Note: I want to congratulate Kage Mistress Shadows for figuring out the pairing/s intended for this fic.
To be honest, I planned to change it after discussing with StarsOfYaoi the difficulties of writing a threesome. In the end, I decided to continue on with the original plan. XD
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Title: Sanity's End
Warnings: AU OOC YAOI
Pairings: NejiShikaNaru
Author: Tsukishiro
Summary: After a successful 'Sasuke Retrieval Mission', instead of being praised, the demon vessel was further scorned and shunned into the realms of loneliness. Barely clinging to sanity, an event shatters him completely. Realizing their mistake, all of rookie eight and Gai's team struggle to bring him back.
Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto, but I can dream… right?
Unbeta-ed, so please excuse the mistakes.
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Chapter 2 – Sanity Lost
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Three months... it had been three months since anyone from team Gai and Rookie Nine had any contact with the blond demon vessel, Uzumaki Naruto.
Well, it was not because they were avoiding him like a plague, considering that everyone in the village now knew about the demon sealed inside him.
It was because of the new law that the Godaime Hokage made the week just after the retrieval mission.
The law stated that no one, save for a chosen few, was allowed to be near or have any contact with Uzumaki Naruto anywhere in or out of the village.
The law raised confusion and questions. The villagers wanted the demon dead or out of the village but were certain that they could never persuade the Hokage to change her mind.
The Hokage's hate towards the village was very clear, and she did not bother to hide it.
Everyone was fearful of her power and when they tried to talk to her, she gave them a threat she was determined to carry out.
If ever the villagers persisted to bring harm to her little brother, she would resign from her position of Hokage and leave the fire country altogether.
She would also bring her precious people with her, and that included Naruto.
Jiraiya, Iruka, and Shizune agreed with the busty blonde's decision.
Everyone in Konoha knew that they could not risk losing such powerful individuals.
If they were to lose a powerful and influential leader, conflicts and disorder would certainly befall them, further engulfing Konoha to destruction.
They had already lost so much from the invasion of Orochimaru, and they could not afford to lose their leader as well.
As the villagers concentrated on rebuilding the village back to its former glory, the younger generation (specifically team Gai and Rookie Nine) took their time reflecting on past events, especially their behavior towards the blond.
At first, just like the adults, they immediately began showing their hate and displeasure towards him.
After giving it some thought, they searched for the complete story from the adults. But seeing that almost all of the adults saw the blond as the demon reincarnate, they sought for someone who did not hold any hate or grudge towards Naruto.
And that adult was none other that Umino Iruka.
The young shinobi had a hard time talking to the man at first, since they did hurt the blond whom Iruka saw as a son/younger brother.
Iruka was reluctant in giving up information about the blond, but after sensing no malice or ulterior motives in their behavior, he gave in.
But he only gave information about Naruto's birth.
The night the nine-tailed demon attacked was also the night Naruto was born.
It took them a few days to realize that everything they have thought of the blond was wrong.
Because when Kyuubi attacked, Naruto was just born. So there was no way the blond could have killed anyone from the village.
There was no way that Naruto was the demon itself because if he was, then he would have already attempted revenge for being sealed inside a human.
But still, the realization came too late.
Members of Rookie nine and team Gai tried to talk the Hokage into letting them speak with the blond to apologize and start anew but she would hear none of it.
Whenever they tried to approach the blond directly without permission, Naruto himself would immediately avoid them or the ANBU would stop them from proceeding.
This infuriated them greatly. They regretted their action and wanted to apologize but the Hokage would not give them a chance.
But then again, who were they to talk when they were the one who didn't give the blond a chance in the first place?
Now accepting the fact that there was no way for them to approach the blond to apologize and regain their friendship, they decided to watch over him by their own way.
Apparently, one or two of them would always spot the demon vessel wandering around the village.
So all of them agreed that they would keep tabs on him daily, and meet once a week to report their daily sightings of the blond.
At least this way, they would be assured that Naruto was safe and alright.
-o-o-o-o-o- two years after the retrieval mission
One certain shinobi, who had been resting under the shade of a tree, was pissed.
As he laid down on the grass and stare at the clouds in the sky, he couldn't help but frown and grunt in irritation.
"You know Shikamaru, if you continued doing that, you might scare off clouds you are so fond of watching." A voice stated.
The figure lying on the ground looked up and spotted the source of the voice.
"Che, it's too troublesome to give you a response Neji."
Neji only smiled before kneeling down and giving the male a chaste kiss.
It was already known in Konoha that these two were lovers. At first, there were a few who showed displeasure about their relationship but ended up accepting them, seeing that there was no harm done.
"Doing this will not solve anything koi." Neji whispered
"I know, but I can't help it. It has been a year since anyone of us has seen Naruto. We usually see him at least three times a day but now we can't even sense his chakra signature."
