A Shattered Demon Child

Part 10

So, I originally wanted to dedicate this chapter to Naruto leaving the village and saying his goodbyes, but I decided to skip it and go straight ahead a few years when Shippuden began because I was dragging on a bit long. Aside from that, I'm trying to finish up this and Kakashi's story before starting on a Boruto fanfiction based upon all the events that take place in this story and Kakashi's. I have to do some rewriting to the original story, so forgive me for the non-canon stuff. Hope you guys enjoy.

-xXstarryXnightXx

Naruto sat quietly in the darkness surrounding him, looking at the dark sky above him. He wondered if in his time traveling if everyone had already forgotten all about him. He wasn't very hopeful but still wished it were possible, but knew it was a lie. He'd return to the place that hated him so and he was horrified at the idea of returning to the nightmare that awaited him. He managed to sneak out when Jiraiya came back to the inn drunk and passed out, leaving Naruto alone once again.

Naruto had been doing better since he left the village, but he still had his moments of weakness. When Jiraiya left him for too long, Naruto would start to crave release from his old habit that he revisited on occasion. He felt bad when he relapsed, but he simply couldn't help it anymore. His time with Jiraiya was in its own way the best time Naruto had ever had, but also left him feeling lonely most of the time when his master would be gone for too long, putting his trust into Naruto blindly at times made Naruto wonder if his teacher cared at all. It even got to the point that Naruto began to develop more unhealthy habits, such as not eating for days, training so hard he passed out for several hours at a time, and even staying awake to avoid the nightmares that would haunt him when he closed his eyes.

Naruto found it was getting harder for him as time went by; on nights like this, he'd find a secluded area, like the empty clearing by a nearby river, where he'd allow himself to indulge in his bad habits and all-consuming darkness. He sat with a kunai pressed onto his skin, but not hard enough to break the skin. He was patient as he thought darkly to himself before making a few cuts on his arm, allowing the blood to run down his arm and drip onto the grass below him.

He let out a sigh, finally able to release his stress for the night, until it built up again in the days to come. Naruto watched quietly as the blood dripped onto the ground, and after a few minutes, he noticed they were already healing quickly. He kept up this pattern for some time to find the loneliness grew more and more numb to him. He felt little guilt about it anymore, as he healed much faster than before due to the fact Kurama wanted him alive a bit longer and loved watching Naruto suffer as a result of his healing hiding his injuries within hours of them happening, vanishing and leaving small marks in their place that were hard to see without looking closely. That was Naruto's theory, at least.

There was one weakness to the healing, however. When the dark chakra took of sometimes, his wounds would be torn open, causing a lot of bleeding in the process. While Naruto was unsure if it was the demon tormenting Naruto and exposing his weakness to reflect just how weak he really was, he did know that whatever the case was, he had to be extra careful not to allow the chakra to flare up and reopen any of his self-inflicted injuries. The now older teen realized that over the past few years he'd been lucky that it hadn't happened in so long, as he nearly killed his sensei by using the Kyuubi's dark chakra.

To think that this trip was meant to get me away from the village and make me stronger, I don't think I changed all that much. Aside from learning new jutsu here and there, nothing about me has changed at all. Sasuke is still out there with Orochimaru and getting stronger, and here I am the same as I was before he left, Naruto thought bitterly.

"Hey, Naruto!" Jiraiya called out from nearby.

Naruto cursed and yelled, "I'll be right there!"

Quickly putting away his kunai and rolling down his sleeve to cover the damage the best he could, Naruto stood up to see a familiar sage with white hair standing behind him, his face flush from the sake he'd been drinking, but mostly sober. His arms crossed against his chest, Jiraiya gave him a serious look as he stepped closer. Naruto stayed perfectly still as his sensei approached him without a word.

"What're you doing out here, kid? It's pretty late for training," the sage commented with a hit of suspicion.

Naruto rolled his eyes and said, "I thought we came all this way to train, not be perverts."

The white-haired sage snorted and replied, "Taking a break will do you some good, kid. You'll learn that when you're older. Besides, I need to do my research! These novels don't write themselves, ya know!"

The blond scuffed, "Right."

