Author note:

This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I'm still figuring out how to format stuff to use with this site, and I'm in the process of editing to try and improve the format of my story.

It seems I should probably also make a disclaimer that I don't own the material this is based on (I don't). I hope this falls under fair use.

Iruka was having a good day. As he entered his apartment and started warming some sake he reflected over the events of today's classes. Normally he would spend a large amount of the day dealing with the behaviour of his most easily distracted student, Uzumaki Naruto, but during the history class about the 4th Hokage, Naruto had been enraptured by the discussion.

Iruka had told of the 4th's battle with the Raikage and his brother, an intense clash of speed where the 4th had come out on top with his signature jutsu, and a cleverly applied seal. Rather than just gushing about his hero, Naruto had kept asking questions about hiraishin, and the seal that was used for it, and how it was applied.

It had ended up being a much more academically in depth discussion than was usual for a class of typically ambivalent pre-teens, and the fact that the driving force in the discussion had been Naruto was a very pleasant surprise. As such, Iruka had humoured him more than he typically would, and had talked about seals at length.

They'd discussed how seals are made using special chakra infused ink with special paper. They'd talked about the different sorts of seals that could be made. But what really seemed to have captured the kid's attention was that the 4th had been able to make the seal on any surface with just his own chakra.

Here Iruka had tried to let him down gently. The 4th had been a once in a generation genius capable of applying seals in such a way. Some Shinobi, like the Sannin, were capable of manipulating seals without ink or paper, or could manipulate other substances like poisons to create specific seals. The 4th was the only shinobi in living history capable of casually creating a seal with a simple touch.

Nevertheless, Naruto hadn't been discouraged. Instead he jumped on top of the desk and loudly proclaimed that not only was he going to be the next Hokage (his usual claim), but he was going to be the next shinobi to be able to make seals by touch, and that he was going to surpass the 4th.

Iruka allowed himself a smirk as he savoured a sip of sake. That had been the return to the Naruto he knew all too well. But at least that shift back into character hadn't lasted long. After the class finished, Naruto had asked for help regarding where to find information about sealing, and Iruka had pointed him toward the library. With a level enthusiasm and energy that Iruka wondered whether he could ever muster, Naruto had raced off toward the library.

If this sudden shift toward diligence were to continue, the next few weeks of class could be interesting.

xXxXx

The next few weeks didn't really live up to Iruka's hopes, but neither were they as bad as they could be. Instead of being his usual bundle of disobedience and frustration, Naruto had been unusually quiet, and, well, tired. Whenever he came into class (which was usually late), he would barely respond to Iruka's admonitions. Sometimes he would even fall asleep in class. Iruka didn't really pay it too much heed - at least he wasn't distracting the rest of the class like normal.

However, after 3 or 4 weeks Iruka noticed that not only was Naruto coming in exhausted, but his clothes were increasingly dishevelled, and he was often covered with cuts and burns. After a week of this, there was a day that Naruto simply didn't turn up. This warranted action, and it was with no small sense of trepidation that Iruka approached Naruto's apartment to check on him.

Iruka knocked on the door. "Naruto? Are you there?"

After a minute that seemed like much longer than it really was, Naruto replied "Coming, Iruka Sensei!"

Iruka paused in slight confusion. He'd come expecting something bad, but something about Naruto's voice sounded triumphant. He wondered what it could be.

Naruto swung open the door in a hurry and exclaimed "I did it, Iruka Sensei!"

"Did what?" Iruka replied in continued confusion.

"I made a seal with just my touch!"

This increased Iruka's confusion further. How could his most difficult student, the bottom of the class, have mastered something many considered to be impossible? After a moment, he managed to tactfully ask "how did you manage that, Naruto?"

"I did what you said Iruka Sensei! I went to the library, and got all the books on sealing they would let me take." Naruto paused for a moment before continuing "the librarian was really mean, but he still let me take the books."

So far this seemed reasonable, but it in no way explained Naruto's exhaustion over the last few weeks. If Naruto had a defining feature, it would be that he has far too much energy, Iruka mused. "So then what did you do" Iruka probed.

"I worked really hard! Every Night! I went to the store, but I couldn't afford any of the sealing paper and ink, so I figured I'd just start out by figuring out how to make seals by touch."

Now this really boggled Iruka's mind. Firstly, sealing supplies were actually pretty cheap in Konoha stores. The Hokage had organised subsidies so that anyone who wished to learn the sealing arts could. Sealmasters were rare, and highly valued. The village actively tried to encourage anyone that wanted to increase their sealing capabilities.

"The first few seals in the books were boring," Naruto continued, "so I skipped through till I found explosive seals."

At this point, Iruka suffered a moment of panic. Despite being one of the most commonly used forms of seal, explosive tags weren't exactly simple to make. For a student to start out with trying to make explosive seals, and without the appropriate ink and paper... not only should it be impossible, the chance of something going wrong when you're trying to make explosive tags made it a highly dangerous thing to learn. "Don't tell me you started there, Naruto. Explosive tags are really dangerous, and really hard. Even I can't make them. You should start with something much simpler than that, like a storage seal. I'll buy you some sealing ink and paper so you can get started."

"But I did it Iruka Sensei! I can make explosive seals!"

What followed was something that shocked Iruka to his core. The failure, the bottom of the class, casually crossed the room, picked up a dinner plate with his left hand, touched it with his right index finger (at which point Iruka could faintly see channelled chakra), gently tossed the plate to a vacant corner of the room before it exploded, sending shrapnel all through the room. Iruka barely dodged it, but a couple of pieces nicked Naruto's arms.

"WHAT THE HELL, NARUTO!"

"But Iruka sensei, you just saw, I did it!"

"THAT WAS FAR TOO DANGEROUS NARUTO!"

"Yeah, it is pretty dangerous. I hurt myself a few times before I figured out how to control the timer on it."

"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF!"

"Nah, I recover quickly. The burns are mostly healed after a night's sleep."

"Naruto, you're very lucky you didn't kill yourself. What you've done is incredibly dangerous. Explosive tags can be lethal. Promise me that you won't use this again unless you're in a situation where you need to kill someone!"

"But Iruka..."

"Promise me!"

"Ok, I promise. but..."

"And don't tell ANYONE you can do this. Promise me that too."

"Awww, Iruka Sensei..."

"Naruto!"

"Ok, I promise. But why can't I use it to show off how awesome I am?"

"Naruto, this sort of ability is rare, and very dangerous. If people know you can do this, all sorts of trouble could come from it."

"Ok Iruka sensei. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"And you won't use it unless it's a life or death situation?"

Naruto looked glum. "Yes Iruka Sensei."

Reading the situation, Iruka quickly thought about how best to make it up to Naruto. "Ok, how about I buy you some ramen for dinner to celebrate your achievement though."

Naruto's usual grin quickly returned to his face. "Ramen!"