Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto. No profit is made off of this fan-fiction story. Any additional original characters located in this story are designated as such and belong to the author, Jae (Dae T. Angel).
A/N: Words cannot describe how emotional I felt after writing the last words of these last two installments. After a long time, I'm finally done. I didn't know if I could do this, and I didn't know if I even wanted to do this. Damn, this is the most liberating feeling I've had in a long time, haha.
I want to dedicate these final chapters to all the readers that have stuck with this story since the early days. Here's to y'all.
—.&.&.—
XXII.
To Be Seen
Pathetic, like always.
Alone in the dark, an overpowering need to hide threatened to suffocate Naruto.
He hunched forward, curling further in on himself to better fortify his position. He sat huddled on the ground, knees folded up against his chest and arms securely wrapped around his legs. He needed to make himself smaller and unnoticeable. That way, whatever lingered in the darkness could not get him.
Loser.
There it was again. A disembodied voice echoed from the void, hurling words of malcontent at him. He did not know what he had done to deserve this treatment, but it reminded him of what he had dealt with from the villagers. It was cruel and judgemental in a way that frustrated Naruto. Though mostly, it scared him. What did they all want from him? It was not his fault he was born who he was.
A cold sweat prickled along his skin as Naruto inhaled a shaky breath. Despite the insistence of his rambling thoughts, another notion surfaced from the fray. What if the villagers were right and all that happened was his fault? What if, for whatever reason, his very existence was problematic? The Kyuubi was still around because of him.
He buried his face behind the crest of his knees. The beginning itch of unbidden tears irritated his eyes while he tried to ignore the tightness forming in his chest. Why could they not just leave him alone?
His breathing became more panicked as he rocked back and forth. This was all because of the darkness. It was the reason the voice had found him. He could feel it seeping into his every pore. Crawling against him like some slimy creature that left behind a film of despair in its wake. Still, Naruto believed he could not outrun it. The nothingness would follow him everywhere, and he did not know how to fight it. The only option left was to hide.
Be small, he thought. Be small and quiet, then nothing can hurt you.
The concept of time eluded him, and he did not know how he sat there, trying not to hyperventilate. But soon, there was a strange shift in the air, and the void around him took on a different atmosphere.
"Brat?"
A new voice.
"Answer me, damn it. Where the hell are you?"
Naruto tensed, another spike of fear lodging itself in his throat. This new voice felt vaguely familiar, but its presence was underscored by an inherent danger. His anxiety increased two-fold.
… Always scared.
Naruto shook his head, willing the voices to go away.
Small and quiet, he continued to chant internally. Small and quiet.
"Naruto," the darkness got heavier as the second voice seemed to get louder.
"Small and quiet. Small and quiet," the words tumbled from Naruto's thoughts to become strained whispers scurrying from his lips.
The darkness was vibrating. Naruto could feel it resonating through his body now.
"Naruto? Brat? I know you're there. Answer me. I can't help you if you don't answer me." The sense of danger from the second voice faltered, making room for what sounded like a frustrated plea.
"Help?" Naruto looked up in surprise as the word registered. Did someone want to help him?
Stay out of my way, loser!
Without warning, a hand shot out from the nothingness and shoved him violently to the side—jostling him out of his ball of safety. Naruto toppled sideways to the ground, yet instead of hitting anything solid, he fell deeper into the void.
—.&.—
Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, allowing the tension to ease from his shoulders as he lowered his guard. Blood trickled down his arm from a gash on his left bicep, but the rush of adrenaline still pumping through his system tempered the burning pain of the wound. For now, his eyes remained locked on the softly glowing manifestation of a large fox poised over Naruto's unconscious body.
His fight with Naruto's alter ego had progressed into something more chaotic and destructive than he had liked. The main area of the house was in shambles. More of the space's sparse furniture had been destroyed, the patio doors lay broken and blown out on the deck, and there was a hole in the ceiling from where he had deflected one of Noboru's Rasengan attacks. Sasuke had tried to neutralize the other man quickly, but Noboru had been determined.
