AN
Hello another new chapter. Remember to like follow and review Pm me if you have any questions or suggestions I do pm reviewers to answer questions.
Chapter 7: New Life and an Old Friend Returns
'Kurama, I think we should split up for the time being,' Naruto said.
'And why do you think that,' Kurama questioned.
'I need to stay hidden for a while. Bee and Gaara would know if I died because of the link between you guys. If everyone knows you are no longer sealed inside me my death will be more convincing. I need to handle some things, but if you and I are split up I don't have to worry about anyone thinking I'm alive,' Naruto explained.
'I agree, but only half of me will go. I'll remain silent as my other half explains your death. He can make a nice scene as well. It might be a little weird since the connection won't be completely broken, but I don't feel comfortable letting you roam by yourself,' the large fox smirked as he responded.
'Okay just make sure your performance convinces everyone. I don't need anyone thinking I'm still alive and don't destroy the village,' he added the last part quickly.
Kurama just groaned but he understood.
Ino was with every one of the Konoha 12 except Sasuke who hadn't been home in a year, Naruto who they planned on visiting and Hinata who was late for some reason. They were currently knocking on her door, but she hadn't answered after a minute.
"Come in," Hinata yelled.
Ino heard it faintly and went inside with everyone.
"Hey are you okay. We are supposed to visit Naruto or did you of all people forget," Ino said teasingly.
"My water just broke. I need to get to the hospital now," Hinata exclaimed.
Quickly the entirety of the Konoha 12 minus Naruto and Sasuke started to gather everything Hinata requested.
"Can someone go tell Naruto as well," she pleaded.
"Stop worrying about him we need to get you to the hospital quickly I already let the hospital know that were coming," Sakura said.
"Yeah, I don't really get why you'd want the abuser near you. He's a lousy piece of shit I don't know why you've spent so much time trying to help him," Kiba remarked.
"Just do it please," Hinata pleaded.
"Fine we'll go," Kiba said.
Sakura, Ino, and Shino lead Hinata out of the house and to the hospital. Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru went to get Naruto as TenTen and Neji got the rest of Hinatas stuff for the hospital.
They reached Narutos after a few minutes of walking. Knocking on the door got them no response. Akamaru was whining like he smelt something bad and began to scratch at the door.
"NARUTO," Kiba yelled as he knocked on the door.
"Hey Naruto Hinatas about to give birth and she wants you there," Shikamaru said.
"It is not very youthful to ignore the birth of your child Naruto," Lee yelled through the door.
Akamaru was still whining and scratching at the door.
"What's wrong buddy," Kiba questioned Akamaru.
"What did he say Kiba," asked Shikamaru.
Kiba didn't respond he just started to break through the door. The sight they walked in on was something no one should ever need to see, and they would never be able to forget the sight. Naruto was hanging from his ceiling.
Lee started to cry. While Kiba puked at the sight of Narutos hanging body. Shikamaru didn't show much emotion, but anyone who saw him would know he was hurting inside. Moving to the table he noticed a letter with Hinatas name on beside a large envelope that explained it was his final will and testament to be opened by Kakashi.
"What do we do now," Kiba asked.
"I'm not sure, but we can't tell Hinata until after she gives birth even if she asks about it, we just say we weren't able to find him. We should also tell Kakashi what happened," Shikamaru said.
He was starting to feel guilty. No one should feel like death is the best option. Hinata was right they should have at least tried to make sure he was okay. Regardless of what he did being sentenced to being hated and alone for his life. Having the world against you and everything you held dear taken away death would likely sound as good an option as living at that point.
They left the apartment and decided Kiba would go back to the hospital while Lee and Shikamaru head to the Hokage Building. Lee was too emotional right now and would likely tell Hinata what happened. Shikamaru led Lee to the Hokage building and when they got there Narutos will in hand they requested to see Kakashi and were let in shortly.
"What's with the sullen faces guys," Kakashi questioned upon seeing their faces.
