BREAKING POINT

When the light of the morning shone through his window, Naruto winced. Every part of his body ached, and it felt like a pack of giants banged drums inside his forehead. He'd stayed up late into the night, watching over the wounded alongside Sakura. Between them and the town's midwife, an old woman named Asuka, they'd sewn, bandaged and kept as many alive as possible.

Considering Sakura's skill with healing wasn't omnipotent, they had to make do with what they had. After that, the entire town had gathered in a prayer of remembrance, for they had no bodies to bury. Under the cover of the stars, they mourned those the Grimm killed.

"We failed," he muttered, rubbing the crust from his eyes. "We lost a lot, Sasuke. I hope you're happy."

He felt guilty saying it, but he also felt better. At least alone in his room he could grumble, mutter, and let his frustration show. Once he was outside, he had an image to project, one of bravery, one of courage. Sometimes he'd admit he enjoyed taking up his weapons and killing a Grimm. At least he wasn't pretending about anything then.

But of course, he also knew he wasn't being fair. Sasuke had taken them out to deal with a threat to the town. None of them could have anticipated how serious it'd be. After the battle, he'd spoken with all but Sasuke, who had stayed quiet and away from the others. Three Grimm had attacked from the back, two from each side, and three more from the front. An amount so large were close to the town and it wasn't discovered sooner?

Naruto was puzzled. The Grimm seemed intelligent, and from what he observed, alone, they weren't capable of mounting such an organized attack.

Three had attacked initially from the back, two from each side, and three more from the front. After that they began to increase in number, wearing them out and gaining advantage. They were expecting not more than ten, but given how unprepared they were, it could have been far worse.

Someone, or something was organizing them, and he feared for the town.

"Naruto." Asked a voice on the other side of the door, followed by a gentle knock.

"I'm awake," he said, sitting up in bed and stretching his sore muscles. His healing factor unfortunately did nothing to his exhaustion. The door opened, and in stepped Sakura.

She blinked at his form, causing Naruto to let out a chuckle. He looked to the chair by his bed to note his yellow shirt and put it on. Looking to her he knew something was the matter. It was written all over her face.

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"It's Kaiza," she said, with a downcast expression on her face. "He was found this morning."

Naruto looked on trying to understand what she was saying. "What are you saying Sakura? I saw him last night-"

"He hung himself…last night."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he was taken aback. "W…What?"

The words knifed through Naruto, but despite the pain, he wasn't surprised. He'd seen the lingering sorrow and death in Kaiza's eyes. Last night's excursion hadn't brought him the satisfaction he'd hoped for. Instead, seven of his friends had died, and many more suffered greatly. Again, he thought of Sasuke, and wondered how he was taking the news.

"We… We need to bury him, or to say something to them." Sakura muttered, looking to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Hayashi's pleading that we try and say something, to try and placate their fear, their grief… anything."

It seemed like the people needed hope, even if it was from teenagers like them. This was how the Shinobi were viewed in the Continent of Fire. Here, age meant nothing, they were seen as a different brand of soldiers, and Wave looked at them as guardians.

Considering the fear the Grimm had managed to evoke in the Continent, their protectors were seen as something else entirely.

Naruto looked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Sakura."

"I agreed to go with him!" Sakura looked to him with regret in his eyes. "You saw that this would happen, you saw that-"

"Not even I estimated this. No one could." Naruto replied sympathetically. She wanted to try and keep them in line and it often led to her making decisions that she regretted. Naruto was also grateful to her, because he was certain he would have given up on Sasuke, and Sasuke would have given up on them, if she hadn't been there to keep them in line. "We just wanted to do the right thing, so did Sasuke. I guess we all got…lost in that."

"Killing yourself." Sakura muttered prompting a confused look from Naruto.

Huh?

"My father always said that people who killed themselves were cowards, people without honor. He said that they didn't deserve to have peace. That it was a despicable thing to do. But Kaiza was a good man. Before all this, before his family was-" She halted, biting her lip. "Do you think he'll find peace?"

Naruto looked in thought, not finding the right words to say to her.

