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Summary
At 19, he understood what it meant to be a field ninja and he realized in tandem that he could never teach himself to wash blood out of the clothes he was always told his parents were proud to wear.
At 20, he understood what it meant to be a teacher and he learned that no amount of re-reading could change how abysmally low the rate of survival for genin who didn’t retain everything they had been taught.
At 21, he met Naruto Uzumaki.
At 21… Iruka Umino finally understood why his parents could throw away everything so easily. He understood, because he was looking at Naruto clutching his stomach hungrily as bruises littered whatever his baggy clothes didn’t. Grabby hands beckoning for his help even in fitful sleep the way a baby would beg for it’s mother’s comfort, whimpers that quieted themselves like a child who no longer believed they’d be heard by anyone helpful.