Goodbye Uzumaki Naruto, Goodbye
Oof. This came to me while I was at work. It was supposed to be a happy story, but it turned into this. I kind of imagined the story playing out in my mind like the anime, and what I heard and saw almost made me cry. Yeah, while I was still on the job. Well, grab some Kleenex and get ready for an emotional rollercoaster.
The rain. The rain kept coming, uncaring that two dear friends had just been locked in mortal combat. The victor stood, clutching his shoulder. He stared down at the immobile form below him. His best friend, his eternal rival.
"Why did it come to this?" he whispered as the wind blew.
He stood there for time uncounted. A moment perhaps, or an age of the world had gone by. It didn't matter. All that mattered was his goal, the goal he so desperately needed to achieve to be happy.
Two figures leapt from the cliff in front of him. Landing in front of him, their eyes widened as they recognized the standing boy. One person flicked his eyes at the prone figure.
"Is it over? You both can come home?" the person asked softly.
The victor nodded, then crumpled in on himself as he fell to the ground.
"Naruto!" the masked figure cried, grabbing him before he hit the ground.
The collapsed boy didn't answer, and blood flowed freely from the wound in his shoulder. The masked figure gently picked up the other boy as well, and with both over his shoulders, he ran towards home. He had never run this fast before in his life, he was using all of his chakra to get these two home, alive. Before long, two more shinobi were bounding alongside him.
"Kakashi! What is the status of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke?"
"They're alive, but in critical condition. What's the situation with the other Genin?"
"Yes! By the Hokage's order, the first and second medical teams were dispatched. They've already recovered the scattered injured Genin. They have been taken to receive urgent medical treatment."
"What's the situation?" Kakashi asked, staring at a point straight ahead.
"Nara Shikamaru has a minor injury. Inuzuka Kiba has a deep wound, but there is no danger to his life. Hyuuga Neji and Akimichi Chouji are in critical condition...for the moment their situation is uncertain."
What guts this generation has... The will of fire burns hot in the youth of today Sandaime-sama, Kakashi thought to himself, his one goal to get his students the medical care they needed so much.
XXxxXX
Sakura leaned heavily on the railing, staring absently into the running water.
'That's a promise of a lifetime!' the words came back.
Naruto...thank you...she thought absently, grateful to the loudmouth that knew her so well.
"Sakura!" a voice cried out from her left.
Sakura looked over, it was Ino, and she looked excited.
"It looks like everyone's back! Come on now, let's get to the hospital!"
Time stopped for a second.
Sasuke-kun...
Sakura took off after Ino. She couldn't wait to see the Uchiha that held her heart.
XXxxXX
"I'd like to see Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura said to the girl behind the desk.
The girl consulted her clipboard.
"Uchiha Sasuke is in Room 32. You can see him, but he's asleep right now."
"Thanks!" Sakura bowed, barely able to contain her joy.
She took the stairs two at a time, and all but ran down the hall to Room 32. At the door she took a breath, and slowly went in. The room was dark, because the curtains were drawn. The only light came from the monitors attached to Sasuke's prone form. Her eyes widened when she saw him, or rather, his condition. He was wrapped in bandages; his right arm and leg were in braces. The machine beeped and hummed, showing his weak but steady vitals. He had obviously taken a beating. Only one person would even dare to hit him this much.
Sakura ground her teeth, fury slowly building inside her. He was supposed to come back, but not like this! The stupid blonde had picked a fight with him and hurt him so badly...
She sat in a chair and stared at Sasuke. Her breathing was ragged.
"Damn you...Naruto..."
XXxxXX
Tsunade pulled open the door. Two pairs of eyes met hers. She smiled.
"Finally awake huh? Took you long enough," she said lightly.
Naruto grinned back, his face covered with bandages. Actually, his entire body was bandaged, with pads of gauze over the puncture wound in his shoulder. His legs were the most heavily wrapped. She had no idea what had caused that kind of damage.
"Hey baa-chan can I get some ramen in here? The hospital food is good but..."
Tsunade just shook her head, though her eye twitched at the name.
The door behind her slammed open, and all three sets of eyes; blue, brown, and gold, turned to meet this loud arrival.
It was Sakura. She was staring at the boy in the bed with a frightening intensity.
"Uhhh...Sakura-chan I brought him back like you wanted," Naruto babbled out, nervous from the glare she gave him.
"Yes...you did," Sakura said in an eerily calm voice, "I saw him already. That's what I wanted to talk about, Naruto."
"What do you mean Sakura-chan..." he began.
"Never use –chan with my name again you idiot!" she screamed.
