Iruka's Ordeal

is episode 177 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.

Synopsis
This episode takes place in the past, during Naruto's years at the Ninja Academy. After being denied a chance to join four of his classmates on a "Test of Courage" that will take place later that night, Naruto decides to crash in on the fun by obtaining a mask. The test turns out consist of each of them walking through a cemetery at night with only a lantern.

However, as one of the boys walks through the graveyard, he spots a costumed Naruto, and, thinking he is some sort of fox demon, he runs away. As the boys are fleeing, they run past Iruka Umino, screaming about a fox demon in the cemetery. With a kunai in hand, he runs in to investigate, only to find a laughing Naruto. He then flashes back to the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha, where he parents say farewell before running off to help combat the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. He is later notified along with the other evacuated villagers, that the Advance Troops, including his parents, did not survive.

After Naruto snaps him out of his flashback, Iruka makes the mistake of looking at Naruto in the same manner that the other villagers do. Enraged that his homeroom teacher would look at him as if he were nothing, Naruto says that he will never return to the Academy and runs away. The next day, while Iruka is taking attendance for the students at the Academy, he notices that Naruto is not in class.

After class is over, he takes a walk after being denied a chance to speak with the Third Hokage. He later runs into Kakashi Hatake, and tells him of how he tried to see the Hokage so that he could request that Naruto be given to another teacher, as he feels unable to deal with him.

Kakashi then recalls a past conversation that he had with him and Third Hokage, during which the Third cited that while Iruka is a kind person, the same kindness proved detrimental to a mission that Iruka had just completed, resulting in his injuries. It is then that Iruka reminds the Third of the time that he told him about the Will of Fire, and tells him of his desire to pass it on as an assistant instructor at the Academy. The Third gladly agrees with him.

Kakashi then remarks that at that moment Iruka's eyes were so full of life, compared to right now, when his eyes are full of death. He reminds him of a basic rule of teaching: "You cannot open the mind of another unless you yourself have an open mind." Iruka says that even though he knows Naruto's not to blame for the death of his parents, he can't help but remember the fact that the Nine-Tails is inside of him. Kakashi then tells him that he is the only one who can relate to Naruto, and that the Third expects him to succeed.

The next morning, Iruka tries to visit Naruto at his apartment, only to find it empty because he escaped through his window. Elsewhere, while the Nara family is having breakfast, Shikamaru Nara asks his father why everyone in the village avoids Naruto like the plague. He tells Shikamaru that he shouldn't worry about what the villagers think, and stick to his own opinion of Naruto.

While Naruto is walking around the village, he runs into the same group of boys whom he had scared in the cemetery. Their leader, Hibachi, offers him a chance to join their group, telling him that a patrol unit had fought some enemy ninja in the back hills the day before, and that if he could bring back something from one of the corpses, they would let him in. As Naruto runs off, the boys express delight that there might still be some enemy ninja out there, unaware that Shikamaru and Chōji Akimichi were watching and listening.

Later, in class, when Iruka asks where Naruto is, Shikamaru exposes the trick that the boys played on Naruto, and Iruka announces that the class is to have study hall while he runs off to find him. While Naruto is running through the forest, excited at the prospect of having friends, he is followed by unseen ninja.