A Shattered Demon Child

Part 16

Tsunade left after a while to report to her office. Kakashi told Pakkun to get Iruka once the Hokage left with instructions to met her at her office as soon as possible. After some debating, they decided not to bring Iruka to Naruto out of fear of how Naruto would react if he woke up. They needed to limit the people around him in case the attention caused Naruto to have another panic attack, which Tsunade determined he had due to the high levels of oxygen present in his blood stream. She also determined that Naruto's body was eating away at the limited amount of fat in his body, meaning he hadn't been eating properly for weeks.

Just when they thought he was doing better, he was right back where he was when he left the village. After a lot of talk and deliberation, they decided he had to stay with Iruka or Kakashi for at least a few weeks, maybe even months. There was no way Jiraiya could spy on the Akatsuki if he took Naruto with him, so leaving the village with the blond was out of the question. Kakashi had already decided before Naruto got back he wanted to train him to create his own jutsu, and so, he offered to look after Naruto while he trained him. Tsunade didn't want Naruto training, but Jiraiya assured her it was something to distract Naruto and it would help him. Ultimately, however, Naruto had to decide for himself; they were just preparing options for him until he woke up again.

The gray-haired jonin looked over at his student, seeing he was still sleeping. Kakashi knew it would be a few days at the least before Naruto would be walking around, but he still worried Naruto would run off. Kakashi read his orange books pages as he sat on the floor right by Naruto's bed. Jiraiya had already finished cleaning up the blood on the floor and the bloody kunai they found on the floor before he sat across from Kakashi against the wall. The old sage had little experience dealing with teenagers, but Kakashi was another story. Kakashi had dealt with similar issues in his youth, meaning he knew better than Jiraiya or Tsunade how to help Naruto. They couldn't help but think about Minato and how he would deal with the situation; then again, if he or Kushina were alive, they'd likely not be in their current situation.

They waited around for a long time before Jiraiya eventually left to talk to Tsunade. Kakashi stayed behind without hesitation and kept reading his book while Naruto slept the afternoon away. The gray-haired jonin started to feel the tension leave his body only once Jiraiya left the apartment. Thankfully, Yamato dropped by later on to make a replacement with his jutsu using the metal hinges and knob to fit the doorway. The captain only stayed long enough for Kakashi to quietly explain what happened. Yamato was distressed by the events and offered his help, but Kakashi assured him it wasn't necessary considering Naruto would most likely be sleeping through the night. It was fine for Kakashi; he wouldn't be able to sleep that night after what happened with Naruto.

Kakashi almost fell asleep sitting in the floor until he heard Naruto move. The jonin turned quickly to Naruto had rolled on his side facing his sensei. The gray-haired shinobi couldn't help but notice how exhausted the blond looked and how his eyes still looked foggy from earlier. Naruto blinked a few times as Kakashi turned his body so he was facing Naruto fully. The gray-haired jonin was a little surprised Naruto woke up while also dreading the conversation he knew they had to have while Tsunade and Jiraiya were gone.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto muttered in a half-asleep tone.

Kakashi nodded. "Yep, I'm still here."

The blond let out a small sigh before he asked, "Where are Granny and Pervy Sage?"

"They're in Lady Tsunade's office, if I had to guess," Kakashi answered honestly. "Jiraiya left a little bit ago after Lady Tsunade."

Naruto's gaze turned cold. "I guess they're deciding what they wanna do with me, huh?"

The gray-haired sensei flinched internally at his words before Kakashi replied firmly, "They love you, Naruto. They just want to help."

The blond gave him a limp shrug, which depressed the jonin just a little bit more. Kakashi felt guilty for letting Naruto burden himself for so long, and he wished that everyone around Naruto could see it. Naruto took all the blame, even if it wasn't his to take. He carried the hatred and the blame alone, and he refused to let anyone take responsibility for it. He was fifteen carrying around a weight that crushed most adults. Kakashi saw the guilt and hate wearing down on the blond more and more by the moment. Partly, Kakashi knew it wouldn't get better if Sasuke came back; guilt and hate had taken hold of Naruto's heart.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kakashi asked gently.

The blond exhaled sharply before he answered, "Sure."

"What really happened?"

"Nothing."

Kakashi let out a heavy sigh. "If that were the case, we wouldn't have found you the way we did."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he asked darkly, "What do you want me to say? It was my fault, that's all there is to it."

The gray-haired jonin thought for a moment before he stated bluntly, "I want you to tell me I wasn't supposed to find you dead on the floor."

The blond shuddered at his words before he replied hesitantly, "You weren't... I just..."

