[A/N] Greetings and bienvenue! It has come to my attention that I am late. I'm late for a very important date! I missed my New Year's deadline. And so, here I am. Unfortunately, the real world must catch up with us all. My real world is college, work, and preparing to move. This, of course, means so much less time to edit, rewrite, and continue working on all my other stories.
My goal at the moment is to start with The Price of Your Betrayal: The Rewrite with chapters when I can post them. While it's mostly just an edited version of before, I do intend to add new content and remove old outdated content. I will most likely miss some weeks, but once this is done, that's when the fun begins. I will be posting new chapters of Insanity, as well as new stories.
I will be taking down Nightmare of Time. Permanently. I really had high hopes for this one, and I know it was something original compared to other fanfiction. But, I just don't have the time in my day to write a time travel fanfiction. However, if you are interested in ghostwriting or adopting it, please, message me for the conditions I have to do so and I will gladly pass it on.
Anyways, Read and Review. And I really hope you all enjoy this updated version, which WILL include an extension that was never posted. This is both an extended ending and an alternate one. If you want more closure, you'll get it. If you were satisfied, don't read the new chapter. Anyways, that is a long time away.
Also, this is fanfiction, so I'm not bothering with the disclaimers as we all get the point by now.
"I can't believe that it actually turned out like this," came a voice from the dark corner of the cell. He was betrayed, but knew things were set in motion that couldn't be stopped.
His decision to plan for many large things was a wise one, he could see that now. He had always known it, but now it was more apparent and important than ever. Though this betrayal had shocked him, he could no longer stop himself from smirking. Everything was going according to plan. 'I still can't believe that it turned out this way. Oh well. All that's left is to sit and wait.' He sat in the darkness, unable to stop from thinking of all the events between now, and when everything had started.
Nights in Konohagakure were usually calm. However, some nights were less than peaceful. One such night was a be October 10th. On this night, the seventh anniversary of the attack of the Kyubi, people would visit the memorials of the attack.
Naruto walked along the streets on his way home as shops closed up and people went to their homes and shrines. He wore a white shirt and black pants with an orange stripe down to sides. His head hung as he went to one of the only shrines no one else visited on this day. So many people avoided him, sent him away and shunned him, but every year since he could remember he would go to the Inari shrine to pay homage to the dead, particularly to the parents he had never know and had died seven years ago.
He walked inside the walls and lit his incense. His movements were silent as he waved out the flame and placed them in the large burner. He kneeled down and bowed, saying a silent prayer before he stood back up. Having paid his quick respects, he was ready to leave before a glass bottle flew into the side of his head and knocked him to the ground.
He heard the voices of kids who couldn't have been much older than him as they laughed and ran off. Blood dripped down his face as he forced himself back to his feet. After standing back up, he quickly rushed home, satisfied with having paid his respects, but knowing he would need to clean the wound.
Minutes passed before he stumbled into his small, clean apartment where he lived alone. He moved into the bathroom while holding a hand to his head to keep the blood from making a mess. Somehow the skin was already stitching itself back together around the shards of glass. At this point going to the bathroom was more to clean himself, than to tend his wounds.
As he got out a bottle of disinfectant, his mind drifted. He still didn't know why they hated him so much, the looks of disgust, and the way other children bullied or ignored him. Sometimes it was bearable, as long as he kept the outlook that they were at least taking the time to think about him instead of just pretending he didn't exist.
He let out a small hiss of pain as he pulled the shards of glass from his head and let the skin continue to slowly heal. In the bathroom, there was a small mirror about as tall as he was, leaning against the wall because he was too short to look into the one above his sink. He looked into the mirror and used the disinfectant to clean the cuts that were still open, grimacing as he did, and then water from the sink to wash off his face.
Finally cleaned off, he let out a sigh before turning back to the mirror to see his reflection staring back at him. His expression was one of sadness for only a moment before contorting into a face of rage as he punched the mirror. Instantly the glass was covered in a web of cracks around his fist, which was now full of shards from the mirror. He didn't care. It would heal like his head.
He looked into what was left of the mirror, several different faces peering back at him. He started to smile. It was a broad, almost goofy smile. 'Well, that's one plan that I could use. I wonder what hiding behind a smiling mask would get me.' It was a stupid idea, to think that just because he acted foolishly people would suddenly treat him better. 'But, it might alter the way they see me, at least somewhat. Who knows? I'll try it out for a while and see what happens.'
Finishing up in the bathroom, he pulled out one of the larger chucks of mirror and took it with him. He then began taking off his cloths and moving towards his closet. As he walked over, he couldn't help but smirk as another plan popped into his head. If one didn't work he could always try another. Small ideas came to him all the time. He tried to plan for everything and discarded ideas that would never help.
