Chapter 10: Break

Hand slowly met hand as the sound of applause serenaded the small room. Maikeiru was congratulating Naruto for his victory. The gesture filled the boy with conflicting feelings of relief, concern, happiness and anger.

"Congratulations, Noriaki. Your performance today was simply… superb."

Naruto found himself clenching both fists, then paused. 'My right hand… I can move it.' The blonde slowly lifted his injured arm, obscuring his face with his hand. He began to move his fingers in sequence, and quickly found his hand was fully operational. Feeling no pain in his arm, Naruto began to stretch it.

'No pain, it's like nothing happened to it.'

"Hmm, you seem to have an impressive healing factor. Your arm appears to be fully functional and the wounds on your forehead and nose have healed nicely. Perhaps you have a bloodline of sorts?"

The boy rose one hand to his forehead and began to caress where his wounds had resided. Feeling nothing but sweat and dried blood, Naruto sighed in relief. "I don't know why I heal so fast… I don't think it's a bloodline, though."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless of that, you have defeated me. I feel it's time I unburden myself."

"What… what are you going to tell me?"

Maikeiru turned his back to Naruto, a sorrowful smile graced his features. "My papa…" The man gulped. "Was a noble of sorts, from a faraway land. A continent separate from the one you and I currently inhabit."

"A different continent?"

"Yes. Culturally this continent is very different from your own. For example, we do not have shinobi or samurai in our homeland. The languages we use are also different, in my own language, my name is pronounced Michael."

Naruto uttered a quiet "Uh-huh."

"My papa was a very rich, powerful and influential man. He ruled our hometown with great wisdom and kindness. Everyone loved and respected him."

"Okay…"

"I was different. My mama passed away shortly after I was born, and this caused my papa to grow… distant. He was still a very caring man, but found himself somewhat cut off from the rest of the world."

Michael cleared his throat before turning to face Naruto. "I was not like my father. I was timid, antisocial… completely unremarkable. People did not gravitate towards me the way they did to my parents. It wasn't till my 9th birthday that I made my first friend."

"Your first friend?"

"Thomas, a dog my papa had given me for the occasion. I loved him dearly, and I feel that animal lit a fire in both our hearts."

A lone tear trailed down the man's cheek.

"My dog… he passed away only two years later. I had lost my first friend, a companion whom I loved dearly… I didn't know how I'd cope."

"How did you? Cope, I mean."

"Papa came to comfort me. We had been growing closer since Thomas had come into our lives, but that night had solidified our bond. I'll never forget the despair I felt that fateful day, but I'll also never forget the love I felt for papa that day, either."

"The bond between father and son… it sounds nice."

"It was… of course, as we all know, these things never last." Tears now stained both Michael's cheeks. "Despite the bond I held with my papa, I still remained antisocial to others. Because of this, people mistrusted me."

"Yeah… I know what it's like to be mistrusted."

"Roughly five years ago, my father was murdered." Eyes widened, Naruto silently gasped. "Given my lack of an alibi and the people's mistrust of me… I was fingered as the prime suspect. After a lengthy and stressful trial, I was deemed innocent. This did not convince the people however, they believed I had skirted the law due to my father's power and influence."

'I think I know where he's going with this…'

"I grew bitter and resentful of these people. Rather than face them and affirm my innocence, I ran. Ran like a pathetic coward. I was too weak, and I loathed myself for it. I swore that with my father's wealth, I'd build my own empire. I wanted to dominate people, to make them suffer."

The blonde boy stared blankly at the black-haired man. 'This is… this is…' Naruto slammed both fists against the table. "Are you kidding me?! There's no way, just no way! Not only do you let me live, but you conveniently have a similar backstory to me?! What the hell is going on here!"

An unfamiliar voice sounded in Naruto's mind. 'You cannot diverge from your predetermined path, child of prophecy.' The boy clutched his head in irritation. That whisper in his head, just what was it?

"I'm just telling you what happened, Noriaki. Perhaps it's just coincidence that we have similar origins?"

"N-no, this is more than a coincidence." Naruto whispered through clenched teeth. "You asked me before if I believed in fate, well I'm giving you my answer. I think I do, as much as I hate that. Something beyond my control is going on here, this is all too unbelievable. I stumble upon this town after running away from my own village and manage to confront you. Despite the odds being completely against me, defying all logic you spare me and challenge me to a game I've never played!"

