Naruto Shattered
Chapter Eight: Shattered by Innocence
"Mommy! Mommy!"
A slight tug on her clothes made Sakura stir.
"Come on, Mommy! Daddy bought us a puppy!"
The pink haired woman opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was plain white, but she could tell that it was familiar and safe.
"Mommy, please!"
Sakura turned to the source of the voice, a pink-haired, blue-eyed little girl of eight, expressing her child-like frustration at her failed attempts at getting her mother up.
Getting up, Sakura took the child's hand and caressed it for a second before looking her in the face. She loved the child more than anything in the world, and every day she showed her love by expressing it through touch.
The child, however, didn't continue the tender moment. She impatiently tugged her mother's hand to indicate once more that she needed to follow.
Exiting Sakura's room and entering a hallway which had picture frames all over its walls, the child led the mother to the beautiful living room. The window let in just the right amount of light to show how beautiful the walls were and how immaculate the picture frame placement was.
"Mom is up!" Another voice, different from her daughter's, spoke up. Sakura turned to see two young blond boys, at the ages of about 11; coming from the door she thought lead into the kitchen.
The two boys smiled at Sakura and immediately ran to hug her. When they let go, the three of them started chattering nervously about the new pet they were about to get.
The little girl nervously started to wrinkle the hem of her orange skirt in anticipation, and Sakura began to think about the trouble that this pet would bring. Of course, she was going to be the one to clean up after it, the one to walk it, and the one to train it to obey simple commands.
All in a day's work for Sakura, the dutiful mother and wife.
After about five minutes of waiting, the locks on the door began to turn, indicating that Sakura's husband had arrived and was about to open the door.
A small gust of air swept into the house as the door opened revealing an older, more handsome, and masculine version of Uzumaki Naruto.
"Honey, I'm home!"
There was that customary shout of recognition from her precious one.
The children held their breath, and suddenly, a small, black blur bolted in the house, yipping and trying to get its tiny, pink tongue to lick the children in every part that exposed skin.
"His name is Kuro," Naruto exclaimed, proud that he could provide such a caring pet to his very caring family.
Sakura, although, made her mouth taut, and her mouth now resembled the thin line of disapproval that the majority of the women married into the Nara clan wore.
Kuro wasn't a puppy; it was a fox. In fact, it was a black fox.
As if her thoughts controlled the atmosphere, the scenery became darker, and the air chilled.
"Honey, what's wrong? Don't you like our new member of the family?" Naruto asked, concerned about Sakura's facial expression.
Sakura's eyes were on the fox, which was still licking her children, when they flashed towards Naruto's direction.
"MOMMY, HELP!"
The screams of her young alerted the pink-haired ex-shinobi to the fox.
But, it wasn't cute anymore. Kuro, the hyper and cute fox was shifting into black mass of energy, with gnashing teeth and a humanoid shape. A single tail remained, swirling in the air as it tore one of the boys in half, blood spewing everywhere.
The giant, humanoid form was luridly familiar. Its black color sent a chill down Sakura's spine as she realized that this black fox demon had already killed one of her children, and was approaching the other two.
She mustered all of her strength to move, but she was stuck, like a statue. No matter how much she wanted to save her precious children, her own fear took hold and planted her firmly in her spot.
Tears started to form, and the scenery changed once again. She was on a bridge, alone.
But she wasn't completely alone; she was surrounded by the dead.
Bodies or parts of them were everywhere, piles upon piles of them. The dried blood staining the stonework seemed all too gruesomely real.
Wandering through the corpses, there seemed to be no end.
"GRR"
Sakura turned around in haste as the growling seemed to have come from right behind her.
And there it was, the demon, the one that killed her children and the very same one that must have killed all of these people. It charged at her, and Sakura turned and started to run.
She could feel it gaining on her as she tripped and stumbled over the mangled piles of flesh. She could feel its breath on the back of her neck.
Sakura didn't dare to turn around to look behind.
Sakura's bed was damp with sweat when she suddenly shot out of bed. She carefully scanned the room around her for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Her eyes caught the clock.
She has woken two hours earlier than she should have. Rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes, Sakura stumbled into the hall to get a fresh blanket, and new sheets. She carefully and quietly moved around her house, consciously trying to not wake up her parents.
She tip-toed back to her bedroom with some new bedding and decided to get some breakfast while she was up.
Heading into the kitchen, she avoided looking into the mirror, and set her goal flatly on getting some cereal.
She opened the cabinets, but frowned slightly when she couldn't find anything she had set her heart on.
'I'm pretty sure that Mom put some in the pantry.'
With an exasperated sigh, Sakura tip-toed around her kitchen counter, careful not to touch anything, to the pantry door.
When she stood in front of it, she hesitated before reaching out to slide the door open. Her arms tensed slightly, preparing for any surprise attacks.
Once her eyes adjusted to the little light she turned on to see in the pantry, she had found her cereal, and was just about to close the door when...
KSSSHHHHHH!
Several jars of spices fell and shattered, splattering the contents all over the floor.
"Damn!" Sakura hissed, and she heard footsteps starting to head down the stairs towards the kitchen.
The kitchen lights turned on, revealing the Sakura's mother and father, standing in the door way, wearing nothing but their night clothes.
"Sakura!" The mother exclaimed with slight relief, putting away the broom she had picked up.
"Do you know what time it is, young lady?" The father said sternly, wondering why his daughter was up at three O'clock in the morning.
Sakura lowered her head, hoping they didn't see the embarrassing pink that colored her face.
How could she face her parents? How could she possibly tell them that her mission to the wave had caused her to miss hours of sleep? She knew how they would react if she had told them the truth.
No more being a ninja, no more Princess Four for Sakura if her parents knew what had happened.
"I'm fine, I just wanted to get something to eat, and suddenly..." Sakura stepped aside, revealing the source of the sound that reverberated in the house moments before.
The situation was obvious enough to the parents that they didn't need Sakura to explain it to them. They hurriedly got the broom and dust-pan. Sakura's mother swept the glass while Sakura's father took inventory of the pantry, making sure that he had enough money from his merchant stands to cover the semi-expensive spices that were soiled.
