Chapter 27 Ridicule

He tried hard to force a smile, but it looked more like an expression of pain and was not convincing at all.

"Well...how big of a mess did I get into this time?"

Iruka narrowed his eyes, obviously, Genma asked a stupid question.

"You got my favorite student covered in blood."

Xuanjian flinched, the scene at that time flashing through his mind.

"Shit," he groaned, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes, rubbing them vigorously, "Is that blond kid okay?"

Iruka's anger seemed to subside a little, and he put down the cup in his hand.

"He's fine, he's a strong kid. In fact, he was more worried about you. I gave him something to eat and sent him home to bed."

Genma nodded, remembering the shadows around those red, swollen blue eyes.

"Yeah...that kid does not look well."

"He said he's been having nightmares," Iruka said thoughtfully, looking down at the cup in his hands, "He was on his way to find Hokage-sama when you bumped into each other. Probably wanted to talk to someone."

"He should go find his parents." Xuanjian couldn't help but say.

The words were sour and bitter, irritating his tongue like vinegar, but he had no intention of taking them back.

Iruka's expression showed a mixture of sympathy and annoyance.

"You really sound like Kakashi right now."

Xuanjian sighed and tried to control the anger in his heart, but the anger did not disappear.

"It's not Kakashi's responsibility to protect those kids."

"Don't be like this." Iruka said softly, "We are all powerless. We have all failed."

"It's different." Xuan Jian said excitedly, "It's different! The result is completely different!"

Iruka nodded, agreeing with him, and suddenly changed the subject.

"I'm going to cause trouble for Yamanaka Ino."

Xuanjian was stunned for a moment and didn't react for a moment.

Iruka wasn't the type to threaten to hit someone at every turn, even though he threatened to beat up the Third Hokage almost every nine sentences, but Genma couldn't figure out what the head of the Yamanaka clan had done in recent days to make Iruka so angry.

"What's wrong with Ino?" Xuanjian asked tentatively.

Generally speaking, this was a safe guess - nothing would make a chuunin teacher angrier than someone bullying one of his students, not even the students' parents.

"She told me yesterday that she was losing weight," Iruka said through gritted teeth.

Xuanjian felt that he should reflect on himself. He and Iruka had been together for too long, so he even knew all the gossip in the school.

"Those civilians," Genma complained, and he knew Iruka understood what he meant.

Genma doesn't really like dealing with ordinary people, of course, and Yamanaka Ino's mother is a strong and graceful woman with a strong protective desire, but she seems to forget that her daughter is a ninja and should be treated as a warrior.

"This is not an idea a ten-year-old should have, not to mention that she is a ninja." Iruka said indignantly, "Now even Haruno Sakura has been influenced by her. This idea will be contagious."

Genma smiled, which was obviously what Iruka wanted, because the corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing his true emotions.

"You are so cunning." Xuanjian said with a smile, but when he laughed, the wound on his waist was pulled, and he gasped in pain.

He placed his hands on the bandages around his waist and saw his tattered ninja top lying on the coffee table next to where Iruka sat.

"That's my new dress, you know?"

"Then you shouldn't be walking around with injuries like that." Iruka retorted, "What were you thinking? Walking around with injuries like that?"

"I thought if I could make it to your classroom, I could pass out peacefully under your desk. I didn't expect a blond kid to suddenly bump into my wounds."

Iruka looked like he wanted to say something, but he finally swallowed his words and just gave Genma a meaningful look.

"Kakashi doesn't know about this, right?" he asked after a long while, his eyes fixed on Genma's wound.

Xuanjian sighed helplessly.

"I don't know. He thought he missed me." He couldn't help but glare back at Iruka's raised eyebrow. "He wasn't in a stable mental state at the time."

"How bad?"

"Just as bad as usual."

"Considering his condition, your words do not reassure me."

Xuanjian really wanted to make a face at Iruka, but he held back. After all, he was a mature adult ninja, and several countries had issued A-level wanted warrants for him.

Iruka must have sensed his displeasure, because he snorted and stood up.

"Get up. I have some breakfast left."

Xuanjian climbed up from the sofa, moving so quickly that he almost tore his wound.

Iruka's breakfast was not something he could easily refuse, not even if he was seriously injured.

Iruka laughed at him the entire way until they entered the kitchen.

****** ---

"Who eats curry and rice for breakfast?" Genma asked vaguely while swallowing the breakfast made by Iruka.

Iruka's kitchen is warm and comfortable, full of home atmosphere, which is different from most people's impression of ninjas.

The walls are covered with colorful pictures and small items given by his students, which can be seen in almost every corner.

There had been a few new things since Genma's last visit—an ink painting of a carp signed Hinata Hanabi, and a bee statue that must have been a gift from Aburame Shino.

"Naruto wants to learn, now is a good time to teach him." Iruka said as he flipped through the documents, with another cup of coffee next to him, "Eat well, don't choke, you are an elite jonin, not a four-year-old child."

Xuanjian instinctively swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up the red teacup and took a sip.

As expected, the tea was delicious as usual, not too strong or too weak, with just the right proportion of spices, perhaps a little spicy for ordinary people.

"Is this the same tea you gave that kid?" he asked, with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"No, we made two kinds. Naruto drank the milder kind – he took it back with him."

Xuanjian glanced at the clock.

It was ten twenty-five in the morning, which meant that Iruka had called in sick to take care of him.

"Are you sure there won't be any trouble at school if you skip work like this?" he asked while wolfing down his curry and rice, not wanting to waste time talking.

Iruka raised an eyebrow but didn't answer his question, instead he looked down at the almost empty bowl in front of Genma with a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Why, didn't Lei Tong feed you enough?"

Xuanjian was stunned for a second, swallowed the food in his mouth hard, and almost choked himself to death.

"What do you mean, Iruka?" he said, resting his elbows on the table and looking at the other man with suspicion.

Iruka smiled and slapped his arm away.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you this? Besides, you seem to like collecting scars, don't you? It's only a matter of time."

"Nonsense." Xuan Jian said angrily, "You are slandering and spreading rumors! Besides, I always thought you were not interested in such things."

There was one thing Xuanjian was very sure of - he was very handsome, he knew it when he was very young, but every time he was shirtless in front of Iruka, the other party would not even raise his eyelids, at least he would not look at him with that "admiring" look.

"Just because I don't have that desire doesn't mean I'm blind, Xuanjian." Iruka said slowly, his tone as dry as the desert of Sand Village, "Besides, the person you have a crush on seems to be the only one who is immune to your charm."

Xuanjian couldn't help laughing. He put down the spoon and put the thousand-leaf candy back into his mouth.

"Except you, of course," he said with a wink.

"Get out, Xuanjian."