This chapter is going to be a doozy. Be prepared.
"Kyuubi Speech"
"Midnight Speech"
"Everyone else's speech"
"Thought Speech"
Chapter 42
On with the story
Dark eyes stared forward, dazed and dull. Water drizzled down that person's face, their entire body soaked by the constant fall of heavy rain. Hair which was once secured into a spiky ponytail now fell freely, partially obscuring their field of view.
Iruka didn't seem to care about his disheveled state, his arms hanging limply at his side. He held a large scroll-sack in his right hand. The sack protected a very important documents from the violent weather.
Iruka had been standing in that specific spot for what seemed like eternity, staring at the door to the house of the person who had been haunting his dreams as of late. Iruka stood in the Uchiha compound staring forward at the giant mansion that Naruto owned. He didn't dare walk up the few short steps to get to the door. He couldn't, he didn't think he was ready.
After a long while the man raised his left arm to wipe rainwater from his brow, clearing his vision. He then took his first step in hours.
"What are you doing here!?" An angry voice boomed out from directly behind Iruka.
The chunin swiveled around in a panic only to be met by the fiery purple eyes of Kyuubi. She was only wearing a pair of lacy black panties and a matching bra. The woman stormed towards Iruka and leaned forward until her face was mere inches away from his. Her mouth was contorted into a snarl, her razor sharp teeth barred.
"I…I had to see Naruto." The man explained, drawing a deep-throated growl from the demoness.
"No. This is a time of peace and celebration. You have overstepped your bounds by coming here and bringing…" Kyuubi paused to look over Iruka's general appearance.
He looked a mess. Not only were his clothes soaked, but his posture and demeanor was that of a completely defeated man.
"...This." Kyuubi finished, gesturing with one hand to all of Iruka's being.
"Leave...NOW!"
Kyuubi's voice echoed and boomed like thunder, shaking Iruka to his core. He could barely move.
"Mother." A much softer voice spoke out.
Kyuubi looked past Iruka with a distraught expression towards her son. No, she didn't want him to see this. Iruka slowly turned his head to view the blonde teen standing in a calm, regal fashion.
Naruto was fully clothed in a white kimono with a golden obi wrapped around his waist. He had a large, white, decorative flower fastened into his hair. Naruto's expression was a tranquil one, a gentle smile playing across his glossy, painted lips.
"I'll take it from here mother." Naruto spoke up in that tiny high-pitched voice of his.
Iruka watched the boy with a hesitant gaze. Kyuubi shook her head frantically, showing an uncharacteristic display of alarm.
"No, this isn't right." Kyuubi called out to Naruto.
Naruto was a bit surprised by the woman's response. She rarely if ever told him "no." Still he listened for now, waiting for Kyuubi to arrive. She didn't move with her normal sensual sway. The demoness walked hurriedly to meet her child.
Naruto raised both his dainty hands and Kyuubi eagerly took them, bending down slightly to kiss the back of each. She held his manicured fingers within her palm carefully. Naruto looked up at his mother in perfect understanding. He knew exactly what she was going through, why she was so adamant about Iruka leaving.
As they stared into each other's eyes the heavy rain slowed down to a near halt. Iruka who had turned most of his body around to watch them froze as well. Each individual droplet of rain seemed to move in slow motion. Naruto and Kyuubi then engaged in a conversation like two supercomputers.
"He is ruining everything. This time is sacred Sweety. It will be a very long time before you get another chance like this. To get a glimpse of what it is like to be home. Our home." Kyuubi explained, her head bowing, frustration clearly evident in her voice.
Naruto reached both his hands up to cup either side of his mother's face, running his thumbs along her smooth cheeks.
"I know what you want to give me and really you've already given me more than enough." Naruto spoke out sweetly.
"But it's not enough! Not even close Sweetheart. If you had a few more weeks of this then you'd know what it's like to be home. You deserve at least that much. You can't truly experience what it is like with these type of interruptions. We should have left this damned place while Sasuke recovered. I should have…" The woman lamented but was suddenly interrupted by a single finger pressed against her lips.
