Now We Are Free
By Grozic
Written 7.30.2009
Updated 7.31.2009
Author's Note: Oneshot inspired by the song "Now We Are Free" from the movie, Gladiator, and it's ending. I may update to lengthen the story if the shortness bothers me enough.
Thunder and lightning were abundant as it was pouring down rain in Konoha.
"Haaah…hah." A young boy with blonde, spiky hair was currently catching his breath. His legs ached with a burning sensation, but he knew he couldn't stop.
No… he had to keep going or he would be killed or worse.
"There he is!" A roaring crowd was behind the voice. Cheers of "Kill the demon!" and "Make him pay!" could be heard, though to the tired boy, they weren't so much cheers as they were promises of indescribable pain and anguish.
Starting off again, the young boy pushed his body foward. Sharply turning around a corner, his destination set as the town gates. He knew that if he could reach outside of Konoha, he would be safe from the villagers as barely any of them knew the area around.
The crowd on his heels, the blonde boy could already make out a straight path towards the exit of the village. All he had to do now was outrun the mob.
"Hah…" He was so close to sanctuary now.
Almost… there… The sweat trailed down his face onto his most prominent feature that put him apart from others, his fox-like whiskers. Forcing himself to make the last sprint past the gate, he broke the human limit of his body. Relying on forces beyond his own understanding, the boy reached the gates and ran off into the forest where he was safe from the hateful world.
"Gah, come on! We can still get him if we try!" shouted one of the villagers trying to encourage the mob search for the demon boy in the forest.
The crowd merely broke apart in response. They wouldn't take the risk of being killed one by one in the forest by the monster. Besides, there was always tomorrow to get the boy.
One member of the crowd remained at the entrance of Konoha…
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In the forest...
"Whew…" The blonde wiped off the perspiration from his brow. He was safe from danger here.
Making his way towards the special spot he had made for such occasions as now, the boy calmed his heart and breathing. Nothing could hurt him here, even the animals liked him.
He smiled. The foxes were especially nice; they even brought him leaves to build a makeshift bed at the base of a giant tree. Remembering the times he had with the foxes, he pushed the memory of the crowd swarming after him into the deepest recesses of his mind.
Soon he arrived at the spot and was about to plop down on his bed of leaves when he saw his most favorite person in the world.
"Ojii-san!" The young boy swiftly ran over to give the elderly man a tight hug. He could always trust the Sandaime to be nice to him unlike those villagers.
The old man just smiled and held the boy close with his left arm. He slowly brought out his right while holding something in it. The blonde child couldn't see it, but he knew it had to be something special, especially on a day like today.
"You got me a present for my birthday!?" Today was October 10th, birthday of Uzumaki Naruto.
The man continued smiling as he thrusted his arm out and gave the young boy his 'present'.
"Guh!"
Naruto looked at the Third Hokage in shock. Feeling his chest with his right hand, the young boy found a kunai stabbed into his heart. He could feel the blood coursing down along his fingers and the kunai. A kunai held by the trusted old man.
"Ojii-san… why?" The boy gasped, not for breath this time, but for his life.
Everyone he knew betrayed him.
Falling slowly onto the ground, the boy heard the thump of his own body hitting the dirt.
His vision started blurring.
They all betrayed him in the end.
He wasn't sure whether it was the tears that were streaming from his eyes or if it was just a part of death.
He was all alone in a cruel world.
Struggling to stay alive, the blonde moved his line of sight back to the old man. Suddenly, he saw a group of people appear around the area in small puffs of smoke. Every one of them was wearing chuunin vests. The Third Hokage himself began to blur and fade in smoke as a man wearing an identical vest to the others appeared in his place.
The young blonde boy smiled as best as he could at this.
"Ojii-san…" he whispered softly in his last breath.
Maybe not everyone betrayed him.
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Opening his eyes, Naruto was extremely surprised at the scenery before him.
He was in a clear, open meadow filled with the greenest grass he had ever seen in his short life. It was surrounded by a protective forest that had an innumerable amount of massive trees, though that didn't make it seem frightening at all. In fact, it gave him an odd sense of security.
Looking ahead of him he saw two people standing next to each other, a man with blonde hair, similar to his own, and a woman with red, who had a motherly look to her.
They both seemed to be looking at him with warmth and familial comfort causing the young boy to assume they were somehow related to him. Maybe they came to bring him back to his family.
So… I'm really dead now… The young child thought as he went back to pondering his own mortality, though it didn't seem as morbid as he had expected. Huh, it's not as bad as people make it out to be…
The small blonde was quickly torn out of his thoughts when he was suddenly jumped upon by a little chibi fox. The tiny fox began to lick playfully all over his face causing him to laugh uncontrollably. "Hahaha, stop it! Haha, stop! Hahahaha!"
Eventually, he was able to hold the fox away from licking distance and then gently set the animal down as he caught his breath.
Gazing back to the only two adults, the young child was finally able to grasp who the two really were. He immediately started running back to them with the fox following along.
"Kaa-san! Tou-san!"
The couple welcomed their son with warmth and open arms.
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The Sandaime was gently sobbing as he stared at the body of the young blonde jinchuriki.
He had failed Minato's last wish to protect his son and was also faced with the death of a truly innocent child.
Holding the boy's body in his old weary arms, the man was about leave with the corpse when suddenly the body was covered in a red glow.
Kyuubi…
Sarutobi was not a fool when it came to matters such fuinjutsu. However, he did not expect the release to be so soon after Naruto's death as he had assumed his successor would have put some sort of failsafe on the seal. Perhaps Minato relied too much on the good faith of the citizens of Konohagakure.
Wiping his tear-stricken face with the sleeve of his robe, the old man sighed in resignation. He had no doubt he would die today. But maybe…
Deciding to do one last good deed before his own demise, the tired old man set the glowing body down next to a tree and grabbed a small item he had dropped in shock when he saw the scene.
Brushing the dirt and grime off of it, the Sandaime used his wrinkly hands to put the present he had gotten for the boy's birthday onto the boy's lifeless lap. He hoped it would be enough to pay for the sins committed against the boy, but he knew it was only a fool's hope. The only real hope he had now was for Naruto to be happier in death than he had been in life.
Happy Birthday Naruto-kun…
*swoosh*
A giant tail went through the old man's chest killing him instantly.
The nine-tailed demon fox was truly free now. Looking towards the hidden village, the demon started making its way towards Konoha. Blood was all it wanted and blood would be what it would get.
Alarms went off and the Leaf-nins prepared to fight their last battle.
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And all the while a small boy's corpse lied propped up against a tree.
A small kitsune plushy was lying on the boy's lap.