Hey
As always a huge thanks to bloodbrother 18, YunanObserves, PandaSDCA and NaruCrazy for their review on last chapter, even if not all of them were positive, i always enjoy them more than you think
This chapter was hard for me to write as i had to make big decisions concerning the structure of Naruto's relations with other characters
I know it seems slow and dialogue heavy, but the adventure part is gonna start next chapter hopefully, with the first true fight of my work, i hope i can handle it well
I don't own Naruto
Chapter eight: Kill The Boy
"When a child first catches adults out - when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not always have divine intelligence, that their judgments are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just - his world falls into panic desolation. The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child's world is never quite whole again. It is an aching kind of growing."
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden
Sarutobi Hiruzen was desperately going back and forth in his office, the sun was about to rise, but he had yet to see the end of this mess.
Another headache, he stopped counting them after the first few hours "how did this happen?" a document as important as the forbidden scroll shouldn't just vanish out of existence like that, he was waiting the report of any team he had dispatched looking for the item, as this matter was too important to wait the night, Hiruzen sighed, if it wasn't for his age, he would presently be running in the surrounding forest right now "I'm getting too old for this…"
It was at this moment that he heard a knock on the door of his office
"Enter" he knew that it wasn't the reports he was awaiting, they were too important for the formality of knocking
Yet he didn't except to find two worried looking women entering his office
"Kurenaï-san, Anko-san, how may I help you?" tactfully asked the leader
Giving one last look to her friend, Kurenaï decided to speak up "Hokage-sama, we've been looking for Naruto for hours, but he seemingly vanished, and we are fearful something bad might have occurred"
Rolling his eyes, Hiruzen retorted in an unimpressed manner "Naruto disappearing is not something new, you both know how he is, why would this time be so different as to bring the matter to me?"
This time, it was Anko that answered him "last night, his teacher told us that the academy council vetoed his graduation…"
That statement caused the old man to abruptly get up from his chair and hit the desk in front of him "THEY WHAT" he shouted in poorly veiled anger; With everything happening lately, he had totally forgotten about his grandson figure graduation, "I didn't even wish him luck…and now those vipers took advantage of the situation "
Unphased by her superior's outburst Anko followed up with her statement "seeing as this was his third year, that would mean the chances for Naruto to become a ninja are null, therefore shattering his dreams of becoming Hokage…and we all know that considering his 'situation', outside parties might find this to be the best moment to approach him"
The Hokage felt shivers down his spine imagining the blonde anywhere near his old teammate and his damned organisation "tch, this is happening in a very awkward moment, an S-rank item has been stolen, and I've sent most of my anbu teams looking for it…" as he was about to call for some of his jonins, an anbu ninja appeared in the middle of the room
"Report" calmly ordered the old man, clearly conveying that he didn't have time to kick the two women out of his office for privacy beforehand
"Yes, Hokage-sama, we found the scroll in a forest north east of the village, it was in the middle of a murder scene, two bodies were found, but we suspect there were another one with the amount of blood present, one of them was the corpse of Iruka Umino…"
At that mention, the other occupant of the room flinched, it wasn't unusual for ninjas to die, but Iruka was a good guy, and he was important to Naruto, this will only add to his probably dejected state
"…Laying beside him was Uzumaki Naruto, he was alive, but he had unusual burning marks all over his body, we transported him to the hospital and secured the forbidden scroll, the other operatives stayed at the scene for further inspections" stoically added the masked man
"Naruto ? what the hell was he doing there ? and how is he involved with that scroll ?" asked a baffled Kurenaï
"I will assign someone to find out exactly about this" Hiruzen tried to sound collected, but hints of worry and confusion could be noticed in his voice
"Alright, leave this to me, I'll make sure he tells me everything that happened" confidently declared Anko before adding "after all, I'm one of the best members of the I and T cell"
"Anko-san, you are competent enough to know that I can't assign someone as close to him as you for the mission" retorted the old man
"And you know Naruto enough to understand that if there is any interrogator he's going to talk to, it's going to be me" argued back the woman
They stood across each other, neither one of them backing down from the strong stares they exchanged as the tension in the room could be cut with a knife
-Scene Break-
Drip…Drip…Drip
Cold droplets of water were coming down on his face, he had sworn that the roof was fixed this time, how did the rain get through?
