Hey guys, sorry about not really updating any other stories in a while, but it takes a lot of time and energy to continue on with a story, and right now i have neither of those, so i will update when i can.

Anyway, here's a little something that i've been thinking about for a while now, and i am excited with the possibilities for this story.

Beware, some scenes will be AU, so please dont leave a review telling me how some scene doesnt make sense or something like that...

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto

It was another clear sunny day as Naruto made his way slowly to the Konohagakure gates, and he had never been happier. Why was he so happy? Well, it was because he had just fulfilled the promise of a lifetime.

He had defeated and brought back Uchiha Sasuke, and had reunited team seven!

He couldn't keep the grin from spread across his face if he even wanted to, he was just too damn proud of himself. He took in a deep breath of air and slowly let it out with a contented look on his face.

"This is the dawn of a new day, the start of something new. I can feel it!"

As if in response to his outburst, the semi-conscious teen on his back mumbled several words. "I'll…. I'll make you pay… For taking my ambition… away…"

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed. "Shut up Sasuke. You lost, so be a man and deal with it. I told you I would break your legs and drag you back half dead if I had to, and you made it so I had to. So really this is your entire fault."

Naruto just drowned out the rest of his ramblings and eventually forgot all about the person on his back when the village gates came into sight, and so he put on another burst of speed. He soon came to the scene of a small group of chorus of cheers. But he knew they weren't for him, not yet at least. They were cheering for the boy on his back, cheering for the self-conceited thought of once again having the Uchiha clan back in Konoha.

But Naruto didn't care at all, not one bit. He had done what he had set out to, and accomplished all of his promises. He watched as a medical team approached him, but he waved them off.

"Take him first, I've already mostly healed."

The medic-nin shared a look between each other before they made a move to acquire the raven-haired boy. As they put him on a stretcher, Naruto spared them one last look.

"Oh, and you guys should probably set his legs first, they are a tad broken."

And with that Naruto walked off, moving past the crowd to head home to get his hard-earned rest. He didn't even notice the glares of several of the other people mixed within the crowd.

Later That Night

Naruto awoke from his sleep to a loud banging at his door. He looked at the small clock on his nightstand.

"1 A.M.? Really!?"

He grumbled and threw off the covers, slipping on a shirt and marching to his front door. He unlatched his door and threw open the door.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doin-"

He ducked underneath a punch and jumped back slightly, thanking his ninja reflexes to avoid a blow to the head.

Naruto was now wide awake and turned his attention towards his team mate. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Sakura marched right up to him and smacked him across the face. "Do you even know what you did!?"

Naruto hadn't been in the best of moods as of late due to the fatigue of non-stop fighting and a severe lack of sleep, so he wasn't really what most would call a "patient person" right now. So when he was smacked across the face, hard mind you, he was using most of his cognitive strength to keep himself from doing something he would later regret. Apparently, Sakura took this as an excuse to keep going.

"You broke his legs in three places! Three! You promised me you would bring him back to me, to us! All you did was beat on him until he was too injured to move! They say that his growth plates are all fucked up, and he might never walk normally again!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the ground for a few moments, and turned on his heel to make his way back to his bed.

"Get out. Get out right now."

Sakura saw red, and punched him in the back of the chest as he walked away, right over where Sasuke's first attack had landed. Pain shot through Naruto's body as his vision faded to white, and he collapsed into a heap right then and there.

'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It… It feels like my entire body is on fire… Oh Kami it hurts so much!'

Sakura just watched as her team mate writhed on the ground in pain, clutching at his chest frantically. After a few minutes he managed to stand up on shaky legs with staggered breathing, and then he turned his attention to his attacker. Sakura stared in horror as his eyes turned a deep scarlet color, almost like the color of blood, and he clenched his fists so tight, she began to see blood leaking out dripping onto the floor.

She took a step back when he took a menacing step forward. "Sakura… I will give you one more chance to get the HELL out of my home!"

Sakura held her hands close to her chest. She had never seen this side of her team mate, the more feral side, the Jinchuriki side.

"N-N-Naruto… I'm sor-"

Naruto moved next to her and punched a hole in his wall. "Save your damn excuses! You know damn well you aren't sorry! You don't give a shit about me, and I'm willing to bet the only reason you are even here is to vent some of your anger over the fact that you were too damn weak to bring Sasuke back yourself!"

