CHAPTER 3

chapter 2. Betrayed

when you lost your path, can you find yourself?

"So Sauske, this is the time for you to make up for your little misstep earlier… even though it turned out to work for our advantage." Two Uchiha was standing next to each other looking over Konoha. On whit sorrow, guilt and regret though he tried to hide it whit his indifference façade but that did not fool the elder Uchiha, he snickered slightly and started walking "let's go and meet up whit my scout".

Naruto was lying in his bed stirring back and forth in his sleep, he had 6 pairs of troubled eyes watching him.
"Naruto, come on!"
"what, where are we going?" He rasped back angry that the raven haired man that had come to disturb him in his sleep. "Away from here, somewhere safe… I'm taking you to Konoha." Sauske spat the last words out whit venom. Naruto looked confused. He doesn't seem to like this Konoha place… then why the hell would he take me there… He didn't have much time to think though, Sauske grabbed his arm roughly and demanded him to hurry up, he glanced anxiously at the door. 'hmm, seems this is not approved by the other members… I'd rather not put him in danger, I should stay here. I don't really know anything else either…'

"I think I'll stay here, I don't want you getting into trouble-" Sauske's eyes looked at him whit those feelings Naruto never understood why he felt against him, guilt and sorrow. "Don't you understand, if you stay here much longer you will die!" He screamed at the perplexed boy. "wha-!" He felt a hit at the back of his neck and cold hand lifting him firmly up in his arms and then running, and then nothing.

Naruto awoke from his dream but left his eyes shut since he felt a presence in the room watching him intensely, he had learned during his days in captivity that this kind of situation led to much pain every time unless it was him of course then it would result in a few nice chatting hours and some nice food. But that was no more because he had dumped him in that forest to be taken in by the Konoha ninja but they actually seemed quite nice, this only made him more perplexed. Why would Sauske hate these guys… and thus he opened his eyes to meet his enemies or friends, which had Naruto yet to decide. "So finally awake are you brat, thought you would never wake up." A white haired tall old man spoke. Naruto blinked at the man, he hadn't seen him before though he decided it would be best not to argue with him since one could easily tell that his strength was far above normal shinobi level. There was a silence, nobody really knew what to say.

"so kid, I got some bad and good news…" Jiraya began. "There is not much I can do about the seals…" Naruto's eyes widned. "WHAT? But how are you going to heal me then if you can't insert any chakra in my system?"

"Well, there is the good news; the kyuubi's seal seems to be restoring itself." 'the Yondaime really didn't leave anything to chance when se sealed that damned fox.' He thought smiling to himself. "What the hell are you smiling at old man… do you mean I will be stuck here in bed with these barriers on my wounds until the seal restores itself fully?"

"Yes… I'm sorry."
Naruto looked displeased. "Whatever, what about the seal on my neck that you were babbling on about before?" he asked nodding towards Tsunade. "Well… regarding that I have some more bad news actually. That can't be released fast; it will take at least two weeks before al your memories return. If we were to release the seal to fast, the memories will be too much of a chock for you since you went through a lot when you were little." Jiraya explained considerately.

"If there really is a seal." He stated angry and suspicious. This was not the news he wanted, if he were to stay in a place with unknown people he at least wanted to be able to move on his own which he could not with these injuries.

"You know, don't you think you should be a little grateful that we took you in and helped you." Tsunade said.
"I never asked for it. And don't get me wrong just because I'm willing to listen to you does not mean I actually believe you and even less trust you at al. You are strangers keeping me bound to a fucking hospital bead and telling me an utterly ridicules story about my memory and actually assuming I will believe you, you got to be fucking kidding me." He hissed.

The third person in the room spoke up. "We do not demand that you believe us but what we are telling you is the truth, it's up to you to believe it or not."
They looked at naruto expecting another angry outburst but instead they got a painful declaration; "tell me, who and what were you to me? If this memory loss of mine really is true then I suppose I'll just have to try finding myself… I don't really remember anything positive about my life other than Sauske, everything else is just dark hell of pain and struggle. I just don't understand- why he would leave me, why didn't he follow me here if he cared so much." 'or did he even care…' Naruto had started sobbing at the last sentence. "I'm just so confused; I have no idea about who or what I am."

He choked on his sobs when he felt strong arms embracing him. "You are Uzumaki Naruto, a shinobi of Konoha and the future Hokage. Do you not remember that, your dream? You were going to become Hokage and have us all recognize your strength, how are we going to do that if you can't even recognize yourself. Try to remember the good things, Naruto."

