Naruto Drabble - Teachers
NARUTO FIC
Title: Teacher
Summery: In the future, Naruto still has a few wounds he likes to pick at.
Teacher
To this day, Naruto still felt his stomach churn when they found nin who'd been twisted by their jounin sensei.
The last nin fell, blood gushing from his mouth. Naruto had to turn away as Neji relaxed his stance -- the Gentle Fist style was brutal. "I hate this," he muttered fervently, unconcerned that Neji and Shikamaru had to have clearly heard it.
They all hated it. These nin had done nothing to deserve their deaths. The one behind it all, the jounin leader who had escaped thus far, was the one who deserved all the blame, all the punishment, all the pain that his students suffered because of him.
"Sometimes, people change," Shikamaru muttered, scratching his neck, face averted. "The 'kage can't correct anticipate which of the jounin would make bad teachers."
"I know that!" Naruto barked. His fists clenched spasmodically, and he refused to look as Neji's emotionless face and emotionless eyes turn to stare. He doesn't say a thing, but Naruto knows what he's thinking anyway. Naruto still burns from the hurts delivered before.
"Come on," Shikamaru said, adjusting his mask and launching himself into the trees. Naruto and Neji follow on his heels. Undoubtedly, Kiba and Akamaru have already found the jounin and are just waiting for them to come take care of it.
The hokage didn't need to know that one of her favored hunter-nin couldn't bring himself to spill blood. It clings to stuff, Kiba said once, shaking, his eyes dark. You can't ever get it out. It's always there.
His teammates agreed whole-heartedly. They just dealt with it better. Neji's used to the blood, and Naruto can fool himself into thinking that life-liquid didn't mean death, and Shikamaru ... who knows how Shikamaru deals with it. He isn't telling. Geniuses! Naruto snorts with irritation. They're always so weird...
And even that thought sets the tangled webbing of hurting off again. Naruto's fist are shaking, convulsing, and all he does is put kunai in them to keep the nails from breaking skin.
Teachers weren't the sort of people you just forgot. You can't forget them. Neji finds himself echoing Gai's teachings on the lighter days, and Shikamaru still loves the games he used to play. Play with him long enough, and he'll forget who he's playing with, sometimes. Kiba tends to respond to distressed people with a hand on the shoulder, grinning -- grinning --
Oh, how they'd suffered.
Sound was impossible. Akatsuki was impossible! So many had fallen to those two that children had been left unguided. Naruto and this team had been put together to deal with outside missions. They'd been trained as hunter-nin because Leaf needed someone, and they were promising.
Since so many had fallen.
So, here they were, chasing down the teachers that lead their students astray. Couldn't have pockets of rogue nin hiding out and learning forbidden jutsu. I can't believe those idiots would do this to them! These are children -- they had no right!
Even at this stage in his life, Naruto understood a few things. A jounin that was put in charge of impressionable children had to be a wise, nurturing person. (Unlike! Unlike --!) They had to understand the hidden dynamics of their students life. They had to understand their student's minds. (Unlike--!!!) They couldn't allow themselves to get wrapped up in the past, in memories, in parallels. (Unlike -- !!!)
Naruto shot past the two flanking him. Kiba had marked the jounin well. He burst through the bushes, zeroed in on the man. The jounin started, clearly not expecting such a rash attack. Surprise and fury were on Naruto's side.
By the time he and Kyuubi were done with the man, there was little to dispose of. This means nothing, thundered in his ears as thick red slowly dripped down his skin, chest heaving for breath. His mask was surely splattered thoroughly. You've had this all over you before. It means nothing.
I've made promises on this fluid, too, he thought. It means everything.
"Ugh, so messy," Shikamaru groaned, sagging into a relaxed position. "You really are tiresome, idiot."
"He's gone," Neji added, meaning Kiba. It wasn't surprising. Kiba and Akamaru hated the smell of blood and death.
