Knock On Wood Konoha

***

Chapter 3: :Fukakoryoku 

An irresistible force

***

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. 

Henry Ford

***

Present Day

: :Hokage's Office, Hokage's Tower: :

Iruka tried in vain to reign his temper in, but he'd been pulled away from Naruto and Sasuke for this. 

He'd left them with the rest of their cohort after ignoring the first two hawks that circled his apartment. It was rare for the Godaime to hold a meeting this late. 

She was usually passed out drunk by now.

But now they were an hour in, and if Iruka had known what this meeting was for, he'd never have answered the summons, no matter how many she sent.

The Godaime was butting her head into Academy business. Hatake, lounging against the wall as always, was asleep with his eyes open, based on his level of involvement in this meeting, and Shizune kept glaring at Iruka every time he disagreed with Tsunade. 

Hyuga Hiashi, whose clan only had a single student in the academy at the moment, was sitting in the corner radiating smug superiority despite having nothing to do with this discussion. 

Koharu and Homura had shown up just to disagree with everything Iruka said. 

And the parent Iruka was actually disagreeing with couldn't formulate a cohesive argument beyond he's my kid. I can do what I want, but he was yelling loud enough for it to be effective.

This was a previously undiscovered level of hell; someone was going to write ballads about it in the future.

Maybe Iruka would do that with all his free time after Tsunade fired him.

Koharu kept trying to give him cups of tea. Her method for lulling the unsuspecting into a false sense of security and friendship and always laced with whatever drug was her current choice for manipulation or slow, painful death. 

The fuck he was going to take it, no matter how many times she offered. 

"It is more than fair to be concerned with the child's age, Lord Hokage. Any true teacher would be." Homura managed to sound insulting and congratulatory at the same time.

It took every bit of control that Iruka had, and that wasn't much, to stop from rolling his eyes. When he'd been a child, Homura had wanted him executed to maintain the balance of power among the clans in the village. Iruka had never believed a word out of the man's mouth since. 

Now, the only urge the sound of his voice brought was the desire to stab him repeatedly with a dull kunai. The Council never paid attention to the Academy unless there was a genius currently enrolled, and even then, the extent of their involvement was to get them graduated as quickly as possible and placed with a Root-friendly Jounin-sensei. 

Iruka had ruined their last two grabs by placing Shikimaru with Asuma, who hated them as much as Iruka did, and Sasuke with Kakashi, whose ties to the Hokage's office afforded him protection.

The child they were arguing about hadn't even proven he was a genius yet, mainly due to the fact that Iruka refused to test him. His father just thought he should be, and Iruka had taken severe offense to finding one of his students bearing bruises from his own parent and refused to agree with him about anything ever again.

Tsunade had maintained the clearances and roles the Third had given Iruka, but he was fairly certain that was only because she wasn't aware of most of them, and Koharu and Homura were looking to weaken Iruka's position. 

Iruka hadn't allowed a single early graduation since he'd become Head Instructor, and only the Headmaster could overrule him, and Fukoko would never do that.

Which probably explained Hiashi's presence. Iruka and Hiashi had clashed over Neji and Hinata frequently, but that was nothing compared to their arguments over Hanabi. Hiashi wanted her to graduate immediately, and while her technical skill was there, Iruka was more of a mind to hold her back based on her emotional maturity.

Jounin Hitsugaya, whose five-year-old son was the focus of this meeting (argument), was most likely a genius, although Iruka would die before saying that out loud, and the Jounin shared the same opinion as Hiashi. 

He wanted his son graduated early and handed over for training. He kept bragging he could make him a Chunin in a year and a Jounin in three. 

Iruka had refused to give the man a Genin team and didn't plan on changing his mind now.

Hiashi rarely came to the academy since the war had ended, preferring to vocalize his complaints through official channels instead of facing Iruka. The loss of Neji had hit the man much harder than expected, and he was almost a recluse now. Concerning himself only with clan matters and rarely seen outside their compound. 

Hinata had confided concerns to Iruka that all her father's work towards bridging the gap between the houses had faded away with the loss of Neji. His nephew had been the primary motivation for his emotional growth, and with him gone and Hanabi still too young to realize that things needed to change, well… 

Hinata hadn't been spending much time with the clan since the war had ended, despite improvements in her relationship with her father. She'd stuck close to her teammates, and with Naruto back, the gap would only widen.

"Has anyone asked the child what he wants to do?" Tsunade, despite being sober, sounded bored out of her mind. Sitting with her arms crossed and not bothering to hide her annoyance. Hiruzen had always been invested due to his own teaching style and later Iruka, Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke's presence, but Tsunade had none of those ties and probably only vague recollections of her experiences there.

Wait, had the Academy even existed when she was that age?

The thought drew Iruka's attention away from the conversation long enough for Jonin Hitsugaya to respond.

"He wants to graduate, Hokage-sama."

There was no holding back the scoff and eye-roll this time. "The hell he does. He's only been in class for a few months. He needs to make friends."