Kakashi felt relief knowing Naruto was finally being honest, but it also bothered him Naruto would've most likely bleed to death if they hadn't found him when they did. Tsunade made it clear before she left that if they had found him any later, Naruto would be in the hospital fighting for his life. Naruto would've bled to death within a half hour of passing out; they got to him within ten minutes, and Tsunade arrived about five or ten minutes after they did. Tsunade would've had to call for backup and send him to the hospital if she'd been any later to the scene; and that would've been their last resort like last time two years ago when Jiraiya found Naruto bleeding out. They were lucky they could find him quickly in both instances, but that didn't mean it could continue on.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked softly, pleading with the blond for answers.

The blond caved in when he saw the look in Kakashi's eye of pure desperation. "I-I just... I started freaking out... A-And I thought maybe, maybe I could calm down if I just..."

That was enough for Kakashi. Naruto did have a panic or anxiety attack like Tsunade predicted based on Naruto's oxygen levels. The gray-haired jonin understood why they found Naruto the way they did; he was just trying to calm his mind the only way he knew how.

"It didn't work," Kakashi stated calmly.

Naruto sighed in defeat before he muttered, "No, it didn't..."

The gray-haired jonin replied gently, "The issue is that it won't help you in a situation where your mind is in a panic and your senses are distorted. That's part of the reason you cut yourself so deep; your mind couldn't focus on what was physically happening; it was more focused on your mental state and processing all the overwhelming thoughts in your head."

Naruto asked hushed tone, "Why can't I stop it?"

Kakashi sighed and replied, "The most you can do is try to prevent it from happening again. You need to find a better way of dealing with those thoughts and feelings you're trying to suppress. The harder you try to suppress them, the more overwhelming they'll become as time goes on."

The blond's eyes began to water. "Am I stuck like this?"

"Not if you don't want to be," Kakashi stated. "You won't get better unless you fight for it."

"You want me to keep fighting?"

The gray-haired sensei held a heart broken smile under his mask as he replied, "I do, Naruto. More than anything, I want you to keep fighting."

At first, the blond just starred at his sensei with wide eyes that finally reflected light. Kakashi felt his heart lift a bit as he saw light in the blond's eyes for the first time since his return to the village. Naruto eventually shut his eyes as he covered his mouth with his hands. Kakashi moved a bit closer before he wrapped his hand around Naruto's exposed arm littered in cuts. The blond was choking up and trying to silence his soft sobs until Kakashi touched his arm. Naruto's body started to shake violently as tears still poured out his tightly closed eyes. Kakashi prepared himself for the blond to finally break down the walls he used to keep himself hidden from the world.

"It's alright, Naruto," the jonin soothed.

That broke the blond almost instantly. In a matter of seconds, Naruto was sobbing louder, and it was heartbreaking to his sensei. Kakashi just ran his thumb over Naruto's healing cuts as the blond broke down. Kakashi had to remind himself this moment had to happen, and he preferred Naruto not be alone when it did. His words broke the dam that was holding back everything Naruto kept locked away. The gray-haired jonin sat there looking at Naruto's injured arm the entire time, but did glance over when he sobs started to die down. The dark circles under Naruto's eyes told everything as his eyes slid shut. The blond was mentally, and physically exhausted.

"Get some rest, Naruto. I'll be right here."

The blond only gave a limp nod as his body curled up slightly. To Kakashi's relief, the blond seemed to fall asleep almost instantly. Kakashi carefully pulled Naruto's sleeve down before retracting his hand. He pulled the blanket around Naruto's waist over the rest of his body. Kakashi let out a heavy sigh as he watched the rise and fall of Naruto's chest for a moment to remind himself the blond was still breathing. They had a long way to go, but at least for the night, Naruto was safe.

Shikamaru had been watching the apartment after he noticed Jiraiya and Kakashi break down Naruto's front door. The spiky-haired chunin knew something was wrong that afternoon when he saw them break the door down. He waited around for a few minutes to see if anyone left, only to see Pakkun take off. He stayed hidden from sight across the street while he waited for a while. Eventually, Pakkun came back with Tsunade. That was the first time Shikamaru saw the Hokage in a state of what looked like disbelieve and pure panic. Normally, the chunin would rush in knowing nothing, but he didn't. He noticed Naruto running off earlier that day, and while his face suggested he was angry, his eyes were seemingly lifeless.