"Naruto committed suicide in his apartment. We went to pick him up since Hinatas water broke and she asked us to bring him there, but when we knocked and had no response Akamaru was whining and scratching at the door. After Kiba had asked him what was wrong, he broke the door down and when we walked in, we saw his body hanging from the ceiling," Shikamaru explained.
"I see. We knew he was depressed as this wasn't the first time, but he was on medication. He seemed like he was in a good mood when I saw him after his mission. I figured the medicine was helping him. That's a real loss for the village. If Naruto is dead, then the nine-tails is likely loose somewhere near the village. This is a big mess," Kakashi responded.
"Well, the medication clearly didn't work. It doesn't surprise me after being hated by the world. He probably got tired of the suicide missions not resulting in his death. He knew that the only way to end his suffering was to take his own life or to let someone else kill him and he was too proud to let himself be killed by someone who couldn't touch him if he didn't want them to," Shikamaru explained irritated.
"Shikamaru you're right the medication didn't work, and he chose death to end his suffering. Naruto knew that his child wouldn't want him in their life even if Hinata wanted that. Once the truth came out and this village loves to talk the kid would learn to hate him. He had no ties to this world anymore. I would say I wish him peace in the afterlife, but after what he did, I doubt he would find it," Kakashi said.
"Here. It's Narutos final will and testament and is supposed to read and issued by you," Shikamaru said as he handed the envelope, he was carrying to Kakashi.
"Thank you, I'll take care of that tomorrow. He didn't die in battle, and he is despised by the village, but I think we should hold a funeral. Even though he committed an awful crime he was the hero who saved the village and the world," the silver haired sensei mused.
"I think that would be appropriate," Shikamaru agreed.
After that Kakashi got to work and Shikamaru and Lee headed to the Hospital. Lee finally got himself together as he and Kakashi had their conversation.
Naruto had split Kurama into his two halves and found a cave nearby to stay in until he recovered his strength. Even with Kurama helping he had been drained after performing the replacement jutsu then splitting Kurama. He didn't need to rest for long, but it allowed him to start his basic disguise until he finished gathering the rest of his disguise. Naruto took the time to dye his hair the darkest black he could. The difference between that and his normal hair was striking enough that he probably didn't have to perform a transformation to get rid of his blue eyes or whiskers, but it was better to have a few simple changes rather than one big one when hiding. The combination of his different hair color, different eyes and lack of whiskers would allow him to hide in plain sight.
He wanted to send a few shadow clones in different directions to check on the few hideouts he wanted to use, but he couldn't muster enough chakra to maintain the transformation jutsu and make multiple shadow clones, so he settled for one and sent it ahead. Once he had regained enough chakra he would send more and wait for them to inform him of each locations occupancy then he would make his way to whichever would be safest for the time being.
Kuramas second half would be making himself known in the morning. He wasn't supposed to do anything but make himself known to the village and send a shockwave of chakra through the entire area surrounding the village. He didn't want there to be any chances for someone to pick up on his chakra. The Hyūga, Inuzaka, and Aburame clans could all be an issue if they had noticed his chakra by accident especially since he was only a few kilometers away from the village. He also wanted to send a shadow clone down to the village to make sure they noticed his death. He figured it might take a few days, but it all depended on whether Hinata decided to visit or force the group to visit today or in the upcoming days. Naruto had set a seal on the letter to Hinata. To most it would look like a simple seal that reacts to a person's chakra in order to be broken, but if someone good with seals saw it, they could pick up on the secondary function of relaying when it was broken to the caster. Hinata might notice it, but he had done a different seal than she used so he was likely fine.
Naruto spent some time getting all his supplies in order. He didn't want to fall asleep since the clone had a few hours journey ahead of him at the speed it could go due to Narutos fatigue. By nightfall the clone should have reached the first potential hideout and after checking if it was in use, it would disperse. Once that had happened Naruto would go to sleep to properly rest.
