Changing

He woke up with one hell of a headache, thanks to Kyuubi. Taking a deep breath he stared unseeingly out the window, thinking about the first time Kyuubi and he had actually got along. It was a few days after he lost it in Wave. He could still remember Sasuke's face when he had been put to sleep, telling him to live. How he felt as though he was being skinned alive with the blood red chakra. The way the fox had whispered its deadly, yet somehow comforting words in his mind. How just for one second, one time he gave in, let the voice in his mind take care of him. And still it wasn't enough, he wasn't weak, he just learned too much about loneliness to take another life like his. Naruto didn't know how long he'd been staring out the window or when the tears had began their journey down his cheeks. But he was jerked out of his memories by a familiar gloved hand.

"Naruto?" Kakashi's voice penetrated his memory causing the color to filter out. Yet he was unable to pull him out completely

"K-Kakashi-s-sensei?" He was surprised at how weak and timid his voice sounded. He never took his eyes off the window.

"Yes. I'm here, Naruto." Kakashi was obviously at a lost. Kakashi quickly glanced at Kurenia, who mouthed something. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"It hurts."

"What does?"

"Everything, it hurts so much. I want it stop but I don't know how."

"Where does it hurt Naruto? Please, let me help you. I can't help you unless you tell me where it hurts."

Kit, your friends and their sensei are here, them and your sensei got here five minutes ago. You never reacted to them, so your sensei approached you.

"What do I do?"

"N-Naruto, P-Please let us help you." Hinata, her shy voice bringing back his childhood, begging, a pleading weakness, one he tried so hard to bury. The Villagers hate.

"Hn, Dobe, this is stupid. You're wasting time" Sasuke, his voice trigging the memories he'd tried to bury. A hard hatred, the sweet words that made him want to give into the Fox. The Kyuubi's hate.

"Yeah come on, Loser." Kiba, a strange nostalgia, of him before he became unspeakable. A Brother's hate.

"We don't have all day!" Ino, a mothers anger as she pulled her daughter out of the way of the demon. A mothers Hate.

"Troublesome" Shikamaru, a ninja that turned away as he was beaten. A Ninja's Hate.

"Munch, Iets go slow poke!" Choji, a laughing child. A young blue eyed, black haired boy that was killed that night. A childish hate.

"This is not like you, Uzumaki" Shino, A strong man stood infront of a blue stone. A Dog mask over his face. A forgotten Hate.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun doesn't like having to wait on a loser like you!" Sakura, a brown eyed girl, so much younger than her brother. Laughing as she chased him. A lost Hate.

"Is he always like this sensei?" Tenten,

"It seems as though his flames of youth is not as strong as mine, Gai Sensei!" Lee

"Hn, I do not care." Neji

"Oi, Kakashi, that kid okay?" Asuma

"Seems like the kids on the rocks, Kashi, we should go." Kurenia

"His youth is not quiet like I thought they were." Gai

Claw out your heart until you bleed. Struggle with them until your heart dies. His voice those sweet words that promised peace.

"Please, Stop" Quiet, Weak, Helpless. Those words from so long ago rang in his mind. Help me…

"Naruto!" Kakashi's voice was sharp, a warning. But in Naruto's now distorted, fear riddled mind, it was no longer Kakashi's voice. No, it was his voice. That man, the voice made him sick. He could feel his hot breath on his skin. Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"NO! STOP!" Naruto's hands were suddenly at his chest, his nails digging in to the skin raking at it until blood began to appear. "NO! PLEASE, NO MORE. Oh GOD, PLEASE NO MORE!"

"Stop Naruto!" Kakashi was suddenly in front of him grabbing his hand pinning them down. Even as Sakura, Ino, and Hinata screamed, even as the other teachers began to rush the other students out the door. "Stop! Dammit, Naruto!"

"AHH!! NO MORE! PLEASE, I'LL BEHAVE, NO MORE. PLEASE NO MORE."

"Get the Hokage! NOW!" Kakashi's voice was strained. The sent of Naruto's fresh blood was thick in the air. His chest was shredded; blood was still sliding down his tanned chest in small rivulets. Thinking fast, he grabbed the pillow, with one hand, and proceeded to get the pillowcase off of it. When he accomplished it, he used it to tie Naruto's hands to the headboard.

"Asuma?" Kakashi was astounded that Naruto tried to attack himself.

"I'm already on it, Kakashi" Sasuke, as much as he hated to admit it, always saw the blond as a strong rival. The one person in the village who saw him, a friend, a brother he never had. But the blood, oh god the blood, gave the young raven a flash back of his dead parents. Kakashi knew to be careful. Naruto hadn't calmed down was thrashing around under him, but at least he wasn't screaming. Kakashi had never seen him like this; to him Naruto was the stupid kid that had the unfortunate antics that reminded him of Obito.

"Oh god" that simple exclamation told Kakashi the Hokage arrived with Iruka Umino, without so much as a word to Kakashi.

"Iruka!" The Hokage's voice was sharp with a command, that none of the other Jonin could understand, but apparently Iruka could.