Kyuubi went wide eyed, looking down at her son's soothing expression. He looked like an angel in her eyes, that smile of his never fading.
"I'm glad we stayed. I need to be here for this. To see him and others like him." Naruto explained while looking past Kyuubi towards the frozen visage of Iruka.
Kyuubi glanced out the corner of her eye towards Iruka. She quickly averted her gaze, unable to rest her eyes on the man for more than an instant. Doing so made her too angry.
"This is a necessary step. More will come just like him and if I am to continue along this path of creating the new world then I need to face them, even if it's inconvenient or painful." Naruto went on.
Kyuubi was on the verge of tears now.
"You shouldn't have to! I can't just sit around and let them keep hurting us. Keep hurting you. They suffer pointlessly, as if they have the right. Only ever thinking about themselves, pitying themselves while doing nothing to actually change the world they created and continue to perpetuate. I won't. I can't. I'll...I'll kill them all. We can start over from scratch. I know you want to save them, to bring them in but it's not worth it. Son they aren't worth it. Lets just be done with it, with them. None of them, not even Hiru-kun, none of them come before my family." Kyuubi stated in a resolute manner.
She turned around to face Iruka, her teeth barred, ready to end him and everyone else. The entire world.
"If you think that is for the best, I won't stop you." Naruto stated without hesitation.
Hearing her son speak those words caused Kyuubi to stop in her tracks. Instead of moving towards Iruka the woman turned to look at Naruto in disbelief. He still maintained that sweet smile.
"Naruto?" Kyuubi questioned in shock.
Naruto watched her for a moment before shifting his demonic gaze to Iruka.
"You once mentioned to Sarutobi-kun that if you strongly desired to wipe out humanity that I would grant you permission to do so. This is that day. If you truly believe that the sacrifice I am willing to make for their survival is too great then you have my permission and blessing to end it. To end them." Naruto stated simply.
Kyuubi was absolutely shocked. She could barely believe her ears.
"I remember that. I just...didn't believe you would let them perish so easily." Kyuubi said in a dumbfounded voice.
Naruto moved forward now with graceful steps, his hands resting on his pelvis. He walked over to the frozen figure of Iruka and reached up to caress the man's cheek.
"This path I have chosen to save them, it will be very hard on us. I know it will continue to become harder the further down the path we go. As I take steps forward you, Midnight, Sasuke, and all those others who will inevitably join us, you will be forced to take those steps with me. I am willing to bare the burden of this task, and I do so happily because I know it is the only way they can be saved. However, if the burden on my family is too great then these humans aren't worth it." Naruto explained before turning back to his mother.
He closed the distance swiftly, taking both her hands now into his own. Kyuubi simply listened, watching as he kissed the back of her hands. She was shaking.
"My family means more to me than anything. If the pain of the path I lead us down is too much then I encourage you to end it. I can't stand seeing you like this. Not for them. So please, do what you must. Whatever you need to do to be happy. As long as you are happy I will be as well Mother."
Naruto's voice was barely a whisper. He looked up at her with a profound feeling of love and affection. She could feel it. Kyuubi couldn't help a trail of tears steadily leaking down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees, laying her forehead against the boy's belly in a rare show of vulnerability.
"How can you be this strong?" Kyuubi questioned in a quivering voice.
Naruto trailed his slender fingers through her scalp and silky red hair, cradling her head to his stomach.
"Because of you. Because of Midnight and Sasuke. Because of my family. Those I never met but will in time, those who I will save. You are my sunshine on a cold day. No matter how hard this path becomes I know that our connection will see me through it. Even now I feel Midnight and Sasuke's love. I feel your love. It satiates me. Compared to that..." Naruto paused to look at Iruka's froze form.
"...This is just a cool breeze when it could be a deathly chill without you at my side."
