Disclaimer: Neither the characters nor the artwork are mine. This is purely a fan work and I am making no money off of the use of any material.

Author's Note: The reason that this one took so long is because I literally wrote 10 different versions of this story. Some pieces of all of those have made it into this final version whose plot is both similar and incredibly divergent from plots of the other stories. I kept getting 3-4 pages in and then not liking where the story was going and needing to start over again to get the story around to where I wanted it. This is the final outcome of that repetitive process.

Also, my only experience in an Asian school setting is as a teaching in South Korea so I have placed this story in that kind of setting. It is not really an important fact of the story, but I don't really know the Japanese system so if someone is and reads this and sees some kind of issue – that is why.

I also wanted to try a bit of an experiment of writing one of these with the majority of the story coming from an outsider's perspective, and Iruka was just a rather easy character to slip in to this role, and I kind of just like him as a character.

Image can be found at:

callypso713. skyrock. (com/) 3166654124- Shikanaru. html

I don't know if this person actually made the image or it is just being hosted there, but this is the site that I found it on. Also, the title is my own.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Story Ten

School's Out

Their friendship didn't make sense.

Shikamaru wanted nothing from the world around him but quiet so that he could sleep peacefully. He wanted to dodge out of anything that took even the remotest amount of effort. Wanted to fade away into the woodwork and be completely overlooked. He did the bear minimum just to scrape by.

Naruto on the other hand wanted to use all of his restless energy, to jump up and move around and be on the move doing something at all times. He wanted to take on seemingly herculean tasks. He wanted all eyes on him. He went above and beyond in effort, more than any ever required or expected of him, just to scrape by.

They were polar opposites.

But fate was funny.

It kept putting them together.

Randomization algorithms in the school's computer system had them in the same homeroom class year after year.

Location of residence had them riding the same bus to and from school each day.

A similar attitude of aggravated dismissal from their teachers year after year formed a sense of camaraderie.

Only a few years into their primary education had the two thick as thieves. Naruto standing watch over the sleeping boy at recess who was the only one who didn't scream or belittle the energetic blonde.

Then their final year of schooling rolled around. Both skirting in by what seemed like the skin of their teeth, they had yet another new teacher to face, one Iruka Umino – a relatively young teacher who was still trying to learn the ropes of his chosen profession himself.

"Fifteen bucks says he's got us on complete opposite sides of the classroom." The dark haired Shikamaru Nara mumbled as they scaled the stairs of the school building for the first day of their final year. All the teachers did it – as though separating the boys would somehow influence their willingness to pay attention in class.

Naruto Uzumaki merely sighed, still attempting to fix his uniform tie so that it had a chance of being...well...uniform. "I wish I had the money to blow. Not taking that bet – you'd win in a heartbeat."

Shikamaru chuckled as he watched the blonde struggle before finally taking pity and pulling him over to the side of the hall and sorted out the wardrobe issue himself.

"One of these days you will figure out how to tie a tie."

Naruto shrugged, yawning quickly before smiling. "What's the point? I'm never going to have a job that requires a tie – let's be honest here." The pair walked to the end of the hall and slipping into their new classroom as Naruto continued, "I'll probably end up working construction or as a mechanic or something. You're the one who is going to college. You're gonna need to pull up your grades for that this year though or your mom's gonna go ballistic."

"Yeah, yeah...I know...freakin' drag though..."

A cheery voice broke through their conversation. "Welcome to my class boys! I'm Mr. Umino. Find your names on the seating chart and have a seat." A smiling young man with a curious scar across the bridge of his nose gestured wide to the board where the seating chart had been taped up for the students to peruse.

Shikamaru grunted in response while Naruto at least smiled once at the man in an attempt at good cheer before the man figured out who he was and connected his face with all of the stories of aggravation that likely floated around the staff room and all that cheer went away.

The Nara found his name first and as his eyes darted around it to see whose presence he would have to suffer his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I don't believe it..." he muttered in seemingly genuine shock.

"What?" Naruto asked, looking at his friend rather than scanning the paper before them.

In lieu of answering, Shikamaru fished out his wallet, grabbed Naruto's hand and slapped $15 into it. "I know you didn't take the bet, but damn..." He finally pointed at the paper indicating his own name and then dragged his finger down,

The seat directly behind the Nara was Naruto.

