Chapter 8
Iruka ate his dango as he waited for Anko's answer. Bribing her was becoming increasingly difficult of late. It wasn't that her standards had grown, but rather that she was worried about her weight. He sometimes forgets that she is still a girl.
"I'm not taking as many missions as I used to," Anko complained. "There just aren't many missions coming to the Intelligence Division anymore. I think I'm getting a bit chubby because of it. Look at me."
"The only thing that's getting bigger is your chest," Iruka replied.
"Don't be so crass." Anko elbowed him in the ribs. "You'll never find a girl if you keep being such an ass."
"Will you help me out or not?"
"Fine. You know I can never refuse you. Takakiri Shoruki, right? It shouldn't be too difficult to track him down if he's still in the village. Why do you want him anyway? Doesn't sound like anyone important."
"He is the previous combat instructor. I just want to speak with him, that's all."
"Yeah, no." Anko wasn't buying it. "You don't talk to people. Most of the time, before they even realize you're there, they've already got a sword through their heart. I'm just asking if I need to prepare a body bag."
"I'll only speak with him," Iruka said. "That's all. I promise."
"You better." Anko leaned back. "I'll find you tomorrow with the information. And you owe me for this. Again."
She said it like she expected repayment, but they'd known each other for years, close as siblings, really. Something bad would have to happen before she ever called in a favor. And if it did, she wouldn't need to ask.
Iruka cared about a few things that are still left in this world. Unfortunately, Anko was one of them. He knew she would not like it when he was forced to stop her from throwing her life away in some stupid notion to get Orochimaru. But he would worry about that later.
"Yo, guys."
It wasn't the greeting that got their attention—it was the deathly coughing that followed, the kind even a plague wouldn't want anything to do with. At this point, it was so familiar that they weren't even surprised when Hayate came to them.
"I see you started without me. Where's my plate?"
"Buy it yourself," Anko replied.
"Don't you need Yugao's permission before you can?" Iruka asked. "Does she know you're meeting with a girl?"
"Ahem," Hayate cleared his throat, though it never helped, and shot Iruka a death glare. "Stop talking nonsense and tell me what you want."
"Alright, alright. Pretty boy's busy with his girlfriend—I get it."
"No, you don't," Hayate replied flatly. "You've never had one."
"Like I have told you before, I like older, more mature women," Iruka defended himself at Hayate's and Anko's enjoyment.
"Yeah, and they just don't like you back," Hayate shot him down. "So, what do you need?"
"You're no fun," Iruka sighed. "I need your training regimen. I know your stamina is lacking, but I never really considered how you've been compensating for it."
"Is this for the Academy?"
"Yes?"
"Then it's fine." Hayate sat down next to them. "I was worried your drinking had caught up with you and you were thinking of doing something stupid. It's no secret, and it wouldn't be much help to you, but if it's for the new generation, then sure. But first, I have a favor to ask, too."
…
Hayate was impressive but unlucky. His weak constitution often made him sick, but he trained harder than most and did everything he could to overcome it. Even so, he still had more chakra than Iruka; he could easily create two shadow clones to surround him.
"Dance of the Crescent Moon."
The name was given out of respect, so the opponent would know what had killed them. The stupid honor that Hayate's family clung to. However, the formation was elegant, deadly, and inescapable. Hayate's clones leaped through the air in a pattern reminiscent of a crescent moon, targeting Iruka's vital points.
Iruka shouldn't have agreed to be the test subject for Hayate's new technique, as he hated disappointing his friend, especially when he'd worked so hard to get to this moment. Truthfully, most opponents would have been torn apart—three blades attacking from three angles, simultaneously, through the blind spots.
There was no realistic way to dodge it. Even a single strike would be fatal.
But Iruka was also a swordsman who trained alongside Hayate. He moved his twin tanto blades without taking his eyes off the real Hayate. Both blades caught the shadow clones' swords midair and redirected them away. Then, with a swift kick, he flung dirt into Hayate's face, buying a second to pivot and let the real blade whistle past his side.
"Still too clean, Hayate," Iruka said, sheathing his tanto back into his flak jacket. "Only the strong can afford to fight like that, while—"
"—While we, the bottom of the food chain, have to use any dirty move we can think of."
"Must think of," Iruka corrected. "Surrounding me is a good start, but it's meaningless if I see the attack coming. There's no such technique that can't be countered. To make it work, you need to make sure your opponent never sees it in the first place. The opponent needs to be already dead before he realizes that he was attacked."
Of course, Iruka had fought Hayate a hundred times before. He knew his reach, his speed, his strength—even how he thought. There was no technique Hayate could use to surprise him anymore. And that's why Iruka made a good opponent for Hayate. If he could catch him in the attack, he could catch anyone else.
"Khak." Hayate spat out a lump of dirt. "Not everyone can think of complicated tactics in every fight. The attack was just too slow. If I were faster, you wouldn't have seen it coming."
