Eyes of the Broken Soul

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I affiliated in any way with Naruto. I just like the show and mangas so I wrote this fanfic.

Sorry it took me a bit longer to upload this chapter, but I had a busy weekend. Anyway, here it is, finally. (It's also currently my longest standing chapter so far.)
I just wanted to say thans for al the reviews I've received so far. I really appreciate it so here's another chapter for you to enjoy.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter! :)

--

Chapter 12 - Friends and Enemies

The cold rush of gently flowing water began to slowly soak the body of a young boy, who's shattered heart harbours the nightmares and torments of his every fear. The damp Iron labyrinth of pipes and rusted iron slowly came into view once again as Naruto opened his eyes, his body almost completely submerged in the rising water that now threatened to swallow him.

"I... I'm back here again?" He gulped, picking himself up from the floor. Naruto took a brief moment to look around the drenched room, only to see the same iron cage that he had witnessed in his dreams before.

"I... wonder what this place is? Why do I keep coming back here?" The boy then began to walk towards the iron bars to look at the symbol placed in front of it. He had to try and make out what it said, it was the only way to make sense of what was going on.

As we slowly waded through the knee-deep water, a large growl resounded throughout the room, hailing from deep behind the iron bars. Naruto froze in his feet as the water shook and rippled around him, his heart filling with the terror of a scared child. Whatever that sound was it was definitely evil, there was no doubt about it. Naruto tried to shake off his fears, willing them aside in order to continue. It was only a dream after all... he hoped.

Naruto began to slowly edge forward once more, his quivering legs carrying him closer to his goal. He clasped his hands together tightly and held them against his chest, trying to shake of the cold that seeped into his bones. Just as he began to pick up his pace once more, the water around him began to stir violently, rising even higher up his body. The boy froze in place once again and he looked down at the threatening advance, his fear of drowning beginning to surface once more.

"No.... NO!!!" Naruto cried out in terror as the ensuing rush of water began to rapidly swallow him. The young boy could no longer feel the floor at his feet and soon he was desperately trying to keep himself afloat, splashing his arms in a panic.

After a few brief moments of struggling, his head eventually sank beneath the waters surface as he took one last desperate gulp of breath. The air in his lungs slowly began to burn away as he instinctively grasped out for anything to help him remain afloat, his mind reeling through the sheer terror of his ordeal.

"Iruka-sensei, where are you?..." He thought to himself as the icy chill consumed him. Just then another large rumble sounded throughout the water and to Naruto's ears. The boy opened his eyes and looked into the shadowy abyss that now began to swallow him. He gazed past the iron cage that held the ominous growl only to see two massive, dark red eyes slowly opening behind them, glowing in the eternal darkness beyond. A terrible and malicious voice soon followed afterwards.

"So... weak. To be ruled by such fears as these is a weakness that only a child would divulge in. You have caused me a great deal of trouble with these pathetic emotions of yours."

Naruto closed his eyes again as the voice sounded throughout the waters depths, piercing into his vulnerable heart with all it's malice and cruelty. He was desperately hoping and praying that this nightmare would end soon. Just then, as if to answer an unspoken wish Naruto's eyes shot open once again, revealing the warm safety of his bedroom. The boy looked up to the ceiling above him, gasping for air as he tried to quell his burning lungs.

"If... if it was just a dream, then why do I feel like my lungs are still aching?" Naruto murmured to himself, grasping at his chest with his hand. His body was still quivering from the icy chill that had sunk into him.

Naruto tried to remove the image of those terrible dark red eyes out of his mind. They were filled with so much malice and hatred that it was enough to break a person's soul. For Naruto, it was just another reminder of the same eyes that always viewed him with so much cruelty and anger. His soul was already shattered into pieces a long time ago and the only thing keeping him from losing it all together was the kindness of a certain young man.

--

The rest of the morning went without much further incident. Naruto went through his usual ritual of showering and then getting dressed and ready for the academy, before eating breakfast with Iruka. He didn't once mention the nightmare he had while they sat down with one another. He didn't want to make his sensei worry any more than he already did. Naruto knew that he would have to figure this out on his own. Whatever the dream was, it seemed to always play on all of his deepest fears. First, the attack by his warden and Mizuki, along with the cruelty of the villagers and now his newly formed fear of drowning. Then there was the issue of whoever, or whatever, had spoken to him from behind those iron bars. Naruto was beginning to suspect what it was, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet.