Like Naruto predicted the clone had dispersed around nightfall. The hideout he planned on using was currently empty. It would work for the time being. He still planned on fully recovering before heading out and he figured that would take a full day. After that he would send a clone to gather the supplies he still needed to finish his disguise and anything else that would come in handy.
Naruto woke up as he felt the wave of chakra blow past him. He figured it was finally morning and Kurama had continued with their plan. Soon the other tailed beast would believe he was dead along with Killer Bee and Gaara. He figured the chakra blast would buy him a few days to fully disappear from the area.
During the night Hinata gave birth to fraternal twins. A boy and a girl. The boy weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and the girl weighed 6 pound 2 ounces. The night was long and painful as Hinata went through labor Neji took place of Naruto and allowed his cousin to nearly break his hand as she gave birth. Shikamaru explained that Naruto refused to answer the door and that he didn't think he was planning on coming. Hinata had been upset, but the pain she was experiencing was enough to distract her from his absence.
The twins were born healthy. As they came into the world Hinatas family grew and her friends and family gathered. The entire group was so happy that they were able to bring in not one but two beautiful children into the peaceful world. Hinata went right to sleep after she held each of her children. Some of them decided to go home after seeing there was simply no room for them all to stay. In the end Neji and Hanabi, who had come once her family was notified that her sister had gone into labor, decided to stay.
Shikamaru held back as many people as he could in the hallway. He knew Hinata would ask questions when she woke up. Naruto wanted a family and if he was offered any part of involvement in their life he would show up. Hinata knew that too, but if she found out he killed himself the morning she had went into labor it would greatly upset her. She needed to get home before anyone broke the news to her. He was able to get everyone but Hiashi and Sakura before they left.
"I need everyone to listen. This is important and what I'm about to tell you Hinata cannot know about until she's home and once she finds out I recommend someone stays with her for a while," he explained. Once everyone had nodded their understanding, he continued," Yesterday afternoon we had planned on visiting Naruto as a group. When we went to get Hinata and found out she was going into labor she sent a few of us to pick up Naruto so he could be there. Kiba, Lee and I visited his apartment. We spent a few minutes knocking and weren't getting any response eventually after Akamaru relayed bad news to Kiba we broke the door down and went inside his apartment. Naruto hung himself yesterday morning or the night before. The body needs to be taken care of and Kakashi is already making the appropriate efforts to do so and plan a funeral for him," Shikamaru finished. He wasn't one to cry but thinking about losing the man he once considered to be one of his best friends hurt more than he was willing to admit, so when he started to choke on his tears, he wasn't surprised, but he had forced the words out.
The group all began to react. Some gasped, others cried, and others just looked deep in thought. The group was silent for a few minutes. No one knew what to say or react. They had shunned him for treating Hinata so disgustingly, but they all remembered how Naruto was the sun that shown after the darkest nights. They knew how important he was to the village. As a weapon he was powerful, but what mattered was his presence. Everyone noticed his lack of presence the past nine months, but to know they would never see him again shocked them.
"What are we supposed to say to Hinata," Hanabi asked concerned for her sister. She didn't agree with her, but she knew how much he meant to her even after how she had been treated by him.
"I recommend saying you haven't seen him. If she asks you to check since you have the byakugan say you can't see him and that he might be out of the village. I doubt she will be in here too long. The nurses had said her, and the twins were in good health and if that continues, she shouldn't be here long. It wouldn't be shocking to her that Naruto left randomly especially after everything that has happened," Shikamaru explained.
Neji nodded his head and Hanabi looked like she was thinking, but when she looked up, she nodded. It was unfortunate circumstances. Naruto would have been a good father. He didn't understand what having a father was like but since he never had one growing up, he would have been motivated to be the best dad possible regardless of circumstances.
