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Sweat dripped down Iruka’s back as he took stock of his options. The winding path through the sweltering dungeon had led him to a fork, and in his frenetic search for crystals (—Sarutobi would get on his case for taking on odd jobs again, but Iruka couldn’t simply sit still) he had walked himself into a double dead-end.
On his left, what had previously been a path through was now a steady stream of lava encroaching on Iruka, completely blocking the way.
The path on his right harbored a Fire elemental that most certainly hadn’t been there before. Iruka would have seen it, laser-focus aside, and fighting that thing was out of the question. Maybe on a better day, but Iruka’s low HP had him thinking twice about approaching it.
As if sensing that Iruka was thinking about it, the elemental roared and turned in his direction, cleaving the air with an arm enveloped in flames. Iruka swore under his breath as he ducked in a naturally formed alcove in the caves, back pressed against the warm stone. Why did those ambers have to form in such uncomfortable places? He had to come up with a plan, and fast.
Though he was low on HP, he still had some mana left. His reserves were moderate, and whenever he went into dungeons, Iruka tried to rely more on his sturdy build rather than anything more complicated. He’d seen what mana drain was like, and it was not something he would wish on anyone. He was glad now that he had exercised restraint earlier, finding different approaches to the centre of the cave instead of trying to blast through walls with a mana-powered kick.
He did have just enough to use the home-base teleportation spell. It was the first spell anyone learned, if they wanted to be an adventurer. Even people with no affinity for mana casting had to learn it, otherwise they would be putting both themselves and their guild in danger. Once accepted into a guild, a key-master would log them into the home base, and their home-base teleportation would always take them there.
Iruka was actually the key-master for Konoha, Fire nation’s own adventurer’s guild. This made it exceedingly easy for him to pop in, even with low mana, as he was highly attuned to the ins and outs of the magical circuit. Though it seemed like a simple position at first, it was one that the guild’s Kage had entrusted Iruka with because of Iruka’s shrewdness and ability to see through most deceptions. It was something Iruka prided himself on, and being the key-master was just one way he contributed to his guild.
Just as he was getting ready to cast the spell, Iruka felt a tiny hand wrap itself around his pant leg. His blood ran cold as he slowly looked down, afraid that he was going to be met with some fire imp or anything else from the number of abominable creatures that ran through dungeons like this, but what he saw was even worse.
Standing there clutching him, soot on his face and in his hair, trembling but gaze clear—it was Naruto. Five years of age and already causing Iruka’s hair to fall out from the stress of looking after him, and he wasn’t even alone in the task.
“What are you doing here?” Iruka stage-whispered, glad that Naruto had had the good sense to hide in the alcove with him, at least. “How did you even get here?” More to the point, how had Iruka not noticed? Oh, Iruka shuddered to think what future-Iruka would have to deal with once Naruto grew into his abilities.
Naruto’s lip wobbled. “The other kids told me you were going to get more ambers for the guild. They said that,” he hiccuped sadly, “the amber was so powerful it was going to make me Hokage. So I came with you to get it.”
“You…” Iruka couldn’t help the fond exasperation that colored his voice. Trust Naruto to find a way to be adorable even in the direst of situations. He crouched, wrapping Naruto in his arms and standing up with him. “Naruto, the amber is only a conduit. Whoever uses it has to draw upon their own power. And you are already powerful,” Iruka said, punctuating it with a stab to Naruto’s chest. Naruto giggled, his cuteness momentarily making Iruka forget the situation had just become even more life-threatening than before.
But it did dawn on him. With Naruto in tow, he didn’t have enough mana to carry them both to home base. The teleportation wouldn’t work—or worse, it might split them apart. Iruka gulped, pulling Naruto close to his chest and peeking to see that—yes, the Fire elemental was still raging in the narrow pathway—and swore again.
“My other dads say you’re not supposed to do that,” Naruto giggled again.
“You need to stop calling everyone in the guild your dads, Naruto,” Iruka chided absentmindedly, wracking his brain for an escape plan, any kind, that didn’t involve him putting his or Naruto’s life on the line.
It came in the form of Naruto’s restlessness, who picked at Iruka’s backpack straps and accidentally jostled it, reminding Iruka of the stray bottle of ink he’d forgotten was at its bottom. Iruka’s trips to the guild library were always fruitful—in large part due to the fact that he was abusing his trust as key-master to snoop in many restricted tomes—so ink and paper were a necessity if he wanted to retain any of the information he learned there.
Based on something he’d come across on one of these ill-advised information hunts, Iruka started forging a plan in his head.