After breakfast was finished, the two of them left the house and headed over to the academy to begin the new week. Iruka could feel a mix of emotions coming from Naruto as he held the boys shoulders in his arms, but when he asked about it, Naruto just forced a grin and reassured his sensei that nothing was wrong. Iruka could feel from Naruto's touch that it was obviously a lie, but he didn't press it any further. If Naruto wanted to talk to him about it, then it would eventually come up later on. Perhaps some ramen from Ichirakus would loosen the boy's tongue. Once the two were eventually in the safety of the academy building, they made there way to the classroom and Naruto sat down at his seat, avoiding the icy glares of the already present students. Iruka quickly raised his voice above that of the snickering kids and quieted them down.

"Alright, today we are going to be working on your stamina levels and agility. I want you all to head outside into the training courtyard right away to begin our exercises." The pink haired girl known as Sakura quickly shot to her feet in protest.

"But Iruka-sensei, I thought we were having a spot test on advanced battle formations. I studied the whole weekend for that!" Iruka just radiated a brief grin.

"I recall saying that I might give you a spot test, but I eventually decided against it. It was too much trouble and I was tired."

If looks could kill, which in some cases (like Naruto's) they most certainly can, then Iruka would no doubt already be dead. It was just a good thing Sakura didn't have any secret doujutsu otherwise the chunin might have found himself keeling over on the spot. Sakura was always one to grasp the opportunity to prove how smart she was. She practically reveled at the chance of taking a class test so this intrusion of her self proclaimed justice was a big thorn in the kunoichi's side.

The blond haired, blue eyed boy sitting further in front of her just giggled in his seat, gaining a well timed wink from a certain scarred chunin. The young Inuzuka sitting next to him almost jumped out of his seat when he heard the unfamiliar chuckling sound. He had never heard Naruto laugh before now, and it was quite unusual to hear. Even Akamaru yapped in surprise.

After a few more rants from the pink haired kunoichi in training and a few boring sighs from Shikamaru who mumbled something about girls being crazy, the class eventually filed out of the room to do their training. Naruto waited patiently until everyone else had left and then made his way out of his seat. He didn't want to leave with the rest of the group and risk the cruelty of the class bullies, not to mention the risk of touching someone while travelling in a crowd. Iruka placed his arm over the boy's shoulder as he arrived at the front of his desk and the two began to head out together.

--

Anko Mitarashi was a woman with a purpose. To say that she was one of the more... enthusiastic kunoichi in Konoha would be a massive understatement on anyone's part. The woman practically reveled in the confines of battle, always ready to accept a dangerous mission if it meant she could let loose and spill someone else's blood. Some just thought that she was crazy and delusional, that she had inherited the spirit of her former sensei, but the third Hokage knew the truth behind her seemingly sadistic streak. In reality, the young woman was akin to what one would call the walking dead.

There was no longer any real life in the body that carried her desolated spirit. Her soul had long since been torn apart by her former sensei, the snake sannin known as Orochimaru, and had since been remolded into something she now hated completely. Nowadays, the purple haired jounin would always accept even the most suicidal missions without missing a heart beat. It was almost as though she was searching for death, waiting for a release from the tormenting memories of her past crimes. Today, she was on her way to the Hokage tower to seek out one such mission.

As she made her way through the dusty streets of Konoha, the young woman caught sight of an open green field with a river running closely nearby. It was one of the more secluded training fields in the village, normally reserved only for the more prestigious clan members in order for them to safely guard their secret techniques from prying eyes. Anko herself had never actually really noticed it before now. The special jounin slowly made her way over to the soft green grass and walked on its inviting surface. It was very apparent that it's surface had hardly ever been disturbed before because there were hardly any visible signs of human interference.

"Well, I guess a few minutes of peace wouldn't hurt" she quietly mused to herself.

It wasn't often that she took the time to relax and quietly enjoy herself, in fact she couldn't even remember the last time she even took the time to stare at the passing clouds. Oh sure, she always seemed to be grinning and laughing sadistically on the outside but that was all just a well conceived mask, one that she wore to hide her true emotions from the world around her. She didn't want to be taken advantage of ever again and putting on a intimidating front helped prevent anyone from doing just that. Orochimaru had used her state of vulnerability to lure her into a compromising situation and she would never allow that to happen ever again. Trust was now something that didn't come easily for the woman and there were very few people she considered friends.

