Naruto's shoulders trembled as he began to sob. Once again, his house had been trashed and he had been beaten up. However, those weren't the reasons as to why he was crying; they were only part of the reason.

Naruto knew he was the Nine-Tailed Fox; Naruto know that's why the people of The Village Hidden Among the Leaves hated him…but if the Nine-Tailed Fox hadn't been sealed inside him, wouldn't the village have been destroyed? So, didn't that make Naruto a hero? Then, if that was true, didn't that mean the people should be grateful to him?

Another sob escaped from him….

He was just so sick of it all! Even if he wasn't a hero, they didn't have to treat him like trash! Didn't it matter who he felt? Or did everyone think he was just an emotionless, blood-thirsty demon….like the Nine-Tailed Fox?

He coughed this time. Naruto knew that if he kept crying like this, he'd eventually fall ill…but he didn't know what else to do. He'd tried fighting back, but that only made it worse.

"I wish Iruka-Sensei was here…" Naruto thought sadly. Iruka had gone out of town on family occasions; an uncle or something like that. Naruto didn't know how long he would be gone or when he would get back. "I really need him right now…"

Another sob escaped him

"I wish this would all end…"

Kakashi casually walked down the street. He was doing a favor Iruka had asked him to do while he was gone.

"Check on Naruto for me while I'm gone!" Iruka had said. "Just make sure he doesn't get into any trouble or things like that."

Kakashi sighed as he looked up at the moon. "I'm sure he's fine," he thought. "Probably in bed by now." With another sigh he decided to quicken his pace. He began to think back, before he got his squad, how Iruka used to tell him about Naruto all the time.

FLASHBACK

"He's a good kid," Iruka said. "He just acts out for attention." He sighed. "I hope the 3rd Hokage's plan works. It's ridiculous how people treat him. Iruka fell silent.

Kakashi put his book down and said "People are a mystery, Iruka. The more you try to understand them, the less you get." Kakashi looked at Iruka and smiled. "Besides, if this Naruto is as good as you say he is, he'll pull through. You just have to have faith!"

Iruka smiled and said "Yeah, you're right. I just worry too much!"

Kakashi went back to his book and said "You got that right," They both laughed.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Good times," Kakashi thought. "Good times." Naruto's home then came into view and Kakashi headed for it.

Naruto's hands trembled as he reached for his kunai. He was still unsure about what he was going to do. As his hands got closer to the handle, pictures of everyone he cared about flashed through his mind…and some things they said as well….

Iruka; "Hey Naruto, how about we go for some ramen later?"

Kakashi; "He's the number one, hyper-active, knuckle-headed ninja!"

Sasuke; "You forced a friendship on me that I didn't want…thank you, Naruto."

Sakura; "You idiot! You didn't have to do that! You could have hurt yourself."

All his friends…they were like his little family…Tears filled Naruto's eyes again. Now that he had the kunai in his hands, it was more unsteady than ever.

Kakashi knocked on the door and received no answer. "What happened here?" Kakashi asked no one in particular. The house was covered in graffiti and almost every window seemed to be shattered.

With his concern rising, Kakashi knocked on the door again. "Naruto!" he called out. When he didn't receive an answer, he took two steps back. "I'll fix it later!" He said as he ran towards the door, then kicked it in. He looked around. Inside, the home was pitch black. However, Kakashi could see all the damage done.

Shattered glass was all over the floor, bits of furniture also littered the floor, along with rocks, that had probably been used to break the window. More graffiti was on the walls and there was some blood splatter present too.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called a bit louder. When he received no answer, he ran to Naruto's room.

Naruto slowly bought the kunai to his throat. He could hear his own heartbeat inside his head as he did so. "Iruka-Sensei…" He thought. "I hope you can forgive me for doing this…" He could feel the sharp, cold blade on his skin now. He swallowed hard as he pressed the blade to his skin.

Kakashi froze in Naruto's bedroom's doorway when he saw what Naruto was going to do. Kakashi knew that if he panicked, Naruto would do the same…he had to approach this quickly and calmly. He timed it right, and in one swift movement, appeared behind Naruto and grabbed his wrist before he could do any harm to himself.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up when he felt someone grab his wrist. When he did, he saw Kakashi-Sensei smiling at him. He tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"C'mon now," Kakashi said, still smiling. "Where's that hyper-active, knuckle-headed ninja of mine?" Naruto's eyes widened after hearing Kakashi say that. New tears filled his eyes as he threw himself into Kakashi's arms.

"I'm sorry Sensei…" Naruto said in between sobs. Kakashi slowly wrapped his arms around Naruto and began to gently rub his back.

"It's okay Naruto…its okay…" Kakashi whispered. He held the young ninja gently as he cried. Kakashi sighed softly. "At least he's okay," he thought. Kakashi consoled Naruto for the rest of the night.

Sakura sighed heavily as she sat down on the grass. "Where do you think they are?" she asked Sasuke, who was just as annoyed as she was.

"I have no clue," he said.

"Think we should go look for them?" Sakura asked.

"It's better than just waiting here." Sasuke said as he began to walk towards the marketplace. Sakura quickly followed. "Let's go to Naruto's house first," Sasuke said. "It's closer."

"Right," Sakura agreed.

As soon as they reached Naruto's home, and saw the state it was in, they quickly ran inside. "What happened here?" Sasuke thought grimly. Sakura walked towards the back of the house and found Naruto's room. Sasuke wasn't far behind her. They peered into Naruto's room and were mildly surprised by what they saw.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Sasuke said, making a dull face.

"Oh stop," Sakura said. "I think it's cute!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto was asleep in Kakashi's arms and Kakashi was asleep as well, be he was sitting up in Naruto's bed. "I almost don't want to wake them up," Sakura said.

"Then don't," Sasuke said. "We can both just go home." Sakura glared at him. At this time, Kakashi was just starting to wake up. He blinked a few times, then looked down at Naruto. Sighing, he gently ruffled Naruto's hair.

"I wonder if I should tell him." Kakashi asked himself.

"Tell who, Sensei?" Sakura asked as she and Sasuke approached him. He blinked.

"Oh," Kakashi said quickly. "What time is it?"

"Late morning," Sasuke said, not knowing the exact time.

"We came here because you and Naruto were late," Sakura explained.

"Oh," Kakashi said again. "Sorry," He then turned to Naruto, who was still fast asleep. Kakashi gently shook his shoulder. "Naruto," he said softly.

Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes. Groggily, he said up and rubbed his eyes. "Sensei…?" he asked. Kakashi smiled and nodded.

"Yep! It's me!" Kakashi said.

"Is Iruka-Sensei back?" Naruto asked tiredly.

"No," Kakashi said. "But he'll be back soon." Naruto nodded and turned to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Oh," he said. "Hey guys!"

"What happened to your house?" Sakura asked. Naruto fell silent.

"Never mind that!" Kakashi said, in his normal tone. "Who can guess what today's mission is?"

"Help Naruto clean up his house," Sasuke said dully.

"Right!" Kakashi continued cheerfully. "Now let's get started!"

YAY! My first Naruto fic! I'm working on a second one! Sorry if this one kinda sucks, I thought of it in like 10 minutes. So just read and review for me, thanks all. And to all my dedicated fans, you know my motto "The more reviews I get, the more I write!" Also, before I forget, "Anki" is Japanese for "Comfort". Thanks all! See you soon!