The Hyuuga didn't respond. He was worried about the blond as well, considering that he had developed feelings towards him.
Heck even his boyfriend had feelings towards Naruto for he was the one who opened their eyes to the truth, although he had no idea about it.
"I can't take it anymore." Shikamaru stated. "If I don't see him in one week then I am going to have a chat with Hokage-sama."
"Don't worry, I am with you there. Should we inform the others of our plan?"
Shikamaru thought about it for a moment before responding.
"No, this is only between the two of us. If we want to have a chance to get some answers or at least see Naruto, then it would be best that only the two of us approach Hokage-sama and have a conversation with her alone."
"You're right. If Naruto remains unspotted for a week, we will approach Hokage-sama for answers."
The lazy nin nodded before giving his boyfriend a kiss.
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Tsunade had been busy sorting out some old files she found in some secret compartment in her office.
The records and files were really old and most of it were sealed and can only be opened by blood of a specific person or family.
She was surprised that all of these papers were made by the Yondaime Hokage, Kazama Arashi. And this made her wonder if her sensei, the Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi, knew of these.
Sighing, she dropped one of the folders she was reading, which as about his plans on how to make Konoha better and stronger.
'A pity though, you went all through those trouble to keep this village safe and they show their appreciation by ruining your legacy.' Tsunade thought bitterly.
She was about to pick up another folder when she spotted an old brown book at the near bottom of the pile.
'What's this?' she wondered as she took the old book with care.
'A journal? He actually kept a journal?'
Tsunade opened it and began to scan the written entries. Getting bored, she skipped through most of it and started to read the entry made about a month before Kyuubi attacked.
"Let's see here..." she mumbled to herself as she read quietly.
When she was at the near end of the journal, her eyes widened in shock and shut the book close.
"Shizune! Shizune!" Tsunade yelled.
Her assistant came running through the door after hearing the urgency in the Hokage's call.
"Is there something wrong Tsunade-sama?"
"I want you to call all members of the council immediately! There will be an important meeting regarding the Yondaime."
Shizune nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke and Tsunade gathered everything she would need before padding towards the meeting room.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The council, which was composed of clan heads, gathered in the Hokage Tower an hour after the summoning.
The urgency in the Hokage's call made them curious as to why the Hokage would call them out of the blue.
Ever since the incident with the blond vessel two years ago, Tsunade had stopped summoning them for meetings about the village's improvement and protection.
They tried to question her about this once, but the result was not pleasant.
Because the moment they entered her office, they were thrown out literally through her office window.
Thankfully, none of them got hurt.
Well, they were ninjas after all so it would be embarrassing if they were unable to save themselves from a fall at that height.
But that didn't mean that they would try again, for they were certain that Tsunade would try a different method to get them out of her sight.
Moments later, the Hokage arrived, carrying a single old brown book. The old item raised eye brows, all the clan heads wondered if the book had anything to do with the meeting at hand.
Tsunade cleared her throat.
"I summoned all of you regarding information about one of the greatest heroes of Konoha, the Yondaime Hokage Kazama Arashi."
The topic raised murmurs and whispers among the council. All of them were fully aware on who the Yondaime was and had become acquaintances, but none of them knew much about his life.
"Did you discover something about him Hokage-sama?" Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan asked.
"Yes, I did. But we are not going to discuss about his life, we will be discussing about his legacy."
Everyone in the room became silent. They all knew who the Yondaime's legacy was and it was a very sensitive topic to the Godaime.
It would be wise of them not to speak ill of Uzumaki Naruto if they want to leave the place in one piece.
"What have you discovered about Uzumaki Naruto that connects him to the Yondaime?" Nara Shikaku asked. "Well, other than him being chosen by Arashi-sama to contain the demon."
All the other members nodded and waited for the blond to respond.
Tsunade was grateful that all of the clan heads no longer see her little brother as the demon itself. But it didn't mean that negative feelings towards the whiskered blond had disappeared as well.
"Before I reveal anything, what can you notice about Arashi and Naruto?" the busty blond asked.
"Other than the boy having the same hair and eye color with Arashi-sama, there is nothing." Yamanaka Inoichi answered.
"To be honest, Arashi-dono and Naruto do have a striking resemblance with each other." Akamichi Chouza.
"But that doesn't mean that they are related." Inuzuka Tsume blurted out.
"That's right; there is no way that Naruto is related to the Yondaime. Arashi-sama doesn't even have a wife." Hiashi added.
"If that is what you think..." Tsunade said before placing the old book she was carrying in front of them. "Then read this..."
She then started to walk out of the room, but stopped as she reached the door.