After about an hour or so, Shikamaru saw Tsunade leave the apartment as she stepped over the shattered door in the floor. It grabbed the young Nara's attention that Pakkun seemed to leave right after Tsunade. When Pakkun stepped outside, he looked up to see the spiky-haired teen across the street on top of a nearby building. Shikamaru knew it was pointless to try and lie about what he was doing or try to outrun Pakkun. The pug jumped between the buildings and right at Shikamaru's feet. The pug starred up at him with a dull expression on his face.

"Hey kid, what'cha doing up here?" the dog asked in a bored tone.

Shikamaru replied, "I saw Naruto's door busted open and Lady Tsunade run in. I wasn't sure what was going on, so I thought I'd hang around to keep an eye on things out here."

Pakkun stated firmly, "Everything's fine, Shikamaru."

The chunin crossed his arms before he asked, "Do you really think I'm going to buy that?"

"Let me be clear; you saw nothing," the pug replied calmly.

Shikamaru ignored him and asked, "What happened to Naruto?"

"He's fine, now let it go, kid. I'm not asking."

The chunin cocked his head to the side before he asked, "And if I don't?"

Pakkun's gaze turned dark as he stated, "You'll regret it."

With that, Pakkun dashed across the roof and onto the next. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he watched the pug run off and then his attention turned to Naruto's apartment door. Something was very wrong, and it was something Pakkun wouldn't talk about. The chunin let out a heavy sigh before he remembered Hinata's behavior from a few days ago when she used her Byakugan around Naruto. Something made Hinata unease, she had to have noticed something. The chunin decided to make a break for the Hyuga compound.

There are only a few things it could be, Shikamaru thought to himself. Naruto's been acting weird since he got back, and earlier, something was definitely wrong with him. Hinata had to have seen something with her Byakugan that nobody else couldn't. If she's training with Neji, then I can ask him if he may've seen something on his mission with Naruto and the others.

It wasn't much longer before Shikamaru found himself in front of the Hyuga Compound. When he did, he could see Hinata and Neji sparring with their Byakugan activated. The moment Shikamaru stepped under the entry way, the two Hyuga looked at him. Neji had a stoic look on his face, but Hinata was surprised. Shikamaru waved at the two before he started to approach them.

"Hey guys," he greeted in a neutral tone. "Sorry to interrupt."

The two cousins deactivated their Byakugan as they turned to him.

"Oh, it's fine, Shikamaru. We were just about to stop training for the day," Hinata stated quickly.

Shikamaru looked at the two before he asked in a low tone, "Do you guys mind if we talk somewhere private?"

Neji nodded towards the woods. "Over there should be fine."

Neji and Hinata walked towards the woods with Shikamaru following behind anxiously. He knew Kakashi would give him the same answers as Pakkun, and so would Tsunade and Jiraiya. He had to start with what everyone else aside from the adults knew. Once the trio stopped at the edge of the woods, Neji leaned against a large tree while Hinata stood quietly a few feet away from the boys.

"What's going on?" Neji asked calmly.

Shikamaru stated in a serious tone, "I wanted to ask about your last mission with Naruto. Did anything seem off?"

Neji narrowed his gaze before he said, "Not really. Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru sighed before he turned to Hinata. "Did you see anything the other night with your Byakugan?"

Hinata's cheeks turned red before she stated nervously, "N-No, I didn't."

The stoic Hyuga turned to his younger cousin and then to Shikamaru. "Did something happen to Naruto?"

Shikamaru narrowed his gaze before he replied, "I'm not sure."

Hinata flinched before she asked quickly, "Is Naruto okay?"

The Nara let out a sigh before he admitted, "I was walking by his place and saw Kakashi and Master Jiraiya breaking his door down. A little while later, Pakkun leaves and returns with Tsunade and they go inside. About an hour later, Lady Tsunade leaves and so does Pakkun. I asked him what was going on but he told me to forget it."

Neji looked away from the Nara, but Hinata just stared at him. Her pale eyes watered a bit before she looked away from him. They knew something, and it was only stressing him out even more.

"What aren't you guys telling me?" Shikamaru asked harshly.

Neji crossed his arms before he replied, "Let Lady Tsunade and Kakashi handle this. It's out of our hands."

Hinata shuddered before she turned to Neji. He looked up at her pleading eyes for a moment. Nobody could say no to those eyes; even Shikamaru would cave in. Neji only shook his head as he turned to Shikamaru with a dark look in his eyes.

"Fine," Neji sighed. "But what we tell you stays between us. Is that clear?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Deal."

Neji closed his eyes as he explained, "You're right, something is going on with Naruto. The night Lady Hinata used her Byakugan, she saw Naruto had a few injuries. I noticed the similar injuries while when we were called in as backup for Team Kakashi. Lady Hinata asked me if I noticed anything wrong with Naruto, and explained what she saw the night before he left on his mission."

