Hole in the Heart

By: Ixempt

Conception: 22/02/2016

Publish Date: 26/02/2016

Summary: He always knew he had to kill at some point. The Academy drilled at least that into his thick skull; he just never tried to think about it. Maybe detachment wasn't the way to go, as the sticky liquid dyeing his skin crimson was all too real. At least Mizuki would never hurt anyone ever again.

Genres: Adventure, angst

Warnings: M, gore, angst, OOC

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and all the image credit goes to Nakamurakenji1993 on deviantart. I just cropped and unsaturated it.

For now you can stay,
Right here we will play,
Until somehow you can find,
A slightly different frame of mind.

- Tristam and Braken

: Prologue :

Crimson Dyed Hands

Mizuki grinned as he watched the orange-clad pre-teen scuttle off down the path leading from the Academy and into the village center, dark green eyes glinting with barely contained glee. It was all falling into place. Finally after so much planning he was initiating his strategy!

By now the front playground was completely empty, kids who weren't taking the graduating exam had got the day off and everyone else had gone home. Teachers going to take a few hours off before sorting the teams; parents congratulating and consoling their children respectively. The silence was rather calming after spending all day testing hyper little brats.

The snow-haired instructor was ecstatic, he could get out of this hellhole now! Never again would they see hide nor hair of him, it'd be perfect.

His grin narrowed down into a smirk as he sauntered off to find something to occupy his time for the few hours to come.

He was close.

Just a little longer.

The lone swing that was previously inhabited swayed gently in the cool spring breeze—forsaken in favor of the events to come.

-::-

Naruto slumped against the tree behind him in exhaustion, his soft pants making small clouds of condensation in the cold night air. Learning that jutsu had taken a lot out him, but he'd done it! He'd finally managed to make a clone! He proved those stupid villagers wrong!

His cerulean eyes scanned back and forth as he searched the dark forest. Wasn't Mizuki-sensei meant to be here soon? He said that he'd be here around now. He gone to the tower, knocked Jiji out and everything! Although, he couldn't help but muse that the situation he was in was slightly fishy. If this really was a make-up exam, why did he have to sneak into the Hokage tower? But Mizuki-sensei wouldn't lie to him... Ne...?

"Uzumaki!" The angry voice of Iruka came echoing through the tree-tops.

The blond gazed up at his favorite teacher, "Iruka-sensei! You found me!" The brunette looked slightly disgruntled at the answer as he stared at his student for a moment before responding.

"Of course I found you you idiot! What were you thinking?! Stealing the Forbidden Scroll of Seals!" What? The Forbidden Scroll of Seals. Naruto's eyes widened at the implications of the name before stuttering out in shock, a feeling of foreboding washed over his being.

"But-but Mizuki said it was a make-up test!" The pure dread in Naruto's eyes made Iruka pause and his heart clench painfully. Oh. Oh. But Mizuki, why? He'd known him since he was a child! There was no way, but...

"Naruto... Mizuki lied to you."

A sudden whistling in the air behind him alerted Iruka to the presence of weaponry as he shoved Naruto out of the way of the incoming projectiles; the brunette taking a kunai in the arm and one in the leg as he was shoved against the rough trunk of a tree in pain. The sharp blade barely missing his femoral artery.

Naruto watched on in horror as he lay, propped up with an elbow on the grass, scroll fastened securely on his back.

"Naruto! Give me the scroll!" The other Chuunin crouched on the one of the high branches of a nearby tree, two fuuma shuriken strapped on his back as he grinned with a sinister expression lining his face.

"Don't! He's trying to use you to get classified and dangerous information!" Naruto looked between the two as Iruka called out desperately.

Mizuki scoffed from his aerial perspective. He had to find a way to occupy the boy then if he was going to get the bloody thing, eh? "How about I tell you the truth then huh?" Yes, there was no way this wouldn't work. The revelation would freeze him in place making him a perfect stationary target!

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he stared up at the instructor. The truth? What truth?

Seeing the blond's interest Mizuki carried on, "The truth why everyone hates you, why you're always alone! Don't you want to know!" His grin only widened as he continued.

"No!" Iruka called out, mortified, the other man just took this as initiative to continue.

"Well, y'know what happened twelve years ago, right?" He paused for emphasis, "The demon fox, Kyuubi attacked the village! And you know when your birthday is?"

"Mizuki please!"

Naruto stared at the ground as the pieces came together in his head. No, no, no. He'd always denied that there was any connection between his birthday and the biju's attack, it couldn't be. It just couldn't! The fox died! The Yondiame killed it! As if reading his mind the bandanna-wearing man jeered at him.

"The fourth didn't kill the thing! No! No, he sealed it! Inside a new-born baby!" Mizuki's words were starting to become maniacal as Naruto started breaking down. "Yes! You are the demon fox who destroyed the village! The Kyuubi no Kitsune! Now it's time for you to die!"

The fuuma shuriken was launched at Naruto before he even had time to comprehend what was happening, the large blades whistled ominously as the killing-tool sailed towards him. He fell on the ground and tried to scramble away but it was all for nothing so he just locked his hands firmly over his head and braced for impact. At least he knew why everyone hated him now.

The hit didn't come.