"He has plenty of friends outside the academy."

"No, he doesn't. You keep him locked up in that shitty house!"

"Mind your own damn business, chunin!"

Iruka would have been more intimidated if he didn't know that the man spent all his time off-mission drunk and barely able to remember he even had a son to feed.

"Keeping him in the academy is detrimental to his development. The other students are dragging him down."

"What the hell would you know about his development? You're too drunk to remember he exists when you're home, and you beat him when you do remember."

Jounin Hitsugaya's face turned an ugly shade of purple as he rose to meet Iruka head-on.

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade's roar shook the office and brought all of its occupants to their feet. ANBU appeared, ready to keep the peace by force if she commanded it. "Umino-sensei, based on your standing with Hiruzen, I would assume you wouldn't make baseless accusations to get your way."

A ripple of fury washed over Iruka.

He had to take a breath to calm himself, absentmindedly noting that Hatake had straightened and was apparently paying much closer attention now that the meeting looked to be getting physical.

Typical.

"I have academy records and hospital reports, Lord Hokage." Iruka had made the boy go any time he came in with bruises. "I've reported it on multiple occasions but never received a response." 

From your office went unsaid, but judging by the stiffening of her spine and the narrowing of her eyes, she'd heard it clearly.

So had everyone else in the room.

"He's my son," the useless Jounin argued, "I can do whatever the hell I want to him."

That brought the Hokage herself to her feet in a rage. Hatake appeared a foot from Hitsugaya's face, but before either of them could speak, Iruka punched Hitsugaya in the face as hard as he could and sent the Jounin crashing through the window and over the ledge.

One of the ANBU guards had the presence of mind to leap out after him, while the second put a sword to Iruka's throat. 

***

Kakashi blinked as the Jounin, a weak man he'd never found much use for, went flying out the window. 

He hadn't thought Iruka capable of that kind of strength, though he was very familiar with his uncontrollable temper.

Tsunade snapped at the ANBU to take Hitsugaya to the hospital and make sure he stayed there. Kakashi knew her well enough to know a very thorough investigation was coming, and it was unlikely the man would be a shinobi when it was finished. 

Iruka was a lot of things, but he took his duties as a teacher seriously, and if he was half as protective over his current students as he was over his past students, it was unlikely he was lying. 

Although the way he'd chosen to deal with the situation clearly wasn't the best option. 

He should have pushed for a meeting with the Hokage when he hadn't received a response. Tsunade would never have allowed those kinds of accusations to go unanswered if they'd actually made it to her.

Kakashi stepped aside as the Sannin turned to the Academy instructor. 

The Council was watching closely, waiting for Iruka's punishment, no doubt, as she waved the ANBU off. 

Kakashi felt a ripple of amusement from the guard's chakra. It wasn't often that someone challenged the Hokage so blatantly.

Iruka, from what little Kakashi had observed in his limited free time between training, his students, missions, and the war, seemed to pick any fight that came his way, regardless of his chances of winning. 

Not much of a strategist, he let his emotions drive him, and Kakashi had the irrational urge to demand to know who the hell trained him because they'd clearly failed to impart the basics, and now that was Iruka's responsibility.

They'd focused on fearlessness and conviction instead of tactics and ability. He'd already heard Tsunade complain about being stuck with him, and what the hell was she supposed to do with him?

Now, she stormed over to him, and Kakashi watched the anger coalesce on Iruka's face as Tsunade grabbed his arm and snarled at him. "Don't ever disrespect me in public like that again, Umino. I am more than willing to hear you out fairly on any matter, and I have done so on every occasion. But I will not afford you that respect if you refuse to afford me the same. The Sandaime may have been willing to indulge your reckless temper, but I will not."

Iruka hissed in pain and twisted minutely but seemed to figure out quickly that he wasn't going to break her grip. 

Kakashi knew exactly how strong she was, and he knew the exact moment Iruka's ulna and radius fractured. 

Surprisingly, while he paled, Iruka didn't do much more than that except sneer, "I won't sit idly by when something is wrong, Lord Hokage. Konohagakure was founded on the shared belief that children should never have to be soldiers, and yet we sent them into war less than a year ago. Forgive me for being unwilling."

Disbelief and hurt flashed across Tsunade's face. That very thing had kept her up at night during the war and still did now that it was over. Kakashi had dropped by for more than one-midnight sake or found her at the gambling halls late into the morning. 

That Iruka would be so bold as to throw it in her face was insulting.

And cruel.

"You may not have noticed, Iruka-sensei, but there was a war deciding the fate of the world." 

Don't criticize your Hokage for decisions you aren't capable of making yourself, fool.

But Iruka didn't weaken or surrender. "There is always another war, Hatake. There's always another mission. Always an excuse to take the easy way out."

***

Iruka may have been a lowly chunin with no talent in the field, but he possessed a true will of fire.

Tsunade stared down at the Chunin refusing to yield. 

