[ Iruka POV ]

So early.

That was the only thought echoing through my mind as I sat in the Hokage Tower at 5 in the morning.

The room was bathed in the soft, pre-dawn light, casting long shadows across the floor and walls, and a silence hung in the air, heavy and expectant, as if the building itself was still asleep.

School wasn't set to start for another three hours, giving me plenty of time to get this done.

As I mulled over the day ahead, a yawn forced its way out, wide and gaping.

My mouth opened in a silent, tired stretch, the strain of the sleepless night evident in the stiffness of my jaw and the dryness of my throat.

"Thank God, I didn't try to become an ANBU," I thought with a snort, feeling the weight of last night's tiredness settling into my bones.

The events of the previous evening had stretched long into the night, leaving me bleary-eyed and foggy-brained as morning crept in.

"Chunin Iruka, the Hokage will see you now," the secretary's voice cut through the quiet, pulling me back to the moment.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear the lingering fog of sleep deprivation, gathering the stack of files I had prepared.

As I stood, my limbs protested, stiff and sore from sitting too long in the same position.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and steadied myself, feeling the cool air of the office brush against my face as I moved towards the Hokage's office.

Each step felt heavier than usual, my body pleading for just a few hours of rest.

But duty called, and I couldn't keep the Hokage waiting.

With a deep, steadying breath, I opened the door and stepped inside, immediately struck by the sight of the old, weathered face of a man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The Hokage's intense, focused eyes met mine as I entered his office.

He wore his traditional wide-brimmed hat, adorned with a red symbol, its white rim framing his face like a halo of wisdom and authority.

"Iruka, what are you doing here?" the Hokage inquired.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows in response.

It was startling to realize that the Hokage, the leader of our village, recognized a relatively unknown Chunin like me.

I pushed aside the endearing thought, steadying my nerves as I prepared to address the matters at hand.

"Hokage-sama, I am here regarding some matters of great importance," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, a silent invitation for me to continue.

"Yesterday, I was informed of a message from an ANBU related to Naruto," I added, noticing how clarity formed on the old man's face.

"Yes, is there any issue?" he asked, his voice calm yet carrying an underlying sharpness.

"No, sir, but I believe it would be better if I took over the ANBU's mission, considering it seems like Naruto wasn't the only one being tampered with," I explained, my words immediately catching the Hokage's attention.

"Elaborate," he commanded, the weight of that single word pressing down on me as if threatening to crush me under its burden.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. As per the ANBU's request, I gathered all of Naruto's student records, scores, and exams. While I have already provided the necessary items to the ANBU, I conducted my own investigation, and I think you'll find my findings rather alarming." I pulled out a few files and laid them in front of the Hokage. "These files are the exam results of the last six months for Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha."

The Hokage nodded, his eyes scanning the documents as I continued.

"These have been rechecked," I affirmed.

"Yes, sir. My investigation was to verify the ANBU's claims about sabotage against Naruto. I did a comparison between a control group and Naruto. The control group includes tests from top-ranking students like Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, and others. However, as I began the comparison, I noticed disparities in both groups. For instance, Sasuke's score when independently checked was 88, but his scores in the school files were 98, and this was a trend."

"A trend, not a mistake."

"Yes, and I began rechecking every single one of the exams from the last six months, and the exact same pattern emerged. Sasuke's results were consistently higher than the actual results, Naruto's were lower, and similar discrepancies were found with other students." I explained, laying a detailed file of all my findings on the table, the weight of my sleepless night and the gravity of my discoveries making my hands tremble slightly.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Sit."

"Yes, sir," I replied, grateful for the chance to rest my weary legs.

As I sat, I felt the intensity of the moment.

As the minute ticked by, it felt impossibly long.

The Hokage's gaze was fixed on me, his eyes weighing and assessing.

The quiet in the room was oppressive, heightening the tension I felt.

"Chunins aren't normally expected to do S rank missions," the Hokage finally broke the silence.

Hearing the words, a jolt of panic shot through me.

"S-S rank," I stuttered out, my voice barely above a whisper.

The Hokage nodded gravely.

"Whoever is the culprit, a large chunk of the education of clan heirs has been undermined," he explained, his voice serious and foreboding.

"The implications are terrifying."

He laid out the potential scenarios with the precision of a grand strategist. "First, it is a very long-term kind of sabotage, aimed at ensuring that if the future leading figures of the village are incapable, the village itself will falter. Those who survive may face engineered ambushes, targeting specific Genin squads to kill or cripple an underprepared member or two."

"Second, this is a subtle kind of sabotage. It's not about an overt attack; it's about manipulating ninjas when they're most vulnerable: young and still training. The aim is to skew their development, making them overconfident or, conversely, completely devoid of self-confidence."

"Third, it is nearly impossible to identify the puppeteer without first catching the spies, as any major enemy of Konoha would benefit from such actions."

As he spoke, my heart pounded in my chest, and my palms began to sweat.

A nervous tick started under my left eye, and I found myself tapping my foot rapidly on the floor, barely aware of the movement.

