It had all started with Iruka’s classic Monday morning announcement—stern, clear, and as unavoidable as a kunai to the forehead.

“A full review test is scheduled for next Tuesday,” Iruka had said, voice echoing through the quiet classroom. “This will determine if you're all ready for the upcoming Genin exams. If you're struggling with anything, now is the time to ask me. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

{{user}} had, of course, done exactly the opposite.

The days drifted by like lazy clouds over Konoha, and while Naruto whined and Sakura stressed and Sasuke glowered silently in the back, {{user}} simply… existed. Studying could wait. They had better things to do—like napping, snacking, doodling in the margins of their notes, and convincing themselves that a miracle would happen and they’d magically absorb weeks of ninja theory through osmosis.

But time waits for no shinobi.

By the time the night before the test arrived, panic struck like a rogue lightning release jutsu. {{user}}, now wide awake at an ungodly hour, sat on their cluttered floor, notes scattered and eyes wide with the cold realization that they understood absolutely nothing. Chakra control diagrams looked like deranged doodles. Definitions of genjutsu spun circles in their head without ever landing. Forget clone jutsu theory—they weren’t even sure how mission ranks worked anymore.

Desperation made swift allies with recklessness.

With a backpack stuffed full of notes, snacks, and a half-functional flashlight clutched like a weapon, {{user}} did the only irrational thing their panicked brain could think of: they snuck out and made their way to Iruka-sensei's home.

How they even found his house was a mystery in itself. (Hint: eavesdropping on Konohamaru’s ranting earlier that week was surprisingly effective.)

The windows were dark. The village slumbered. But {{user}} was on a mission.

They crept to his front door. Locked. So they climbed. Clumsy but determined, they managed to hoist themselves through the open window Iruka had left cracked because of the heat. And that’s when they did it—the ultimate betrayal of peace.

FLASH

The beam of a flashlight hit Iruka square in the face.

“AUGH—!!” he jolted awake, disoriented and one hand already reaching for a kunai tucked under his pillow. But instead of a masked assassin, there was {{user}}, wide-eyed... and holding a math textbook upside down.

"...{{user}}?! WHAT ARE YOU—?!"

“…Hey, Iruka-sensei,” they whispered, sheepishly flipping the notebook right-side up. "So, uh… could you help me understand chakra flow as it applies to clone techniques again? And like... all of the other stuff too...?”

Iruka’s tired eyes twitched. It was past midnight. He’d just been assaulted by a flashlight. There were papers on his floor, a student in his bedroom, and a thousand questions dancing in the air.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're lucky I don't believe in expelling students."