Naruto paused for a moment. Kyuubi was soaking his kimono with her tears. He caressed her as if she were his child and not the other way around. Naruto let the moment linger, enjoying the tenderness radiating between them. Naruto only spoke after he felt that Kyuubi had released all the feelings she had been bundling up inside.
"Mother, what you want is to build a future I can be happy with?" Naruto questioned with a small tilt of his head.
Kyuubi pulled her head back just enough to cast her violet eyes up to Naruto.
"That's all I want Sweetheart. It's all I need. Nothing else matters." Kyuubi elaborated.
Naruto nodded in understanding. He trailed fingers down the side of her head, along her shoulders to grasp her hands and help her to her feet.
"Then just continue to be my ray of sunshine. Be happy. Be there to comfort me when I return home. Let me deal with things like this. Let me guide the way. I'll carry the burden. I do it gladly because it's the path I've chosen. As long as you are there with me, providing your love, I can't help but have all I need. So try not to worry so much." Naruto spoke up in a light hearted manner.
The pride that Kyuubi felt at this moment was beyond words.
"Ok Sweety." She stated compliantly.
Naruto walked hand and hand with Kyuubi back to where they first stood before they started their hypersonic communication. He gave her hands one last kiss, an audible smooching noise resounding around them.
"Off you go now. Save some warmth for me. I'll be done here soon." The blonde explained.
Kyuubi tentatively released her hold on Naruto, staring lovingly into his eyes as she stepped back. Her saucy swagger had returned, the woman's posture exponentially improved. She turned around and rounded the corner of their house, sending one last proud gaze towards her son. Her fingers dragged along the wood of the house sensually before the demoness finally disappeared from view.
Naruto kept his eyes on her until she was completely gone. He then gave Iruka his undivided attention.
Rain splattered along the ground at a normal speed now. Iruka blinked in confusion. One moment Kyuubi was talking to Naruto then the next moment she was gone. He had witnessed none of their conversation or even been able to process that either had moved. The two demons simply moved too quickly for the Chunin's brain to comprehend.
"I apologize if my mother frightened you. She can be rather...passionate." Naruto spoke in a light hearted manner.
Iruka stared at the boy with uncertainty in his eyes. He didn't speak for a long while, letting the rain continue to drench him. He had to talk to Naruto but now that he had the opportunity, he just didn't know what to say. The realization that Kyuubi, the Demon Fox, was Naruto's mother, hearing Naruto acknowledge it, the idea was still sinking in.
To Iruka Kyuubi was a monster. How could Naruto be it's child? How could Naruto be capable of all those terrible things?
"Naruto..." Iruka began. He couldn't finish, the man's fists clenching as he bowed his head.
"Let's get you out of the rain." Naruto stated simply while walking over to Iruka and presenting his hand to the chunin.
Iruka hesitated, staring down at the gesture, then to Naruto's face. Despite all his fear, his anxiousness, he still couldn't help trusting his student. He nodded his head silently and took Naruto's hand.
Naruto's smile brightened. The boy turned around and led Iruka to the door, pushing it open. They never felt the need to lock it.
Naruto let go of Iruka's hand to step into the house and flick on the lights. A large living room and dining room were visible from the door. Around a corner was the kitchen. Naruto turned around to look at Iruka with a small frown. The man was soaked.
"How long were you out there?" Naruto questioned in concern while closing the distance between them and reaching forward to place a hand along Iruka's chest.
The man flinched a bit, causing a small bit of alarm in Naruto. The boy could clearly see that Iruka wasn't himself. How could he be? Naruto kept that in mind, continuing to stare up at Iruka with a soft gaze.
"I know that you must be so conflicted, confused, even angry. I hope after we've had the chance to talk that we can come to understand each other." Naruto stated in a gentle tone.
As he finished his sentence a powerful gust of hot air surrounded them both. Iruka went wide eyed, staring down at Naruto in alarm. Naruto matched his gaze, still remaining calm.