"And I am certain there are numerous spies at work," he concluded. "Now, do you want to take over the ANBU's mission, Chunin Iruka?"

Time seemed to freeze.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

"I believe that my investigation wouldn't arise much suspicion. The teachers trust me; they don't suspect me. As long as I can be provided with the resources, I believe I can uncover a clue, a trail, or even a spy, Hokage-sama."

"You will be given the Hokage's seal for the S rank mission," he stated firmly.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," I replied, standing up and bowing deeply. "I won't let you down."

"For the future of Konoha, I hope you don't."

Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe it was just my fears for the future taking hold, but I found the courage to speak up. "Hokage-sama, with your permission, may I share my ideas for the future of Konoha's youth and their education?"

"Proceed," the Hokage said, giving a nod of approval as I took out my journal and spread it across his table, the pages filled with my critiques and observations of the current educational system.

Hiruzen read through the journal intently, his hand flipping the pages while his eyes meticulously scanned the words. After closing the journal, he looked up and remarked, "Quite the ambitions you have there, Iruka."

I gulped, the weight of my mission pressing down on me.

"It's not about ambitions, sir. As long as I can provide for the next generation, as long as I can give them a fighting chance..." I paused, closing my eyes for a moment to gather my thoughts.

"As long as I don't have to greet my students' names on gravestones, I believe change is necessary."

"Nicely said," the old man nodded, pulling out his smoking pipe. He skillfully packed the tobacco into the bowl, lit it with a small flicker of pure flame manipulation, and took a deep draw.

The smoke curled around him, creating a veil of contemplation.

The Hokage offered me the pipe, but I declined.

"Iruka, when is the graduation exam?" he asked, blowing out a perfect ring of smoke.

"In five days, Sir," I responded, trying to hide my reaction to the smoke as it swirled through the air.

"Do you have an idea on how we can help them?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, sir," I said, a hint of pride in my voice.

The Hokage motioned for me to continue. "Even if we only have five days, I believe assessing the students' elemental nature affinity, giving them a crash course on a single D-rank elemental technique, alongside teaching them advanced chakra control exercises like tree walking, is something that can be done."

"I don't think five days are enough."

"Sir, we are only giving them a crash course on the topic, like a base that they can work on under their Jonin sensei. As I recall, the first month of a Genin is known as the D-rank gauntlet."

The Hokage nodded, clearly liking the idea. "Implement it," he decided, and I could almost hear the tactical gears turning in his mind.

Relief washed over me as I stood there, feeling a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction.

"Iruka, can you tell me what brought this on?" The Hokage motioned towards the files strewn across his desk as I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Naruto," I simply stated.

"Elaborate."

"Yesterday, I was helping Naruto with the fireball jutsu."

"Why does Naruto have a C-rank jutsu?" The Hokage's voice held a note of concern, and I could practically see the worry flicker in his eyes.

Naruto and fire were notoriously a risky combination.

"He said he got it from beating Sasuke Uchiha in a fight." I watched as the Hokage gave a slow, thoughtful nod.

"Well, I guided him on how to do the jutsu," I continued, and I could almost hear the surprise in the Third's voice as he mentally exclaimed, 'You did what?'

"Naruto was able to do it on his first try. A ball-sized fireball," I explained, noticing a flicker of pride cross the Hokage's face for Naruto's accomplishment.

"But what set all this in motion was Naruto's second attempt, where he managed to create a house-sized fireball. The average Chunin would be embarrassed by the size of Naruto's fireball."

The Hokage took a deeper draw from his smoking pipe, the tobacco crackling softly.

"I was ashamed that I couldn't see Naruto's potential, and initially, I wanted to recheck Naruto's papers and then go and give him a confidence boost that he was amazing, but I found the sabotage and the rest is history," I confessed, feeling the weight of my words hang in the air.

The Hokage exhaled a ring of smoke. "Konoha has failed its youth."

"No, Hokage-sama, someone deliberately tried to make it seem that Konoha failed its youth."

"No, even without this mysterious saboteur, people would still try to harm Naruto," he replied, his shoulders slumping as if the weight was too heavy for the man who had fostered three generations of Konoha shinobi.

"If I may, Hokage-sama," I ventured cautiously.

"You may."

"I think Naruto deserves the truth about... the fox," I suggested, feeling the gravity of my proposal.

"You are dismissed," was his curt reply.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." I bowed and began to leave the room but stopped at the door, turning back. "Hokage-sama, Naruto hasn't been at school for a couple of weeks. Initially, I thought it was because he was sad since the Yamanaka heiress rejected him, but now I feel like Naruto knew about the sabotage before any of us."

Hiruzen froze, his mind racing back to the last time he had seen Naruto, those calculating eyes that rivaled Shikaku's in their depth and understanding.

Inoichi's paranoid words echoed in his mind.

"Let Naruto know the truth from someone he trusts rather than someone who doesn't have the best intentions for him."

That was all I said as I opened the door and left.

Iruka-motherfucking-Umino had a class to teach.