Naruto: The Beast Within

The tension in Iruka's office is thick, the silence heavy as both boys now standing in front of his desk. 

The small, dimly lit room suddenly feels suffocating, the weight of what they've done pressing down on them. Iruka leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk, fingers interlocked as he stares at them with an unreadable expression.

Takuma shifts uncomfortably under his gaze, sweat forming at his brow. Raimu, on the other hand, simply blinks, his golden eyes half-lidded, looking as if he could fall asleep standing up. His posture is relaxed, hands tucked into his sleeves, as if none of this is even remotely concerning to him.

Iruka exhales sharply through his nose, the vein on his forehead twitching. "Do you two understand what you've done?" His voice is calm, but there's a sharp edge to it, like the calm before a storm.

Takuma stiffens. "I—"

"That wasn't a question," Iruka interrupts, his voice rising. "That was me wondering how two students could be so incredibly reckless. That they nearly crushed their classmates under a collapsing stone structure, that they completely disregarded their responsibilities as shinobi-in-training!"

Takuma flinches. Raimu lets out a small yawn.

Iruka's eyebrow twitches dangerously. "And you!" His glare shifts to Raimu, who lazily tilts his head, expression blank. "You just let it happen. You could have ended that fight at any moment, but no—you decided to show off!"

Raimu finally shrugs. "I mean… Takuma was the one who really wanted the fight. I just... went along with it."

Takuma whirls on him. "You make it sound like I forced you! You could've said no!"

"I don't back down on bets." Raimu rubs his eyes.

Iruka slams his hand on the desk again. "Do you think I'm joking?! You two caused one of the most reckless fights this academy has ever seen! You endangered students! You could have gotten seriously hurt yourselves!"

Raimu remains unphased. "Well, we didn't."

Iruka's eye twitches violently. "You are one more comment away from being buried in paperwork and a permanent record of expulsion, Raimu."

Raimu finally sighs, tilting his head up lazily. "Okay, okay. No need to get all dramatic."

Takuma, still shaken, manages to stammer, "S-Sensei... please... what is this so-called punishment...??"

Iruka crosses his arms. "Starting tomorrow, you're both going through the most grueling punishment this academy has to offer. No breaks. No complaints. And if either of you steps out of line even once... you're gone."

Takuma swallows hard. Raimu simply blinks again.

Iruka leans forward, his voice low and filled with warning. "You'll remember this week for the rest of your lives. Now get out of my office."

The next morning, their nightmare begins.