Noboru's movements were far more focused and confident than anything Naruto had displayed in the last month while training. He had adapted his attack strategy for each of Sasuke's counters, intent on wearing Sasuke down. Noboru had conjured clone after clone to assist him in the fight, and though that did nothing to negate Sasuke's own prowess, it had made it increasingly difficult to pinpoint which of the many blond men was the real target.
Then, suddenly, wisps of red chakra began to leech off of Noboru's body, causing each clone to seize up and disperse one by one. Seeing this had catapulted Noboru's demeanor from annoyed to enraged.
The blond had sworn viciously. Cursing the Kyuubi's existence aloud while he visibly struggled to maintain control of himself and the clones. Tendrils of blue chakra had curled off Noboru's skin to intermingle with the red in violent waves. Through it all, his aggression had multiplied. The sheath of the katana Noboru wielded was discarded, and he had lobbied a series of attacks more dangerous than his previous assaults.
Ultimately, the fight ended with a single opening. After diverting a lunge of the blade aimed at his shoulder, Sasuke had taken advantage of the way Noboru's steps faltered when his eyes flashed red. That was all the opportunity he needed to disarm the other man, throw him off balance, and send him hurtling toward the kitchen cabinets, where he crumbled to the floor after impact.
Before Sasuke could approach him, however, red chakra had engulfed the blond's body, birthing the figure of the fox that now watched Sasuke with a bright pupilless gaze.
Long tendrils of red chakra vacillated between slithering along the blond's form to delving back into the creature's incorporeal body.
"You all right there, Uchiha?" the fox spoke with an unmoving mouth.
Sasuke frowned, gaze flicking between the creature and Naruto. He wanted to get closer, but his training kept his feet planted where they were. He gripped the katana and kunai he held in either hand tightly.
"I'll live," Sasuke replied, shifting from his readied stance as he gestured toward Naruto. "I'm more interested in how Naruto's doing."
A pause.
"… And how exactly you are doing whatever you're doing?"
The single-tailed apparition of the Kyuubi glanced down at the blond before carefully stepping over him to sit off to the side.
"For now, let's say the answer to your second question is 'it's complicated,'" it said gruffly. "As for the brat, he's fine physically. I've already healed whatever damage he'd taken. It's his mind that's worrying. I can't seem to find Naruto."
"What do you mean you can't find him?" Sasuke countered with a confused grimace.
"I mean exactly what I said, Uchiha. I can't find him. Naruto is not responding to me. There's only Noboru fighting tooth and nail to wake up," the Kyuubi supplied.
Sasuke's grasp on the kunai grew sticky from the rivulets of blood slipping down his arm. He let it and the katana fall to the floor as he finally stepped forward toward Naruto and the fox—injured arm folded close to his chest. He would need to find something to stymie the blood soon.
Once he was within range of the Kyuubi, a single tendril of red chakra sprung forth from the fox to wrap around Sasuke's arm. It then expanded to engulf the rest of him within seconds.
Sasuke tensed at the rush of heat coursing through him, but just as quickly as the sensation had come, it tapered off into something soothing. The pain radiating from his wound dissipated while the other aches and pains scattered throughout his body melted away. It took less than a minute for the complete relief of the Kyuubi's healing to settle over him.
The red chakra receded.
"I thought I'd save us some trouble and not have you bleed all over the place," the Kyuubi smirked.
Gaping for a moment, Sasuke pursed his lips into a tight expression but nodded in thanks. He looked down at his newly healed arm, tentatively flexing its muscles. All signs of injury were gone.
He turned back to the Kyuubi.
"How long do you think he'll need to be like this?" he asked, refocussing the conversation on their main issue. Despite his calm exterior, Sasuke could feel the trepidation bubbling in his gut. Had he messed up? Maybe he had pushed Naruto too soon into letting him use the Sharingan. So much had happened that day already—Naruto's panic attack, then the episode in the bath.
It was too much, Sasuke thought in dismay. He should have made a better judgment call.
The Kyuubi was quiet for what felt like too long. It finally let out a tired huff.