Opening his eyes, he found the ceiling of what seemed like sewers, weird, of all places, why would he sleep underground? Naruto's mind was blank, did he go too hard on his first time drinking sake?
Trying to make out his environment in the dark, he seemed to be in a long tunnel with no other roads open than to either go forward or back, both seemingly leading to nowhere, yet there was this presence that he could swear was calling for him, with no other indications in sight, he decided to follow his guts and walk toward the weird feeling
-Scene Break-
Lying down behind the bars, the beast had a small smile on its face, last night, it was able to roam free for the first time since what seemed like ages, and it would be damned if it were to be the last time, for so long it has been trapped inside someone, caging it like a mad dog from the world it was destined to explore
But dreams of the outside are soon going to turn into reality as after managing to weaken the seal, it just needed to keep weakening its warden's resolve, and taking the event that took place in the near past, this was going to be a piece of cake.
Sensing that the person it called was approaching, the monster closed its eyes, bracing itself for the encounter, it despised interacting with this godforsaken race after all that they have put it through in the name of their insatiable hunger for power
Upon coming face to face with a huge, closed gate, the boy turned his heels, looking like he had chosen the wrong path, but as he was about to depart, a deep voice filled the suspiciously big room
"And where do you think you are going?"
Surprised by how ominous the voice sounded, Naruto searched for its source in his surrounding, a look of realisation came when his eyes ultimately fell upon the cage he was facing
"W-who are you? And what is this place?" Naruto sounded stressed; It wasn't usual for him to be so lost
"Didn't they teach you to introduce yourself before asking for another person's name ?" grunted the voice
With narrowed eyes trying to study the situation, the young man relented "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, better known as the demon boy"
"Demon boy ? HAH, as if something as weak and puny as you could be called that" the voice snickered, mocking the blonde before adding in a menacing tone "Say human, do you want to see what a real demon looks like?"
Confusion slowly gave place to terror, as giant red eyes appeared glowing above a monstrously evil grin
But after being paralysed for a moment, Naruto got back his composure "Ah, I see now" he calmly declared before proceeding to pinch one of his cheeks
"You are not dreaming fool; This is your mindscape" noted the beast as it seemed to find amusement in the boy's helplessness
"My mindscape? I didn't think such things existed…But wait, how did you get in here ?" came the alarmed voice of Naruto
"I have always been here, from the moment you were born" Solemnly declared the demon
That statement however hit the blonde like a punch, as he was frozen in a bewildered state, trying to digest the words that were spoken "So that's why…" he weakly started
"Yes, that's why you've been abandoned in an orphanage, that's why nobody wanted to adopt you, that's why people despised you, that's why you'll never be able to live among them, boy, whatever you try" viciously spat the creature, satisfied at how the boy was hanging his head, breaking him won't take much longer
"…Is there a way for me to get you out?" asked a beaten Naruto
The smile of the beast grew even larger, that was exactly where it wanted the conversation to go "Do you really think it will change anything to your pitiful existence?"
When the boy slowly raised his head, the demon noticed a sad smile adorning a resigned face "No…but at least one of us could have a chance of being free"
Silence fell on the room, the creature could not understand what the boy just said, it was illogical, he should be loathing it, despising it, as it was the reason he had to endure so much, the source of all evil, it was not supposed to be hard seeing the monster that it is.
And yet…here he was, full of pity in the face of his inner demon…
"Get out…" it muttered in a low menacing tone
"What?" asked a confused blonde
"Get out…" it growled again in a higher volume "Get out…" it repeated, as anger was slowly building up in its voice "Get out…" growled the beast as it stood up, towering the boy with its threatening presence
To say that Naruto was frightened would be an understatement, he had long since fallen back as he didn't know if the metal gate would hold the amount of killing intent the beast was radiating.
"…GET OUT!" the soul crushing roar filled the room as the boy cowered in fear, closing his eyes as if to make the creature that was banging the bars in front of him disappear
-Scene Break-
Naruto woke up to a white ceiling, he was sleeping in a very comfortable bed, feeling the bandages on his body he rightly guessed that he was in the hospital.
"Poor baby was having nightmares?" an amused voice broke the silence
Turning his head, he saw one of his precious people
"I guess you are right, Anko" he smiled softly as he felt too tired to have his usual banter with her, but then a thought struck him " tired?"