"You know --"
"I know!" Naruto yelled, shaking. Shikamaru was going to say the same thing he always said when Naruto got a little crazy in the head and did idiotic unthinking things like this. You can't get back at him by killing others. But he could try. It was therapy, of a sort, either way. It's really bothersome how your still hung up about that, Naruto, Shikamaru would say. That was years ago, and insignificant at that. They're both dead, anyway.
He didn't really care. I'll get you to acknowledge me! For a while, he thought he'd succeeded. That smile was aimed at him for a while, telling him, You did right. Pride would fill his chest. I heard you, it told him. I am listening.
What a lie. What a lie.
"We should head back."
What a damned stupid lie. They weren't listening. He hadn't done right. After that stupid stupid little accident, he was shoved aside again. He should be used to it, but somehow, it hurt worse this time.
You're still my precious people!
That's nice, they had seemed to say. Turned around and walked away.
Naruto was a little tired of not being precious to them. It was okay, he could survive. He'd found someone else to give him what he wanted -- what he'd said he wanted -- and he'd change their minds. I'm strong, too! Look at me! I can do it! And yet -- and yet -- I'm strong, too! I'm strong! Look at me! Look! I'm strong! Look at me!
I'm important, too!
Should be used to it.
Teachers were important in a genin's life. They were the nurturers, the protectors. They taught. They were the source of life. (They were first crushes, first loves.) Teammates were important. They aided, they supported, the provided a different view, a gauge to the abilities. (They were brothers-in-arms, they were other-selves, they were mirrors of the soul.) They were important people. They were precious people. How could someone with that power abuse it like that?
Sometimes, teachers didn't mean to abuse it. They simply weren't wise enough to realize they were doing irreparable damage. They simply weren't selfless enough, or smart enough, or -- or -- or something!
That rejection, intentional or not, did the most damage to Naruto that anything had ever done. No one really minded. Nin were expected to have these sort of gaping wounds. It was what made them dangerous. Damaged people were always dangerous.
I'm important, too.
--
* "Damaged people were always dangerous" -- This line was based off a quote by Josephine Hart, and goes like this -- "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive."
In 'Teachers'Verse!Naruto's case, it might be a bit safer to say, "He's dangerous, he had nothing to live for," though.
Title: Teacher
Summery: In the future, Naruto still has a few wounds he likes to pick at.
Teacher
To this day, Naruto still felt his stomach churn when they found nin who'd been twisted by their jounin sensei.
The last nin fell, blood gushing from his mouth. Naruto had to turn away as Neji relaxed his stance -- the Gentle Fist style was brutal. "I hate this," he muttered fervently, unconcerned that Neji and Shikamaru had to have clearly heard it.
They all hated it. These nin had done nothing to deserve their deaths. The one behind it all, the jounin leader who had escaped thus far, was the one who deserved all the blame, all the punishment, all the pain that his students suffered because of him.
"Sometimes, people change," Shikamaru muttered, scratching his neck, face averted. "The 'kage can't correct anticipate which of the jounin would make bad teachers."
"I know that!" Naruto barked. His fists clenched spasmodically, and he refused to look as Neji's emotionless face and emotionless eyes turn to stare. He doesn't say a thing, but Naruto knows what he's thinking anyway. Naruto still burns from the hurts delivered before.
"Come on," Shikamaru said, adjusting his mask and launching himself into the trees. Naruto and Neji follow on his heels. Undoubtedly, Kiba and Akamaru have already found the jounin and are just waiting for them to come take care of it.
The hokage didn't need to know that one of her favored hunter-nin couldn't bring himself to spill blood. It clings to stuff, Kiba said once, shaking, his eyes dark. You can't ever get it out. It's always there.
His teammates agreed whole-heartedly. They just dealt with it better. Neji's used to the blood, and Naruto can fool himself into thinking that life-liquid didn't mean death, and Shikamaru ... who knows how Shikamaru deals with it. He isn't telling. Geniuses! Naruto snorts with irritation. They're always so weird...
And even that thought sets the tangled webbing of hurting off again. Naruto's fist are shaking, convulsing, and all he does is put kunai in them to keep the nails from breaking skin.
