CHAPTER 8

Kakashi had found Sakura easily. He decided to save her for last since she was so defenseless. Sasuke was tougher to track down. He was hunting Naruto, unaware that Naruto had left. After a half hour of search her cursed and went back to the bridge. There was Kakashi! At least he'd have a chance to fight now! He raced forward and threw two kunai at Kakashi only for them… to go right through him without a scratch.
"Damn! Genjutsu!" Sasuke muttered. He looked around for the real Kakashi. Suddenly he was knocked off his feet into a tree! Kakashi pinned him.
"You fell for it that easily?" He asked. Sasuke growled at him without replying. Kakashi laughed. "One down." He muttered. "Just Naruto and Sakura to go." Sasuke was furious at this. He had acted rashly because the Genjutsu, which had disappeared, had been the first target he saw. He had made Naruto's mistake.

When Neji and Ino arrived at the Hokage's they tried to enter but were refused.
"She said no one is to disturb her." Said a guard. "No matter what the cause." Neji cursed at the guard.
"DAMN YOU!" He shouted. "THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PAPERWORK!" The guard laughed.
"Not my fault." He told them. "I just follow orders."
"Even if those orders could harm someone else when they need the Hokage?" Ino asked. She had been informed of Neji's lie and Naruto's actions as they raced to the building.
"Hey, hey calm down!" The guy said. "I don't think there is one person in this village who would die from not seeing the Hokage in the next hour."

Kakashi had successfully rounded up Sakura when he couldn't find Naruto. It had started to rain a little. He told them to look everywhere for him. They couldn't stop looking or be dismissed until every single one of them was with him. So they all spread out to search. First they each searched a part of the forest. They didn't find him in there so they went to look elsewhere. Sakura checked every ramen bar in town and Sasuke even went to his house. Kakashi searched the entire town and was denied the chance to speak with the Hokage when he asked.

"Why do things turn out this way?" Naruto whispered. The rain was cleaning the blood off him. He was sitting down near the memorial stone that Kakashi had shown them on their first day. Kakashi's best friend had his name placed on here. But so was the person Naruto was talking too. "Why do things change?" He asked. He was kneeling down, so he wouldn't hurt his injured knee as much, and was staring at a name. Sarutobi.
"You never changed old man…" Naruto whispered. "What is your secret?" He asked amongst tears. Luckily the rain hid them. He looked up at the sky wishing for a sign. The Third Hokage had always looked after everyone. Even the demon boy everyone grew up hating. Naruto's mind wasn't any clearer now but he was calmer. "You gave your life away because you always cared… was that why you were Hokage? Was it because you cared?" He looked back upon the memorial and sighed. "I don't know what to do…please … just… give me a sign or … something. Help me understand what I should do… please?" To anyone passing by he'd probably look pitiful. A pale kid with eyes reddened from crying. His left arm had water mixed with blood running down it. No one passed by that would feel pity. The person who arrived was very angry with him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sakura yelled. "Abandoning training like that!" Naruto didn't answer. He didn't want to talk to Sakura. He didn't want to even look at her. He just wanted to get away from his troubles.
"Hey! Answer me!" Sakura shouted! She forced him around and looked at him. "What is your problem?" Naruto didn't answer. Sakura shoved him angrily against the memorial.
"Stop it Naruto. Just stop it!" She said. She was getting the wrong idea from his actions. "Stop trying to be like Sasuke!" Naruto just stared at her. This time he was too shocked to speak. She thought he was trying to be Sasuke?
"In case you haven't noticed," Sakura continued. "I am dating Sasuke. So just stop trying to pull me away from him because of your stupid childhood crush! Why can't you just feel happy for me? I don't love you and I don't even know why I consider you a friend." She stormed off angrily. Fuming at how Naruto came to such a place during practice. Why hadn't he just given up so they could be dismissed and then go there? She was so preoccupied with her anger that by the time she felt sorry enough to apologize it was too late.

Naruto just stayed there for a few seconds. It stopped raining and he just couldn't move. He felt like he was paralyzed.
'I don't even know why I consider you my friend!" Sure she had been overreacting from being in the rain for an hour looking for him, but still. The words stung. After half an hour had passed Naruto stood up and limped down a path. Tears streamed down his face and he felt like nothing. Like he was nothing to anyone. With no one to comfort him Naruto moved as quickly as he could along a path he recognized. He had taken it with his friends several times. The path leading out of Konoha…


Author's Notes:

Replies to Reviews:

Zaln: I must say that your reaction was the one I had actually expected most reviews to be. But most people here seem to haveactually realized that fanfiction rarely stays within the official boundaries that the original story told. If it were then I'm quite sure every story here would be boring. We'd always have people the same way because we wouldn't be able to change them.

Look at a fanfiction I saw earlier. It is called Evil Hinata. If you are going to tell me that what I am writing is not supposed to be written you had better tell that author too. In fact you should hunt down every story that doesn't flow with the details of the manga/anime and you should tell them off. Oh wait, I forgot this is fanfiction can have characters intentionally sad or suffering beyond what they would officially. And it can even have them change to be insane and funny. I got the idea from another story that had a different concept and decided to write out my idea. Every fanfiction is a different thing and can't be looked at with a set of rules based on the official anime or manga.

As for your complaints: I haven't seen one fanfic like that. Of course I don't read much drama and this is my first time writing it. The whole concept was developed at once. Not "oh Naruto is depressed so he has to hurt himself!" I don't write like that. That's called stereotyping I believe. But I doubt the story would even be the same if it were not written this way.

I respect you for your opinion but don't try and tell me what is and what is not right to write about in fanfiction. I've been writing them for other places and just for friends and myself for a long time. Because if you were right and Naruto would never do a thing like this, even in fanfiction, than a lot of comedy writers should be kicked out for going out of character with the various characters of the fanfiction world. And that wouldn't really help because a lot of stories are good since the character is OOC.

Maiyuko-chan: Your wish for the next chapter is granted.