Everyone in the room was startled, staring at her. Naruto flinched; he knew that tone too well.
"You don't have the right! You never did! All you do is get in the way between me and Sasuke-kun! All you had to do is bring him home. But what did you do? You nearly killed him!" Sakura screamed at her teammate.
Shikamaru was stunned; he had never seen a rant like this. This was too troublesome for words. Tsunade was stunned too. But for a different reason.
This girl is so selfish, and she has the nerve to yell at the boy?!
Naruto just sat there flinching with each thing Sakura hurled at him.
"You expect me to thank you? Forget it! You are just like what the villagers say! You're evil!"
Sakura...Tsunade thought.
"You're horrible!"
"Sakura!" Tsunade barked, seeing the look in Naruto's eyes.
"You're a monster!"
Sakura...stop! You're going too far! Inner Sakura cried.
Sakura stopped for breath, staring at the object of her fury. He hadn't moved, staring at her with a face that grew tighter and tighter with each epithet she threw. His eyes...were dark now.
Sakura! For Kami's sake stop now! Inner Sakura screamed.
That gave Sakura the last thing that would break the shattered boy in front of her. A word that made him flinch every time he heard it.
"Demon!" she spat.
That did it. Tsunade grabbed Sakura by the collar and hurled her out of the room.
"Shikamaru, leave! Now!" she boomed.
"Y-yes ma'am," he stammered, quickly out the door.
She turned to Naruto. It was worse than she thought. His body was totally rigid. His hands bent the steel sidebars where he grasped them. But his eyes...
Gone were the happy blue oceans. All that was left was dark ice. Tears flowed freely down his face; he still stared at the door.
"Naruto?" she asked softly.
His head snapped around, to look at her. His gaze dropped to his lap. With the most heart-wrenching cry she had ever heard, he leaped out of bed.
"Naruto, stop! You'll only hurt yourself!"
Though not as much as the pink fool has...
He gave her a look so full of pain, of despair, of loneliness, she had to step away. With another soul-tearing cry, his hands flew behind his head, his despair too much for him to bear. Tsunade gasped, and took another step back. All around him, red chakra was shimmering in the air.
"Naruto! Stop! The Kyuubi's chakra...!"
Naruto was beyond hearing. He was already within the depths of his mind, screaming in pain. A chuckle came from the being that shared this space.
"Ahh...pain...suffering...I missed this smell of despair!"
Naruto ignored the thing, too engrossed in his own misery.
"How could she? Why? Why does everyone I care about always hurt me?! WHY?!"
Naruto finally saw the fox in front of him.
"You..." he spat, his voice full of hate, "It's all because of you..."
"Me?! Wasn't it the Yondaime who did this to us?" the fox growled. It was ready to cause chaos again, but he needed the idiot to do so.
"..."
"You see? It was his fault you were cursed with me. It's the villages fault because they made him use you! They all hate you, and you didn't do anything to them!"
Naruto sat there, listening.
"All of them...hate you so much! They use you when they can, and spit on you every waking moment! And yet, you want to protect these people?" the fox let out a bark of wicked laughter. It knew how vulnerable the boy was...just a little more.
"Oh...they want you to protect them all right. You're a human shield for them. They hear you saying that you'll protect them, so they'll use you again! And not one will shed a tear when they send you to your slaughter, just to 'protect them!' Ha!"
Naruto trembled; the darkness which he had buried so deeply was spinning in his head.
"They all hate me...none of them ever tried to help me. They...I..."
"What? You what?"
"I hate them. All of them."
Naruto stood, fists clenched at his sides.
"They don't deserve the joy of life denied me! None of them do! They can't appreciate what it means to be without it!"
"Fine. But what are you going to do about it? Just sit here and take it some more?"
Naruto shot the Kyuubi a glare, and the fox actually flinched from the hate and killer intent coming from it.
"No...I'm going to make them pay!"
The Kyuubi grinned. Showtime.
"Good. It's about time you stood up for yourself! I'm going to give you more of my power, and you don't even have to transform for it!"
Indeed, Naruto felt the fox's chakra flow through his own body, making him stronger. He flashed a grin of pure malice at his tenant.
"For once, thanks."
Naruto left the chamber, back to the real world. The Kyuubi chuckled to himself.
"Anytime..."
Back in the real world, Tsunade was beside herself. The demonic chakra around Naruto was eating away at everything around him. She couldn't get close. Naruto got to his feet slowly, his eyes closed.
"Naruto..." Tsunade started, hesitantly.
She couldn't conceal a horrified gasp when he opened his eyes. From the Uchiha's debriefing, she knew what Naruto looked like when he was transformed but this...