Everyone left and said they would return tomorrow. Many of them still thinking about the news of Narutos passing. They didn't realize Narutos death would mean so much to them. They had shunned him and hated him after what happened with Hinata, but they also had been his friends and he killed himself because they hated him. They couldn't truly forgive someone who would beat their own wife, but they could have tried to understand what had happened and maybe they could have treated him with some decency even if they were no longer friends.
Sakura had rushed home once Hinata fell asleep she had a shift at the hospital in the morning and wanted to get some sleep. Once she had opened her apartment door, she saw the apartment wasn't empty a tall dark-haired man in a cloak sat at her table.
"Sasuke," she asked.
"Hello Sakura," he responded.
"You're back? Are you done with your redemption mission or is this just a visit," she questioned.
"Just a visit. I just wanted to check in on you and Naruto since it has been almost a year," Sasuke explained.
"Well either way I'm glad to see you. Should we move this into my bedroom since its late and it doesn't seem like you have a place to stay tonight," Sakura said calmly.
"I would like that," he said.
They moved into Sakura's bedroom and talked for a little while before getting distracted by each other. Sakura's wish for sleep was postponed another hour, but she wasn't complaining since she wasn't able to spend any time with her boyfriend in nearly a year.
When Sakura woke up Sasuke was already gone. Naruto wouldn't like being woken up at this time of morning, but he would probably be happy to see Sasuke after all this time. If she hadn't been so surprised by Sasuke's return, then by his lips and hand they probably would have talked about Naruto. Getting ready for her shift took only a few minutes. She was working in the baby unit today which happened to be very lucky turn of events. If Hinata gave birth to the kids on their due date she wouldn't be able to see them, but since she was working in the baby unit, she would get to take care of them and Hinata. She was excited to spend the day with them, but she was starting to question why Naruto never showed up last night. He would have been able to ignore the glares and rude comments from everyone if it allowed him to be there for his kids, so the fact that he didn't show up was rubbing her the wrong way.
Her shift was pleasant like it always was when she got to spend her day in the baby unit. However, Hinata had asked about Naruto more than once when she was checking on her and Neji and Hanabi both said they couldn't find him in the village anywhere. It was unlikely he had been sent on a mission two days after he had come back from a mission that took over a month to complete. She hadn't given Naruto much thought over the past few months. It wasn't like Naruto to hurt anyone if he wasn't supposed to, but he tended to be unpredictable and she claimed to know him better than most, but she knew she only knew the parts he lets everyone see. Plus, all the evidence they collected pointed towards Naruto beating Hinata. She had bruises on her legs, arms, neck and back the bedroom looked like there had been a struggle or like Naruto had become angry since the floorboards were broken along with a dresser. Maybe she didn't know Naruto as well as she thought.
Once her shift ended, she told Hinata that she would come back to properly visit after getting some sleep. On her way out Shikamaru found her since he had noticed she left too quickly and needed to tell her about Naruto.
"Sakura, we need to talk its important," he told her.
"Of course, what's up Shikamaru," she asked.
"You can't tell Hinata until she home at least. It will only stress her out and could cause problems. When she had sent us to get Naruto yesterday, we got no response. Akamaru was acting weird, and he told Kiba something was wrong. Kiba broke down Narutos door and we walked in only to see Naruto had hung himself. We decided that once Hinata is sent home we will all visit and break the news to her. Kakashi is also handling Narutos will and his funeral preparations," Shikamaru was getting tired of breaking the news to people, but he knew someone had to do it.
"Shikamaru this is a sick joke. Naruto, he can't be dead. We had him on medication he was about to have children. There's no way he would do this," she said in denial.
"I'm sorry but I'm not joking. Naruto killed himself. The medication clearly didn't work. He was hated by his entire village and friend group. He was all alone in a world that wanted him dead anyway. Naruto probably decided that if the suicide missions he kept being sent on wouldn't kill him he needed to do it himself," he explained in a saddened tone.
