A Shattered Demon Child

Part 17

Kakashi was tense to say the least in the days after finding Naruto passed out in his bathroom floor. The first full day was the hardest for everyone involved. Pakkun told Kakashi about his encounter with Shikamaru, and that worried the gray-haired sensei. It was one thing for his teachers and the Hokage to be aware of his situation, but it was problematic that one of his old classmates seemed suspicious as to what was going on that afternoon. He refused to tell Naruto, of course, fearing the worst if his student thought for a moment everyone knew something he was desperately trying to hide. Kakashi knew Sakura would eventually find out, but he assumed she would be the last aside from possibly Sai or Sasuke. Shikamaru wasn't one to gossip, however, Naruto most likely wouldn't see it that way.

Kakashi didn't care if the chunin tried to use it as a weapon against Naruto, as he could easily solve that with a simple threat of informing Tsunade and her suspending him from active duty. The jonin only really cared because he knew it would hurt Naruto, and they had just saved him from bleeding to death accidentally by his own hand. He had to explain to Naruto he'd already informed Yamato on the situation beforehand in case anything happened in his absence. The blond was fine with it, as he was used to adults knowing without openly addressing but instead quietly stayed in the background keeping an eye on him. The blond did refuse to go to therapy, and Tsunade caved, but told him he was to stay with Kakashi or Iruka until she felt confident he wasn't going to hurt himself.

Naruto confirmed to Kakashi that he did overhear Tsunade, and he did apologize to Tsunade. They made up, as predicted, and she apologized profusely for hurting him. Naruto smiled for the first time since their argument, and there was a bit of light and hope in his eyes. It faded once Tsunade started asking him about his weight and if he'd been sleeping. To those questions, the blond tried to talk around the questions, but Kakashi knew the answers he was afraid to admit. He hadn't been eating, and Yamato backed up the theory saying he had a hard time remembering Naruto eating or sleeping during their missions, and how he had dark circles under his eyes by the time they returned to the village.

Tsunade told Naruto he had to rest for at least two days before leaving his apartment considering how drained he was from blood loss and not eating properly for at least a few weeks. Jiraiya was quiet when he visited Naruto, and Kakashi could understand why. The sage admitted to leaving Naruto alone at times during their trip and maybe getting drunk a few too many times while conducting "research" for his novel. Kakashi didn't leave Naruto alone for very long after moving a chair and laying on a sleeping bag Pakkun brought to the apartment for him. The gray-haired jonin had Pakkun standing in to watch Naruto when he absolutely had to sleep.

Kakashi made sure Naruto ate at least three times a day for those two days. Everything seemed fine until the night before Naruto would be going to stay with Kakashi while he recovered for a few more days. Kakashi was asleep in the floor of Naruto's room, and Pakkun was watching the blond. Pakkun watched the blond go into the bathroom, and thought nothing of it at first. He started to worry when he heard the sink turn on a few moments after the door clicked shut. He didn't hear the door lock, but he knew something was going on right away. He quietly uses his front legs to shake Kakashi as the jonin sat up quietly.

Pakkun nodded towards the door, and when he did, Kakashi was quietly walking to the door, trying to remain calm. He was wide awake after he paused for a few moments, but only heard the water running in the bathroom sink. The jonin knocked on the door softly.

"Naruto?"

Kakashi waited a few seconds before he wrapped his hand around the knob of the door. Despite the small noise from the knob when he grabbed it, there was no other sound. The jonin had a sinking feeling in his heart as he slowly opened the door. When he did, he saw the sink on, but didn't see Naruto standing there. The gray-haired jonin panicked as he quickly entered the small bathroom and turned to the tub to see the blond sitting with his back against the wall and his legs crossed. Naruto's head was down, and that was alarming. Kakashi quickly sat against the edge of the tub to look at Naruto's lap and see him holding a kunai to his still healing arm.