Who had taught him to be like this? 

An outspoken brat dared to question her dedication to the village her grandfather had built.

Her hand tightened, but all he did was glare right back.

Naruto called Iruka his most precious person. 

The first person in the village to show him kindness. He'd shaped Naruto's way, nurtured the same will in the blond orphan, and Tsunade could see the resemblance very clearly now. 

She caught Kakashi out of the corner of her eye. Ever loyal and ready to fight and staring at Iruka with something akin to awe. 

Great, that was just what she needed. Kakashi's curiosity getting peaked by the man who was currently the biggest pain in her ass. 

He was supposed to be the next Hokage. Tsunade had already told him she was just waiting for Kakashi to be ready, but he'd thus far refused outright. 

She was happy to give him time. He'd done so much for the village, lost so much. His own team, his sensei, and now one of his students was missing, and the other a missing-nin whose loyalty would likely never come back to the village.

He'd withdrawn since the end of the war, a lifetime of loss and non-stop fighting finally catching up to him. She watched his shoulders stoop more each day, the light in his eyes dull. He kept the Sharingan covered all the time now and had refused to use it since that final battle. 

Tsunade kept waiting for him to smile, to go out with friends the way he had before. Admittedly, never very often, but enough that she knew they were there, that there were people that cared. 

Some of them had even survived the war, but it hadn't happened yet.

He wasn't sleeping either. She could tell by the way his movements became more sluggish each day, though no one else apparently knew him well enough to see it, except maybe Gai.

But Gai had his own concerns now. Tsunade hadn't seen much of him either. Hadn't heard his boisterous voice echo over the village in cheer. It seemed that in the death of his student, he'd finally found a weight too heavy to lift.

It was like they'd all survived the war just to fall apart after.

She turned back to Iruka. If he carried weight from the war, he didn't show it, but maybe she didn't know him well enough to see it. 

He wore his heart on his sleeve, free for the world to see. 

Free for the taking. 

How nice it must be to be that fearless.

"Kakashi."

"Lord Hokage."

"You will conduct an investigation into the claims against Jounin Hitsugaya."

His mask hid the smirk.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"What happens to Toshiro in the meantime?" 

"I'll find a safe placement for him."

"He can stay with me."

"A bit obvious," Kakashi remarked, and it was nice to have a break from Iruka's glare when he turned it on Kakashi.

"He trusts me. He stays at my place when he's too afraid to go home."

"Another stray."

Tsunade turned a sharp glance at Kakashi. Was he picking a fight on purpose?

"I'm sorry you decided no one was worth getting attached to, Hatake, but not all of us feel the same."

Thrust and parried.

"Getting attached to every stray that comes your way is a good way to compromise the security of the village, sensei."

"There's no village without the people in it."

"Not all those people want to protect it. Nor are they all capable."

That sounded personal.

"Better a strong will and a weak hand than a strong hand and a weak will."

"How poetic. How about those who can't do, teach."

And now, this was getting more personal than she was comfortable with.

"Enough. The child can remain with Umino-sensei for now, but Kakashi will check in every week and provide a status report."

Iruka's stunned expression was worth the frowns from the Council that promised a headache later.

Koharu stood, gearing up to argue with all of Tsunade's decisions, but even she was derailed when Sarutobi Asuma and Hyuga Neji crashed through the door.

***

The first lesson, rule number one, as taught by Uchiha Kikyo to all the Uchiha who followed: Never enter a fight you won't kill to win.

Iruka had always struggled with this lesson. 

Shards of wood filled the air as Kakashi shoved Tsunade aside, and she dragged Iruka with her. 

Hiashi leaped to his feet and froze. 

ANBU flooded the room, someone triggered the evacuation alarm, and the tower lit up as it broke the silence of the night. 

Alarms throughout the village followed, a wave of lights as the village came awake in panic.

Iruka wrenched his broken arm free and rolled to his feet, kunai in hand. Asuma looked exactly as he had the last time Iruka had seen him. 

Two days before he'd left for the mission he'd died on. 

Neji was still wearing the uniform he'd died in, and Iruka spared half a second to be grateful Hinata wasn't here. She'd taken her cousin's death so hard, blaming herself. Years of thinking herself weak and unable despite her growing strength had left its mark. 

It would be a long time before her confidence truly returned. 

Iruka had gone through a similar period after the Nine-Tails Attack. The loss of his parents, the Sandaime's decision to have him remain an orphan, and Fugaku's inability to fight it. 

Where Hinata had closed in on herself, Iruka had turned it outward. 

Menace was a kind word for what he'd been. 

His targets: anyone in a position of authority that could have made better decisions and didn't. At least in his young mind. Child psychology had been one of the fields of study required for Academy teachers, and Iruka had alternated between infuriated and terrified during the months it had taken him to pass the course. 

