First off I would like to claim the idea to this story but just the idea the physical writing was all done by xSilverIvyx (http/ check out her profile she has quite a few stories and one of my poems on there well here is something MUCH overdue

Naruto stared up at the gray, cloudy sky and sighed. It perfectly mirrored his feelings. Stormy, rocky, upset. How else to describe this day? Turning his head back to his feet, he slumped and began to walk slowly to his apartment. His thoughts dimly flitted from topic to topic, avoiding the one most pressing. Today's date… it was his…

Pushing that thought away, he deliberately focused on the road. He heard someone take a step behind him. Reflexively, he turned and pulled out a kunai in one motion, before realizing it was a stray cat. Smiling in relief, he scolded it in his head and turned back to the road.

He couldn't be too careful today though, he knew that much. Heaving another sigh, he didn't put the kunai fully away, just enough that it was out of view.

"Naruto-kun!" he heard a voice behind him.

"Hinata?" he asked, stuffing the kunai in its holster. "What is it?"

She turned an interesting shade of fuchsia, Naruto couldn't help but watch with interest, wondering if she had a separate blood supply used just for blushing. Otherwise, how could she waste all the plasma?

"Um… I… well, I mean, it's… um, uh, your birthday today, right?" She stumbled over the words.

The blood left Naruto's face, but Hinata didn't notice. She was too horrified at her inarticulateness. "I… uh… I… um… well I found out from the records in the library," she mumbled, her hands behind her back. "And I thought… well, since it was your birthday… I mean, everyone likes… um, food, you know… well… I… IWANTTOGIVEYOUTHIS!" she finally shrieked, screwing her eyes shut as if to prepare for a blow. She held out a small dessert.

Stunned, Naruto took a step back. Hinata looked horrified. Realizing his mistake, Naruto hastily began stammering apologies and took the treat.

"Oops! No! I want it… no, sorry, I misunderstood. Thanks, oh jeez. Sorry. Thank you so much Hinata. I just didn't expect, I mean, thanks. I'm sorry! Thank you!"

Hinata's face slowly heated up again, not turning quite the intensity of before, but making a credible attempt. Ducking her head forward so her bangs covered her eyes, she twiddled her fingers and made a small smile. "So… it's okay?… I mean, you didn't tell me it was your birthday. I wasn't trying to pry, it's just…" her face heated up even more, surpassing the earlier chartreuse.

"No! That's okay. I just wasn't expecting, well you know. But I'm very grateful," Naruto fumbled over his words.

"Well, uh, I'll be seeing you, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, definitely…." Naruto trailed off, watching with puzzlement as she quickly turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction faster than he'd ever seen her run before.

What was that all about? Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the most pressing matter. The cake. It appeared to be chocolate, he decided with determination. That being settled, he decided the best course of action would be to get home quickly and consume it. Yes, that was definitely what he should do.

Naruto turned, and moved more quickly in the stated direction. He was so consumed in trying to read the icing letters on the cake he didn't notice the shouts behind him.

Something whizzed past his face, cutting his cheek. Startled, he looked up and saw a rock landing several feet in front of him. Quickly, he turned back and saw a group of highly upset people. "Oh crap" was the only thing he could think.

Absurdly, he put the cake behind his back protectively as he turned to face the mob.

Taking a step backward, he bit his lip and tried to decide the best course of action. Suddenly he realized things were different now. He wasn't the helpless child he had always been. This anniversary of the fox's sealing, he could defend himself. He could fight back. He could hurt them; make them wish they had never thought to taunt him. He could kill them.

The last thought is what snapped him back to reality. Naruto knew he would never hurt them. Using the fox's power to hurt people made him exactly what they feared. It made him why they attacked him. Taking a deep breath, he set his teeth and stood his ground. He would show them who the real monster was. And it would not be him.

Another rock flew at him, this one hitting him on his mouth. He flinched back and could feel blood salty in his mouth. He spit on the ground, red splattering the pavement. Was a tooth already loose? The mob drew closer. Seeing no resistance, it broke and became disorderly, running at him.

Unseen hands pounded him, something sharp cut into his stomach. He bit down on his lip, forcing himself not to follow his reflexes and protect himself. It was funny, he thought in a bemused way, all his life he had been trained by this village to be a fighter, but all they wanted was for him to give up. He seemed to be retreating farther and farther away from the brutality that was reality. Everything was getting farther and farther away.

He realized he was still clenching the present from Hinata behind his back. Desperately, he loosened his grip on it to more of cage surrounding it. In the midst of the violence, protecting it seemed the most important thing. He brought it around in front of him, trying to protect it from all the weapons meant for him. Somebody must have thought it was a weapon. A shout, louder than all the rest sounded, "He's got a kunai! He's trying to destroy us! He is just a monster!"

Naruto protested, startling those around him, he had refused to make a sound before this. "I'm not doing anything! Just leave me alone! I just want to go home for God's sake." His pleas infuriated the crowd, and it pushed back harder. Something heavy pounded into his side, making him gasp. He could hear the ribs crack.

He dropped the cake. Stricken, he turned, trying to see where it landed to pick it up. Something hit the back of his head hard. He saw the cake being stepped on and ground into the pavement just before everything went black.