"Kaasan, Tosan, guess what?" he grinned brighter than the sun. “I’m a genin of Konohagakure! I know you'd be smiling right now if I could see you," he tapped the metal plate of the head protector where the Konoha symbol proudly stood. "I'm getting strong, but not soon enough… I found something that will make me stronger, and I think it'll let me see you both again. There's a couple of… difficult steps in the instructions, but I think I'll be able to pull it off." He placed a hand on the cool stone, determination rising within him. "Please, wish me luck. I hope to see you soon."