"I… I don't know, Uchiha. I thought I felt Naruto just now, but the feeling is gone. Noboru is the only one talking to me," it said.
Sasuke's stomach dropped. He stared down at Naruto. Despite being closer, the Kyuubi's frenetic chakra still warned of the need for caution.
He drew in a resigned breath and looked off to the side. Through the opening left behind by the destroyed sliding doors, Sasuke could see the signs of early evening creeping into the shadows of the compound. Beyond that, he could also feel the weight of the distant Hokage Tower and Tsunade's mission bearing down on him.
His fist clenched again. There was no way he could handle the rest of this alone.
"I'm going to need to force him into a coma. It's the only way to keep Noboru from being a continued nuisance," the Kyuubi's voice broke the silence.
Sasuke looked over at the creature, a grim expression in place. He said nothing for several moments before giving a single nod.
"All right," he said with finality. "That'll have to be the plan for now."
He glanced around the house, thinking of another person who would need to depend on him.
What was he going to tell Kanaye?
—.&.—
"Haha, catch me if you can!"
Naruto watched the group of children running gleefully down the sidewalk in front of his apartment building. He saw them race to the corner before they rounded it in a flurry of dust and laughter.
That looks like fun, he thought with a hint of jealousy.
He wanted to go play tag, too, but he was wary of the adults wandering about. It was always a gamble figuring out which ones would leave him be and which ones would start glowering at him and saying mean comments. Adults were stupid like that.
Pouting, Naruto continued to swing his feet carelessly over the edge of his bedroom balcony. He leaned his forehead against two of the railing's spokes. The metal felt cool on his skin.
A few people milled back and forth along the sidewalk on the street below. He caught sight of a granny that lived in his building among the crowd.
Naruto smiled.
She was one of the nicer adults, and she often gave him sweets whenever he bumped into her on his way to the playground. Maybe next time old man Hokage stopped by, Naruto could ask him if it was all right for her to come to visit him too.
As he watched the elderly woman walk along to wherever she was going, he caught sight of a spiky-haired blond boy trailing a few feet behind her. From where he sat, Naruto could see the boy was wearing a black shirt with a red spiral on the front and a pair of orange shorts. He made a face as he squinted at the other child, then looked down at himself.
That was weird. They were dressed in the same thing.
The other boy followed the woman for a few more steps before stopping. Then, he lifted his angry blue eyes to glare in Naruto's direction.
Naruto gasped in surprise when he saw the boy looked exactly like him—an uneasy feeling suddenly causing his stomach to clench. Not liking what he felt, he scrambled up to his feet and ran inside, slamming the door shut behind him.
—.&.—
It was only a matter of time before the tears started, and when they did, the spectacle made Kurama feel useless.
The fox watched as Kanaye sobbed over his father's unresponsive body, screaming and pleading for the man to wake up. Uchiha stood over both of them. A pained look marring his features.
The other individuals in the room also remained silent amid the boy's wailing. Two men with light shaggy hair kept their solemn gazes on Kurama as it maintained its vigil at the head of the futon Naruto rested on. If it remembered correctly, they were known as Jiraiya and Hatake Kakashi. A pink-haired woman—Haruno Sakura—flicked her green eyes between Uchiha, Kanaye, and Kurama.
Uncertainty hung in the air even as Uchiha kneeled beside Kanaye to comfort the boy. He whispered soft reassurances, telling the child that Naruto would wake up again, and they would make sure of it.
It took another few beats before Kanya's crying faded into wet hiccups. Then, when Uchiha placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, he flung himself into the man's arms.
Uchiha appeared taken aback, eyes shifting over to Sakura. She answered his unsettled gaze with a sympathetic look.
That gesture seemed to be the permission he needed to wrap his arms around the boy and allow him to whimper the rest of his despair into his chest.
—.&.—
Naruto let a toothy grin spread across his face as he looked over the side of Hokage Mountain. He could see parts of the graffiti he had drawn on the Yondaime's visage from where he stood. His shoulders shook while he cackled a triumphant laugh.
This was going to be epic, he thought. Old man Hokage would lose his shit when he saw the rest, and Naruto dared anyone to try to top this prank.