As Anko slowly made her way to the rivers edge, her body began to tense as her feet rummaged through the soft green grass. It was almost as though she could feel the remnant pain of another suffering soul, the same kind of pain she felt when she was rejected by those around her after Orochimaru's betrayal. She knew that kind of sadness all to well and it wasn't difficult for her to detect.

"Someone.... someone has been crying here. Someone just like me" Anko gulped, her eyes wondering around the tranquil scene, but it's beauty only hid the scarred emotions of another tortured soul like hers. "Perhaps... I shouldn't be here." The jounin could feel the last vestiges pain and suffering in the air around her and decided it wasn't a good idea to remain behind for long. Anko then turned on her heels and was about to leave the training field when she caught sight of a messenger hawk traveling through the sky towards her.

"Ooohh! Someone likes me! I never usually get messages." Anko jumped up and down on the spot with glee instantly forgetting her brief moment of angst. Although it was no doubt a request for some crazey, suicidal mission she still enjoyed the prospect of someone actively seeking her out. It meant she was needed, that she was wanted, even if it was only her skills that were required.

It was then that she caught sight of a second messenger hawk approaching from the opposite direction, also headed towards the now completely flabbergasted jounin.

"Huh! Two messages? I must have found my way onto the Konoha's most wanted list all of a sudden."

To say that Anko wasn't surprised when she then caught sight of a third hawk approaching would be like saying Jiraiya wasn't a pervert and Kakashi would stop reading his dirty novels. The jounin could only watch on in amazement as the three birds of prey slowly descended down towards her. The feisty birds caught sight of one another's approach and quickly proceeded to clash into each other, falling in a clump of feathers and talons right in front of the surprised jounin.

Messenger hawks were trained to intercept and engage any other message carriers they encountered on their journeys and although they were also trained to recognised friendlies, they were still often aggressive towards there competitors. Anko, who realized what was about to happen, promptly seated herself on the ground and miraculously pulled out a box of dango from an unknown hiding place. (Who knows where she would keep something like that). She the proceeded to munch on the tasty morsels, watching the entertaining show in front of her as the birds proceeded to tear each other apart.

"Who... ever thought that... messenger hawks could be so... competitive?" Anko mused to herself, giggling as the bird brawl continued in front of her. "This is great, we should do this more often! I could even hold a betting ring and make a few bucks as well."

The jounin hadn't had this much fun since watching the last chunin exams. Who ever thought that stupid birds could put on such an entertaining display. After a few more minutes and a few more feathers spread around the ground, Anko eventually began to grow somewhat bored of the show and chased the birds off. She then grabbed the messages that were left on the ground and opened each one to read them, her eyebrows raising in curiosity.

"Huh? This is interesting indeed. Hehehe, I guess it's time to put on something... more enticing, but first I'm gonna visit that old man and maybe give him a nose bleed. It's so fun to watch him squirm in his chair."

--

Naruto supported his body with his hands on his knees as he desperately gasped for air, his lungs were now burning from lack of oxygen due to the heavy training excises they had just partaken in. The entire class had to run a very complex obstacle course consisting of numerous challenges including a log balancing section, a barbed wire mud crawling section and many other precarious dangers. The boy's body was now filled with scratch marks and mud stains. Interestingly enough, and much to the bitter anguish of some of his other nastier classmates, Naruto had actually made pretty good time. In fact, he had beaten most of the other times in his group except for a select few, including Sasuke and Kiba who both still had superior agility.

Iruka suspected that it was his tree climbing and water walking exercises that enhanced the boy's speed so much. That was the original goal behind those training methods in the first place. He could see that Naruto was proud of his achievement, but he could also see the resentful stares of some of his classmates. The class kunoichis, on the other hand, were all by now in a complete fuss over their hindered looks. Most of the made very poor time, trying too hard to keep themselves from getting dirty instead of focussing on the task at hand. Naruto himself silently cursed the fact that he was wearing a white T-shirt. His entire body was now completely filled with mud and leaves and even his face was well endowed with the rings of dirt and grime.