"Sweet!" The blonde cried and the pair turned to take their seats.

SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN

Iruka had heard all the stories about the pair. That Shikamaru grossly underworked his potential, while Naruto consistently fell short of learning goals.

Their friendship was widely decried as well, much to the new teacher's annoyance.

"You know who the Nara's father is don't you?" Another teacher had cornered him with just this morning, "It's Shikaku Nara. The head of the international pharmaceutical company. The kid is sitting on a gold mine. It's that damn Uzumaki brat dragging him down."

And no one needed to ask questions about Naruto Uzumaki, teachers were more than willing to go ahead and share their foreknowledge of the boy without any prompting of any kind. The kid was notorious. Renowned for pranking, from which few were safe, and a frequent participant in fights with other students, along with being a poor achiever in the classroom, the kid had detractors galore. "And he's an orphan," the same teacher had spat out, as though it was a dirty word. "Did you know he had a guardian who wouldn't even take him after his parents' died? Hah – even that guy knew a lost cause when he saw one."

Iruka had buried his hands deep in the blackness under his desk so that the woman wouldn't see the whiteness of his knuckles as his fists clenched.

Didn't she know that this was just an impressionable young child? One who had been left to her care along with the rest of the students in this school? Wasn't it her job to help mold him? Not tear him down at every chance?

He knew what it was like to be in Naruto's shoes, though he had found a pleasant enough foster situation relatively early on that had helped stabilize him, he had seen a lot of similarities between himself and the boy when he had perused the Uzumaki's file.

Name: Uzumaki, Naruto

Grade: 12

Class Ranking: Bottom Quartile

Cumulative Grade Point Average: 1.9/4.0

Standardized Testing Scores:

Reading: Bottom Quartile

Writing: Bottom Quartile

Mathematics: Bottom Quartile

Science: Bottom Half

Social Studies: Bottom Quartile

Additional Information:

- Ward of the State

- Lives in Konoha Home for Boys (Group Home)

- Free Lunch Recipient

Free Uniform Recipient

Free Tuition Recipient

- ADHD diagnosis, no medication

Stuffed behind the form were seemingly endless additional forms. Reports of disciplinary issues, classroom interruptions, poor grades, reading below grade level, constant issues with fighting and general attention seeking behavior.

But he also notices that some teachers were there to praise the boy. The gym teacher Gai glowed about his energy and attentiveness during class and wishing the boy's grades were good enough to allow the boy on the cross country team as he could run like the wind for insane distances. The Industrial Technology teacher Asuma had never once reported an issue with Naruto in class and actually displaying some of the child's projects around the classroom – even requesting the boy as an aide the previous year, something again shot down over complaints about the student's grades in nearly every other aspect of his educational career.

The Nara's file had had a glance as well.

Name: Nara, Shikamaru

Grade: 12

Class Ranking: Bottom Quartile

Cumulative Grade Point Average: 2.1/4.0

Standardized Testing Scores:

Reading: Bottom Quartile

Writing: Bottom Quartile

Mathematics: Bottom Quartile

Science: Bottom Quartile

Social Studies: Bottom Quartile

Additional Information:

Here instead of the usual bulleted information point, someone had written in bold red sharpie: NOT NARCOLEPTIC, JUST LAZY!

Many reports of sleeping in class, and constant under-performance of perceived ability. Most interestingly was a report from the last year stating that the boy had bubbled in his name on the standardized test forms and then promptly fell asleep for the duration without answering a single question.

Just looking at the files he would never have thought that these two would be friends. On paper they don't make sense.

Naruto was all sunshine and eagerness, though his ability lagged behind the rest of the class, he seemed to skirt by each year on sheer guts alone.

Shikamaru was all shadows and lethargy, seeming to calculate the exact bear minimum amount of effort required to pass and not putting forth so much as an iota more.

There were ten minutes left before the school year started and Iruka, whether out of spite against all of the other teachers or what he wasn't entirely sure, found himself re-doing his entire seating chart.

If years of keeping the friends apart didn't have any affect. Maybe putting them together would. Maybe Naruto's energy would keep his sleepy friend awake. Maybe Shikamaru's apparent natural intelligence would help Naruto's slower grasp on the material.

