Warning: Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Self Harm, Abuse, Depictions of Blood and Violence, Suicide.

Chapter 4: You've Left Us

Shikamaru was usually a pretty laid-back type of guy, never gets upset or angry with something. Only annoyed. Today must have had flying pigs in the air because the kid was quite peeved with the current situation.

First, he was pulled from a very good nap to go in the pouring cold rain to search for Naruto. Someone that was known to pull pranks or just run around because of his absurd energy.

Secondly, the adults were talking about something that was classified right in front of them and didn't even explain it until the boy prodded one of them for answers. Unfortunately, the information was something that the boy didn't like at all. It just added to his annoyance.

Thirdly, now that the group had located where Naruto was, the adults wouldn't even let them see the boy. That infuriated him. He did all this work and was told what kind of state his friend was in, and he couldn't be there to help.

Damn them, Naruto's out there, who knows what kind of state he's in, and we can't even help. Fuck!

Shikamaru's emotions were laid out on his face for everyone to see, the kid was pissed. For good reason too.

Everyone was staring at the boy, Asuma's clone only spared the kid a sideways glance and returned his gaze forward. Not letting any of them go through.

Choji looked back and forth between the forest and Shikamaru with a worried glance. The large boy knew that whatever was going on was not meant for their eyes, but he also knew that Shikamaru hated few things. One of them was being kept out of the loop about important information, the second thing was when he was restricted from helping his friends.

Choji drew up his hand and placed it on his friend's shoulder, "Calm down Shika, I'm sure they have it handled. All we need to do is wait here for the Sensei to arrive and we'll be able to go home."

Neji scoffed at the statement causing Choji to look at the teen with a confused face.

Shikamaru raised his head to look at Neji, narrowing his eyes at the smug look on the older boy's face. "What's so funny huh, you like the situation we're in right now?"

Neji's smirk disappeared, "No, I just thought what your friend said was. Why, did I offend you?"

Shikamaru turned so that his body was facing Neji with his arms crossed, "Yah, you kinda did. I don't like it when people laugh at my friends."

Neji frowned, "Then maybe they shouldn't say such ridiculous things." He turned to Choji, "Think about it, we were sent out here immediately to search for a fellow Leaf Ninja in these conditions." the teen said while motioning up to the rain. "Not to mention, your sensei thought whatever he found was not for the eyes of fresh Genin. Not even Naruto's team is here which means the higher-ups formed this search squad on the spot."

"So what are you trying to say." Shikamaru almost growled out.

Neji shook his head and sighed, "You rookies really are dense aren't you. His fate has been sealed from the time he was born. You'll soon see." With that, he turned away from the duo and was silent once more.

Shikamaru's anger once more increased. That damn prick, just because he's a Hyuuga and has more experience than us he thinks he knows everything.

The pineapple-haired kid turned away from the pale-eyed ninja to look back into the forest. Naruto's going to be fine, he probably just hurt himself while training is all. A few seconds passed after that thought, Dammit! Why do I have to think logically all the time? I swear Naruto, you better be okay.

The group of young ninja soon fell into silence, Neji's words weighing heavily on all of them.

12:26p.m.

The scent of blood weighed heavily in the air as three ninja surrounded the body of a broken child. One of the ninja was busy trying to stop the bleeding the best he could while the two stood there completely shocked at the sight.

Nothing in this world could prepare you for this, nothing could prepare you to see the body of a child that was covered in blood. A body of a child that held many lacerations and the eyes of a child that had lost hope. Nothing can prepare you for the toll it would take on your soul.

"N-Naruto." Kakashi let out in a broken whisper.

The masked man fell to his knees, his shoulders slumped and his eyes glued to the boy, to his student, to his precious person.

Upon hearing the noise behind him, Asuma turned his head to Kakashi. His eyes widened as he turned up to look at Gai, "Gai! Help stop the bleeding."

Gai snapped out of his shock and nodded his head slowly, his mind still trying to process the sight.

The bearded Jonin took his bloodied hands off the boy as Gai knelt next to him and continued the tasks he was just doing a second ago.

Asuma turned from the two to look at Kakashi, putting his hands on the man he began speaking to the masked ninja. "Kakashi! You need to snap out of this." He shook Kakashi, "Listen to me, if we don't get him medical treatment soon he will die! There's still a chance for us to save him, but you have to take him. We'll look after the others."