He felt a painful jolt go from his neck, from the seal, up to his head.
"So let's start with you, tell me about your dreams, likes and dislikes." A silver haired shinobi demanded. He was sitting across from three shinobi but their strength was not even comparable. "yosh! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen and I dislike the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook… and my dream is to become the strongest shinobi and become Hokage and so have everybody in this village recognize my existence!!" The stronger shinobi's visible eye widened slightly.
"my hobbies is pranks I guess…"
"…I see"

Jiraya released his hold on Naruto and backed away slightly afraid that it might have been his fault that the blonde had let out that terrible scream in agony. Naruto raised a hand to his neck, rubbing the spot where the seal was. Jiraya looked expectantly at him. "Did the seal do anything, Naruto?"
Naruto didn't respond. He slowly raised his head and locked his gaze with Kakashi. He kept looking at him as if trying to penetrate him to see what was inside those eyes. "What happened?" Kakashi asked wondering why his eyes would change from giving him so much hate to confusedness…

"Naruto." Tsunade said sternly "answer."
"I remembered something, you were there…" he said nodding towards Kakashi. "…the memory filled me with a strange happy emotion. I think it was the first time we met… we were introducing ourselves. Me, Sauske and…" his voice now turned quite guilty. "…you and that pink haired girl, Sakura. I'm sorry I was so mean… I seems you really do mean good with holding me here…". Oh god, that was hard to admit, his pride was one of the few things no one could take from him after all… (hell, everything else had already been taken.).

"You have nothing to be sorry about Naruto. You had and still have all right to act the way you do. Hell, I would most certainly scold your if you were to be to open minded and careless against us. I did train you for three years, al that can't have been in vain." Jiraya said smiling a sinister smile towards his student.

"oh, really…". This was not really a comfortable situation to be in, surrounded by you so called loved ones, not knowing if that really was the case. Either way it was somehow humiliating. He hated it, being the one to know the least about himself.

They looked at Naruto smiling and waiting for him so flash one of his own brilliant smiles but it never came. "I'm sorry but this is just so much to comprehend. I mean just the other day I was chained in some weird cave being tortured. I was so confused and coming here… to be told about a life I never knew I had, a life where I had friends and actually was treated with humanity was merely something I could dream of…"

Jiraya looked deep into those blue eyes and saw the deep sorrow and hurt in them. "Coming here only makes me more confused actually. It's scary, coming into a totally unknown life; it actually makes me wish it only was one of my dreams. I think I rather take the pain instead of this, at least there I knew what I was doing, what I was reaching for and what I was fighting for." And there it came, the brilliant smile that he always wore, the smile that filled everyone with new hope but this time it did the exact opposite. That was a tragic smile; it cut Tsunade's heart when she saw it. Not only was it the fact that he was smiling in his position but it was not his regular 'happy-go-lucky' smile but an empty and disorientated smile.

And so followed an awkward silence. It lingered long, longer and longest in Naruto's mind. 'Great, so I just spilled my heart to potential enemies.'
Then Tsunade broke the silence. Not with her words, but (surpringsly) with her feet. She paced fast out of the room leaving a few tears behind.

Naruto looked after her confused. 'what was she crying about…?' He turned his gaze to his two sensei's. And was even more confused. They stared after the woman with sorrow in their eyes.
"What's your problem?" he asked perplexed. The two men turned their attention to Naruto.

"We were and are three of you most precious people and likewise you are ours. It's just really hard to see you like this, so lonely, hurt and confused." Jiraya said on the verge of starting to cry as well.

"I'm sorry?" Naruto said hesitantly. And to his dread this only increased the sorrow they let out. "oh, no please don't-" he started getting a bit panicked that everything he said and did only seemed to make them sad…

But before he could carry on any of his pleading he was cut off by Kakashi. "It's us that are sorry. We really are, Naruto." He said and started walking towards the door and with one last glance at his student Jiraya followed his example. And there it came, the tears. Not tears of sadness but tears of helplessness. What am I? Who am I? He wanted answers.

A/N. Sorry(!!!) for the delay, had some other things to take care of, but chapter 4 should be up soon, i have already writen half of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto
Apologizes: My English sucks, but if you do find it annoying then stop reading, can't do much about it since my English teacher in school sucks... (;