A/N - Oh geez, sorry for the late update, my new job has been physically and mentally taxing. I also had a rather unfortunate situation at work where a customer sexually harassed me and then my manager laughed at me when I told her. And then this conversation with my mom didn't go well when I told her the details of what the customer had done to me and she'd been... almost accusatory? I haven't spoken to her about how it's made me feel because it almost feels taboo. I don't know, but I've been reeling from the situation.

My new job has me on five days straight, two days off schedule - days off being Sunday and Monday - so that's when I'll likely be posting from now on. Now that I've settled pretty comfortably in my new position, I'm hoping I can start whipping these chapters out every weekend or every other weekend! Thank you for your patience and it's been nice to be back <3

"You know, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto turned his head to stare back at the older man, "You don't need to walk me home." Kakashi merely chuckled, continuing his quiet walking, nose buried in his pervy book. "Seriously, I'm fine." He reiterated with a firm glare, "I don't even know why you insist on doing this!" The medic-in-training found himself throwing his hands in the air, an exasperated look on his face. He tried to walk faster to escape the prying eyes of his teacher, but the silver-haired jonin merely kept pace right behind him.

"Oh, I'm sure you're fine." He shrugged half-heartedly before peeking up over his book to give his student a sly-eyed smile, "But I'm still walking you home."

"Ugh!" His nose flared, all of his self-control being used to stop his foot from stomping in his frustration which wasn't much. His whole body felt like it was vibrating in his irritation, teeth clenched together and jaw tight as a fiddle.

Kakashi paused for a moment, looking down at his student, "Naruto."

"What?" There was a fine line of attitude in that one word said behind gritted teeth.

Kakashi easily ignored the tone. "Why are you so upset about this anyway?" He couldn't help but ask, searching the boy's stiff body for any kind of nonverbal answer, "Is it so bad that a teacher can't make sure his student gets home okay?" The silver-haired jonin was trying to play nice, but the way Naruto's shoulders were hiked up to his ears made him wary, balancing delicately on tipping the boy the wrong way with his actions.

The blond rolled his eyes, his whole body rocking with it; he was feeling extra sensitive today, "Stop playing dumb, Kakashi-sensei. I know why you're doing this..." His tone fell flat, turning his head away from his teacher, a grimace on his face. A few moments of silence passed between them, Naruto nearly believing his teacher was about to drop the conversation and leave him alone. But that would be too simple, wouldn't it?

"And?"

Naruto groaned out loud, frustrated beyond belief, "And I don't like it!" His head whipped around, practically staring daggers at his teacher. Why was he so mad? He felt like he was going to combust with the brewing anger underneath his skin.

"Too bad, don't care." Kakashi shrugged, ignoring the clear aggression on his student's face, "I'm still walking you home."

The rest of the walk back to the Nara compound was uncomfortably silent save for the small irritated grumbles coming from the blond-haired teen here and there. Kakashi would chuckle here and there, trying to keep the atmosphere light and breathable, but Naruto's aggression was palpable. The air was tense, electrifyingly. So much so that it made Kakashi's jaw lock up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He eyed the teen carefully, having continuously trailed after him. While the Kyuubi's chakra was not in effect at the moment like it had been with Neji, Kakashi could swear the demon's impression had been made between them. If it was under different circumstances, he might've poked and prodded at Naruto to see what would've happened, but he had to be a teacher right now.

As they approached the compound gates, some of the Nara clan members lazily waved the two in without much of a greeting, intent on getting back to their "well-deserved" nap. Naruto had whined out loud, finding himself almost begging them to have Kakashi removed from his side. He was sure with almost a hundred percent chance that with just a quick word, they'd do what he asked and his annoying teacher would have to leave him after that. However, as they made their way inside well past the compound gates, he kept his mouth shut; he didn't feel like bothering the clan members today with something as mundane as this. In a way, Kakashi wasn't actually doing anything truly bothersome - as the man said, he was just walking him home.

Naruto sighed dramatically - guess he's stuck with the jonin for the rest of the way. There's a pit in his stomach, it's warm and sickening, as if all eyes were on him. This was a battle he couldn't win, so might as well suck it up, right? He chanced a look at his teacher, the man's attention, although looking like it was stuck in his pervy book, was almost hawkishly looking at him, assessing him, analyzing him. Naruto quickly looked away, the door to his friend's place almost couldn't come into the line of sight fast enough. No, he wasn't going to suck it up, he would escape his nosy teacher even if the man was still hot on his tail.