"I don't know," Naruto smiled at her. "I really hope so. He was a kind man and I'll continue to hope that he's with his family. We can't fault him for missing his loved ones as much as he did. He just loved them too much I guess, if that is even a term I can use."

"Sasuke said he didn't deserve it. That he died foolishly. He said that-"

"Sasuke speaks out of hurt. We always know he isn't the most morally upright person around." He spoke eliciting chuckle from her. "But still, we need to stick by him. We need to help him, because if not us, if not for you, I fear for him."

Sakura smiled wistfully at him. "You are too good for him. You know that right?"

"Well," Naruto let out a nostalgic expression. "He was my first friend. And I don't abandon my friends. If I abandon him, what does it say of me?"

Sakura nodded at him. And Naruto looked out the window to the morning sun.

"I'll be out soon enough. I'll just freshen up and catch up with you. What is Sasuke doing now?"

"Brooding."

"Heh."

The way parted before him, and Naruto stepped to the porch of Kaiza's home. Inside, he saw a rope lying on the floor, having been cut from the rafter it'd been tied to. Wrapped in a blanket was Kaiza's corpse. His parents, their backs hunched, their skin deeply tanned by the sun, sat to the side, surrounded by their friends. Not far away, he saw Tsunami's parents and they looked too drained to cry. They'd lost all their tears the days before, suffering for the fate of their daughter and grandchildren.

Naruto knelt before Kaiza's parents and took their hands in his. He was taught this at the academy, it was all routine.

"Is there anything, you'd like to say?" He asked.

The father looked at him, his eyes puffy and red.

"He wasn't himself when he did it. You know that, right? He'd never…he'd never do this…"

"He was already dead," said the mother. "He died when Tsunami and the kids did. No parent should ever bury their child…" she began to break down. "No parent."

Naruto closed his eyes in thought. He wondered if the pain of loss when one loses their parents was equal to a parent losing their child. He wondered how Kaiza would have felt, had his kids survived.

Naruto looked sympathetically to them and stood, looking to the crowd. Some wanted comfort. Some were there to support their friends, and couldn't care less what he had to say. A knot grew in his stomach, and his tongue felt layered with sand.

What could he say to them? He knew so little. At the Academy, they taught him the words for funerals, what to say for the passing of men, women and children. They'd never trained him to deal with the looks they were giving him, the near desperate desire for relief and comfort.

The funeral was about Kaiza, his life, his memory. Naruto knew that he had to honor this. He was not the greatest orator, but at least, he knew what to say at this time.

He gave them what he could, and it felt like exposing a piece of himself as he spoke. He told them of Kaiza's kindness, talked of the love of his family. He said not a word of his suicide and he never intended to.

When he finished, he gestured to the town head, Hayashi, who stepped forward, three men with him. They lifted Kaiza into their arms and carried him out. They would bury him in the fields, forever to be part of their village and their way of life.

Naruto found Sasuke outside of the town, sitting with his back to a lone tree growing atop a hill. The wind blew, and it felt wonderful against Naruto's warm skin. Speaking to the public always made him flush and feel like his neck were on fire.

"You weren't there for the burial," Naruto said, sitting down beside the Uchiha. "You owed him that."

"Don't deserve it."

Naruto frowned at him. "Whether he hanged himself or not, he trusted both of us, and at least you could have-"

"Not him," Sasuke said, shooting him a glare. "I don't deserve to be there. He was hurting, and I led him out there, into the forest because I thought I could help him. Instead I made things worse. One of those that died was his best friend." Sasuke pointed out, looking at Naruto whose eyes solely widened. "How could he endure that after so much loss?"

He leaned against the tree and thudded his head against the bark.

"I led us right into that ambush," he said, his voice growing quieter. Naruto looked into his eyes to note the regret Sasuke had, as he looked to the white clouds in the sky. "Their tracks were so obvious a child could have followed them." He clenched his fist. "I should have known something was wrong. The people of the town aren't fighters. They were carpenters, farmers, and fishermen. Now more are dead, the town keeps suffering, and the one I sought to help spent the night hanging from his ceiling by a rope."

