He was sitting alone, drawing from his cigarette on a park bench. Caught in between a life of pessimism and optimism, not quite knowing which path to walk. He had seen the horrors that the world can tear asunder, but he had seen overwhelming 'good' as well. Stuck in the middle of the mentality of a battle-scarred veteran and the happy-go-lucky attitude of a child. He knew that his bad habits would kill him sooner or later, but couldn't much bring himself to care. He didn't have many people left to truly care once he had left, that bastard had made sure of that.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to cut ties with the few friends he had remaining, though he wished he could. The world was walking a delicate balance right now, and he knew that. The battle with Kaguya, and the subsequent battle with the one he used to call 'Brother' left a permanent scar on that land, and a far more volatile wound in his heart. The people liked to call that place "The Field of Beginning" for hope that what took place there would lead to a better life, but he was starting to grow doubtful. The alliance built between the Five Great Nations was still in place, but the minor villages didn't like the power that was represented with such a great military. Minor skirmishes had started to break out between the two forces, and the Gokage still seemed to be trying peace talks, but it wasn't gaining much headway.
Tsunade had died that day, expending the rest of her energy to heal the remaining Kage after their initial battle with Madara. Neji soon followed, taking a killing blow meant for the 'hero'. Lee and Gai both fell in battle that day too. The way Lee looked back at him, a mouthful of blood covering the normal radiance his smile usually held, and gave him one last thumbs-up... He still had nightmares of those short seconds. Of course, that wasn't all he would lose, no, that wouldn't be near enough. The battle finally took a turn for the better, and Sasuke arrived. The battle continued viciously, and The Rabbit Goddess returned to the world of the living. Obito, Kakashi's old teammate finally came around, and in some form of sick redemption dove in front of the unavoidable attack headed towards Naruto.
We finally managed to seal Kaguya, but Sasuke wasn't done with that... We prepared for our final battle, that we both knew would come, and returned to the Valley of the End. I fought him for 8 long hours, neither of us gaining the advantage. I was ready to die that day, but that wretched Kami had different plans. We ended up gearing up for one final attack, Sasuke's Chidori, and my Rasengan blaring full force. We thrust the attacks at eachother, and at that moment, we both smiled. It was over, we could finally rest. The world would be at peace and we could see our families again. But there were other plans for me. At the last moment, Sakura arrived and threw herself between our attacks in a final effort to stop the fighting. The force was incredible, and it threw us back at the cliffside. I saw her, lying limply against the ground, and knew that she too, was gone. Killed by my own hand. I saw the hollow look in Sasuke's eyes, and knew that he too, regretted the way things turned out.
I turned towards him and stared him straight in the eye. Would this finally be the end? Somehow, when I looked down and saw my arm missing, I couldn't bring myself to care. Looking over at Sasuke, I saw he was also staring down at his now missing arm.
"Heh, an eye for an eye, bastard." I emptily joked.
"Hn" Was the only reply he seemed to care for.
He seemed focused, and I started to see his one rinnegan eye glowing with power. I was curious if after all this, he wasn't going to die here with me after all. A great wave erupted from his body and washed over the landscape. It felt... Pure. Only later would I learn that he had freed everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi with his last bit of energy.
And then that brings me to another friend that I lost that night. We had only recently grown close, but he had been with me my whole life. I like to think that he was silently rooting for me in the shadows, but I know how he'd respond to that. A haughty and condescending "Hah. As if, Ningen" would be all that awaited such thoughts. Kurama decided that it wasn't my time to go, and with his last move, pushed all of his remaining power into my coils. The pain was excruciating, but I survived. Kami damn it, I survived. When I woke up, I tried mentally calling to him, but it turns out even the mightiest of the biju have a limit. He had left me as well.
When I first opened my eyes, the harsh white tile ceiling of the Konoha Hospital awaited me. I hated this place. In that moment, I sat up quickly, alerting the doctors that I had finally awoken. When Kakashi entered my room wearing the robe of the Hokage a short few minutes later, I prayed for the good news I knew I would never hear. What awaited me was worse than I initially thought, and it turns out Kiba, Tenten, Temari, Shikamaru, and many other innocent men and women had lost their lives that day or the few following. Perhaps what hurt the most was when I learned of Hinata's passing. I still remember her confession, and I had never worked up the courage to talk to her about it. I wanted to be with her, enjoy the new peace that would be established with her. But now it was for nothing.