Jiraiya could smell the blood, and Naruto forgot that little fact. The truth was, Jiraiya had been watching and kept silent. The white-haired sage suspected he was bothered by something, but he couldn't put a finger on what exactly was going on with him.

"What's gotten into you the past week, kid? And don't lie," Jiraiya asked in a serious tone, cutting Naruto's mask into pieces in seconds.

The blond frowned and looked away. "I'm fine, Pervy Sage."

"I thought we were passed the lying, kid," the older man sighed.

Naruto said nothing as he thought of everything he wanted to say, but his mouth was glued shut it seemed. He suddenly felt the sharp pain rising in his chest, realizing that things really hadn't changed at all.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's nothing," Naruto replied quietly.

"Naruto, look at me," Jiraiya demanded in a calm voice.

The blond looked up at his sensei and Jiraiya starred at the young boy that was his godson, the son of the Forth Hokage. He couldn't save Minato that night, and he swore he'd not let Naruto be taken over by hatred. There was too much riding on this single life, so many people who'd never recover from losing him, Jiraiya himself included. In the blue eyes of a boy cursed with being a vessel of the nine-tailed fox demon, he saw a child who broke so long ago.

"Don't tell me these past years have done nothing for you," the sage commented.

"That's not it. I," Naruto paused. "I don't know if they'll want me back."

"They do, trust me. The village has taken notice of all you've done, Naruto. I'm sure everyone is waiting to see you. I know your friends want to see how you've grown, and I'm sure Kakashi, Tsunade, and Iruka all do too. After all, you've spent two years with the great Toad Sage!"

Naruto sighed. "You're right. Sorry."

The sage nodded and then sighed. "Just to clarify, it's exactly what it looks like, doesn't it?"

The blond sighed, knowing there was no way he could lie about the blood dripping from his arm. Jiraiya shook his head and motioned for him to follow behind. Naruto took the hint and started walking, knowing that he hadn't heard the last of this incident yet. Jiraiya had more to say, but he needed Naruto to move into a more private setting to fully discuss a few more things. Jiraiya walked him back to the inn and to their room before shutting the door quietly.

He sighed and gave Naruto a dark look. "Kid, this can't keep up. I might not be the Hokage, but Tsunade would agree that if this gets any worse, we have to take extreme measures. She agreed to let you live by yourself because of your progress, but if you keep doing this, you'll be living with Kakashi or Iruka. Am I clear?"

Naruto nodded, looking down like a scolded child. "Yeah, I get it."

Jiraiya nodded and said, "Good. Let's get your arm wrapped up; we've got some traveling to do in the morning."

Tsunade wasn't entirely convinced Naruto was fit to live alone again, but Jiraiya insisted he was doing much better than before. She was going to trust him, until Naruto's behavior worsened and she'd have him sent to live with Iruka or Kakashi. While both his teachers were fine with looking after him, they understood he needed his own space. The silver-haired shinobi who stood in front of Tsunade's desk read his book until she spoke up.

Leaning forwards in her chair, Tsunade laced her fingers together as she asked, "You know today's the day, right?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'm aware, hence why I'm here."

The blonde woman crossed her arms over her chest, looking slightly irritated. "I still get the feeling that we shouldn't allow him to live alone unless we see real improvement when he returns. His behavior is repetitive and consistent with that of someone I'd normally have hospitalized for their own safety."

Kakashi tilted his head and asked firmly, "Do you really think that's the case after all this time? It's been almost three years. Surely the time away did something for him."

Tsunade sighed and said, "I hope I'm wrong, but there's no easy fix for this situation. He hasn't been evaluated since before he left, and while I'm sure Jiraiya has taken good care of Naruto, I just-"

The one-eyed shinobi sighed and said, "Let's give him a chance. If he's as bad as you say, we'll have him stay with me or Iruka. He's most likely different, and we'll know the moment he gets here how bad it is. I'm sure Jiraiya will mention if things haven't improved."

That was the moment there was a knock on the door. The door opened as a white-haired sage and a blonde ninja walked in behind him. Tsunade and Kakashi both smiled a bit at seeing Naruto and Jiraiya again, even if nobody could see Kakashi smiling under his mask. Jiraiya had the same smirk on his face as always, seeing ready to gloat about his students progress and their trip. Naruto was taller and his hair had grown out a bit, but he still wore a signature orange jumpsuit like before. He had clearly been doing a bit of growing during the trip.