He had smirked inwardly as the duo with surprised looks took their desks, sitting gingerly as they were ready to jump up once Iruka had figured out what he had done and tell them to switch.

Both seemed on edge through the day's lessons.

But he had two victories already by the end of the day.

Naruto hadn't caused a commotion.

Shikamaru hadn't fallen asleep.

Both of them had listened to every word that their new teacher had said, for an entire day.

Iruka had enjoyed a victorious cold beer that night after double checking all of his lesson plans for the next day.

The other teachers had lost their minds upon walking into the classroom for their first class and seeing the two together, demanded for Naruto to return to his proper seat and didn't believe him when he said that he was in his assigned seat. Didn't believe Shikamaru. Didn't believe any of the students in the class. Instead Naruto had been grabbed by the ear and dragged through the hallway to wherever Iruka had been at the moment – whether that was teaching a class or in the teachers' office – and he swore he saw their eyes bug out when he confirmed that Naruto had been telling the truth, that yes, he had sat the pair together, and would they please return the boy to the classroom so that he could continue his education, thanks.

Throughout that year Iruka grouped the boys together on projects in his own history courses and watched in amazement as both boys contributed helpfully, which he had been told repeatedly would never happen. Shikamaru bringing his own intellect to bear to the shock of his classmates and Naruto throwing out interesting angles from which to approach their topics that were unique far more interesting to see as a teacher after getting the exact same report from every other group – just because that topic had been easy to see from minute one.

And there was a sadistic pleasure in Iruka's smile when the grade reports came in for the first quarter and not only had Naruto's grades pulled up to a C average, but Shikamaru's had pulled up as well and there were less complaints of the boy sleeping in class (if only because Naruto would ask a clarification question of him periodically and it helped to keep the other boy awake).

He might have had a bit of a smug air about him in the staff room for a while.

And then they slipped into the second semester. All of the students started to bear down and concentrate on preparing for the college entrance exam. Tempers became a little shorter, eyelids drooped a little deeper and it wasn't just Shikamaru who began to nod off in class with all of the pressure and tension and late nights studying.

Every year around this time, in schools all over the country, kids snapped – they couldn't take the pressure and just let it out in a moment and stress-driven rage.

Iruka just kept his fingers crossed that it wouldn't be one of his kids.

But wherever there was trouble, there was Naruto.

Naruto was a bit of a ticking time bomb in the best of scenarios.

He hadn't had a blow out in the school in a while. He had been growing increasingly tense, as he did for every exam season. And it was evident that the boy was exhausted. Bags drooped ever deeper under the boy's eyes and Iruka was counting down the days because no amount of inquiring into the boy's well being was ever greeted with more than a tired smile and an "I'm fine Mr. Umino."

So when the shout of "FUCK OFF!" Bellowed through the hallway, Iruka wasn't surprised.

"Young man! You will watch your language!" The pompous voice of Ebisu, the literature teacher, screeched through the hall.

By the time Iruka reach them, the verbal spar was well underway. His student was flushed, and backed into the wall in the hallway, a concern looking Shikamaru standing at the Uzumaki's side, keeping a hand tight around Naruto's bicep to keep the other boy in check.

"Mr. Uchiha..." Ebisu had started, but Naruto cut him off.

"Is a fucking bastard! He's an asshole! He treats everyone like garbage and me even more so for reasons I will never know and frankly don't even care about any more. Same for pretty much everyone in this school. But his name is Uchiha," Naruto sneered and for the first time Iruka could see that street rat that everyone else thought the boy to be, but it wasn't violence towards everyone else that the boy was spewing now. It was a sense of self-loathing combined with a desperate struggle against the apathy that threatened to overtake him every day. "He has a famous name so he must be important. Of course everything he does must be innocent and perfect."

The blond slumped suddenly, like the air was let out of a balloon. "Do you even know what was going on? Did you know that your perfect little angel has been telling me that I was useless for years? That I shouldn't even be here. That I was stealing an education from someone else who deserved it. As though I don't. As though I'm not worth it. As though because my name isn't well known, because I don't have family connections, that I am somehow lesser."

