Test, Iruka

When Sasuke reached the alley entrance, all he saw was Naruto's fading afterimage and Konohamaru sitting on the ground.

He gritted his teeth and immediately chased after them.

Naruto, who was in pursuit, noticed something was off.

The other person's speed was average for an ordinary Chunin, but he seemed remarkably familiar with this densely packed area of buildings, never hesitating whenever he changed direction.

The moment Naruto realized this, he immediately switched his pursuit approach.

He fully unleashed the advanced Chakra control technique Minato Namikaze had taught him, gathering Chakra flow at the tips of his hands and feet.

Then Chakra erupted explosively beneath his feet, raising Naruto's speed by an entire level in an instant.

The ninja carrying Moegi was crossing between two rooftops when he noticed something wrong behind him and glanced back. He saw that Naruto, who had been seven or eight rooftops away just moments ago, had closed most of the distance in the blink of an eye. When he blinked again, Naruto had already vanished from sight.

His heart skipped a beat. Carrying Moegi, he forcibly halted his momentum and dropped from midair into a clearing in a small grove.

He set Moegi aside, drew a Kunai, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed a guarded defensive stance, his gaze darting rapidly through the shadows of the surrounding trees.

At that moment, a golden light appeared silently behind him.

He did not even hear footsteps. He only felt a slight chill at the back of his neck before a palm struck the side of his neck.

The force was precise, just enough to cut off blood flow through his carotid artery without damaging his cervical vertebrae or windpipe.

Darkness swallowed his consciousness in an instant. The Kunai in his hand fell to the ground with a clear clang, and his entire body slumped forward, motionless on the ground.

"Brother Naruto!"

Moegi sprang up from the ground and practically threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Naruto's waist.

The little girl cried her eyes out, smearing snot and tears all over Naruto's ninja clothes as she mumbled, "I knew Brother Naruto would come save me..."

"That bad guy was so scary!"

Moegi's impact made Naruto sway slightly. Looking down at the little girl with her hair buns buried against him as she sobbed breathlessly, he sighed and gently patted the top of her head.

"It's okay. It's all over now."

"Moegi was very brave. Because you called out for help, I was able to catch up so quickly."

Moegi raised her head through her sniffles, looked at Naruto with tear-filled eyes, and nodded hard before burying her face against him again.

While comforting Moegi, Naruto turned his gaze toward the cloaked figure he had knocked unconscious on the ground.

He turned the man over. The cloak's hood slipped down, revealing a familiar face.

Konoha's distinctive forehead protector, an old scar running across the bridge of his nose, and a somewhat youthful yet unmistakable face.

Iruka.

Naruto froze for a good three or four seconds.

Then his mind raced, piecing together everything that had happened from beginning to end.

At last, he understood what was going on.

"No way."

Naruto muttered under his breath, unconsciously rubbing his temples.

Several leaves were crushed beneath a set of hurried footsteps.

Sasuke had finally caught up, several Shuriken clutched in his hand, ready to throw them at any moment.

He landed in the clearing, his gaze sweeping over Moegi, who sat on the ground crying as she held onto Naruto, then over the cloaked man lying motionless on the ground, before finally settling on Iruka's unconscious face.

The Shuriken in his hand slowly lowered.

"Iruka-sensei?"

Sasuke looked confused.

"It's exactly what you think."

Naruto sighed and crouched down to check Iruka's pulse.

Normal. There was slight bruising on the side of his neck, but nothing serious.

"The ninja who took Moegi was Iruka-sensei disguised with the Transformation Technique."

"As for why he took Moegi, I'm guessing it was probably a test for us."

Sasuke fell silent.

He stood there, his gaze shifting back and forth between Iruka and Naruto.

Iruka-sensei had Chunin-level strength. He was not especially powerful, but he was by no means weak either. After teaching at the Ninja Academy for so many years, he certainly had basic combat experience.

Yet from the moment Naruto chased after him to the moment he knocked Iruka unconscious, it had probably taken less than two minutes.

That even included the distance spent pursuing him through alleys and over rooftops.

In two minutes, Naruto had caught up to a Chunin-level master of the Transformation Technique, then silently appeared behind him and subdued him in a single move.

For a Genin who had graduated from the Ninja Academy only a few months ago, whether due to extraordinary talent or some special training, this was already beyond common sense.

Sasuke said nothing. He merely put the Shuriken back into his ninja tool pouch and clenched his fists.

Then he turned around and silently walked back the way he had come.

Naruto watched Sasuke leave, frowning slightly, but said nothing.

With Sasuke's personality, talking him into anything was useless. The more Naruto tried, the more Sasuke would feel like he was being pitied.

He could only wait for Sasuke to work through it himself.

Besides, Naruto himself was not that much stronger. Excluding Nine-Tails Chakra, with the Rasengan and Shadow Clone Technique, dealing with an Elite Chunin would not be a problem. A Jōnin would be difficult, while an Elite Jōnin would probably be beyond him.

Naruto then crouched down, draped one of Iruka's arms over his shoulder, and carried him on his back.

At that moment, Konohamaru and Udon came panting to the edge of the small grove.

The moment they arrived, the two little ones saw Naruto carrying Iruka out while Moegi followed beside him, her eyes red but otherwise unharmed.

"Boss, why is Iruka-sensei here?"

"Where's that bad guy?"

"Moegi, are you okay?"

Naruto did not waste words explaining too much. He merely gave them a few simple instructions to be careful on the way home.

Konohamaru obediently did not press further. Holding Moegi and Udon's hands, he went home with them.

Still, he kept looking back every few steps, his eyes filled with admiration whenever he looked at Naruto.

Naruto carried Iruka back to the teachers' apartments.

Iruka lived in a small apartment near the Konoha Ninja Academy. The room was kept very clean, with lesson plans and scrolls neatly arranged on the bookshelf, while a half-graded Genin application form lay spread across the desk.

Naruto laid him on the bed, helped remove his shoes and forehead protector, then wrung out a wet towel and placed it on his forehead.

For the bruise on the side of his neck, Naruto used a little healing-type Chakra to massage it.

It did not completely remove the bruise, but it at least dispersed most of the pooled blood.

After finishing all that, Naruto pulled over the chair by the desk, sat down, and began to wait.

"Mmgh..."

More than half an hour later, Iruka's eyelids twitched. He let out a muffled groan and slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the familiar hanging lamp on his own ceiling. Then he turned his head and saw Naruto sitting in the chair by his desk.

Hearing movement from the bed, Naruto looked up.

"Iruka-sensei, you're awake."

Iruka stared blankly at Naruto as his memories came rushing back like seawater.