Vulpine smile in place and a satisfying feeling warming his cheeks; Naruto reached down to retrieve the can of paint he had set aside. With it in hand, he took in the sight of Konoha's skyline. A renewed sense of conviction swelled inside him.
He was going to show every one of those villagers what he was capable of. If they were going to whisper and gossip about him, Naruto would make sure they spoke about things he actually did—not the ambiguous bullshit they often contrived. That was a promise.
The sky above was clear and crisp. However, after a few moments, Naruto noticed a strange mirage warping into existence on the horizon. He squinted at it, barely making out the shape of a rock face and the silhouette of a lone figure standing on top of it. It was bizarre seeing an illusion like that floating in the middle of the sky.
"Na… ru… to…."
"Huh?" he huffed out, perplexed. Was someone calling his name?
"Naru… to!"
He grimaced. Someone was definitely calling out to him.
"Naruto!"
This time, the sound of his name echoed clearly across the distance.
Naruto hesitated, unsure of what to do, and stared dumbfounded at the wavering mirage. After another beat, he pursed his lips into a resolute expression as he gripped the paint can handle like an anchor.
He drew in a deep breath, then hollered: "What do you want?"
"I've been looking for you, brat."
Naruto made a face at that assertion.
"Eh? What are you talking about? Who are you?" he rebuffed.
"You know who I am," was the immediate response.
He opened his mouth to question that claim, but comprehension suddenly hit him. Naruto's eyes widened. A name crept its way to the tip of his tongue.
"Kurama?"
The moment he uttered it, the vision of the cliff face and the figure twisted and stretched until it snapped, shattering the sky's bright blue. Darkness rushed forth from the cracks to swallow the many rooftops of the village and flood the surrounding landscape. The display froze Naruto in place. Awe and a measure of fear overtook his instinct to move, but they did nothing to prevent the can of paint from slipping out of his lax fingers.
The canister hit the ground, causing a deluge of red paint to spill over its brim and cascade off the side of the monument. Crimson joined the inky black, pooling within the depths of the village. It slithered and coiled like a living thing, suddenly shooting upward to coagulate into a fox-like shape that towered meters above the ground. The entity continued to grow until it was level with the peak of Hokage Mountain.
Naruto gawked at the creature.
"I don't need you," an angry voice abruptly jarred Naruto out of his stupor.
"I don't need any of you," the voice spoke again. "You don't care about me. None of you give a fuck about how I feel!"
Reluctantly, Naruto's eyes drifted from the giant fox to search for the source of the voice. His gaze landed on two new figures standing a few meters away. A tall blond man in a white robe and an adolescent boy were having a contentious exchange, but the most disturbing thing was that the boy looked exactly like Naruto.
The man's countenance was grim as the boy slapped away the hand he offered.
"I HATE YOU!" the boy screamed. Anger vibrated from his every limb. "You're a traitor, just like that loser."
The emotions seeping off of the other boy seemed to funnel through the space and resonate within Naruto. It was overwhelming, and his composure crumbled.
There was no way he could ever feel this way. It hurt to feel this way.
His body began to tremble the longer he dwelled on the concept.
No, he thought, shaking his head. He did not want to feel this way!
As if sensing his presence, the boy snapped his attention toward Naruto. His scowl deepened the moment their eyes met.
"You. Go hide like you always do, you pathetic coward," he spat.
An invisible force crashed into Naruto like a primal need that could not be ignored.
I have to run, was what his mind screamed at him, compelling his feet to move on their own.
He had to run.
—.—
"'Tousan."
The sound of a child's voice roused him from sleep. Naruto grimaced, groggily peeling one eye open. The sight of his four-year-old son blurred into view. The boy was hovering at Naruto's bedside, gripping the hem of his pajama shirt. Naruto blinked with a yawn and willed himself awake so he could find out what was going on.
"What's up, Na-chan?" he asked gruffly. He propped himself up on an elbow.
"I can't sleep," Kanaye said sheepishly.