Tsunade rose from her seat and greeted, "Welcome home you two."

Naruto smiled warmly and said, "Hey, Granny, Kakashi-sensei. It's been a while, ya know?"

Kakashi nodded while he added, "Two and a half years to be exact."

Jiraiya beamed, "Two and a half years hard work and research, more like. We wouldn't come back if we didn't have results with his training, of course."

Tsunade nodded and said, "That's good to hear. It seems like you've done a bit of growing up, Naruto."

The blond chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks, Granny. You and Kakashi both look the same as ever."

The blond woman smirked before she said, "It's really good to have you back, Naruto. I'm sure the others will be happy to see you again."

Naruto nodded, seeming to tone her out while she spoke. After a few moments, Naruto remembered he had something for Kakashi. He slung his bag across his chest as he began digging in his bag. Kakashi and Tsunade watched curiously while Naruto felt around in his bag.

"Before I forget, Kakashi-sensei, I have something for you," Naruto said as he felt around in his bag.

After a few moments, his fingers wrapped around a small, hardcover book. The blond pulled out a teal book and held it out towards Kakashi. Kakashi's eye widened to the point Naruto wondered if it would fall out. Kakashi took the book from his hands as his eye scanned the cover of the book.

"T-This is the newest novel in the Make-Out series!" Kakashi exclaimed with excitement.

Naruto kept a warm smile on his face as he replied, "I know how much you like those weird books, so I saved you a copy."

The copy-ninja was clearly ecstatic as he tried to open the book. Jiraiya folded his arms with a smug look on his face at Kakashi's excitement for his latest work.

"It's my best work yet," Jiraiya declared confidently. "Let me know what you think, Kakashi."

Tsunade huffed before she scolded, "Kakashi, focus! You can read your book later. Right now, we have to discuss Naruto's next mission."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "My next mission? What is it?"

There was a knock on the door before the door to the office opened as a familiar pink-hair ninja entered the room. Naruto turned his attention to his old teammate as she entered the room with an excited look on her face. The blond stayed in place as Sakura rushed over to the Hokage's desk to stop in front of Naruto. In her green eyes, Naruto could see how happy she seemed to see him. Naruto felt his heart get caught up in his throat as he starred at her. He was lost for words; not expecting to see her of all people so soon after returning to the village.

"Naruto, you're back," Sakura stated with a smile. "You've gotten taller."

Naruto blinked a few times before he replied sheepishly, "Oh, yeah, I guess I have, huh? You look the same, Sakura!"

That was the wrong thing to say, and Naruto realized it once he saw the annoyed expression cross her face. Sakura growled as she proceeded to punch Naruto on the back of the head. Naruto cried out for a second, not expecting to get hit in the head so suddenly.

"Ow! What was that for Sakura?" Naruto asked in a hurt tone as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sakura replied sharply, "You idiot! You haven't changed at all!"

Jiraiya flinched at the sudden outburst of violence, thinking to himself how much Sakura reminded him of Tsunade herself. Tsunade, however, just cleared her throat and sat down in her chair. Kakashi starred at the two with an exhausted expression on his face.

"Alright, you two," Kakashi stated dully. "That's enough."

Tsunade nodded and added, "That's right. We didn't bring you two here to fight each other, we brought you here to discuss your next mission."

Sakura quickly collected herself and looked to her teacher quietly. Naruto only sighed as he stopped rubbing the knot growing on the back of his head from Sakura's punch. That was one thing Naruto didn't miss; he didn't miss Sakura hitting him for accidentally pissing her off. He thought to himself how he had to deal with being hit enough in his life by the villagers and a few fellow shinobi in the past. His mind went dark for a moment as the thought of returning to the same treatment brought his mood down a bit in an instant.

Jiraiya took note of this change and looked to Tsunade. She caught a glimpse of the serious expression on his face; they needed to talk once the two teens were out of the room. Tsunade explained they would be taking on Kakashi in the same bell test they had when they were barely genin. Naruto spaced out the entire time, and that sent red flags to all the adults right away. Jiraiya had already seen red flags days before they arrived, and in at moment, he wondered if perhaps bringing Naruto back was a mistake.