His eyes were so dark they were almost black.
"Naruto?" she asked, a thousand questions in that one query.
He grinned at her, but not one that she had ever seen on his face before. It was full of hate, and murderous glee.
"So...you're still here, eh?" he said.
Even his voice was different! It dripped with evil.
"Naruto...please calm down...I can help you."
His laugh made her shudder.
"Help me?" he mocked, "Help me with what? To make me blind again? To make me the good little boy you thought would gladly let you all slaughter him? No...I don't need help from you humans anymore."
She could only stare at the transformed Naruto.
"Why would I need help, when I feel so gooood? My eyes are opened. My strength is my own. My priorities..." and he grinned, "Are now in order. All you simple little Konoha ninja thought you could keep kicking me around. No more! Paybacks gonna be a bitch. Speaking of bitches..."
Naruto vanished. Before she could even blink, he was in front of her. Ever so casually, he backhanded her. She went through the wall. And...almost through the one behind it, but she did leave a dent. Shikamaru and Sakura were still there, staring at the scene in front of them in shock. It was only to be compounded when Naruto stepped through the hole in the wall. He was grinning at his handiwork.
"To think, that was without me using chakra..." he mused, then turned to look at Shikamaru and Sakura.
His eyes pinched for a second, but his grin came back, stronger than before.
"It's still early in the game kiddies. For good sport, why don't you start running now? I'll catch you later. And enjoy ripping your spines out through your eyes."
He turned and started back into the room, but stopped for a second.
"Oh, Sakura...thank you for opening my eyes to what I should have been doing all this time. As thanks, I'll save you for last you little fucking bitch. You better stay out of the way when the fun starts though. No promises about not killing you by mistake."
Naruto laughed coldly as he went back into the room. His eyes went to the window...nah. Too easy. Lets do this right. He raised his chakra, forcing it in a wave in front of him. The wall before him exploded outwards. Smiling, he leapt out, and vanished.
Sakura stared at the hole in horror. That...that beast was Naruto? A groan came from the Hokage as she pulled herself out of the wall. She hit her knees, coughing a little. She looked up, seeing both the shinobi standing there, stunned.
"Shikamaru, get word to the ANBU. The primary goal is to locate and capture Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" he choked, and ran.
Tsunade turned her head to glare at Sakura... who was still staring in ever-growing horror at the hole in the wall. The woman slowly walked over to the girl. Without warning, her hand shot out and grabbed Sakura by the throat, and lifted her in the air.
As the girl started to choke, Tsunade glared death at her.
"I hope you like what you've done."
She dropped Sakura like a doll, and the girl started coughing, trying to get air in her lungs. Tsunade dropped down in front of her, Sakura staring with terrified eyes.
"I think..." she grated, "you need to learn what really happened between Naruto and Sasuke...at least so you can realize what a bitch you are and what the fuck you have just done to us all."
XXxxXX
Naruto stared out over Konohagakure no Sato. His eyes picked out densely populated areas, even at this late hour as the sun sank to the horizon. The dying light gave everything the color of new-born fire.
Fitting... he mused.
"Okay fox, is everything ready?" he asked out loud.
"Of course...all you have to do is perform the jutsu and your plan can commence. I like it, by the way. Nice and vicious."
Naruto smirked.
"Good, lets wait for dark. I prefer my fires to be against a smoky night sky."
XXxxXX
"My Kami...Naruto..." Sakura breathed, sagging from the Godaime's report.
"Now do you get it? He nearly FUCKING DIED Sakura! He was already emotionally vulnerable from having to fight his best friend, and here you go ripping what little of him was left."
Sakura trembled, tears flowing unheeded down her face.
"Go ahead and cry, but it won't help any. If he kills anyone, it'll be on your head, not his."
With that Tsunade stood up, disgusted with the quivering girl in front of her.
She started to walk away, to organize the search for the kid before it was too late.
"No..."
"What was that?" the woman said, glancing over her shoulder.
Tears still evident, Sakura was staring at Tsunade with a furious glare.
"Naruto would never try to kill someone! It's not like him!"
Tsunade actually stared at her. She let out a small, bitter laugh.
"A bit of a change in tune isn't it? Not even an hour ago, you were set to bring him up on murder charges. What caused this miraculous change of heart?" she asked sarcastically.
Sakura drew back into herself again.
"I don't know...he just...what I said was wrong..."
"Bingo. Now you get it. Now if you'll go excuse me, I have to go have him captured before someone ends up dead. Let's not forget, he did put me through a goddamn wall!"
