There was a time in his life where Naruto thought himself the Hero, believed that he was striving for peace. How wrong he was. Whatever wore his skin years ago, it was no Saint. They used to whisper monster behind his back as a child, their harsh eyes piercing him.
Naruto hated it.
Too bad that's exactly what he became.
"Ar—to-san?"
'Maybe I did die? Maybe, this is Hell.'
Everything he'd tried to stand for, everything he ever held faith in—shattered—right until the very end.
When he drifted through that void, his body feeling as if it were about to explode. The sight of a million little light clusters floating within that pitch-black abyss, each one as bright and vivid as the other.
He'd never felt so small.
It took a while after the fact for him to come to terms with what he'd laid eyes upon. If this world existed, who was to say a thousand more didn't? That understanding hit like a ton of bricks. It was in that moment that Naruto saw how futile his efforts were.
How insignificant it was.
"Your power is useless. Your valiant struggle, meaningless."
Which brought him to the biggest question of all, one that haunted every day of his life since.
If nothing mattered, why was he still here?
"Without a purpose, boy. Your life is worthless."
"—Naruto-san?"
He blinked once, Saeko's voice drawing him out of his stupor. "Hm?" he muttered, peering down at the shorter girl.
In that second, the sky met the sea.
"You zoned out, so we missed our chance to cross."
The blaring sound of a horn knocked in his ears not a moment later. The train raced past them. Fierce winds swept through, blasting his unkempt locks and sending Saeko's running dress flying about. If he were a lesser man, he might have looked.
An awkward minute passed before they could cross again.
"I'm almost insulted, Naruto-san," she smiled up at him, "you could have peeked you know?"
The sun sat high in the sky, luminous and bright. The morning was still, and she worked her crudely dubbed games as always. It was the definite start to another worn day.
Albeit he would never admit it out loud, Naruto welcomed her presence at times.
"Who's to say that I didn't?"
Saeko's smile grew, "What color was I wearing, then?"
Naruto fought back a tired sigh. "I'm not sure I should say that out loud. You noticed it too, right?"
"Of course. We're being followed, or rather, I am. I believe Izumi Natsu is the culprit, a second-year student at Miyazaki Academy whom I defeated in last week's Kendo tournament."
Naruto raised a thin brow, "So he wants revenge?"
That was a tad excessive.
"No, nothing so barbaric. He fell in love with me."
She brushed past him after the words left her lips, acting as if that were a common occurrence. Naruto had to remind himself that, indeed, it was. Saeko Busujima demanded no less.
"Right, well, he's kind of a creep. Are you going to do anything about it?"
"No, although they aren't usually so bold. Besides, I could care less. My heart is yours."
The blond shook his head at her antics, spotting out the mop of dyed blue hair poking out from behind a nearby newspaper stand. Izumi probably crossed expecting them to do the same.
For once his spacing out proved useful.
"Come along now, Naruto-san, or we'll be late," Saeko called out, sparing him a glance from behind her shoulder.
His brow twitched at the obvious order. She had a terrible habit of bossing him around like he were a stubborn pet.
"Red."
Naruto brisked by, one hand in his pocket and the other gesturing for her to follow.
Saeko faltered, a coy smirk overtaking the imp smile.
"Bad dog."
The loud and obnoxious chatter of the cafeteria during breakfast made it difficult to talk in private. So they relocated outside to a secluded bench furthest from the crowds.
Underneath the shadow of famous cherry blossom tree, they sat. An unusual tension lingering between the two of them. As always it was Misuzu who spoke up first, breaking the ice. If Misuzu hadn't Nikki doubted she would have had the courage to do so herself.
"I'm nervous. I can't believe I feel this nervous." A faint laugh followed, her hands tugging at the hem of her uniform.
Niki's breakfast sat unattended. She couldn't bother to stomach any of it, her nerves would not let her. Last night had one of her worst fears come true.
"I know you don't get why, but I can't help what I feel."