Sakura was stunned she never thought he would kill himself. Even after his first suicide attempt it felt so unreal. He wasn't the type to give up, yet he chose what he probably saw as the best option for him after everything that has happened. He likely saw it as a way to escape the hell he had been forced to live. She didn't think anyone deserved to be hated to the point of killing themselves, but Naruto suffered through just that and he did it more than once. This time was probably worse than before since he didn't know why he had been hated as a kid, but he was able to reach towards the goal of becoming Hokage to gain everyone respect. This time however he knew why he was hated, and he lost everything he had gained including the respect he spent so much time working to get.
She made her way home slowly as she tried to digest what she just learned. She made her way into her apartment and saw Sasuke was sitting at the table. He had probably gone to visit Naruto and couldn't find him. She didn't get to talk to him about Naruto last night, but she knew she needed to explain what has happened since he had been in the village last.
"Is Naruto on a mission today he wasn't at his house," Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke, I need to talk to you about Naruto," she said.
"Okay what is it," he responded.
"Well, the Konoha 12 minus yourself goes to dinner once a month. About nine months ago we went to dinner like we always do. Hinata had stayed home, and Naruto said she hadn't been feeling well. He rushed out halfway through and we followed him to his house. When we got there Hinata had said he was abusing her, and he claimed she was cheating on him. Naruto said the former Raikage was just in his house having sex with Hinata. No one in the village had seen the Raikage and Naruto explained that they had a conversation earlier that day and he said he was there to meet Kakashi. Kakashi said he had never met with Ay. However, all evidence did point towards Hinata telling the truth. She was bruised all over. The floorboards in their bedroom were shattered and the dresser had been smashed. After that I checked over Hinata and confirmed her bruises were left from being hit and squeezed with extreme force. From there news spread of what had happened and Naruto was hated among the villagers again. He moved into his old apartment and began going on numerous suicide mission. Even his friends turned their backs on him since he was outed as an abusive husband, and we couldn't support that. Naruto was depressed. He tried to kill himself a little over a month ago and was saved. He had been put on some medication to help with his depression. Hinata had been trying to get us to forgive him since she was pregnant and wanted Naruto to be around for his kids. Before we could though Naruto was sent on another mission that took about a month and a half. He had gotten back three days ago and when we decided to go visit him yesterday Hinata fell into labor. Shikamaru, Kiba and Lee went to go get Naruto so he could be at the birth of his children. They found that he committed suicide and had died. I just found out that he killed himself when I was leaving the hospital," Sakura explained everything from the beginning.
"Naruto Uzumaki was driven to his death because of a mistake he made and rather than stick by him like the friends you claimed to be you helped drive him to kill himself. You were able to forgive me. I have killed countless people since I left the leaf. I was a traitor and a rouge ninja that committed war crimes. Yet you forgive me and can't even stay by Narutos side after he abused one person. I won't act like that's excusable behavior, but how do you forgive me after what I've done. I tried to kill you multiple times but Narutos crime was so bad you turned your back on him. He spent his life saving the world. He spent mission after mission saving you Sakura. So, you repay him by turning your back on him and helping him dig his grave," Sasuke began to yell at Sakura.
"I get it I do. I didn't realize how much he was suffering. I should have done more I chose Hinata over someone I considered my best friend, and I can't fix that. I failed him and I can't expect to be forgiven after that. I'm sorry," She cried out in sadness and frustration.
"That doesn't bring him back Sakura. Saying sorry doesn't fix things. I would know that's why I've spent the last two years trying to make amends for everything I did wrong. It's the reason I've spent so much time away from the village because I can't face this village until I paid my debt. Naruto had no debt to this village. Everyone owed him. He saved this place and fought the war because he loved this place even though everyone here treated him like dirt. Saying you're sorry isn't going to fix it. Now I need to go," Sasuke said.
Sakura stood there shocked at his words. She knew he was right. She spent no time in forgiving him, but Naruto makes one mistake and she turned her back on him. She wasn't sure what to do next. She wasn't sure how to fix something like this. She had killed her best friend by ignoring his pain. She laid down in bed and her thoughts wouldn't stop. Eventually she fell asleep.