Teachers weren't the sort of people you just forgot. You can't forget them. Neji finds himself echoing Gai's teachings on the lighter days, and Shikamaru still loves the games he used to play. Play with him long enough, and he'll forget who he's playing with, sometimes. Kiba tends to respond to distressed people with a hand on the shoulder, grinning -- grinning --
Oh, how they'd suffered.
Sound was impossible. Akatsuki was impossible! So many had fallen to those two that children had been left unguided. Naruto and this team had been put together to deal with outside missions. They'd been trained as hunter-nin because Leaf needed someone, and they were promising.
Since so many had fallen.
So, here they were, chasing down the teachers that lead their students astray. Couldn't have pockets of rogue nin hiding out and learning forbidden jutsu. I can't believe those idiots would do this to them! These are children -- they had no right!
Even at this stage in his life, Naruto understood a few things. A jounin that was put in charge of impressionable children had to be a wise, nurturing person. (Unlike! Unlike --!) They had to understand the hidden dynamics of their students life. They had to understand their student's minds. (Unlike--!!!) They couldn't allow themselves to get wrapped up in the past, in memories, in parallels. (Unlike -- !!!)
Naruto shot past the two flanking him. Kiba had marked the jounin well. He burst through the bushes, zeroed in on the man. The jounin started, clearly not expecting such a rash attack. Surprise and fury were on Naruto's side.
By the time he and Kyuubi were done with the man, there was little to dispose of. This means nothing, thundered in his ears as thick red slowly dripped down his skin, chest heaving for breath. His mask was surely splattered thoroughly. You've had this all over you before. It means nothing.
I've made promises on this fluid, too, he thought. It means everything.
"Ugh, so messy," Shikamaru groaned, sagging into a relaxed position. "You really are tiresome, idiot."
"He's gone," Neji added, meaning Kiba. It wasn't surprising. Kiba and Akamaru hated the smell of blood and death.
"You know --"
"I know!" Naruto yelled, shaking. Shikamaru was going to say the same thing he always said when Naruto got a little crazy in the head and did idiotic unthinking things like this. You can't get back at him by killing others. But he could try. It was therapy, of a sort, either way. It's really bothersome how your still hung up about that, Naruto, Shikamaru would say. That was years ago, and insignificant at that. They're both dead, anyway.
He didn't really care. I'll get you to acknowledge me! For a while, he thought he'd succeeded. That smile was aimed at him for a while, telling him, You did right. Pride would fill his chest. I heard you, it told him. I am listening.
What a lie. What a lie.
"We should head back."
What a damned stupid lie. They weren't listening. He hadn't done right. After that stupid stupid little accident, he was shoved aside again. He should be used to it, but somehow, it hurt worse this time.
You're still my precious people!
That's nice, they had seemed to say. Turned around and walked away.
Naruto was a little tired of not being precious to them. It was okay, he could survive. He'd found someone else to give him what he wanted -- what he'd said he wanted -- and he'd change their minds. I'm strong, too! Look at me! I can do it! And yet -- and yet -- I'm strong, too! I'm strong! Look at me! Look! I'm strong! Look at me!
I'm important, too!
Should be used to it.
Teachers were important in a genin's life. They were the nurturers, the protectors. They taught. They were the source of life. (They were first crushes, first loves.) Teammates were important. They aided, they supported, the provided a different view, a gauge to the abilities. (They were brothers-in-arms, they were other-selves, they were mirrors of the soul.) They were important people. They were precious people. How could someone with that power abuse it like that?
Sometimes, teachers didn't mean to abuse it. They simply weren't wise enough to realize they were doing irreparable damage. They simply weren't selfless enough, or smart enough, or -- or -- or something!
That rejection, intentional or not, did the most damage to Naruto that anything had ever done. No one really minded. Nin were expected to have these sort of gaping wounds. It was what made them dangerous. Damaged people were always dangerous.
I'm important, too.
--
* "Damaged people were always dangerous" -- This line was based off a quote by Josephine Hart, and goes like this -- "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive."
In 'Teachers'Verse!Naruto's case, it might be a bit safer to say, "He's dangerous, he had nothing to live for," though.