Misuzu was right, Nikki did not understand. Whatever the thing Misuzu saw in him was she remained blind to it. Naruto Uzumaki—his behavior, actions, words—it spoke of something different to her.
Something dangerous.
"But look at me. It's been days and I can't even work up the courage to say anything to him. I even called him a liar to his face. All that talking I do, and I don't ever do a thing about it. I'm pathetic."
Nikki's chest felt tight hearing that. She hated seeing her like this.
'This is his fault. It always is.'
"You're not." Nikki tried to console her, offering a kindly smile. "You're amazing, Suzu. He's lucky you're even thinking something crazy like this."
Misuzu managed a small glare, her thin lips falling into a list. "It isn't crazy," she muttered, "at least, it doesn't feel that way..." Bright eyes shimmered with unspoken sentiments.
'Why is this so difficult?' Nikki wondered while fighting back her own feelings. The only thing they couldn't outright share with each other, she supposed. "I know, I'm sorry. I just..." The words died on her tongue.
'I hate that it's him.'
A spark of envy started inside her chest, threatening to grow into a wildfire that would devour everything in its path.
Misuzu meant more to her than life itself, she was her everything! Nikki's own family didn't care about her, she had no other friends, only Misuzu. They'd held together since they were children, grown up alongside one another, been there for each other through the laughter and the tears.
Now he was threatening to take that away from her. If it were anyone else she might not have objected—but it was Naruto Uzumaki.
A deceiver, a trickster.
A fake.
Misuzu met her gaze, brow furrowed. "I know you do, Nikki, I know you've noticed it too, but what you see and what I see are two different things. He isn't a bad person, Nikki. Besides, just thinking about it..." She paused for a moment as if measuring her words. "It makes me feel happy."
The smile on her face was undeniable.
A tenderness shimmered in her gorgeous eyes that were unmistakable even to her. As much as it pained Niki to admit it, the truth was on Misuzu's face.
Nikki lost, she'd lost a long time ago.
"I guess that's all that matters. You know I'll support you." Her lips curved up into a forced smile and Misuzu was none the wiser.
Nikki wanted to deny her feelings, to tell her what an idiot she was being. That this charity case of hers had gone on long enough!
Yet, she did nothing.
"Thank you."
Nikki nodded her head, her fake grin widening. This was all she could ever do because, in the end, she was weak. Too soft to take a stand and protect the one person that was precious to her—even if it was from herself.
Misuzu turned to her and brought both arms up, grabbing her shoulders and gripping them. As if to convey what she could not say with words alone. All the while, that same dazzling smile blinded her.
"One day, you should give him a chance. Then you'll see," she said, "Naruto isn't what you think he is."
Not a second after she uttered his name, that unmistakable head of blond crept along the edges of Nikki's sight. Judging by how Misuzu's grip tightened, she noticed him too.
It was strange how a single person could change the way someone feels and thinks. How Misuzu could go from being the strong, boisterous girl she'd come to know and love, to a puddle of uncertainty when Naruto was around.
He wasn't worth it—but she was.
'Make a move!' Her eyes met Misuzu's and she conveyed the message.
Brown eyes broke away and met something else other than her. Nikki knew then that she wasn't going to do it. All of those hours spent cooking for him, pouring her all into it. Every day waiting for him, only to be made a fool out of.
Naruto did not deserve her affection, but he wasn't going to get away with it this time.
Without warning, Nikki stood from her seat and drew as much air into her lungs as she could. Mustering up every ounce of her courage—then she screamed his name out.
"Naruto!"
"Ni—Nikki!"
The look on Misuzu's face was priceless.
Naruto caught her gaze as if on instinct. Before Nikki hollered his name, he noticed her, sitting on his beloved bench no less.
A few days passed since their first and last study session and they hadn't spoken a word to each other since. Naruto would have liked to say it didn't bother him, though, that would have been a lie.
This wasn't their first falling out not by a long shot, but somehow it felt different from the rest.
"Friends of yours?" Saeko took a place at his side, an odd twinkle glimmering in those light blue eyes.