Sakura only heard the blood rushing in her ears as the Hokage walked away. She fell to her knees.
"I have to find him, I have to apologize..."
XXxxXX
"He said WHAT?!"
"I didn't stutter. I need the three of you out there too. You all know him as well as anyone can."
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Iruka stared at their Hokage, unable to process what she had just them.
"You're kidding, this can't be Naruto! A henge maybe, or a genjutsu? One of his clones, pulling a prank..." Iruka started.
"Like I just told someone else...he smashed me through a wall like it was nothing to him! That seems to say enough...right?"
"Hai...Hokage-sama..."
The other three stared at Kakashi.
"This is as much my fault as Sakura's...if I hadn't paid so much attention to Sasuke...maybe I could have seen this coming..."
"I don't care who's at fault!" Tsunade cried, slamming her fists on the table, "Just find the blonde idiot before he does something stupid!"
The three shinobi left her office, still in shock over this situation.
"I'll search the training grounds," Kakashi said.
"I'll look downtown, around his apartment," Jiraiya grated, running off.
"Maybe he's around the Hokage monuments..." Iruka muttered, running off himself.
No one saw Kakashi's shoulders slump. Off all of them, he felt this was most heavily laid on his shoulders. Naruto was his responsibility, and he had failed, again.
XXxxXX
Iruka was frantic. There was no sign of Naruto on the first three faces, and it looked like he was nowhere on the mountain.
"Where else could he be?"
"Right here maybe?"
Iruka whirled. That was...not the Naruto he had taught. The boy in front of him was different. The hair was right...but everything else was wrong. He wore a black cloak, with flames on it. His eyes were like two matching pits into hell. The smile Iruka received...was chilling. It spoke of murder, ruin, and terror.
"Naruto..." Iruka forced himself to keep his voice under control, "Come on...lets head back. Let's talk this over with some Ichiraku Ramen like we always do. What do ya say?"
Naruto seemed to ponder this. He looked at Iruka with a sincere expression.
"I'd have to say...that would sound good," out of nowhere his demonic grin resurfaced, "if I wasn't about to destroy it!"
"Wha..!" Iruka never got the chance to finish. Several Kage Bunshin appeared around him, grabbing his limbs. The real Naruto was in his face before he could blink.
"Ninpou. Nai Teashi no Jutsu."
All feeling left his extremities. If it weren't for the clones, he would have fallen to the ground.
"Naruto...what did you do?!" Iruka gasped.
"All I did was sever both the nerves and chakra flow to your limbs Iruka. That way, you can't escape and warn anyone."
Iruka stared at the boy. Where was the Naruto that he knew?
"Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Oh, if you want some popcorn or something, ask the clone who's guarding you. He'll gladly make some for you. Hehehe..." and with that Naruto vanished.
Iruka bowed his head, crushed by what student had become.
XXxxXX
"Sunset...now its time to start my little party!"
Naruto made handsign after handsign, his hands a blur in the air.
"Secret Art: Samayou Taisei no Jutsu!"
There was a tugging sensation on his mind, and the jutsu was in effect.
"People of Konoha! This is Uzumaki Naruto! You are hearing me right now in your minds thanks to one of my jutsus. Tonight is a special night, but it would be wrong of me to start a party without a speech."
He sighed, the words falling easily from his tongue.
"For the last twelve years, you have made my life a living hell, one I thought I could never escape. You beat me, cursed me, avoided me, ransacked my home, destroyed my things, and on more than one occasion, tried to kill me! And every day I took it. I smiled. I swore I would become Hokage, and protect all of you from the evils from outside the village."
He paused.
"But I cannot protect you from the evils within it. I know what you see when you see me. Oh yes, I know! But is it fair? How would you feel? Can I ask you that? Oh, lets get everyone on the same page here, because not everyone is aware of what the rest of you think of me. It's only fair, after all."
Another sigh.
"When the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha, the Yondaime did fight him, and win. But not like what the official history says. He couldn't kill the Kyuubi. It's immortal. So he did the next best thing. He sealed it. He sealed within a child, so that it could never escape. This sealing took his life, but he felt it was his duty to lay his life down for the village. And the child lived, on the Yondaime's request. What does that have to do with anything, some of you are probably asking? That child was ME! The Yondaime sealed the demon in ME! And all of you..."
The rage started building in Naruto's voice.