It was the only subject he went back to time and time again, following developments in the field almost obsessively and never quite managing to separate himself from his students and the case studies in the books. He'd spent a lot of time screaming at his reflection, trying to discover if he'd made the right decisions, fought the wrong battles, or taken the hard road unnecessarily.

He'd never figured out any of the answers, but he'd at least reached the point where he could function day to day without having a breakdown and gibbering in a dark corner. 

Of course, it manifested itself in other ways. 

He had terrible insomnia, which only shortened his already minimal fuse. On nights when he really couldn't sleep, he snuck out and mapped out the Root ANBU network the Council used. 

He couldn't have romantic relationships with people he wasn't already incredibly close to because he had to talk about it with someone, but he couldn't trust anyone he didn't already care for, and they were all like his siblings, and it just got weird.

Sometimes, the anger became so overwhelming that he had to go out into the Forbidden Forest and just scream himself hoarse. 

Asuma used to go with him, stuff in earplugs, and just sit and smoke while Iruka exhausted himself and then carried him home.

Neji was…well, Neji was one of Iruka's failures. He'd taught the boy during his entire stretch at the Academy but failed to pay attention. Too distracted by other problems, he'd let the genius slip through the cracks when he might have been able to offer some comfort, some understanding that would have made things easier on the boy who'd been unable to forget he'd been born in a lesser house. 

Iruka could have taught him that there was no such thing except in the minds of the weak and the jealous. 

He'd gotten there in the end, but it was bittersweet. 

And now he was back? 

But something was wrong. 

Kakashi was snapping at ANBU to get the Hokage somewhere safe as Neji folded neatly into Gentle Fist, and Asuma's chakra knives appeared.

Something was very, very wrong. 

Asuma's face was blank in a way he could never manage on purpose. 

The air around them even tasted wrong on Iruka's tongue.

"Wait," Tsunade was refusing to leave, the legendary medic realizing exactly what Iruka was. 

That there was no chakra signature from either of the resurrected shinobi. 

So it wasn't Edo Tensai because even those resurrected during the war had maintained their chakra signature. 

Iruka had tracked Itachi's obsessively until he realized he was safe. 

But there was nothing but an empty space where Asuma and Neji were standing. 

Iruka could see them, but he couldn't sense them. Chakra remained after death, at least for a short period, before it was absorbed into the world and the individual chakra signature disappeared. The length of time it lasted usually depended on the strength of the individual's chakra. 

Fugaku's had lingered for days, Asuma's for two. 

The young student Iruka had lost during Pain's attack had disappeared within minutes. 

Naruto's would take almost a year if he lived long enough to reach his full potential. 

There was no way to completely hide someone's chakra signature until it faded after death. You could contain it or dampen it with a jutsu or seal, but even those left their own traces. The only way to completely hide a chakra signature was to be out of range of the individual's ability to sense it, but that meant that Asuma and Neji's chakra was in a completely different location than their physical bodies. 

Which wasn't possible. 

Chakra resided in the body. 

It wasn't independent. It couldn't even exist outside of the body.

Iruka could feel Kakashi's chakra, bright and burning like his lightning. Tsunade's, stalwart and deep. Asuma's had felt sharp like his knives. Anko's felt like a thousand slithering snakes and was absolutely terrifying. Kotetsu's was quiet and depthless, like the forest. Izumo, nothing but endless darkness. Shibi, and any Aburame, felt like a swarm of their bugs. The Inuzuka's, inherited from Tsume, was heavy and oppressive and brought the metallic taste of blood to the mouth of anyone who felt it.

Kotetsu had once told Iruka that his chakra felt like an inferno, like everyone else in his family. It burned away everything in its path if let loose. 

Neji's chakra felt like all Hyuga's, cool and swift like a river, but it wasn't there.

Iruka felt the sudden surge in Kakashi's chakra, the Sharingan coming awake. It stood out amidst his inherited chakra, a dark spot against the blinding light, and Iruka felt Kakashi violently shove it back down. 

Shit.

Decay had already started, and Iruka had missed it.

Taka was somewhere nearby but would hang back unless his forces were being overwhelmed. 

There were a lot of shinobi in what was really a very small space. 

The roof of the Hokage's tower didn't leave any room for maneuverability, especially since Tsunade showed no sign of leaving and no one else was willing to leave her. 

It was a foolish choice to attack Tsunade in her own office, in the building every shinobi in Konohagakure moved through on a regular basis. Any security weaknesses that brought were canceled out by the heavy presence of individuals who knew how to fight and were constantly on guard. 

Not to mention, the sheer amount of wards protecting the building meant a forceful attack from outside was guaranteed to fail. 

Asuma and Neji were too smart for this.

***

During Kakashi's brief time at the Academy, none of his teachers could keep up with him. 

They had his attention the first day when they explained the Academy and the schedule, and that was it. 

Thinking back, he's pretty sure he fell asleep during the first day's lesson on the history of shinobi.

His father had told him to make friends, but he was younger than most of his class by at least a year and already fast-tracked because he was the son of Konoha's White Fang. 