Naruto flashed her a frown and she chuckled in response.
"Of course. Then, what are they?"
That was a good question. Nikki, he knew what she was to him, the same as the rest.
Misuzu on the other hand...
It was different with her, infuriating as it was. Unlike Hayate or Saeko, he could never outright dismiss her. He could not ignore that brilliant smile, her warmth. From the beginning, Naruto wanted to hate her but found that he could not.
"A burden."
Saeko seemed rather perplexed at his choice of wording. "A burden? I see. Well, they seem rather excited to see you. Why don't we say hello?"
Naruto blinked at the 'we'.
"What—?"
It was too late, Saeko was one step ahead, waving right back at now shell-shocked Nikki who's arm fell at the sight of her.
Even in the lower grades, the heiress was revered.
'Fuck me.'
It was an odd coincidence seeing them together. The favorite of the school and its biggest shame strolling side by side. The sight should have felt strange, unusual, and yet they looked so at ease with one another.
Something inside of her raged at that.
Misuzu felt many a different thing in that moment. Astonishment at Nikki's outburst. Anxious about talking to him again. Wonder when her coffee-colored eyes met a pair of striking blue.
This woman needed no introductions.
Nikki voiced her own shock as the pair neared, solidifying Misuzu's concerns. "Is that...Saeko Busujima?" she mumbled, breathless.
It certainly was.
Misuzu had never seen Saeko around Fujimi Academy, only ever laying eyes on the heiress during assemblies or the announcements. Someone as important as Saeko was far too involved, always busy doing the next thing.
Which made it all the odder.
'Why is she with him?' The first thing that came to mind was her status as director of the disciplinary committee. Naruto was a troublemaker, not as dangerous as the rumors implied, but his attitude could use some work.
Her eyes narrowed, 'No. That's too easy.' Misuzu heard tell of what befell the delinquents who crossed the Busujima heiress. None of them were good stories.
More so, Misuzu was positive none of those delinquents had ever made Saeko smile like that either.
The fever in her chest intensified.
It wasn't until Naruto started walking toward them that her heart began to race. A part of her wanted to rip her hairs out in frustration and she had good reason to.
'Maybe I'm overthinking things?' she tried to sort her scrambled thoughts, 'I could be wrong. Naruto isn't the type to go for looks anyway.'
The uncertainty kicked in and what little control Misuzu had left caved against the oncoming flood of emotion. 'What do you know about him, really?' A dark voice whispered, 'What good are you to him anyway? You're nothing but an inconvenience. A leech.'
'...I wanted to give it to him. I wanted to talk to him.' Now she all she could do was force a smile and hope for the best.
It was all she could ever do.
"Hello," the sound of her voice was even sweeter in person. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is—"
"—Not that important." Naruto followed behind, waving at the two while shooting Saeko a not-so-subtle glare.
Like that, Misuzu crossed the point of no return.
"How rude, Naruto-san. I was about to introduce myself to your friends."
"They're not—" He paused, Misuzu's face clear from the corner of his eye.
Saeko's lip curled up into a thin smile and her gaze met his. Naruto stifled a frown at the all too pleased shimmer in her eyes. Another silly game he couldn't quite figure out.
"They're not important either."
"Not important?" Saeko echoed, "I've never heard someone, or anyone, call out your name so enthusiastically before. That seems rather important to me."
"Saeko..." He trailed off.
"Do ignore him. He's a rabid dog. Earlier this morning he took a look at my underwear when the winds swept my skirt up."
Naruto felt the eyes of many and all of them were glaring. "I'm pretty sure you asked me too."
"I would never do such a thing, Naruto-san."
It didn't seem like she was going to listen anytime soon. 'And you haven't said a word.' His eyes met Misuzu's again. In spite of the good-natured smile on her face, Naruto could tell that she was upset.
Fantastic, so much for talking it out.
"S-Saeko Busujima-san?" Nikki said with a stutter, visibly nervous.