Iruka was frozen to the spot, along with the rest of the class that had formed a semi-circle, giving the impression that they were clearly supporting Ebisu, supporting Sasuke Uchiha and stood against the embattled blond. Other classrooms had flooded out their students into the hallway and they too were watching with bated breath as the confrontation continued. Despite the sheer amount of people in the hallway at that moment, no one was making a sound; they were enthralled by the show being put on before them.

So it was into a terrifyingly stiff silence that Naruto whispered. It was a silence that had Iruka trapped in his own skin. Every muscle in his body was tensed and straining because he knew. He knew what was coming next. He knew. Somehow he already knew that words that were going to slip out of Naruto's mouth as though he had the script before him. He knew and he didn't want to hear it. Because it was too hard. It was too much. The burden to heavy to be born by the strongest of adults and yet it was hefted upon the shoulders of a teenager. Of a child. He wanted to do something, anything just to make this moment end. But he remained frozen, like everyone else. Trapped his own fear and disbelief, and misplaced hope that he was somehow wrong. He couldn't take a step forward, he couldn't call out. He could only wait and listen.

"He told me to kill myself." It was so quiet. So, so quiet that it was almost as though the thought had just been implanted directly into everyone's head rather than spoken aloud. "He told me to just go home today and kill myself."

A humorless laugh crawled out of Naruto. It was just wrong. So very wrong to hear something like that come out of the cheerful boy that Naruto could be when he was given a shot.

"Bastard is so stupid that he doesn't even know that's not possible." Naruto looked up and blue eyes that had lost their sparkle, blue eyes that were somehow grey instead bore down into his teacher, "I don't even have a home to go to. I never have. I go back not home. Never home." And then it was like the boy collapsed.

Shikamaru's arm was around the blonde's shoulder, slowing the fall as the boy's legs seemed to give up for the moment and the both found themselves on the dirty tiled floor of their school. "Naruto!" He grunted, concern dripping from his voice, dark eyes glued on the pathetic form of what had always seemed like an impenetrably defended mind. .

And Iruka felt something stirring within him. His chest felt tight, and his stomach felt warm. His skin tingled as every muscle in him seemed to flex. His fingers curled in tight, nails almost cutting into skin with pain that would have actually felt god to his warped mind.

Fury.

This was fury. Pure righteous fury at those who had brought suffering to a boy who deserved anything but. A boy who had to endure the dull ache of loneliness in a callousness world where those who were supposed to care for him and look after him shied away or acted against him outright. Who had lost his family before he ever had a chance to known them. Who was failed by the one that family had trusted to look after him in case the worst should happen. Who despite everything never gave up, and never stopped trying.

Naruto was the kid who tried to bring smiles to people's faces.

Imagine Iruka's surprise when he went to the hospital to bring a friend some clothing as they sat at the bedside of their sick child to find Naruto playing with the children and doing crafts, volunteering his Saturday morning every week to help these kids forget, even if only for a moment, that they were sick and laugh. And frankly his even greater surprise of seeing Shikamaru in another corner of that same room reading a storybook to some children who didn't have the energy to do the activities with Naruto.

Naruto was the kid who had so little and was still willing to share.

Naruto had come into school one day with a bag of chips. Surprising enough considering that the boy had no spending money because the school had turned down repeated requests from the boy to allow him to get a job while attending school in light of his low grades. The obvious pride that Naruto had displayed by mere possession of these was almost too much to bear because having a snack shouldn't be so novel a concept, not in a nation like theirs. However, hearing the grumbling in the stomach of Chouji Akimichi, seated next to him, the blonde had handed over the snack without a second thought, though he did smile when Chouji opened it and passed the first chip back to the snack's original owner. Apparently BBQ was both of their favorites.

Naruto was kind and loyal to those who had shown kindness to him.

His friendship with Shikamaru aside, Naruto clearly put forth effort with people who tried to do the same with him. When Shino showed no aversion to working with the blonde on an assignment, Naruto put forth the effort and didn't blow it off. When Kiba told someone being snarky to the blonde to back off, he didn't know what he had a new friend for life coming his way. And in class, with the teachers who put effort into Naruto, the blonde returned it tenfold. Naruto's scores in history had been nothing short of abysmal for years, but in Iruka's class they had greatly improved. He wasn't going to be moving on to study it in university or anything, but he could passably explain basic facts about his own country now. And Shikamaru's grades had hiked up as well, and Iruka's own personal point of pride was that neither boy ever slept through his class.

