Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Mask
Kyuubi no Kitsune0101
He always wore a mask and lied through his teeth just because it helped him hide the pain and suffering underneath the smiles. The pranks just made him show that his lies were real and added to his mask of smiles. The bright orange was just to have everyone stare at him, so he could have some attention though it was usually bad. He stopped lying now for here was no point when his team was gone. He sat on the bloodstained bridge like a child who lost his mother, but he lost his heart instead.
"Why? Why did you die?" Naruto asked as he gripped Kakashi's arm. He wiped his tears away, so he wouldn't ruin his composure. The bodies of Momochi Zabuza and Haku were lying together in the middle of the blood soaked bridge. Gato's decapitated body was at the end of the bridge with his head in the water. Sakura was lying by Sasuke in a growing pool of blood of the Uchiha clan and Haruno clan. Sasuke had a kunai in his skull while Sakura had three in her back. Kakashi was lying in front of Naruto with a katana sticking out of his chest. The blond Genin cried there for the last time into his sensei's chest.
The Konoha team had been attacked by a different ronin that escaped. Kakashi threw himself in front of Naruto to protect the weak boy. With his dying breath, the teacher told the student of a scroll of jutsu and ordered him to take care of their bodies when they were dead. The Genin promised while holding back tears. The Ronin had spoken to him, but he didn't want to think of the ninja's words. It brought more pain back.
Naruto brushed his tears away with crimson hands. He dragged the bodies of his team, Zabuza, and Haku off the bridge and burned their bodies before burying their ashes. Their graves were marked with crosses and something they treasured that he found in the packs. Sakura had a picture of Sasuke in a waterproof frame, Sasuke had a kunai with Itachi's name on it, Kakashi had his mask, Zabuza had his leg warms, and Haku had his repaired mask. Naruto was still alive. He shouldn't be breathing while they were ashes.
The Kyubi container said a final prayer, though he didn't believe in God, and stood up. Picking up his teammates' packs along with Kakashi's without any difficulty, he began his journey home. Zabuza's sword was strapped to his back and reminded him of the battle. Three hitai-ate and three names were on his mind and in his pack, and he knew that this was the end of Team Hatake with the sole survivor. The Great Naruto Bridge had been cleaned, but it almost killed him to walk over it. Inari and Tsunami saw him off with a goodbye, some food, and a hug that wasn't wanted.
Sandaime looked at the lonely Genin that stood like a miserable dog that wanted to die. The Genin was hurting horrible mentally and physically. The Hokage sighed, and Uzumaki Naruto didn't look at him.
"I've seen this before," Sandaime said without a chuckle or happiness. He spoke with sadness. Naruto ignored him as he continued to stare out the window at the happy village during a happy, bright day.
"Hokage-sama, the missing ninja attacked me again while I was on my way back. I killed him, and now I can't sleep for he was smiling when he died," Naruto muttered. All five packs were at his apartment, sitting in a corner where he might go to just to look at what his team left behind. "I watched him kill my team without so much as mercy, so I had to seek revenge to rest my anger," the Genin mumbled without realizing he was still in the Hokage's office. Sandaime sighed with a mix of anger for a dead man and pity for a broken boy.
"Go home and rest. I'll get you a new team," he said. He waved at Naruto as he left, but he was sure that the boy didn't see him. He looked like he was in a daze. Kakashi had talked about teaching Naruto more than Sasuke and Sakura. The Hokage took of his hat and ran a hand through his grey hair. He was so tired just by looking at the miserably Genin.
Naruto wandered the streets with a blank face. Everything inside him was numb, and every contact the other villagers accidentally had with him wasn't felt at all. He sat in front of the memorial stone, thinking that it was his duty to kill Itachi for Sasuke. Anger grew inside him, and he held it down as much as he could. He was angry at Kakashi for protecting his worthless life; he was angry at Sakura for crying over Sasuke instead of paying attention. He hated Sasuke for protecting him and for letting Sakura die as he punched the stone hard in anger. Their names would be added in two days time.
Screaming, he ripped at his face. Salty tears stung the open wounds, but he wanted mask to be removed. He couldn't continue living behind it, but every time he bled, he healed as well. In his mind, his mask was starting to crumble even more. The screaming and scratching stopped after several minutes. Naruto took a kunai and added their names with it. While he was finishing Sakura's name, the kunai broke, and Naruto bit his lip.
"I'm sorry. I don't want this to be this way! Someone help me save them! They didn't have to die! I should've died!" Naruto shouted. He pounded on the stone with his fists, but it didn't change the fact that he was alone again. He would be the one always being left behind because no one wanted him to be around for too long. After a few hours, Naruto was lying arm's reach from the stone and crying. "This is it. I won't cry any more. This is for you." Naruto picked up a giant rock and smashed it into his heart. Everything was numb and great. He smiled, cried, and laughed at the same time as the darkness came. They must've felt nothing while everything was working overtime.
Months later, Naruto was allowed out of his cell to take care of Gaara and Orochimaru. He grinned and pulled up his pants. On his chest, a scar was left from the rock and his insanity. He was the village's ultimate weapon and did whatever the Hokage wanted him to. Now he had to deal with Gaara and Orochimaru because he was told to. Naruto the Weapon left Naruto of Team Seven behind at the Memorial Stone, but he never left Team Seven there. They stayed with him as hitai-ate tied to his belt. He tore off his mask of Naruto and became Nobody because sometimes it was just better to be Nobody.
Nobody did great things. He defeated Gaara and changed the demon. Nobody trained with Jiraiya and brought back the Fifth Hokage. He killed Orochimaru and Akatsuki on his own, and whenever he returned to the village he would have more facial wounds than not. When he was asked to be Hokage, Nobody turned Tsunade down because he didn't want to be Hokage anymore. She watched him leave on another mission, and this time, he wore a mask of a fox. He died with a sword right through his chest with that mask still upon his face because a long time ago, he ripped away his original mask out of shame.
Upon a lonely stone in a clearing, four names were recognized. A saddened boy who had no carving skills carved the first three. They were lost to a Ronin while two of them and the boy were only Genin, fresh out of the Academy. No one told them it was higher than C-ranked. The final name was lost within time because he changed it to who he was. The boy from the dead Genin team walked the Earth for many years after, but he wasn't there. He was at the stone, waiting for his friends to show up. None of them did because they were never there. Upon the boy's face was a mask of smiles and pranks, which no noticed.
I liked this story, which was rewritten many times. This time I kept it as a oneshot. I don't know if you people like it or not. I do, so that's all that counts!