"Oh? You know me? Well, that isn't fair. You've got a head start here." Saeko joked, tearing her eyes away from Naruto. "It's a pleasure to meet you two." She dipped her head in a bow.
"N-Nikki T-Toshimi."
Saeko blinked, coming back up to her full height. "Toshimi? Of Toshimi Airlines?" At Nikki's weak nod, her sights found Naruto again. "You've gone and made some unique friends haven't you?"
He snorted in response, "I don't know what that is and I don't care."
"Of course," she turned away from him and faced the quietest one of the four, "and what about you? I'd like to know your name as well."
"Misuzu Ichijou."
Saeko let out a laugh, "Unique and important friends. You are a wonder, Naruto-san. With these two alone you could topple half of the families who attend our fine academy."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Saeko sighed, "I suppose a violent dog like yourself would be oblivious to anything but claws and teeth."
Naruto had a retort ready to go, but Misuzu interrupted him.
"E-Excuse me," she bit her lip at the stutter, brow wrinkled. "How do you two know each other?" There was probably a better way to word it, but at the moment she couldn't think of a single one. "I-I don't mean to be rude, it's just..." Her gaze stayed on him before it traveled to Saeko. "Naruto doesn't talk to many people. In fact, until now I thought it was only us. W-Which isn't a bad thing or anything! I'm just...surprised is all."
Saeko's drank in every detail of Misuzu Ichijou. From the number freckles on her cheeks to the split hairs framing her square jaw. "That's funny, I feel the same way." She shook her head, more than a little amused. "Luring three innocent girls like ourselves into your depraved clutches. How wicked can you get?"
Naruto ignored the jab, "I didn't lure any of you."
Saeko clapped her hands and smiled. "Well, this was an eye-opening experience. If only I could stay and chat with you, but I have a few things to attend too." She beamed at Misuzu and Nikki. "I hope to see you again, keep an eye on Naruto-san for me, will you?"
The blond withheld a grunt.
Nikki's gaze jumped back and forth between Naruto and her best friend. Saeko's statement vaguely registering in the back of her mind all the while.
He was hurting her.
With every word uttered Naruto dug the knife deeper and deeper into Misuzu's heart, and he didn't even know it.
"O-Of course." She mumbled.
Saeko turned to leave, only for Naruto to cut her off before she could do so.
"Don't forget our deal."
Saeko tilted her head, feigning innocence. "What deal? The one we made last night after you walked me home from our date? Hm, I can't seem to recall."
A single blond brow twitched, "It wasn't a—"
"—Don't worry, we've been over this." That smile was almost venomous. "Try not to be late to class today. Goodbye, Naruto-san."
After she'd made her exit an unmistakable silence lingered.
"So. It's been a while."
A moment of heavy silence, then, "You could have found me. You're good at stuff like that, aren't you?"
His attempt at striking a conversation was shot down. Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I guess..." he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
Thankfully, Misuzu was more than willing to take the lead. "You're good at a lot of things though aren't you? You're good at lying, and hiding, and running...and you're really great at pissing me off!"
Naruto's brow shot past his hairline.
"What are you—?"
"—You're popular too! Saeko Busujima? You must be special, huh?" Her head hung low, messy bangs obscuring whatever glare she was most likely sending him.
"What the hell is your problem?" Naruto murmured, scowling. She was almost yelling and it was starting to garner an unwanted crowd.
"And what do I know? About you, about us...? Nothing! Not a damn thing, right?! Because you don't ever tell me anything! You don't talk to me!" Misuzu was panting at this point, her shoulders quivering. "But you talk to her don't you...?"
"Misuzu, I don't—"
"—No!" she barked, her head snapping up, tears in her eyes. "Just leave me alone!"
Naruto watched the stray droplets fall over the green grass even as she bolted, hiding her face while she ran.
"What did I do...?"
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to ask.
Nikki, who had kept her mouth shut a majority of their argument decided to add her two cents on the matter. The abrupt burst of confidence from before not entirely gone.