As Sasuke left Sakura's house he needed to find Kakashi. He couldn't believe that Kakashi would ever turn his back on Naruto or any of his students or friends. As he made his way to Kakashi's office he noticed someone was following him. He wasn't sure who it was, but it felt oddly familiar. He shrugged it off as he was in his old village so it's possible whoever had been following him was just someone who recognized him. He made his way into the Hokage building and kicked the people in Kakashi's office out.
"Kakashi you and I need to talk. Did you turn your back on Naruto along with everyone else," he asked.
"Yes, I did," Kakashi admitted.
"After everything he's done for this village for this world, he still has to work one thousand percent harder than anyone else to be respected. I don't care what he did to Hinata. If you were able to forgive me after I went rogue and killed thousands of people. After I committed crime after crime on my path towards vengeance you welcomed me back with open arms. Naruto makes one mistake, and you shun him along with everyone else. What happened to preaching about those who abandon their friends being worse than scum. What happened to supporting Narutos dream. You preach a lot, but you fail to back up your words. Naruto died because he lacked the support he earned from this village. It's sad that everyone still looked at him as a monster and were just waiting for an excuse to turn their backs on him again. You never cared about him, and it showed as you killed him. Your old nickname is perfect for you Friend Killer Kakashi. You failed another person you claimed to be your friend," Sasuke said before leaving.
Kakashi new Sasuke was right he was shocked to hear his old nickname in use especially by a prior student of his. He did care about Naruto, but he realized he had failed him just like the village failed him before. Naruto fought for everything he had gained the respect of the world and lost everything because he made a mistake yet they were able to accept Sasuke after he killed thousands of people and committed crime after crime when on his journey for vengeance. He hurt inside worse than he had in years. He had to try and fix it even if he couldnt bring Naruto he could at least try and fix his reputation.
He planned on visiting the others and trying to get down to the truth. He didn't believe Naruto actually beat Hinata. He wasn't an abusive person. He wasn't even violent most of the time. The only time he was violent was when Kurama would take him over when they were young or when a friend was in danger. He used his emotions to protect his friends and the innocent he didn't use them to hurt his loved ones.
Once again, he felt a presence near him. He knew this feeling but was struggling to pinpoint who it was. His sharingan didn't help either. It felt like chakra was filling the air and making it hard to properly sense chakra.
Narutos clone was shocked to see Sasuke in the village. He was supposed to be collecting supplies, but this felt like it was more important. Sasuke had visited his old house with no success of finding him then returned to Sakura's. He heard Sasuke actually yell at her. Sasuke supported him. He trailed him the rest of the day as he went to Kakashi and yelled at him as well. He decided to let himself be known to him and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder and before he could react a familiar voice was speaking to him.
"Sasuke follow me," Naruto said.
Sasuke hadn't seen his face since he was wearing a hooded cloak, but he was sure it sounded like Naruto.
AN
Another chapter finished. I know a lot of you wanted the child to come out dark skinned so Hinata would fall to the same treatment Naruto had and they would realize their mistake. I want that to happen as well but i didnt want it to happen so quickly Hinatas life will fall apart but its going to be slow and painful for her. Having a black baby makes it too quick.
For everyone who thought i forgot about Sasuke i didnt. He has been off on his redemption journey and hasnt been in the village for about a year. I planned on having him show up a little later but a reviewer Dingo-822 gave me the idea of him coming back to the village and snapping at Sakura and i liked it so i used it. Originally he was going to run into Naruto in a small village Naruto happened to be getting supplies at, but this idea allowed me to introduce him earlier and it might speed up the story a little.
I love to respond to questions and reviews so if you dont have your pms open or only have a guest account i cant respond to your comments.
Thank you for reading remember to like follow and review the story and pm me if you have any questions or suggestions.
Until next time, Bye!
-JJ