"And if you painted your swords black and fought in pitch darkness, I wouldn't see them at all," Iruka replied. "Sure, speed and strength matter, but surprise always wins. As long as you can cut someone, it doesn't matter how deep it is, you already win if—"
"—If you use poison," Hayate finished. "I'll say it again: I have my style. I value speed and precision. That's the core of it."
"I'll never get why you're making it harder on yourself."
"Like I said hundreds of times, swordsmanship is too important to me," Hayate replied. "I won't taint it with poison or dirty tricks. It's all I have left from my family."
"They wouldn't want you to die for it."
Iruka wanted to go into a rant about how useless it was to cling to it, but he let it go. He knew he couldn't convince Hayate either way. He had already tried hundreds of times. If he didn't listen back then, he won't listen now.
"Thanks for the help. I'll use your methods to help those hopeless kids."
"No, thank you for sparring with me. It's good to know that the drinking and lazing around haven't dulled you yet."
"You're lucky I don't want Yugao hunting me down because I hurt her kitty cat."
"Hey! How do you know about that?!"
"See ya." Iruka waved over his shoulder and walked away.
Hayate didn't really need tricks, Iruka knew. Despite his health, he had a strong body and decent chakra reserves. Iruka, on the other hand, had been even more unlucky.
Even on his best day, he could only make one shadow clone. After that, he was nearly spent. The few powerful jutsu he knew were exhausting in their own right. So, he had no choice but to fight smart. To cheat.
There was no other way to compete otherwise. When almost everyone else could throw fireballs and waves of water at him, he was forced to use everything to turn the tables around. And it always surprised him how simple things can turn an impossible fight into certain success.
…
It didn't take long for Iruka to remember that his flask was still empty. He desperately wanted a drink, yet instead of rushing to his favorite bar, he wandered back to the Memorial Stone. Only when it was before his eyes did he realize it.
Ghosts of his past certainly had a strong hold on him.
His eyes drifted to his parents' names. It was pretty messed up to remember his past life at the sight of their deaths. It surely didn't help his complicated emotions. For days, he was barely able to function as he just didn't know what was happening anymore and what was real and what wasn't.
"Not today," As Iruka's eyes went down to the name of his sensei, he turned away.
It wasn't time to think about it. As he was about to leave, he heard a disturbing sound of flesh hitting tree bark. He really wished he didn't recognize it, as hearing it brought back the painful moment of his early training. But it also piqued his curiosity.
Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see Rock Lee training by himself in the empty training grounds near the Memorial Stone. The beating he and the rest of the class received from Neji was probably a lot for Rock Lee to handle. Or maybe he always trained like this.
"You're going to hurt yourself if you continue," Iruka said. "Though I don't know who I should be sorry for more, you or the abused tree."
"Iruka-sensei," Rock Lee jumped in surprise.
"Don't mind me," Iruka waved his hand to let the kid calm down. "It is getting dark. How much longer are you going to do this?"
"Until I can't do it anymore," Rock Lee replied. "If I want to compete with Neji, I must give it my all."
"You're never going to be able to compete with him."
"Why? Because I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu? That I don't have any talent? I don't care, I will not give up."
Stupid kids and their stupid problems were keeping him from getting a drink. But Iruka couldn't leave without saying anything, as he just didn't have it in him to turn his back on someone who needed help. It would only make Iruka worry for no reason if he didn't do anything right now.
"What did I say on the first day?" Iruka asked as he caught Lee's leg before it hit the tree. "Don't give yourself a label of talentless or loser. You, of all people, don't deserve it. Because you have talent, more than most."
"What?"
"Do you know what I saw today? I saw Neji taking down everyone in your class without too much trouble. But I also saw you. I saw you getting up, over and over again, no matter how many times you fell. I saw Neji getting tired, all because you refused to stay down. So, it's time you start believing in yourself."
What was he doing? Why couldn't he just leave the kid to train by himself? It didn't seem like he needed to say anything, so why was he getting angry all of a sudden? He really needed a drink.
"Ninjutsu, genjutsu, so what if you can't use it?" Iruka continued. "Most of those who laugh at you won't be masters in any of them. They can learn thousands of jutsu, but it will matter little when you can kick them in the head, wouldn't it? You will be a great shinobi one day, Lee, so stop training out of frustration and do it because you believe in it."
"Will I really be a great shinobi?"
"Yes," Iruka replied without hesitation. "You have the most important talent of them all. The talent of hard work. It will bring you far, kid. Further than you think, further than anyone will expect."
It wasn't a lie. It wasn't very pleasant to admit, but Rock Lee had more talent than Iruka. Even now, he couldn't do half the physical training Rock Lee was able to do. He had never been able to put in so much effort and ignore so much strain on his body as Rock Lee did. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't envious of such talent. That's why it annoyed him that Rock Lee couldn't realize it himself.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.