After that early morning fiasco, Sakura was sent back to bed by her parents. Sakura closed her door, but not before making sure that everything in the room was exactly as she had left it.
After telling herself that everything was fine, Sakura walked to her bed, and decided she would try to sleep.
However, as soon as she lay down, she knew she wouldn't be able to. She had too much to think about.
That scared her. Sakura didn't want to think lest she think about recent events. It had been two days since she had been back in Konoha, and she had spent the majority of her time busying herself.
Sakura was trying to make sure she didn't think about the fact that she had taken her first life.
Her face paled as she finally succumbed to the inevitable, and she thought about the experience of killing on her first real mission.
It was an accident; she certainly didn't mean to kill that man. She didn't mean to extinguish his very being with a couple of shuriken and kunai.
The pink-haired girl's body began to quiver as she relived that moment of her life. The quickness of death and the horrible revelation afterwards that didn't quite hit until now. It was strange and frightening because she didn't know it could be that easy. She had imagined her first kill to be something she would have a hard time doing, but it wasn't.
It was so easy for her, and that scared Sakura. It scared her because she didn't want it to be that easy. She couldn't give back the life she had taken, and it was plaguing her with bad dreams.
'But last night's dream wasn't about that...' Sakura thought as she shivered uncontrollably every time she thought of that beast that stalked her in the massive grave of bodies.
Shifting her body to the other side of the bed to stare at the clock on her bedside drawer. As soon as Sakura saw the clock, her face fell, it hadn't even been five minutes since she was ushered into her room by her parents.
Sakura tried once more, in a vain attempt, to go to sleep, but it was ultimately futile.
"You are certain of what you saw?" The Third Hokage asked Kakashi when the Jounin reported in for debriefing after their return. The Hokage's voice was filled with deep concern, and he smoked his pipe, letting out a long drawn puff of smoke while he faced a window that had a pleasant view of Konoha.
"There was no mistaking it," Kakashi began gravely, "Naruto had used the Kyuubi's power."
Kakashi thought back to that black shape on the bridge and the slaughter of bandits that followed it. Naruto had moved faster than what Kakashi had thought possible, and in a time that would have impressed even the most hardened of ninja, Naruto had killed them all. The Hokage took another drag and let it out, his eyes swimming in the smoke as he thought.
"How did Naruto return back to normal?" The Third Hokage asked, looking at the children that were playing happily outside, unknowing of the dangerous world they really inhabit. The children, with smiles on their faces were playing kick ball, and laughing when one of their company had hit a homerun.
"It seems that Naruto's body can't handle the transformation for an extended period of time. After he was done with the bandits, the chakra disappeared and Naruto was left unconscious."
"And does he remember anything?"
"He claims to have forgotten everything," Kakashi responded, his eye on Third Hokage, who still kept his eyes on the children outside.
"He claims?" The Hokage asked, finally turning around to face the white-haired Jounin, one of his old and grey eyebrows raised.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied, "I don't know for certain, but I think that he is lying. Call it a hunch."
The Hokage took another drag from his pipe before beginning, "And you think we should find out?"
"Yes. Inochi could probe his mind for the truth. However, if he doesn't know, he will after the procedure."
The Hokage sighed, turned back to the children and stood there for a moment, witnessing their innocence at play.
"Kakashi," The old man began, "Will you come stand next to me for a moment."
With his eyebrow raised, Kakashi did as he was told and moved to stand next to the village leader.
"Why do you think people become shinobi, Kakashi?" The Hokage asked the White-haired nin. The old man's hands were folded behind his back, and his gaze turned contemplative on the children, who were still enjoying their horseplay and games. One of the children, the only female of the group had just run and scored for her team.
There was a moment of silence. Sarutobi briefly looked at Kakashi, who was still thinking about the question, before his eyes went back to the children.
"To ensure the safety of the people," Kakashi answered, his eye landing on the side of The Hokage's face as the old man scrutinized the children at play.
"Look at the children down there," Sarutobi said, and Kakashi's eye flickered down to the group of children, who have just ended their game of kickball and started to play ninja.
"People become ninja," Sarutobi continued, "to protect the innocence of the innocent. We give our lives so that the children might have the years to play games and laugh. Naruto, while he might be a ninja, is still a child."
The Hokage gave Kakashi a meaningful look before continuing on.
"Maybe I am being a senile old man, but I still want to protect Naruto's innocence. Naruto, as you know, doesn't have much to call his own, and I don't want to have another thing ripped away from him. If he says he doesn't remember it, I do not wish him to have to."
"I understand."
"However," The Sandaime began, turning his face away from the children and addressing Kakashi, "the news troubles me greatly. If it is indeed true, then Naruto's seal might have been loosened. This means that it's only a matter of time before he transforms again and loses control. We can't risk the village like that."
"What can we do, Hokage-Sama?"
"There is a priestess in the Land of Demons that is skilled in sealing and can restore the seal that binds the Kyuubi to Naruto. Unfortunately, this priestess refuses to leave the land. She stands guard over a sealed demon named Moryo, who was sealed away years ago."
"I see," Kakashi answered, "It is your wish for me to bring Naruto to the Land of Demons so that he may have the seal restored."
"Exactly, but Naruto must not know. If Naruto truly doesn't remember the events on the bridge, then he might not know that the seal has been loosened. I do not wish for him to find that out and try to take advantage of the power that lay dormant inside him. The Kyuubi's Chakra is so potent that it corrupts absolutely. If Naruto uses it frequently, it may eventually lead to the Kyuubi permanently possessing him," the Hokage finished gravely.
"When should cell 7 depart?" Kakashi asked, bending the knee as he did.
"Cell 7 shall not." Sarutobi answered, bringing his pipe to his mouth for another drag. Kakashi's eyes widened, and the Hokage explained, "Naruto's team members must not find out about the Kyuubi and the mission. Long ago, I forbade the parents to discuss about the Kyuubi to their children, so the children do not know the truth about Naruto. Imagine, if his team-members had realized it was Naruto on the bridge, do you think they would accept him as a team member, or even a friend?"