"That is a journal left by the Yondaime himself, so I will appreciate it if you return it to me after you are done." With that, she left.
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(Note: I got too lazy to right the journal's content, so GOMEN!)
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Tsunade sat in her office, with a bottle of sake at one hand as her other massaged her temples.
She always wondered what had happened to her little brother's family and why he ended up being chosen by the Yondaime to contain the demon.
Did his family die from the attack or did they abandon him? Is it because he was an orphan that Arashi chose him to be the vessel?
If so then why did he chose an orphan who had no one? She was certain that Arashi had thought about the hardship that would befall the vessel's life, so why not chose an infant that had a family that would take care of him/her?
In fact, that thought caused her to hate the Yondaime.
Did the life of one infant mean so little to him that he was willing to give up his life for the child to suffer by the hands of the very village he saved?
Sure the man had requested for the baby to be praised as a hero, but he can't expect the villagers who had lost so many loved ones that night to accept the container of the demon who ruined their lives.
But after finding that journal, it had shed light to the darkness that loomed over her question-filled mind.
Contrary to public belief, Arashi was actually married to a woman living just outside the walls of Konoha.
The journal didn't reveal anything about the woman, but it did reveal that she became pregnant with Arashi's child.
Tsunade chuckled, remembering the excitement evident in the Yondaime's entry when he wrote about his wife's pregnancy.
He complained almost daily about his wife's strange cravings and mood swings, but in the end, they were happy.
But all that shattered when Kyuubi attacked the village without warning, and at the same time, his wife died from giving birth to their son.
Being a master of seals, Arashi had found a way of sealing the demon with a forbidden jutsu.
The only thing was that the price was too great. He had to sacrifice two lives.
One would be his since his life would be the payment to the shinigami that will seal the demon. The second was the life of the vessel that would contain the demon in his/her body.
Another major setback was the requirement for the vessel. The chosen sacrifice had to be a new born infant whose umbilical cord was just cut and chakra system undeveloped.
This would enable the infant's body to adjust to the foreign chakra of the demon, thus keeping him alive and safe.
There were a number of infants born that night, but he had not the heart to ask their parents for their child's life.
So he chose his own son to be the container of the nine-tailed demon.
The night of Kyuubi's defeat was the night of his death and also the night his son was marked as the demon's container.
Three whisker-like marks adorned each of the infant's cheeks.
And the infant's name was Kazama Naruto, who was well known as Uzumaki Naruto.
Tsunade broke out of her thoughts when the clan heads suddenly barged into her office, their faces pale and sweat rolling down their foreheads.
"Hokage-sama! Please let us have a word with the boy!" Hiashi had all but demanded.
"Yes, please let us speak with the boy to apologize Hokage-sama." The others requested.
"Why?" the Godaime asked, startling the council.
"Why? It's because we want to apologize. We also wish to start anew with the boy."
"Is it because he was Arashi's son that you wish to apologize? So if he is the son of an unknown person, will you still seek redemption from your actions?"
The clan heads was speechless. Everything Tsunade said was true.
"If that is so then there is no point in letting you speak with Naruto."
"Tsunade-sama" Hiashi called out. "We now know that our behavior towards the boy is unacceptable and we regret that greatly. Our behavior towards vessels is despicable and we want to change now that we realize our mistake."
"We want to make it up to the boy by changing and starting over." Shikaku stated.
By the look of their eyes, Tsunade can see that they meant what they said. She was glad with this change but she couldn't help but feel depressed.
"Is there something wrong Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked.
Tsunade bit her lower lip before responding.
"I can sense good will in your intention... but... it's already too late."
"Too late?" the council asked, clearly confused. Why would they be too late? There was nothing wrong with the boy, right?
"What do you mean by 'too late' Hokage-sama?" the Inuzuka head asked, not liking the look of sadness in their leader's face.
Tsunade sighed deeply before standing up and ushering them to follow.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The blond Hokage lead them to a room hidden high up in the Hokage tower.
The council wondered why Tsunade would lead them there or why would Naruto be there.
From what they knew, Naruto was a very energetic boy. Always moving, always doing something to occupy his time.
But all the activities he did were done outside, not inside the walls of a building.
Since they wanted to speak with the boy, they didn't bother wording those out.
The group stood before a dead end. Confusion was evident in the clan heads' faces.
Tsunade made a single hand sign before the 'dead end' disappeared, revealing a plain wooden door.
The Godaime took a deep breath before approaching and opening the door.
The room behind the door was big, as the council observed.
The walls were painted in a mint green color. A queen-sized bed covered in thick light blue comforters was at the left corner of the room next to a barred window overlooking the village.
The windows were slightly opened, letting in a cool gently breeze into the room.
A door leading to the bathroom was located to the left of the entrance while a small table adorned the middle of the room.
