"Mnn!" Naruto happily hums, turning from the Hokage to Sakura, then back.
"Ah, forgive , Hokage-sama," Sakura starts stepping in and bowing respectfully. "I'm Haruno Sakura, mber of Team 7."
"Yes, I recall," the Sandai easily says, taking out his pipe and prepping for a good puff. 'It's always an interesting break when Naruto shows up,' he thinks. "What can I do for you?"
"Na, Ji-chan, do you have any scrolls or sothing that can help Sakura-chan do Iry-ninjutsu. She's got wicked perfect chakra control, and it would be super cool if our team had an Iry-nin in it."
"Mnnn," he hums in sheer amusent, aged eyelids lifting with genuine curiosity. For this Naruto to ask for such a thing was the best surprise of a rather taxing week. "I agree having an Iry-nin on the team would be quite advantageous, but Naruto-kun, how do you know this?"
"What do you an?" Naruto asks quirking a brow. "Once we beco genin, we have more access in the library. I was looking for cool jutsu but I found one about chakra control. Since Sakura-chan has perfect control, that ans she'd make a great Iry-nin, right Ji-chan?"
"It most assuredly helps, greatly in so cases," the Hokage answers, looking at them both. "Why co to , then; instead of your Jnin-sensei?"
"It's not like I didn't think he'd help, but he left after our mission and I don't know where he lives, so I can't ask him," Naruto explains. "Besides, we just need sothing for Sakura-chan to start with.
She's got like a perfect mory, so I bet she can rember things better than I can," he finishes with a smile.
"Oh, I don't know Naruto-kun, you can rember a lot, it seems," the elder tells him. Getting up, the Hokage moves toward the far wall, with several long shelves filled with many scrolls topping many more.
"Mnn, I happen to have a collection of scrolls on Iry-ninjutsu that spans from beginner to interdiate." Looking through his many scrolls, he finally pulls two out, then turns to a nervous Sakura. "Now, these are very precious to , so you have to promise to be careful with them.
They were gifted to by one of my students so you'll have to return them when you're done, understand?"
"Yes! Of course Hokage-sama," Sakura quickly conveys. "This is such an honor, I'll be extra careful with them, I promise." She cautiously takes the scrolls with both hands supporting each end as if she were holding a sickly baby.
"Alright," Naruto calls from his seat. "I knew you could help, Ji-chan!"
"So, how's your training coming along Naruto-kun," the elder asks retaking his large seat.
"I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!" Naruto bellows proudly. "So my training is top secret right now... but, what I can tell you is I'm working on my chakra control. Neh, Ji-chan, did you know I have high chakra reserves, which is why I can make a lot of Kage Bunshin and be okay after?"
"My, my Naruto-kun, you are growing before my weary eyes," the older man smiles. "Yes, I suspected that could be the case. You should continue to train on your control, so you can finally take my job."
"Damn right I will!" Naruto agrees vehently.
"Speaking of, I should get back to work," the sagely elder tells them. "Thank you for entertaining an old man for a few minutes at least."
"Any ti," Naruto calls and they start to leave, but Naruto has to pause at the door. Turning to his first ever friend, Naruto asks, "Neh, Ji-chan, do you know if Iruka-sensei is okay? They won't tell anything. They won't even let see him."
"I'm afraid I can't release his dical information, however, I can tell you he will live. And if they won't let you see him, just rember, you're ninja, and ninja always find a way."
Thinking of his future counterpart, Naruto can't help but agree with a sad smile and a nod before leaving. eting Sakura just by the outside entrance, still carrying the scrolls like precious treasure, he imdiately recalls how all this started by trying to help her win Sasuke's attention.
On top of Iruka-sensei's injury, and now effectively giving Sakura-chan to another man, Naruto was not having a good day.
He grumpily dumps his hands in his pockets as she cautiously walks up to him, half her attention on the scrolls and the other half on him. "I thought you left?"
"I did. I am," she huffs. "I just wanted to ask you are you- you're not related to Sandai-sama, are you?"
"Wha? No," he throws back. "Why would you think that?"
"You were calling our Hokage, Ji-chan," She adamantly states as if it's the most obvious thing. "That is so disrespectful! He's the leader of our village and a very powerful political figure," she loudly retorts as if he only needed to be told louder for him to get it.
"I've always called him Ji-chan," Naruto returns with a non-committal shrug. "That's just... I don't know, that's how I normally talk to him."
Further confused, she follows up asking, "how often do you talk to the Hokage?"
"Mnnnn," he hums, tilting his head up to the bright blue sky, thinking back. "More so when I was younger but I'd say at least twice a week, now. Sotis once every two weeks if he's really busy."
"You're lying!" her instant reaction quickly says.
"Wha- Am not!" He defends, his brows furrowing in disbelief rather than anger. He can stand a lot but he doesn't think his own teammate should call him a liar. "I wouldn't lie about that!"
"You have to be!" she throws back. "He's the Hokage and you're nothing but a Dead-Last baka!"
The shock could not be clearer on his face, one that quickly transforms into sad resignation. That's just another layer to the type of day he's having. He woke up late for the eting but his own sensei was over three hours late.
Then there was that Kami awful D-Rank mission, followed by this gut-wrenching plan to help the love of his life win the heart of another man, and now this.
The girl of his dreams thinking so little of him, she couldn't even recall being in the Hokage's room not five minutes before while he chatted with the old man like he always does. The idea of crawling in the earth and dying seems nearly as appealing as training nearly.
The silence between them is stifling for several monts before he says, "if I'm going to give you a lot of practice healing the te, I better go train."
And train he did. While his clones worked on his chakra control, Naruto runs, trains his muscles, then runs so more, and repeats. Hours and hours of it, until his stomach had twisted itself into a tight not and threatened to eat itself if he didn't get so ran.
The last thing he did before going to sleep, was leave a cup of instant ran on the nightstand of Iruka-sensei's room. Naruto didn't expect him to be awake, but he hoped with everything he had that his favorite sensei would see and know that he was thinking of him.
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/Black_Zetsu
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