Naruto and his father figure Iruka have one of the most wholesome relationships in Naruto. A new piece of fan art depicts their heartwarming bond!

A brand new heartwarming piece of Naruto fan art by artist TAM.E hammers home the emotional father-son bond Naruto Uzumaki and Iruka Umino share in all its wholesomeness.

While Naruto's original father was Kurama in the manga prototype, and the Fourth Hokage in the released manga, Iruka was truly the young ninja's first father figure. Their story begins with Iruka's reluctance in taking Naruto on as a pupil, due to the former's parents being killed by Kurama. However, Iruka eventually looks past this and treats Naruto no different than any other Shinobi in the village. Outside of the classroom, the two connect over their shared loneliness and prank-pulling, and Iruka takes him under his wing. The two bond over Konoha's Ramen Ichiraku (which was based on a real-life restaurant) after classes, and even long after graduation Naruto and Iruka still meet up to enjoy ramen together. Iruka's fatherly affection developed further during the Fourth Shinobi World War as he kept an eye on Naruto and attempted to keep him safe. Two years after the war Naruto asked Iruka to be his father for his and Hinata's wedding ceremony and the rest is history.

On their Twitter, artist TAM.E posted this heartfelt fan art of Naruto and Iruka, depicting Iruka smiling affectionately at a young Naruto hanging on to his shoulder. The fan art brings emotion to the forefront with an illustrative comic feel that emphasizes the soft details in their eyes and expressions, and even gives the whole image a dreamy quality with a light source background. The stunning moments of realism in Naruto's hair and Shinobi headbands are balanced beautifully with the out-of-focus elements in the foreground and background. To drive the feelings home, TAM.E captions their peace with "feed the baby" and a ramen emoji.

Naruto and Iruka have a heartwarming backstory that fans adore. This soft depiction of their bond highlights how Iruka has been both a great Shinobi instructor and a father figure to Naruto as he grew into the man he is today. Given how many incredible teachers Naruto has had, that's certainly impressive. TAM.E takes the characters back to the beginning of their journey together by establishing the genuine care Iruka felt for Naruto even as a boy.

Naruto has had many mentors, but none compare to the relationship he has with his father-figure. The fan art expertly captures Iruka and Naruto's heartfelt father-son bond as artist TAM.E brings their emotions to life in this illustrative feel. This fan art solidifies that Iruka and Naruto will be looking after each other and eating ramen together in Naruto for as long as they can.

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Source: TAM.E