Author's Note: I don't own Naruto.

First, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. To J(), I'm sorry you felt that way. I'll try to slow down from now on but I fear Ch 2 and Ch 3 might also seemed rushed. And to Iceheart19(), yes there is a death penalty and I have to admit I just completely forgot about it…… I feel stupid… However, since Tsunade is Hokage after all and his friends won't tell anybody and in Ch 3... well, you'll see…

Also, this chapter deals with Naruto and his friends dealing with knowing about the Kyubi. He has a demon sealed inside him, who'd want to be friends with him now?

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"Ohmigods!!!" Sakura gasped as tears fell down her face. "That's why everyone hates him……"

They all gazed down at Naruto who was now sleeping peacefully, as if nothing ever happened. He looked like an angel and his innocence seemed to radiate from him. Sasuke sat not far from the bed with his chin in his hands.

"I need to go… Maybe there will be something about this in one of my scrolls… Will somebody stay with him? Just to make sure he's okay…" Tsunade asked her concern obvious.

"I'll stay." Sasuke said before anyone else had a chance and in a tone that all to well stated he'd hear no argument.

"Okay… Thank you, Sasuke. Now, the rest of you should leave…" Tsunade said.

"Yes, Hokage…" Many voices seemed to chorus and all but Sasuke slowly left.

Sasuke pulled his chair closer so he was sitting right next to Naruto's bed and silently watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. Before he realized it Sasuke nodded off, his head resting on Naruto's arm.

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Naruto awoke with his arm numb. Moaning sleepily, he tried to move it only to find something holding it down. In the dim light he couldn't make out what it was… With his free arm he reached over to feel the softest silk he ever touched……

"…Naruto…" Sasuke groaned softly. He sat up and look at Naruto. "How are you feeling?…"

"…My arm is numb…" Naruto said quietly.

"That's not what I meant, dobe…" Sasuke growled.

"Well,… I feel like I always do…" Naruto yawned. "… and don't call me that…"

"Are you sure? I mean… that was……" Sasuke tried to say.

"No different from before… well, it gets a little worst each year but--"

"Each year!?" Sasuke yelled. "You mean this happens to you every year?!"

"Yeah, it always has. Every year on my birthday. But it's not really a big deal." Naruto explained it as if Sasuke should already know.

"Naruto… how… how do you stand it?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"It's just the way things are." Naruto said with an awkward smile.

Sasuke just stared at him bewildered. He couldn't imagine what it must be like. Suddenly the color drained from Naruto's face and a look of horror replaced his smile.

"Naruto…?" Sasuke asked worriedly.

"You can leave now. I'm perfectly fine. It's okay. I know Hokage made you stay, but as you can see I'm better. So, you can leave now." Naruto quickly told Sasuke and for some reason sounded as if he was trying to reassure him.

"It's fine, Naruto, but I'll stay just incase." Sasuke told him.

"No, really. It's okay, Sasuke. I understand. You don't have to stay here out of duty. Now that you know you probably want to get away from me. I really do understand. Don't worry about it. No one will think less of you about it." Naruto said with such sincerity Sasuke was speechless for a moment.

"I'm not leaving…"

"I know you feel it's your duty, but--"

"NOO!" Sasuke yelled shoving Naruto down by his shoulders. "Dammitt, Naruto! That's not why!! You're my teammate, my friend!! I'm not going to just abandon you when you need me!!!"

Naruto just stared at him transfixed.

"Dobe…" Sasuke muttered. "You need to go to sleep."

"But what about you? Where will you sleep?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine here."

"No. I'm not waking up with a numb arm again!" Naruto teased. "Hey! You can just share with me! Here, get in!"

"What?!"

"Well I don't have anywhere else you can sleep and I'll try not to hog the covers or kick or something else like that."

"……"

"Well?"

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Tsunade was searching through the scrolls in her office. The words began to blur and she kept reading the same parts over again before she finally called it a night. In truth in was a morning. Yet, she had found nothing close to what she was looking for.

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Finally, he had convinced him it was okay. Gods, he was so stubborn! And now he was sleeping next to him. He knew he would give in but he had been real stubborn about it! He had almost wanted to knock him out just so he'd sleep. In the end his own exhaustion won out and he gave up. Watching the other boy sleeping beside him he couldn't help but be amazed.

Sasuke shifted in his chair slightly. He didn't understand how Naruto could always seem so happy when something so terrible had happened to him. Sasuke thought his life was horrible, but at least he knew his family and didn't have a demon sealed inside him. He wasn't shunned and hated most of his life for a reason he didn't have no control of or even know. He had never truly realized how amazing Naruto was.

Sasuke was just nodding off as Naruto began to mutter in his sleep.

"Kyubi…don't…" Naruto whimpered tossing in the bed. "…don't kill them…no…I don't want to hurt anybody…please, Kyubi…don't make me hurt anyone…please…I don't want to hurt them…my friends…"

Sasuke was shocked by Naruto's revelations. Naruto's greatest fear was the Kyubi making him hurt his friends. Through the years, they're rivalry had turned into friendship. However, he never realized just how important that could be to Naruto.

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"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he bounced around happily. "I made breakfast! Wake up!!!"

Groaning sleepily, Sasuke got up and stretched while he watched Naruto try to set the table.

