The Legendary Teacher
I’m glad I chose this job.
Until you were able to have that thought with pride surging through your chest, then your life wasn’t truly a happy one. This was because a job was something you chose to live through for your own sake, as well as the sake of others.
Or at least, that was the way that Umino Iruka thought.
And, right now, Iruka was extremely happy. His chest was bursting with pride when he thought about it.
The trigger for this sudden burst of joy was simply this: he’d glanced the three syllables on top of Ichizoku Ramen’s Most Popular Toppings list: Na-ru-to.
Just glancing at it made Iruka immediately think of Naruto and Hinata’s upcoming wedding, and before he knew it, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
It wasn’t because he was easily moved to tears with his old age. It was because the emotion overwhelming Iruka was likely something very close to parental love and affection.
And a certain something had happened to make him even more overwhelmed.
The other day day, Iruka had been in the Academy’s staff room as usual, working through some doc.u.ments. Naruto had come to see him with an incredibly deferential look on his face. He said he had something to ask Iruka, something about the wedding.
Iruka had already let Naruto know he was definitely going to come to the wedding, so he didn’t have the faintest idea what he wanted to ask.
Iruka asked him what he wanted to talk about, and Naruto abruptly blurted out:
I’d like it if you’d come to the wedding as my dad.
The second Iruka heard that, a giant grin spread over his face. He answered immediately: Leave it to me!
Iruka even cracked a joke as he was seeing Naruto off outside: ‘You came in with such a serious look on your face, I thought you were gonna ask me to treat you to ramen again.’
The minute Naruto’s figure disappeared out of his sight, Iruka found himself publicly bursting into tears.
In all his years of being a teacher, nothing else had ever made him feel this happy.
The path I chose wasn’t wrong, Iruka thought as he wept, his tears overflowing seemingly without an end.
And now, even when it was just seeing the word ‘naruto’ written at Ichiraku Ramen, Iruka felt his eyes starting to burn again. He even found himself ordering another topping of naruto.
It was because Naruto was a dearly beloved, special pupil to Iruka.
Of course, Iruka wasn’t the type of teacher who gave special treatment to one pupil above the others. He never played favourites. But that being said, Naruto wasn’t just his dearest pupil. Even amongst all the people Iruka knew, Naruto was a special existence for him.
Although, it hadn’t always been like that.
When Iruka had first become Naruto’s cla.s.s teacher, he’d had mixed feelings.
Whenever Iruka looked at Naruto’s face, the faces of his dead parents would never fail to come to mind as well.
Iruka was an excellent s.h.i.+n.o.bi. His parents had been excellent, as well, and that was partially why when Iruka was still young, they’d gone out to the battlefield and never come back.
When the village was being attacked by the Demon Fox, Iruka’s parents had headed to the frontlines to protect Iruka, and everyone else, from the a.s.sault. They’d fought without rest until their very last breaths.
And ever since then, Iruka had lived through the rest of his adolescence without anyone to praise him, without anyone to acknowledge him. Every single time he returned to a pitch black home with n.o.body else inside, he’d think of his parents.
The years pa.s.sed, and Iruka became a teacher. And who would appear in front of him as a student but Naruto?
Iruka knew that the Demon Fox, the Nine Tails, was sealed inside of Naruto. And he was also perfectly aware that Naruto hadn’t done anything wrong, and had nothing to be blamed for.
Even though he understood it…even though many years had pa.s.sed and he should’ve been able to accept it… his head understood, but his heart was discomposed.
His father had been a silent and severe man. His mother had been a composed woman, family-oriented and reliable. They had both been jounins who were deeply trusted by many people.
Whenever Iruka had hung out with his friends, he’d never stop talking about his parents with a deep glow of pride. He wanted to quickly grow up and become a fine s.h.i.+n.o.bi too, so he could support them.
But then, in the blink of an eye, the Demon Fox appeared in the village, with a blood curdling howl that sounded like it could pierce the very heavens themselves.
His mother had sustained injuries trying to protect him. His father had every inch of him covered in blood, but he was still scrambling to try and fight.
His parents worn and weary figures would start fading and slipping away… and then Iruka would wake up with a start, back in the dark of his room.
It was a nightmare he’d see every now and then, every since he was young.
But after Naruto was made his pupil, Iruka started seeing that same nightmare every single night.
The nightmares made him completely emotionally drained, and Iruka found himself starting to unconsciously avoid Naruto.
Naruto would constantly pull pranks, and that made his other cla.s.smates dislike him.
But your cla.s.smates were supposed to be your comrades.
But Iruka couldn’t bring himself to do anything. All he could do was watch.
His confidence as a teacher crumbled away.
He was completely useless.
Until one day, Iruka realised a certain fact:
Naruto is the same as me.