Kakashi stayed silent, knowing the answer.
"They will reject him, and wonder whether or not he is safe. They will spend their time with the boy, paranoid about him and wondering if that black shape will kill them whenever Naruto goes into battle with them. That is not the life I wish for Naruto."
The Hokage took a drag, and puffed out smoke.
"You mentioned that Hyuuga Hinata knows about Naruto's transformation, no doubt due to her Byakugan. I was thinking about having her mind wiped," The old Hokage said in between puffs, "But it might be good that she knows. She could tell if Naruto is utilizing the Kyuubi's chakra."
Kakashi stood up and straightened to face the old man, the leader of Konoha, with respect.
"I will send Cell 10, along with you and Naruto on a Diplomatic Mission to the Land of Demons. You will be filling in for Kurenai, as she is still weak due to her altercation on the Land of Waves. The medic-nins are working feverishly to get the chakra poison out of her system."
Kakashi shot him a worried glance.
"It's not lethal anymore, I assure you," The Hokage said quickly to ease Kakashi's worries.
"However, only you and I will know the true objective of this mission, and that's the way it stays. If we are fortunate, we might gain a very strong ally as well as deal with Naruto."
"Hokage-Sama," Kakashi began, "Cell 10 holds Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Hinata. All three of them are friends of Uchiha Sasuke. Surely, a mission like this might allow them to find out about Naruto's," Kakashi paused, trying to search for the right word, "… condition. And you know how friends are, word is bound to find its way to Sasuke. Won't that undermine what you are hoping to accomplish? If that's the case, surely it would be wiser to just let Sasuke come with us. She is an Uchiha, and with her Sharingan it might be possible to pacify Naruto."
"You are referring to the last time the fox attacked the village," The Hokage stated, and Kakashi nodded. The old man paused, "What happened back then is still a secret, not many people know that the Nine-Tailed Fox was being controlled by a Sharingan user. It is a secret that I have kept, for fear that villagers would treat the last remaining survivor of the clan with suspicion or outright hatred. I have managed to spare Sasuke, but my attempts to achieve the same thing with Naruto were a failure."
The old man sighed as his old eyes took him back to years ago.
"I was there." Kakashi replied, "I saw it all. I tried to stop him, but…"
Kakashi trailed off, and the room seemingly became darker as both men's minds were transported to that fateful night. The flash of a red Sharingan, menacingly glaring at Kakashi went through the White-haired nin's mind. The old Hokage remembered the sacrifice his successor had made. He remembered the Fourth Hokage's smiling face as the young man had gotten married, and the proud look on the Third Hokage's student Jiraiya when his student became the leader of Konoha.
It brought a tear to his eye as he remembered seeing the young leader's body, lying lifelessly by his wife, Kushina, who had also perished. He also remembered the desperate cries of their son, who was the sole surviving member of the family.
"It is true," The Third Hokage began, finally breaking the silence, "that Sharingan users can control tailed beasts, however, if it were that simple, you could do it. After all, you do possess one."
"That is correct, Hokage-sama, but…" Kakashi's hand moved up to his headband, and pulled it up, revealing the red eye, which unnaturally gazed at the old man, "As you know, I wasn't born with it. The man that attacked the village twelve years ago spoke like a true Uchiha."
"And so you think that only a true Uchiha could be able to control the tailed beasts?" Sarutobi asked, finishing the thought. Kakashi Hatake nodded, and the old man sighed again.
"The secrets of the Sharingan are much more complicated than that, Kakashi. The Uchiha clan were very secretive about their bloodline limit, even within their own ranks. Only the best of the best of the Uchiha knew their full capabilities, and they were all wiped out." The Hokage stare turned cold as he remembered the circumstances behind the massacre, and the little girl who survived it, "I don't know the full extent either. All I do know was that the man that controlled the Kyuubi did not possess a normal Sharingan, but a much more powerful version, called the Mangekyo Sharingan. With this Mangekyo Sharingan, he seemed to have possessed the power to control the Kyuubi to destroy the village."
There was another punctuated silence as Kakashi digested the information he had just been told, and the red eye flashed into his memory again. Kakashi's hands clenched, and his countenance fell slightly.
"Uchiha Sasuke does not, it seems, possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, and neither do you," Sarutobi continued, "Both of you would be unable to control the tailed beast. The best you could do is to subdue it using force, and for that, I would rather not risk the last Uchiha's life. Her kekkai-genkai is much too valuable to be lost, and if she goes up against the Kyuubi, she will die."
"Hokage-Sama, if I may speak freely," Kakashi began, and the old man nodded, the pipe resting in his mouth, "The moment she and Naruto became shinobi, they forfeited the right to their innocence. I know," Kakashi nodded toward the children that were outside the window, who were finally making their way to their respective homes as it was getting dark, "that you wish to protect them, but the life of a ninja already works against your attempts. On the mission, the girls on Cell 10 had killed a man. The moment the kunai left their hands, and they realized what they had done, their innocence was shattered. That is the sacrifice we ninja must make, because in order to protect the innocence of the innocents, we must destroy our own innocence. There is no reason to protect them, Lord Hokage," Kakashi continued, watching his leader carefully, "They wanted to live the life of a ninja. To protect them from that, would be to deny them their will."
The Hokage looked at Kakashi meaningfully, considering his words as he let out another puff of smoke. Sarutobi then turned around and looked out the window once, at the spot the children were before.
"You may very well be right, Kakashi, but with Naruto," at the utterance of the blond's name, the Hokage sighed, "I can't help but be protective of him. We know of the pain and sorrow that a Jinchuriki might feel, but we can't fully comprehend it. We may never know how much we have failed him. You can see this in his eyes, whenever he looks at you." At this, Kakashi nodded, but the Hokage didn't notice, as his eyes were now looking at a lonely swing-set that was swinging gently in the wind by the Hokage Mansion, "However, I still remember how happy young Naruto was when he was under my personal protection. I visited him every day," The Hokage smiled sadly, "and I remember with great fondness how precocious he was, much like his mother when she was younger."