"It's ok. I'm just drying us off." Naruto explained in a chipper matter.
Within seconds both were completely dry. Iruka's hair was rather frizzed. Naruto let out a tiny, high pitched giggle.
"You should see yourself Iruka-sensei." Naruto called out playfully.
Iruka was taken back. Could Naruto really be a demon? This cheerful boy?
Naruto raised both his scrawny arms to delve fingers into his own frizzy locks, picking up the scrands before dropping his entire mane of ankle length hair suddenly. As he did the frizzes disappeared and those golden strands returned to their luscious sheen.
Naruto turned around and headed into the dining room then towards the kitchen. It connected to the dining room and even had a opening so that the dining room was viewable from the kitchen.
"You can have a seat at the table if you like Iruka-Sensei. Would you like some tea?" Naruto's voice rang out from the kitchen.
Iruka walked forward with a slightly dumbfounded look. He pulled out a chair for himself and slumped down in the seat.
"N...No thank you...Naruto." The man whispered in a barely audible voice.
Naruto picked up on that, pouring himself a cup of tea. He nodded and headed back to the dining room, pulling out a chair of his own and settling down. He took a sip of his tea, staring off into space.
The two stayed silent for quite a while, Iruka's mind racing. The chunin was the first to finally speak.
"Naruto...tell me you didn't kill all those people. Tell me that this is all some kind of mitake." Iruka finally spoke up tentatively.
"I did." Naruto responded without hesitation.
He turned his head to stare into Iruka's eyes. A look of horror appeared on the man's face.
"How could you?"
Naruto nodded and set his cup down.
"Is there anything I could say to make my actions justified in you mind?" Naruto questioned back, taking Iruka by surprised.
Iruka paused, shaking his head.
"No." He stated simply.
"Then why are you asking me that question?"
"I think I deserve an explanation! After everything I've done for you, you owe me that much." Iruka barked out suddenly as he rose from his seat.
He glared down at Naruto with a pain-filled expression. Naruto looked up at him calmly, a solemn look in his eyes.
"I did it because at the time I thought I had to." Naruto explained.
"How could you possibly think that? What possible reason could you have to slaughter innocents!?" Iruka continued to yell, something Naruto had never heard from the man.
Still, Naruto understood. Naruto didn't answer Iruka's question immediately, thinking over his response. There were so many different ways he could answer, so many ways this conversation could go.
"Answer me!" Iruka barked out once more, tears streaming down the man's cheeks now.
Still Naruto refused to answer. Iruka turned his head away, the man closing his eyes and visibly shaking.
"I lost friends that day, people I cared about. Your fellow students lost their family members. And you just sat there everyday knowing what you did, knowing the pain you caused. Do you even care!?" The chunin went on in a rage, snapping his gaze back to Naruto once more.
"Yes! I care more than you can imagine." Naruto blurted out suddenly.
Iruka was taken aback by Naruto's passion. He gritted his teeth, stepping forward to close the distance between them. He reached down to grab Naruto's shoulders, shaking the boy violently.
"Then why!? Why did you do it? How could you?" Iruka's voice cracked now, the man desperate for answers.
Naruto did nothing to defend himself. He turned his eyes away.
"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto whispered in a tiny, barely audible, vulnerable voice.
Iruka immediately stopped shaking Naruto, his grip loosening. The man froze, Naruto's voice...it was so innocent. On the other hand in Iruka's eyes Naruto was a cold blooded killer. A murder.
Iruka pulled one hand back to cradle his own forehead. He didn't know what to think.
"I wish...I wish you could understand." Naruto spoke gently.
Iruka's gaze focused on Naruto's face again, scanning him obsessively. He wanted to hate Naruto but seeing the boy, standing there in front of him, he just couldn't.
"Help me understand." Iruka pleaded.