Kakashi reached out to Naruto's shoulder, but before he made contact, the blond seemed to flinch. Naruto stayed motionless for a moment before he looked up at Kakashi with a somber look in his eyes. Kakashi felt his heart ache as his mind tried to form words, but his mouth seemed unable to open. Instead, he gently put his hand on Naruto's wrist before carefully lifting it just enough to get the kunai off his skin. Kakashi pulled the kunai from Naruto's loose grip. He placed it on the floor away from the blond's immediate reach and turned his attention to the once bright blue eyes staring at him.

Silent tears trailed down Naruto's face before he hung his head in shame. Kakashi was concerned on a number of levels; Naruto looked like he wasn't really awake at all, and he was holding a kunai to his arm when he walked in. Kakashi thought he knew dread and fear, but his idea of dread and fear in that moment had changed entirely. His fear revolved around his student, his sensei's son, lying on the floor of his bathroom slowly bleeding to death. The jonin quickly examined Naruto's arm and found no traces of blood or signs of injury to his relief. The whole time, however, his blond student stayed silent.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked gently, finally able to get words out of his mouth.

Naruto stayed silent, still looking down at his legs crossed beneath him. Kakashi wasn't sure what else to do except for try to get his attention. Kakashi gently shook Naruto's shoulder, causing the blond to look back up at him. The blond blinked a few times as a lifeless look crossed his blue eyes.

"Why won't you just give up on me already?" Naruto asked in a defeated tone.

The gray-haired jonin thought for a moment before he asked, "Why do you think I'm just going to give up on you?"

"I'm not exactly easy to deal with, ya know," Naruto replied bluntly.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, you're fine, Naruto."

The blond teen shrugged, but didn't speak. Naruto proceeded to abruptly smack his head into the tile wall behind him, causing Kakashi to almost jump to his feet. Kakashi stared at Naruto with a concerned look in his dark eye.

He's not even trying to hide it anymore, the jonin thought dreadfully. Naruto's regressed more than I thought. He's getting close to the point he was at when we figured out he was hurting himself. If he gets any worse, we'll have to monitor him at all times. That'll make missions damn near impossible. If the elders found out about any of this, they'd never let him be a shinobi again. He won't survive that kind of a blow... It'll be the end.

Kakashi let out a sigh before he stated, "You might not be perfect, but nobody is. Everyone has flaws, even the Kage who lead this cold shinobi world. Nothing will change is you give up. You've had a rough life so far, but that doesn't mean it has to stay this way. I don't want you to hit rock bottom because if you do, I'll lose you too. I don't want to lose you, Naruto."

The blond's eyes watered as Kakashi's words hit him all at once. Naruto's body shuttered as he stared at his sensei with wide, unblinking eyes. The jonin was desperate at this point; he meant every word he said. He'd lost so many precious people in his life, and he couldn't lose Naruto too. Part of the reason Kakashi was alive was because he looked like his father and his heart was as golden much like his mother's was. He couldn't get involved because of the elders, and the Third Hokage assured him things were fine. He should've looked into it himself, and he should've done more. He couldn't change the past, but he could make damn sure Naruto had a brighter future.

"Naruto, I need you to do me a favor," Kakashi stated with a sigh.

The blond gave a small nod in response before his sensei said in a low tone, "I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to trust me on this. I want to start your training as soon as you've had time to recover."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Wait, really? You were serious about that?"

Kakashi nodded. "I wasn't kidding. We can leave as soon as Lady Tsunade clears you. Does that sound good with you?"

The blond's small smile almost broke Kakashi. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Training for Naruto was exciting, and creating a new jutsu was about as exciting as training could get. While he didn't openly say it, Kakashi inspired him. The blond respected his sensei and took his words to heart. Naruto decided during his recovery and time spent with Kakashi that he wanted to keep working harder; he felt like he owed the people around him enough to make an effort. While he knew Kakashi wanted him to be happy for the sake of being happy, Naruto felt obligated to make more of an effort. Sure, he was running out of time, but he still had time. Kakashi believed he could finish the Rasengan, and Naruto promised himself he'd make it happen.

It wasn't until Kakashi took off to meet up with Jiraiya that Naruto started to fall back a bit. Naruto asked Yamato what was going on, and all he said was that Jiraiya had requested Kakashi meet up with him. He continued working with his clones with Yamato until he returned. The blond was worried until Kakashi showed back up and explained Jiraiya just had information to disclose, nothing else. Naruto shrugged it off easily, trusting Kakashi on the issue. He had no reason to believe Kakashi would lie to him; there was no point.