Naruto was forgiving.

It had been hot gossip around the school that Neji Hyuuga, a boy who had been at larger heads with Naruto for quite some time, formally apologized to the boy in the school cafeteria (though none of the teachers knew why, they figured it might have something to do with the fat lip, black eyes and swollen knuckles that the pair were supporting respectively). Naruto's response had been a handshake and pulling out a chair for the other boy to sit down with a smile. No grudges being held undeservedly after amends had been reached.

If Naruto had had a better station in life, if his parents had been around, if his godfather was more responsible, if he had just been luckier in placement within the foster system, the boy's life could have been something so much greater than it was. He had been let down by the adults in his life in a massive way and still he smiled and laughed and joked and tried to be positive.

And he shouldn't have to.

He shouldn't have to.

He shouldn't have to deal with any of that because the adults in his life should be stepping up instead of stepping back.

And so Iruka was pissed.

He was furious.

And for the first time, those students in that hallway were going to see easy-going, slightly bumbling Mr. Iruka Umino blow his top.

"Everyone – back into your classrooms NOW!"

The sheer volume at which the brunette had bellowed made more than a few jump.

He stomped forward, as all the voyeur classes shifted back into their rooms while Naruto's remained stationary.

"I said NOW!" He again glared down the students merely standing by who started at the harsh tone coming out of the normally docile man. "Not you Mr. Uchiha," he ground out, his hand rest firmly on the teen's shoulder as the boy had gone to move by as well with the crowd.

Dark eyes showed faint surprise at the anger being directed at him by a teacher. "You are visiting the Principal's Office now."

Sasuke's eyes flared in shock and there was a choking noise behind him as Naruto seemed to choke on his own spit.

"Now see here Mr. Umino," Ebisu began but Iruka was done listening to the man.

"I see plenty here already." He growled. "I see a student who has been systematically bullied, by even the faculty, being told to kill himself by another student and your response to go after the one being threatened."

"Now that's..."

"Exactly what happened." Shikamaru's voice finished evenly from behind them, an edge and strength presence in the student's voice and not a trace of lethargy.

"So you say." Sasuke sneered in response.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and pulled out a tape recorder from his pocket. "I got sick of you always bagging on Naruto," and his eyes trailed over to Ebisu, "and teachers never doing anything about it and sometimes joining in."

"You will hand that over right now?" Ebisu announced sticking out his hand. "You are not permitted those in school."

"There is nothing in the rules against tape recorders." Iruka said, nodded his head slightly to Shikamaru and giving the boy a slight smile. "Cell phones and iPods but nothing about tape recorders."

Ebisu's mouth worked like a fish for a moment, bobbing up and down, as he struggled to come up with a counter to the younger teacher's argument.

With a mocking flick of his wrist Iruka waved Ebisu back off to the classroom. "I'll deal with these kids, you go back to the classroom. I suspect the Principal will want a word with you later though."

Naruto and Shikamaru were steered off into an unused classroom and told to wait as Iruka led the still disbelieving Uchiha directly to the Principal.

At first the Principal clearly wanted to brush off the incident as common razing between teenagers, in fact he seemed convinced that Naruto was the instigator and Iruka just stared in shock for a moment almost unwilling to think that the bias against Naruto was this systematic.

The Principal was ready to shoo off Sasuke back to class, without even a slap on the wrist when Iruka dropped the bomb, "There is a recording of Mr. Uchiha telling Naruto to kill himself." The voice was ground out like metal against concrete as the man pushed the words through his teeth with his jaw clench tight to stop himself from screaming. Naruto wasn't a perfect kid, not by a long shot, but he deserved to be protected in school the same as any other student.

It was almost like Iruka could see the cogs turning inside the position grubbing man's head, trying to figure out a way to shelter the rich, prominent student while laying the blame at the foot of the social outcast.

Iruka felt bile rise up his throat at the thought of 'peer mediation' when everyone in school was enamored or kissing up to the wealthy boy and reminded the Principal that threats of this nature fell under the 'No Tolerance' policy.

