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Naruto ran up to Iruka with a wide grin and sparkling eyes as soon as the teacher walked onto the edge of the training field that Team 7 had been using for the last half of the day. “Iruka-nii, Kakashi-sensei is the best, believe it!”
Iruka’s eyes narrowed at the mysterious praise Naruto was spouting about the man he’d been doing nothing but complaining about since he had become their jounin sensei a few weeks ago. “Is he now? What did he do to earn that title?” His eyes drifted over to the man in question who was currently packing up a bunch of extra shuriken he must’ve brought for the day’s training session.
“He bought us Ichiraku Ramen for lunch!”
“He what?” Iruka’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “And he actually paid?” Asuma would never believe it.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. “He said if we finished our mission painting some old lady’s fence by lunch then he’d treat us. And he did!” He patted his stomach like he was somehow still full several hours later, although considering how much he could eat, maybe he was.
“Ah, so it was motivation,” Iruka murmured to himself as Naruto became distracted by Sasuke strolling by.
“I thought it would be nice for my wallet to take the hit for once,” a low voice stated right behind Iruka’s ear.
The hair on the nape of Iruka’s neck stood on end and he jumped, spinning around to find the cause. Kakashi waved loosely at him, eye curved into a smile.
“What do you mean by that?” Iruka asked.
Kakashi shrugged. “I’ve seen you treating Sasuke and Sakura to Ichiraku’s when you and Naruto go there at the end of the day. It made me feel a bit guilty, honestly. If anyone should be treating my team, it should be me.”
“That’s… actually very generous of you,” Iruka commented. His gaze raked down Kakashi’s lean form, trying to determine if someone had used a transformation jutsu to take the man’s place.
“Maa, not really. As a solitary jounin I have a lot of hazard pay that I don’t have anything to do with, unlike–” Kakashi cut himself off, shoulders becoming rigid as he seemed to realize that finishing that sentence might not be in his best interest.
And there was the more annoying Copy Nin that Iruka was used to. Iruka could feel his temper trying to rise up, trying to take offense to the insinuation that Kakashi had made about his monetary situation and his rank. He just couldn’t be bothered to, though. It was something he heard so often from disgruntled jounin at the mission desk that he had just about become numb to the more elite shinobi looking down on him because he was content with his lower status.
“Hm, I should’ve expected the famous Sharingan Kakashi to think chuunin are too useless to get sent on dangerous missions so they can’t earn the same pay as a ninja of higher rank.” Iruka kept his voice calm and steady, his face placid, not wanting to reveal the dip of disappointment that had appeared in his stomach. So much for Naruto’s assertion that Kakashi was the best.
Kakashi meanwhile was looking as close to alarmed as Iruka had ever seen him. His eye had actually fully opened, losing the lazy look that he was known for. He held his hands up, palms out, as he started back tracking. “Wait, Iruka-sensei, that’s not what I meant–”
“Isn’t it?”
“Definitely not!” Kakashi shook his head swiftly, sending his silver hair tumbling around. “It came out wrong. I don’t think that chuunin are below me or useless; everyone has their own skills that they excel at. You could definitely never be useless.”
“Hm.” Iruka squinted his eyes at the silver-haired man, who was looking more and more defeated the longer Iruka took to respond. Finally, he allowed the disappointment that had been building in him to dissipate. “I believe you, Kakashi-san. That makes you one of a very small group of jounin who doesn’t look down on chuunin. Thank you.”
Kakashi’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Of course sensei.” He shook his head and awkwardly slipped his hands into his pockets. “If you need evidence to put those pig-headed jounin in their place, just tell them about this interaction. You could stare death in the face and still manage to politely tell him to go screw himself; meanwhile I can’t even string a single sentence together without sounding incompetent.”
Iruka frowned at Kakashi’s self-loathing tone, but before he could think of how to respond, a small hand wrapped around his wrist and forcibly dragged him away. The further Iruka walked from the training field and the more he listened to Naruto chatter about his day, the more he was able to believe that Kakashi really was a more decent person than rumors would have him believe. He was just a bit socially awkward. What earned him the most goodwill from Iruka was that Kakashi actually cared for Team 7, even if he seemed to have trouble outright admitting it.
When they reached the apartment, Iruka took his time taking down the wards, leaving Naruto pacing restlessly beside him. As soon as the door was open, Naruto shot in and hurriedly ran into the kitchen to find food for dinner. Meanwhile Iruka casually toed off his shoes and hung his vest up on the hook by the door, letting his eyes catch on a scarf that a student’s mother had given him a year earlier. In a split second, Iruka had come to a decision.