Naruto was barely healed when they started training, and that worried the gray-haired shinobi at first. It was hard to believe the blond could bounce back so suddenly, but that was how Naruto was. Once he got motivation, he clung to it like a lifeline. It also helped Sakura and Sai were watching from a distance, but it only made Kakashi wonder what they really knew or if they suspected something was different about Naruto. They saw him as the hyperactive-knucklehead that could fall a hundred times and get back up every time without hesitation. It wasn't his place to break the illusion; for Naruto's sake, he had to say nothing until they figured it out, or Naruto decided to inform them.

It wasn't an issue until one night after Naruto had collapsed with exhaustion. Kakashi had left Yamato to watch over him after he sensed someone was nearby, but it wasn't Sakura or Sai. This didn't panic the jonin right away, as he suspected Shikamaru was likely the one watching from afar in the woods. Kakashi managed to slip into the woods opposite of where the distant chakra signature was. Whoever they were, they were masking their signature, but it was still faint to Kakashi. The gray-haired jonin darted towards them through the trees before dropping down before the figure hiding in the shadows.

When he slammed into the ground, he heard a high-pitched squeak and a thud. His lethal glare changed once he realized who was spying on his team. Hinata had managed to jump back into a tree in shock as her eyes locked on Kakashi's face. His gaze instantly turned sheepish as he realized it was just sweet Hinata spying on them.

"K-Kakashi-Sensei," Hinata stuttered shyly.

The jonin gave her a nod before he said apologetically, "Sorry for startling you, Hinata. I didn't realize it was you."

Kakashi could see well enough from the little moonlight that seeped through the branches and leaves to know she was caught off guard. He, of course, knew she had a crush and strong admiration for Naruto, just as everyone but Naruto knew. The jonin moved a bit away to lean against a tree, crossing his arms.

"What brings you all the way out here?"

Hinata looked down at the ground shyly before she replied, "I was just wondering how Naruto was doing."

Kakashi smirked under his mask. It was adorable to see Hinata fusing over Naruto, and he wondered how Naruto didn't know she was really into him. Hinata reminded him of Rin so much, and he admired that about her. She was a kind and gentle soul with the heart of a shinobi.

"He's progressing well in his training," Kakashi stated firmly.

Hinata nodded, but still looked around the tree towards where Naruto was. Her behavior was strange; normally, she'd be relieved or happy for him. This time, however, Kakashi felt something was bothering her. It was in that moment he remembered Pakkun mentioning his encounter with Shikamaru. The jonin's heart sank right away, fearing Shikamaru had mention what he saw to Hinata of all people who worried about Naruto just as much as he did if not more.

"Is something wrong, Hinata?" He pressed.

Hinata flinched before quickly turning back to him. "N-No, everything's fine!"

Kakashi pressed, "Are you sure about that?"

The Hyuga paused for a moment before she sighed. "I-It's nothing, really. Naruto's just..."

Kakashi's eye widened a bit as she continued, "He's been acting so... Strange since he came back with Master Jiraiya."

This is NOT good, Kakashi thought bitterly to himself.

The jonin couldn't stand there and ignore her, nor could he afford to spent too many seconds on coming up with a plan. He had to go with it, sadly. Kakashi tilted his head to the side slightly at the young Hyuga princess.

"Strange how?" the jonin pressed in a calm, gentle tone.

Hinata hesitated before she stated quietly, "W-Well... He seemed upset about something the night we ran into him outside of Ichiraku. We're worried about him."

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed externally. "'We'?"

The Hyuga got flustered before she said, "A-Anyway, I just wanted to make sure Naruto was fine. I'll be going now."

The jonin held his hands up before he said quickly, "Wait a second, Hinata."

The Hyuga princess only took one step before she halted. "Y-Yes Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi asked in a calm tone, "Is there anything else about Naruto's behavior that stood out to you?"

