Third person pov
Naruto was ignored for the most part. Whispered about vaguely, but the blonde boy cheerfully ignored it whilst laboring hard at his schoolwork. Pakkun watched him try to work through it, tapping his arm with his paw anytime he started to stray. Naruto would stop and stare at the issue, and then look at Iruka's problem on the board, and then look back. It was a slow going process. His classmates were already far surpassing him, scribbling down the answers with ease and asking their neighbors for help whenever necessary. Pakkun simply hummed to himself a little, watching Naruto slowly work through the first problem at a pace equivalent to a snail's. What kind of math were they trying to teach kids these days? They were six.
They were on some sort of addition. The long kind that forced you to carry. Overall, it shouldn't have been all too hard. Naruto still struggling, losing count every so often or jumbling things up without meaning to. Pakkun let him work through it and only stepped in when strictly needed. Naruto wouldn't ever learn if he held his hand the entire time. Naruto didn't seem to want his constant help, stubbornly resisting asking unless he was truly stumped. He was quite determined to get this on his own. Pakkun was glad the kid had drive.
Naruto finished his first math problem proudly, looking down at Pakkun with wide, hopeful eyes. Pakkun usually wasn't big on kids. They were grabby brats who were too obnoxious for their own good. Naruto had proved himself to be an exception. In what way, Pakkun wasn't sure, but he and the rest of the pack loved the kid. He was the cutest pup Pakkun had ever seen. Loud, sure, but most young tended to be. At least he appreciated how hard Pakkun worked to keep his coarse coat feeling silky and soft. Maybe it was the blonde's blatant flattery, or the way he carried Pakkun everywhere with him. The pug was going to bite anyone who messed with the kid either way.
"Good work, kid." Pakkun praised quietly. Naruto let out a small gasp as the dog offered forth his paw, taking it carefully and squishing at his paw pads lightly. Pakkun nodded in satisfaction as the blonde vibrated in his seat, hugging the pug slightly in his excitement before tackling the next problem on his page with newfound vigor. Pakkun felt his pride swell. They had such a smart pup. That's what was expected of Minato's son, he supposed. He couldn't wait to tell Boss the good news when he came to get them later. Naruto was learning at an exceptional rate. He wasn't as far behind as they'd originally worried he might be.
Naruto took on question two with fresh confidence, only messing up a few times before he got it. It was much smoother sailing from there on out. He blazed through the assignment so fast his pencil was practically smoking, only having to stop when he accidentally mixed his numbers up. Pakkun couldn't wait to let Minato know all about how well the pup had done. And tattle on his teacher, who was very clearly avoiding Naruto. His classmates weren't much better, sometimes shooting glares at him and giggling in the cruel way most children did. Naruto seemed too used to it to notice. Pakkun couldn't say he was a fan of that. He wondered how much trouble he'd get into for biting a child. Surely not too much, right?
They broke for lunch after a few basic lectures and activities Naruto had to do with Pakkun for lack of a group to work with. Naruto had raised his hands a few times in class, and Pakkun took note that Iruka completely ignored him when he did. Didn't even bother trying to call on him, even if he was the only one with his hand up. Naruto didn't seem perturbed in the least, continuing to raise his hand despite having to know on some level that his teacher wouldn't pick him. Pakkun felt a fair amount of dislike beginning to form for the teacher. It was a nasty and dark feeling that he didn't bother pushing away.
Kids spilled out into the courtyard to enjoy their food in the nice weather. Naruto scurried out after them, not really wanting to stay in the classroom with Iruka-sensei. He could feel his teacher's eyes drilling holes into his back as he went, dragging his new bag along with him. He darted around the back of the school before the pug in his arms could say much of anything about the fact, bee-lining for a spot between two large bushes that looked shady and plenty big enough for a boy Naruto's size to sit. The blonde boy dove into the space, settling familiarly and grinning at Pakkun as he set the dog down. The pug stretched, rolling his head about to try and crack his neck. Who knew school could be so taxing.
"This is where I sit when the courtyard's too crowded!" Naruto announced boldly, dragging his backpack towards him and pulling it open. Pakkun watched him dig through it, his blue eyes bright. Pakkun wondered how he could stand to keep smiling with how awfully he was treated. It was truly aweing. "Normally I don't really have food so I try to do my schoolwork, but I got it all done today thanks to you! I didn't know dogs could be so smart. Maybe it's just you and the rest of Kashi's puppies. Since you're Pakkun and they're just like, dogs. You're way, way cooler than them. I bet Kiba's so jealous! Since you're cuter than Akamaru. I hope you can come with me every single day. I like having a friend in class!"