Tears began to prickle the side of Sakura's eyes as his words hit home, because she knew it was true. She was angry with herself for being too weak to be of any use to the team over the last few months, but she had been trying to change, and she thought she was making progress, wasn't she?

Naruto wasn't done though. He got his face right in front of hers and growled. "And the first thing I do tomorrow will be to demand a team transfer." His face adopted a feral grin. "And that's the promise of a lifetime. Now, get the FUCK out."

With that Sakura bolted from the position she was in and ran out the door in a fit of tears. Naruto just growled at her retreating form and shut the door behind her, laying down on his bed as a lone tear ran down his cheek.

The Next Day

"And I told you, it just simply doesn't work that way Naruto! You can't just change teams like that, unless there is an actual grievance between the team members themselves that would detract from the ability to complete missions."

Naruto sighed as he stared at the blonde Hokage in front of him. "Baa-chan, I will put this as delicately as I can. If I remain on team seven, this is what will happen. I won't train with them, I won't associate with them, in fact, I won't even acknowledge their existences. In the event that we are sent on missions, I will make it my own personal goal to sabotage said mission in every way, shape, and form in order to assure the failure of said mission."

Tsunade folded her hands in front of her and stared down the blonde Genin in the room. "Naruto, did you just threaten me?"

Naruto leaned forward. "No, it was no threat at all. It was a promise."

With that Naruto stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Tsunade still at her desk. On Naruto's way out he bumped into Shizune, but instead of apologizing like he normally did, he stormed past her and kept going. Shizune had a very odd look when she walked in the Hokage office, giving a curious look to her mentor and mother-figure.

"What's wrong with Naruto? I've never seen him so upset before."

Tsunade sighed and took out the forms for team changes, handing them to Shizune. "Well, it would seem that Sakura made it her goal to push Naruto to the brink last night with harsh words and fists, so now he just finished up demanding I transfer him to another team or he will start sabotaging his missions."

Shizune sighed and began to help her sensei fill out the necessary papers. "Well, I just hope that Hinata can help him through this. I hate seeing him upset, and if anyone can calm him down, it's her."

It's true; Hinata and Naruto were a recent couple, brought together by a chance confession before the finals of the Chunnin exams. It had caught Naruto off guard, especially since he was reluctant to let someone get that close to him, not to mention it was quite distracting during his fight with Neji. By the time the invasion was over, he had come to realize that he did want to give her a chance after seeing what someone without love was like, and he was glad he did. Though they haven't spent too much time together as of yet really, he was sure that she was special, and he had the feeling that she could actually be 'the one', a comforting thought that usually brought tingly feelings to his stomach. They still hadn't really told everyone yet that they were a couple except for those closest to them, but Naruto knew that she was very serious about him.

Back to the blonde in question, he was looking for his special Hyuga girlfriend. All he wanted to do was run up to her, hug her tightly, and spend the day with her forgetting about everything that had happened in the past few days.

He had looked in most places she would usually be, her team's training area, her favorite bakery, where he stopped and picked up a few of her favorite treats for her, and even stopped by her clan compound. Now most times he went to Hinata's home he was usually met with a few harsh glances, maybe a curt Hyuga or two while in the compound, but this time he was flat out refused entrance, and when he asked why, they told him it was none of his concern.

Now he was just aimlessly walking around Konoha, trying to find something to lift his mood, but his attitude was quickly spiraling downhill. And that was when he spotted them; the person he was willing to call his girlfriend, the girl he was willing to entrust with his heart, with her feral looking team mate Kiba. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem since they were friends, but he had his arm around her shoulders talking animatedly, while she giggled at whatever he said.

Naruto's blood ran cold, and a strange feeling clawed its way up into his chest, piercing his heart. Naruto subconsciously gripped his shirt over his heart and closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill forth. After several seconds he managed to steady his breathing somewhat to see if maybe it was all a mistake, maybe he just saw a misunderstanding between close friends. So he once again gazed at the sight before him, but now it was worse than before, because his gaze settled on the ring finger of Hinata's left hand, where he found a little band of golden metal.