Hinata let out a sigh before she stated quietly, "Well... I noticed when he came back that he... There were wounds on his leg, but he hadn't mentioned getting into a fight or getting hurt during training when he spoke to my team."

The gray-haired shinobi almost shuttered at her words. It made sense Hinata would be one of the first of her former classmates to notice something was off. He assumed she'd already spoken to Shikamaru, but as to why she didn't bring it to his attention sooner, he could only assume it was because she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She really was a kind soul.

Kakashi let out a sigh of defeat. "Has anyone else noticed the change in Naruto's behavior?"

Hinata shook her head and answered softly, "A few of the others have."

The jonin's gaze softened. "Naruto's going to be fine, Hinata. Don't worry."

The young Hyuga's eyes seemed to light up. Thankfully, Hinata wasn't dense, unlike Naruto. The princess sniffed as she wiped at her watery eyes. Kakashi hoped their encounter was helpful to her. While he didn't directly say it, the implication was there that he was already working with Naruto and he understood what Hinata was telling him. The one thing that hurt him deeply was that Naruto had already moved to his legs. As far as he knew, it was just his arm and wrists that were his targeted areas. This concerned Kakashi, knowing that Naruto had started moving his injuries to conceal them better. He really had gotten worse, and Kakashi wished he'd never listened to Jiraiya and just went up to Naruto about his bad habits instead of trying to observe from a distance.

Hinata nodded before she asked quietly, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kakashi thought for a moment before he responded calmly, "Keep this between us for now. I know Shikamaru is already onto something, but this is a private matter. Lady Hokage and Jiraiya know as well as Iruka. If you think at any point Naruto's in danger, go straight to one of them."

The shy teen nodded as she replied, "Understood. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

He nodded as she darted into the trees and started heading back towards the village. Kakashi let out a heavy sigh as he slid down the back of the tree. The copy ninja stared up at the light coming from the moon above his head. The situation was looking worse and worse by the second, and that was taking its toll on him if he was being honest.

The worst is yet to come, Kakashi thought to himself grimly. And he's already falling apart. I hope I'm right. I wonder if Minato-sensei and Kushina are looking down and disappointed that I've let their son down. He's all that's left of them now. He was their world the moment Kushina found out she was pregnant. Sure, Minato-sensei sealed the Nine-Tails inside his body, but maybe he saw the same thing I see in Naruto. Our future is only bright if he's leading us out of this cycle of hatred and war. He's the hope left in this hellish shinobi world.

Kakashi returned to where Yamato and Naruto were under a single tree in the middle of the clearing they were using for training. Kakashi pulled Yamato towards the woods away out of hearing range of Naruto. He briefly explained what happened, and to that, the Anbu crossed his arms and sighed. Yamato wasn't happy about what Hinata had told them, but the information was consistent with everything they already knew. There was no point in trying to deny it anymore; Naruto was close to hitting rock bottom when they found him in the bathroom floor that afternoon.

The two jonin kept the encounter with Hinata between themselves as they watched Naruto train. Things changed once they moved onto the next stage of training, that was when another jonin was sent with a message. When Yamato announced Asuma Sarutobi had been killed the Akatsuki, Kakashi didn't want to believe it, but he had to anyways. Naruto was shaken up about it, as Asuma had given him tips to help with his training, and he had seen Asuma before he left with his squad.

They returned to the village for the funeral without hesitation, all while remaining mostly silent the entire way. Naruto looked totally drained, and Kakashi felt it. The worst was yet to come, and Kakashi could only hope they were ready for it.

Hello again. Sorry, I'm trying to to leave notes on every chapter, but thank you guys again for reading. My plan is to go up until at least Part 25, no more than 30 ideally. I do, however, have to do some work with Kakashi's story since I'm further with Naruto's story now than his.

Oh, and fair warning, Naruto's really going to spiral for a while. That's kinda why I let the chapters before now be a little less intense; the rest of the story is going to make up for that. On that note, I'm going to have to start re-watching ALL of Naruto Shippuden and moving some things around. As always, thank you for reading, leaving reviews, following, and favorites for story and myself. I hope you guys enjoy the update.

-xXstarryXnightXx