Chapter 35

Naruto was much different from others. How he lived his life, he rarely cared about anything or feared anything. He just let things slide and kept on going. However, there was one thing that scared Naruto dearly, one thing that sent shivers down his spine. That thing was angry Anko.

Now this isn't a normal anger that Anko produced. She was just sadistic and torturous when she was angry. This was a type of angry that made people run for the hills. This Anko did not know what mercy was and her main objective is to kill everything and everyone in her path. Naruto witnessed this type of Anko before and the guy was still walking funny.

Anko stood in front of Naruto with a glare that promised death. Naruto was trying not to wet himself with fear.

"Why, when I was guarding a shelter, did I see my otouto (little brother) fight a giant raccoon and did not run to get someone who has more experience in dealing with giant raccoons?" Anko asked with a serious and deadly tone.

"I AM A DEMON!" Shukaku shouted.

"You shut up!" Anko roared at the demon. She turned her rage back toward Naruto. "Now, my darling little surrogate brother, you better start explaining or I'm going to start cutting." Naruto gulped and steeled himself.

"O-Okay, I know that it was stupid but if I didn't stop Gaara, people were going to die. I… was thinking of you, the old man and all my friends. I did it to protect everyone and if I must die for that, then so be it." Naruto said nervously. He closed his eyes, expecting to die. After a while, he just felt a small bop on the top of his head. Anko just sighed at him.

"I shouldn't really be so surprised by your actions. Only you would do something so stupid with such noble reasons. Alright, I guess that I can forgive you. However, this is your only pass. You do something like this again and I am going to hurt you. Not even the Hokage will save you." Anko stated. Naruto nodded quickly and let out a sigh of relief.

"This is really sweet and all but if you haven't noticed the huge raccoon in front of us." Gamabunta said.

"I'M A DEMON!" Shukaku shouted. He was still fighting off Nagai. Anko looked forward.

"So what's our plan of attack?" Anko asked.

"We need to wake up the boy. If we do that, the Ichibi will be sealed." Gamabunta explained.

"Alright then," Anko said. She vanished and reappeared on Nagai. "Okay boy, eat the kid." As the snake opened his jaw, Gamabunta looked at Naruto.

"That woman is insane." Naruto didn't reply to the statement. Anko's attack was stopped by the Shukaku grabbing Nagai. He tossed the serpent off him and away. Gamabunta fired another Teppōdama (Water Bullet) that hit Shukaku in the head. Shukaku fired back and Gamabunta jumped in the air. Nagai slithered on the ground toward Shukaku. He fired multiple Renkudan but the serpent was too fast. Nagai came up from behind and tried to bite Gaara off the head. Shukaku swung his claw to kill Nagai but the arm was sliced off.

Naruto launched himself onto Shukaku and ran up toward Gaara. The demon tried to use the sand he was made of to capture Naruto but he was too quick. He made some mini versions of him the fired sand bullets at Naruto. Naruto could not dodge them all but he was saved by someone else. Two ANBU members appeared, protecting Naruto. They engaged the mini Shukaku and cleared a path. Naruto dashed forward and cocked his fist back.

"Time to wake the hell up!" Naruto shouted. He threw his fist forward and connected with Gaara. It was enough to wake him.

"NNNOOO! I JUST CAME OUT!" Shukaku exclaimed. The light faded from his eyes. Gaara saw Naruto preparing to hit him again and quickly acted. With a hand movement, he blasted Naruto away and toward the ground. Naruto is plummeting to his death when he is saved by Nagai's tail, launching him back toward the head. He was moving like a rocket toward Gaara. He did some seals on the way up.

"Katon: Karyūdan! (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)" Naruto shouted and exhales a flame breath at Gaara. The red head quickly protected himself from the attack. This left his back open. He roared in pain as he was struck with shuriken. Gaara swung around with the Shukaku around, whipping the other arm around, swatting Gamabunta and Nagai away.

"You will not end my existence!" Gaara shouted.

"Low bridge!" Naruto exclaimed. Gaara turned around into a dropkick that ripped him from the sand monster. Gaara dropped to the trees. Naruto landed on the sand after the kick but screamed as the monster crumbled into pieces. Lucky for him, Anko was able to catch him. They also landed on top of the trees. They prepared for battle.