Although it was a big part of many adventurers’ combat abilities, summoning had never been Iruka’s forte; it required a lot of sustained mana, and demons often didn’t like him either. His previous summon attempts had always ended in disaster. Unlike Kakashi, who had somehow secured a lifetime pact with a pack of demon dogs, Iruka’s best contract lasted only five minutes back when he was a child and wanted to pull one over on the Hokage. On second thought, maybe that’s why Kakashi was always on bedrest…
Attempting to summon a demon now was dangerous, but it was the only thing Iruka could think of. It put him at risk of serious mana drain, but he hoped to at least remain conscious and guide the demon to return them to Konoha. Luckily, he had recently come across an old book that held information on partial summoning. Partial summoning was dangerous in a different way than normal summoning was, and had been banned for its unpredictability, as it allowed for much higher flexibility in forming the demon contract. On one hand, it meant less mana had to be expended to keep the demon tethered to this realm; it also meant that the demon could waive the contract much, much easier, break free and roam untethered causing untold chaos in the world.
But just like humans, demons had varying temperaments, so Iruka hoped against all hope that the demon he got this time would be sympathetic to his plight. As soon as they got to Konoha, the contract would be fulfilled, and the demon would be whisked away to their shadowy realm. In theory.
Iruka grit his teeth as he set Naruto down, whispering to him to keep quiet as he rummaged in the backpack and pulled out the bottle of ink and a stray brush. Holding his breath, he began painting a series of complicated intertwining shapes on the cavern wall. If anyone who knew anything about summoning could see him, their mind would probably break—this was all sorts of wrong. The summoning circle was jagged and weird, and Iruka’s attempt to weave in some kind of call to a water-aligned demon in its structure was his only hope at summoning a creature that would be well suited to fighting the Fire elemental.
Here goes nothing, Iruka thought to himself as he put his palm against the inked summoning circle. He held Naruto’s hand tight as he let mana flow through him, watching as the black of the ink slowly filled up with mana’s characteristic blue glow. Iruka felt the drain immediately, his reserve dwindling down to almost-nonexistent at a steady pace. He slumped with the effort it took to keep himself standing as the circle finally filled up, and flashed once before shuddering.
Maybe the wall hadn’t been the best place to draw the summoning circle, as Iruka was forced to grab Naruto and retreat back to the main path when the demon answered the summons and began stepping out of it—Iruka walked right into the eyeline of the Fire elemental. It roared, balls of flame bursting forth and immediately honing in to Iruka, who clutched Naruto to his chest and dove to the other side.
As he was too busy dodging the now constant stream of fireballs, Iruka missed the moment when the demon finally materialized completely. That was the only reason, Iruka tried to convince himself, for the undignified squeak he let out when his back was suddenly met with a very broad, very muscular chest.
Hands gripped onto Iruka’s shoulders and turned him around, and Iruka gazed way up, finally coming face to face with a demon of an entirely unexpected caliber. Just what the hell had Iruka gotten himself into?
He watched as the demon lifted his arm and batted away a fireball with ease, before pulling Iruka aside, back into the alcove. The elemental had noticed, of course, and was slowly making its way to them with its hulking form, but for a moment, Iruka and the demon stood facing each other, sizing each other up.
Then, the demon grinned unexpectedly. “It’s damn hot in here,” he said, hooking one clawed finger in the bandages that were wrapped around his face and neck and ripping through them cleanly. They fell away to reveal an unreasonably attractive face which Iruka found himself admiring, and then felt immediately ashamed by his actions. Clutching Naruto even tighter to himself, who was not as scared as Iruka thought he would be—instead watching the demon with interest, maybe even awe—Iruka cleared his throat.
“You… Hello,” he stumbled around, unsure of what the proper demon-greeting etiquette was. “My name is Iruka… As you can see I’m in a bit of a bind—could you please help me return to Konoha’s home base?”
The demon tilted his head to the side, and the motion exposed the hilt of a comically large greatsword. Iruka gulped, at once thinking that he’d summoned the best man for the job—and that he was in for a world of trouble.
“Help you… Hm. I suppose I have you to thank for the botched summoning job,” he grunted. “You know, this summoning is in no way binding. In fact,” the demon grinned again, showing off sharp-edged teeth that made Iruka’s hairs stand on end, “I don’t know how you managed, but I’ve been banned from participating in normal summoning contracts, so this must be something else.” He leaned in close to Iruka, and Iruka pulled Naruto away, shielding his face from the demon.
“Banned? What does that mean?” Iruka questioned, conscious of the crackling sounds of the Fire elemental’s lava-covered surface that were getting louder with each passing second.
“It means the Demon of the Hidden Mist caused far too many problems,” the demon said with a grin. “It means that you finally set me free. I can finally enact my vision; finally see through what I know is best for this world, rain down ruin upon any who dare oppose me…”
“Stop daydreaming and leave that for later, you idiot!” Iruka burst out, temper and fear getting the best of him. “You can have anything you want, just help me out of here—we have a child to protect!”
At Iruka’s words, the demon’s jaw clenched, his eyes alight with anger before they dropped down to the excitable bundle in Iruka’s arms. As if only just now noticing him, the demon regarded Naruto for a moment, before his gaze took on a different quality altogether. He smirked, pulling back from Iruka and into the path of the elemental.
“Anything, you say?”