"We are all human Sasuke, and we all make mistakes."

"You don't get it!" Sasuke yelled out, pointing to the memorial smoke that was billowing to the skies. "I caused that. If we had gone alone, if I and you and Sakura would have done this alone, they wouldn't have died!"

"And what do think we can do to reverse this?" Naruto asked, looking towards him. "We can't turn back time, Sasuke. I also am in fault. I could have done something to stop this, but I didn't. I guess deep down I also wanted justice, but hid behind you. The only thing we can do, is to let it go, Sasuke. You did what you thought was right, so did I. Next time, don't let your guilt keep you away. I'm tired of dedicating all the burials around here."

Sasuke looked to him stunned. "How are you so calm about this? Why aren't you angry with me? Why do you keep trying to-"

"We are friends Sasuke. And I understand your decisions even more than you'd like to admit. I know it feels different, but, you know that. Besides, my parents always put it in me the thought that being too emotional would cost me. I don't know, I imagine if I didn't have them, I would have been-"

He trailed off, looking to the distance. He couldn't even imagine it.

Sasuke looked away. They were the same. The only difference was that Naruto looked differently at the world than him. A bit too optimistic, and he was sure, that would cost him. He would admit to himself that he was a bit too pessimistic also.

Was that why they were friends?

Naruto then gestured east, towards the distant river. "What do we do about the Grimm? From what I collected they are gathering in that forest, and I don't think it's random. Something is making them to gather so close to this town, and I don't like the feeling."

"You are saying we might have stumbled upon a single hunting party."

"I'm saying this isn't normal."

Sasuke let out a sigh. "What do we do?"

"We cannot take any chances. We need to head back to the Academy tomorrow, let's bring it up before our instructor. I'm sure he'll take it to the top."

"We can handle this," Sasuke said, his stubbornness and pride returning. "We don't need to involve others."

"It's like you haven't learnt. Whether we can or can't, I'd rather we fail on the side of caution. Trust me on this."

Sasuke looked to him before relenting. "Fine. I must be bothered by this more than I thought."

"It means we are still human." Naruto spoke with a grin to which Sasuke just scoffed.

"I'll write the report," Sasuke said, standing. "And we head back to Konoha tomorrow."

"Where are you going?" asked Naruto.

"I have a family deserving my apologies," said Sasuke. "Not that it's your business."

Naruto smiled at his retreating figure, before leaning against the tree. He closed his eyes, and enjoyed the weather. Slowly he felt his tension drain away, and at once, he felt renewed.

He really loved nature. It was so peaceful, so uplifting.

Fires brimmed, unstopped and unlimited. They surrounded and consumed Konoha completely, and it was completely overrun by Grimm. Class V Grimm, the dragons, rained hell down to the Capital burning the people and its buildings to complete ash.

The skies thundered and the clouds vibrated, lighting piercing through them like a hot knife through butter.

A huge explosion enveloped the capital completely, and all he heard was silence.

Boom!

A loud roar and the explosion following it woke Naruto from the nightmare he was experiencing. He hadn't realized the reason why he awoke, and all he did was look in the distance panting.

He looked to the sky, stunned that night had come. Was he that exhausted?

The smell of fire and the screams of terror drew his attention to the town and his eyes widened.

Oh no… That's impossible!

What drew his attention, wasn't the Grimm that stormed relentlessly upon the village, it wasn't the fact that the fire successfully trapped them all inside, fighting a fruitless battle.

The reports given showed that there were only nine of them, the Class VI Grimm. Unrivaled in power and destruction.

The other continents were only graced with the presence of the Class V, the dragons.

But right before him, was one of such beasts. It's black skin oozed out a red miasma of power that reached even him. A white and protruding terrifying spine connected its head to the rest of its nine tails, and this description only made Naruto look agape.

The Nine Tailed Demon.

His instincts were telling him to run away, that this was the same Class of Grimm that killed his parents, the strongest duo to ever come out from the Continent of Fire in a decade. He wanted to run back to the Capital.