Michael examined the boy quietly, not daring to interrupt his rant.

"By hardly thinking at all, I manage to defeat you! And now you're telling me some sob story that's oh-so similar to my own… this isn't a coincidence. This is some twisted scheme from above!"

'You cannot diverge from your predetermined path, child of prophecy.'

"AARGH! Shut the hell up!" Naruto shut his eyes tight and started to pull on his hair with both hands. "Get out of my head, dammit!"

"Noriaki, please calm yourself. If only for a moment."

Shimamura patiently watched the events that unfolded between his boss and the boy. He had to agree with "Noriaki's" logic, everything did seem too convenient. Something strange was stirring, perhaps something divine.

Panting heavily, Naruto lowered his hands. "Let me guess… you resented yourself for your actions and wished for someone like papa to come and stop you."

"Th-that's exactly right, but how…?"

"I may be a little slow sometimes, but I think I have something figured out here. Something has set a path for me, which I guess I've somehow diverged from. I guess you're a safety measure of sorts, something meant to steer me back to my original path."

"A safety measure? Noriaki, I'm a human just like you. I have my own free will."

"Do you? Do you really?"

"Yes, we all make our own decisions, and each one contributes to our overall fate. Nobody but ourselves make these decisions. Blaming divine forces for our own follies is naïve." Michael glanced to Shimamura and continued.

"Let me prove to you how we choose our fate. Shimamura, give the boy a kunai."

"What? Are you insane?!" The shinobi sputtered.

"Do it, now."

The elder blonde grumbled while picking up the kunai he used to cut off Naruto's pinky. Offering it to the boy, Naruto simply stared at him. "Just take it." The boy stared at the bloodied knife for a few seconds before grabbing it.

"Noriaki, I want you to kill me."

"WHAT?!" Both blondes shouted in unison.

"I have made a conscious decision to end everything here. Listen well, Noriaki. This was not predetermined, this is something entirely of my own design."

"I-I can't kill you."

"Why not? Weren't you perfectly willing to kill me downstairs? Can you not handle the fact that you now see me as a person? Perhaps it was easier when your only image of me was a dehumanized oppressor."

"W-well, that's partially right… but I don't want to do your dirty work! If you want out, do it yourself!"

"I've already chosen you as the hero, Noriaki. This is your responsibility now. If you refuse to kill me, I'll have Shimamura kill you. Make your decision wisely."

'Dammit, dammit… this isn't right!'

'Kill him.'

'No.'

'Kill him.'

'I said no!'

'Kill him.'

'Will you shut up!'

'Kill him!'

'STOP IT!'

'KILL HIM!'

Without even realizing, Naruto had made his way to Michael, the kunai he wielded poised against the man's throat. 'KILL HIM!' The boy's right hand was trembling. "If I kill you… what will it accomplish?"

"Under normal circumstances, my sudden death would create a power vacuum. People under me would scramble to gain control of my empire. Whoever would come into control would likely be just as ruthless as I, perhaps more so."

"Under normal circumstances? Are there special circumstances?"

"I have been in contact with the Daimyō of this land. My will stipulates that in the event of my passing, a large sum of my wealth will be allocated to him. The condition being that the money must be spent hiring sufficient forces from the Hidden Leaf Village to protect Setsuri and ensure a peaceful transfer of power. Before long, my influence over Setsuri will be completely forgotten."

His hand still trembling, Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai. 'Forces from the Hidden Leaf, huh? It's almost like reality is bending itself to make me return. If that's the case, so be it.'

"W-wait!" Shimamura interrupted. "What do I get out of this? You expect me to just take losing my meal ticket lying down?"

Michael chuckled slightly. "Relax, Shimamura. I have not forgotten about you. I have left a great deal to you as well. Given your missing-nin status, I was initially worried. However, we currently reside in a neutral country with no shinobi village. Provided you commit no crimes after my passing, there shall be no complications, I promise."

"Fine."

"Now, Noriaki…" Michael stared deeply into the boy's eyes.

"…End me."

Releasing an anguished scream, Naruto slashed the kunai across the man's neck. Splatters of crimson obscured the blonde's sight. Dropping the kunai, the child fell to his hands and knees, and continued to scream.

Hours had passed, and Naruto left Setsuri quietly. After the events that had transpired, he didn't feel comfortable facing anyone at the orphanage. The boy had snuck into the room he'd been staying in and quietly fled, backpack in tow. He couldn't deal with the people of Setsuri just yet. If they called him a "hero" for his actions, he wouldn't be able to control himself. The word "hero" didn't just make him sick, it infuriated him.

