Secret No More

Chapter 6

    Monday was quick for Menma. Iruka-sensei had stopped by on Sunday to tell him he would be starting at the academy with everyone else on Monday as they came back from a vacation break. It was going to be his first time learning and preparing for exams with other children his age, it was going to be his first time making actual friends his age, not just adults he thought of as family. Which is kind of sad for a twelve-year-old boy.
    He didn’t dwell on it too much though, and decided to focus on getting ready for the day and preparing himself for the journey he was bound to have. His house wasn’t anywhere near the academy.
    Class didn’t start until 8 that morning, but it would take Menma about an hour to get dressed, make and eat breakfast and then clean up after himself. Not to mention it would also take about 30 minutes to reach the academy, even if the tree jumped or ran, so doing either that early in the morning was out of the question. He was going to stick to walking. So as a result he opted to wake up at sunrise.
    He got out of bed that morning and did his usual bathroom routine, returning to his room to change into his new black tank top, arm wraps, pants, and calf high sandals. He grabbed his robe and took a glance at the Kitsune mask on his desk. Did he want to take it with him? Would that be weird? Do people usually wear masks to school, or was it just Anbu who wore them? He furrowed his brows as he debated in his head. 
    Finally he made the decision to leave the mask behind and headed out into the hallway to make his way downstairs to the kitchen. Knowing his father, who looked out over the Anbu, when he himself wasn’t off on a mission, he gave Menma the mask for missions and/or as a sort of long-term reward for Menma to look forward to when he finally became an Anbu himself. It was probably the latter. 
    Menma reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the kitchen, placing his robe down on a stool and opening up the fridge to grab the eggs and milk, before closing it and grabbing the rice out of the pantry. He figured eggs and rice would be a good way to start his day. 
    He got to work on his breakfast, cleaning up after himself when he had finished cooking and placed the now plated food on the island. He ate slowly, in no rush since it was only 6:45 and he didn’t take long to eat anything regardless. As stated when he finished ten minutes later and put the dishes in the dishwasher, starting it and wiping down the counter space near the sink and stove and the island space where he ate.
    He glanced at the clock and saw it was now 7:05, so he grabbed his robe and slipped it on, tying the ribbon and walking out of the kitchen to the entryway were he unlocked the front door and stepped out side, using the key he had hidden under a rock outside to lock it behind him. When he made sure the door was securely locked, he put the key back and headed down the dirt walkway to the trail in the trees.
    He always enjoyed taking walks through the trees, it was calming to him. Not to mention the nature he was surrounded by was always a great muse for his sketches. 
    Menmas walk was relatively uneventful. He greeted some of the elderly folks that lived near him that he saw on occasion, and petted a couple of dogs and cats but other than that nothing interesting happened until he reached the center of the Village, where the Academy was located. For as early as it was, he was relatively surprised at the amount of people walking around. The ‘capital’ of the village was a lot busier than what he was used to out in the outskirts of the village. He had to stop and take a moment to adjust to it.
    A couple of people gave him odd looks, and whether it was because he was wearing a robe with a fur collar, or due to the fact that none of these people (compared to the villagers where he lived) knew him, he didn’t know. But he didn’t really care enough to dwell on it. Instead he regained his composure and continued his mission to find and attend the Academy so he could learn for a while, graduate, and qualify to pass the genin exam and join a team so he could go on missions. There was nothing he wanted more than to be a ninja. Well, maybe besides more time with his parents, but he’d take what he could get. Maybe if he was lucky he’d see his Mama in action, his office was located in the Academy after all.
    After a few close calls of running into people in the crowd, he finally reached the Academy at the base of Hokage Mountain. And much to his luck, he got there just as Iruka-sensei started down the dirt walkway to the school. Menma smiled and sped up, calling out for him. 

    “Iruka-Sensei~!” Menma called, waving his arm as he ran. Iruka looked up from the scroll he’d been reading and looked behind him, stopping in his tracks and smiling when he saw Menma.

    “Menma,” He called back, “you’re here early, it’s only about seven-thirty. Most students don't start showing up until 7:45. How are you?” Menma finally reached the older man and grinned widely at him, the same way Naruto used to smile. 

    “I’m doing great, I'm really excited to finally attend the Academy so I can graduate and become a genin and get to go on missions and stuff! I didn’t realize I'd gotten here so early, I figured it’d take me longer to get here.” Menma explained. Iruka smiled back at the boy, he couldn’t help it, the boy's smile- much like Narutos had been- was contagious. 
   
    “I’m glad to hear that Menma,” Iruka glanced around him for a moment and then turned to Menma with a secret smile on his face, “you know, I think Naruto might be here already. If you want, we can go try to see him before the other kids get here.”

    “Really!?” Menma’s face lit up.

    “Sure,” Iruka smiled, rolling up his scroll and tucking it under his arm, placing his hands in the pockets of his vest. He jerked his head toward the building behind them. “C’mon, let's hurry. It’ll be like a little stealth mission, yeah?”

    Menma jumped up and down a couple times and then took a few excited steps towards the building, edging Iruka after him. When he was sure the brunette was following he darted off to the school's entrance. Iruka watched in fond exasperation as the young raven took off, he loved this boy a lot. If Naruto was like a son to him, Menma was his grandson, and Iruka wouldn’t have it any other way.