In a fit of childish nerves, he'd worn a mask, hoping he wouldn't be recognized, and ignored the hurt expression on his father's face when he'd explained why. 

The first time he'd met Obito, the other boy was being yelled at by their teacher for rigging an eraser over the door, and hadn't that been a painful moment years later when he'd first met his team?

The teacher had praised Kakashi, some suck-up that hadn't lasted long at the Academy, and pretty much guaranteed that Kakashi and Obito would be bitter rivals. 

In response, Obito had made fun of Kakashi's mask, and it never left his face in public after that. Obito had tried to apologize once after they'd been assigned to the same genin team, but Kakashi was convinced Rin and Minato-sensei were behind the apology and refused to listen. 

They hadn't been, though Kakashi would never find that out. 

And when Obito had followed Kakashi home one day years later and seen the empty Hatake compound and the blood stain on the floor, he'd begged Fugaku to explain. Fugaku had, and Obito had decided to become Kakashi's best friend.

And then that didn't work out, either. 

At least, not while Obito was alive.

It was odd. Kakashi knew that he was so much more attached to the dead than he was to the living. 

Asuma had been in their class. A year older, he'd started late due to some family issue that he never spoke about. He was close with a younger brother that he never let any of them meet, but he'd been warm and kind and calm. He talked about hobbies and their classes and techniques he wanted to learn and never, ever about his family.

Kakashi hadn't been surprised when, as newly a minted jounin several years after Kakashi himself made rank, Asuma had requested several long-term missions outside the Land of Fire.

He'd never gotten around to asking Asuma why. Friends were supposed to care about that, and Kakashi had always meant to, but things never seemed calm enough, and how did you even bring that up? Hey Asuma, I noticed you exiled yourself for a few years. What's that about?

Kakashi had taken a full-strength punch from Asuma in a sparing match once. 

It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.

Still, Asuma had a way of being there for you without saying anything, and he was one of the best shinobi Kakashi had ever worked with. 

Not to mention, he'd been the only one of their cohort to have a genin pass his first Chunin exam. He was a natural teacher where Kakashi struggled every day to find a way to get his lessons across and keep his precious students alive -he only calls them that in his head, knows exactly what will happen if he calls them anything but soldiers out loud-.

Asuma's death had been a profound loss.

And now, someone was desecrating his memory, and Kakashi was going to rip them apart when he found them.

The Asuma he'd fought beside had always seemed to be steps ahead of everyone else, but the one in front of him…he wasn't the one whose ability at strategy had driven Kakashi mad when they were young. This one fought like a genin, clumsy attack after attack, with solid technique and muscle memory, because Asuma did have years of experience that his body fell back on even without his mind.

It was concerning, but not so much that Kakashi couldn't check on Tsunade, protected by her guards and refusing to leave, and Iruka, facing down Neji.

He didn't have much experience with the young jounin; he just knew that he was Gai's student and a prodigy rumored to rival Sasuke.

If Sasuke had stayed, Kakashi would have taught him everything he knew, and Naji would never have stood a chance, but that was a train of thought so painful that Kakashi had to shove it into a dark corner of his mind.

Naruto was Minato-sensei's heir. And probably Jiraiya-sensei's too.

Sakura, as much as she was his favorite because she'd never been half the headache her teammates were, was Tsunade's heir in technique as much as personality.

Sasuke, despite the terror Kakashi had felt at the thought of taking him on as a student, was supposed to have been Kakashi's. 

And maybe if his clan hadn't tried to betray the village and been murdered in response…. 

Maybe in a world where they'd lived, and Kakashi had gotten to argue about his training with Fugaku and Itachi, he would have been. All that angst and teenage drama would have been aimed at his family, and Kakashi could have been the cool mentor who offered an escape and individuality in a clan that was well-known for its suffocating closeness. 

But that was another lifetime, one none of them would ever see.

They probably wouldn't have let him teach Sasuke in that world anyway.

***

The evolution of taijutsu goes like this:

Indra and Asura were brothers who were supposed to be allies but chose to be enemies. 

From Indra was born the Uchiha and, later, the Sharingan. 

From Asura and his allies, all other clans descended, including the Hyuga, who, several generations later, would develop the Byakugan. 

Indra and Asura were the grandsons of Kaguya, the Mother of Chakra and the First Shinobi. 

Taijutsu was the only fighting style that existed before she ate the God fruit, and chakra spread through the world, though it was a much broader, less defined art then.

Kaguya despised it. 

A lesser art for those ungifted. 

Her grandsons and their descendants did not share her opinion.

After her first sealing, in the dark years of the Waring Clans Era, Indra's only surviving child became the first Uchiha and developed the first Sharingan during a small war between clans in lands far to the north of what was now known as the Land of Fire. 

Her name was Kikyo, and from her, all modern Uchiha were directly descended. Kikyo's Sharingan quickly proved to be the superior dojutsu to the Otsutsuki's early version of the Byakugan and resulted in the annihilation of the remaining members of Kaguya's clan when they broke faith with the emerging Uchiha. 