Naruto's thoughts strayed to those of his own destiny. Was his life truly predetermined? Were those voices from a higher realm? Or was he going insane? Since the scroll incident, the boy had been under a great deal of stress. The thought of insanity didn't seem too farfetched.

'Michael… he ran away from his hometown. He was innocent just like me, but that didn't prevent him from being afraid. Was it really fate meeting him? Was he really a safety measure like I said? This is all so confusing.'

Leaping from one tree branch to another, Naruto continued his train of thought. 'Regardless of what fate has to say, I have to see Naoko. If I go back to the Leaf and they punish me, I'll never forgive myself for not seeing her one last time.'

The blonde looked to his left hand, more specifically to the area his left pinky used to occupy. Shimamura had suggested the boy have his pinky sewn back on, but Naruto refused. He didn't deserve that finger; after everything that happened, he didn't feel he even deserved to live.

'It's gonna be awkward for a while, but I think I'll manage.'

Another few hours passed before Naruto succumbed to fatigue. He quickly made shelter in a large tree hollow. Shivering somewhat, the boy wrapped himself up in a wool blanket. The very same blanket he had let Shizune use about two weeks prior. Only a scant few minutes passed before Naruto drifted off to sleep.

"Naruto! Please… please come back!" Said boy rubbed his eyes. "Naoko? Where are we?" The woman's arms were wrapped around Naruto's body. Her eyes bloodshot, and her face distraught; she had clearly been crying. The two didn't seem to be anywhere in particular, just a blank void.

"Come back… please." Naruto heard the woman plead.

"I want to come back! I'll probably be in Taeru by tomorrow! What's wrong?"

"I need you, Naruto. I can't explain further, but you must hurry!"

"You need me? Why can't you explain further?"

"It's too late, Naruto. You have to wake up."

"What?"

"…have to wake u…"

Naruto's head flew up and slammed against the roof of the tree hollow. "Ow, ow, ow! Dammit!" The boy rubbed his forehead gingerly, lamenting the damage his poor head had taken over the past two days. 'What was that dream all about? Is Naoko in trouble?'

Upon packing the blanket, the boy strapped his backpack on and observed his surroundings. 'Looks like it's about noon. If I'm fast enough, I should probably be back in Taeru before it's dark.'

…

Inhaling the fresh air of Taeru, Naruto allowed himself to smile, if only slightly. He had grown to love the village. Despite only a matter of weeks passing since his departure, it felt more like an eternity to the boy. After strolling around the village for a few minutes, the boy's line of sight crossed paths with a familiar store.

'Hopefully she doesn't get too worried about the pinky.'

Naruto slowly opened the door open and shyly made his way into the store. 'This is weird, the store's open but she's not at the counter.'

"Hey, Naoko! It's me! Recognize my voice?!"

No response. 'Has she gone out for deliveries? Maybe, but I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong here.' Naruto nervously approached the stairs. 'Will she mind if I check upstairs? I don't think so, she does trust me.'

Finding the upstairs hallway deserted, the blonde made his way to Naoko's room. The door was slightly ajar, which for an unknown reason filled Naruto with dread. With a prolonged creaking noise, the door was opened.

His eyes were tightly shut as the sounds of Naoko's pleas echoed through his head.

"Naruto! Please… please come back!"

"Come back… please."

"I need you, Naruto. I can't explain further, but you must hurry!"

Bracing himself, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. The sight that greeted the boy would traumatize him for life. Dangling lifelessly from the ceiling hanged the pale form of Naoko. Her eyes, once filled with such life, such mirth, now bulged out in a horrifying manner. One glance at those eyes pierced Naruto's heart in a way no blade ever could.

'This woman is not compatible with your future. You cannot diverge from your predetermined path, child of prophecy.'

With an earth shattering howl, the world turned red. Nothing mattered anymore, all that remained was pain and loneliness. Before being completely overcome by the fox's power, cracks began to form around Naruto's frame of view. All eventually crumbled away, revealing nothing more than an empty void.

The red shroud enveloping the boy dissipated. Hours seemed to pass as Naruto floated aimlessly through eternal blank space. A mixture of loneliness and sheer monotony steadily drove the blonde to madness. No matter how loud his screams were, they were all lost to nothingness.