"Injuries? What kind of injuries are we talking here?"

Opening his eyes again, Neji replied, "He had an array of cuts on his legs, and some small ones on his arms. I wrote it off initially, but I used my Byakugan on the way back to the Leaf several times. His injuries were in different stages of healing, some were new, and some were from the battle with the Akatsuki. I didn't realize the pattern until I spoke to Lady Hinata when I returned."

Shikamaru flinched before he asked, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Neji nodded. "Naruto's been hurting himself. Considering what you witnessed earlier, I'd say they know it as well."

The Nara's heart dropped. Hinata finally looked back at Shikamaru with an apologetic look on her face. It made sense why Pakkun was telling him to forget it, and why the two Hyuga's hadn't said anything until he pushed them to. The happy and energetic blond they knew wasn't happy at all. He noticed the dark look on Neji's face as the pale-eyed teen stared at him. Neji himself didn't want to know, and he didn't want to believe it either. Even Hinata was shaking slightly as the words hung in the air above the trio.

Hinata said softly, "If Kakashi-sensei or Master Jiraiya are with Naruto, then he's going to be fine."

Neji and Shikamaru both looked at her with a somber expression on their face. It was painful for the two to see Hinata getting upset and worried, but it was out of love. Everyone knew Hinata liked Naruto since they were in the academy, but only Shikamaru and Neji could see she really loved the blond dearly. Naruto was the one who made Neji see the error of his ways, and in the end, it made him a better person. Part of the reason Neji respected Naruto so much was because he opened his eyes and also made him realize he was being unfair towards Hinata. Their bond was so strong because of Naruto, and Neji was grateful for it. As for Hinata, Naruto inspired her to work and train harder, and she did so everyday. Even when they were convinced something happened to him, she held out hope he was going to be fine.

Shikamaru sighed before he asked, "Have either of you spoken to Lady Hokage about this?"

Neji replied coldly, "Its obvious she already knows; there's no point in making things more complicated then I'm sure they already are. Naruto has enough to deal with between getting new teammates, trying to bring Sasuke back, and on top of that the Akatsuki. I think us revealing what we know to the adults watching over him will cause unnecessary stress. We'll can step in at any time if necessary, but I won't contribute to making things harder for him."

"Hinata?"

Hinata's face flushed a bit before she replied quietly, "I agree with Neji. I'm worried about Naruto, too, but he's right. Putting more pressure on him won't help."

Shikamaru asked, "So we do nothing then?"

Neji shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying, Shikamaru. I'm saying we don't make ourselves known and simply look out for Naruto. If anything happens, we'll let them know, but that's all. Directly confronting Naruto is out of the question until it becomes necessary."

It wasn't a terrible idea, Shikamaru reasoned. If both Naruto's sensei's and the Hokage knew, then he was in good hands. The spiky-haired chunin couldn't help but feel helpless in the situation, and it only made him wonder how Naruto was doing and what exactly happened to the blond. Maybe Naruto hurt himself pretty bad, or maybe he...

No, Shikamaru scolded himself internally. He wouldn't try to... No, that's not Naruto. Sure, maybe he's going through some serious shit, but he'd never do that. Then again, though, we have no idea if this is a more recent thing or something we just haven't noticed for years.

"We don't really have a choice, I guess," Shikamaru admitted in defeat.

Neji and Hinata both gave the spiky-haired chunin a nod before they started heading towards the Hyuga compound once again. Shikamaru watched quietly as the two cousins left the woods into the sunlight from the setting sun. Shikamaru could only stare at the ground as the memory of his last encounter with Naruto earlier that day. He shouldn't have kept walking, he should've went after the blond. The dark look in the teen's eyes that afternoon said it all; it was the look of despair he had on his face the day he tried to stop Sasuke from leaving with Orochimaru.

It clicked in Shikamaru's head in that moment he remembered not seeing Naruto for a few days after he left the hospital. When Shikamaru dropped by the day he was discharged, nobody was at his apartment. He even asked around if anyone had seen him, but nobody seemed to think anything of it considering his teammate went rogue. Hinata and Neji did once Shikamaru pointed it out, but even then, they assumed he just wanted to be alone. Nobody suspected anything because they didn't think something could be going on with Naruto; he was always hyperactive and getting into trouble, but he always seemed so happy. Naruto fooled everyone, even Shikamaru himself.

Dammit, Naruto, Shikamaru thought bitterly. I'm sorry, I let you fool me once, but you won't fool me again.