Chapter 8: The Broken Bond

Days or rather weeks have gone by, as the four made camp in the forest ever since the fiasco at the ministry given they are currently on the lam. However that didn't mean that everything was going easy, as there were a few problems. Firstly, the group was having little to no luck on how to open the locket, as they tried a variety of methods ranging from using magic to Naruto using chakra, all of which failed of course. Now the second issue was that the group was almost compromised as the Snatchers were near the area, but thanks to the protection ward, the Snatchers haven't tried anything. But the third issue was that tension seems to be growing, as Naruto noticed that Ron was looking more irritated and annoyed by what was going on. Right now, Naruto had just returned from the forest, carrying a deer he had hunted for food. "I'm back guys, dinner is on me," he said, as the others nodded, before leaving, while Naruto prepared the dinner.

The blond made venison stew for the group, as they dug in despite the fact that Naruto had just hunted a wild animal. But hey, it's not like they could go to a McDonalds when they are currently on the lam and somewhere in the rural side of England. When dinner was done, the four were doing something to keep their mind off this whole situation. Ron fiddles with the radio, Naruto was busy meditating, Harry just sat down thinking about something, and Hermione was reading A History of Magic, when she had found something interesting. "Oh my god…" she said, as she plucked out a hair from Harry's head. "What's wrong? Did you find something?" Naruto asked, as he got up. "Yeah, I did. Harry, so you know the Sword of Gryffindor? It's made by the Goblins," Hermione stated. "Yeah but what does that have to do with all this?" Harry asked. "You don't understand. Dirt and rust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in what makes it stronger," Hermione mentioned. "Right…" Harry said, looking confused, as Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Anyways, Naruto. You and Harry already destroyed one of the Horcruxes, correct? Tom Riddle's diary, in the Chamber of Secrets," she pointed out. "Yeah, me and Harry destroyed it there. I used the dagger Jiraiya gifted to me on my birthday, while Harry used a basilisk fang. Wait, are you saying that you have another basilisk fang?" Naruto asked. "No silly, what I'm trying to say is that since you two killed the basilisk in your own ways, there is bound to be a reason. Harry, think about it, you stabbed the basilisk with the sword, it should be coated with basilisk venom," Hermione mentioned. Harry starts to think it over, when his eyes widen in shock. Hermione and Naruto nodded at Harry, as they realized what they could use to destroy the Horcrux. "Hermione, you really are the brightest witch of our generation, you know?" Harry complimented, as Hermione waved it off. "Well now that we got that out of the way, let's go destroy it," Naruto said, as he took out Jiraiya's dagger and the wolf dagger Dumbledore left for him.

"Wait, Naruto, can you try amplifying your chakra on the daggers?" Harry asked. Naruto nodded and charged some of Kurama's chakra on the daggers, making it glow along with extending the daggers. "Guys, as much as I want to do this, there's a slight problem," Hermione pointed out, as the two looked at her. But before she could finish it, the lights went out as Ron spoke. "The sword is stolen," Ron said, holding the deluminator. "Yeah, I'm still here. But you three carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun," Ron said, as he looked rather irritated. The three raised an eyebrow over Ron's strange attitude, as he's being rather strange right now. "Are you alright, Ron?" Naruto asked, looking concerned. "Just peachy, after all I'm having the time of my life," Ron snarked, without any humor. "What's the problem?" Harry asked. "Problem? There's no problem. Not according to you guys, anyway," Ron retorted.

"Look Ron, don't be shy. If you have something to say, spit it out. We're all ears," Naruto said, noticing Ron was really not looking ok. It was raining hard outside, which fits perfectly with the mood right now. As Ron stepped into the light, he appeared to be sporting an ugly look, while wearing the locket. "All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down because now there's some other damn thing we've got to find," Ron stated. Hermione eyes Ron warily along with the others, as she hopes nothing bad is going to happen. "I thought you knew what you signed up for," Harry responded. But Ron scoffed, as he believed otherwise. "I don't understand. What part of this isn't living up to your expectations? Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to mummy by Christmas?"

