Chapter 12
It had been quite some time since Iruka used his free time to just sit near a park and relax, and it wouldn't be now either. Although seeing his students tense up upon spotting him made it all much more worthwhile. But he wasn't here for them; it was just a place he'd chosen to do his work.
"You look nervous, Principal," Iruka said, not even glancing at the man who walked up to him. "Take a seat. I'm sure we have plenty to talk about."
"I'm not so sure about that," the Principal replied, pretending to be far calmer than he actually was. "I would firstly like an explanation of what is happening, and why I even have to listen to a scoundrel like you, who is going to be fired the moment this situation is over."
"As a child, you were bullied because of your short stature and cowardice," Iruka said, ignoring the question entirely. "You were beaten up in every sparring session, but your academics were quite good. And the shortage of shinobi at the time made it easy for you to graduate and get a job in administration, where you quickly rose through the ranks with your superb paperwork. For someone who didn't belong to any clan, you surely made your parents proud."
There was no piece of information about the Principal that Iruka didn't know. All of it was locked away in his head. Though it was a fine way to intimidate—showing the man he couldn't hide anything—Iruka had his reasons for learning it.
And it wasn't to have some sympathy for him because he was bullied as a kid. Iruka himself was quite on the receiving end of that in the first year he tried to get used to this world. He had no friends or anyone he knew, and it only creeped Iruka out when someone like Mizuki tried to approach him.
"Why shouldn't they be proud?" the Principal said. "I might not have any notable feats from active duty, but I've served the village to the best of my abilities—and I continue to do so. Just like any other shinobi."
"What is the village to you?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Answer."
It was a question that revealed a great deal about a person. Even if they answered without giving it much thought, it still told Iruka everything he needed to know. His sensei used to ask that question often. Though Iruka suspected, never once did he get the answer his sensei wanted to hear—even from Iruka himself.
Iruka had thought about it a lot. Even if he wasn't of this world, he considered himself of this village. It was his home, filled with memories he couldn't just forget. And that's what Konoha was to him. Just a home. Nothing more, and nothing less.
"It is a system."
"A system, huh?"
If nothing else, it was an interesting answer. He didn't think he'd heard it before. But through it, he could see exactly what kind of person the Principal was. Iruka understood why he thought that way. After all, there was a reason he never bothered to remember the man's name. The Principal was all he needed to call him because he was nothing else.
At this point, he was no longer a human being—just a cog in the machine. A function of the system he served. A safe place for him where he held respect and power. In his personal life, he had nothing to his name. No family. No friends. His entire existence depended on how others perceived him as the Principal of the Academy.
"We're all part of it," the Principal continued, while Iruka looked out into the distance, "and we must follow it. It's my job to help others fit into that system and function at their best potential within it."
"So, it is all a machine to you? If so, what if there are a few who don't fit within that machine? What do you do with them?"
"I have nothing to hide. I've done nothing wrong." That wasn't the answer Iruka wanted to hear, but it was one he expected. "You can investigate me as much as you want, but I demand to know what this is about."
"From the moment you came here, you didn't even glance at them," Iruka said, motioning subtly toward the children.
Shikamaru lazed around with Choji beside him, eating. Ino and Sakura had tried to get them to do something, but had given up, now making flower wreaths for each other. Naruto watched from a distance, not daring to approach anyone. Other children played nearby, doing their best to make the most of their free time.
"What do they have to do with anything?"
"Information has been leaked about students of the Academy. That's all you are entitled to know. And I hope you realize how serious the situation is."
"I understand. I'll do anything to help with the investigation," The relief in his voice was more telling than anyone else could realize.
"I don't need you to do anything," Iruka replied. "And everything you say will be lies anyway. I called you out to warn you—I'll be watching you, so you'd better not do anything stupid."
Iruka didn't even need to look at him to know that the Principal would do something stupid. He claimed to have nothing to hide, but what about his associates? The other teachers? Surely, they didn't turn them away when someone offered them influence or money. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, after all.
As soon as the Principal left, Iruka pulled out his flask and took a long drink that burned his throat. It was the best. As his body relaxed and his mind stopped racing, he almost felt human for once.
The hundreds of thoughts running through his head all disappeared as the burn lessened, and he took another sip. Only now could he close his eyes and breath in the fresh air. And stop reacting to every noise in the area.
"What are you looking at, brat?" There was no way Iruka wouldn't notice Naruto watching him, especially when he was so loud walking up to him. "If you don't have anything to do, I suggest you train or study."
"Um, can you teach me something?" That was unexpected. "I want to get—"
"Shut up," Iruka cut him off. He wasn't in the mood to listen. Naruto might be a hero in the future, but right now, to Iruka, he was just a child—another one walking into something he didn't understand, just like Itachi had, and here he went again, thinking about the past he could not change. "You don't need to get stronger than others. You don't need to prove anything. Play or something. And don't forget about the homework due Monday."
He really didn't want to deal with these brats today. Because everywhere he looked, he could see himself in them. Shikamaru, who will lose his sensei just like Iruka did. Hinata, who couldn't fit in, just like him.