Naruto continued to babble conversationally, and Pakkun was overwhelmed by the wave of love that washed over him. He truly adored this kid. He was bright and sunny and everything Pakkun wasn't, but genuinely the sweetest brat he'd ever had the pleasure of working with. He had no idea how anyone could possibly stand to be mean to the kid. Just the thought of seeing him even slightly sad made Pakkun's heart hurt. This mission was without a doubt the most important thing he'd ever done in his time as a ninken. He would have to take his duties very seriously.
Naruto ate the lunch Minato had put together for him with vigor, looking like he might cry as he gazed down at the bento box that had been made with him in mind. He slipped a few pieces of meat out of his lunch and into Pakkun's dog bowl, promising not to tattle to Kakashi about it. Pakkun had slurped them up and decided that loyalty could definitely be bought. He'd have to apologize to the boss later. His allegiances had shifted severely after today. To be fair, Kakashi seemed just as taken as his ninken were.
Nobody came and looked for them, and Naruto didn't mind. Pakkun was relieved, resting his head on his paws as Naruto talked and talked and then talked some more, about everything and nothing at all. It didn't bother Pakkun all that much. Naruto didn't expect him to reply, only pausing sometimes so the pug could give a grunt of acknowledgement before he'd rattle of about something or another. He devoured his food like he was afraid it would vanish if he didn't get it down fast enough. He seemed extremely content to just sit there with Pakkun and talk. Like that was all he needed to be happy.
The rest of the day flew by with Naruto doing great on his work all the way. The one subject that really stumped him was reading. Pakkun could practically see the cogs in his brain stop turning the moment his eyes landed on the chunk of text. His brows furrowed as though he were in pain, frustration sparking in his eyes the longer he stared. Pakkun could tell how hard he was trying to compute what he was seeing. He simply didn't seem to get it, muttering to himself. Pakkun could hear him twisting his words around, and it occurred to him right then that Naruto probably had dyslexia of some sort that he needed extra help with. That's why he'd been making mistakes math as well, writing the wrong numbers down by accident and thus getting the wrong results. Writing down twenty-one instead of twelve, and swapping the letters d and b. That had to be it. Some sort of... dysgraphia or dyscalculia.
Pakkun helped Naruto sound out words quietly. The only one who seemed to notice was Kiba, his heightened hearing picking up on the extra help. He didn't say a word. Pakkun decided the Inuzuka brat wasn't all that bad in that sense. Naruto listened with rapt attention to everything the pug said. It made helping him a lot easier. The blonde's ability to focus on one thing for an increased period of time was certainly stunted, but he was determined to get this down. He wanted to make his dad and Kashi both proud! He had to get better grades and be an awesome ninja!
He wasn't the first one out of the room like he normally tended to be at the end of the day. Iruka dismissed them all, but Naruto was almost done! It was the first time he'd ever felt the urge to stay in his seat and focus. The words were all still weird and mashed together, and sometimes he wrote his letters in the wrong order, but he was getting it! Pakkun was super smart and knew exactly what to do. He was more patient than any dog Naruto had ever met. He was going to have to insist Kashi buy him loads of that conditioner he liked so much to keep his coat nice and soft. Maybe he'd even let Naruto give him a bath as thanks!
Iruka's attention zeroed in on Naruto when the boy made no moves of leaving, continuing to sit there and work. His assignments were normally turned in relatively blank, a few scribbles of weak attempts jotted down in Naruto's messy writing. Iruka's attention dropped to the paper, brows raising when he saw that the boy had made it to the back side of the page. He wasn't working fast, per se, but he was certainly doing it. What had changed? The only thing he could think of was...
His ears strained. Without the chatter of the rest of the students, he could hear the soft murmurs coming from the suspicious pug the Jinchuriki had dragged in. His eyes widened when he realized that his dog had to be helping him. As in, Naruto had brought a ninken in with the intent to cheat. It appeared to be working as well. He never would've thought of something like that, but it was clear that's what was going on. Naruto suddenly showing a stark improvement when he was struggling so hard before? That dog was talking to him-- telling him how to do it. Iruka had no idea where it had come from or why it was helping him, but it wasn't okay. That paired with the lie about his... dad this morning.
Iruka took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew Naruto struggled with his work but that was no excuse to bring a ninja dog in to feed him the answers. He'd have to look back at the math assignment he'd handed in today too. He hadn't bothered to glance over it, but he was willing to bet that was done too.