The right corner of the room was filled with dolls and plushies. The council was certain that there were over a hundred, maybe near a thousand of those that made up the 'mountain'-like pile.
"Umm, Tsunade-sama where is Naruto-kun?" Inoichi asked.
Tsunade remained silent. He was about to ask again when a giggle reached his ears.
Curious, they all searched for the source of the small sounds and found it to be coming from the 'mountain' of plushies.
The 'mountain' shook a bit. Everyone kept their eyes on the pile before something yellow popped out.
Surprised, the council studied the yellow thing, which was actually blond hair connected to a head.
"Naru-chan." Tsunade called out, making the blond look at them with his sapphire blue eyes.
A smile graced the boy's lips before he crawled out of the 'mountain' and ran towards the older blond, giving her a big tight hug.
"Kaa-chan." Naruto greeted, burying his face into her robes.
Tsunade kneeled down and gave the boy a hug before planting a kiss onto his forehead.
"How are you Naru-chan? Have you been good?" she asked.
The blond boy nodded enthusiastically, he was obviously happy at the visit.
It was only then that he noticed the other adults in the room.
The six strangers studied him with curious eyes, and he stared at them with curiosity.
The council was confused when they found no recognition in the demon vessel's eyes.
They had met the boy personally once or twice; they even spoke to him, so how come Naruto did not recognize them at all?
Naruto just stared at them, his blue eyes showed wonder, and then suddenly fear.
Naruto's grip on Tsunade's robes tightened as he continued to stare at the other adults, frightened.
They were about to ask what was wrong when Naruto bolted out from Tsunade's grasp and buried himself deep inside the pile of plush dolls.
Everyone approached the boy with caution. Weak murmuring sounds could be heard and it took them a moment to understand what it was.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." the boy chanted continuously, shaking a bit out of fear.
The clan heads were bewildered in the sudden change of personality so they turned to the Hokage for answers.
Sensing their gaze, Tsunade only smiled at them weakly before moving towards the bundle.
"Naru-chan, is there something wrong?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
"Naru-chan..."
"I'm sorry. I've been a bad boy. I'll try to be good so please don't hurt me." He whimpered pathetically.
"You're not a bad boy, Naru-chan. You've never been one."
"No, I'm not good. That's why they hurt me. I'm not good... I'm not..."
"Hush. You're a good boy Naruto. And because you're good I'll give you a toy tonight alright?"
"I don't deserve it. I'm bad... I'm bad..."
Tsunade sighed.
"I'll be going now. I'll come again later with you toy, okay?"
"..."
"Naru-chan?"
"I'll wait..."
Tsunade smiled at the response. She stood up and motioned everyone out of the room.
The walk back to the Hokage's office was a quiet one. No one dared to talk as they didn't know how the handle the situation.
Only when they were inside the room did the others finally had gotten the strength to speak.
"What happened to him Hokage-sama? How did he become..." Hiashi asked.
"Insane?" Tsunade finished, earning her affirmative nods.
"Unfortunately, I don't know."
"What do you mean?" Chouza asked.
"Naruto... wasn't like this a year ago. He assumed his life normally and went on with his daily routine. But everything changed in just one night..."
"What happened?"
"As I have said, I don't know. Everything was fine at first. He was supposed to have lunch with Iruka that day a year ago but he didn't show up. That never happened before so he got worried. Iruka went straight towards Naruto's apartment to see if he had slept in. He got in the apartment and everything appeared fine. But when he got to the bedroom, everything was a mess.
The whole room was ruined and blood was everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, and on the ceiling. Naruto was no where in the room and Iruka was about to leave to look for him when he heard the shower running.
Worried, Iruka went inside the bathroom and saw Naruto in the bathtub filled with hot steaming water. He immediately got Naruto out of the hot pool, wrapped him with some clean blankets before bringing him to me. Since then, he hasn't been the same."
They were dumbstruck from the revelation.
"Did you find out what had happened?" Shikaku asked.
"No. Kyuubi had already healed him at the time Iruka found him. Naruto had already lost it so we were unable to find out what exactly had happened."
Tsunade had a strong grip on her desk the entire time she was narrating what had happen. Her grip was so strong that the wood was beginning to crack.
"He won't tell me anything. He can't remember anything. He can't even remember his own name."
The council members were spooked out from the strong killing intent and where frozen solid in their spot from its intensity.
"And if ever I find out and get my hands on whoever did this to him..." the wood shattered from her strong grip.
"I will make sure that he/she will suffer in ways that will even make demons beg for death."(1)
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Tsukishiro's Corner
Phew! That was long. Hehe XD
I hope you like it, although I am not that happy with the outcome...
(1) It is only a figure of speech.