Kikyo, fascinated with the Eye that could see the Truth of All Things, devoted herself to its study, reaching Mangekyo in a matter of months, and it was during this period that she realized its value to her preferred style of combat. 

Within its ability to see through all obscuration was a calm that left any opponent unable to hide. At first, Kikyo had thought it slowed time, allowing her to react faster than her opponent, but her mastery of Shunpo disproved that belief. 

The Sharingan simply saw the truth of its opponent no matter what and regardless of whether or not that opponent knew their own truth. 

While it ruled genjutsu and was valuable for ninjutsu and a wide variety of other practices, it was best for taijutsu. 

From this combination, Kikyo created Shunko. A taijutsu style in which a fighter wrapped their chakra around them like a skintight suit and turned themselves into a doubled-edged explosive blade. The Sharingan aided with chakra control and allowed the fighter to avoid glancing blows that would be fatal while using Shunko. 

There was no shield between the user and their chakra, and even a glancing blow would cause the Uchiha's own chakra to rebound and kill them. 

It wasn't meant to fight fellow shinobi.

At first, anyway. It was meant to fight the yokai, and spirits and gods knew what else roamed the world in those dark early days.

Used without chakra, Shunko was an art form but no deadlier than any other.

With chakra and the Sharingan, it was the only un-survivable style of combat for a hundred years.

A few generations later, a distant clan cousin of the Uchiha developed the first Byakugan since the death of the Otsutsuki. 

Battled nearly to extinction by war, the Hyuga was once down to only three surviving members, whose birthing of the Byakugan was said to have been on a distant, desert battlefield. Desperation to survive the relentless desert and the dauntless Uchiha birthed the eye in all three, and as the story would go, they fought off their pursuers and managed to reach their allies, the Senju.

They had unintentionally taken the first steps to the creation of Konohagakure and the eventual massacre of the Uchiha.

The Byakugan was present in every member of their clan born from that day forward. 

Immediately opposed to the Uchiha's Sharingan, they developed their own taijutsu fitted to their dojutsu. They called it Gentle Fist, a refined style for a more advanced, more elegant eye than the Uchiha's bloody, unrefined nightmare of a thing.

The Uchiha couldn't even guarantee their members would be born with the Sharingan. It was a fickle dojutsu that could not be relied upon with any regularity, and as the rivalry between the Senju and the Uchiha grew, it became inexplicably tied to the other clan.

But no master of Gentle Fist ever defeated a master of Shunko. 

Hyugas and Senjus killed Uchihas, and Uchiha's killed Hyuga and Senjus, but no Byakugan ever defeated the Sharingan one-on-one. 

Kikyo's Shunko was as guarded by the Uchiha clan as its dojutsu and Kekkai Genkai, to the point that the clan eventually altered their own physiology in their relentless attempts to master it. 

It wasn't until Senju Tai, great-great-grandfather of Hashirama and Tobirama, that someone would survive a blow from Shunko. 

He lost an arm and part of his leg and would never fight again, but survive, he did and lived another ten years. 

Long enough to share the story of his fight with his grandsons. 

Hashirama admired the style and wanted to learn it.

Tobirama wanted to defeat it and developed the 8th Gate through his attempts.

Neither would succeed, but both would grow to greatness in their attempts. 

It wasn't until Kikyo attempted to teach Shunko to Tobirama that she realized no one outside of the Uchiha was physically capable of learning it. You needed the control from the Sharingan and the abnormally large chakra lines they had developed to maintain it and a lifetime of dedication to physical ability to be any good.

In the history of shinobi, the only non-Uchiha that had come close to mastering it was Senju Tobirama.

After the founding of the village, the Hyuga joined their longtime ally and rival with the Senju, more often than not forced into the role of peacekeeper between the clans.

A brief period of extended peace before the First Shinobi World War almost saw the sharing of techniques. 

Until an argument between Madara, Tobirama, and the then-head of the Hyuga derailed any chance of sharing secrets and techniques between the clans.

Not even the birth of Kikyo's son by Tobirama would bridge the gap.

When Fugaku had first begun training Iruka as a genin, he'd told him the history of the Uchiha and how it was always so deeply intertwined with the Senju and the Hyuga.

Sharingan vs Byakugan.

8th Gate vs Shunko vs Gentle Fist.

Senju vs Uchiha vs Hyuga. 

It was a tale as old as time, and Iruka had grown sick of hearing about it within the week. He'd thought Fugaku would be mad, but Fugaku had long had a secret desire to learn Gentle Fist and master all three of the great taijutsu styles. Iruka's unwillingness to carry on a rivalry that had begun before his ancestor's ancestors was a welcome relief, even if Iruka had no interest in learning Gentle Fist or 8th Gate himself. 

