Chapter 45
Walking to his classroom, Iruka stopped by the doors. They were slightly open; it was funny that anyone would think that he wouldn't notice the blackboard eraser hanging between the door and the wall above his head.
Iruka already wanted to have a drink. And it had only been one day since he made a bet with Tsunade. It would be a difficult time for him; he knew at least that much. But he had no choice but to try.
For now, he had to keep it cool. Do his job and not let anyone get on his nerves. With a sigh, he opened the doors, letting the eraser fall before him while he was thinking of who he should punish for such a lame prank.
BOOM!!!
Looking down to where the eraser fell, Iruka's eyes widened a bit at the cracks on the floor. Did these little shits try to kill him just now? Well, he couldn't really blame them, but still, that was a bit too much even by his standards. But he kind of liked the ruthlessness of it.
Picking up the heavy eraser, Iruka looked around as he entered the classroom. His students acted as if nothing had happened at all. It was just another day for them. They didn't even avoid looking at Iruka's eyes. He was quite proud of them for how deceitful they were.
For the first time, Iruka decided to let it go. It probably messed with them even more than punishing them right now. And he just couldn't think of a proper punishment for them since he had not had a drop of alcohol for the past day.
His lips felt dry, and all he could think of was how nice it would be to have something stronger to drink. How nicely it would burn his throat. Completely making him forget about this little incident.
Still, he had to snap out of it, and he should try not to think about that stuff. Iruka put down his materials on the table after checking if there were any more traps set for him. Seeing that he couldn't find anything, Iruka finally sat down at his table.
"Today, we are going to learn tactics," Iruka said. "Nothing special, just how to approach a situation and how to respond to enemy tactics appropriately."
For now, Iruka didn't want to come off too hard on them, and for the first time since he continued to teach them, he would take it easy. Just for his own sake, as he didn't want them to get on his nerves, since he didn't think he could control himself without a drink or two.
"Shikamaru, on a mission, you are trapped between two squads of enemy shinobi. There are no allies you can rely on; the retreat route is blocked. What is the first thing you do?"
"Hide?" The boy who looked like he could fall asleep at any moment replied.
"How?"
"Depending on the place I am trapped in."
"So, the first thing you are doing isn't hiding, is it? The first thing you must do, in any situation you might fall into, is gather information," Iruka started his lesson in earnest. "I have prepared a hypothetical situation for each of you. I want you all to read through it and answer how you get out of this situation using the strengths you have."
Distributing the papers, Iruka was surprised that they didn't moan like usual about the unexpected test. Maybe they were finally starting to grow up. Or maybe they had just gotten used to it and accepted their fate that they wouldn't be lazing around while he was teaching them.
He started simple by seeing how well they were versed in tactics and what kind of thinking they had. He had already given them a hint of what they should do; now it was up to them. Then he would see where he should begin to teach them.
None of them was stupid, but they were ignorant, and they would be that way for a long time. All Iruka could do was try to impart the knowledge they would need as best as he could. And all they had to do was learn from him.
Iruka had already started to like how much they had changed. In such a short time, they had learned to be discreet in their actions and were no longer just little brats. And even if it was a small thing, not giving up on finding the culprit of today's prank, they were still working together.
Not something they were capable of doing when he started to teach them. In a couple of more years, they would be the pride of Konoha; with their talent and a bit of hard work, they might be the best generation of shinobi. So, maybe he didn't need to be so hard on them all the time.
…
"Good job, Choji, keep your arms high and steady. No matter how much it hurts, keep them up," Iruka-sensei instructed Choji as he was in a match with Sasuke. "Keep your body tight; do not let Sasuke break your defenses."
Shikamaru watched it with suspicion. Something was terribly wrong with all of this. Iruka-sensei was way too nice. At this point, he would usually insult Sasuke for not being able to break through Choji's defenses and tell Choji that he couldn't just defend and hope to win.
"Sasuke, speed isn't everything. If you can't break through the front, look for other angles," and yet, he was encouraging them both. "But don't let Choji rest. Even a single breath he can have will make it harder for you."
Iruka-sensei was many things, but he wasn't that patient. The fight lasted far longer than usual; at this point, Iruka-sensei would have intervened in some way. And yet he hadn't done it. And that wasn't all.
Since this morning, he had just dismissed Ino's quite deadly prank. He didn't even comment on it and just started to teach them like it was normal. Well, it was, but he taught them normally. Like any other teacher did.
And he hadn't yet called them stupid or little brats or insulted them in any other way. It creeped the hell out of Shikamaru as Iruka-sensei acted so laid-back around them. This shouldn't be happening.
Was this a test? Did something happen to him? Was this even the real Iruka-sensei? Shikamaru knew he was probably thinking way too much about it, and all of it could be nothing. But his nerves couldn't take it as he was suspicious of it all.
"That's enough," and as the second Sasuke broke through Choji's defenses, Iruka ended the match. "Sasuke wins."
Even Choji looked confused, as he fully expected to be beaten up before Iruka ended it. No, there was definitely something going on. And Shikamaru didn't like it one bit. What was Iruka-sensei planning with them?
