Sasuke finally caught up, clutching a few shuriken in his hand, ready to throw them at any moment.
He landed in the clearing, his gaze sweeping over Moegi, who was hugging Naruto, then settling on Iruka's unconscious face.
He slowly lowered the shuriken in his hand, his tone confused. "Iruka-sensei?"
"It's just as you think."
Naruto sighed and crouched down to check Iruka's pulse. It was normal. There was a slight bruise on the side of his neck, but nothing serious.
"The ninja who just took Moegi was Iruka-sensei disguised with the Transformation Technique. As for why he took Moegi, I guess it was probably a test for us."
Sasuke's gaze shifted back and forth between Iruka and Naruto several times.
Iruka was a Chunin-level ninja. Having taught at the Ninja Academy for so many years, he possessed basic combat experience.
Yet, from the moment Naruto started the chase to knocking Iruka unconscious, it probably took less than two minutes.
To catch up to a Chunin in two minutes, and then neutralize him...
For a Genin who had only graduated a few months ago, regardless of whether it was due to innate talent or some special training, this was beyond common sense.
Sasuke returned the shuriken to his ninja tool pouch, his knuckles white from gripping them tightly. Then he walked back the way he came without a word.
Naruto watched Sasuke leave, frowning slightly, but said nothing.
With Sasuke's personality, persuasion was useless. The more you tried to persuade him, the more he felt like he was being patronized. He just had to wait for him to process it himself.
Besides, his own strength wasn't that much greater. Aside from Nine-Tails Chakra, with the Rasengan and Shadow Clone, dealing with an elite Chunin wasn't a problem, but a Jonin would be a stretch.
Naruto then crouched down, draped one of Iruka's arms over his shoulder, and hoisted him onto his back.
Just then, Konohamaru and Udon came running to the edge of the grove, panting.
As soon as they arrived, they saw Naruto walking out with Iruka on his back, and Moegi following beside him, eyes red but otherwise unharmed.
"Naruto-nii, why is Iruka-sensei here?"
"Where's that bad guy? Moegi, are you okay?"
Naruto didn't explain too much, just giving a brief instruction to be careful on the way home.
Konohamaru didn't press for more, taking Moegi and Udon by the hand to head home.
However, he kept looking back every few steps as he left, the light of admiration in his eyes as he looked at Naruto even brighter than before.
...
Naruto carried Iruka back to the teacher's apartments.
Iruka lived in a small apartment near the Ninja Academy. Lesson plans and scrolls were neatly arranged on the bookshelf, and a half-graded Genin application form was spread out on the desk.
Naruto placed him on the bed, helped him take off his shoes and forehead protector, and then went to wring out a wet towel to place on his forehead.
He used a bit of healing-type Chakra to massage the bruise on the side of his neck. It didn't eliminate it completely, but at least it dispersed most of the blood stasis.
After doing all this, he pulled over the chair from in front of the desk, sat down, and began to wait.
"Hmm..."
About half an hour later, Iruka's eyelids twitched, he let out a vague grunt, and then slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the familiar ceiling light of his own home, then turned his head to see Naruto sitting on the chair in front of his desk, flipping through a basic Ninja Academy Taijutsu textbook.
Upon hearing movement on the bed, Naruto looked up. "Iruka-sensei, you're awake."
Iruka stared blankly at Naruto, and then memories came flooding back.
He had used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a ninja from another village to test the reactions of Naruto and Sasuke. He had grabbed Moegi as bait, but hadn't run far before Naruto caught up to him, and then everything went blank.
Iruka subconsciously raised his hand to touch the side of his neck, feeling a small patch of bruising that hadn't completely faded yet, and couldn't help but reveal a somewhat complex, wry smile.
"Naruto, I never imagined you had become this strong. I didn't even have time to react before you knocked me out."
A teacher is naturally happy when their student surpasses them, but that feeling of being left behind is bound to be a little bittersweet.
"Iruka-sensei, please don't do that again next time." Naruto set down the basic taijutsu textbook in his hand and looked at Iruka.
"This time, you were knocked out by me, but what if I had misjudged the situation and hadn't held back? What if it had been a Kunai thrown instead of a hand strike?"
Iruka was stunned for a moment. He had originally expected Naruto to gloat and brag about how he had caught up and defeated him in one move. That was the Naruto he knew best.
But at this moment, Naruto didn't do that. He simply used a very calm tone to remind him to be careful.
After a moment, Iruka smiled.
Naruto really was different now.
Naruto pulled his chair a little closer and handed him a glass of water. Iruka took sip of water to moisten his throat, and cleared his throat.
"You should already know about the Chunin Exams, right, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded. "Although I haven't received official notice yet, the atmosphere in the village recently has made it clear. Besides, I already encountered Genin from Sunagakure earlier and had direct contact with them."
"Sunagakure? Did you fight them?" Iruka sat up slightly, concern immediately appearing on his face.
"It doesn't count as a fight. There was a small friction, but neither side really attacked." Naruto said.