After everyone had completed their turn around the track, Iruka called an end to the training excises and led everyone back inside to the change rooms to clean themselves off. Luckily, he had brought an extra change of clothes for Naruto, knowing what they would be doing that day. As the made their way down the academy hallways, Naruto fell back from the group of students and quietly strode up next to his sensei. Iruka caught sight of his mud filled face and smiled at the sight of it. This in turn caused Naruto to slap on a toothy grin of his own, causing Iruka to chuckle. To see those blue eyes and sparkling white teeth hiding behind a wall of dirt was quite the sight indeed.

"Hehehe, we're gonna have to get that muck off of your face otherwise it's gonna freeze into place like that." Naruto's expression then immediately fell into a look of concern.

"W... will that really happen Iruka-sensei?"

"Hahahaha... no Naruto it wont really happen!" Iruka laughed, amused by his students innocent nature. "You... haha... should have seen the look... on your face!"

Naruto began to pout, realizing he had just been duped by his sensei again. Iruka just giggled inwardly at the sight of his muddy expression and then put his arms around the boy's shoulder, pulling the boy closer beside him. Naruto's face began to relax again as he closed his eyes, leaning against the chunins side with his head. The boys whiskered face emanated with the warmth of his smile as he snuggled up against his sensei's vest.

Iruka didn't mind the fact that he was now getting completely full of mud, he was just happy to bask in the warm emotions coming from the boy beside him. There were a few curious glances from the students scattered around the hallway, but he just shrugged them off. He didn't care what people thought anymore, he didn't care if they saw him holding Naruto in his arms. Why shouldn't the boy be allowed to hug someone without fear of the repercussions or harsh judgement from those around him. It just wasn't fair for Naruto.

After showering themselves off from their grime and setting into a fresh change of clothes, the students were dismissed for their lunchtime break. Naruto waved Iruka off and then headed into the academy grounds, searching for his usual spot on the same swing he always sat atop. After heading outside, Naruto slowly made his way through the small playground, searching around as the other kids formed small groups with their friends. Shikamaru and Choujij were busy sitting under a nearby tree, enjoying the cool shade while the Akamichi snacked on his lunch. Kiba and Akamaru were running around the open grass, chasing one another in a game of tag while Shino observed some bugs walking along a nearby plant with astounding interest.

Sasuke was busy moping about under another tree while his fanclub watched him intently from nearby. Hinata was the only girl that didn't seem interested in him, in fact Naruto was surprised to find the white-eyed girl gazing at him instead. He tried to shrug it off knowing that it was probably too good to be true, after all, no-one ever wanted to be around him. Everyone else had friends to spend there breaks with, to laugh and play with in the sun, but Naruto was all alone with only a wooden swing and his own thoughts to keep him company. The boy eventually refocussed his mind once more and proceeded to his usual waiting spot, but as he caught sight of his temporary haven he only found it now completely surrounded by the local school bullies.

"Damn, I guess they're waiting for me to arrive. They're probably still upset that I beat their times in the training run." Naruto was about to turn around and head off again, when one of the impatiently waiting boys caught sight of him.

"Hey! There he is! Lets get the little brat!" The said blond felt his heart jump at the sound of their words. He quickly darted off as fast as his feet could carry him, trying to avoid the cruelty of the boys fists he was sure to meet if they caught him.

"Get back here you little runt! We wont hurt you too badly!" one of them snickered.

Apparently, Naruto was travelling a lot faster than he thought, because soon he had lost his pursuers completely. After looking back over his shoulders to ensure his safety, Naruto dropped next to a nearby tree and leaned against its hard, wooden surface.

"Whew! That was too close." Naruto sighed, trying to catch his breath. The boy then began to relieve his built up emotions in the form of tears stinging at the back of his eyes but before he could even think of crying, the frustrated sounds of a nearby anguished voice reached his ears.

"Damn it, I'll show them all!"

Naruto slowly peered around the base of the tree he leaned against, catching sight of another young boy as he drove his fists into a nearby training post. The wooden frame was slowly being demolished by the power of his blows, while splinters embedded themselves in his heavily clenched fists. He was wearing a white robe like shirt and pants and his black hair shined unnaturally in the morning sunlight. He also had the biggest eyebrows Naruto had ever seen in his life.

Naruto watched on with a keen interest as the boy, who seemed just a little older than he was, continued to plow away at his target, muffling brief words of frustration as he demolished the logs with his bare fists.