Later on, Iruka would not exactly regret, but question his decision to enter such an open-ended contract with an unknown demon. One that, as it turned out, was unpredictable and extremely dangerous. At the moment, however, all he could think about was the enraged elemental and the fragile child in his arms that he’d sworn to protect—the future of Konoha. It was enough to convince him.
So he nodded, consequences be damned.
“Alright then, human,” the demon said as he hauled the enormous greatsword from his back. Iruka felt the humidity in the cavern rise; the air went from hot and dry to cool and humid in a matter of seconds, and mist rolled in from every direction. The demon was almost obscured by it when he turned to look Iruka in the eye. “I’ll help you now, because I sense you have honor. Most I have met have wanted superfluous things… You deserve a place in the world of my creation. Remember my name, for with it I evoke our contract: Zabuza!”
With that last exclamation, the mist swallowed Zabuza’s body.
“Iruka, that guy is so cool,” Naruto whispered as they stood, motionless, and the sounds of battle started from down the path. The elemental was groaning and crackling, and Iruka could hear the sounds of water rushing and Zabuza’s sword clanging against the wall. At least Iruka’s summoning circle had done one thing right; the pained hisses of the elemental rebounded through the cavern as it met its natural enemy. In his frenzy, it seemed as if the demon didn’t care about structural damage, or what that implied—the cavern shuddered ominously and rocks began tumbling down its sides.
“We have to go, Naruto, close your eyes!” Iruka exclaimed, securing the straps of his backpack and giving himself a couple of seconds to steel his nerves before rushing headlong into the obscuring mist.
He’d expected to be blinded, to have trouble breathing in the haze, but the mist parted easily with each of Iruka’s steps, like a soft blanket enveloping and shielding instead of harming them. Zabuza was nearby, and he seemed to be driving the elemental in the opposite direction of where Iruka was headed, towards the center of the dungeon.
Suddenly, Iruka realized that Zabuza’s strikes weren’t at all random: he was striking structures that held the ceiling of the cavern up on purpose, stealing glances towards Iruka and Naruto. As Iruka slithered past the elemental, which was too preoccupied with Zabuza to notice, Zabuza smirked and used the hilt of his sword to decisively strike at a stalagmite.
An unexpected spike of heat coursed through Iruka; there was something in Zabuza’s gaze that promised more, that was at once joyful and intimidating, set ablaze with the heat of battle and freedom. There was no time to think before the ceiling started creaking, however, and Iruka was forced to turn his back to Zabuza and grudgingly admit the feeling of awe that overcame him when he finally understood Zabuza’s plan.
The ceiling crashed down on top of the Fire elemental, and Iruka ran with all his might towards the exit.
Finally, light and fresh air—Iruka took big gulps of it, having set Naruto down at the mouth of the dungeon. It was sunset and the environment was cast in an amber glow, much like the crystals Naruto was now… playing dolls with? Iruka shook his head fondly, though he couldn’t swallow down the hint of unnecessary worry that had settled in his stomach.
Would Zabuza come out unscathed? He was a demon, and his body could withstand anything a human could tenfold; maybe even more, considering the ease with which Zabuza hefted that oversized sword around. Iruka had nothing to worry about, but he found himself gnawing at his lip as he stood there, catching his breath (—waiting impatiently, more like).
Just barely, Iruka managed to suppress the sigh of relief when Zabuza’s—frankly gigantic—frame sauntered out of the dungeon. Naruto was not paying attention as the demon sidled up to Iruka, grinning at him with those sharp teeth, not much worse for wear except for a bit of soot that covered his pectorals. Iruka had to fight off yet another ridiculous urge, this time to brush the soot away.
“I must say, you did a good job,” Iruka managed to say, unable to meet Zabuza’s eye. “So, what’s my end of the deal?”
Iruka felt Zabuza lean closer, hinging at the waist and coming so close to Iruka’s face that he could feel the demon’s breath on his cheek. “Not a word of this—that’s all I’m asking for.”
“You—what?”
“You heard me. Well, I wouldn’t be opposed to a kiss, either—” Zabuza smirked, and actually laughed when Iruka crossed his arms and huffed in frustration.
“Stop that! What about the contract?”
“There was no contract, sugar,” Zabuza said, still chuckling. Iruka felt a wave of embarrassment at being fooled—and then at being flirted with. “But I think it’s in both our best interests no one finds out you set me loose, no?”
Iruka remembered the red stamp on the book he’d been reading— forbidden , the words etched into his mind—and firmly nodded. Then he remembered Naruto, and blanched. He would have to bribe that boy with so much ramen to keep this secret—but at least they were alive, and safe.
“Deal.”
Zabuza grabbed Iruka’s shoulder in a bruising grip, his thumb digging into Iruka’s bicep. “I’ll be seeing you around,” he said, “and maybe you’ll come around on that kiss, no?”
Before Iruka could react, he was gone. Naruto was still blissfully unaware.
The only proof that Zabuza had been there at all were the ink stains left on Iruka’s scratched-up hands.