Sarutobi's eyes no longer saw the swing-set, but a smiling blonde, eager to hear stories about ninja….
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" A young, five year-old blond Uzumaki Naruto shouted as he trotted over to the village leader. Tiny arms wrapped around the lower part of Sarutobi's body as the young child hugged him, and the old man lovingly patted his blond's head, and pulled him away to get a good look at the boy.
"How have you been today, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked. This was a staple of their conversations. Every time Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the child, it always started like this, but the old man didn't complain. He took his eyes away from the boy, to scrutinize the apartment. Its bare walls were unpleasant to look at, almost as if there wasn't anyone living here. There was no life in the place.
Naruto's face fell for a moment, but then, almost as quickly as it disappeared, the wide grin the that the boy had worn had appeared, although there was something distinctly vapid about the grin the boy wore now. The Hokage noticed this, and frowned slightly. What was the reason behind Naruto's countenance?
"Ah," The Hokage said, a smile forming on his lips, "I just remembered, I got you a gift!" The old man pulled out a book, and showed it to Naruto, who's blue eyes reflected a look of confusion.
"' The…," Naruto started to read the title, stumbling a bit over the words, "'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'?"
"That's right," Sarutobi replied, a smile still on his lips as he looked at the blond's expression, which was as sincere in wonderment as any could be. He moved toward the five year-old's bed, sat on it, and motioned for the boy to follow. The boy did as he was requested, and sat down, legs swinging of the side of the bed next to the Third Hokage. Naruto looked up at the old man, and saw that the Hokage had looked at the book with misty eyes before turning to the child.
"Would you like me to read to you, Naruto?" The Hokage asked, looking at the five year-old.
"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, "Could you, grandpa!? That would be amazing!"
The old man smiled thoughtfully, and his eyes went back to the book, he stroked it lovingly, before opening the cover, "'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi," Sarutobi read after clearing his throat, "There were many shinobi villages that had existed around Mount Hyakki, but only one housed the utterly gutsy ninja, Naruto."
The boy's eyes widened as he heard his name, and he exclaimed, "His name is Naruto?!"
Sarutobi smiled at the boy, remembering well how that coincidence came to be, "Indeed, it was."
"Was he a strong ninja, grandpa?" Naruto pressed excitedly, swinging his legs happily.
"He was," The Hokage answered, "His goal is to bring peace to the world. In order to achieve that, he would have to be very strong."
"Wow," Naruto mouthed, entranced with the mythos of this ninja warrior.
Sarutobi kept reading, describing the numerous feats of Naruto that he had accomplished throughout the novel, and taking in the face of Uzumaki Naruto, who was gripped by them. He talked about the lives lost, how Naruto, the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi's father had died in battle, and the battles that Naruto had gotten himself wrapped up in, all in the quest for peace. As the time went on, and the Sun moved across the window, producing a vivid myriad of colors when it eventually married the horizon, the Hokage found a suitable stopping point
"Grandpa," Naruto said after Sarutobi closed the book, "Can I become that strong?"
The old Hokage looked at the child, who in turn looked at him with blue eyes.
"Yes, I think that you can. If you work hard, you will become strong enough to protect the ones you love, and gain acceptance from those that don't love you."
"When Naruto and the rest of the new Genin found out their cell selections, they were told that they were made based on team balance," The old man Hokage said, still facing out the window, "This was true, except in the case of Naruto's cell."
Kakashi's eyes widened at that statement, this was something he wasn't aware of when the Hokage assigned the three-man team to him. He looked curiously at Sarutobi, who stood smoking his pipe.
"The excuse still applied, considering that Naruto was the worst in his class on paper and Sasuke was the best, but that wasn't the real reason they had been put together," Sarutobi blew out smoke, "Uchiha Sasuke knows what it's like to be alone, much like Naruto. She's been alone the majority of her life, and can relate to the sorrow that Naruto feels inside. This is why I made sure that they were put together, because the pain they both share allows them to understand each other, and that understanding could lead to friendship. If I send Uchiha Sasuke along with the both of you, that goal of friendship becomes threatened, and Naruto could end up being truly alone. However, if I send the others, I can still give Naruto the chance he so desperately needs."
The Hokage paused to turn around and face Kakashi.
"There isn't anyone more frightening than a shinobi who has nothing."
Kakashi nodded, understanding the Hokage. He pulled down his headband over his Sharingan, and
"When will we depart?"
"You will have a week before you are to be called back here to receive the official mission request. I must send word to The Land of Demons and let Miroku know of this. Until then, I wish for you to keep an eye on Naruto, Kakashi, while I do not want him to be mentally probed, I do think it wise to keep tabs on the boy. If he does remember, there will be no doubt that he will try to train with the Kyuubi's chakra."
"Yes, sir," and with that, Kakashi vanished, leaving the old Hokage to look out towards the sunset and think about the future.
Hyuuga Hinata awoke from a very bad dream. Wiping the sweat off her brow, the violet-haired heiress to the Hyuuga bloodline thought back to the nightmare. Her clammy hands gripped her blankets tight as she remembered the hulking back mass of bestial chakra that emanated from Naruto in her dream. His red eyes pierced her soul, and she felt glued to the floor as Naruto stalked her with a bloodstained sword. He had just raised the sword, preparing to mercilessly kill her when she had awoken, her heart still beating fast.
'Na-Naruto…' She thought as she surveyed her surroundings. Sunlight streamed through familiar windows, and lit up a room adorned with formal furniture and other such elegant adornments. A picture of a young Hinata and her sister, Hyuuga Hanabi, standing next to each other, both with smiles on their faces greeted her sight when she looked at the dresser that was opposite of her futon. She was in her room in the Hyuuga complex. The timid girl relaxed, and managed to calm herself down before she got up to get ready for another day as a kunoichi.
When Hinata got dressed in her training garb, she went down to the courtyard to begin the daily training session with her father Hyuuga Hiashi, and Hanabi. This was how the usual morning went, but when she got to the courtyard, she saw Kakashi standing next to Hiashi and Hanabi.