Naruto dropped the bag of cold cinnamon rolls, starting to hyperventilate and mumbled. "No…"

He gripped his head and shook it back and forth. "no, No, NO, NO!"

He couldn't stop the torrent of emotions anymore, and they burst forward past the floodgates and stained his cheeks with tears. When he looked up at his now ex-girlfriend, he saw that she was deathly pale with her hand covering her mouth as she stared at Naruto. The blonde couldn't take her gaze, so he turned on his heel and walked back to his apartment a broken man.

He jumped across the rooftops and stumbled through his door and slammed it behind him, locking several of the deadbolts on the door. He fell down on his couch and just stared at the door, unsure of how to deal with his feelings. This was part of the reason he was reluctant to let someone into his life like this, because he got hurt, he always got hurt. He was the village scapegoat, just someone to be used for their worth only to be tossed aside when they were no longer needed.

"DAMMIT!"

He jumped up and punched the wall, making a fist-sized crater in the wall. Then he made another, and another, letting the blood fall from his fists like the tears from his eyes. His shoulders shuddered as he tried to hold back the sobs.

"No more… I won't live like this anymore!"

He had finally come to it, the thing he had been contemplating for the past few months. He was sick and tired of the hate, the glares, and the persecution; so he was going to leave for good. He knew he would be hunted like a dog, but he also knew that if there was one person who would be able to disappear, it was him.

Taking a deep breath he brought his hands up in the familiar cross seal and summoned over a dozen Kage Bunshin.

"You all know what to do."

He was met with nods before they all walked out the door and jumped away to accomplish their specific tasks. He needed a way to get stronger on his own, and what better way than with the knowledge of the very people who made his life hell?

Naruto walked into his bedroom and pulled out a large scroll, unrolling it on his kitchen table and immediately began writing down the necessary symbols for a sealing scroll of large proportions. It was one of the things Jiraiya taught him during their search for Tsunade.

Naruto's face fell as he thought about his new sensei. He had been immediately sent out of the village once again almost as soon as Tsunade was inaugurated as Hokage, probably the work of the council. But Naruto didn't care anymore; it was just another precious person that was taken away by people who wanted to make Naruto's life a living hell.

But now it didn't matter. His team mates abandoned him, his so called 'girlfriend' abandoned him, and now his village no longer had anything left for him to stay for. He fulfilled his promises to those people he cared about, freed himself from the shackles of relationships, he was finally able to forge his own life. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he was going to take it.

Wiping his eyes from the last of the stray tears still spilling down his face, he began to set items atop the scrolls surface to begin the process of packing everything he owned.

He finished packing his entire life into a scroll in less than 20 minutes, and for the life of him he couldn't help but feel a sense of release. He was finally going to be living for himself, for his own happiness. He strapped the large scroll securely to the small of his back with his backpack over his shoulder. He then put a hooded cloak over all of his belongings.

He took one last look at his apartment, and he could honestly say he wouldn't miss the place on bit. With a sigh he made his way to his door and grasped the doorknob.

He wasn't even remotely prepared for a person to be at the door when he threw it open, least of all it be one of the people responsible for his current course of actions. Naruto came face to face with Hinata, clutching the now dirty bad of cold cinnamon rolls, with what appeared to be both a surprised and guilty look on her face at the same time.

Naruto took one look at her then turned his face towards the ground, afraid that if he gazed at her too long he would lose the will to leave all together. He forced down the emotions bubbling up and pushed past her on his way down the stairs and headed to the village gate, or he would have if a hand placed on his shoulder holding him in place.

"Naruto-kun…"

Said blonde shrugged off her touch but otherwise stayed where he was. He was silent for a long while, glaring down at the ground while he tried to come up with something to say to her.

"Why… Why would you do that to me? Was I just the flavor of the month, or was I just a means to an end? Just a way to gain a little experience before you decided to move on and get engaged."

Naruto heard light sniffling behind him, but he didn't feel any compassion for her, he couldn't, he wouldn't. Not anymore.

"It wasn't like that Naruto-kun, I swear!"

Naruto closed his eyes and fought back the tears. "Then why!? What changed!? Was it something I did?"