"I'll show them that I can be a great ninja even if I only know how to use taijutsu." The boy's eyes slowly began to fill with tears as his fists marked with blood and fresh wounds, but his wounds seemed to run deeper that just physical ones. Naruto could see the pain in his eyes, it was a similar type of pain he saw every time he looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes showed the feelings of rejection that weighed heavily on his heart.

"He almost has the same eyes as me." Naruto mumbled as he watched the boy continue. The said boy obviously heard the muffled ramblings from nearby, because soon he as turning to look in Naruto's direction. He briefly managed to catch sight of Naruto's blue eyes and blond hair just before the boy disappeared behind the tree again.

"No... I shouldn't have let him see me. What if he wants to hurt me just like the others?" Naruto cursed to himself, slapping his forehead in frustration.

"Hey, wh... who's there?" the dark haired boy sobbed as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He then slowly began to walk over to where Naruto hid, walking around the tree to see the boy huddling his knees up against his chest. Naruto was quivering in his sandals as he sat firmly against the surface of the tree, his eyes were wrought with the fear and panic of being so close to someone he didn't know, someone who might hurt him just because of who he was. If the dark haired boy could do that to a training post, what could he do to him?

"Hey there... my name is Lee." The boy mumbled, slowly approaching Naruto. "Is... something wrong? I'm not going to hurt you." Naruto pulled back even further against the wooden surface behind him, not wanting to touch another stranger unwillingly.

"I... I'm really sorry... I was... I was just watching, I promise..." Naruto mumbled, his voice shaking in fear. He was still afraid that the boy was going to hurt him for intruding.

"Hey there's no need to apologize, I'm not angry. Here, let me help you up." Lee extended his hand for the boy to hold on to, but Naruto just pulled away even more. The boy's knuckles and fingers were still red with the marks of his 'training'.

Lee began to frown in discomfort, he had never seen so much fear inside the eyes of another as that of which he saw in Naruto's. He wanted to say something else, to reassure the boy that he wasn't going to harm him, but before he could open his mouth the cruel snickers of Naruto's pursuer's sounded from behind the two boys.

"There he his, lets get the little brat!" Naruto yelped in panic at the approach of the other boys. He quickly sprang to his feet and hurtled off as fast as he could. Lee watched on with complete shock as the other, clearly bigger kids chased after him.

"Is... is that why he was hiding?" Not being one to let such injustices going unanswered, Lee began to give chase as well. He wasn't about to let a boy get bullied when he could do something to prevent it.

Naruto continued to run throughout the academy grounds, desperately trying to create some distance between himself and his pursuers, but even he could only go so far. The boy eventually found himself running into a dead end amongst the walls of the academy structure, his escape being completely closed of from all sides. Naruto turned around to see the cruel glares of his classmates as they entered in after him.

"I guess you thought you were pretty smart making us look bad in our training" one of them snickered. "I don't know how a dobe like you managed to do so well, but after we're done with you I assure you there won't be a second time." Naruto slowly backed away against the wall behind him.

"Please... I won't do it again, I promise. Just leave me alone." The kids just ignored Naruto's please and closed in around the boy.

"Oh, we know you won't, in fact we're going to make sure of that." Naruto's heart began to race in his chest as his cruel fate closed in on him. It wasn't the first time he had run in with these bullies and it never ended well for him, this would be no different from before. But before he could even close his eyes as instinct demanded, a voice called out from behind his attackers.

"Hey, leave that boy alone!" The three other boys turned around to face their new challenger, only to see the fuzzy-browed, outlandish looking Lee standing before them.

"To pick on someone who is outnumbered and smaller than you is cowardly, I cannot just stand by and allow you to harm him." Naruto felt his heart welling up inside as the dark haired boy appeared into view. The other kids just snickered at the sight of their new target.

"Hahaha, what are you going to do to us. I bet you couldn't even hurt a fly if you tried." Lee just ignored their taunts and fell into a taijutsu stance, preparing for his opponents' attacks.

"So, he's really serious about fighting us then? Fine, I'll take care of this dweeb."

One of the boys hurled himself forward at the waiting Lee, throwing his fist in a brutal attack against his smaller opponent, but the boy didn't even move from his standing position. Naruto watched on with complete amazement as he caught the fist in his hand. Before the other boy even knew what was happening, Lee then twisted underneath his arm, causing it to bend into a rather peculiar and painful position. He then spun into a low leg sweep, bringing the larger boy crashing into the ground with a heavy thud, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

The other two boys quickly charged forward to engage him, but both of them found themselves on the receiving end of his powerful blows. Neither of them could even block Lee's astonishingly fast movements and they were soon retreating from the battle with their still winded friend, throwing curses back at the blond boy who was still standing in awe.

