Finding the Right Path
Thought I'd update this, feel like my stories are starting to get on to some type of roll. Let me know what you think?
No pairings for now, but that may change.
I do not own Naruto or any other aspect that reference people who could sue me...
Enjoy
Chapter 8
Menma slowly opened his eyes. He knew he was in his room, but had no recollection of how he got there. He got up slowly, feeling sluggish in his movements, and went to the bathroom. He completed his morning ablutions and searched for his twin brother.
Popping his head through the door, Menma found that Naruto's bed was empty, he was nowhere to be found. Naruto was gone and Menma felt more alone than ever. Naruto had always been there for him, and now he felt abandoned.
He wanted to tell Naruto of his nightmare. He had dreamt that he had protected his teammates by taking a life. It felt as real to him as his own two hands, yet he felt that it was only a dream. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"Time for breakfast." He spoke aloud to himself. As if speaking would break the illusion of his fear.
With no other thought, but breakfast, Menma was about to take off to his favourite bar. He knew that it may not be open, but he badly needed to get out of the house. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a knock on the door.
Menma looked through it to find his teammates standing there.
"Hi, how did you know where I live?" Menma asked, looking slightly confused.
"Can we come in?" Sakura asked, voice just above a whisper.
"Yeah sure." Menma responded, wearing a huge grin on his face. Sasuke was slightly peeved looking at his teammate with that grin.
"Um, did yesterday feel like a dream to you too?" Sakura asked quietly, after taking a seat on the couch in the lounge. Sasuke stood at the entrance connecting the lounge/dining area to the kitchen. His arms were crossed and his bangs were covering his eyes.
"What are you talking about? What happened yesterday?" Menma asked, looking genuinely confused. With that, Sasuke left, not bothering with wasting his time on his foolish teammate. He had better things to do, like training.
"Menma, I'm talking about our test yesterday afternoon." Sakura continued with a soft voice. She saw Sasuke leave, but wanted clarification. "It felt like a Genjutsu, it must not have been real." Here Sakura looked into the eyes of Menma, pleading with him to tell her that it was a Genjutsu.
Menma only looked more confused. "What are you talking about? I mean I had a dream last night, but it wasn't anything to do with the test was it?" Menma asked, showing his confusion once more.
"We took a life." Sakura all but screamed. It had been building, but she didn't think she would let the bubble burst. She put her head in her hands and started shaking uncontrollably. Sobs racking her body.
Unbeknownst to Sakura and Menma, Sasuke was at the window, looking in on the scene. He felt slightly horrified with what he did yesterday, but to see Menma acting as if nothing happened, it really got to Sasuke. Sakura, bawling her eyes out, that he could understand. But no reaction from Menma, that Sasuke couldn't believe.
Menma's mouth was open, his eyes vacant, no words coming from his being. Sakura continued to sob, only looking up when she heard a large thump. Menma was lying on the ground, seeming to have passed out. Sasuke climbed through the window, after witnessing his teammate faint.
"What happened?" Sakura asked, her thoughts focussing solely on the wellbeing of her teammate.
"I don't know. He just fainted." Sasuke responded, checking to see if Menma was still alive.
"We should take him to the hospital." Sakura stated, knocking Sasuke from his thoughts.
Anko entered the hospice, expecting to see Naruto still asleep, instead she found an empty ruffled bed. The fox mask was lying on the small bench, nest to the bed. There was no other sign of Naruto.
"Little brat. Took off before being discharged." Anko vented, before calming her nerves. She knew where he was going, best to meet him there.
Naruto entered his and Menma's apartment. He had just awoken from the ANBU hospice with a strong feeling of extreme pain. This pain was from fear, a deep probing fear that knew no depth. He knew that it was Menma, their connection was strongest when strong emotions where involved.
Naruto had quickly got dressed and ran straight to the apartment. Arriving, he heard Sakura and Sasuke talking. He came in to the scene of his brother lying unconscious on the floor, Sasuke checking his vital signs and Sakura wiping tears from her eyes.
"What happened?" Naruto asked, scaring the life out of Sakura, and causing Sasuke to spin and ready himself in a defensive stance. They didn't hear Naruto enter and both were slightly scared by his sneaking prowess.
"We don't know. One minute he was standing there, the next he dropped to the floor." Sasuke stated, keeping his voice neutral.
"Naruto." Menma stated, waking from his unconscious state, and looking directly at his brother. "I took a life." He stated, before tears started running down his face.
Naruto was shocked. He came forward and comforted his brother, by embracing him in a hug.
"I took a life, Naruto." Menma kept repeating over and over.
