The sky was bright.
His eyes saw, and he could only laugh, like as if a great veil was lifted from his eyes. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that the world had been much darker once upon a time.
Konoha was a big place, yet he knew exactly where to go. His feet led him towards that place with an intent that he didn't remember.
Ramen.
"Ramen!" he cried.
He burst into the store with a primal greed and a big grin, while those two people beamed at him. They reached out and rubbed his hair while Naruto bobbed his head happily.
It felt so right. How could this not be a family?
Ayame cried, and Naruto couldn't understand. The only thing he could do was ask, and all Ayame did was sniff as she wiped the liquid from the corner of her eyes.
"Come here," she said, arms outstretched.
Naruto fell into her embrace without comprehension, with only the awareness that there was something amiss. He turned to Teuchi, who also hugged him, and laughed, with his booming voice.
"When you get out there, tell them you are Naruto. Our Naruto," he muttered, those gentle wistful eyes shining all the while. It was then that Naruto understood, and that was when they faded away.
This was the goodbye he never got to give them.
The world was abruptly sunless, and the dimness suffocated him, wrenching him earthward to an opaque bank where he would drown. Already, he felt like allowing nature to run its course, yet a part of him wanted him to screech for help.
His reached his hand out, and a gnarled strong grip met him.
He was being hefted upwards. His head burst out and in a moment of clarity, his sight was regained. That man, the brown haired one with a scar across his nose was the one hoisting him up, and despite his hesitance, he held on.
Then Hinata came, and reached for his hand too. He was frightened that she would be hauled into the obscurity, yet he didn't defy her when she grabbed his wrist.
Slowly, they grew more and more transparent as they pulled him up, and Naruto's perception changed. They were once solid, but their bodies refracted the light the higher they pulled him. What seemed so bright above him turned dull once again.
Give up, you idiot. There's no way you can win.
Their hands faded away, and Naruto watched as they were swallowed into nothingness. He felt like an empty husk, yet for some reason, he didn't yet want to fade.
They would have wanted him happy; a defiant fire rose within him.
Give in? So many people have died to pull me out of this hole, and you tell me to give in?
What should you live for? You have no one.
All at once, that fire roared into life as he grasped for something to pull himself up.
So? They loved me!
His hands grasped not a person, but a concept. An ideal.
He pulled himself up into the basin of his tailed beast. Shock and rage etched itself on the Kyuubi's face, who had clearly miscalculated.
What are you doing? We can rule together! The blood of the Uzumaki, the mental construct you have, you can be more than this!
Me…or you? This is my body, I will construct any illusion I want, not you! I will live, not despite their deaths, but because of their deaths! I will make that darkness an illusion and smash it with my bare hands!
A resolve to bring peace to the world took hold, a desire to end all suffering; a new goal to work towards, despite the chasm within him.
Get out!
It was his final command in the world he called his own.
{[+]}
"Urgh…"
Naruto painfully rose, his head bursting with agony. A gentle hand was laid on his head as he was forced back into the bed.
"Jiji…" he moaned as his wavering vision finally corrected itself.
"Shhh..."
"Are they-"
"Shh…We have time for that later…"
Why did his head hurt so much? His entire body felt like it was scrambled beyond repair as if red hot pokers were embedded into his bones.
"You're quite lucky. If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, at the very least your brain would have been broiled through sensory overload. I'm surprised you don't have a parasympathetic nervous disorder. "
"Gee, I guess I'm lucky to be the only person in this country to be the monster everyone thinks I am."
"We'll talk about that soon," the Hokage answered with a grave expression, which softened shortly after. "You caused quite a stir."
"I guess so," Naruto answered, with a fair bit of bitterness in his voice.
Just as he answered, a red haired woman barged into the room. She seemed middle-aged yet her skin was youthful in appearance. The way she carried herself spoke of dignity and confidence, even in the presence of the Hokage did she appear unfazed.
"I'm here, Hokage-sama."
"You want to talk him with now?"
Naruto could only stare at the red haired lady, because she was too similar to a certain someone.
"Jinne?"
She looked delighted at his form, contrary to all his expectations.
"Jinne doesn't have red hair," he expressed, dumbfounded.
Jinne only tittered at his response, but when she stopped; her expression was more serious despite her twinkling eyes.
"Jinne Ichiraku doesn't have red hair," she affirmed.
Then she grinned.
"But Jinne Uzumaki does."
{{+]}
Things were a right mess now, and Hiruzen could only sigh in despondence. The Uzumaki were looking for their clan heir, and they found him too.
Indeed, Naruto sat in front of him, cross-legged on the floor.
"Can I go?"
"…Why not? It is your right after all."
Naruto could only be silent for a long while.
"But can I see their bodies before I go?"
For a moment, Hiruzen was puzzled. And then a knowing smile broke out on his face.
"I see. You were played the entire time, Naruto."
"What?"
"They were never in danger the entire time."
Naruto blinked in astonishment.
"I don't follow."
Hiruzen sighed, and finally turned back to answering him.
"Did you really think that Konoha's security was that bad?"
There was a lengthy pause before sudden realization flashed onto Naruto's face.
"You mean-"
"Yes. They were waiting for you this morning, but they are in class right now. You can go visit if you w-"
Too bad Naruto was already out the door before Hiruzen could finish. He grumbled as he fixed his hat.
"Damn brat thinks he's the only one who knows genjutsu."
{[+]}
"He will never wake up," the nurse had said.
Booming footsteps echoed in the hall ways outside as a teacher shouted. It was probably another trouble-maker, Hinata didn't know.
"I'm sorry," the nurse had said.
She inspected her notebook blankly as Cobate-sensei continued his lecture. Nothing made sense anymore.
"His injuries are brain-based, the chances of his recovery are slim-"
BANG!
The door in the classroom slammed open, jolting everyone up from their seats. As with the rest of the class, Hinata stared in shock at the interrupter, who turned out to be Naruto. He locked gazes at her with surprise on his face, and at his gaze, Hinata's eyes teared up.
"Naruto…"
Hinata didn't even have enough time to let out a cry as he caught her in a bone-crushing hug in front of the entire class. Hinata's face went beet red, yet she returned the gesture just as hard.
"Naruto, you're alright," she blubbered, as she sniffled. "The nurse said that you would never wake up…!"
Naruto only sobbed against her shoulder.
"You're alive."
It was the only thing he could say.
{[+]}
A/N: Judging from the P/Ms, I really led you guys on. ROFL, I received so much rage in the private messages. You guys will probably raging for an explanation, but hopefully you won't go apeshit over me. :/
Thank you to Tikitorch559, The Forgotten Bijuu, RamenKnight and roboguy45 for your continued support!
Uh…R&R? Hopefully I didn't do it all that bad?