About

A Chunin instructor at the Hidden Leaf Village Ninja Academy and the mentor to Naruto Uzumaki and his peers. He is affectionately called "Iruka-sensei" by his students. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, describes him as a man of character who possesses a kind nature and the strength to suppress his own pain and smile. While he punishes students who take pranks too far with detention, he is fundamentally a good-natured person who treats them to Ichiraku Ramen and offers sincere advice. He knows when to be strict and when to be supportive. On the day Naruto was born, the Nine-Tails took many lives in the village. Because the Nine-Tails was sealed within him, Naruto was shunned by the villagers as a Jinchuriki, despite having no fault of his own. Iruka also shares a deep and painful history with the Nine-Tails, yet he is an educator who saw and guided Naruto Uzumaki as an individual human being. To Naruto, he is like an older brother or a father figure. He was Naruto's first real bond before the formation of Team 7, and he played a major role in shaping Naruto's personality. He speaks formally with Kakashi Hatake, the Jonin leader of Team 7, though Kakashi is actually four years his senior. In addition to his duties as an Academy instructor, he also works at the Hidden Leaf Mission Desk, explaining missions to his former students who have become Genin and processing their reports.