Naruto blinked again, raising both brows. After a beat, his expression softened, then he reached over and brushed Kanaye's shaggy bangs out of his eyes.
"Why's that, kiddo?" he replied. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Kanaye shook his head.
"No, but I think I saw a kitsune in my room," he said conspiratorially. "I'm scared it might try to take my name while I'm sleeping."
Naruto gave his son a bemused smile as he listened.
"Your name? Like in the bedtime stories your mother tells you?" he chuckled.
The boy nodded.
Naruto drew in a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. He sat up a little more in bed.
"All right, kiddo," he said, lifting the edge of the sheets.
"Hop in. I'll make sure nothing like that happens," Naruto finished reassuringly.
Kanaye beamed, but the moment was shattered when a voice said: "Why would I need someone else's name when I have my own?"
Naruto's eyes darted to the corner of the room where a tall, bronze-skinned figure stood with wild red hair, softly glowing eyes, and a white robe. He frowned, automatically reaching for Kanaye, intending to pull him closer in the presence of this stranger. Yet, as he did so, his hand met empty space. Naruto looked back at his son, only to see he was gone.
Rattled, he quickly peered over his shoulder to investigate the other side of the bed. Instead of seeing the sleeping form of his wife, the space was also empty.
Naruto turned back to the stranger.
"You've made it hard to track you down, you know that brat?" the man said from his post.
Naruto stared at him incredulously. "What the hell is going on? Who are you?"
The man grimaced and placed his hands on his hips.
"How many times are you going to ask me that damn question? You know who the hell I am," he groused. "This is a dream, Naruto."
A dream?
Confusion filled Naruto before recognition slowly inched its way into his consciousness.
"Ku-Kurama? Did I fall asleep?" he asked.
Kurama's gaze was heavy for a few moments. It sighed.
"I had to put you to sleep, brat."
"Why?" Naruto eyed it leerily.
"Because—" it cut itself off with a frown. The fox appeared to be contemplating something.
"Because… your other personality took over and wouldn't give up control," it finally said. "I placed your body in a coma. It's been three months since Noboru forced your persona deep into your subconscious. I've been trying every day since then to find you."
The room felt as if it had suddenly expanded while Kurama's voice grew more distant to Naruto's ears. There was a high-pitched ringing buzzing in his head.
"Wait! Stay, damn it! I'm purposely keeping him away. Don't give in!"
Kurama was rushing over to him, but the span of flooring between the room corner and the bed extended with an increasing speed. Naruto watched this numbly from his position on the mattress. His mind felt hazy like he was not experiencing the moment.
Then a weight settled beside him on the bed, and a warm hand gently gripped his shoulder.
"Naruto, you're stronger than this. I know it. You just have to hold on a little longer, son."
Through the fog, Naruto could make out another man's gentle tone. He slowly turned his head to the side. A blond man was sitting on the mattress, smiling at him. Up close, his white robe had an ethereal glow that offset the muted colors of his shinobi uniform. Naruto saw a forehead protector emblazoned with Konohagakure's insignia underneath the rugged fringes of his bangs.
"Yondaime?" Naruto asked, voice subdued.
The man's smile widened as he let out a laugh.
"I would prefer you call me something like 'dad' or 'otousan,' but yes," he replied.
Naruto looked at him, uncertain. Once he had focused his attention on the Hokage, the room slowed its progress.
"You're my father?" the words sounded strange to his ears.
The man laughed again.
"Don't sound so surprised. I'm sure you can see the resemblance, especially with how grown you are," he said.
The ringing in Naruto's ears stopped as he stared at the blond man, trying to absorb what he was saying.
His father. He had a father just like everyone else.
Tears welled in his eyes.
"Dad?" he choked out as he sat up properly in the bed. His father smiled at him proudly, reaching up to wipe the tears from his cheeks.
"A hundred percent, kiddo," the other blond beamed.
Naruto sobbed. More and more tumbled out of him as the tears flowed from his eyes in earnest. Another weight shifted the mattress behind him, and a pair of delicate arms wrapped around his shoulders. A woman rested her head against his.