"Automatically assumed that since it was sealed in me, that I was the demon, and you all blamed me for the deaths of loved ones. How is that fair? Did I ask for this? Huh?! Did I ever tell the Hokage 'Go ahead good sir. Seal something in me that will make me the most reviled person in the village?' NO! I never had a choice! And you people hated me...beat me...tried to kill me...just because you were afraid I was actually the demon. I WAS A FUCKING CHILD! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE STABBED ME FOR SIX HOURS WHEN I WAS ONLY FIVE FUCKING YEARS OLD?! But no...I had to take it. I had to be a good little boy like you all knew I really was...and hopefully die. If not here, then somewhere else."
Naruto let it all out, all the pain he had hidden for the last twelve years.
"I put up with it! So sure my dream would come true! I even found people who acknowledged my existence as Naruto! I let them close to me. One of them tried to kill me! The other one might as well have!"
XXxxXX
In the streets below him, Sakura wept. She had no idea what he had been through, and until she had gotten her head out of her ass, she hadn't cared. Now she did, and now she realized that it was no wonder Naruto had finally snapped. He knew who he was talking about. Her, and Sasuke. There was more pain in his voice for that, than during any other part of his rant. She hugged herself, tears hitting the dirt.
"Naruto...Kami, I'm so sorry..."
XXxxXX
"So you know what? I've had it. All of you take this life for granted. You have no idea what hatred really is. You can throw it around, but you've never felt its stare into your face. Now you can. Tonight, is the last night for this village. What you all thought might happen, that I would become the demon. Well...that's not true. I've become your nightmare. Don't try running. I have five hundred thousand powered up Kage Bunshin patrolling the walls and forest."
From below he heard screams of terror, and he grinned.
"Now, I did say this was a party. So, lets start it with a bang!"
He snapped his fingers, and half of Hokage Mountain blew up. Admiring the beauty of its destruction, he put his hands in a seal.
"Kai!" he said, releasing the jutsu.
He stared out over the village, watching people starting to run.
"Goody...time to play! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Two thousand clones puffed into existence around him.
"Go play."
With a shout of dark joy, the clones ran out into the village, seeking people to avenge themselves on.
"Remember! Everyone that hurt us!" he called after them.
He reviewed names in his head, checking off each one. When one name came to mind he hesitated.
"Should I spare her? Eh...okay. Her and Iruka-sensei."
He created another hundred clones.
"Go get Hinata. Knock her out and bring her back here."
Nodding, they ran out into the night. Naruto watched people fall from his clones attacks. He sneered as fires started and raged unchecked. He started laughing when a warehouse of explosive tags blew up.
"Naruto!"
Naruto sighed. He was always ruining his fun.
"What Iruka?"
"Stop this! Is all this worth it?!"
Naruto was in his face before he could say another word, kunai at his throat.
"Don't you EVER say that to me again! It's all their own fault! I am the karma that's gonna bite them in the ass!"
Iruka could only stare into his students eyes, and trembled when he saw the white glare of madness in his dark eyes.
XXxxXX
"Dammit! How did Naruto get this good?!" Kakashi cursed, dispatching another three clones.
He was going all out, Sharingan exposed. Even one clone was a lot to handle; taking out those three was sheer luck. He felt something behind him, and he leapt into the air to avoid it. A clone went beneath him, holding a black Rasengan. Kakashi's blood went cold when he saw that.
"Shit!" he cried, throwing shuriken, puffing out the clone.
He hit the ground, panting. Already, he had taken out close to a thousand clones. He could hear the other shinobi fighting all around him. Bodies littered the village, civilians and shinobi alike. Without a plan, he made his way to Hokage tower, taking out another hundred clones along the way.
To his relief, the tower was well defended. The Genin that had survived, which included all the remaining Rookie Nine, and Gai's team, were there, as were their senseis. Tsunade was fighting back, as was Jiraiya. A thousand clones fought with a ferocity Kakashi had never seen from Naruto before.
"I hate all of you!" each clone cried as it leapt to attack.
His heart ached. How deep was his pain?
"Kakashi! Have you seen Iruka?!" Jiraiya cried, shoving a Rasengan of his own into a clones face.
He had completely forgotten about the Chuunin. He said he was going to check out the monument...
"That's where he is. I'll take care of this myself!"
"Sensei!"
He paused. Sakura ran up to him.
"Let me come with you."
"No Sakura. He's attacking everyone here. It's not safe."
She looked at the ground.
"I haven't been attacked yet. He told me he'd save me for last."
THAT got his attention.
"Why did he say that?"
Sakura started tearing up.
"This is all my fault!" she wailed, "I said horrible things to him in the hospital, now he's like this!"
Kakashi swallowed, hard. So...the pain of the villages hatred...all hell broke loose because of a broken heart.
"Come on. Maybe you can help me stop him."
They took off into the red night.
