Tongue

Disclaimer: This is a purely fan-made piece that is using the world and characters from Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto and is made entirely for enjoyment. No financial gain has been made in the making of this piece

Summery: Iruka thinks tongues are gross

Author’s Note: Written for Combine2Rinraw. Possible out-of-characterness

Constructive Criticism is always welcomed

Published: 20 March 2008

Rating: K

Tongue

by: Durgas Dragon

Iruka glared at the offensive piece of meat in his mother’s shopping basket. It tried to pretend that it wasn’t an odious bit of food, but it couldn’t fool him. He knew the evils that it presented and what would happen to it.

It meant that Iruka was going to be sent to bed without dessert again.

He glared harder at the bottom of the basket. Tongue was gross. It had all these little bumps on it and it didn’t taste as good as regular meat did, no matter what his mother said. He knew his mother said it was cheap and with his father and her on leave, they couldn’t afford much more, but Iruka would have been happier to skip the whole thing. They didn’t NEED to have meat with dinner every night; what was wrong with having ramen instead?

“Stop glaring at my basket.” His mother’s voice interrupted his cross thoughts. “I know you don’t like it, but we need the iron and protein.”

“Can’t we just take pills for that? Kotetsu says—”

“I don’t care what Kotetsu-kun says.” His mother cut him off. “When you’re old enough to live by yourself, you can take whatever new fangled health ‘pill’ you want, but when you live in my house, you will eat my much-healthier food.”

Iruka stuck his tongue out at his mother’s back and muttered something about running away. His mother—used to such behaviour—ignored him and continued to examine the smoked fish.

Bored, Iruka kicked at a rock near the road. He watched as other ninjas and civilians bargained for food and other products with the merchants at the market. He wanted to go play Infiltrate with Hayate and Izumo and all the other kids from his class, but his mother said that he was still grounded from not cleaning his room earlier that week, so he had to go shopping and do all sorts of menial errands with her instead.

Iruka suddenly straightened up and felt his face get hot. Coming down the road with a basket of his own, the Yellow Flash himself was out doing some shopping.

Even though he knew such behaviour was childish and below the mature elder he’d become, Iruka darted over by his mother. The famous man always made Iruka’s stomach flip and heart pound. He was just…just…just so amazing! Iruka fantasised about the day he graduated and got to train under a jounin. He hoped with all heart that the Yellow Flash would be taking on teams and Iruka would be on his.

Iruka felt his face getting hotter as the blond man came up to the stall that Iruka and his mother were at. His mother nearly snapped at him, but then she saw the Yellow Flash. He smiled at her. “Good day…Umino-san, is it?”

His mother bowed and for once, she didn’t have to smack her son into following her example. “Namikaze-sama,” she returned the greeting politely. “How are you?”

“Oh, doing well, doing well.” He shrugged slightly, grinning. “Just out to get Kushina-chan some of that smoked fish she loves so much.”

Iruka wanted to duck behind his mother when the Yellow Flash glanced down at him. “And who’s this little fellow?”

Iruka bristled a bit at being called little; he was in the academy! But his indignation faded quickly back into a blush when his mother pulled him forwards. “This is my son, Iruka.”

Blushing brightly, Iruka mumbled out something that could pass for a greeting. His heart rate sped up when the Namikaze-sama smiled at him and ruffled his hair before asking Iruka’s mother about the fish she was looking at buying.

Iruka tried to pay attention. If this stupid, boring thing was important to the Yellow Flash, then he would try to learn more about it.

“I actually don’t care for this stuff that much,” The Yellow Flash was saying. “I’m much more partial to cow myself—tongue, in particular.”

Iruka gaped. No way could someone as handsome and awesome as the future Hokage like something as gross as tongue! No WAY!

“Really?” Iruka’s mother gave her son a significant glance. “Iruka here hates them.”

He glared at her. How dare she tell Namikaze-sama that! This was the most powerful man in the entire village (not to mention the best-looking)! You didn’t just tell him—

The blond man laughed, making butterflies appear in Iruka’s stomach and start up a tumbling routine. Iruka was also fairly sure that his face resembled an apple when Namikaze-sama said “That’s too bad, Iruka-kun. I think they’re delicious.”

Iruka tried to think of something cool and smooth to say in response, but could only come up with babyish replies.

The blond jounin glanced up at the sun. “I’m sorry to have run like this, but I have a few more things to get before I have to meet my team.” He smiled at the Uminos and Iruka felt his knees go weak. “Give my best to your husband, Umino-san. I hope that you can give tongue a second chance, Iruka-kun.” He waved as they bowed.

Iruka looked down at the piece of meat at the bottom his mother’s basket. It still was an offensive bit of flesh, but perhaps he’d misjudged it.

He wondered what tongue tasted like in ramen.