Naruto finally shifted his dark purple gaze back to Iruka. He then stood up and turned away from the man, heading towards a window on the far wall of the dining room. From that window Naruto could see the large backyard. In the distance was Midnight, Sasuke, and Kyuubi, enjoying each other's time. They were laying together. Naruto fed off of the peace and happiness they radiated.
Iruka watched the boy closely, waiting with bated breath. Naruto closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning around to look up at Iruka again. As he did Naruto took his full demon form. His four golden tails sprouted from his back, his purple eyes becoming more feral, his claws extending, his teeth growing sharper.
Iruka had to stop himself from shaking. He knew that Naruto was a demon, was Kyuubi's mother. But seeing it for the first time, Naruto's true self...it was still a chilling experience.
"Iruka sensei I adore you beyond words. You've always been so kind to me. If there was any human who could understand me it would be you…" Naruto began.
Iruka noticed immediately the way in which Naruto addressed Iruka as a "human." It was haunting. Naruto picked up on that, hesitating for a moment. He took a deep breath before turning his gaze away, sparing Iruka from Naruto's intense demonic gaze. He could smell the man's fear.
"...However no matter what I say or show you you could never truly understand. Not really. All I can do is ask you to trust me." Naruto explained.
"Trust you? How can I trust you after everything you've done?" Iruka was taken aback, anger welling up in the man.
"Do you realize how much pain you've caused, how much you've took away from us? What you did was...it was…" Iruka began but hesitated.
"Say it." Naruto spoke up now, still averting his gaze.
"It was evil Naruto!" Iruka shouted.
Naruto visibly flinched from Iruka's words. The man paused, catching the boy's reaction.
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have…" Iruka began.
No matter how much he wanted to despise Naruto talking to his former student in such a way was heartbreaking.
"No...you're right Iruka-sensei." Naruto spoke up, turning to gaze back at Iruka with tears welling up in the teen's eyes.
"You are right. To a human my actions couldn't be anything else. I could argue with you about perspective, relativity, but what matters right now is you. Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did, how it hurt you, how I hurt all those people. I'm sorry for what I will do." Naruto spoke in a shaky voice.
"What...you will do?" Iruka caught that last part.
Naruto raised one sleeved arm up to wipe his tears, a more tranquil expression showing on his pretty face.
"That was only the beginning. In the days to come I'll cause so much pain. I truly am sorry." Naruto went on.
Iruka shook his head.
"You can't really be sorry if you plan on doing something like that again! What are you saying Naruto?" The man didn't know what to do.
Was Naruto going to perform another massacre?
"I am saying that I'm going to kill again. In my quest to create a better world many more will die. I can't say it in a better way without lying. I've chosen a bloody path. The worst part is that you will suffer because you can't understand the things I will do. That's the tragedy. You can't possibly understand. You'll just view me as a monster. There is nothing I can say to justify it. But I've accepted that Iruka-sensei. So it's ok to hate me. I don't blame you. It's just...who you have to be."
Naruto turned his back to Iruka now, the boy maintaining a regal posture. His voice seemed...resolute, as if he'd accepted his fate.
Iruka reached up to cradle his head in both hands, the man gritting his teeth. His mind replayed their conversation, his vision getting hazy.
"Naruto...are you evil?" Iruka finalled spoke out in a dull voice, staring down at the ground now.
The man's world was shattering.
"To you, I must be." Naruto replied while watching his family lay peacefully in the grass.
"That's not what I meant. Do you think you are evil?" Iruka reiterated.
Naruto didn't answer immediately. He took his head.
"No."
"Are we?" Iruka questioned still.
Naruto turned his head to glance at Iruka out the corner of his eye. Iruka was sitting down now. He was opening the scroll that he'd been holding in that sack the entire time. The scroll was very long. The chunin took his time.
"Do you know what this is?"
Naruto glanced down at the scroll and nodded his head, recognizing it instantly.
"The military records of all Konoha shinobi." Naruto answered without hesitation.
He knew where this was going.
