The first thing Naruto became aware of was pain. His entire body ached as if it had been trampled and thrown around by a herd of elephants. He groaned miserably and struggled to open his eyes. It felt like someone had glued down his eyelids, and when he succeeded in opening them a crack, the world was nothing but a shapeless blur. He blinked a few times to clear away the haziness, then glanced around, trying to figure out where he was.

The ceiling and floors were both white, and the bed he was laying in was the exact same, pristine shade. He would recognize Konoha's hospital rooms anywhere, but he still didn't remember how he had gotten here. What had happened to Sasuke? He remembered going to save him and Dog-san sacrificing himself, but after that, his memories became muddled.

He turned his head as the door opened. "Jiji!"

"Welcome back, Naruto." The old man was smiling, but it looked unusually strained.

"Jiji, what happened to Sasuke?" he asked urgently. "Is he ok?"

The Sandaime walked silently to the only other bed in the room. It had a curtain around it, so he hadn't paid much attention to it before. He pulled back the cloth, and Naruto gasped when he saw Sasuke's motionless form. The other boy was almost completely covered in bandages, but the small part of his face that he could see was even paler than usual.

"What happened to him, dattebayo?!"

The Sandaime gazed at him steadily. "You don't remember?"

"I..." He clutched his head as the memories came back in pieces—his fierce anger when Dog-san had fallen; a strange, powerful chakra coming from deep inside him; Sasuke's look of terror right before everything turned red.

He looked at the old man with wide, fearful eyes. "I did this to him...didn't I?"

The Sandaime sighed heavily. "I'm afraid so."

He clutched his bedsheets in tight fists. "What...What am I, jiji?"

The old man looked pained. "You are Naruto Uzumaki—no one else."

"Stop lying to me!" he screamed. "What am I? Tell me!"

Several ANBU appeared in the room, looking ready and tensed for an attack, but the Sandaime dismissed them with a motion of his hand. Each one bowed in acknowledgment, leaving them alone once more.

The Sandaime looked very tired and old as he pulled up a chair. "Perhaps you should have been told long ago, but I was only trying to protect you." Taking out a cigar, he lit it and inhaled deeply before continuing. "On the night of your birth, a great calamity befell Konoha."

"I know all that already," Naruto muttered. "The Kyubi no Yoko attacked, right? And the Yondaime gave up his life to defeat it and protect the village."
Jiji nodded. "That is correct, but that is not the whole story. It is impossible to kill the nine-tailed fox, the only option is to seal it. A human sacrifice was needed to contain the beast...and you were chosen. The Kyubi is now sealed within you, Naruto."

"What?" he whispered in shock. "The fox is inside me?"

"Yes. Most of the time it rests dormant, but when you experience strong negative emotions, the Kyubi feeds off of them and tries to take control."

Naruto felt the color drain from his face. The walls seemed to be closing in around him

and he was gripped by a desperate need to be somewhere, anywhere but this room. Flinging off his bedcovers, he rushed to the window and jumped out, ignoring jiji's cries for him to wait.

Tears blinded his vision as he raced through the streets. But even without being able to see, he could feel the stares and hear the muttered curses that trailed after him. They pierced even more deeply now that he knew they had been right all along. He really was a monster. He had almost killed Sasuke—who knew when he would lose control and hurt someone again?

He shook his head fiercely. No, he couldn't—he wouldn't let that happen. If he stayed away from everyone, they would be safe. It wouldn't be too difficult. After all, everyone already hated his guts, and now Sasuke would too. Yes, Sasuke would leave, and then he would be alone again—the way it should be.

Flinging open the door to his apartment, he collapsed onto the bed sobbing. His whole life he had tried so hard to be strong. He had borne the hatred of the villagers all this time, but now, the endless chasm of loneliness stretching before him was more than he could take. He didn't know how to be strong anymore, and he was too exhausted to try.

Curling into a ball, he continued to cry until he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: Final chapter tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who has read this far, and I hope that you'll come back to see how everything wraps up. Also, as always, please take a minute and leave a review to let me know what you think!