"Yo," Kakashi said, raising his hand in greeting to the young Hyuuga.
The young Genin froze, and her mind began to race as she wondered why the team leader of Cell 7 was at her place of residence.
"Hinata," her father, Hiashi said, "Kakashi wishes to speak to you, it apparently concerns the events that occurred on your last mission."
Hinata's light grey eyes shot to Kakashi, who simply nodded pleasantly. This was about the mission to the Wave? Instantly, Hinata was reminded of the massacre on the bridge and the way Kakashi knocked out her friends before finally rounding on her. She backed up a little bit, and looked between Kakashi and her father nervously, unsure of what exactly to do. Finally, Hinata nodded, and stepped toward Kakashi, who was still looking pleasant.
The white-haired Jounin then turned to Hinata's father and said, "Well, as you may have guessed, this is a private affair. May I please be alone with her?"
Hiashi nodded, and instructed Hanabi to follow him inside, when they did, the door was shut, and it was just Kakashi and Hinata standing alone in the central courtyard of the Hyuuga complex.
There was a moment of silence as the both of them stood, watching each other. Kakashi looked at her expectantly.
"U-um," Hinata started, "What do we n-need to talk about?"
Kakashi lost his pleasant expression.
"I need to talk to you about what you remember happening on the bridge."
"I-I don't re-," Hinata began nervously, but Kakashi cut her off before she could finish.
"There's no need to lie," Kakashi said, trying to reassure the girl, "You aren't in trouble. I know you know."
The memory of the bridge had haunted Hinata ever since she had reawakened from being rendered unconscious. In her mind's eyes, Hinata kept seeing the beast that was responsible for the slaughter, but unlike the others, she had known who it was. Naruto, her crush, the man with whom she had always tried to follow, transformed into something that simply defied words. With inhuman speed, it moved, and with a savagery that rivalled the so called Demon of the Hidden Mist himself, he made short work of dismembering the bandits that Gato had hired.
That was all Hinata could remember, and she wished she didn't.
"Well, um..," Hinata started, twiddling her finger nervously and avoiding eye contact, "I remember… it," she unconsciously shuddered before continuing, "I know that it was Naruto."
Kakashi nodded, and said, "What you witnessed back there is a total and complete secret. The Hokage wishes that no-one finds out who it truly was, he was even thinking about wiping your memory," Hinata backed away nervously, and Kakashi continued, "but, he thinks that you are better off knowing, because you can help us make sure it never happens again. Because of that, I am able to reveal an S-rank secret to you, so that you may fully understand what it was you saw, and so that you may know why it must be contained."
This caused Hinata to widen her eyes as she registered just what is was that that Kakashi had told her. An S-rank secret?
"Have you ever wondered why Naruto is treated so," Kakashi paused to find the most delicate word, "…differently? Why he is not allowed to play around children and why he acts the way he acts?"
The Hyuuga heiress nodded. It was indeed true that Naruto had been treated differently, and it had always bugged her. After Naruto had saved her from bullies, she had taken to keeping a close eye on him, and because of that, she knew how hardworking and obsessed Naruto is about improving himself, and just how badly he is treated by the likes of other people.
The Jounin told her the story of the Kyuubi's attack on the village, and how his sensei, The Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself to seal it inside of Naruto, who was only a baby at the time. He did not, however, tell her that the fox was being controlled, as that was impertinent to his goal. After Kakashi was done explaining, he looked at her and said, "It isn't Naruto's fault. He has done nothing wrong to deserve such treatment, but it is a fact that humans fear that which they do not understand, and it is illegal for them to tell their children so that they might be able to understand. This is the burden that Naruto carries. On the bridge, he somehow managed to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra, and that caused him to lose control of his body, temporarily allowing the Kyuubi to control it. The Beast you saw on the bridge wasn't Naruto, but rather the Nine-Tailed Fox," Kakashi paused to let this all sink into Hinata, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time he had told the story. She just looked at him with those emotionless grey eyes.
Uncertain, Kakashi continued, "Now that you know, you can help. I need to know if he is using the Kyuubi's chakra. The more he uses it the more it will corrupt him until he is no more."
This had apparently done its job because after Kakashi had finished, the Hyuuga princess had nodded and said, "I- I'll do it."
Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, and started to make his way toward the exit before he stopped and turned around to face the girl, "Oh, and please keep this a secret. The more people that know about Naruto and his condition, the more likely he will be rejected and treated badly."
"A-Alright," Hinata replied, "I won't tell anyone, I swear."
After Kakashi had left, Hinata found herself in her room still thinking about Naruto, and her heart sank at the thought of how much he didn't know about him. He was being treated differently because of something that he couldn't have controlled, because of something that wasn't fault. She remembered the servant who had told her to stay away from Naruto after he had defended her from those bullies, and an anger rose inside her because of it.
"Be quiet and sit down. I don't have time for the weak."
What Naruto had said to her on the bridge came flooding back to her mind, and Hinata now realized what exactly Naruto had meant by them. All this time, Hinata idolized Naruto because he had saved her, but she did nothing. He had no time for those that did nothing, those who did nothing to save him from the pain and misery that had been thrust upon him. In his eyes, those that couldn't or wouldn't understand his pain and sorrow were the weak, and Hinata now refused to be counted among them.
She was going to do anything and everything to save him.
Naruto faced a giant set of red eyes, framed in perpetual darkness and caged behind iron bars. The boy's fists tightened as he faced the one that was sealed away inside him, the Kyuubi. His fists, however, were not the only thing that displayed Naruto's immense displeasure at having to face this demon, his eyes shot daggers at the immense pair of its eyes, and his mouth formed a taut line.
A rumbling growl, which rippled the water that pooled around the young boy's feet, sounded off from the being that possessed those red eyes, and Naruto resisted the primal urge to flee.
'It's sealed,' Naruto thought, reassuring himself.
The sounds of something struggling against its chains violently echoed throughout the chamber, but the blond stood, not moving a muscle. It had been a day since he had returned to Konoha and this was the first time Naruto was able to communicate with the Kyuubi since then.
