Chapter Text
One of the things Iruka regrets the most is never asking when he still had the chance. Now, all he holds in his hands are fragments of the people his parents used to be.
The memory of how warm his mother’s hands always were when they gently guided his during kunai practice. How cold, when she gently removed his hands from holding her up after she had been fatally wounded by the attack of the Kyuubi, so that he could be taken away into safety.
What is left; a set of her kunai, set aside for practice, since she took all her best weapons with her in her last fight.
The strong grip of his father’s hands when he had pulled Iruka’s hair back into the customary ponytail of the Umino clan. The subtle shaking of the very same hands when they had held him back from joining the fight against the Kyuubi, pushing him into his rescuer’s arms.
What is left; a hair tie, too loose to hold up Iruka’s hair anymore, a treasured keepsake on the top of his dresser.
The wistfulness in his mother’s gaze when he had asked about her origins in a small village far away from Konohagakure. She had told him of his grandmother and the women who had ruled the clan. Of their fighting style, their traditions and language. Iruka wishes now he could at least remember a name.
All that is left: A beautiful traditional dress; which Iruka keeps in a chest, but has never worn. He doesn’t know how.
The trepidation in his father’s voice when he had wiped away the blood and tears from Iruka’s face. It was necessary, or so your mother said, his father had told him, It’s a tradition of her people, I had to respect it; so that you’ll never forget where your roots are, even if you bear my name and face. Iruka had nodded uncertainly, the pain already numbed by the anaesthetic.
All that is left now: The precisely cut scar on Iruka’s face. People identify him by that scar, even more so than by his ponytail or facial features. Iruka wonders if his mother would be happy, if she would be proud. He doesn’t know how to feel about it.
Scars; like memories, they remain in those who continue living. The mark of those who endure: Shinobi.