XXxxXX
A house beside him crumbled into itself, supports caving in. Fire leaped from its broken form, consuming it greedily.
"Ah, mindless destruction. Good for the heart I must say," he rambled to himself.
A villager was crawling from the rubble.
"Help...me..."
Naruto knew him. After all, this man had stabbed him twenty-seven times with a dagger, so yeah, they'd met.
"You really want help?" Naruto asked softly.
The man shrank back, naked fear on his face.
"Please, don't hurt me..."
Naruto laughed at the irony.
"Really. What makes you think I'd spare you after what you did to me you slime?"
The villager started to choke on the fumes, but Naruto was kind enough to stop that. Courtesy of a Rasengan. The broken body fell to the ground, and Naruto gloried in the pleasure of the kill. Payback. It felt so good. There was another sound behind him, and he whirled, kunai in his hand. A child stumbled down the street.
"Daddy? Daddy where are you?"
Naruto froze.
"Please, Daddy, don't leave me alone!"
His hand started to tremble.
"That's what your vengeance has brought Naruto. You've inflicted the same lonely pain on this innocent boy that you felt growing up."
Naruto didn't have to look to know who it was. He sensed both of them.
"Kakashi-sensei. Sakura-teme."
Sakura flinched with the suffix.
"Naruto. Stop this. Tsunade knows you're not in your right mind right now..."
Kakashi was unable to finish, as fifty kunai were flying at his head. Clones came out of nowhere, screaming at the Jounin.
"Sasuke always came first with you! So go die with him now! Leave us alone!" they cried, trying to stab the shinobi.
They ignored Sakura, who was staring at Naruto.
"Naruto..."
He flinched, but his cold sneer quickly returned.
"You've got some guts Haruno, coming out here like this. Like I said earlier. No promises about not killing you by accident."
He started back up the road, a new plan coming to mind. A fitting one for the village at that. All she could do was watch the shell of her teammate walk away.
XXxxXX
This was good. This idea would finally break the small pockets of resistance in the village. His hands glowing with chakra, he made a few handsigns, and placed his hands against the seal on his stomach.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
With a loud explosion, there he stood. Well, a version anyway. Weaker, under Naruto's control, but still possessing his full mind. Towering over Konoha once again, was the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
"Well brat, I see you really went to town with the place."
Naruto simply smiled his evil smile.
"Have fun."
"Oh...you betcha hehehe...HAHAHAHAHA!"
The fox blasted a wave of chakra into the wall around the village, causing a massive explosion. What was one more on a night of so many?
"N-Naruto-kun..."
"Ah, Hinata-chan. I see you're awake."
She was bound, and under the same jutsu that also held Iruka right beside her. The Chuunin was staring in horror at the monstrous form of the kitsune. Hinata could only tearfully stare at Naruto.
"Don't give me that look Hinata. I mean, you and Iruka-sensei will survive, I guarantee that!"
"B-but, what about all the others?
Her stutter was almost gone. Odd...it was like this crisis had strengthened her.
"Oh well...who cares?"
She gasped. This was not the Naruto who had fought so hard for respect. The one that overcame everything life threw at him. This...was a monster. And he could see that conclusion in her eyes.
"Hinata...I'm keeping you alive because you defended me, when I was weak. Now that I'm strong, I'll defend you from my revenge."
"This isn't you...Naruto."
"Awww. No '-kun?' Eh...I never actually thought that you would understand. It doesn't matter. Besides, how do you know that this isn't the real me?"
Hinata looked him dead in the eye.
"I can see through your mask..."
"What?" he scoffed.
"This is a mask. You're trying to shut out your painful feelings, by letting your dark ones run free."
His face darkened.
"Hinata..." he warned.
"Whoever did this to you hurt you deeply. They obviously were very close to your heart to have broken it like this..."
"Back to sleep, Hinata..." he growled, knocking her out with a well-aimed punch.
"Bah...what does she know anyway? You two are going to live...that's a promise!"
"A promise...Naruto?" a voice said softly.
He whirled, his face a study in rage. So engrossed was he with Hinata, he didn't even here this other one come up. Sakura was there, giving him a sad smile.
"What about your promise to protect these people? To become Hokage?"
"Protect them? They don't deserve it! THIS is what they deserve!" he stated, gesturing at the crumbling ruin that was Konoha, "The promise was void when it was proven to me that there weren't enough people worth it for me to protect."
"And...I proved it...right, Naruto?"
"Damn right you bitch."
She flinched. This kind of enmity from Naruto...was so very wrong.
"Naruto...please end this now..."
His eyes lightened a bit. They were just grey now.