“I think we should get Kakashi-san a gift. Any ideas, Naruto?”
Naruto walked out of the kitchen with an instant ramen cup in his hand. His nose scrunched up in confusion.“Why would we get him a gift?”
“Well, you’re the one who said he’s the best.” Flashes of small gifts he’d received over the years that made him feel appreciated and motivated zipped to the forefront of his mind. “Besides, this is the first time he’s taken a genin team. We need to show him we appreciate him so he can continue to be the best sensei.”
Naruto perked up at that. “You mean he might take us to Ichiraku’s again if we get him a gift?”
“Uh…” Iruka blinked as he slipped the elastic band out of his hair and let the chestnut strands fall around his shoulders. “He might, yes, amongst other things.”
“We need to get him a gift then!” Naruto set his instant ramen down and propped his hands on his hips, turning slowly and taking in the small living room. His eyes landed on a small, half-empty bag of gummies laying on the small table next to the couch. “We could get him candy!”
A rant from Anko about the jounin in question distantly drifted through Iruka’s mind; something about not understanding how a person could not like sweets. “I don’t think Kakashi-san likes candy.”
“What?” Naruto screeched. The only thing that could make him sound more scandalized would be hearing that someone didn’t like ramen.
“What about a nice mug?” Iruka asked as he walked into the kitchen and caught sight of the dirty dishes in the sink, most of which were mugs that had been gifted to him.
“Iruka-nii,” Naruto groaned, “he’s not you.”
Iruka deflated a bit. “That’s true enough.”
“Oh, oh!” Naruto hollered.
Iruka leaned backwards so he could see the boy. “Yes?”
“We could get him a plant!”
“A plant?” Iruka echoed.
“Yeah!”
Iruka’s eyes darted around the apartment, taking in the odd abundance of plants scattered about. There was a fern, a mother-in-law tongue, a spider lily, a hanging vine-like plant that Iruka didn’t know the name of, and a few other assorted bits of greenery. Even stranger, most of them had been relocated from the ramshackle apartment where Naruto had lived by himself. The boy had a unique affinity for houseplants, which was even stranger considering that he himself had been living mainly on instant ramen and spoiled milk back then. How the boy had ever managed to keep such a variety of houseplants alive was a complete mystery.
“You know what,” Iruka decided, “a plant might be a good idea after all.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Iruka smiled to himself as he turned back to the dirty dishes. “After all, maybe the responsibility it takes to keep a houseplant alive will translate to other areas of his life, like turning in his mission reports on time.”
“What was that, Iruka-nii?”
“Oh, nothing! We can go pick up a plant tomorrow, how does that sound?”
00000
The next day, after Naruto’s training was over and Iruka’s mission desk shift was finished, the two met up outside Yamanaka Flowers. They headed inside together, and as always Iruka was amazed at the sheer number of flowers available in the shop. It was like walking into a rainbow that had been chopped into delicate pieces. Once Iruka had conquered the friendly assault on his eyes and nose, he waved at Ino who was stationed at the counter.
Ino’s eyes brightened when she saw him. “Iruka-sensei!” Her gaze darted over to Naruto, excitement dimming just a bit. “Naruto. What can I do for you?”
Naruto was still too busy turning in circles to inspect all the available plants, so Iruka answered. “We’re looking for a potted houseplant. Do you have anything like that?”
Ino tapped her chin, nose scrunching up in thought. “We mostly carry cut flowers for bouquets at this time of the year, but I think there might be a few potted plants in the back. What is it for?”
“We need the best plant you’ve got!” Naruto cried, choosing that moment to join the conversation. “It’s going to be a gift for Kakashi-sensei!”
“Oh, that’s actually really nice,” Ino commented. “I wonder if Asuma-sensei would like a houseplant as a present.”
“Hey, you can’t steal our idea!” Naruto protested.
Iruka chuckled. “I don’t think Asuma is very good with plants, but he might still be able to find a use for it, especially if you got one with red flowers.”
Ino’s eyes sparkled in understanding. “What about you, are you looking for a plant with any specific features?”
“It needs to be tall and awesome looking!” Naruto demanded, jumping up at the counter excitedly.
“Sure,” Iruka acquiesced. “One that isn’t too high maintenance might also be good.”
Ino nodded. “Probably a good decision. Let me go look at what we have.” She disappeared into the back, her long, blonde ponytail swaying with her steps.
