"Naruto... the Naruto which you know and love, he wasn't the real Naruto, he was only a clone."
"A clone… but how can that be? I've seen him bleed, and get hurt… he has never done anything to indicate that he was clone…" Sakura said but was interrupted.
"That's because he was a special clone. I used one of my many jutsus. You see, when I was little, about two I think… I was sick of how I was treated, people hating me, ignoring me and even attacking me… they all wanted me dead… Their prejudice is what did this. They made me want to become the best. I trained hard, always pushing myself, never taking a break. But no-one knew about it. I taught myself everything… then one day, as I was trying out a new jutsu, I made an exact replica of myself… But it wasn't just a simple bunshin no jutsu, or even a kage bunshin no jutsu… I had invented a new jutsu; the shinko bunshin no jutsu. This allows me to make an actual living clone of myself…" He paused again to allow the others to take it in.
"My clone kept my name, whilst I trained. I changed my name to Kioi and then the third Hokage found out about me. He saw that I had potential and he saw how I'd suffered. So at the age of five, I became a genin, and the following year, I became a chuunin. When I was seven, I became a jounin and when eight, I was an ANBU. But I was kept as a secret, no-one knew about me, with the exception of the third."
"But that still wasn't enough. I carried on pushing myself to the limit and even then I didn't stop. By the age of ten I was of Kage level."
After he had stopped, everyone just sat there in silence. They couldn't understand how someone could be so powerful at such a young age.
"… S-so you m-mean to tell us that N-Naru… that he wasn't the real one, that he was just your c-clone?" Sakura said.
"Yes… it was too late for me to personally join the academy, as my clone already had. There was no way that I would be able to fit in. I couldn't pretend to be the Naruto that you knew… we were identical in looks, but complete opposites in strength and heart. So I let him live his life there. Meanwhile, I was constantly on missions, mainly S-rank or above. That was what my life was focused about. Completing the missions that others wouldn't or couldn't."
"But when my clone died, I felt a part of me dying, as he was a part of me. That's how I knew…"
"So all this time… Our friend wasn't even real?"
"Not quite… he was real, but not like you and I."
"So you're the real Naruto… why did you call yourself Kioi?"
"Because I didn't want anyone to find out. And it seemed that he was happy, and he had such a big impact on everyone, so I didn't want to ruin that… Kioi was just a name and nothing more. This is also why I wear what I wear. To make sure that no-one would find out. However… I never expected him to die… That thought never occurred to me." Kioi now sat down.
"In a way, your Naruto was my first friend, though we didn't spend any time together… The third was also my friend, but when he died, I became a wreck, I was taking on more missions, even ones as low as B-rank. I just needed to be kept occupied. Now that he's gone… I have no-one… I never had anyone, but they were the closest…"
Sakura could here the pain that Naruto was in, so she walked over and sat down beside him, placing an arm around his shoulder.
"You don't have to be alone…" Sakura said in a sweet voice, reassuring Naruto… He looked up and, for the first time in his life, he smiled… it wasn't a fake one, but a proper smile. Sakura was having an impact on him already. They had only known each other for a minutes.
Kakashi was the next to come over, he crouched down behind him and gave him one of his everything-is-going-to-be-alright smiles.
Sasuke on the other hand was still in shock. His closest friend, his only friend… was nothing more then a clone… He wasn't even real… It was all a lie… He couldn't take this… He turned around and punched the nearest tree, enforcing his punch with chakra, making it fall down to the ground with a loud thump.
