Second Chance

Chapter 30

Chapter 30: But Sorrow
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"Please remain calm and follow your teacher!" A voice rang out through the hallways as the academy students were quickly herded through the building towards the escape passages built into the school for this reason.

"Umino-san, what is happening out there?"

"If you panic so will the students, calm down a little." Iruka scolded his colleague who had the decency to look embarrassed. "Are all of the classrooms clear?"

"All the classrooms are clear but there were several classes not in their room. I thin k one of them was working on taijutsu and the other was outside with bukijutsu."

"Get the kids that were working inside and get them to the shelter I will work on the ones outside. Hurry! We need to seal off the entrance soon so that we won't be followed." Nodding at the scarred chunin the two bolted in two different directions. Iruka rushing towards the back yard hoping that the students hadn't been attacked yet.

"Get inside now! Get them to the shelter." Iruka snapped at the teacher who seemed frozen. Gritting his teeth he looked towards the students. "Do you remember the route we took during the drills last month?"

"Yes."

"Good lead your classmates and get them to safety."

"Hai sensei."

"Stay together do not wander off. This is to be taken just as seriously as the drill." He instructed before he spun drawing a kunai and bringing it up into a defensive grip meeting another half-way. "Go!"

"Where's the rest of the chunin? Did they run off in fear? They had more sense than that one at least." The Oto nin sneered glancing at the frozen man.

"I won't let you harm a single hair on any of the students!"

"Brave words for a teacher."

"Teacher's lead by example. If I can't fight against an enemy for my home how could I possibly expect the students to do so when they get their headbands?"

"Foolish." He snapped bringing his leg up and kicking Iruka in the abdomen sending him flying into the side of the building only to dodge a foot aimed at his head.

"The substitution of course."

"Naturally." Iruka growled drawing another kunai and meeting the Oto nin in an intricate, yet, lethal dance. While the two may have seemed to be evenly matched, Iruka was gritting his teeth. It was only now that he realized just how much he had let his training suffer after becoming a teacher. All the late nights had caused his skills to deteriorate. Vowing to pick up his training if he survived he felt himself be launched from the air and performed another replacement to get some breathing room.

"Get out here and stop hiding you coward!"

'It's not cowardice.' Iruka thought twitching. 'It's called stealth and shinobi tactics. Who taught you how to be a shinobi?'

"Fine if you won't come out here and die like a man, then your friend will be the first!" He yelled launching a kunai at the prone chunin only to curse when it struck a log instead. Before he could locate the missing shinobi he felt pressure on the back of his neck and then nothing as the world faded to black.