Iruka marched up to the boy, stopping on front of his desk decisively. Naruto didn't notice at first, still carefully penciling in answers. It definitely looked like he was copying something that had been told to him. He did his best to flare down his temper, watching the grumpy pug nudge Naruto's arm to get his attention. The blonde boy's head shot up, his wide blue eyes blinking innocently up at Iruka. The brunette teacher took yet another deep breath, steeling himself. He had to be mature about this. He was determined not to lose it, even with how unacceptable this was. He had to detach Naruto from the Kyuubi and do his job as a teacher.
"Naruto," He started, voice firm. The boy flinched, brows furrowing as his sensei snatched his nearly-finished assignment away from him. Naruto drew himself back immediately, arms wrapping around Pakkun, who glared at the teacher. Iruka's eyes scanned over the problems. He frowned. He glanced back up at the boy, brow cocking. "You know the policy we have on cheating. I expected better of you. I know you have trouble in class but that isn't an excuse."
Naruto's mouth fell open, his eyes widening in absolute horror. Pakkun let out out an audible growl at the accusation, not saying anything about how tightly Naruto squeezed him. The blonde boy seemed completely taken aback-- maybe even offended-- by the idea. Pakkun felt enraged. He had been doing this shitty teacher's job all day. He wasn't 'giving' Naruto the answers. He was helping him understand how to get them, which was what Iruka should've been doing this entire time!
"I-I didn't cheat, Iruka-sensei! Honest!" Naruto moved to swipe the paper back so he could show him but was stopped dead in his tracks by the look on his sensei's face. He was looking at him with those eyes again, and the blonde knew immediately that this wasn't a fight he was going to win. That didn't stop tears of frustration from springing up into his eyes. He'd worked so hard all day! He'd done his very best just so Pakkun could give a good report back to his dad and Kashi. He wanted to bring his grades up, and learn like the other kids, and be normal.
What if Iruka-sensei told his dad he'd cheated? What if his dad believed him? The thought along was almost enough to send Naruto spiraling into a fit of absolute panic. He felt sick to his stomach as Iruka glowered down at him, pursing his lips like he was trying to decide just what to do with him. Naruto stared at him with watery eyes, begging him to believe him. He really had done his very best. He had forced himself to focus even when his thoughts strayed, and he had done his best to follow Pakkun's advice and find the mistakes he made. He'd fixed them all on his own! He was finally getting it! Iruka-sensei couldn't just... he...
"You've never performed like this before, Naruto." Iruka said with a sense of finality. Naruto stared at him in horror. "Not until you brought that ninken in. Him giving you the answers isn't okay. It's unfair to your other classmates who worked hard to do their assignments honestly."
He kept his voice level, but Naruto still jolted. The boy felt like he couldn't breathe. He knew he was a slow learner, but just because he finally understood something didn't mean he'd cheated. He did all those problems on his own! Pakkun only told him when he wrote something wrong, o-or sounded it out wrong. He didn't count for him, or read it to him! Naruto had done it, he had! Kiba struggled and he didn't get in trouble for getting help from Sensei! Why was Naruto going to get in trouble for getting help too?
"P-Pakkun was just helping me, sensei." He squeaked out, voice held hostage by the tears he was barely able to hold back. "I-I promise I worked really hard this time, believe it! I wouldn't-"
"Naruto!" Iruka snapped. Pakkun let out a snarl, teeth snapping with a viciousness he didn't normally display. It was rare he lost his cool, but he couldn't much help himself. He basked in the satisfaction that came when the teacher flinched back. This man didn't realize that Naruto wasn't an idiot. He had a different way of learning, but he was incredibly fast in taking to things once things finally clicked in his brain. He knew exactly how to do his reading assignments, he just mixed his letters up and struggled to understand sentences! He needed extra help to keep up, but when he got that aid, he was fine!
Iruka's expression was one of deep contempt. Naruto felt his tears spill over, his gaze never leaving his teacher as he blindly slapped around for his backpack. He found the strap and yanked it up, tumbling out of his seat. His teacher held his assignment so tightly it was crumbling, and Naruto's throat closed up. Was he not allowed to be smart? He had finally done something right, and he was in trouble. They thought he was lying!
"You're going to regret this." Pakkun's voice came out a gravelly hiss. The pug couldn't wait to tell Minato all about this. "Let's go, pup. Don't worry about it. We'll handle this and you're grades are going to be fine."
Naruto either didn't hear or didn't believe his comforts. He tugged his bag closer, practically tumbling out of his seat. His vision blurred with salty tears that tore wet tracks down his tanned cheeks. Iruka watched him go, his silence somehow more intimidating than his yelling ever could be. Naruto swung his bag onto his bag, clutching Pakkun close as his breaths stuttered haltingly. He rushed out of the room, hyperventilating in his bout of panic. Pakkun tried calling his name a few times, squirming in his arms to no avail. His worried voice fell on deaf ears as Naruto hurried to get out of the suffocating school.