Wave after wave of emotion racked through Naruto's body with devastating force. Was this real, or was his broken mind conjuring new ways to torture him? How could he fathom ever meeting the two people who had brought him into this world but had never had a chance to stay with him?
Kurama stepped up to the side of the bed, having traversed the protracted space. It said nothing for several moments before it spoke.
"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Naruto. We all know this, and we've seen it—from the time you were a child to now. You need to believe in yourself, like you used to, brat. I know you have the strength to face those things you fear."
Naruto's sobs had settled under the gentle rocking of the red-haired woman embracing him, but the tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
"You're wrong. Clearly, I'm not as brave as you think, or else the other wouldn't exist," he bitterly said.
He understood now why he continued to see that person who looked like him and why they always glowered at him with disdain.
"I don't want to feel what he feels," Naruto croaked out.
"But you already do, brat. The only difference is he acknowledges it," Kurama said sternly.
Naruto exhaled a shaky breath as Kurama's words drove into him. He was quiet, not knowing what to say.
"Everyone is waiting for you," Kurama continued. "Sasuke and all others that care about. But most of all, Kanaye is waiting for you."
At his son's name, Naruto looked up at the fox's avatar.
"Be strong for them, Uzumaki. Show everyone in that damn village what you're made of."
Kurama smirked at him, holding out a long-nailed hand. Naruto stared at it, then looked back up at the fox.
Show them what he was made of?
The memory of being eleven years old and standing atop the Hokage monument came rushing back to him. He had been bullheaded and fearless back then, and despite how hard things were, he had been determined to make it through and show his worth.
The tears stopped.
Naruto looked over at his father, then over his shoulder to his mother. She grinned at him in that uncannily vulpine way that genetics had managed to pass down to him and his son.
He answered her with his own smile.
"You've got this," she said.
"I've got this," he agreed.
When he turned back to Kurama, he took its hand.
—.&.—
He stared into the shadowy depths of an all too familiar wood.
He was tired of being here, and he had been so close to freedom before that fucking fox had gotten in the way!
A frustrated scream bubbled its way past his throat, echoing into the silence of the ravine.
When was it going to be his time? He thought, clenching his fists and breathing heavily through his nose as a knot of emotion bunched within his chest. He deserved to be seen, and he would not stand by and let anyone shut him away again.
As he let this mantra repeat itself in his mind, the sound of footsteps shuffled behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see who the intruder was, then scowled at what he saw.
It was that loser.
"Run off, asshole," he said. "You're not welcomed here."
He did not have time for this one. He was tired of seeing him wherever he went.
His other half hesitated but did not race off like he demanded. This peculiar behavior caused him to raise a brow. Turning to fully face the other, he sneered and crossed his arms.
"I will beat your ass, so get out of here while I'm asking nicely."
"I'm not here to fight. I came to talk to you," the other one said.
A pause.
"What do you mean, talk?" he said, frowning. "What could you possibly have to say to me, loser?"
It was strange that the other blond was standing his ground, pissing him off.
"I want to say that… I see you."
The words hit him like a kunai, causing him to loosen his folded arms and stare.
"What—"
"I see you," the other repeated. "I see you and what you've had to deal with, and I'm sorry for leaving you alone with it all."
Silence.
His hands had fallen to his sides. Several heartbeats passed by before he found his anger again.
"I don't give fuck what you think you see. You're just saying whatever shit you need to get one over on me, and I'm not buying it," he growled.
His alter ego closed the distance between them, causing him to throw up his guard, but the man only came to stand calmly beside him.
"If you show me the hurt you've been hiding, I'll show you the happiness we found."
Something fractured inside him.
We?
"I don't believe you. You're a traitor, and you can't make me forgive you, loser," he responded, struggling not to feel overwhelmed.
We.
"I'm not going to leave you this time. I just want us to attempt to move on. We can figure out the rest. Together."
We.
He could not keep the tears from forming in his eyes.
"I hate you, you fucking know that?"
His only reply was a sad smile.
"I know," the man took hold of his hand, "I know you do, but that doesn't mean I have to hate you."
—.&.&.—