Hinata trembled between sobs. "No! It... It wasn't you… The elders… They told me that… If I didn't accept the… Inuzuka's marriage contract… That they would brand me!"

Naruto took a deep breath. "So… That's it huh? No fighting back, no moment of courage? Just going to sit back and take it? What about me? What about us?"

He didn't receive any answer other than light crying, so he pressed on.

"Or was it that you were just so happy with the idea of letting that mutt rut atop you that you just decided to kick me to the curb?"

Hinata sniffed and wiped her eyes. "That's not fair… You know that isn't fair! I've always loved you! But you don't know what the seal is like! You don't know what it's like to…"

Hinata trailed off when she realized where she was going with that. She knew that of all people in the entire village, he would understand the most.

Naruto froze. "What… I don't know what it's like to what? To have a seal on me? To be hated for something I can't control!? To be the one everyone turns to when they need to vent their frustration!? Don't you ever try to justify your cowardice!"

Naruto knew that calling her a coward was a low blow, but he didn't care. She wasn't fighting fair either.

"You know Hinata, I guess you're right. I don't know what it's like to have a family, or have someone expect things from me, or have someone work hard to put a roof over my head. But one thing I DO know is that I would rather die than hurt those close to me, even if it meant standing up to that family, because those who don't are worse than trash. Goodbye Hinata."

Before she could react she was met with a swift chop to the back of the neck and unceremoniously hit the walkway. Naruto looked at her form one last time before he closed his eyes and turned away from her and jumped away towards the gate, not able to bring himself to hear her whimpers any more.

When he reached the gate he found the two guards unconscious and snoring loudly with empty cups of tea in front of them. He looked at his Kage Bunshin which disappeared with a nod, dropping the bottle of sleeping agent onto the ground. He bent down to pick up the chemical and stored it in his pocket for the future.

He was soon made aware of the presence of several others by the sound of light footsteps, and when he turned around he found his other Kage Bunshins with various scrolls, books, and items. With a curt nod to the group Naruto unstrapped the scroll from his back and unrolled it, while the Kage Bunshins started to deposit the items for sealing.

After everything was sealed and all the clones were dispelled Naruto kneeled down on the ground and reached in his pouch, taking out a kunai with his right hand. He untied his headband and gripped it with his left while he made a single horizontal slash across the smooth metal. He pocketed the kunai and looked one last time to the defaced badge of honor in his palm, the very last thing proving his ties to anyone or anything in his hand.

'I can still fix this… I haven't done anything wrong yet, I can still go back…'

"But do you really want to?"

Naruto looked up in shock to the face of a clone that had yet to dispel themselves. After the initial adrenaline died down the original Naruto looked back down to the marred headband.

"I don't know what I want to do… I mean, yeah I'm mad right now; I have every right to be. My team mate abandoned me and my supposed "love" betrayed me, but does that really justify me leaving here?"

The clone took a deep breath and walked over to his counterpart. He kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave his creator a reassuring smile.

"That might be so, but does that mean we have to live in a place that so clearly doesn't want us? Don't we deserve to be happy too?"

The clone saw the hesitation and worry written over the original's face, but most of all he could see the fear of the unknown. The clone sighed and continued.

"We don't owe these people anything more than what we have already given them. This place has been our home for the past 13 years, and even with all the bad memories that will never change, but that doesn't mean this place has to be our grave. Our destinies are ours to take as we want, and to not try and change that would be that everything we fought Neji for would be a lie, and the Uzumaki Naruto I know doesn't lie."

The clone smiled and stood up again, extending his hand down to help out the original.

"Now, how about we go find ourselves a life worth living for?"

The original grinned and nodded, taking the extended hand and getting up on his feet. Naruto put the hood over his head and turned to his clone with a smile.

"Thanks, guess I'll see you next time then."

The clone smiled, and with a wave dispelled himself into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto took in one last deep breath of Konoha air, and with a single step forward made his way out to the open road with a single word spilling from his lips.

"Freedom…"

END

Ok, so for pairings... well, i initailly thought that i should do a hinata redemption, but i am open to suggestions... I want an original fic here, so i think i should do a pairing that isnt done too often, or no pairing at all. Review and tell me your opinions.

Well, if you liked it, please let me know. Otherwise, have a good day!