"You can't hide behind your friend forever dobe. We'll get you eventually!" Lee watched as Naruto's attackers ran out of view, flinching at the word 'dobe' as though he had heard it many times before himself. He then turned back to see the blond boy sinking to the floor in a violent quiver.

"Hey there... are you alright?" Lee slowly walked up to the boy and knelt down in front of him. He reached out with his hand to grab him, but Naruto sensed his advance and pulled away.

"No... please... don't touch me, whenever people touch me bad things just always seem to happen." The dark haired boy reluctantly complied and withdrew his hand. Naruto was still quivering in fear from the near disaster he had just avoided. He would hate to think what Iruka would have done if he came back into the class a mess. He didn't want his sensei to think he was getting bullied at school as well, that would just make the man more anxious. He began to wipe away the fresh tears stinging at his eyes and then opened them once more.

"Hey Lee... thanks for helping me back there. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it." Lee just grinned and waved it off.

"Yosh... it was no problem." Lee exclaimed, forcing a grin onto his face. "I just couldn't stand by and watch someone else get hurt, especially when he hasn't done anything wrong. Oh wait, I still don't know your name." Naruto looked up from the floor and took a deep breath.

"It's Naruto.... my name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Nice to meat you Naruto-kun, my full name is Rock Lee, but you can just call me Lee." It was then that Lee noticed the golden eyes staring back in his direction.

"Hey Naruto... weren't your eyes blue before?" Naruto yelped at the sound of the boy's words.

"Oh no, you weren't supposed to see that. Damn it! Now everyone is going to hate me even more." Lee watched as Naruto held his head in anguish, shaking it from side to side as he continued to curse. "Lee please, you can't tell anyone about my eyes, otherwise they're going to hurt me... please, just promise me you wont say anything."

Lee didn't understand what Naruto was going on about. He couldn't understand why someone would hurt Naruto just because of his eyes, but he wasn't one to argue. If he could keep the boy from any harm, then that's exactly what he would do.

"Alright Naruto-kun, I promise not to tell anyone about your eyes." Naruto felt a deep sense of relief wash over him.

"Thanks... I really appreciate it."

Just then, the call for their breaks end sounded and Lee rose back to his feet. "Well I guess it's time to head back into class. I'll see you around then?" Lee then turned back to look at the boy sitting on the floor. Naruto was still staring quietly at the ground with his arms around his knees. His eyes were now once again the same blue oceans they were before, but they were still filled with fear and anxiety.

"Naruto, if you like, I can walk you back to your class first." Naruto looked up to the other boy with longing and appreciative eyes.

"Th... that would be great."

Naruto then rose to his feet and allowed a brief smile to emanate off his lips. It wasn't often that a complete stranger would offer their help to him rather than just attacking him on sight. The two boys then headed off back into the academy building and towards Naruto's class. Once they arrived, Lee waved the boy off with a massive toothy grin and then headed down the hallway to his own class. Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief and then entered inside the safety of his classroom, making his way to his seat while Iruka watched from behind his desk.

The chunin noticed the dry tear stains on the boy's face and began to grow deeply concerned. He began to realize what might have happened when some of the older boys in the back of the class threw Naruto deadly glares while snickering under their breath. The scarred chunin quickly cleared his throat to gain the classes attention (and to draw it away from Naruto) and then continued to teach the day's remaining lessons.

--

It was now two in the afternoon and the academy students were slowly making their way out of class and back to their homes. Naruto waited patiently for everyone else to leave and then ran down to Iruka as he always did. The two of them slowly made their way out of the academy ground and towards the training field where Kakashi and Kurenai were waiting. The two jounin waved in their approach, Kakashi putting away his novel as he did so.

"Good afternoon Naruto... Iruka." Kurenai called. Kakashi just waved at the two. Iruka was still surprised that the masked jounin was on time for the second time in three days. Naruto slapped on the biggest smile he could and ran up to the waiting red-eyed jounin.

