Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail

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By Any Means

Interlude - They Never Forget, Never Forgive

Opening - Now or Never by Nano

0o0o0 10 Years Ago 0o0o0

Glowing red eyes spun in the near darkness, looking down upon the blood-soaked blond. His eyes spread over to the numerous corpses that lay strewn about, some pinned to a wall by kunai or swords, several cut into pieces, while others were burnt to a crisp. The blond stood stock still, breathing heavily, trying to come to terms with what he'd done. "Come. We have to report the mission success to our client." The taller of the two turned to leave.

"Sensei."

"..." The elder stopped.

"It… it was easy." Scared blue eyes looked up into piercing red.

"It is never easy baka-deshi. Unlike most, you have seen the horrors of death long before your time. It was easy because you are already dead. It will not be until you are alive once more, that you will find it hard to kill. Do not forget your sins Naruto, for the dead will remember for eternity."

0o0o0 6 Months Ago 0o0o0

It had been four years since Uzumaki Naruto had left his tutelage. And in that time Fukasaku had gone back to his normal routine of tending to his plants. In those four years the Hagoromo had come to him on several occasions to train others, and he had refused. He would use his sage abilities in the defence of the innocent, not a hostile takeover of a country.

And so he remained atop his remote his mountain, far removed from the turmoil the world was quickly falling into.

He had felt sorrow when he'd heard of Naruto's fall in battle against the Demon Ninja known as Momochi Zabuza, but not as much as he wish he could. Naruto had taken his teachings and thrown them to the wind choosing the path of the mindless killer than that of a wise Sage. He'd heard of and felt the evil resonating from the youth as he carved a bloody path through the aristocrats of Bosco. What had led to the fall of his student, he knew not, but he felt no sympathy for a man that cared so little for life that he would do such horrendous things. Just sorrow for what could have been.

And so it was to his shock when he found the blond, covered in bandages and being helped by a young woman, walking toward his small hut.

At first Fukasaku felt rage at the sight of his fallen student. As he was ready to chase the blond off he caught sight of his eyes and froze. There was a dead and lost look in his former apprentices eyes. This was not a mindless killer, but a lost soul looking for guidance. With a sigh, Fukasaku raised his arm to halt the unwanted guests. "Do not come further. I don't know what it is that has brought you back Naruto, but you are no longer welcome here."

"I understand, but I can't leave. There's something I must do and I can only do it here." Conviction. Fukasaku could tell whatever the blond wanted here, he was not going to give up until he got what he wanted.

"And what would that be Hitokiri?" Naruto held no surprise that his former master knew of his new moniker.

"You once told me about a waterfall not far from here that shows a man the truth about himself. I need to go there."

"And what truth do you need to know that you can't look in the mirror and see? You have sullied my teachings and all that it means to be a Sage. I taught you to bring peace and justice and yet you have only spread chaos and death. You have tainted you soul with the blood of the innocent!" the toad sage roared, barely able to keep control of his anger.

"I won't deny my sin. I did many horrible things. I didn't come here looking for forgiveness. Nothing I do can ever undo what I've done."

"Then just what are you looking for?"

Naruto remained silent for a moment. "I… I don't know who I am anymore. Everything is… fuzzy. I remember everything I did but… it's like I'm watching a movie, from another point of view. I don't feel complete like my mind is fragmented. I can't tell if I'm Uzumaki Naruto the Sage or the mass murderer known as Hitokiri."

"So you are looking for the truth of who you are." Fukasaku felt his shoulders sag. "You stupid student, just what have you done to yourself?" He said more to himself than to Naruto. "Well come on then. I'm sure you're tired from your journey. And you've yet to introduce me to your new friend."

"This is Haku, she's… she helped me wake up."

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Ending - In My World - Rookiez Is Punk'd

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New interlude and another glimpse at Naruto's past. There will be a part 2 to this particular interlude so don't worry about that. And the next chapter is being worked on.

Until next time,

The Revolutionary Ronin