"What did you do?" She parroted, her furious gaze coming up to meet his gaze. Naruto noted this was the first time she'd ever glared at him."Nothing! You don't do anything and that's the problem! She's dragged herself through the mud for you! She's tried everything she could think of to help you, to make you smile, to be your friend! And you. You've never done anything for her! Not even a thank you for all that she's done for your miserable self!"
Nikki was stumbling over words. There was a viciousness to her that only ever reared its head when Misuzu was concerned.
"You're nothing but a selfish, bitter person! You don't deserve her! You're the absolute worst, Naruto Uzumaki!" She'd been holding that back for a long time now, that was easy enough to tell.
Naruto supposed he should have felt insulted. Nikki's curses and her misguided rage should have sent his already tumbling mood spiraling downward. However, he couldn't be mad at her for telling the truth. He'd never thanked Misuzu, never lifted so much as a finger in return, but...
"Are you done?"
Nikki took a sharp breath, ready to tear into him some more—only for the words to die on her lips at when she met his gaze again. Until the day that she died, Nikki swore she would never forget the sight of that cold fury.
In that instant she watched herself die in his arms.
"I never asked for her kindness. You're all fucking with my day at this point."
Nikki didn't get a chance to respond, Naruto didn't give her the time to. He didn't care about whatever it was she would say next, brushing past her, a fierce scowl on his face.
"Just leave me alone!"
The scowl deepened, 'That's my line.'
Study hall was the perfect time to catch up on homework or better oneself. To Naruto, it was another chance to sleep because there was nothing better to do. Instead of doing that, however, he was mulling that same moment over and over again obsessively. He couldn't get what transpired this morning out of his head. The past six hours spent agonizing over it. Trying his best to figure out what it was that he did wrong.
A futile endeavor.
This was bothering him more than it should, but Misuzu was hard to ignore.
Naruto let a breath escape his parted lips. He didn't ask for her to lend a hand or follow him around. Never wanted her to try and get close to him or be friends. He told her to leave and stop wasting her time, he shunned her, ignored her. Yet, she always came back.
Why did she come back? What was it that she wanted from him?
'Of all the things to stress about. As if I couldn't get any more pathetic.' Some days felt like they'd never end, sometimes a whole minute seemed like forever.
"U-Uzumaki-san?"
Naruto was drawn out of his thoughts by the representative of the class, who by all accounts and purposes was the textbook definition of average. The only noticeable factor about him was a sizable mole just underneath his right eye.
"What?" The blond murmured while trying not to outright gawk at the mole, and failing at that.
"A-Ah, sensei would like to s-speak with you."
Naruto kept the boy in his ocular trap for a second longer. A single blink broke the spell he'd set.
"Thanks."
"R-Right!"
The blond watched him scuttle away like a rat, finding no diversion in how pitiful he or any of them were.
'I suppose I should get this over with.'
Naruto stood and gathered his things. His gut telling him that whatever this was would be cutting the rest of the class period short.
Today kept getting better and better.
"Can I help you?"
Rei Miyamoto had him backed into a corner, her hands over her hips and a frown on her features.
"Stay away from my family."
Naruto's brow rutted and he blinked, finding anything but her to look at.
"Okay...?"
When he came up to the front of the library, Naruto wasn't sure what to expect. It could have been anyone, ranging from Hayashi to another anonymous instructor out for his blood. Rei, he did not anticipate.
Evidently, he was meant to spend what should have been his free period helping the Sojutsu Club clean up their training space. Which translated to listless and repetitive labor.
Although that was the first he'd heard of that particular punishment. Which made no sense, since he'd be spending this weekend with the Recycling Club to make up for his constant napping. Of course, the story checked out with that sorry excuse for a teacher regardless and Rei was allowed to spirit him away to do who knows what.
Which led him to the current predicament.
"I'm serious!" She aimed a finger at him, ruby eyes narrowed in contempt. "I know about you, Uzumaki. You're the worst kind of trouble. I won't allow you to bring that near my family!"