Ino was taking it the worst. It was her prank, and now she was terrified that Iruka-sensei knew it was her. He probably did, as not much escapes his eyes. His silence about it and being all nice all of a sudden made her even more uncomfortable.
Shikamaru wouldn't be surprised if Iruka-sensei was messing with them because of that either. Because there was no way he could accept any other explanation. Iruka-sensei was playing them, but to what end, Shikamaru couldn't tell.
It was a battlefield, and ever since Iruka-sensei returned, that was what they were taught. To be tense, to be prepared at all times, and to be observant. So, there was no way this wasn't a test to make them let their guard down, and then he would strike, teaching them a lesson.
Well, Shikamaru wouldn't fall for it. He had already learned enough to know this kind of trickery and how it worked. He would just continue to observe and be vigilant. Just like he was taught. Just as Iruka-sensei wanted them to be.
There is no easy path in being a shinobi, and if one is shown, it is a lie, an illusion. And so was this Iruka-sensei; he was just an illusion. The kindness was nothing but a trap set to reel them in and then destroy them.
...
It wasn't his thirst for alcohol that made him lose focus, but the idea that he wouldn't have it anymore. The more he tried not to think about it, the more he thought about it. The taste, the burning of his throat. Wait, why did he like drinking again?
Well, whatever the reason, Iruka really had a problem, and he knew it. But for the first time, he tried to quit it; he realized how hard it would be for him. And yet it was something he decided himself, and he would see it to the end.
But it was fine. These were just his first doubts about whether he could do it and if it was worth it. Those thoughts hopefully would go away with time, and for now, he would just take it easy to not get irritated and manage his emotions.
And to do that, he had to be relaxed for a while before he got used to not drinking every time he felt anything at all. Though he had to repeat it to himself to take it easy as he watched his students fight.
"You did well, Choji," Iruka patted Choji on the shoulder as he went to rest after his fight with Sasuke. "Work on your stamina and arm strength. Well, also work on your legs and core. The back is also important, and chest muscles will help to absorb more damage, so work on that, too."
Iruka tried not to look at all the flaws Choji had, but he just couldn't overlook them. There was still plenty to work on for him. But he was far better than he was before he met him, now able to take a few hits, and most importantly, not afraid to take a few hits.
"Sasuke, your speed has improved, but it means nothing without precision. Work on that. But good job on melting Choji's defenses without letting him rest. Your stamina is impressive."
For whatever reason, the brats were looking at him weirdly, like they couldn't believe what he told them. It was only a simple observation. What did they expect from him? He wasn't drunk enough to understand these brats at all. Well, he wasn't drunk at all. And he never would. Damn it.
"Naruto, Kiba, you two are next."
But there was another thing he realized when he met Tsunade. For the first time, he felt like he had done something. For the first time, he thought he had changed something. So maybe not everything was miserable, and maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong all this time.
He still believed that he should prepare those brats better than they originally were going to be, but maybe there wasn't a need to rush things like this. They would have all their lifetime to suffer; all he needed was to prepare them to get through it, not make them suffer right now.
Rushing through things like this wasn't his brightest idea. There was still enough time to teach those brats, and they were talented enough to learn things in a normal way. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh on them.
Well, now he felt like he didn't even know what he was doing. But did he ever know what he was doing? Not really; he still had many things to learn. Though he doubted he would. Damn, now he had grown all philosophical since that was all he could think about outside of drinking.
"Kiba, stop taking Naruto's attacks head-on; dodge them." Hmm, when did Naruto get so good at taijutsu? "Naruto, don't hold back; push forward, punish Kiba's carelessness."
Iruka had noticed that Naruto had steadily gotten better at taijutsu, but this was quite a leap over a short period of time. His basics were pretty good for a student. And after Choji's fight tt seemed like everyone was making quite a bit of progress in their skills.
Seeing this, Iruka was convinced. There was no need to push them any harder. They were all talented enough, so it was fine if they had time to enjoy their childhood. And he had other students he had to focus on. Making it easier for him, too.
"Enough," Iruka stopped Naruto as he was about to deliver a devilish kick to Kiba's head. "Naruto, you need to get more aggressive and push forward with any advantage you get. Kiba, don't try to match someone stronger. You were faster, but you didn't use any movement to confuse Naruto or get to his blindside."
Continuing the combat lessons, Iruka watched over more matches. Ino also seemed to have gotten better; she was more vicious, unafraid to poke an eye or throw sand into her opponent's eyes. She capitalized on any weakness and opportunity she could get.
Sakura was methodical in her fight. Though she still lacked stamina, Iruka could see potential in her. If she learned more about the human body and where it was most effective to strike, she could get pretty good at taijutsu.
Well, then there was Hinata. She was too timid to capitalize on her almost perfect defense. But it did seem like she was working on herself, too. Her movements were better than he remembered them to be. More fluid and more responsive.
They all seemed to have adapted and learned different ways that suited them best. Hayate also didn't forget to solidify their basics, and with their knowledge of blades, they could fight against an armed opponent well enough, too.
"Good job, everyone. Let's end the lesson here."
Iruka was happy with all of their progress and decided that he didn't need to push them any further; he would just keep working on their weaknesses one by one. By the time they graduated from the Academy, they would be more than ready to enter the shinobi world.
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.