The sensation of his skin bubbling resurfaced, and the boy took his eyes off the Kyuubi's and looked at his arms. When he confirmed that he was fine, and the sensation had dulled, he returned his eyes to the demon and spoke.
"What do you want?"
A cruel laugh assaulted Naruto's ears as the Kyuubi stopped struggling against its binds.
"You had a mere taste of my power, human. How did you feel?"
"So that's what this is about?" Naruto asked incredulously, "You wanted a chat about how it felt?"
Another powerful growl sounded off, and a force hit Naruto, pushing against his body like a powerful gust of wind.
"A mere human like you should be more grateful to the one that saved your life. But, for you, being grateful is uncommon."
Naruto's blue eyes darkened as he stared down the fox demon that was trapped inside him, and after a prolonged silence, he said, "It felt… unreal. The amount of power was incredible, and I never felt…," Naruto paused at this, unsure of how truthful he should be.
"I've never felt so good," The blond confessed, his face surprisingly a bit sheepish.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon's eyes glowed, if possible, more red and they loomed over the tiny blond Naruto.
"Good, Naruto, very good. I could give you more, but I would like something in return."
"So that is what this is really all about," Naruto said, "Another attempt at getting me to release you."
Naruto closed his eyes, fully intending to leave the mindscape and return to the reality that he was ripped away from during his daily meditation when he heard the Kyuubi continue to struggle against his binds.
"Not this time, Naruto. I want something else."
This had caused Naruto to open his eyes, and look at the red orbs.
"What?" Naruto asked seriously.
"I want you to find my brethren."
The blond's eyes widened as he considered what the Kyuubi had just told him. This was his request? Find all the tailed beasts… and do what? Why? How would he accomplish that? All of these questions swam around Naruto's head and he just didn't understand why the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed fox, would ask him to find his fellow demons.
"Why?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious as to his "roommate's" request.
"You understand what it means to be alone," The Kyuubi began, "As do I. Humans do not understand us, they fear our immense powers, and so they sealed us away in vessels and separated us."
Naruto, being one of these vessels, nodded and he understood what the fox demon had meant. The nature of humanity and the fear that the unknown creates in them is something that Naruto very well. The blond remembered all of the stares and comments thrown his way, and how badly and poorly the villagers of the village hidden in the leaves had treated him, simply because they didn't understand (or didn't want to understand) Naruto, who he was. He also remembered the loneliness that stemmed from these people forbidding anyone of their children from playing with him, or even talking to him. He remembered all of the scars he has on his body, and the cold eyes that belonged to those that caused them. People are not normally born monsters, but they can turn heartless because of the heartlessness and ignorance of others.
Maybe the same was true for the tailed beasts? Maybe they were as misunderstood as he was?
"I wish to have contact with them, that's all." The Kyuubi lied, his red eyes fixing a stare on Naruto, "I will give you my powers, and in return I want you to find my brethren. Befriend their vessels and their powers will be available for you to use as well."
"Alright, I'll do it," Naruto finally agreed.
When Ino had awoken from her sleep, she found that it was earlier than usual. This deeply depressed the blonde, who had been hoping for a nice restful day ever since she had gotten back from her mission from the wave. It had been two days since they had returned, and she wanted to make the most of the break days she had been granted (compensation from the Hokage after he had heard about what happened). However, now that she was awake, it was impossible to go back to sleep, and so the blonde went about the start of her day.
She drew a nice long bath, and thought about the wonderful activities she would be partaking in today. There was a new movie out today with Ino's favorite actress Fujikaze Yukie, and the blonde was eager to give it a watch. Maybe she and the girls might see it, after all they could do with a little bit of cultural lesson. Sakura was the only one who watched movies regularly, Sasuke and Hinata were either busy training or busy watching Naruto.
'Naruto,' Ino thought. This wasn't the first time she had thought of the blond since her return to the village. Her mind still remembered Naruto and how he reacted toward Inari's words. She also still remembered that she needed to apologize to him, but she never got the chance because Naruto had remained unconscious from using too much of his chakra in his battle with Haku until they had safely returned back home and been sent home. After that, she hadn't seen the boy around the village since.
After she had soaked to her heart's content, she got out, dried herself and gave herself a look-over in the mirror. Her damp blonde hair messily clumping together, obscuring one of her eyes, made her internally scream and she searched for anything that might help. When Ino was finally ready to face the world, she heard a knock on her front door. Footsteps sounded off as no doubt her mother went to answer it, and in no time she heard her mother's voice call her down.
No doubt it being one of her friends, Ino came to front door and saw that all three of them were there.
"Wow, guys," Ino said to the rest of the Princess Four, "I didn't know we were meeting at my house today."
"We were all up," Sakura said, a smile playing at her lips, "and so we decided that we would ruin your relaxing by crashing it."
"Well, I was already up, so you failed," Ino said, sticking her tongue out at Sakura before turning to her mom and kissing her farewell on the cheek. After she had joined her friends and shut the door, Ino said, "So what's the plan? We going to do anything in particular?"
"Well," Sakura said as they all began walking toward the center of the village, "we were going to eat at Ichiraku's before heading off to see that new movie."
"The one with Fujikaze Yukie?" Ino asked excitedly. She let loose a tiny squeal of excitement when the pink haired girl smiled and nodded, then she and Sakura started talking about the movies Fujikaze Yukie had been in, and they wondered how this one might stack up against those when Sasuke asked, "Has anyone apologized to Naruto yet?"
"I haven't seen him since we got back," Ino said, frowning at the question Sasuke posed, "Have you?"
Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata all shook their heads. None of them had seen the blond out and about. True, they had been given a reprieve from their ninja duties, but Sasuke had expected to have at least encountered him once.
"M-maybe he is still recovering?" Hinata stammered out, her face red at the mention of her crush. However, at that statement, Sakura frowned.
"I don't know…" She said slowly, "Chakra depletion on the scale where it would necessitate this long of a recovery time is pretty lethal without immediate medical attention, and Kakashi-sensei said he would be fine as long as he rested."