"No, I just reckoned after all this time, we'd have actually achieved something. I reckoned you knew what you were doing. I reckoned Dumbledore had told you something worthwhile! I reckoned you had a plan!" Ron yelled out. "Ron, calm down. Take it easy," Naruto stated, trying to calm the red-head down. "Don't tell me to calm down, when you don't have a plan as well. How are you going to fight Kurasame, huh? You said you would be hunting him down, when you aren't doing shit and instead are going on a wild goose chase!" Ron spat. "It's not like Kurasame can find me in the first place and I can't find him either. Even if I did, I know its a stupid idea to confront him right now, as I'm going to leave you guys in danger and I won't allow that," Naruto stated calmly. "Naruto is right, we can't act hasty right now. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found a Horcrux!" Harry stated.

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren't we!" Ron retorted. Hermione tries to calm Ron down, as she was trying to get him to take off the locket. However Ron pushes her away, as he wasn't having any of it. Both Harry and Ron kept arguing, as both Naruto and Hermione tried to stop the argument. "Do you know why I listen to that radio, every night? Do you! To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name or Fred or George or Mum or-"

"I get it Ron, I get it. I know how it feels to be worrying about family and everyone I know," Naruto stated. Ron scoffed, "Yeah, like you're one to talk. After all, it's not like both your parents are worrying about you and Harry." There was dead silence, as Hermione was shocked by what Ron had just stated. She saw that both Naruto and Harry had mixed reactions, as Naruto was in disbelief, whereas Harry was furious. Both Harry and Ron fought, as Hermione tried to get the two to stop. Naruto had enough and immediately restrained the two using shadow clones. "Enough you two! Fighting won't get us anywhere, it's only going to tear us apart. Ron, you have every right to be worried about your family, but that doesn't give you the right to say that about me and Harry. You really crossed a line back there and I don't tolerate this kind of bullshit, do you understand?" Naruto asked calmly. Ron was too angry to care so he left, not before taking off the locket. Hermione tried to get Ron to see reason, but she was too late as Ron had already left. Soon she returned to the tent to see that Harry went to sleep looking tired, whereas Naruto was sitting on the chair thinking about what just happened. "Naruto…are you ok?" she asked quietly. Naruto shook his head, "I failed, Hermione. I failed to keep our group's bond from not getting severed. In a way, I feel like it's my fault, it's all my fault," he berated himself. Hermione was saddened to see Naruto in this state, as she knew it wasn't his fault, it was the locket driving them away. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, as the two silently cried without saying a word.

The Next Day

The three woke up the next day, as they all appeared to be looking rather restless. Now that Ron was gone, they knew that they can't quit now, so they ate breakfast before leaving. It was a silent event, as neither of the three spoke at all. Once they were done eating breakfast, they packed up and went outside. It seems that the rain was over, as the ground was muddy while the morning rays of sunlight were arriving. After tying a scarf on a tree, the three disappeared and reappeared over a hillside, as the sun began to rise, ready to start a brand new day. Naruto and Hermione set up the tent, while Harry sets up the protection enchantments. It was a quiet event, but a much appreciated event. Soon it was night time, as the three tried to keep their mind off of Ron leaving them. Naruto decided to take out his guitar, as he could use a little music to distract himself.

He began to play a tune("LINE" by Sukima Switch) and soon began to sing. While he sang, he thought about all the memories he had over the years with his friends. He wasn't alone however, as both Harry and Hermione also reminisced about their time together with the group. They listened to blond, as he sang from his heart. They thought in times like this, they really needed a change of pace so they sang along as well. It was a lively time for the three, as they forgot about all their troubles. But soon reality hits them back, as Naruto finishes the song, the radio begins to become static once again. The three soon decided to get some rest, as they remembered what they're supposed to do.