"This is just one of many scrolls the Hokage gave me. When I learned of what you did, when I learned about the true nature of the attack I wanted to hate you. But the Hokage showed me something."
Iruka explained. Naruto quietly listened from his spot near the window.
"Many if not all of the shinobi that I helped train, that came through the academy. They're all killers, except for a few. A small few. Everyone else…" Iruka trailed off, his eyes moving from face to face.
He'd already read the scroll multiple times. The man was still coping with the reality that had been thrust upon him in the last few weeks.
"You're just another killer, like all the rest. We'll all killers!" Iruka shouted now, picking the scroll up and throwing it across the room.
The scroll crashed into the wall next to Naruto's head. Naruto maintained a sympathetic gaze.
"Just recently in the last few years...the Hokage ordered…" Iruka barely managed to get the words out. He couldn't stop crying, the man was a mess.
"He ordered the massacre of the Uchiha." Naruto finished for him.
Iruka's eyes went wide in horror.
"How can I hate you if this is the world we live in?" Iruka whispered.
Naruto shook his head, walking forward finally to close the distance between Iruka and himself. He moved behind Iruka and leaned down, snaking his arms around the man to embrace him in a hug. Naruto laid the side of his head along Iruka's back.
"What I've done is worse than them all." Naruto insisted.
Iruka didn't give any resistance to Naruto's embrace.
"Not it's not. People I've respected and looked up to have done unspeakable things. I tried to believe that we were the good guys. Everyone wants to believe that you know? I believed that for so long…" Iruka rambled.
"That doesn't make what I did ok."
"But to you it wasn't evil." Iruka stated flatly.
"Neither was what the Hokage did, or Itachi, or Ibiki, or Hiashi who murdered those children, and so on and so forth. None of it is evil. It's just...who you are." Iruka went quite.
"What are you going to do to us Naruto?" Iruka questioned, still trying to process everything.
"The Hokage didn't tell you?" Naruto questioned in surprise.
"He did. I just...I need to hear it from you." Naruto nodded in understanding.
"I'm going to try to save you. In doing so I'm going to cause a lot of pain." Naruto explained.
Iruka balled his fists.
"You keep telling me how much I can't understand. I don't care. I need you to try. Make me understand. Make me understand how the pain you have caused is justified in any way."
"I can't." Naruto admitted solemnly.
"Dammit Naruto, just try!" Iruka barked out.
Iruka sat up now, turning around in Naruto's arms to stare intensely down at the boy. However Naruto no longer saw hate. He saw a look of desperation and frustration on the man.
Naruto hesitated for a moment. He began to raise a hand up in front of Iruka's face, two fingers barely an inch from the man's forehead. Iruka looked at those digits before closing his eyes. He was told how Naruto was able to transfer memories.
"Wait…" Naruto spoke up suddenly, causing Iruka to open his eyes.
Naruto pulled his hand back and returned them to his pelvis.
"Do you want to know why it is that you can't understand my actions? Why I must walk down this bloody road?" Naruto questioned rhetorically.
Iruka listened patiently, only nodding his head.
"What I was going to do was show you something horrible. Make you feel something no person should ever have to endure." Naruto stated with a narrowed gaze.
The hair upon the back of Iruka's necks stood up.
"Why would you do that Naruto?"
"It's the only way you could possibly understand the cost of your existence." The boy continued before walking past Iruka.
He walked over to the scroll Iruka had chucked, bending down to pick it up. Naruto then slid the scroll across the table for Iruka to grab.
"Every day. Every single day, even right at this moment, countless human lives are destroyed and mutilated by the actions of other humans. That scroll contains a mere fraction of your cruelty. I was going to make you experience the life of two particular people whose names are forgotten in the eyes of history. Yet I know them, as I do so many others just like them." Naruto began.
Iruka looked down at the scroll. Naruto had made one particular area readily apparent. The profile Iruka was looking at was that of Hinata's father, Hiashi.