Now I spend most of my time standing at the memorial stone, remembering what I lost. I remembered that first day with team 7, when I foolishly proclaimed that one day I would be on that stone. Now I can only wish that my name was there, next to the ones I loved. Sometimes Kakashi joins me, but I seem to get the impression that he's started to move on. I'm glad that he's found his peace, the man deserves it. We don't talk much anymore, there isn't much to be said. I'm a hollow shell of the man I once was, and perhaps it will always be like that.
It's a few months later now, and I've adjusted to life as well as can be expected. The villagers all praise me for that day, but all I remember is my failures. I don't go out much, but when I do it's to restock on my... coping methods. I don't take missions anymore, I'm not even sure if I'm still on the active ninja roster. That's fine, though. My bank account always seems to have enough money in it to keep me alive. Perks of being the 'Savior of the World' I guess...
I swing open the door to my old apartment, sparing a quick glance at the now years old 'DEMON' graffiti'd across my entry-way, the rain never washed it off, but I can't say that I've particularly scrubbed at it either. Perhaps I just subconsciously accept those words now. I stumble over to my counter and deposit the few grocery bags I was carrying, and then reach for a bottle of pills. I pour myself a glass of water and then throw a handful down my throat, not particularly worried if I overdose or not. After a few minutes, time starts to blur together, and I just lie on the coach enjoying the light euphoria that I know won't last long.
Suddenly, a sharp knock at my front door alerted my senses, and I froze for a few moments, unsure of what to do. Silently, I hoped whoever it was would just leave. Most of those village girls normally do after I don't answer for a bit. But the knock sounded again, louder this time.
"Naruto!" A familiar female voice shouted from behind the door "I know you're in there. May I come in and talk to you for a bit?"
It was Ino, and I continued lying on the couch, pinpoint pupils staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, deliberating what to do. Eventually, I stood up and walked over to the door, and swung it open with a slightly annoyed look on my face.
"Na-!" She started one last time. "Oh my god... You look terrible."
"If you're just here to comment on my appearance, can you leave? I wasn't expecting any visitors and I don't have any tea made." I responded shortly.
"Naruto... I'm happy you're alright. I just... want to talk. It's been so long since we saw you! What was it, a few months ago? We all had lunch at Ichiraku's. Your friends have been so worried about you, and I came to check on you. May I come in?"
Against my better judgment, I couldn't refuse her. I opened the door the rest of the way and lead her in. I saw her looking around my apartment in slight disgust, and for the first time in a while, felt slightly self-conscious of how I take care of my home. I lead her to the sofa, and she sat down slowly, as if she thought I would change my mind and ask her to leave. I considered it for a second, before shooing those thoughts from my head.
"I'm going to go put on a pot of tea, can you wait here for a moment?" I walked over to the counter and tried to discreetly push aside the booze, needles, and pills, hoping she wouldn't see. I caught her eye and instantly knew she had found me out, but she hadn't said anything yet. Good, maybe it will stay that way. I started boiling some water for tea, then sat down in the seat across from her. "So why are you here, Ino? Can I help you with something?"
"Naruto... I know you aren't okay... Please, talk to me? You're always there for everyone else, let me be here for you." She asked sweetly
I couldn't look at her, but I had held it all in for so long. I told her everything.
A/N: So, what do you guys think? In the off-chance that any of you have read some of my previous abandoned fics, then you know that this is a far cry from what I normally used to write, but with recent events in my life, I felt it appropriate. I think I'll continue this story, even though I feel like I technically could leave it as a one-shot. I want to build the NaruIno up, and it won't be instantaneous. There will be hiccups, and there will be issues. They are both human, and I want to play into that. A lot of times I feel like the authors forget that. I'm going to do my best with it, though! Let me know what you think. I know I made Naruto very OOC, but I think it fits what a normal humans mental state should look like after all of this. Leave a review, please!