He almost ran, hand already outstretched for the doorknob. "Thanks for walking me home, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto quickly spouted out, hoping that he could get inside without much issue, "I'll see you tomorrow for training." He was hoping his rambling might make his teacher falter for just a second, he was so close to escaping. Yet, Naruto kept forgetting that the man behind him was, in fact, a jonin. A very powerful and very fast jonin, Kakashi takes a large step forward to stand in front of his student, blocking the teen's path inside. "...no..." Naruto groaned quietly, letting his shoulders sag in defeat. Kakashi knocked on the door swiftly, effectively stopping his student in his tracks.

There were several voices on the other side of the door, shuffling feet approaching quickly. If Naruto wasn't so annoyed with his teacher's behavior, he was sure he'd be hiding behind Kakashi in embarrassment, his body stiff and upset in the wake of everything that's happened that day. The door clicked open after half a second, Yoshino's face poking out curiously. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Kakashi." It seems her distaste for the silver-haired jonin was still a factor in her tone.

Either Kakashi didn't notice or didn't care about her attitude towards him and instead greeted the woman politely, "Good afternoon, Yoshino-san. I hope you've been well since the last time I'd seen you."

Her face twisted into something more neutral, "I've been... fine." Her eyes finally caught something blond behind the jonin, face lighting up at the realization. "Hi sweetie," Yoshino smiled warmly, voice sweet as sugar, "How were your missions today?"

"...um..." Naruto looked down at the cement sidewalk leading to the door, fiddling with his fingers, "Fine, I guess..."

Yoshino's eyebrows furrowed tightly together in concern before glancing up at the boy's teacher. Something in Kakashi's lone eye must've sparked something in her as she moved to open the door wider. "Why don't you two come inside and get yourself settled?" She waved them in, "Dinner should be ready soon."

"What!" Naruto blanched, mouth hanging open in disbelief, "You're inviting him to dinner?!" Yoshino gave him a stern motherly look that read something along the lines of "Be on your best behavior, we have guests". His shoulders maintained their low posture, succumbing to his continuous defeat - it seemed Kakashi's meddling was working. It didn't mean he had to like it. Naruto marched inside, feeling only slightly betrayed by Yoshino's kindness.

"If you wouldn't mind taking off your shoes, Kakashi." The older woman murmured, shutting the door behind them once inside.

"Of course." Kakashi voiced out, moving behind Naruto who merely just cringed away from the man, desperately trying to get his sandals off as quickly as possible. The longer his teacher continued to follow him, the more his nerves felt like they'd explode and the feeling in his stomach grew worse and worse. Why was he so angry?

With his sandals discarded haphazardly by the front door, he zipped away from Kakashi's lone eye, desperate to find Shikamaru and hide out in his room. The day had felt so long already and his best friend was the perfect remedy for it. However, upon stepping foot into the main area of the house, he skids to a stop, perfectly pausing with his eyes wide. "Hey, kiddo." A sweet voice called out to him. Iruka waved politely, if only a little awkwardly, sitting beside Shikaku who was pouring the former academy teacher a cup of tea.

"D-Dad!" The word was automatic, full of joy as a sense of relief washed over him, the day's memories having momentarily left him. Iruka held his arms out, wide open for the teen, allowing for the blond blur to crash into him. His wheelchair made a noise of complaint at the interaction, but neither of them cared. Yoshino and Kakashi finally made their way into the common room, watching the two in quiet contemplation.

"How have you been?" Iruka asked sweetly, running his fingers through the boy's hair, smoothing down some odd parts here and there.

He merely shook his head, burying his head into the man's neck. "I've missed you!" Naruto felt like he was gasping for breath, practically in Iruka's lap, desperate to hold his former teacher closer. As if he'd lose him again.

"I heard you ran."

Naruto did a full-body wince, all of the adults in the room giving him a look. "Naruto?" Iruka's voice was quiet, a whisper in his ears, "Are you hurt? Did something happen today?"

"No." His words were almost harsh, but he stopped that tone before it could happen, "I'm... I'll be right back. I'm going to say hi to S-Shikamaru." Naruto detached himself from his adoptive father before dashing to the back of the house where Shikamaru's room was.

There was an uncomfortable silence between all of the adults, hesitantly looking at each other. "Kakashi." Yoshino was quick to call out to the blond's teacher, "It's unlike you to give anyone the time of day, even the act of walking them home is not something you'd do out of the kindness of your heart. And that reaction out of Naruto-kun is out of the norm. What happened today?"

He tipped his head at her, "You're as smart as ever, Yoshino-san. Though, I'm a little offended that you and Naruto share the same sentiment as a teacher walking his student home."