"It's good to see you Kurenai-sensei." He yelped, throwing himself into the woman's arms. Kurenai smiled as she held the boy in an embrace. She could feel his excitement and knew it had something to do with their training.

"It's good to see you too kid."

Iruka approached them soon afterwards and the four continued to share their greetings. Naruto even managed to greet Kakashi in a more relaxed tone than before, much to the jounin's surprise and relief, although he still referred to him in a more formal expression. After they had settled down once more, Kakashi began to initiate their new training schedule.

"Alright Naruto, I want you to use the technique I showed you yesterday to summon two clones of yourself." Naruto nodded his head and complied. The boy formed a single seal and began to mold his chakra.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" After a brief burst of smoke there were three Naruto's standing next to each other. The boy let out a massive grin, basking in his achievement as he summoned the clones. He gained a small pat on the back from Iruka and an approving smile from Kurenai. Kakashi just nodded his head and then continued.

"Alright, now you remember what I told you about the shadow clones and what they allow you to do?" The three boys's nodded their heads in unison. "Good, now each one of you will be training with either me, Kurenai or Iruka."

Kurenai quickly grabbed one of the Naruto's hands and lead him away from the rest of the group, while Kakashi took another aside for more doujutsu training. The last one looked at Iruka with a frustrated pout.

"Aw, why am I the one who has to study? Reading is so boring." Iruka pulled off a mock sad face and widened his eyes as much as possible, causing Naruto to yelp.

"Alright then, I understand. You don't want to spend time with your favorite sensei. I'll just take a walk by myself and see if someone else wants to spend time with me." Naruto felt his heart being torn apart inside and very soon he found himself running to hug his sensei.

"I didn't mean it like that Iruka-sensei. Please don't be upset with me." Iruka looked down at he boy with a grin on his face. Naruto's pout had long since disappeared and his expression was now one of concern and remorse and his blue eyes were as big as saucers. The chunin then roughed up the boy's hair, gaining another small giggle.

"Of course I'd never be upset with you. It's hard to be upset with a face like that." Naruto gave off a deep sigh of relief before the two made their way to a nearby tree and sat down underneath its shadow.

Iruka pulled out their reading material and began to recite each word with Naruto repeating after him. The boy was still struggling to pick up each symbol, but he was slowly getting better at it. The other two Narutos continued with their own exercises with a renewed focus.

Kurenai ran through some tree climbing exercises at first, followed afterwards by some more water walking exercises, the latter which Naruto thoroughly enjoyed. The boy couldn't stop giggling every time the two took another step further out into the stream. He watched on with complete amazement as a small shoal of fish swam beneath his feet, sometimes tickling gently against his sensitive soles. Kurenai just basked in his radiant glow, allowing herself to become lost in his bright smile. It was a smile that could steel the world away in a single heartbeat. She just couldn't understand why no-one else could see this side of Naruto. Why couldn't they see the boy behind the monster, a kid whose soul had been unfairly dragged through the mud by the cruelty and ignorance of those around him.

Kakashi, in the meantime, continued to work on the boy's doujutsu, trying to help him learn how to activate it and control it's abilities at will. Naruto was still not able to willingly activate his golden eyes, but he was slowly getting closer with every passing attempt. Every now and again, he would see a small burst of colour and life around him before losing it as quickly as it came. Kakashi noticed the small flicker of gold in his eyes every time the boy came close to activating his doujutsu.

It was frustrating to watch it vanish again just as quickly as it appeared, but the jounin knew it was better not to rush the boy into advancing too quickly. Every now and again he would give pointers to Naruto, as well as a few words of encouragement to keep his spirits from falling. He couldn't help but get the feeling that Naruto was slowly warming up to him, because the boy would briefly smile every time Kakashi praised him for his hard work.

Back under a nearby tree, Iruka continued to read to Naruto beside him. The boy had long since resigned to leaning on the chunins chest, allowing himself to relax in the safety of the man's hold. Iruka's arm ran across the boys shoulder and held him in comfort, while his other hand held the book in place. Suddenly, the prospect of reading didn't seem so bad to the boy, it was actually very relaxing for him to sit in the comfort of his sensei's embrace, feeling the soft green grass beneath his hands. After a few hours of reading Naruto's eyes eventually began to slowly inch themselves closed, the exhaustion of a long day setting into his small body.