Unbelievable.
"You're kidding me? Right?"
The hallway they occupied was empty save for them. Which led him to believe that she'd somehow planned this encounter from the start.
"I'm more than just not kidding. I'm serious," Rei said, to which Naruto's lip twitched. "I don't know what happened the other night. My stupid gramp's probably got drunk and took pity on you or something, I don't know! I don't care! Whatever it was though, it won't happen again, got it? I've got enough shit to deal with without worrying about you bringing in anymore!"
Naruto wasn't sure what it was about today—but he'd rather it be over and done with at this point.
'I'm not in the mood for this.'
He spared her a flat glare, expression as void and vacant as ever.
Rei was beginning to falter, her bravado shrinking in the presence of that imposing stare. The rumors about him were true. That if you stared long enough there was an almost eerie glow to those dark blue eyes. Then he broke away and without so much as the last word, Naruto swept by her.
"Hey! Wait, where are you going?! Damn it, stop ignoring me!"
Naruto had the decency to wave goodbye, although he was sure she didn't appreciate the gesture. It wasn't like he cared. The more he walked the further her cries got until they were naught but distant echoes in the back of his head.
At the very least there was a silver lining.
'What to do now? I can't go back to class.'
It looks like he had no choice but to skip—a shame.
There was a point in his life where he was stupid enough to think he had everything figured out. A short-lived one at that, buried deep in a sea of regret and defeat.
He'd made so many mistakes. There were only so many things one could blame on circumstance, but the rest, who was to blame for that? Was it Danzo, for ushering him onto the path of carnage Kakashi, for being too tired to fight back?
No.
"What will you do with your future?"
If his life, if this world, if it were all to end tomorrow—it wouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. They were another speck, one among a million. What future was worth living knowing that? He'd already lived and died once before. If anything, Naruto was convinced that this really was hell.
'That all seeing eye wants me to apologize, to atone...but I can't do that, I made a promise.'
The bell sounded and in mere moments his field of view was flooded with students. Their combined babble infringing on his current trail of thought, whacking at his sanity.
'We dig our hole, and we lie in it. I wouldn't want to sleep anywhere else.'
Naruto hefted his bag over his shoulder and walked into the crowd. Keeping his head ducked, untrimmed locks veiling his facial features.
'I'll sleep for eternity.'
The Fujimi gates were close, their tall shadow looming over each of them. At the sight of those massive bars, Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
'Time for work. I could use the extra cash this month.' He crossed without a hitch, and the moment he lifted his chin, Naruto caught a glimpse of a familiar set of coffee-colored eyes.
Fate really was a dick.
Misuzu sat by the exit, a smile on her lithe features as a few people that he couldn't quite name chatted her up. Her eyes roaming the masses even as the other girls spoke to her.
'She's looking for you.' A voice whispered.
Naruto watched her and his heart throbbed. This couldn't be hell—not if she was here with them.
There were too many reasons to count. The fact that one day soon he would graduate and he might never see her again. The thought she could die tomorrow and so much would be left unsaid. A dozen different lessons that he'd learned the hard way guided his legs, and before he knew it, Naruto was making his way over to her.
In truth, it was an excuse. He just wanted to talk to her.
'You're too bright.' He mused as he neared Misuzu, the makings of a small smile cracking his usual facade.
He would set this right.
The dusty flats and grassy ranges were gone. Numerous bodies posed in awkward angles. So tranquil they couldn't be asleep, piled one over the other like heaps of trash, streams of scarlet running and meeting in between them.
Naruto froze up.
Kunai ringing against each other.
Men crying, sniveling. The smell of death. The taste of blood.
He could do nothing but watch her for another second longer, admiring the warmth in her eyes. Then, he turned back around. If she never talked to him again things were probably better off that way.
With every step, he saw an empty battlefield. The ground littered with corpses. His hands stained with blood.
Misuzu, she didn't deserve that.