"What did you fix?" Sasuke asked as he sat down.

"Ramen!!" Naruto smiled brightly.

"…Ramen…for breakfast…" Sasuke smirked thinking he should have known the answer.

"Yup! It's the best way to start off a good day." Naruto said passing Sasuke a bowl.

"Hmmph…"

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"Naruto!" Iruka said running up to him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"Of course! It wasn't a big deal." Naruto laughed.

"But…they said…" Iruka said softly.

"Iruka-sensei, it was nothing. It happens every year. Don't worry about it!" Naruto said then turned to run off. "See ya later! I have to do something!!"

Iruka stood there a moment watching him run off then sighed with a small smile and went to his class.

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"Hey!" Sakura called out. "Have any of you seen Naruto?"

Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Choji, and Kiba all shook their heads.

"I haven't since this morning when I left his house." Sasuke told her.

"Don't you know your friend at all after all these years?" Kakashi asked coming up behind them.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you know where he is?" Sakura asked quickly.

"Of course. He's where he always goes on this day." Kakashi smiled with his eye.

"What?…" Sakura said softly. "Where?"

"He goes to where the Kyubi attacked to lay flowers for those who died there. He's done that every year since he first found out." Katashi said as he walked off. "He'll spend the whole day apologizing to each one of them ."

"Why…does he do that…?" Hinata thought out loud.

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The sunset blazed across the sky like fire. Naruto sat with his head down as tears fell down his face.

"I'm sorry…" He cried clutching the ground.

Sitting in silence, he gazed up at the sky and wiped his face. As darkness fell around him, he watched the stars bloom. Not realizing what he was doing he began to hum a tune that haunted his dreams. Slowly it became a song. Not knowing why, he sang louder as the words filled his soul.

Though the night might be dark,

And your path may be hard,

I'll be there to help you through.

Though the day can be lonely,

And you feel that nobody cares,

I'll be holding your hand.

Though life seems unfair to you,

And the world always seems mean,

I'm always there by your side.

Though people are cold,

And nobody understands,

I'm there listening to you.

Though nobody is there,

And you are always alone,

I'm singing this song just for you.

Though I may be gone,

And you have no one else,

I love you…

Even though he didn't know why, the song comforted him. It always did. Sighed he gazed up at the moon.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered from behind him. "That was beautiful…"

Naruto spun around quicker than any of them thought possible for him.

"What are you doing here?!?!" Naruto growled at all his friends.

"We…we…was worried……about you…" Hinata stuttered.

"Well, I'm fine!" Naruto snapped angrily.

"Naruto that song…"Sakura said softly. "I've never heard it before…Where did you learn it?…"

His anger vanished and he visibly flushed. An expression of shock and sorrow filled his eyes.

"I…I……don't know…" He whispered almost too quiet for them to hear.

"What?" Sakura said confused.

"…I don't know…I just…know…I have dreams about some woman singing it…" Naruto said then ran off.

"Well, I never realized you had such a beautiful singing voice. I never would have expected." Sakura said.

"Umm,…thanks…I gotta go…" Naruto said then ran off.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled.

"Let him go." Sasuke told her sternly.

"But why?!" She demanded.

"Can't you tell we embarrassed him?" Shikamaru asked her, his tone telling that he thought her stupid.

"We weren't suppose to be here, or to hear that song." Neji said and began walking home. "Come, Hinata."

She merely nodded her head and followed him.

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Three weeks had pasted. Glancing out the window he seen the first snowfall of the season. Finishing his breakfast, he slowly walked outside to begin another day. He knew that he promised, but this extra four hours of training was getting to him. Anyway, wasn't it okay to break a promise to yourself…? Grumbling to himself, he made his way to the training field where Sasuke waited for him.

"Your late…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. "…again…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Naruto muttered.

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked. "Well, lets begin…"

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"Do we strike soon, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked.

"Not just yet…lets wait a bit more…" Itachi said eerily.

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"I win…again…" Sasuke stood over Naruto with an all to familiar smirk.

"No you don't!!!" Naruto growled suddenly kicking Sasuke in the side, throwing him about seven feet.

"Hey, boys." Kakashi said stepping into the clearing.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing really. Just checking up on you…" Kakashi said lazily.

"What?!" Naruto bellowed. "You interrupted us for that?!?!

"Yes." Kakashi nodded.

"Ahh!!" Naruto yelled. "I'm going to eat!!!"

He started to storm off then stopped and turned to Sasuke smilling.

"Wanna come get some ramen?"

"Sure."

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"Sakura… what's wrong?"

Sakura gasped in susprise and spun quickly around. When she seen who it was she sighed in relief.

"You startled me, Ino." Sakura laughed.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked again sitting down.

"It's nothing really…" Sakura smiled sadly.

"…just Sasuke-kun…

" What do you mean?"

"He doesn't like me for anything more than… a teammate…" Sakura tried not to cry.

"….." Ino didn't know what to say.

"… not even for a friend …" Sakura busted into tears.

Crying on Ino's shoulder, Sakura finally released all the emotions she'd been trying to hold in for so long. Ino hugged her tight and tried to comfort her.

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"Itachi-san when are we going to attack?"

Kisame asked impatiently.

He sat motionlessly a few minutes considering.

"Tomorrow. We'll attack tomorrow."