He changed into softer clothes to sleep in. The shard of the mirror still rested in his hands as he looked into it. He wasn't why he had taken it with him. For a moment he considered just throwing it away, but instead he placed it on his nightstand and crawled into bed.
He forced himself to keep smiling, to get used to the way it hurt his face to keep the muscles constantly stretched like this. But he would endure until he knew for a fact that the plan was worthless. His plans were all important to him. He knew that in this world, with his life, he needed to be smarter or he would never survive. He was still young and pathetic, he knew that. But that would need to change in the years to come.
Naruto had been looking into the small mirror in his hand for a while now. This was not the first time he tried to change a personality trait in order to appease them. Being more serious for some reason made things worse. They seemed to think of him as a more serious problem. '
'Yeah, but this time I'm going to be hiding behind a mask of idiocy. Seven years of my life, they have made me miserable, and the Hokage still claims not to know why. I can't help but wonder why. All this time and there are only a few people I can trust. At least weasel should be here soon. I can trust him.'
Right on time there was a knock on his window before a man in a weasel mask came in through it. "Hello Itachi."
"Good morning, Naruto. And I've asked you not to use my real name while I'm on duty. Even if you and I have become friends," Itachi said from behind his mask. "But I did want to wish you luck today. You start at the academy today."
Naruto nodded. "Yes. I'll need that luck," he said, smiling at Itachi.
The Uchiha thought that the smile was forced, more than anyone would realistically smile at any given time, but he ignored it. He knew that Naruto would fake emotions to get people to leave him alone at times, and let him be.
"Let's get to the Hokage so I can talk to him before I have to get to the academy," Naruto said.
Itachi nodded and led the way as Naruto jumped out the window and followed from the rooftops as they took off towards the Hokage tower. He got lost in thought along the way, knowing he would have to stop by Naruto's place tomorrow night before he left so he could say good-bye. He was going to leave tomorrow, leaving behind everything in his life for the existence of a criminal and a murderer. He felt bad that he would be leaving the Uzumaki alone.
Time passed so quickly for Itachi that he was almost surprised to already feel his feet planting on the ground in front of the tower. They moved through the building and up several flights of stairs before standing at the office of the Hokage.
Naruto walked into the Hiruzen, the Third Hokege,'s office with Itachi following. He was an old man that wore the classic Kage robes and was alone in his office with his fingers on his temples. He was squinting like he was trying to focus intensely on something. In actuality he was trying to disintegrate the mountain of paperwork on his desk with his mind.
It took the village leader a few moments to notice that Naruto was there. "Oh I didn't notice you there Naruto. Here to greet me before your first day at the academy?" Naruto's uncharacteristic smile did not go unnoticed, but, like Itachi, he ignored it for the moment.
"That's right," He said with his hands behind his head. "Still trying to make your paperwork disappear with your mind?"
He let out a sigh at being caught. "Yes, yes I was," he said. He was like a grandfather figure to Naruto and was one of the few Naruto would trust. "Are you ready for it? I hope the kunai I gave you were to your liking."
"I was born ready," Naruto said in the typically childish arrogance. "And I loved the blades. They were great."
Hiruzen smiled at him. "That's good. So tell me, is the excitement why you're smiling so much? It's a little uncharacteristic of you, my boy."
Naruto's smile wavered almost unnoticeably it was so slight and fast. "Well I'm hoping that hiding behind a mask of stupidity will help get people to see me in a different light, to like me."
Hiruzen knew what he meant. He had seen the looks of disgust, but what could he do? He could hardly make a law about giving the wrong look. "We shall see," he said starting to think about the effect this could have. "You have tried changing attitude before. Are you sure this will work?"
"My hope is that they take me less seriously. If they don't take me as seriously maybe they can get to know me more," Naruto said, sounding as sullen as one could through such a large grin.
"Alright, let's hope it works then," Itachi said hopefully as he checked the time. "Sir, you have a meeting to go to and you're almost late. Go ahead Naruto, We'll see you later and we can talk more."
The Third nodded in agreement.
After Naruto turned to the door, said his goodbyes and left, Itachi came up to the Third's desk. "So when do you intend on telling him?" he asked.
"When he can defend himself and he is ready," was the reply. Itachi turned to leave, but before he could, Hiruzen added, "Oh and Itachi, I'm so sorry."
Itachi simply nodded and left the third to glare at his paperwork as he continued to watch over Naruto on his way to the academy.