Naruto could not help the tired laugh, 'At the very least, maybe I'm not so selfish after all.'
Naruto absently washed the dishes, a blank look on his face. A repetitive and mind-numbing practice—exactly what he needed. The night had gone by quick, the exact opposite of his shit day at school. Saeko was nowhere to be seen, and for once, Hayate wasn't drunk.
It was enough to make him suspicious.
"Yo. You almost finished? I'm about to shut down for the night."
Naruto nodded his head while placing the last few in the sink, "Yeah, give me a few more minutes."
"No problem."
"You're still there, aren't you?"
Hayate chuckled, "Aye, I am."
Naruto focused on the task at hand. "Why? Don't you have other stuff to do?"
"Don't you? Tomorrow is your day off, isn't it? Have any plans?"
"No."
Hayate grunted, "You're as boring as ever. Anyway, I can't help but notice that stick jammed up your ass is a bit longer than usual today. Did something good happen?"
Naruto flashed him a glare, turning the sink off and drying his hands. Tossing the rag over the still wet plates. "Dry them yourself."
Hayate let him pass, that gruff voice trailing behind him. "Something good must have happened, yeah? Well. I was just asking. Our mutual friend stopped by today, she dropped off your usual package."
Naruto paused, the apron hanging around his neck. "Do what you want with it. It isn't mine to take."
Hayate sighed, "Fine, I'll get piss drunk then."
Naruto shut the single locker door and tossed the old man his key. "Yeah. You do that, make sure to drive after you're done. Do us both a favor."
"Tch, cheeky brat." The old man hesitated. "Say, I'm on my way over to my son's house for few rounds, are you interested? It's free food."
"No."
His earlier session with Rei Miyamoto would no doubt lead to even more trouble if he ever showed his face there again and right now, all Naruto wanted to do was go home and sleep.
"Right. I figured. Have yourself a good night then, my boy. I put some food in your pack, free of charge. Be careful with it will you?"
Naruto thanked him and waved goodbye.
The training field felt the fierceness of their battle.
Naruto knew Kakashi was strong, but he didn't know how strong. To taste the might of the Copy Shinobi first hand, not as a student, but as an equal—it was overwhelming. He was just hanging on, but still, he persisted. The rage in his heart, the anger keeping him up like strings on a puppet, it would not allow him to stop.
Kakashi saved his life and he'd never hated anyone more for it.
"Have you had enough?"
Yet his rage could not support his tired body.
"Who is it that you're attacking, Naruto?"
"You."
His teacher responds not with words, but with action. A flurry of Kunai from the left, a hailstorm of Shuriken from the right, and two Shadow Clones approaching from the front and back. He intended to flank him and finish it there. Naruto tried to dodge and found that a single step was all that he could manage before he collapsed.
Kakashi was there to catch him.
"You've improved." He began, lifting him up bridal style, much to his chagrin. "You're stronger than I was at your age, but you lack experience." He paused and that single eye fell on him again.
Naruto caught the fleeting sight as easily as ever.
'Who are you looking at?'
He lay in his teacher's arms, body limp, dark blue eyes looking up at the heavens sheered in gray and white.
"It was wrong to send you out there."
What a joke.
"And what about you? How old were you, sensei?"
Kakashi's eye left him, "That was a different time."
Naruto saw the face of that boy right before the blade cut him into pieces. He saw it over and over and over again, on a loop. Then, it was gone, succeeded by a dozen others. So it went as long as his eyes remained shut.
It was getting harder to sleep.
"You were ten. Three years younger than me. How many others do you think there were?"
Everything he'd sacrificed. The bits of himself that were cast aside to maintain the strength to change something. Anything.
Yet something was still missing. How could he forget it? That thing, what made you strong...
"Too many."
"Then why did you stop me?"
A pause.
"Because I'm selfish. You're all I have left. I can't lose you too."
Such a pitiful man.
'Is this it?' Naruto wondered to himself, eyelids fluttering. 'To be wanted? To be loved?'
What a troublesome thing.