"What Hiashi and those under his command did during the war. They attacked a dam, breaking it purposefully with the intention of flooding the farmland of nearby villages to cripple the resources of the enemy's main city. Hundreds of innocents died in the the flood. Thousands more died of starvation, sickness, and in-fighting. Their entire economy was crushed." Naruto explained while Iruka read through Hiashi's file.
Naruto's eyes were narrowed as he explained the tale. He was nowhere near finished.
"Most of their names were lost to history, dying horrible, agonizing deaths. Family members watching helplessly as their loved ones perished. In all this chaos the lives of two souls stand out. A farmer's wife and her daughter. Bandits raided many of these villages, taking advantage of the chaos of war. A practice that is all too common among humans." Naruto nearly spat out the word "human" while telling this particular story.
Iruka's eyes were glued on Naruto, a deep sense of dread welling up inside of him. He could see where this was going. Yet Naruto didn't stop the accounting.
"With no resources the farmer was unable to pay protection money to the bandits. Of course because of the chaos that Hiashi and his shinobi caused there were also no village militia able to protect the weak. Before his throat was slit he had to watch the rape of both his wife and daughter." Naruto continued.
Iruka closed his eyes and the scroll, shoving it away from himself.
"That's...that's enough Naruto." The chunin called out.
"NO!" Naruto retorted, catching the man's undivided attention.
Naruto's violet eyes showed a rare anger and pain.
"You wanted to understand." Naruto insisted.
"I understand that bad things happen to people." Iruka pleaded.
"No you don't! You have no idea! None of you do!" Naruto barked out making Iruka nearly jump out of his skin.
Iruka went wide eyed, trembling now, yet Naruto's demeanor didn't change. He continued to tell that story.
"The mother and daughter were stolen away with the intention of selling them to the highest bidder. Of course they had to be prepared. They were locked in a dark cellar with dozens of other women. No sunlight, forced to eat like dogs. The only experience they had outside of the feel of a cold floor was the warmth of their rapists. Every day and every night. A mother forced to watch her daughter be raped over and over again in front of her eyes. And her daughter, the same. You think their story had a happy ending?" Naruto questioned now.
Iruka was a mess at this point, the man trying to cover his ears. Yet Naruto's voice could not be blocked. Iruka was forced to listen. He shook his head frantically.
"Eventually they were sold, separately. Never to see each other again. The mother hung herself. The daughter, well she lived much longer, a slave and prostitute. Giving birth to daughters who met the same fate, stolen away from her at birth. She didn't even get to name them."
Naruto was shaking by now, his demonic chakra pouring out of his skin, lashing out erratically.
"The bandits were eventually found and killed. But by then the mother had overdosed, the daughters were both pregnant, living their entire lives as slaves. They were killed in the rescue attempt."
Naruto stopped now, making his way over to Iruka. Iruka had his head buried in his forearms along the table. Naruto hovered above the man, looking down on him with a dull expression. Iruka slowly lifted his head to look up at the boy with watery eyes.
"I feel their pain as if it were my own. Them and countless others. Their pain echos as a memory even after they are gone. It lingers. Their cries for help unanswered. Thousands experience similar pain even to this day and millions before them. This type of pain echoes across generations. For most of these people, these poor souls, no one even knows their names. No one remembers their faces. They just...existed and then...they were gone. As if their purpose in life was to live a life of pure torment. What little love and happiness they felt during their lives was turned on them like a knife, endlessly carving at them until they were nothing more than a tortured memory." Naruto's voice was barely a whisper.
The boy was trembling. Iruka just listened, unable to speak. He didn't want to imagine the pain that Naruto felt.