She rolled her eyes, "Quit with the flattery, Kakashi, I'm a married woman." Yoshino crossed her arms, huffing defiantly while her husband merely snorted from where he was seated at the table with a cigarette in his fingers.

"Is he alright?" Iruka asked quietly, smoothing the blanket Yoshino had provided from his neatly across his lap. It's a habit he's picked up already since he'd lost the ability to move his legs. "He's not hurt, right?" He couldn't help but ask, still thinking back to the full-body wince the teen had done.

Kakashi sighed deeply, leaning against the wall casually. He crossed his arms over his chest, "He and another genin from a different team got into it a bit."

"What do you mean by 'it'?" The former academy teacher furrowed his eyebrows, "Did they get into a fight?" He wasn't unfamiliar with kids fighting each other the minute they got the chance. Sure, he might've expected this of younger Naruto, but the kid hadn't so much as physically fought anyone since before he picked up medical ninjutsu. The only times he'd seen the teen throw down with someone was during scheduled spars at the academy and, well, Mizuki. Iruka unconsciously shivered at the man's name, his back twitching in remembrance.

"I'm sure if I hadn't intervened, it probably would've gotten to that point." Kakashi found himself saying with a deep sigh as if preparing himself for his next words, "The Kyuubi made an appearance today."

"What?!" The three other adults exclaimed. Shikaku put out his cigarette, leaning forward, completely invested by now. Yoshino found herself taking a seat by her husband while Iruka merely stared down at his legs.

"Are you sure?" Iruka mumbled out, disbelieving the words he'd just heard. He doesn't remember Naruto's use of the Kyuubi's chakra during that night, having already started crossing the bridge after taking the brunt of an attack meant to kill Naruto. However, the report of the carnage left after Kyuubi's appearance made his skin crawl. It wasn't Naruto who'd done that to Mizuki, it was Kyuubi's influence, he kept having to remind himself now and then. His son was an angel, he wouldn't have done something like that.

The silver-haired jonin rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that his words were going to cause some distress, "His eyes turned red, Iruka. He was being antagonized by this genin. I wasn't entirely sure how to diffuse the situation at the time, but... the minute I saw his eyes, I had to do something." Kakashi's whole body looked tense with a weird mirth in his eyes. "I got him calmed down enough, but he's been extremely sensitive since then. I mean... he's been aggressive all day and very... uncooperative."

Yoshino huffed out in worry, hand pressed against her chest to soothe herself, "Naruto is a very sweet boy, I just can't see him acting like that."

"Unless it was for good reason." Shikaku offered.

"Oh, this kid definitely deserved whatever Naruto would've thrown at him." Kakashi found himself shaking his head, a laugh just barely on his tongue. He smothered it coolly not thinking that laughter at this moment would be for the best before starting up again, "If it was just a regular brawl, I think I would've just let them duke it out. Safely." He added the last part when both Yoshino and Iruka gave him a sour look.

The Nara woman rolled her eyes, a scoff on her lips, "I'm not sure how a brawl could be monitored safely by a man who keeps his nose in perverted literature."

"Ah, you wound me, Yoshino-san." He gave the woman an eye smile.

"I'm married."

"I know that." Kakashi chuckled, unable to help himself, "I'm serious, though. I believe that if the two of them had fought, it would've been fine - both me and Guy were there. But, with the Kyuubi influence, I worried that we would've had a bigger issue on our hands than just a genin brawl. I mean, we all have heard the report on what became of Mizuki after, right?"

"Mizuki got what was coming to him." Iruka bit out, venom on his tongue before clearing his throat. Everyone stared at him in quiet apprehension. He looked down painfully, feeling almost guilty for the anger in his veins. His eyes grew distant in memory, face dull in comparison. The former academy teacher searched his lap for the words before finally speaking up, "What did this other genin say that caused such a reaction in Naruto?"

"I..." Kakashi, for the first time in a long time, stared directly into Iruka's eyes. They had known each other a long, long time ago, but times have changed and they are just strangers. Iruka had both changed tremendously since the last he'd seen him, but also seemed so completely the same. The way he stared up at Kakashi made the jonin feel raw as Iruka tried to find the answer in his eyes - it was the same way he'd looked at him when Kakashi informed the other that he was going to be graduating early and they'd likely never see each other again.

"Kakashi?" Iruka tried to coax him, "What happened?"

"He said that Naruto had caused your paralysis by being a coward and running away." A deafening silence fell over the group as they absorbed the information like a sour pill. Kakashi tried to be blunt about it, but the way his fingers curled into a fist expressed his aggression towards that moment, "I walked him home because I wanted you all to be made aware of the situation since I'm sure you all can handle him better than I can." He said quietly, "He's been a mess all day since the incident."