Iruka noticed the new development and softened his voice so as to not disturb the boy's sleep. They had gone through quite a bit of reading in the last two and a half hours and Naruto earned some rest. The chunin carefully put the book away once Naruto's breathing had steadied and he slowly inched himself into a more comfortable position, trying not to wake the boy as he shuffled. He then continued to watch as Kurenai and Kakashi also called of their training respectively. The other two Naruto clones promptly dispelled themselves and allowed their memories to flow into the original's mind, causing the boy to flinch slightly as they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi and Kurenai then walked over to where Iruka and Naruto lay under the tree.

"I guess yours was tired as well" Kurenai giggled, looking down at the sleeping form in Iruka's arms. The chunin just returned the smile in kind while running his fingers through Naruto's soft hair.

"Yeah, he did seem pretty beat, but I think it may also have something to do with what happened earlier today. We had quite an intense training exercise this morning, and when Naruto came back into class after break, I could see some tear stains on his eyes. I think someone may have tried to hurt him, but there were no marks on his body so he must have gotten away from them."

Kurenai's face fell into a frown. She couldn't understand why some children could be so cruel. She herself was once the object of the other girls resent when she was training at the academy. Her naturally good looks and headstrong demeanor often attracted the stairs of most of the boys around her and she soon found herself losing all of her female friends because of jealousy. It didn't help that she was also her classes top kunoichi, but Naruto was treated cruelly for a different reason. The hatred that many of the adults held towards him passed on to their children as well, causing the boy to be shunned by both the older and newer generations.

"What he really needs is a friend to watch over him at school." Kurenai mused, looking down at the quietly sleeping figure. "Unfortunately, that's one place we can't always be there for him." Iruka nodded his head in agreement.

"Maybe I should try to find a way to look after him during his break times, or maybe he should just stay in the class with me..."

"No." Kurenai cut him off. "I don't think it's a good idea to isolate him any more than he already has been. Although it's hard for us all, he has to find a way to approach those around him, or at least let himself be approached. It's the only way he's going to get out of this lonely hole he's been forced into." Iruka let out a deep sigh.

"I guess you're right. I just wish he didn't have to be subjected to so much cruelty all the time."

Little did the three of them know that there was already one such kind soul prepared to watch over the kid. A young boy whose actions had already saved Naruto that very day. Iruka took a brief moment to stroke the hair of his favourite student and then turned his gaze back to his two fellow teachers.

"So. how's he doing with you guys? Is everything going well?" Kurenai allowed a boastful smile to emanate from her lips before answering.

"Well, he's really starting to pick up on the tree climbing and water walking exercises. He still needs more time to get used to the chakra control, but every time we try it, he keeps on improving. If he carries on at this rate, we may have it mastered sooner than I originally thought possible. Then we can maybe move onto some genjutsu training."

The red-eyed jounin looked like she was bursting at the seams with pride and with good reason too. For an academy student to be advancing so quickly through such a difficult exercise it was definitely quite impressive. Iruka wondered just how well the boy would be doing now if he hadn't been treated so poorly his entire life, it was just a pity that wasn't the case. The two of them then turned to Kakashi to hear his report. The masked jounin just gave out a weary sigh before explaining.

"Naruto is still struggling to activate his doujutsu at will, but I think it might be because of the experience he had yesterday. He's probably still a little afraid of what might happen if he uses it again. Other than that, he has made excellent progress so far and I think we're coming closer to achieving our goal."

Once they had finished reviewing their results, the three shinobi finally began to settle down under the tree once again. They had only just begun to allow themselves to briefly relax when a large iron ball shot out from the sky and into the clearing. It landed on the grass with a heavy thud and erupted in an explosion of smoke, causing Naruto to wake up from his trance of sleep.

All four of them looked on with widened eyes (except for Naruto, whose eyelids were still weighed down with fatigue) as the plume began to disappear, revealing the lone figure of a purple haired woman wearing a fish net top covered over with a long, cream coloured trench coat. She was in a very precarious pose to top it all off. The brief moment of awkward silence that followed momentarily afterwards was quickly shattered as the enthusiastic figure opened her mouth to speak.

"Anko Mitarashi reporting for duty!!!"

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Well, that's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed! :)
As you can see, Naruto is beginning to come in contact with other tested souls as well. Sometimes, in order to heal a broken heart, another heart that knows the same pain is needed to understand and help get them through the darkness together.