He'd struggled enough learning Shunko. Everyone did. Fugaku had explained when Iruka had again lost his temper with himself. It took years of intensive study before it finally clicked and could actually be used in battle. Even prodigies couldn't just pick it up.

Iruka had imparted that same lesson to Itachi years later, and Itachi had ended up surpassing them all.

If he were here now, Iruka wouldn't have to worry about facing one of his own students as Neji attacked before ANBU could get between them.

Iruka, for all his roiling emotion and sometimes uncontrollable rage, was very aware of his weaknesses. The greatest of which had been the subject of an embarrassing conversation on a bench with Hatake way back when.

Not actually way back, but it certainly felt like it after all that had happened. 

At his core, Iruka was a protector, a nurturer, a teacher. Even after everything that had happened, he could barely stomach the idea of killing. 

Fugaku had chosen him for Hanta precisely because of that. 

There are too many shinobi that kill too easily, he'd said. We've forgotten that to kill is not an act to be celebrated. What must be celebrated is the will to protect and defend that which we love. Killing is an unfortunate weight to be carried as a part of that. 

Iruka, who couldn't even step on bugs without feeling horribly guilty, had latched onto the belief and made it a lifeline. 

Naji had been good when he died, close to becoming elite in his own right, but Shunko had been the Uchiha's masterstroke in the early years of the clan's birth, and Gentle Fist just didn't match up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hatake engaging Asuma at the edge of the awning. 

The Copy-Nin's Sharingan was still sealed, and Iruka could recognize the unwillingness to hurt a friend, even though he was surprised to see it from Hatake. The legendary shinobi wasn't exactly known for being merciful or kind, or he wouldn't have the nickname Friend-Killer. 

Neji attacked in a blur before Iruka could dwell on Kakashi's reputation, and he lost his footing on the slippery tiles, falling backward several feet before he could catch himself.

Hiashi appeared then, flowing neatly into the space between Iruka and Neji. The man was an asshole, but he was a skilled fighter. 

Iruka doubted the clan leader was ready to deliver the fatal blow if it came to that.

"I will deal with him, Umino."

There was so much grief in his voice that Iruka, as much as he didn't like him, wasn't going to let him do that, and he kicked Hiashi sideways, he was definitely going to hear about that later, and slammed Neji into the roof so hard a portion of it broke away. 

Random shinobi were joining the fight now, causing chaos as Tsunade roared at them to get back and let Kakashi and ANBU handle it.

Iruka pinned Neji down with a barrier anchored by kunai, locking him in place, and barely managed to duck one of Asuma's chakra knives as it went wide in the midst of the other man's almost schizophrenic fight with Hatake. 

There was none of the cool confidence that had defined Asuma's style before his death. 

And then-

There was a flash of red at Asuma's back. Right behind his heart. One of Hatake's jutsus?

Genma, Raido, Yamato, and Sai had arrived at some point and were fanned out around the Hokage herself.

And then Kurenai was at Iruka's shoulder.

"Iruka-" It was mostly a sob. Kurenai was a phenomenal shinobi, a woman of singular skill, and she'd reached the point in her life and career where she was unafraid to show emotion, especially when faced with her dead husband.

"I know."

That flash of red again.

"Do you see it?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me where to look."

"Asuma's back. Red."

"Finish them off before they harm the Hokage!" Koharu ordered.

"What?" Genma, surprised, and none of them were moving to follow her order.

"They are attempting to kill the Hokage."

But were they? 

Neji had gone straight for Iruka, and it was impossible to tell Asuma's target because Kakashi wasn't giving him a second to breathe or do anything but defend himself. 

"Cancel that." Tsunade herself, loud and clear. "Capture them."

Iruka could feel the anger rolling through Koharu's chakra from across the roof. Odd that she'd be so upset about the chance to find out how they'd been brought back. It was right up Root's alley. 

Two of Taka's ANBU disappeared and reappeared seconds later, flanking the only shinobi in the village with in-depth knowledge of resurrection jutsu. 

Kabuto.

Ibiki appeared a moment later. "Some kind of henge?"

"No, I can't sense their chakra at all," Tsunade.

"Genjutsu, then," Hiashi, desperate and inching towards Iruka's barrier. 

Kakashi kicked Asuma into the wall, and Iruka snapped a barrier around him before he could pull himself out of the debris. 

"Kurenai, stay back!" Genma and Kakashi, and she turned a glare on both men so hot that they fell silent.

Hiashi made his way over to Neji. The young man was struggling mindlessly against Iruka's barrier. 

Iruka half-expected him to start foaming at the mouth.

"I've got cells we can put them in," Ibiki murmured, following Kabuto as the younger shinobi inched forward, eyes roving over Asuma.

"Or we could be lulled into a false sense of security for an even more devastating attack." Homura, angry like Koharu. The Council wouldn't back down. Never did once they'd picked their position.

If the Council got its hands on Asuma and Neji…even if they survived, they would never be themselves again. 

There had to be something left of them. 