The pain of living day in and day out with no one to praise you, no one to acknowledge you– I know that pain better than anyone, so why didn’t I notice this until now?
After that realisation, Iruka never found himself avoiding Naruto again. Soon, his nightmares disappeared as well.
But what if…? What if I hadn’t had that realisation?
Even now, the thought occasionally bothered Iruka. If he hadn’t had that realisation, then it was very possible that Iruka could’ve become someone who thought about n.o.body but himself, who believed he was the only one in a pitiable circ.u.mstance. He could’ve become the lowest of the low, an idiotic b.a.s.t.a.r.d who didn’t notice the pain of anyone but himself.
Iruka believed it was thanks to Naruto that he’d escaped that fate.
Meeting Naruto had been something that had changed his life.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Naruto was the reason Iruka had decided to work as a teacher for as long as he lived. That’s how important Naruto’s existence was to Iruka.
At that moment–
It was because he was thinking of old times. A certain man’s face flashed briefly before Iruka’s mind.
The man’s name: Mizuki. He’d been a man who held high grades, and been blessed with a talent for ninjutsu.
Mizuki was someone Iruka had known since childhood. They’d applied for the teaching examination together, worked as teachers together, and helped each other. Mizuki had always been smiling and soft-spoken, unlike Iruka and his tendency to nag, so he’d always been a popular teacher amongst the students.
But, Mizuki had another side to him, different from the smiling face he showed their students.
He had been full of deep jealousy, a man who couldn’t believe in himself.
n.o.body truly grasps the real me. The real me is far more amazing. I’m not all that I appear to be. I’m not some small human to be pushed into a tiny corner like this. Everyone in the village is underestimating me.
Mizuki only ever let those words spill past his lips around Iruka.
In a nutsh.e.l.l, Mizuki was another person who was troubled because he had no one who would acknowledge him.
That was why Mizuki turned into someone who viciously pursued things, only caring about the end results and nothing else. When things didn’t go well, he blamed others. He grew jealous and resenting, and he didn’t sever the wicked feelings that were leading him astray.
In the end, Mizuki had taken the wrong path as a s.h.i.+n.o.bi.
Mizuki, Iruka thought, when it comes to being a teacher, there’s no such thing as instant results.
Any results from your teaching will be seen in five or ten years– no, for some cases, they may need even more time. It depends on how those children are taught and raised, and what kind of adults they grow to be. The results from teaching are seeing the lives our students live when they grow up.
But, if you couldn’t see even that, of course you wouldn’t understand.
Now, Naruto was so famous that there wasn’t a single person in the village who didn’t know his name. Everyone acknowledged him.
Naruto, who had been bullied and laughed at every since he was a child, who had lived his days isolated from everyone else. Naruto.
Would Mizuki have been able to predict this future for Naruto? No, he wouldn’t have.
Someone who had hadn’t spent their years as a teacher would never be able to see what Iruka was seeing now, the future of a student unfolding before his very eyes. This feeling, these emotions, n.o.body else could possibly understand them.
I had wanted you to feel this emotion as well…Mizuki.
By the time Iruka left Ichiraku’s, it was already dark outside.bHe hurried on his road home, feeling the night wind pus.h.i.+ng at his back.
The wedding present he’d bought for Naruto and Hinata was inside his vest’s front pocket. It was nice to feel the heavy weight of something so important against his chest.
He thought that he really was a happy man. It wasn’t just Naruto who still felt affection towards Iruka after graduating, but many of his other students as well. There wasn’t a happier feeling in the world than that.
Naruto especially would frequently come to see Iruka, asking if they could go and eat some ramen together. But, in the future, Hinata would probably be making meals for him at home, so if Naruto still went out to eat as frequently, she’d probably get mad at him.
Thinking about that, Iruka couldn’t help but laugh. His good mood continued the journey home.
Iruka entered pitch-black house with n.o.body inside, and turned on the lights.
There was a single toothbrush sitting in the cup beside his sink. He thought he might have to replace it soon.
A half-drunk cup of tea lay, forgotten, on his coffee table.
Iruka realised he’d forgotten to bring his laundry back in from where he’d hung it out to dry, and moved to bring them back in. His underwear in particular was now freezing cold from hanging out in the night air.
There was a faint ‘splash’ as a drop of water fell from the kitchen sink’s faucet.
It was a quiet night.
Iruka let out a sigh, looking up at the low ceiling.
It might be about time that I start seriously looking for a life-partner too…
For some reason, the thought that entered his mind felt particularly strong today.
Iruka made a small fist, and murmured to himself:
“Alright, let’s not to lose to Naruto…!”
It was a very quiet declaration.
As for what happened with that matter, let’s leave that for Iruka to find out.