But looking at that lonely kid with his sad eyes, Iruka couldn't quite turn away. If there was a need, he could kill anyone without a second thought, but in the end, he was just a human who disliked feeling bad for others but couldn't help it.
"Did you know there's a method of using chakra to climb trees without your hands?" Iruka said as he prepared to leave. "It's not hard. You just need to control a steady amount of chakra to your feet. Use too much and you'll be thrown off. Too little and you'll slip."
It wasn't like Naruto would learn it anyway. He'd waste his energy and time. But at least he'd have something to do. Something to distract him from being alone. That was as far as Iruka was willing to go.
"When did you start teaching kids weird things?" Hayate asked, stepping into view. Iruka should have sensed him, but Hayate knew how to move silently when he wanted, especially when it would surprise Iruka. "He reminds me of you. All alone, watching others from a distance, never approaching."
"Don't spout nonsense, Hayate," Iruka replied. "I simply didn't like any of you, so I never bothered. I'm nothing like him. I'm a far more terrible person than he'll ever be."
"Well, there probably won't be a worse alcoholic than you, that's for sure."
"Shut up," Iruka said, draining his flask. "Let's go. We've got people to talk to."
As someone leading the investigation, Iruka had been granted the power to appoint assistants and was also required to report everything directly to the Hokage. So, he chose Hayate. The man could be useful, especially if Iruka didn't want to deal with someone.
There were many people Iruka had to interview, but he didn't care about most of them. He didn't think any were guilty of leaking information to other villages, but it was better to be safe. So, he would do it properly, even if it cost time and energy.
That's where Hayate came in. Iruka would dump all the boring legwork on him and focus on the big fish. As soon as Iruka makes one slip-up, it will swim away and hide in the deep, dark waters without a sight.
…
As Iruka expected, none of the Academy staff could be tied to the leaks. Still, he and Hayate played some games, enough to get them all nervous.
He wanted them to feel that pressure. And once they were cleared and relaxed, then Iruka would strike. He'd gather the dirt they tried to hide and use it as leverage to convince the Hokage to reform the Academy—teach things that actually mattered.
But he couldn't rush it. As annoying as it was, he needed time. Dragging out the investigation would buy him cover while he crept toward Danzo's doorstep.
Friend or not, Iruka hoped the Third would see the truth and get rid of Danzo—one way or another. Otherwise, Iruka wasn't against the idea of doing it himself, even if he doubted his ability to pull it off.
If nothing else, what happened to Itachi was Danzo's fault. And Iruka could never forgive him for that. So, he was prepared to use all the dirty tricks he knew to accomplish it.
Iruka had spent a lot of time trying to change the Uchiha clan's fate. Helping Itachi. Helping Shisui. But it was all for nothing. The moment he left the village, everything fell apart.
Even if he'd been here, he probably couldn't have stopped it. But he could have been there for Itachi when he was forced to make that terrible decision.
"Fuck," Iruka cursed as he arrived home.
Someone had broken in—the string he tied to the corner of the door had snapped. For a second, he thought about turning around. Walking away. Getting a drink in his favorite bar and passing out on the table.
He already suspected who was inside. And the first thoughts that came to him were hundreds of ways to kill the man.
But he couldn't ignore it. He scanned the surroundings. The eyes in the shadows were hidden quite expertly, but knowing who was inside made their presence all the more obvious to him, especially when all those eyes were set on him.
And now they knew he'd noticed them. That meant they wanted him dead inside his apartment. Or maybe they weren't here to kill him. He didn't know which was worse.
Reaching behind his back, Iruka gripped the handle of his tanto and twisted it, breaking the seal and coating the blade in poison. In one smooth motion, he readied it for a quick draw, opened the door, and stepped inside.
"Graduated at age eleven. Promoted to Chūnin at thirteen," a voice said from inside, casual, cold. "Quite the record of successful missions. Especially in assassination."
"I'm not in the mood to deal with you, Danzo Shimura," Iruka said. "You have exactly one chance to explain why you broke into my home—or I won't give you the antidote."
Before Danzo could reply, Iruka moved. In one swift motion, he drew his blade and stabbed the wall beside him, then raised his other hand into a seal.
Just in time.
The trap seal on the floor reacted, freezing the blackened hand reaching for his throat from his blind spot.
Iruka didn't even glance at Fu Yamanaka as he collapsed from the stab wound. Nor at Torune Aburame, frozen mid-strike. His eyes locked only on Danzo. And Iruka was ready to finish the seal and blow the room to dust if necessary. Leaving nothing but ashes out of all of them, including Iruka.
Or maybe he'd do it just for fun.
All he needed was one reason. Just one wrong word or a creepy glance from Danzo, and Iruka would do it. He was just drunk enough for it.
A.N. Sorry for being a day late. Been busy yesterday, didn't have time to finish the chapter.
As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to 7 more chapters and 28 chapters in total with all my other stories, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.