Gaara looked around and saw that he was flanked by the two ANBU. He was tired and low on chakra but he was not defeated yet. He would never be defeated. He would not stop until he killed the person who caused him all this pain. He was going to kill Naruto Uzumaki. Gaara dashed, using the remaining chakra, at Naruto, preparing to kill him. Naruto, shrugging off Anko, dashed forward to meet him. Gaara threw a punch but Naruto ducked it and connected with an uppercut. Gaara was sent flying to the ground below.

Gaara hit the ground hard, face first. He counted himself lucky as there was still shuriken stuck to his back. Naruto also landed on the ground, using all four limbs. He was on his knees and looked at Gaara. The two glared at each other.

"Did you like that huh? You want some more?" Naruto asked tiredly.

"Why are you so strong? How can you defeat me? You are a fool, a nobody! My hate is stronger than everyone's! Why was I defeated by the likes of you?!" Gaara shouted.

"I fought you because you threatened my home! You would have killed all my friends and everyone in the village! I wasn't about to let that happen! During my first mission outside of the village, I met a guy who told me that when you have someone to protect, you can truly become strong. I wasn't about to let those I care about die by your hand." Naruto explained. Gaara looked furious and was about to shout when Naruto spoke again.

"I could have turned out like you, you know. Like you, I hated everyone who ignored me, hated me. What did I do to deserve their disgust? I was just a child. I wanted to wipe them all out." Naruto said.

"Why didn't you?" Gaara asked, calm and curious.

"It's because I'm better than them." Naruto said with a grin that resembled Anko's. He suddenly got serious. "No, that's not it. I just chose to make them see me. I refuse to give up and one day I will get them to acknowledge me. I'm going to be Hokage after all. When that happens, they will see that I'm not a nobody." Gaara just laid there thinking.

"My village will never forgive me. I have killed too many." He said.

"You're giving up too easy. Once you do that everything goes to shit. You have to keep fighting Gaara. You can't quit." Naruto said.

"It's easy to say because you have those that care about you. I do not." Gaara stated.

"Start small then, with your brother and sister. They seemed to be worried about you. I don't know how I know that but they were." Naruto said. The conversation ended with the arrival of Anko and the ANBU. They secured Gaara without any resistance. Anko checked on Naruto who was okay but tired. They got the two up and moved them to a secure location.

XXX

It was raining today. The skies were grey and everyone was dressed in black. Today, the village mourned the loss of their leader. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, lost his life in battle. Naruto walked up to the coffin, placing a white rose like everyone else. He returned to Anko's side.

When Naruto was given the news, he broke down in tears. It had been a long time since he balled like that. Anko embraced him and did not let go. Both of them were there for each other and still were. Anko gave him a talk and it helped him some.

Naruto saw Konohamaru being comforted by Iruka. He looked at the others who were also sad. He noticed something up with his teammate, Sakura. She was sad but it looks like that she was in some pain as well. Dis something happen to her during the invasion. He put it in the back of his mind for now and watched as someone gave some final words to his surrogate grandfather.

XXX

Naruto and Anko were enjoying some ramen after the funeral. The skies cleared up and they were hungry. Naruto wasn't eating like he was but he was eating. After the four gave a last hooray to the Sandaime, Naruto saw Kiba and Hinata out of the corner of his eye approaching him. He turned around to greet them but stopped when he saw their faces.

"Is something wrong guys?" Naruto asked.

"We need to talk about Sakura." Kiba said. Naruto gave them his attention.

"I noticed something was up with her. Did something happen during the invasion?" Naruto asked.

"She had to kill a man." Kiba answered. Naruto was stunned to hear that. That would explain a lot from what he saw.

"She's not taking it well, is she?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"No, Naruto-kun, she is not well. I do not think she has gotten over her first kill." Hinata explained. "We attempted to check on her after the funeral when she nearly punched my head off. If it wasn't for my father, I could have been seriously hurt." Hinata said without a stutter. Naruto realize that this was serious.