But still, he found himself running head first into the carnage, down to the city.

Because of two reasons, Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto didn't even feel his legs, the speed he was taking off with unknown to him. His eyes were dilated, pulsating as his adrenaline was secreted in high amounts.

He had to make it to them.

He reached the center of the town, bloodied from head to toe. His eyes were frantic and blazing red, his kunai dripping with blood from the Grimm he had slain on his way and his exhaustion was nothing more than a glimmer.

His mind was halted, because right before him, was Sasuke and Sakura dead before him.

Sakura had a white bone that went through her gut, attaching her to a burning home, while Sasuke was lying on his face, a large pool of blood seen beneath him.

No.

He looked in horror, unable to comprehend what was happening. It was so…fast, so… sudden. Where was he? He was sleeping, while they were fighting? What the hell happened? Why didn't he wake up much sooner?

What was happening all around him?

It didn't make any sense!

He went to his knees, and deep within his grief, one thing started to make sense.

It was all a dream… it was all… a dream, right? He was afraid to move forward, to reach for them, scared at what he would find out.

He was so consumed in his thoughts he failed to notice the slow and thundering footsteps that approached and stopped right behind him.

A slow growl emerged from the Nine tailed demon behind him as it assessed Naruto.

"You did well, for a human. You managed to draw my attention, by killing a lot of my children."

Naruto didn't respond, just staring at their bodies in complete shock.

The Grimm followed his gaze towards a fallen Sasuke and Sakura. "Shinobi huh, well, they fought well, but not well enough though. At least, they were slightly harder to kill than the cowards in this town."

"…dream"

The Grimm looked to him inquisitively. "I didn't hear you well enough."

"It's all a dream."

"A dream?" It chuckled."That's what you think? Well, I guess this might be too much to absorb for a regular human. What was that saying, pinch me so it doesn't feel like a dream."

Naruto then felt weightless, crashing against multiple trees after a vicious slap by the Grimm. He gasped from the air that was blown out from his lungs, as he slowly came to a stop.

Blood emerged from his lips as he coughed out blood, heaving in and out in a vain attempt to fight for his life.

Here he was, without his armor and weapon, here he was, unarmed, and greatly injured.

He was going to die.

He felt paralyzed. Unable to move as he was certain his spine was broken.

His vision, although blurry looked to the distance, to the dead bodies of his teammates. He didn't care about the people who were razed down, he didn't care about the burning village. He didn't even care that he was hoisted up and looking deep into the Grimm's red pupils.

He wanted to join them. "Kill me." He spoke out in a hoarse whisper.

He was bloodied completely, his blood and that of the Grimm, mixing in.

"Huh." The Grimm muttered ignoring his statement, for something much more interesting. "You look and smell…familiar. Heh." A grin was seen all over the Grimm's face. "I can't believe they were your parents."

Naruto's body tensed and his pupils took on a red coloration to the curiosity of the Grimm before him.

"You… You were the one-"

"My lucky day."

His eyes slowly opened, looking to the clear skies above him.

In that moment, Naruto felt at peace with himself, despite the memory he was haunted by.

Then the wind blew and the smell of ash and burnt skin entered his nose. His eyes widened and looked around him to note that he was in a large crater which was surrounded by the smoldering remains of the entire town.

Realization began to set in as he walked slowly towards their corpses, Sasuke and Sakura; his eyes widening with each step.

"It wasn't…a dream."

He knelt before them as he immediately felt nauseous, emptying his stomach contents to the earth beneath him.

His body trembled, as an untold amount of grief enveloped him completely.

"Sakura, Sasuke…" He muttered to their bodies, clinging to a certain hope that they survived the ordeal. That it was one big joke.

Then he broke down, screaming out in pain and anguish at the pain that enveloped him completely. He heart ached and there was nothing he could do.

Sasuke's words passed through his mind.

One of those that died was his best friend. How could he endure that after losing so much?

The Nine Tails was gone, the Grimm were gone, and in their wake, they left a huge scar upon the land and upon the sixteen year old Uzumaki Naruto.