Kakashi blinked and tore his gaze from Naruto to Asuma, his eyes held a pleading look that the other Jonin had never seen before. He nodded his head, "R-right, I'll go. Inform the Hokage immediately when you get a chance."

Asuma released Kakashi from his grip and nodded, "Okay, good. We'll get on that, you just need to go. Now!"

Asuma stood up and got out of Kakashi's way while the man got closer to his student. Gai was still trying to perform field aid to the child when Kakashi put a hand on the man's shoulder.

Gai turned his head and looked at Kakashi, it is an understatement to say the man was glad to see his friend taking action once more.

"Thank you Gai, I will take care of my student from here."

Gai nodded his head and backed away from Naruto to allow Kakashi to pick him up.

Kakashi knelt down and wrapped his arms underneath the boy, blood coating his fingertips and arms. His student's blood.

As soon as he stood up and positioned Naruto in his arms comfortably, the man sped off. Leaving the two Jonin alone.

12:28p.m.

The group of Genin all waited impatiently. Shikamaru was leaning on a tree with his arms crossed, glancing within the forest every couple of seconds. Choji was standing next to his friend, normally he would be eating a bag of chips but because of the rain they would just get soggy. So, the boy stuck to nervously looking at Shikamaru and the forest.

Everyone else was either walking back and forth, or looking annoyed at the shadow clone of Asuma.

That was, until the clone suddenly looked up.

Everyone quickly turned their heads to the clone at the sudden movement and followed its gaze upward where it was looking. They had just barely caught a glimpse of Kakashi holding a bloodied Naruto jumping from the treeline and through the grass field.

All of them held shocked expressions and none of them realized that the clone had disappeared.

Shikamaru was the first to speak up, "What the hell…"

12:29p.m.

Kakashi was running as fast as he dared to in this rain, it seemed that the weather was against them seeing as how it got worse through the day. He had to be careful not to slip on the wet grass as he ran with Naruto in his arms. The boy's breathing was barely noticeable in the man's arms.

Please, please, please be okay Naruto. Don't give up, don't do this to me. You're strong, you can push past this.

Kakashi was too engrossed with his own thoughts, he almost didn't hear Naruto's whispered words.

"I'm sorry."

Kakashi froze in his tracks, he was now standing on the top of a house. The man slowly looked down at the boy in his arms as the rain washed the blood off the two, causing it to run off Kakashi and onto the roof. Kakashi was horrified.

"W-What."

Naruto looked up at his sensei with sad eyes, his expression looked tired and weak. "I-I'm sorry for being the Kyuubi."

Kakashi was too shocked to say anything, and so Naruto continued.

"I'm sorry for being the reason for your… sensei's death… for… being a… burden."

Naruto let out a deep breath and relaxed in Kakashi's arms, his eyes still holding the tired look but it had something else in it.

Content.

The boy looked content with how things went.

Kakashi's eyes were wide with horror, No… please no. D-did you overhear w-what I said before? Please, Naruto. Please don't leave me.

Kakashi immediately rocketed from the roof faster than before leaving a large crack in it. A crackle of electricity hummed around the ninja as he ran, none of it harmed the duo.

Within seconds, Kakashi found himself at the entrance of the Konoha Hospital. Everyone was looking shocked at the man once he arrived. In his arms were a bloodied body of a child and the same blood covered his arms. The crackle of electricity was causing the lights around the man to flicker, giving him an ominous look to the civilian and ninja medics.

A few seconds passed and the electricity surrounding the two faded away, a deadly look appeared from the man.

"Get me a doctor, NOW!"

One of the nurses quickly ran from the reception room to the back, likely getting the closest doctor she could find.

The doors slammed open to reveal a hospital bed being wheeled to Kakashi with several nurses accompanying it. Kakashi quickly laid Naruto on the bed as gently as he could. Once done he turned to see a doctor fastly approaching them.

Kakashi straightened up and spoke to the doctor, "Please help him, save him please." the man pleaded.

The doctor looked at Kakashi and nodded, "Sir, we will do everything we can to save the young boy. Now pl-"

The doctor immediately stopped talking as he set eyes on Naruto, his expression turning from professional to anger and disgust.

"What in the hell! No way, the likes of his isn't allowed here! Get him out, now!" The doctor said while pointing to the exit.

