" STOP!"
A one worded yell, more like a plea.
" STOP!" It came again.
Sobs were coming now. A boy hunched in a small ball, whimpering. His blonde hair covered in blood.
' Why won't it stop? Why can't they just leave me alone? Why do they hate me so much?' The boy thought.
Only one man was giving him beatings. He was lucky today. Usually it was ten. But that still didn't mean it didn't hurt.
" Shikaku!" A man yelled. " Enough of this! Do you not respect the Yondaime's wishes? I'm ashamed of you!"
The man he was yelling at didn't even turn around. His black hair tied at the top, going this way and that from the different punches he was raining down.
Seeing as to how the man known as Shikaku wasn't listening to him, he ran forward and grabbed his shoulders. Making him stop.
" Inoichi, let go of me right now! You have no right to stop me!
" I do, my friend, in every way."
" Don't call me your friend, Inoichi! I'm Not! We never were!"
Inoichi ran a hand through his blonde hair. He quickly pulled out a kunai knife and charged at Shikaku.
" That might be true, but you are still my comrade, and I will not let a comrade of mine dishonor himself like you are doing right now!"
" I' m getting back at the boy for what he did to us!"
" He did not mean to do it! Shikaku, you can't blame a young boy like himself for what he cannot help!"
" No, but I can kill him! I'll end the pain we all have suffered because of him! Don't stop me Inoichi!"
Drawing a kunai of his own out, Shikaku ran to meet the other man.
" Ino, grab Naruto and run! Quickly! No questions!" Inoichi ordered.
Indeed, there was a small girl at the corner resembling the man.
She nodded and ran to the injured boy. Grabbing his hand she ran down the street, gaining glares from passing pedestrians. Try saying that three times fast.
She arrived at her house and her mother soon came to her.
" Oh, Ino! What have we here? A dashing young man."
Ino blushed at that remark as her mother took the young boy from her and began to tend to his wounds.
" What a poor boy. Whoever did this to you had no right to do so. There we go all better. Ino, who in the world would possibly did this?"
" It was Shikaku, Mother. He wouldn't stop either."
Ino's mother shook her head. " Such a shameful deed he's committed. May the Yondaime punish him."
She put the trembling boy down after cleaning all his injuries.
" One day, Naruto, you'll be the hero of this city. Don't doubt that."
The boy looked up. His blue eyes shining with thanks.
" I'll leave you and Ino alone for a bit." then she walked off.
Ino walked up to him and held out her hand. Naruto flinched back, expecting a hit. " Don't worry Naruto. I promise I won't hurt you. I don't get why everyone else does. Honestly, I think you're pretty cute."
He slightly grinned and shook her hand. " Thanks. And also, thanks for your father protecting me. I promise I'll protect you from now on."
Ino fixed her short blonde hair. " It's cool, Naruto. I just wanted to help out. I think it's kinda wrong what people do to you. We'll be friends. Okay?"
He nodded his head.
He did not mean to do it…
I'm getting back at the boy for what he did to us…
You can't blame a young boy like himself for what he cannot help…
The pain we all have suffered because of him…
Naruto.
Looking at the sky, he remembered Skikaku's and Inoichi's fight. Neither had won that fight. Inoichi was a kind man and gave up. He never had learned why everyone wanted to kill him as a child, they still do. But, he had learned to fight back. There was a difference now.
At age fifteen, he was the top of his age group. Much ahead. During the academy years his was never too far from being number one. He hadn't really tried during the first two years, but after some nagging from Ino, he changed his ways.
Naruto had kept his promise of protecting Ino from every little thing that had meant her harm. Keeping his distance every once in a while.
When he was twelve he chose to move out of the Yamanaka household he lived in since his rescuing from Shikaku. Ino was sad, but she agreed to help him pack.
He was on top of a building when he heard someone scream. A scream of help of course. Looking down he saw a spot of pink and a stain of black on the ground.
He got on his feet and jumped down to the ground. When he saw who each person was, he couldn't believe it. One was Sakura Haruno, no big deal. The other…well that was,
" Nara!" he nearly yelled.
The mentioned boy looked up and squinted.
" What? Who are you? Do I know you? Wait, Uzumaki. Get lost. Can't you see I'm busy?"
Sakura looked at Naruto then ran behind him. Thinking it was safer behind him than in front of Shikamaru.
" All I see is a coward harming a girl."
The dark haired boy laughed. " Shouldn't you be off somewhere with Yamanaka? 'cause I think you're lost without her."
" Don't bring her into this!"
" Or what? What'll you do? You can't do anything."
" What did you want with Haruno?"
" Don't change the subject, but I'll tell you anyways. I was going to kill her. She's annoying. She doesn't understand anything. The same with Yamanaka, and guess what? After I get through with Sakura, I'm going to kill your little blonde girlfriend. After her, the useless Hyuga heir. Once them…you. You don't deserve your life after what you did to this village. You killed my father."
" Don't talk about Ino like that!"
" You're missing the point! Ino is the only person who is oblivious to the wrongs you have committed! I'll be the hero everyone will praise once I kill you! What you have done to the village is wrong, and I'll make sure it never happens again."
" He didn't do anything wrong." it was another voice. Ino's voice. She was behind Shikamaru so he didn't see her, she had two bags in her hands. Her eye that wasn't covered by her hair glaring at him. " How dare you say that! It wasn't his fault! You have no right to say things like that!"
He turned around.
" My father and countless others have died because of him!"
" It wasn't him."
" Than who did it?"
" I…don't know, but it wasn't him."
" Face it, he did and you know it."
" No, he's didn't. He's a hero."
He laughed, " He's no hero, he's the Nine-Tailed Fox, a monster."
I will be the hero everyone will praise once I kill you…
What you have done to the village is wrong…
I'll make sure it never happens again…
He didn't do anything wrong…
It wasn't his fault…
Countless others have died…
He didn't do it…
Because of him…
He's a hero…
He's the Nine-Tailed Fox, a monster…
What have I done? Disclaimer: Don't Own It, Never Will.
A/N: Haha, So I Live!!!1 Yeah, I Got Other Stories To Work On, But Hey, Once A Writers Block Hits You And You Have Another Story, You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do. Yeah, I'm Working On Another Chapter For ' The Other Traitor' But I Got No Ideas. I Have No Clue As To Why I'm Making The Nara Famliy Bad. It's Usually The Uchiha I Make Evil. Ah Well, It Seems The Ino-Shika-Cho Group Is No Longer Together...But I Guess In This Case, It Never Was. I Just Love To Ramble On, But I'm Guessing You Don't Want Me To, Leave A Nice Review Please.