Hoshigaki

Burn

At the end of the first fight of the Chuunin Exam finals, Naruto emerged the victor to most of everyone's stunned disbelief. But Iruka clapped despite the light smattering of applause and when he looked up at the bleachers just behind him and to the left, he smiled wider when he spotted Kiba cheering loudly all the same. Both he and Sakura sat leagues away from the other rookies at the top row near one of the exits. The latter had been attentive to the battle, and though she remained expressionless through the majority, he saw her crack a smile at Naruto's finishing blow.

Iruka was glad they offered their support when no one else did.

Kiba shouted something he couldn't quite catch, and his smile falters a touch. There's... actually a lot about them, Kiba especially, that he would've never learned had he not trained him for the entirety of a month.

Even though Iruka knew how proficient his old student was after stumbling upon him and his theories at the library, he should've known there was more to it. Every time they met, Kiba came with new inquiries of outlandish theories that he somehow made work, questioned solid seal formations to propose new loopholes or builds, and had even once brought the idea of organ preservation through seals that could mimic body functions to keep things like hearts and livers alive until transfer.

Eventually he learned that he got some of his ideas from Shino working at the hospital and Sakura's surprising knack for imagining concepts, but it was mostly all weaved from the mind of one Inuzuka Kiba to his teacher's utmost astonishment and guilt.

And one day when he decided to accompany him to a shop to stock up on sealing supplies, he learned something else.

"Still practicing, kid?" the shopkeep smiled, gathering everything set in front of her and punching in the numbers. "It's the third time this week you've popped in. Think you're ready to be the best seal's master Konoha's ever seen?"

Kiba laughed. "Nah, I'm still tryna make a good storage scroll. I messed up the first one and did lotsa studyin', so I know what to do know. And when I make a real good one, I'll even write your name on it!"

She chuckled and stacked the sealing paper and ink bottles in a paper bag, exchanging it for the money he handed over. "You'll do fine, kid." She granted Iruka an appraising stare. "And you're a new sensei of his, right? Make sure you do right by him. I won't have some hoity-toity shinobi messing up this kid's chance of being amazing."

Iruka nodded fervently. "O-Of course!"

"Sato-san, c'mon," Kiba groaned. He peered into the bag and frowned. "Hey, I only got six ink bottles. Why's there eight in here?"

Sato-san pressed a finger to her lips and winked. "I want to see my best customer turn into Konoha's Number One Seal's Masker and he needs good ink for that, eh?"

"Oi, Sato-san! I can't—"

"I'm not hearin' it, kid! Now scram and get that practice in!" She shooed them out from behind her counter, and Kiba begrudgingly retreated to the exit with a pout. The shopkeep pointed a finger at Iruka. "And don't you mess up either, bub!"

Akamaru barked and Kiba reddened. "Sato-san!"

Though amused as he was, once they leave the shop, Iruka's humored smile fell as he peered down. "Kiba, you already know how to make a good storage scroll. I've seen your work—it's-it's the first thing you told me you learned how to make. And you managed to nearly everything-proof it!" His frown deepened. "You seem to really get along with Sato-san. Why did you lie to her?"

The boy glanced up, and suddenly, there was a show in his eyes even if the rest of his face didn't betray his grin. It sends shivers down his spine. "Sato Akemi-san's a nice lady and has lots of good stuff at her shop, and it's not like I wanna lie, y'know? But if she knows how good I am, she's gonna tell a lotta people and a lotta people are gonna find out and I don't want that." His grin finally dropped. "No one needs to know how good I am with this stuff, and I'd 'ppreciate it if you didn't tell anyone either, sensei."