"I feel it all. I don't have to. I choose to. My family has closed themselves off to humanity's pain because of how much they despise you, because of how pointless and unending it is. I choose to embrace this constant agony, keeping it to myself and away from my family. I use it as a constant reminder of what I fight for. Because if I don't it will keep happening over, and over, and over again. It will never stop. You can't possibly know the cost of the world you've built. You have a few happy memories, the occasional display of kindness and even rare instances of selflessness. You build a family, you smile and love and find a way to live contently. You find a way to sleep at night. The fact that you are able to ever have a good night's sleep should tell you just how little you understand the cost." Naruto hissed.
Iruka hung his head low in shame, his eyes taking a far-off look. Naruto glanced towards his family.
"I'm able to endure this pain because of what it means to be a demon. Because the love of my family overshadows the collective woe of humanity. That's how powerful our love is. If I were alone I couldn't bare this burden and I wouldn't do what needed to be done to end humanity's torture. This hell. I simply couldn't fathom it. I would never truly know how horrible this world is. I'd try and try to bring peace, end a few wars, build a family, become a great "hero". Yet slavery would continue, people would still starve, be raped, violated, mutilated, abandoned, thrown away, live lives of immeasurable suffering. If Mother never took me in, if I remained human, the depth of my failure would be...incomprehensible. The worst part is that as a human I wouldn't even be aware of it. As a demon I know now the true nature of humanity's tortured existence. Only because I am a demon."
Naruto's demonic eyes settled on Iruka once more.
"That is the reason you can't understand. You can't feel their pain. I was going to make you experience the life of the mother and daughter. Make you feel their suffering as if it were your own." Naruto began.
Iruka's eyes widened in horror. Naruto turned his back to Iruka.
"Exactly. That is the proper reaction. Without feeling what they felt, what they went through, how can you really understand the cost? You can't. If I were to show you it...the damage it would do to you would be catastrophic. That's the tragedy. Understanding the cost would destroy you. Just experiencing the pain of those two would be enough to drive anyone insane. And their pain is just a small fraction, a drop in the ocean of torment. Yet you must understand the entire ocean to truly know the cost. Something a human could never do. Therefore your understanding is not required. I WILL stop this. I won't let this continue. I can't. I don't care how many humans hate me, call me evil or look at me as a monster. I don't blame them. How could they be expected to behave any other way when they understand so little. When they feel so little." Naruto spoke now in a gentler tone.
He turned back to Iruka with a tender look in his dark violet irises. He reached forward to press a thumb to Iruka's face, drying the man's tears.
"I...understand Naruto. As much as I can...I understand." Iruka whispered weakly.
Naruto nodded before bending over and planting a tender kiss against Iruka's forehead.
"Thank you Iruka. I meant what I said before. I'm sorry for hurting you, and I'm sorry for the pain I will cause. Yet I won't stop. I know what needs to be done. I will save you. I will save us all." Naruto spoke under his breath so Iruka could barely hear Naruto's tiny voice.
"Please forgive me Naruto. I want to help, just like the Hokage. I just...please. Let me help." Iruka pleaded.
He lifted both his arms to wrap around Naruto's waist, burying his head in a vulnerable manner against Naruto's chest.
Naruto cradled Iruka's head affectionately, once again finding himself in a motherly position.
"Ok, Iruka-kun."
Iruka body shook uncontrollably, pouring his heart and soul out against Naruto's inviting frame.
"What were their names?" Iruka whimpered out.
Naruto grew a gentle smile, a look of pride in his eyes. Even though Iruka couldn't truly understand, Naruto recognized and admired Iruka's compassion and his desire to try. Naruto leaned down to whisper those long lost names into Iruka's ear.
"Thank you...Naruto."
Ok that's the end of the chapter. Please review~
Like I mentioned. A doozy. I tried not to be too graphic with Naruto's story but I wanted to really hammer home the horror of some of the worst parts of the human condition. I hope it wasn't too much! Anyway I don't know when the next chapter will be. Hopefully this tides you guys over for a while. Plus I tried to make sure that this wasn't a cliffhanger! I feel like this chapter was a complete arc and a good segway into another arc. What do you guys think? Let me know! Tootles.