"It's too late Sakura. When I make clones, they are a copy of me at that moment in time. What I feel, they feel. The thing is, their emotions don't change."
"Are yours changing Naruto?"
These gentle questions pissed him off.
"Yeah! I want them to hurry the fuck up! I want this place to be dead in the next couple of hours."
Sakura shook her head.
"No...or did you forget your reaction to the boy in the street?"
He froze again, a tremor going through his body. The Kyuubi was playfully knocking buildings over in the abandoned areas.
"You know how alone he's going to be. What about all the others? He can't be the only one like that tonight."
He shook like a leaf. He knew...oh Kami how he knew.
"Naruto...I'm sorry. What I said...should never have been said. I was stupidly angry...and I hurt you because of it. I hurt you...not them. If you have to kill someone...kill me."
His mind went numb...kill Sakura? He...couldn't. He was actually going to let her live...
"Why..." Naruto grated, glaring at the ground, "why do you hate me Sakura?"
Sakura was taken aback by this.
"I don't hate you. I heard you...before. I respected you Naruto, I just never showed it. I didn't want to make myself look weak in front of Sasuke...and my pride hurt you so much..."
The mask was breaking...his eyes were coming back to the old shade of blue they once held as tears started welling up in them.
"Naruto...I don't hate you. How can I? You're my friend. And my teammate. You've saved me so often, and without thanks on my part. Thank you...Naruto."
Naruto fell to his knees. He stared mournfully at the pink kunoichi in front of him, and broke down. He wept, for her...for his friends...for the villagers...and for himself. Everything he was...was gone now. He had nothing left. Nothing...to live for.
"Don't say something like that!" she gently chided him, embracing him.
It was then that he realized that he had been talking out loud.
"But Sakura-chan...I've destroyed it all..." he blubbered.
"Shhh...the others will make it right."
She rocked back and forth, soothing him. He finally stopped crying, and felt secure in her embrace. But, he knew what he had to do. Gently removing himself from her arms, he stood up. His face was serene. Like he knew what was going to happen and was fine with it.
"No...I have to fix this mistake. And I can. Sakura...wait here. Promise me you'll stay here no matter what happens."
"Naruto..."
"Promise me!"
"I...promise."
With a long look at her, he went to the top of the mountain, beyond her sight.
XXxxXX
"Kyuubi!" Naruto roared.
The fox came up to him.
"What brat? Something else you want me to do?"
"Actually..." Naruto grinned, "Yeah. You could...GO TO HELL!"
"WHAAAAT!" the fox roared.
Naruto made a flurry of handsigns, and pressed his hands against his stomach again. The Kyuubi screamed in fury, as it felt itself being pulled into the seal. From all over the village, every trace of its chakra was being pulled in. That included the clones. They flew through the air, straight for the original. They screamed as the seal destroyed them. The fox tried to hold its ground, but failed. Screaming in terror, it too flew into Naruto, knocking him back into a pile of rubble.
The pain...was unlike anything he had felt before. His insides were burning, he was on fire, and all he could do was totally end his suffering.
"Naruto!"
No...she had promised! It was dangerous! But there she was.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed again, running for him.
Feebly, he held up his hand in warning, before another wave of pain doubled him over. She knelt by him. Pulling him into her embrace again, she felt him tremble in his agony.
"Sakura...you have to get away from me. The seal...I have to finish it..."
"No! You're risking yourself alone this time!"
"Please...for me...just...back away..."
She stared into his eyes. His real eyes. He was really himself again.
"Why? Why won't you let me help you?" she sobbed.
"Because, you'll just get hurt."
"Why do you care so much about me?! WHY?!" she bawled.
With a violent shove, he pushed her away, far enough to finish what he had started.
She looked at him, confused, but she saw his grin. It was his...but so sad...
"Do you really have to ask?"
Her eyes widened. No...Kami no not this...
"Sakura...I've always loved you. And...if I survive somewhere after this...I'll be watching over you...Sakura-chan."
She started to move, to stop him, to go with him, SOMETHING! Too late he made a single handsign.
"FINAL SEAL!" he cried.
The seal on his body glowed with a blinding light. She couldn't see him anymore.
"Good-bye...Sakura-chan..."
"Naruto!" she screamed.
The light faded. She still couldn't see, spots dancing in front of her tear-filled eyes. She blindly made her way to where he had last been. She fell to her knees, willing her vision to clear. As it did, she saw him. He was immobile, eyes closed. He face was relaxed, peaceful. She couldn't stand it.
"Naruto!" she cried, sobbing into his chest.