"What about Haku?" Hinata responded quietly, "Maybe he did something to Naruto-kun…"
"If he did, he would have had done it without doing any jutsu. From what you guys and Kakashi-sensei told me, he must have used a lot of chakra to produce that black fox," Sasuke interjected, then after a pause, she said, "I don't know if that story adds up. It just doesn't seem like Haku had enough chakra left after producing the ice mirrors to create a monster like that, much less knock you out before disappearing."
"Maybe you just underestimated him," Hinata said timidly, twiddling her fingers and wondering how she could best get them to change the subject.
Ino had been quiet while her friends had deliberated over the events that happened on the bridge one more time, listening intently to the things she found important, but no sooner had Hinata asked another question that Ino's light blue eyes saw familiar black and red garments and the very familiar person wearing them.
"Hey, Naruto!" Ino yelled as she and the rest of the Princess Four saw the blond as they were wandering around Konoha. It was morning, there was a slight chill in the air and the dew on the plants inside the village were glistening in their glory. Children and villagers were out, the former playing while the latter got the shopping done. However, the crowd seemed to bend around the blond as he made his way through the village, his head low. A hushed tension enveloped Naruto's surroundings, and that silence allowed him to hear the blonde who had been shouting his name. Ino waved at the boy, and the group of girls headed over to him. Every eye was on them, every villager and child who were in their immediate vicinity stared, waiting. The girls could sense it, but what the villagers were waiting for exactly, they didn't know.
Whispers began to promulgate throughout the surrounding villagers. At first, they were indistinguishable from each other, but as more joined the fray, Ino was able to pick out some of the words that were being said.
"…It's a miracle they weren't killed," one voice had whispered.
"Rumors tell me it ended in a bloodbath, an absolute slaughter," said a second one.
"Shame he wasn't killed... I heard they went up against The Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza."
"Shh!" Another voice whispered, silencing the others, "They can hear us…"
It was true, they could hear them. The four girls exchanged looks of vary degrees with each other. Shock of varying degrees were displayed on the faces of Sakura and Ino, who had not experienced attention like this before. They had come from, arguably, common parentage and did not hail from any major ninja clans. Sasuke and Hinata, however, didn't looked shocked. Their faces adopted a neutral look. They, both being from two of the Hidden Leaf village's major clans, understood what it meant to have whispers follow them. As neutral as both of them looked, they still had a trace of something that was found on all girls' faces: uncomfortableness.
The only person who wasn't uncomfortable, or at least didn't appear it was Naruto whose stoic look shocked Ino slightly when the blonde had turned her eyes back to him. He stood, hands in his pockets and his blue eyes on them, his features not marred by any look of embarrassment. It seemed as if it wasn't a person that faced them, but a shell of a person, a machine.
It was almost as if Naruto wasn't there, even if he was there, looking at them.
'Is this what he has to deal with,' Ino thought, her light blue eyes scanning the people around them, 'every day?"
Stifled silence surrounded the girls. The whispers had stopped and Ino could hear the faint breeze around them and feel it caress the exposed parts of her pale flesh, producing goosebumps.
'"I'm fucking fine, Sensei."'
Ino didn't know why her mind went to that moment. The moment when Naruto was poisoned by an enemy ninja. The girls had forgotten to tend to him, focusing on Sasuke instead. Ino's mind focused on the stare that Naruto gave them as he stabbed his kunai in the poisoned wound so that he could bleed it all out. He was left to deal with it himself.
'He always has to deal with it by himself,' Ino thought sadly as she looked at the blond boy.
Anger arose in the blonde girl suddenly, and her fists clenched hard, nails digging into the palm of her skin. Her face grew hot as her anger overtook her features. She wasn't the only one; Sakura herself displayed many of the same characteristics of anger brewing on her face. Hinata's grey eyes were still on Naruto, pity alive in them and a flicker of desperation too. Only Sasuke looked placid, her eyes nonchalantly looking over the people around them.
"Naruto," The black-eyed Uchiha princess said, causing everyone's eyes to travel to her, "We were wondering if you would like to spend time with us."
Naruto's eyes were not the only ones who had widened at that remark, many of the villagers that were watching had their eyes widened at that remark, and another salvo of whispers started. The unpleasant sounds and tones of the whispers finally spurred Ino into action.
"Yeah, Naruto," She said, throwing a look at Sakura and Hinata, "What do you say? You wanna hang out?"
Sakura smiled at Naruto encouragingly and Hinata nodded timidly, her grey eyes never leaving the boy.
All eyes were focused on Naruto now, the people around them awaiting a response from the boy. Incredulous and disbelieving whispers still filled the atmosphere, but they were largely quiet. The looks of the villagers, however, told Ino all she needed to know. Shooting disapproving glares at some of them, Ino walked up to Naruto, who looked suspiciously at her, and grabbed his wrist to lead him to the group.
"Well, what are you all looking at?" she shouted so that everyone could hear her while she walked with Naruto, Sakura and the others to Ichiraku's.
While there was no crowd anymore, a few of the village passersby still gave Naruto incredulous stares, and the girls disapproving looks. It was a long walk to Ichiraku's and all the while they were on their way, there was silence within their party. Hinata walked behind Naruto, her eyes still focused on the boy while Sakura and Ino flanked Naruto on his right and left. Sasuke, being the one who took the initiative to ask him, was in the front. Ino's eyes scanned the environment around them. No one spoke, partly because they didn't know what exactly they could say to the blond after the events that had just occurred.
When they had arrived at Ichiraku's, Ino and company had found Ayame serving an unknown Jounin, who was silently slurping his Ramen. His black sunglasses reflected the morning sunlight while Ayame smiled warmly at him while they walked over, another bowl of ramen ready to replace the first bowl when he finishes.