"Mr. Uchiha must receive a minimum of 1 week suspension." Iruka stated flatly, his mouth set into a grim line.

"Well…" The Principal twiddled his thumbs and adjusted his classes, staring down strictly at the desk and not looking his young teacher in the eye. "This is a first offense…and something like that could ruin his record…"

"No tolerance is no tolerance." Iruka argued back, "Besides, a suspension would ruin Uchiha's record, but suicide would end Naruto's life. An innocent child would be gone forever from this world at the goading of another immature child. And from the sound of things, this sort of thing has been happening for a while; it's just the first time that we have evidence of it because Shikamaru recorded the conversation."

Sasuke glowered at his history teacher as the Principal finally gave in to the pressure of his insistent staff member, but Iruka already knew that he was going to be paying for this with detention duties and extra weekend study assignments, but it was worth it.

Someone had to stand up for Uzumaki Naruto.

He left the still arguing Uchiha in the office after ensuring that the proper forms had been filled out signed and notice had been submitted to the local office of education as was required to make the suspension official before taking his leave.

He felt old and haggard, beyond his years at the moment but he knew that he wasn't done yet.

He sighed and headed off to where he had sent the two boys earlier.

The sky had been clouding over since lunch so there was a bit of an eerie feel to the room as he approached it from the hallway. The pair had sat themselves in what would have been their typical desks in their own classroom, which Iruka found funny for a moment as an absurd smile came onto his face.

Naruto was sprawled out on the desk, eyes closed as he pillowed his head on his arms.

Shikamaru had placed himself at the desk in front of the blonde and was turned around in the chair, gently carding his fingers through the other boy's hair. There was a serene sort of smile on the Nara's face which contrasted oddly with the fierceness of attention being granted by those dark eyes which were so often hidden behind heavy lids.

The moment seemed simultaneously casual and intimate and Iruka felt like he was intruding on an intensely personal moment for the pair. As the Nara leaned forward and, pursing his lips lightly, added a gentle kiss to the top of Naruto's head everything clicked into place for Iruka.

Their friendship had never made sense.

Because it wasn't a friendship. It may have started that way and it may still function as the foundation of their relationship. But to call it merely a friendship was disingenuous and frankly untrue.

It was more than that. So much more.

Without opening his eyes, Naruto snaked one hand out from under his head and rested his fingers gently against the hand that Shikamaru had placed there.

Iruka stood there for longer than was probably healthy, watching his students as full understanding took root for the first time.

No one said anything. Iruka didn't make his presence known and as tied up in their own moment as they were, the boys didn't notice him. They spoke no words to each other, though Iruka swore that they were sharing something that they alone understood.

They just existed, in that moment. That perfect moment of time where no one else was judging them and they could just be as they wanted.

Without warning or preamble one tear slipped out of Naruto's closed eye and made the short trip down the usually cheerful boy's face.

Shikamaru's carding had stopped, leaving the blonde tresses behind and rubbing his thumb carefully against a tanned cheek, brushing that tear away before it could complete its journey. The Nara lowered his head, his forehead soon resting atop Naruto's, moving his arm to encircle Naruto's shoulders as best as the chairs and desks would allow.

"It's okay."

Two simple words slipped from the Nara's mouth. The boy was usually stoic to the point of robotic when he was speaking to anyone but Naruto. His voice usually had a gruffness to it, whether from not speaking or just a rough natural voice none of the teachers really knew, that was the only way that any of the teachers knew to recognize it as being him. And he certainly didn't comfort people – he didn't see the point when they would likely just work themselves up again shortly anyway and that would just be effort wasted.

But now his voice was gentle, soft. There had been more emotion than Iruka could name filling up and glowing through and spilling out from those mere two words. A voice still scratchy, but in a soothing way.

Iruka suddenly studied the floor, feeling like he was intruding on an important moment here. He stepped back and away, still somehow unnoticed.

He would let the pair have their moment. The bell would ring announcing the end of class in a few minutes and their moment would be over anyway. He wasn't going to end it early, not when he didn't have to.

He smiled slightly as he leaned against the wall. Naruto has more than one person to stand for him…and maybe it's just enough.

So let me know what you think!

I've already started work on my next one as well so hopefully the wait isn't as long this time.