“Iruka-nii, you’re going to make us get something boring aren’t you?” Naruto was looking at him with eyes full of suspicion.
“And exactly what makes a plant exciting?” Iruka countered.
“I don’t know! It’s got to be a good green color, like bam ! And leaves that are all whoosh !” Naruto punctuated each requirement with weird hand motions to try and properly demonstrate exactly the right color and shape the leaves should be.
Thankfully, Ino interrupted Naruto’s list of plant demands as she came back up to the counter lugging a good sized pot. “I think this may be the best we have that fits the specifications you gave me.” She set the pot on the counter with a ceramic click and began ticking the plant’s features off on her fingers. “It’s low maintenance, it’s fairly tall, it’s got big leaves, and it should stay green through winter so hopefully that all qualifies as awesome looking.” She raised an eyebrow at Naruto who was busy squinting at the broadleaf plant like it was an enemy shinobi.
Iruka decided to take a page out of his book and also inspect the plant. It was everything Ino had said: tall with wide, flat leaves jutting out at random intervals. It was perhaps a little paler green than Naruto’s demand of ‘bam’ might’ve required, but he couldn’t tell if the coloration was natural or something brought on by pests or watering issues. The leaves also drooped a bit as if it had survived untold hardships. Its stem was thick and woody, giving it a hardy appearance. It stood almost drowsily in its plain, brown pot.
“I think it’s perfect!” Iruka nodded in satisfaction. “What about you, Naruto?”
“Hm, it’ll do,” he huffed, still squinting at it with his arms crossed.
“Great!” Ino chirped, sweeping right over Naruto’s less than stellar acceptance. “Is that all for you?”
“That’s it,” Iruka said, pulling out his wallet to pay. Once he had received his change, he dropped the plant into Naruto’s waiting arms and waved to Ino again as they exited the shop.
By the time they’d made it back to the apartment, Naruto had warmed up to the plant. He grinned brightly as he marched through the door and plonked it on the small kotatsu in the middle of the living room. “I can’t wait to give this to Kakashi-sensei! I’ll definitely be his favorite student after that.”
Iruka shook his head as he slipped his vest off and hung it on the designated hook. “Before that, though, does it look like it needs any water or fertilizer? We want to make sure it’s in the best shape possible when we give it to him.” Because who knows how often Kakashi will actually remember to water it, he thought to himself.
Naruto circled around the pot to inspect it from every direction and then poked his finger into the soil. “It’s all good,” he declared. After a moment though, he spun on his heel and raced towards his bedroom. “It does need something though!”
“What would that be?” Iruka asked curiously. He plopped down on the couch cross legged, letting his elbow rest on his knee so he could place his chin on his palm. With his other hand he yanked his hairband out and let his ponytail fall before running his fingers through his hair to massage out the tension.
Naruto sprinted back into the room holding a marker up over his head. “It needs a name!” He skidded across the floor on his bare feet before sitting in front of the kotatsu. His blond hair effectively blocked most of the plant from Iruka’s view, so he leaned forward and let his chin rest lightly on the top of Naruto’s head.
“Have any ideas?” he asked. Naruto’s scruffy hair tickled his throat as he spoke.
“Maybe Haru?”
Iruka hummed, taking in the plant’s slightly dull appearance. “Hm, I’m not sure that quite fits. What about Midoriya?”
Naruto’s head tilted in a way that meant he must’ve rolled his eyes. “That’s so boring Iruka-nii.”
“Alright, what other ideas do you have?”
Silence reigned as they both stared at the plant until its droopy, unsymmetrical outline was burned into both their retinas.
“Aha!” Naruto bounced, making Iruka nearly bite his tongue. “Mr. Ukki! That’s his name!”
Iruka leaned back into the couch cushions as Naruto uncapped the marker and yanked the pot towards him to inscribe the name on the edge. “I think that’s very fitting.”
“Really?”
“Definitely.”
Naruto finished writing with a flourish and scooted back to admire his work. The handwriting wasn’t the best, the kanji was a bit lopsided, but once again, it was fitting.
“When should I give it to Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder at Iruka.
“If I’m remembering correctly, Kakashi-san has a mission he has to leave for tomorrow afternoon, so your training should finish up pretty early. I’ll bring it with me when I come to meet you after you’re done.”
“Awesome!” Naruto yelled with a fist bump. “I can’t wait to see his face; even with the mask on, he’s going to look so surprised!”