Sakura sat on the couch at the mention of the life being taken, and put her head on her palms once more.
"It's okay, it was only a nightmare. You are fine." Naruto stated, trying to calm his brother.
At this point, Sasuke stood back in his original position, brooding once more. Now he was confused. Menma thought that it was a dream, that's why he felt like he hadn't taken a life.
"It really happened." Sasuke chimed in. Head down once more, with his bangs covering his eyes. "We really did take a life."
Here Naruto looked at Sasuke and then at Sakura. This was a gamble, but he tried anyway, hoping his brother was mature enough to understand.
"What happened? Explain it to me." Naruto gently prodded Menma. They were both sitting on the floor, arms around each other. Sasuke was slightly jealous at the closeness of the twins. He didn't have that type of affection with anyone. Sakura was still sobbing on the couch, no coherent thought going through her mind.
"W-we t-took a l-life. To p-p-pass the ts-test, we had to k-k-kill." Menma spoke up, eyes streaming with tears. At that revelation, Naruto looked out the window, his thoughts going back to what he knew of Konoha and how different this test was compared to the normal Bell Test that Kakashi used to test his Genin.
"I th-thought it was a d-dream. A n-n-nightmare. L-like you normally s-say." Menma stated, looking hopefully into Naruto's eyes. At that face, Naruto's mask slipped. Menma saw, in that instant, the truth.
Naruto had always said that the bad things that had happened to the twins were a nightmare that Menma concocted when he was asleep. Now however, Menma felt it was real.
"S-so all the n-nightmares were t-true?" Menma asked, fearing the answer. At this question, Sakura stopped sobbing, she wanted to know what the twins were talking about. Sasuke stopped his brooding to see what the deal was.
"Yes." Naruto stated, looking Menma in the eye.
"The orphanage?" Menma asked.
"Yes." Naruto responded.
"That time you killed the man for trying to hurt me?"
"Yes." Naruto replied.
"The girl who picked on you?"
"Yes." Naruto stated once more.
Twenty or so statements came from Menma's mouth, with the answer always being yes. Each yes was softer than the last, until Naruto was whispering. Sakura and Sasuke saw at that moment how far Naruto went to protect his brother.
"The Fox?" Menma asked. At this Naruto shook his head in the positive, too afraid to use his voice.
Sasuke and Sakura were confused with that last detail. 'What Fox' was at the forefront of their minds.
At that last answer, Menma got up and walked into his room, softly closing the door and locking it behind him. Naruto could feel the deep embedded sorrow that Menma had. He could also feel the slight betrayal that he had towards Naruto. Something which hurt him more than anything.
Team 7 and Naruto did not know they were being watched. Outside the window were Kakashi, and to his left stood Anko. Each looking at the scene with straight faces, neither giving any indication of what they were feeling at this point in time. They each heard the last question that Menma asked, and knew what the twins were referring to.
They both saw Naruto stand, walk out the front door and disappear. Anko took off first, following her apprentice to the Hokage's tower. Kakashi left three clones in his wake, and followed after Anko, he wanted to know what Naruto was thinking.
Naruto arrived at the Hokage's Tower pissed. Normally he would be thinking clearly, but the mixed emotions of the past two days were getting to him. He stormed into the Hokage's office, without any sense of subtlety.
"Hokage-Sama." Naruto stated, standing in front of his fearless leader. The Hokage had observed the scene between Naruto and Menma with his crystal ball. He had been keeping a close eye on all the Genin that passed their exams yesterday, knowing that the bonds they develop with their teammates are crucial. This is what could make or break a team.
The Hokage saw Naruto leave, and felt him heading in his direction. Normally the Hokage wouldn't be able to pinpoint Naruto, due to his skills at stealth, but it seems as if Naruto was letting his emotions cloud his mind. This was the first time he actually saw Naruto full of rage.
"Aah Naruto-kun. Glad to see you on your feet. How can I help you?" The Hokage asked, feigning ignorance and pretending this was a friendly visit.
The Hokage could feel the cold rage boiling over Naruto, and needed a way to diffuse the situation.
"Where is Kakashi?" Naruto asked. The Hokage was slightly taken aback with the question. "I want to have a chat with him." Naruto knew he was fighting way above his belt in this match, but he really needed to vent his anger.
"I'm here." Kakashi stated, poofing into existence in the room. He stood in his relaxed state, next to the Hokage's desk, facing Naruto's direction. He had his book in hand and was acting aloof. Anko appeared in the room a second later standing directly behind Naruto.
"What did you do to my brother?" He asked, only to get a bored look from Kakashi.