"Hai!" Iruka strode forward, his hands flashing through a few hand signs, before pressing into the blonde's forehead and the boy fell still. The Hokage glided to the still boy and gave the boy a dose of morphine to erase the pain. The Hokage dismissed Kakashi and Asuma, the only two that remained in the room along with Iruka, as he began healing the boy.

With a long sigh Iruka exited the room last. He knew Naruto was having a rough week, but he hadn't known it was that bad. It hurt him to know that Naruto didn't talk to him, and instead chose to break in his own home, in front of the kids. Kiba and Shino were holding a pale looking Hinata. Ino was holding a crying Sakura while Choji and Shikamaru were watching a puking Sasuke. Looking at the kids, he realized even Gai's kids looked green. The four Sensei's were watching the kids and talking in hushed tones. Iruka needed answers, but Kiba asked for him.

"What the hell just happened!?" Hinata looked so pale.

"Please, sit down, Hinata, before you get sick." Iruka was surprised how composed his voice sounded, but ignored Kiba's question.

"Iruka-Sensei, I don't understand!" Ino's shrill voice reached him, even as she held a weeping Sakura.

"Don't understand what Ino?"

"What happened in there? Why did Naruto do that all of a sudden? One second he was staring out the window talking about hurting and the next he was tearing out his chest!" Ah, so that's what happened.

"Don't worry about it, Ino." Iruka trained his eyes on the village as he leaned against the rusted railing. "This is natural for Naruto. It's what happens to him when he gets too stressed. It happens to Ninja who see too much in a short amount of time, all the time. Naruto is no different.

"Sensei?" Sasuke's voice was a bit weak but still composed. "Are you saying Naruto….broke?"

Iruka didn't want to answer that, because if he said no, then they would ask what happened and he couldn't say yes because then they would scoff, ask why, or use it against Naruto. Iruka sighed as he realized his position. He couldn't lie, he wouldn't lie. He wondered what he should say, when Sasuke's voice broke though again.

"What happened? Why Naruto? Why now?" I'm sorry Naruto, but I must tell Sasuke, after all it was him, the unspeakable one, which did it.

"Naruto's been though a lot, Sasuke. He hasn't healed completely, and after seeing him like this today. I'm guessing the Hokage will either seal whatever memory that cause this or send him to Ibiki for a while."

"Wait! What do mean send him to Ibiki?" Kakashi's voice made him turn, as see the teachers and students alike were listening. "Ibiki is the head of Interrogation, what the hell does he have to do with Naruto?!" Apparently he didn't read into Naruto like he did Sasuke and Sakura. Iruka sighed, he had no choice now.

"We'll talk later. Naruto reasons-"

"Fuck that! Naruto is our FRIEND! We deserve to know too!" Even distraught, Sakura could still get what she wanted. And Iruka snapped the anger of seeing what Naruto did to himself. The memory of finding him half naked and bleeding…again. It hurt, he hurt and he wanted Naruto's so-called friends to suffer to.

"You?! His friend!? God don't make me laugh! You have no idea what Naruto's gone though to make sure you're happy in your ignorance!" He knew Sakura was only twelve but he needed them to know Naruto is fragile right then. The teachers stood in shock at Iruka's words, as did the students. "Do you really want to know what happened? Fine, I'll tell you!"

"Yeah! We wanna know! He's our friend!" Sasuke yelled back, even so as fear riddled in his voice, but his Uchiha pride wouldn't let him back down.

"The first time it happened, he was only seven, fucking seven years old. He couldn't fight back, because he was a goddamn child! I still remember the sickening smell that was around him when I found him. God, it was disgusting. He was beaten, no, no not beaten; he was fucking tortured in a way that makes Ibiki look like an amateur, even now." Iruka paused, his eyes far away, his voice became soft with emotion.

"No one recognized him; he was lying in a puddle of his own blood. He had kunai and shuriken still buried in his skin, covered in bruises." Iruka's voice cracked with emotion at the memory.Someone was puking again, but they asked for it. "Beneath those bruises? More bruises and even more below those. He wasn't only bleeding from those wounds; I could smell the semen on him. He never had a chance. I thought he was dead, so I tried to burn the body." More retching brought his attention to the puking kids. Those that weren't were close to it. Even Kakashi looked sick. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have….I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

No one said anything as Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Hinata puked. Anyone could tell that Iruka let too much out, that he hadn't meant to. That he was hurt, angry and mostly desperate.

"T-t-thank you, I-i-Iruka Sensei for letting us know." Kakashi's voice shook. "We'll talk more about it later."

"Right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to….in front of the kids…I just…I'm sorry"

"Who?" Sasuke asked, even though his voice shook, it had that unmistakable tone "Who did it?"

"No one knows." Was all Iruka said "There wasn't enough to do anything. Sure there were speculations about-"

"That is enough, Iruka!" The Hokage's voice rang out. "Kakashi, please take Naruto to Ibiki, tell him that Naruto has broken just as he expected. He'll know what to do." The Sandaime held out the bundle he was carrying. Only now did they realize it was Naruto. "Asuma, please tell the head nurse Akuna that Naruto is waiting for him at the headquarters. Kurenia, Gai if you would please bring the genins to the tower when they have calmed. Iruka come with me. Dismissed."