"Why am I here? What the hell happened?" he asked as he tried straightening himself, only for him to notice with no small amount of surprise that he was attached to the bed
"I'm the one that should be asking you those questions, Naruto, what were you doing with that scroll" questioned the woman, her usual fun expression giving place to the serious gaze of an interrogator
"…A scroll ?" the word instantly calmed him, but that didn't last long as memories of the previous night filled his mind, terror filled his eyes as only one word could escape his mouth "Iruka-nii ! where is he ?"
Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, Anko could only shake her head at the blonde "He's dead, Naruto, an anbu team found you laying beside him in the forest surrounded by a sea of organs and gore, the owner of which we have yet to identify"
"I've killed him…Iruka…he died because of me…" muttered Naruto as if he was going to break any second now
"Calm down and tell me everything from the beginning" demanded the purple haired woman, trying to get him out of his panic state
As Naruto related the events of yesterday, Anko carefully wrote what seemed to be her report to the hokage
"I know those civilian fuckers did you dirty, but did you really have to steal an S class item? I mean, most people would be happy with prison for life after doing something like this" she commented after he told her everything he remembered of
"Mizuki…told me he could guide me out of the village afterward" as soon as those words left his mouth, he heard the pen that Anko was holding crack under the pressure of her grip, he saw her cock her fist back, so he prepared to get hit in the face by closing his eyes; but the pain never came, upon opening them back, he was faced with the sight that he doubted anyone had ever seen, Light brown pupil-less eyes were filling with tears as her mouth deformed into a quiver
But when she noticed his gaze, she instantly turned around, not wanting to be seeing in such a weak state
"Listen Anko I'm sor…" he couldn't finish his thoughts as the cracking voice of the woman interrupted him
"Six years ago…" she began "Six years ago you promised me that I'll never be lonely again, you told me that you'd stay…were you fucking lying then ?" she shouted the last part before adding "did you always intend to abandon me just like that bastard Orochimaru did ?"
"Anko…I couldn't imagine facing you as a failure of a man, one with no goal, no dream, one that had failed to even become a ninja" he weakly tried
"Bullshit !" she cried "Do you really think I fucking care about you having a headband on or not ? Do you think I was hanging out with you because I thought you were the future hokage? And you just decided to screw everything there was between us, and why ? because you didn't have the balls get up from failure ?" as she spat her last verbal attack, the kunoichi got up from her seat and began walking out of the hospital room
"Anko, please!" he pleaded unsuccessfully as he soon found himself alone with his thoughts
He found himself staring mindlessly at the walls, thinking about his decisions, and how it led to the situation he was in; "Power, Power, Power" and for what exactly? what did it even mean to be powerful, If you hurt everyone you hold dear in the process of getting it?
Naruto closed his eyes, he was so tired, yet he couldn't find the solace of sleep, even the beast he had dreamt of last night was preferable to the image of a crying Mitarashi Anko he couldn't get off his head.
-Scene Break-
The sun was shining bright outside, he hated it so much, why couldn't it raining rivers, why wasn't the sky darkened by black clouds? why did the world seem happy when he was devastated.
"Would you like me to make it seem like the weather was worse?" asked a very sweet voice
Turning toward the person that came inside his hospital chamber, he allowed a small smile to form as he saw his big sister figure take a seat beside him "Kurenaï-nee…"
"Please don't call me that" she demanded, hints of anger present in her voice
Her words were piercing his heart, as he visibly winced "I've never called you anything else…"
"Well it seems time have changed, and you changed with them" she painfully noted
"I…" he tried
"You know, I was an orphan, just like you, my parent were killed when I was 6, right in front of my eyes" she began "The events of that night shaped the way I lived the rest of my life; when finding out I had an affinity for genjutsu in the academy; I made it my goal to create an illusion so realistic I could hypnotize myself in it until I die, one where my parents still lived with me and loved me, one where I didn't have to cry myself to sleep remembering their lifeless bodies, one where I could be happy…"
A sad smile formed itself onto her beautiful face as she shifted in her seat "But then , when I finally graduated, the hokage gave me a unusual mission, one where I'd have to take care of a soul that wasn't mine, it was that very day that I met a very odd yet lovely boy, a boy that no matter what life threw at him, he would throw it back tenfold with a sneer on his face, He never gave up on, not on himself, not on life, not on his ideals…this boy inspired me to be the person I am today, he was the bright light that saved me from my wicked path" she raised her hand to wipe off the tear that was threatening to fall from her red eye
"That boy died yesterday, trying to become the adult he didn't know he already was" her voice cracked as she finished her monologue
"…I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be the person you thought I was…I'm sorry I killed the Naruto you looked up to, I'm sorry I have disappointed you, Anko, and Jiji…" Naruto was devasted, he didn't think he could feel worse, the pain he felt was like nothing he had ever experienced
"I don't know if the old Naruto will ever come back again…but I'll be waiting for as long as is takes" she got up and prepared to leave "I hope you heal back quickly, Naruto"
Looking at her disappearing figure he couldn't help but think "So do I..."