There was no pain, no sharp stabbing as the sharpened edge sunk into his unprotected flesh. Only a small pained grunt as Naruto gingerly opened his eyes, scared at what he might see.

Iruka what leaning over him, sweat dripped lazily down the side of his face which was clenched in pain. He had taken the large shuriken in the back.

He froze. "W—why?" He just about managed to stutter out as Iruka coughed blood onto his face. He could feel the the cold trail as it dripped down to his chin. No, no why?! He couldn't loose him! Iruka-sensei and Jjij were his only friends, no!

"B—because, you're like me..." Iruka looked at him with a bittersweet smile tugging at his muscles. Like him? How? He was a failure, the dobe. Iruka continued on in a strained voice. "When my parents... Died, no one noticed me anymore... It... It was like I—I was invisible, so I acted like an idiot to gain attention, to have them laugh... At me was better than having them not notice me at all..." Iruka held back a sob as tears started to poor down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Naruto... I hurt—didn't it? It was lonely, wasn't it? If only... I had been more aware then maybe I could've helped you... I'm sorry..." He was opening crying now as he lent over the blond jinchuuriki, the blood trickling out of his mouth only served to make it that much more real.

"Aw, how touching." A sarcastic voice interrupted from behind the two. Mizuki had jumped down from the tree and was loitering with a sneer on his face. Naruto scurried out from under Iruka and caught him lightly as he started to collapse. Laying him on the cold glass. If he took out the shuriken he was sure to bleed out.

But then again, there were bigger problems. "I'll just have to kill you both then!" Mizuki charged at the two with a kunai in reverse grip, attempting to take them out.

Mizuki would kill him and Iruka.

He was about to take was of his only precious people away from him.

He wouldn't allow that.

"No!" The Chuunin's eyes widened dramatically in surprise at the kunai parrying his own. Naruto snarled in rage as he ducked down and launched a viscous kick at Mizuki's stomach, using the remaining momentum and the sliver-haired man's slight unbalance to his advantage. The older man stumbled back as the blond Academy Student launched a running hay-maker at his face, kunai in hand. The blunt ring impacted his with a thunk on his jaw as his head jerked painfully sideways. Bringing the knife back, Naruto slashed across his face leaving a deep bloody cut on the man's cheeks and nose cartilage.

Mizuki coughed slightly and jumped backwards as the coppery taste invaded his mouth. That little brat!

Naruto's eyes scanned the situation, he fell into a basic defensive stance as Mizuki hissed in pain. He would need to use that new jutsu. Bringing his hand into a cross-shaped seal, he focused his chakra. Now or never.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Three copies appeared at his side, they immediately charged at Mizuki. One jumping high, another going low and one coming in at the side. They managed to push him back a little before they were dispelled by some nasty punches to the face. The orange-clad boy didn't waste any time before palming a second kunai into his left hand and attacking the Chuunin with fast and messy slashes.

Blood started to seep through the standard vest and through cuts in his clothes. He didn't even have time to defend himself as one of the kunai caught and sliced one of the tendons in his arm. He cried out in pain as he was pushed back.

Blood sprayed on his face after one particularity messy cut as Naruto stabbed the traitor in his stomach with both his kunai. "No one! No one! Hurts my friends!" Naruto roared as his eyes flashed a deep bloody crimson, as if tainted by all the carnage around him. Mizuki doubled over painfully as he cried and coughed up blood. Naruto felt a wet liquid coat his hands, he slashed at Mizuki's throat. The man gurgled in a nauseating way before collapsing to the side.

Naruto dropped his kunai, the sleek film of red making them slip easily out of his hands and fall to the grass below. Oh God. His mind was working at a hundred miles per hour as he stared at his shaking, blood soaked hands before sinking to his knees. He was grimly aware of the blood on the earth that soaked through his orange pants. He'd killed him. He'd killed him. He was really a monster, he was really a demon. He'd thought that he'd proved them wrong but... But...

He stifled a sob as strong arms wrapped around him from behind and pulled him into a loving and comforting embrace. In the back of his mind he realized Iruka must've crawled over to him... Salty tears streamed down his face as he sunk into Iruka's arms.

A chocked sob escaped from his throat.

Then another.

And then he couldn't it back anymore. Iruka arms tightened around him as Naruto gripped Iruka's vest and sobbed. The living Chuunin's hand gently caressed the others' blond locks as the sun began to peek through the leaves, casting distorted shadows on the two's faces as broken sobs echoed gently through the forest.

Well, that's done! This the prologue for a new story of mine! I was hovering around a document and coming up with new fanfiction ideas before I thought: What if Naruto killed Mizuki?

Yeah so well that happened, I even went to Narutospot and re-watched episode 1 to remind myself. I really hope this goes somewhere, honestly, it might remain a one-shot but I'm going to try and continue it. Hopefully I can get it up to around 50k. If you need any translations just ask, I'll be using quite a bot of Japanese and Japanese tradition in my fics.

So go on an review, it shouldn't take that long and, well. I'm a review monster :D. So feed me. Hell, even flames are welcome! I do appreciate that someone actually took their time to write something and post it on my fic, even if it is: 'THIS IS SHIT!'

And yes this will be smart Naruto if this does happen to become multi-chapter. He'll get some training and start taking his career choice seriously. ;3

See ya 'round!

- Ix