"I see..." Iruka mumbled out, "Thank you, Kakashi, for telling us."

"You're welcome." He gave the paralyzed man a half-smile.

Shikaku coughed to get the teacher's attention, "Who said that to him?"

"Neji Hyuuga." He was quick to answer, only receiving a small hum in response. "Well, I'm heading out now." Kakashi gave the small group an eye smile, "I think I've overstayed my welcome. And I believe Naruto is monitoring my chakra levels to see when I leave." Kakashi looked down at his wrist where an imaginary clock would lay. He waved a hand at the group before seeing himself out of the Nara's home, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"There and gone like always," Yoshino grumbled out, rolling her eyes.

"You have got to let it go someday." Shikaku groaned, "He's always been like that and he will continue to be like that."

She swatted her husband's shoulder in annoyance, "It's you and every other ninja in this damn village that let him act like that. It's not my fault I tell him how it is!" Iruka snorted, unable to stop himself. A breath of silence passed over the three adults as they began to soak in the information Kakashi had given them. "What a shitty kid." Yoshino couldn't help but announce with a huff, "I'd heard about his attitude back when me and his aunt used to hang out, but Kami, he seems even more self-absorbed than he did back then."

"Maybe I need to go have a discussion with his father..." Shikaku couldn't help but voice a tinge of anger on his tongue.

"No." Iruka raised a hand, stopping their train of thought, "It'll only make the animosity worse - take it from a school teacher. I'll speak with Naruto later about it, and see what I can do on our side, but regarding Neji... I think, maybe, Kakashi was right."

Yoshino scoffed, "About what? He's rarely right about anything."

"Honey..." Shikaku couldn't help but groan out, "Let it go for Kami's sake..."

"I think Kakashi was right about the two of them 'duking it out'..." Iruka sighed in annoyance, "I hate to admit it, but I wonder if that would've solved anything had there not been any of Kyuubi's influence. He and Guy were both there, everything would've been okay. No serious injuries or traumas, just two students taking their anger out on each other." Yoshino gave him a sour look. "I'm not saying for them to tear each other apart and I'd hate to see my son like that, but maybe Naruto would've felt like he had an outlet for his anger." Iruka looked down at his palms, "Has anything ever been done to address the anger left in the wake of Mizuki? Because I know I have some residual aggression." His fists clenched tightly.

Shikaku tilted his head, "What do you mean, Iruka-san?"

"We've worked to be there for him emotionally and physically - you two and your son have helped tremendously in my absence and I can't begin to thank you enough - but what about the anger we... he has left over from that night." Iruka couldn't stop himself once he'd started, eyes distant and a warmth of anger pooling in his stomach, "That monster took from both of us - the use of my legs and my son's childhood - and that's something to be pissed about. I wake up so mad every day. I'm angry over my career, angry about the loss of my legs, angry over the fact that he caused so much pain to us both - to a child." His entire body was shaking with his aggression. "I'm an adult, so I have means to get my anger out, but what about Naruto?" He offered quietly, "He's been cooped up in a house recovering, having to play nice with his teammates and sensei, do missions, and go home to wonderful people who all love and care for him. But that anger is festering - Kyuubi's appearance today is proof of that and it'll only get worse the longer it continues."

Yoshino's shoulders sagged in realization, "I... hadn't even considered that as a possibility. He's such a delightful kid to be around, I didn't..."

"But we've all seen his anger since the hospital, right?" Shikaku asked, "One way or another, it presents itself and he smothers it. I've certainly noticed it."

"So... maybe, going forward, we all try to... gah, I don't even know what to do." Iruka grabbed at his head in frustration, "There's not much I can do other than offer my support through emotional means, I mean... look at me." He motioned down to his legs. "Even if I wanted to spar with him, let him get out his aggression, I wouldn't be able to!" Iruka's last words were spat out, teeth clenched tightly.

"I can take care of that aspect if you'd like." Shikaku offered politely, "I know I'm not the most energetic person, but I can certainly try."

His wife beside him suddenly groaned in annoyance, the two men glancing at her, "And I guess I can have a word with... Kakashi is about seeing if he can do something on his side as well. Maybe a few extra training sessions?"

Iruka absorbed the information before nodding softly, "He needs an outlet for sure, but... will he even want to? We all know how Naruto is. He doesn't want anyone to worry about him, especially after the Mizuki incident." He couldn't even blame him either. Without the use of his legs, Iruka had become a burden on those around him, people catering to him and worrying over his condition.

"We can only try." Yoshino smiled softly, "We're a team here. There is no right or wrong way to help him through this, right?"