"Here you go, Ebisu-san, another bowl of our signature Ichiraku Miso Ramen!" The serving girl said, happily replacing the bowl that was just finished. After she was done doing her job, Ayme turned back and went to the kitchen, getting out of sight. When they walked up the Ramen stand, The Jounin pushed his glasses up in determination, ready to eat another serving when his peripherals detected the group that was approaching the stand. His eyes landed on Naruto, and he stopped eating, chopsticks in the middle of their journey towards his mouth.
Drip!
Drip!
The broth that had clung to the noodles that were wrapped around Ebisu's chopstick's ran down their lengths, and dropped back into the bowl. The slight smile he had at the thought of another serving had vanished when he saw the blond, and the Jounin set down his chopsticks with a tiny clatter on the steaming hot bowl. When Naruto and company sat down, Ebisu got up, threw down the money on the counter for both bowls and left the Ramen stand without a word. The girls had noticed this behavior and while they sat down in their usual configuration, they exchanged meaningful looks with one another. However, if Naruto had noticed, he certainly didn't show it. In fact, Ino noted as she glanced at the blond, it didn't seem to worry him at all. He just took Ebisu's seat and waited to be served. The forgotten Ramen, which was still steaming hot, lay in front of Naruto, who eyed it nonchalantly. At that moment, Ayame, who was spurred by the sound of new customers, came back from the kitchens to serve her new customers.
"Welcome to Ichiraku's!" She began happily, smiling at her patrons, "How may I help you?"
When she saw Naruto in the seat that Ebisu had previously just been in, she donned a confused look. However, the look was only for a second because when her eyes had moved to the hot bowl and then back to Naruto she understood and a slightly sympathetic look appeared.
"Another one, eh, Naruto-kun?" She said, quietly then her previous statement.
"Yeah," said Naruto as he pushed the money on the counter forward for Ayame to collect.
"Can I have it?" Naruto nodded to the steaming bowl in front of him, and Ayame nodded.
"You might as well, Naruto-kun, it's the least he could do," Ayame said, slightly angry at the idea that this would happen to the poor boy again, "That was the last time he'll eat here!" she huffed.
The blond sighed, took the bowl and seized the chopsticks in his hands. When he heard her, Naruto said, "It's bad enough that I stop people from eating here in the first place. I do not want to want to be the reason even more people aren't buying from you."
"You might not want-" Ayame began, but she was cut off by the blond.
"Ayame, I do not care," he said, wrapping noodles around his chopsticks, "I no longer care about people hating me. I stopped caring a long time ago."
"You might not care, but I do," Ayame retorted, her eyes silently admonishing Naruto.
"Um, excuse me," Ino finally said, breaking up conversation between the two. Ayame looked at the blonde, who had been sitting to the left of Naruto with surprise, like she had forgotten that she had other customers. Naruto just glanced at Ino and eating the Ichiraku Miso Ramen.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" Ayame said, hastily pulling out her ordering pad, "What would you like?"
She wrote down the orders for the girls respectively and hurried back to the kitchen to alert her father, Teuchi. When she didn't come back, Ino's eyes made their way toward Naruto, who was eating his food. He was fully focused on it, and Ino saw a hunger in his blue eyes as he devoured the Ramen that was in front of him with barely restrained voracity. A saddening thought snaked its way into Ino's head, and Ino's eyes widened.
'He must be starving… How much does he have to eat?'
If the attitudes of the villagers and Ebisu were any indicator, it must not be easy for Naruto to possess quality, healthy meals. He has no parents, and therefore had no real income for years of his life. How did he manage to survive? How could she not have noticed? No one paid Naruto any real attention at the Academy, other than to laugh at how he was always late, or to complain to their friends about him. No one asked, or even thought to ask what his home life was like, or what he has to eat. How could everyone have missed this? All of the time the blonde knew Naruto, he must have starved and suffered in silence, never complaining about how much he had to eat.
Never complaining about anything.
Ayame, who had brought out Sakura's and Sasuke's dishes, pulled Ino from her thoughts. Ino, when Ayame left with promises that Hinata's and Ino's coming soon, turned to the other girls and gave them a look that said 'I think we should apologize to him now.' When they all expressed their willingness, Ino turned back to the blond and cleared her throat, which had surprisingly gotten dry.
"Um, Naruto?" she asked hesitantly, becoming nervous when the blond's vivid blue eyes focused on her. She started sweating, and didn't know why. Apologizing had never been easy to the blonde, she rarely found herself in situations where she had to say I am sorry. Even if she was at fault, she would just remain obstinate until the other person (usually Sakura) caved or until they had forgotten what they were fighting over. However, she wasn't nervous because she felt sorry for the way she acted.
She was nervous because she felt that it might not be enough.
"I just wanted to say that I am- that we are," she motioned at the girls as well, "sorry for the way we have been toward you." Ino bowed her head, "It was wrong of us to forget about you, and for that I am sorry."
The three other girls had expressed the same sentiment in their own ways, and three pairs of eyes watched Naruto, who sat there, motionless until it had gotten quiet.
The bustle of the village was all Ino heard.
A smile formed on Naruto's face, a very small one that looked out of place.
"Thank you," he said before turning back to finish his Ramen.
A/N Note: Hey guys, Shintaro kozu here! Well its finally finished, the latest chapter of Naruto: Shattered. Not a whole lot has happened, I know, but I am getting everything done with laying down the foundations for a new arc (which was briefly covered), as well as allowing for interaction between Naruto and the girls. That bit, I think was pivotal, and I thought it would best be through Ino's point of view, rather than anyone else's. I know she is the least favorite of the Princess Four (according to the poll on my profile, but I felt that maybe it was because she barely had any real focus, other than a few scenes here and there and a filler.
Also, I've also made mention of several events that have in canon had a huge impact, and will in this story, have fun picking them out!
An immense thanks to The Revolutionary Ronin, who has been with me since the beginning of this rewrite. He is writing a Fairy Tale and Naruto cross-over that is brilliant as all hell. If you are in need of a badass Naruto, check out his story By Any Means, its kickass as fuck.
Hope you enjoy, and as always, read and review.
Word Count: 10,025, the longest chapter yet!
Chapter Question: What do you make of how Naruto's interaction with the girls in the final scene of the chapter?