"They hate you"
"Yes…but they only do so because they loved me so much" he thought serenely
"…When did I start talking to myself? I think I need more sleep"
Just as he was about to close his eyes, another figure made itself known in his surroundings
"I see that the two women weren't very kind to you, Naruto" noted a gruffy voice
"Jii-ch…Hokage-sama" he corrected himself, thinking back about his interaction with the red eyed woman
"Ohoho, since when did the insolent brants learn respect for their elders ?" joked Hiruzen, clearly conveying that nothing had to change between the two, cheering up the blonde for a second before he went back to his dejected state
"But…don't you hate me now ?" tentatively asked Naruto
"Hate you ? you will have to do a lot more than steal some random scroll for me to hate my grandchild" mused the old man before adding "and I have no doubt that my situation is shared with Anko-san and Kurenaï-san"
"I was about to…" he started, wanting to admit his crimes before he got interrupted
"I know, Naruto…I know" calmly declared the old man before adding "To be a great man, is to bear the weight of your regrets; No one's life is filled with greatness without failure, success without blunder, and smiles without tears and blood"
The leader put his hand on the boys shoulder as he locked his eyes with him "I have my own share of losing, Naruto, you will fall and fall again, there is no avoiding it, the only thing we can do is learn to get up faster"
"But jii-chan, I disappointed everyone" he dejectedly noted
"As long as there is life, you will always have a chance to make up for it, just make sure to not disappoint the ones you love again" the great professor once again found the best words to soothe the soul of his surrogate grandson
"Naruto, Do you remember the last words of your late sensei Iruka ?" asked Hiruzen
Naruto flinched at the mention of his deceased brother figure, yet he went on, he might have forgotten a good part of that night, those words were welded in his mind
"He told me that I have to forgive" firmly replied the blonde
"Yes…And who do you think he wanted you to forgive first and foremost?" He questioned
Trying to digest what was asked from him, he weighed the words that were now so important to his identity for some time "was he talking about forgiving the village for their hatred ? was he talking about the academy council board ?...no" then, a look of realisation suddenly came upon Naruto as he found the answer he was looking for "Me…he wanted me to forgive myself…"
The hokage seemed to pick up on his realisation as he began to smile while nodding his head "The genin team repartition will take place a week from now, don't miss it" he casual informed his counterpart
"Genin ? Jiji, I didn't graduate…and forget about that I've committed a serious crime…"
"Let's just say that I've had a little talk with the council after I got wind of their decision, and as for committing a crime, you shouldn't forget that I'm the Hokage, I have the authority to pardon any crime that was committed, and you don't have a say in that" he winked before adding as he pointed to the blonde's forehead "and besides, I've never seen a civilian with a headband"
This prompted Naruto to frantically lay his hands upon the piece of metal on his face
"I've been told that you got aggressive whenever the doctors tried to get it off of you; Iruka gave it to you because he knew you could do it; For better or for worse, you're a man now, Naruto" he solemnly declared
"I swear on this headband, the vestige of my sins, that I'll never make a loved one cry again, I will make you all proud" promised Naruto as his eyes lit up with renewed fire
This show of determination made the old man smile as he thought "In the end…you did succeed in giving him your will, Iruka…"
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to leave a review or a PM if you have the time
PS : the quote i choose for this chapter reflected a lot his dynamic with Kurenaï, but in a some ways it was just inversed, showcasing that she was still somewhat growing, and immaturely seeing the world as black and white.