"We told your sensei but it doesn't seem like he's taking it too seriously. He said to give her time and if it gets worst, he'll step in." Kiba added. Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. Anko just sighed at the man's stupidity. If Sakura was losing it, she needed help. Today might have been a time of mourning but someone needed help. Naruto thanked the two before leaving.

XXX

Sakura was sitting on her bed, curled up in a ball. She was very tired and she looked horrible. She wasn't getting enough sleep. She hadn't slept in three days. Every time she did, she would see the face of the man that she killed. He haunted her dreams and would curse her name. Even when she was up, she could hear his voice, telling her that she killed him. Sakura couldn't even look in a mirror without seeing him.

She felt guilty because she was worrying her family and comrades. Her father would stay up with her at night. Her mother was getting frowns lines due to her worry. She nearly took Hinata's head off and would have if it wasn't for her father. Her parents wanted her to talk but it was too hard. Sakura resolved herself to deal with it herself. Like it said in the guide, she would deal with this like a true shinobi would.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at her window. She turned to see that it was Naruto. Sakura cleaned herself up as best as she could before opening the window.

"What is it Naruto? It's not a good time right now."

"Well, I'm sorry but you need to hear this. Due to who trained me, I'm going to be really in your face. Now, if you think that I'm going to allow you to self-destruct because you want to do this by yourself, then we're going to fight." Naruto stated.

"What?" Sakura asked stunned.

"Do you really think that YOU of all people can handle this by yourself? You think all those shinobi rules you learned in the academy is going to help you get over it? Don't be stupid! You're can't keep this buried! You can't become like me or Sasuke!" Naruto shouted at her.

"Why are you shouting at me?! What the hell do you know?!" Sakura shouted back.

"I know more than you think! You think I've always been like this goofy troublemaker? You are talking to a guy who has always been alone, always been ignored. You know what I did with all those feelings I had? I buried all those bad feelings because I thought that it helped me move forward. You want to know what I realized? That I made the biggest mistake ever." Naruto said calmly. Sakura looked at Naruto with stunned silence. Naruto continued to speak.

"I buried a lot of bad feelings Sakura. A lot of what you see is a mask that I created to keep myself from getting hurt. I've been using it for years. I could tell you that it helps but sooner or later, it's going to slip. I'm an example, Anko-oneesan is an example and Sasuke is definitely an example. He's got issues upon issues. The point that I'm getting to Sakura is that keeping it in doesn't really work. You're not us. You're out-going, bubbly and girly to keep stuff in." Naruto said. The comment made Sakura giggle. It was the first time that she did in three days. She was silent for a while before facing the boy in her window.

"So, what do you think I should do?" Sakura asked. "I'm scared Naruto. I see that man's face every time I close my eyes. I don't know what I can do."

"You're doing something now. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step. You got to talk to your parents. Let those that love about you, take care of you. Me, Kiba, Hinata, your parents, you have a group that only want the best for you. When you get back to that place, your spot will be waiting for you." Naruto said with a grin. Sakura chuckled at the stupid grin on his face. She couldn't believe that Naruto was making her do that.

"Thank you Naruto, I mean it." Sakura said. Naruto clicked his tongue before bouncing off on the roof-tops. Sakura turned around and was surprised to see her door open and her parents in the doorway. They smiled at her and held out their arms. Sakura started to tear up before rushing into their arms. The adults hugged their child and never let go.

Watching from the rooftops, Anko couldn't help but smile at the scene. Her otouto had done really good. She looked up to the sky.

"The 'Will of Fire' is still strong Sandaime-sama. Everything is going to be fine." She said. Anko turned and vanished. A lone leaf floated in the air and up to the heavens.

XXXXX

Authors' Notes - I got a review from Lord Herobrine when I put this chapter out two weeks ago. This reviewer told me in a positive way that the chapter i did sounded rushed. I contacted Lord Herobrine and we had a very good discussion on what was wrong with the chapter. They were right and I did rush the chapter. Thanks to Lord Herobrine, I have redone the chapter and I must say that it is a lot better than before.

I enjoy when I receive positive criticism. When I receive them, it makes me try harder to improve my writing and my style. I hope that the new chapter is enjoyable.