One second the doctor was standing next to the bed, the next he was slammed into a nearby wall with a kunai to his neck. Small cracks showed themselves along the wall from the impact.

Kakashi's face was an inch from the doctors, a deadly aura was rolling off the man. "You will never say anything like that again, now you will heal him, you will fix him, and you will save him! Understood!" He pressed the blade against the man's skin, a trickle of blood running down the blade.

The doctor's head tilted up from trying to escape the sharp edge. "I would rather die than serve that demon." he snarled at Kakashi.

The deadly aura intensified and Kakashih's eyes shone a deadly glint, "Then so be it."

Just as Kakashi was about to slit the man's throat, one of the nurses screamed out.

"Wait!"

Kakashi turned his head to the nurse that spoke up. He stared at her, wondering what she was trying to accomplish.

The nurse took this as a sign to continue, "Sir, we'll operate on the boy. But we need to do it quickly or else he has no chance."

Kakashi nodded his head and dropped the doctor, "Okay."

The nurse nodded, she turned to the other nurses and began instructing them on what to do.

One of them spoke up, "He's in really bad shape, I can barely feel him breathing. We need to get him in a sterilized room now!"

The nurse that spoke to Kakashi pointed to a male nurse, "You, get on the bed and start healing the wounds while we transport him!"

The male nurse nodded and hopped onto the bed, his legs on either side of the boy while a light green glow began emitting from his palms.

Two nurses then began to wheel the bed past the door, going deeper into the hospital.

Kakashi quickly followed them, he didn't want to leave Naruto. Not like this. The man would make sure he was okay.

After a few turns, they had finally made it to the surgery room.

Kakashi felt relief that they had finally made it there, surely they would be able to heal him.

Those thoughts travelled through his mind until the male nurse that was on Naruto shouted, "Crap! We need to hurry, he's losing it!"

Kakashi's blood ran cold and he froze. The man fell to his knees as the nurses were rushing around trying to stabilize Naruto. All the while Kakashi was staring at Naruto's face. Every few seconds a blur would go past his vision, it was probably the nurses trying to save him, but Kakashi still kept his gaze on the boy.

Kakashi has never seen Naruto look soo… at peace. A small smile was on the child's face and his eyes remained open, the dull blue eyes staring into Kakashi's eye. The sight took the man's breath away, a lump formed itself in his throat.

N-no, w-what have I done. N-Naruto, p-please. P-please don't die, don't leave me alone. You're the only thing I have that resembled my family. P-please.

Tears started to form in both of Kakashi's eyes and they stung, the man's throat began constricting as he found it hard to breathe. Kakashi gasped for air, his bloodied right hand gripped the left side of his vest tightly. Right over his heart. His left hand weakly reached out for Naruto, for his student, for his kid.

Something broke within Kakashi, something that hasn't broken in a long time.

Kakashi fell forward onto his forearms and let out an anguished scream filled with despair. The noise filled the room and fled down the halls of the hospital, reaching the ears of every living being within the building and some outside.

No one has heard the masked ninja scream before, and the first time they do is when he is crying for his lost student. Someone he cared deeply for, someone that was one of the only ties to his previous family.

And he wept for his loss.

The man wept and cried until his voice was nearly non-existent, tears stained his mask and his eyes were swollen with grief. His heart ached from the hole that was created.

The nurses had long since removed themselves from the room, they had tried to move the body or clean it up but Kakashi screamed louder at them not to. So, they complied.

All the man could do was stare at the corpse of his student, of Naruto.

Kakashi's consciousness fell just as multiple bodies hit the door to the room, he didn't even register who they were. The only thing he felt was the blood of Naruto on his hands and his face as he fell to the ground. Grief taking him over and shutting him down.

Before the man's vision went completely, he could make out blurs of someone in a green suit kneeling in front of him. The man was trying to talk to Kakashi but he didn't hear a word of it.

Kakashi slowly moved his head to look at Naruto one final time, I'm sorry.

Just as someone closed Naruto's eyelids, Kakashi's fell as well.

The Nine Tails Jinchuriki has fallen, taking the demon with it.

The End: Epilogue Next

A/N:

Thanks again for all the views and reviews, means a lot to me.

I do hope everyone enjoys the story so far, end thoughts will be in the next chapter.