The rain came again. It always did...when pure anguish meets the heavens. The fires slowly died as she sat there, sobbing into the body of her teammate, the one person who knew her better than she knew herself. Now she knew what she had lost. Something priceless. She wept for them both.
XXxxXX
The rain had stopped, and she was still there, unwilling to let him go, even now. She pulled her head away, and brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"Naruto..." she whispered.
To her shock, he moved. His eyes fluttered for a second.
"Naruto? Naruto!" she cried shaking him.
His eyes opened.
"Huh...wha?"
"Naruto, you baka...don't scare me like that again!" she sniffled, fresh tears in her eyes.
He locked eyes with her, looking confused.
"Umm..."
"Yes Naruto?"
"Sorry if I seem rude...but who are you?"
Her jaw dropped. Her eyes searched his, trying to see if this was a joke. All she saw was honest confusion.
"And 'Naruto'...is that who I am? You seem to be calling me that."
She stared at him in horrified heartbreak. He had forgotten everything.
"Can you stand?" she heard herself asking.
"Yeah..." he said, doing so.
"Come on...lets get you checked out..." she said blankly pulling him behind her, leading him to the hospital.
XXxxXX
He was alive. Even unscathed physically from what he had gone through. But mentally...
Tsunade had called in Ino's father, Inoichi, to check Naruto's mind. His results were horrible. Naruto's mind...was gone. Everything about him...his memories...personality...all of it. All of it led to one conclusion. The body was his and alive...but Uzumaki Naruto was no more. It was a blank slate, and it was being rewritten even now. This new person was talking to Sakura so fast, the girl could barely reply to anything he said.
That gave her a sad smile. They were already so alike. She turned back to Inoichi.
"So there's no way to salvage him?"
Inoichi shook his head.
"No. This new Naruto is just like the old one...but never will be Uzumaki Naruto. Those memories are gone."
Tsunade let out a shuddering breath. To overcome his own darkness, he gave up everything to save the village. It was just what he did. Sakura was taking care of him, guilt over what she had done, shame, and pride in him kept her by this new blonde's side. She went over to Sakura.
"Sakura..." she said gently.
"I know Hokage-sama. I heard what you and Yamanaka-san were saying."
"So, what are you going to do?"
Sakura looked at the blonde happily asking questions of Kakashi.
"The least I can do is help him. I owe...both of them that much."
"Oh...another question Sakura-chan."
"Yes?"
"Why do all of you keep calling me Naruto? Is that my name or what?"
Sakura looked at him. The eyes...were identical.
"Yes...that's your name. You're named after the greatest ninja I ever knew."
Everyone else's eyes widened at this.
"He was different...he never gave up. He always smiled. He dreamed of becoming Hokage, and a hero for the village. But, he became a hero before his final dreams could come true."
Naruto took in everything that she said. He nodded to himself.
"Well, if I'm named after him, I guess I kinda inherited his dreams didn't I?"
Everyone stared at him, as he gave them all the grin they knew so well.
"So...I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it!"
XXxxXX
It was time again for the Chuunin Exams. Konoha was every bit as magnificent as it was before. The people came from all over...for this Exam was different from the others.
The people shifted in their seats, waiting for it. The proctor stepped forward.
"And now...the final match in the Chuunin Selection Exams. First...Uchiha Sasuke!"
The crowd roared. Applause was rampant across the stadium. The former avenger took his place in front of Genma. He turned to the tunnel, to await his opponent.
"And his opponent... Tsuibo Naruto!"
The blonde stepped into the sun, and walked to the center of the field. He caught Sasuke's grin, and returned it. For the last two years, Naruto had learned how to be a shinobi. He had done so faster than any Konoha nin in history. After all, he had a dream to fulfill, for two people.
Sasuke and Sakura could have taken the exams before this one. But they waited. This blonde was their teammate. They wouldn't leave him behind. With his training over, he was entered into the exams, where the new Team 7 steamrolled the competition. Sakura had lost in the quarterfinals, to Naruto. She stood on the balcony, cheering them both on.
The two comrades grinned at each other, then developed a more serious face.
"You know..." Sasuke said, "I always wanted to fight him here. One-on-one in this stadium."
Naruto nodded wisely.
"I Know I could never replace him Sasuke, but I'm glad we're friends," he smirked then, "but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna kick your ass."
Sasuke smiled, a real smile.
"Bring it...dobe."
"Begin!" Genma cried.
Both ninja leapt at each other. With a smile they each drew their hands back.
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
-fin
A/N: Whoa...that was intense yeah? Well, read, review, get stoned, what ever. Well...mostly review. Please?