Iruka didn’t want to admit it to himself, much less to Naruto, but that was why he’d volunteered to bring the plant to the training field. The temptation to see Kakashi’s reaction, no matter how small, was too great to ignore.
00000
True to his word, Iruka arrived at the training ground carrying Mr. Ukki right when Team 7 was finishing up. He was even in time to see the last punch being thrown by Sasuke in what appeared to have been a 3v1 with the genin teamed up against Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura had already been incapacitated; the latter was floating in a bubble of water looking furious with herself. Naruto, meanwhile, was dangling from a tree, feet caught up by separate ropes meaning he must’ve somehow managed to step in two traps at the same time. Iruka sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, meaning that he missed Kakashi’s swift takedown of Sasuke.
Once the fight was over, Kakashi quickly righted his team, throwing a shuriken to release Naruto, offering a hand to help Sasuke up, and releasing whatever jutsu was keeping Sakura trapped. Iruka stayed back as the four of them huddled together to go over areas of improvement. Once each genin had been given something to work on the next day while Kakashi was gone, they were dismissed. Only Sakura stayed behind to ask a few more questions about genjutsu usage, if Iruka heard correctly.
His attention quickly refocused on Naruto who was jogging over to him excitedly. Morphing his face into an exasperated expression and shifting the plant’s weight on his hip, Iruka shook his head at the blond boy. “Naruto, as a former prankster you should be ashamed at getting caught in traps so easily.” Iruka clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.
“Kakashi-sensei’s traps are really hard to see!” Naruto defended himself. “I bet you wouldn’t be able to sense them either!”
Deciding not to argue the point because he didn’t feel like accidentally humiliating himself, Iruka instead looked up to check that Sakura was done asking questions. When he saw that she was, he held the houseplant out to Naruto. “Don’t you have something to give him?”
“Right, Mr. Ukki!” Naruto grabbed the pot and raced back across the field yelling Kakashi’s name at the top of his lungs.
Kakashi looked as if he was about to take off to grab supplies from his apartment, but he paused and managed to glance up just in time to catch the plant that Naruto thrust into his arms.
“This is for you!” Naruto loudly proclaimed with a blinding grin that could rival even Might Gai’s.
Kakashi held the gift out at arm’s length to inspect it. “...a houseplant?” he asked a bit slowly.
“The best houseplant!” Naruto insisted. “You shouldn’t be able to kill it, and it even has a name!”
Kakashi rotated the plain, brown pot around in his hands until the rough kanji was facing him. “Mr. Ukki,” he read off, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice.
“It was Iruka-nii’s idea!” Naruto said a tad misleadingly. “He said it’s perfect for you!”
Iruka found himself hurrying across the field to explain as Kakashi’s dark gaze turned towards him. Iruka raised a hand to run through the end of his ponytail, gritting his teeth at the thought of Kakashi believing he’d come up with the name and dubbed it perfect for him.
“Getting you a present was my idea, but the name was all Naruto,” Iruka corrected.
“I see.” Kakashi nodded and turned his attention back to Naruto. “Thank you for the gift.” He reached out and ruffled his student’s hair, making the blond spikes stand up in even more disarray.
Naruto’s smile shone brilliantly and he scurried away with his eyes brimming with happy tears. Iruka watched the boy jump in celebration and turned back to the Copy Nin. “You’ve made his day.”
“I see that.” Kakashi’s gaze was still trailing after Naruto with a warm glint emblazoned in the dark iris. “Although he’s not the only one I should be thanking.” His eye locked onto Iruka.
“Oh, there’s no need to thank me,” Iruka said, scratching at the back of his head.
“What made you decide to get me a gift anyway?” Kakashi asked as he shifted the plant to his hip.
Iruka shrugged. “You’ve been doing so well with Team 7 and Naruto is always telling me how awesome you are.” Kakashi’s eyebrow rose sharply in disbelief. “And as a fellow teacher you deserve to know you’re appreciated.”
“Thank you, Iruka-sensei.” Kakashi dipped his head. “Perhaps my gift to you will be a decent mission report when I get back. Now, I’m afraid I must be going.”
Before Iruka could decide if he was joking about the mission report, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Iruka pursed his lips before shrugging it off and turning to ask Naruto and the rest of the team if they would like to go to Ichiraku.
And a couple weeks later when Kakashi finally deigned to turn in the report from his solo mission, it was filled out perfectly. Even his handwriting was decent. Not one to be soft on a jounin though, Iruka still yelled at Kakashi because the report was a week late. Kakashi simply stood there and took it with a sparkle in his eye.