It felt like the walls were closing in on him. Things had been going so well, and he'd been happy. School hadn't felt as stressful or tense as it did most days he went. He was understanding the work for once, and he had a friend to talk to during their break. He had a dad at home and Kashi, and all the other doggies. But things could never quite go his way. He was a demon-- a little monster that everyone hated and wanted to disappear. His dad was going to be so, so mad when he found out. He had done his very best on his work, but he knew anyone who cheated got an automatic zero! A complete fail! He'd be so disappointed. He wasn't going to want an idiot son.
The little blonde boy nearly ran right into Kakashi's legs, just barely stopped by the silver-haired man's hands on his shoulders. It was the first time in a while Pakkun had seen his boss on time. The relief he felt was monumental. He looked as though he'd just been about to step in to come looking for Naruto, the nearly-empty courtyard no doubt having worried him. He looked startled, gathering Naruto up in his arms as the boy sobbed. Pakkun was shifted out of Naruto's tight grasp and into Kakashi's free arm, the blonde boy throwing his arms around the copy cat nin and burying his face in his shoulder. Pakkun was shaking almost as much as Naruto was, though for an entirely different reason.
"What happened?" Kakashi's voice sounded lax on the surface, but Pakkun knew better. He felt his lips peel back, displaying his sharp canines and the rage he seldom ever let bubble out. Kakashi's expression darkened.
"He was starting to get it. I wasn't giving him the answers; I was just helping the kid. It's not like the teacher was." Pakkun huffed out angrily. He averted his gaze. "He accused him of lying. Said I've been feeding him answers all day. Naruto has been working real, real hard, Boss. And he's smart, too. The nerve of that damn teacher..."
Pakkun's voice rumbled out in a growl. Kakashi had a mask of complete calm, but anyone who knew him well would be able to spot the murderous gleam. He looked like he was considering walking into the academy right then and there. Pakkun almost wanted him to, and was a little surprised when he turned around instead. Naruto was still heaving sobs into his shoulder, unable to even form words as his panic spilled out in waves. Kakashi couldn't fathom how anyone could do this to a child. Jinchuriki or not, Naruto was a kid.
Kakashi had seen firsthand the discrimination Naruto went through in the classroom. Though it wasn't as blatant or harsh as what happened in the streets, it was still present and all too irritating. Kakashi had never had the chance to do anything about it. There were several kunai in his mouth that Kakashi would be happy to put Iruka Umino's name on. He wouldn't, however. He knew someone who would be wanting the honor of handling this. Minato Namikaze had been doing everything in his ability to be a father to Naruto despite having been gone so long. This was one of those issues Kakashi knew his sensei was dying to sink his claws into.
Kakashi was aware Naruto didn't get help in the classroom with his schoolwork. Not like his classmates did. He knew Pakkun and trusted the dog with everything in him, and he knew he wasn't the type to simply give answers. He was harsher than that-- more willing to challenge. Naruto needed more help than most did, and that was okay. A lot of kids did. Kushina had, if Kakashi recalled the woman's words correctly. Even in adulthood she had trouble catching onto things the same as her peers. That didn't mean she wasn't wickedly smart. Naruto was the same way. To think he'd get in trouble and accused of cheating just because someone finally showed him a way he understood... well, Kakashi knew plenty of places to bury a body.
"Maa, maa, there's no need to worry about that. School is overrated anyway, ne, Naruto?" Kakashi chirped, bouncing the boy slightly. "Let's go see your dad. He's been dying to see you all day, you know. You should've seen him when he got back from dropping you off. I thought he was going to turn right back around and come back."
Naruto hiccupped slightly, shifting in Kakashi's grasp just enough to tell the copy nin that he'd heard him. Kakashi let out a breath of air, adjusting his grip on him and Pakkun as they set out. Naruto didn't peel himself away from the man, body still experiences tremors as his tears poured out in droves. Kakashi didn't comment on it, hopping off towards where Minato would be anxiously waiting for them. He spoke idly to Naruto, his voice light and the topics straying far from anything school related. It calmed him only slightly, but that was alright. Kakashi knew this was something Minato-sensei would need to deal with if they wanted Naruto to calm down completely.
The Copy Cat Nin just hoped he could be there to see the look on that shit bag Umino's face when he got ripped a new one by the Fourth Hokage.