Every previous resurrection proved that something of the original came back with the body. 

Neji and Asuma were there, buried deep, maybe, but there.

Iruka reached out and poked Neji's forehead. The boy flinched but never stopped beating at the barrier. 

"Umino, what the hell?" Taka appeared next to him as Genma yelled, and Kakashi and Tsunade's heads snapped around.

"What is it?" Taka's voice was so low no one else could hear it.

Neji shifted, and there was another flash of red.

"His back. Look."

With nowhere to go, it was easier to focus and see the red string sticking out of Neji's back and disappearing into the ether after a few feet.

Asuma had the same.

"This is not Edo Tensai," Kabuto announced. "These are the original bodies."

The roars of outrage that followed made sense. Who would have dared to steal the bodies of two of Konohagakure's heroes?

And how had they managed to do it without anyone knowing?

Iruka reached out and touched the red string. 

Neji's entire body spasmed.

"What did you do?" Kabuto peered closer and saw the string moments later. "Oh. You touched it?"

Iruka nodded.

"Touched what?" Ibiki demanded.

"The red string," Kurenai breathed and then reached out and touched Asuma's, stepping aside to let Kakashi watch as Asuma shuddered violently.

"Oh, " Kabuto smiled, relieved, "That's all it is then."

"All what is?" Hatake demanded as Tsunade joined him.

"Akai ito no jutsu. The Red String." He plucked the string, and Asuma vibrated. "It's a mind-control ninjutsu originally created in the Land of Wind. The string wraps around the victim's heart, and the person holding the other end controls everything they do."

"How do you break it?" Kurenai demanded.

Iruka had been impulsive since the day he was born. It's where half his scars and all his friends had come from. He took stupid risks on people for the smallest reasons. He'd approached Naruto that first time solely because his hair reminded Iruka of the sun.

He drew a kunai and cut the string sticking out of Neji's back.

The boy collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Hiashi made an attempt to grab him, only to run into Iruka's barrier before he could drop it.

Tsunade was glaring, but that wasn't anything new. Hatake was silent, still, and far more dangerous.

He couldn't come out and admit he knew the jutsu as soon as Kabuto mentioned it. Why would he know a forbidden mind-controlling technique? 

The original scroll detailing the jutsu was locked away in the extensive Uchiha Library.

Hiashi gathered Neji in his arms after Iruka dropped the barrier, but Iruka was the one who reached out and checked the body's pulse.

Faint but steady.

"He's got a pulse." 

In the confusion that followed, Hiashi refused to release his nephew, and Kurenai cut Asuma's string before anyone could stop her. Kakashi and Genma rushed to catch him before he fell. 

Tsunade started yelling orders, and medi-nin flooded the area. Between Hiashi arguing with the medi-nin and ANBU trying to take Neji and Kurenai refusing to leave Asuma despite a direct order from Kakashi, Koharu, and Homura disappeared.

Ibiki, Kakashi, and Tsunade kept glancing at him, and Iruka figured he'd have to practice saying "oops" as convincingly as possible. He stepped back and made his way to the edge of the crowd.

He was about to slip away completely when Kabuto caught his sleeve. The young shinobi was cuffed, but his ANBU guards were back a few paces. 

It had been years since Iruka had seen the white-haired young man. He'd grown and filled out from the starving orphan Iruka had first met when Yajirobi had chosen him as an apprentice. They'd all been hesitant, worried Yajirobi's feelings for Nana were affecting his choice, and Orochimaru was already watching so closely.

But Kabuto had surprised them all. 

He'd soaked up Yajirobi's teaching and flourished. When the concerns about Orochimaru and Danzo had gained momentum, he'd thrown himself into his cover, gathering damning information and eventually being dragged all around the world when Orochimaru had run. 

He'd been so far undercover that when the Hanta had disbanded, Iruka hadn't any idea how to reach out and let him know what happened. It had taken Itachi months to track him down and explain and more months after that before Iruka could sneak out and apologize face-to-face for stranding him alone in enemy territory. 

***

Kakashi turned away as ANBU and the Medi-nin hauled Asuma away. Kurenai dogging their every step. She wouldn't let anything happen to him if it turned out he was Asuma.

His gaze flitted across the rooftop, almost absentmindedly memorizing where everyone was and what they were doing before coming to rest on Umino. 

He was standing away from the crowd, talking to Kabuto. 

Orochimaru's former right hand was glancing up at the sensei through his lashes, bashful, like a child with their favorite teacher.

Iruka was blushing, scratching at his scar as he reached out and patted Kabuto on the head. 

Kakashi could feel the surprise and confusion radiating off Kabuto's ANBU guards and had to resist the urge to stomp over and drag them apart. 

Why was an S-Class missing-nin blushing like a schoolgirl when faced with a simple Academy teacher? 

And why the hell did that make Kakashi want to shove a chidori through his chest?

***

Many people die at 25 and aren't buried until they are 75. 

Benjamin Franklin

***

~tbc~