At the look, Naruto slowly started reaching for his kunai. Kakshi saw the movement, but didn't bother acknowledging it as a threat.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked. Naruto found his kunai and was about to fling it at Kakashi's head, but a hand on his shoulder stopped his movements completely. He had barely felt the presence of Anko behind him.
"Why was he assigned with a task to kill instead of your original Bell Test?" Naruto asked, hand still resting on Kunai.
"It seems that knowledge of the Bell Test was leaked to the outside, so I needed some other way to test them." Kakashi explained, answering Naruto's question. "But I don't see how my soldiers are of any of you concern Genin." Kakashi continued, adding venom to the word Genin.
"I'm not a Genin I'm a…"
"Naruto." The Hokage warned, stopping Naruto from completing that sentence.
Naruto looked between the Hokage and Kakashi. He saw at that instant that he was out of his depth. He wouldn't get any answers from these two shinobi.
"A final warning than Inu-san." Naruto responded, catching Kakashi, the Hokage and Anko off guard. "If Menma doesn't recover from this lapse, you will have hell to pay." Naruto concluded. Looking Kakashi in his lone eye.
"Is that a threat?" Kakashi asked, putting his book away and standing in a ready stance.
"Careful scarecrow." Anko chimed in. "Anyone would think you wanted a fight?" She continued, smirking slightly and revealing the kunai in her hand.
"Hmph. Still wouldn't make a decent fight, even if two against one." Kakashi stated, before getting his book out once more. "They are my soldiers Naruto, and I test them however I see fit." At that, Kakashi disappeared the same way he appeared, in a poof of smoke.
Naruto had felt the Killing Intent rolling off of Kakashi when he put his book away. He saw at that moment, how far out of his league Kakashi was. He was thankful that Anko had his back, yet he didn't understand why.
"Now Naruto-kun." The Hokage stated, gaining Naruto and Anko's attention. "It seems you haven't fully recovered from your injuries." At this, the Hokage pointed to Naruto's shirt. Blood was slowly showing its way through, even if the colour of the shirt was dark.
Naruto looked down at his shirt, then looked back at the Hokage. One final question to sate his anger. "Why has Konoha reverted back to an age where it seems as if violence and war is on the horizon?" Naruto asked. The Hokage smirked, now he knew that Naruto had more knowledge than he let on.
"Peace is not forever and war is inevitable. The Will of Fire has guided us through the dark ages, it shall do so once again." The Hokage stated, as if what he said answered Naruto's question. "Now there is a lot of paperwork that I have to do, please see yourself out." The Hokage concluded, ignoring Naruto and returning to his paperwork.
Naruto left through the door he entered, Anko on his trail. "Hey brat." Anko said catching Naruto's attention. "This is yours…" Here Anko handed him a mask. The mask was in the shape of a fox with some colour dabbed here and there. "…don't ever lose it again"
"When did I get a new mask?" Naruto asked, causing Anko to laugh in his face.
"Who said its new?" She stated, laughing again, whilst leading Naruto out of the Hokage's tower. Naruto was confused with the answer, and left it at that.
"Ano senpei." Naruto spoke in a very soft voice. "Thank you for backing me up in there." He finished, looking away slightly, feeling ashamed that he might be rejected.
"Heh brat, don't dwell on it." She responded. "But he's right you know." Anko continued after some silence. "They are his soldiers, and he'd do anything to protect them. Just like I'll do anything to protect you." Anko finished.
This statement rocked Naruto to his core, and he felt that he was about to cry. Anko feeling the mood swing in her student, laughed.
"Come brat, back to the hospice for you." With that, they both disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
The moment Naruto left the apartment, Sakura and Sasuke looked slightly lost. Sakura was still on the couch, staring at the blank space in front of her, whilst Sasuke still had his back to the wall, hands in pocket, face brooding.
Sakura got up and made her way towards Menma's room. She softly knocked on the door. "Menma-kun, are you alright?" She asked through the door. Sasuke was surprised by the question and didn't know how Menma would answer. "Can we come in?" Sakura continued. At this question, the door unlocked and opened. Sakura made her way through the door. Sasuke stood alone for a minute longer, before following Sakura into Menma's room.
Sasuke saw Menma at the top of his bed, head on his knees, with his arms wrapped around them and his back leaning against the wall. Sakura stood to his side in contemplation, wondering if she should touch him or not.
Sasuke walked in and sat at the foot end of the bed.
"You know this is pathetic don't you?" Sasuke asked, trying to get Menma to look up so he can see his face. Menma's shoulders stiffened at Sasuke's voice. Sakura was going to reprimand him, but Sasuke continued speaking. "We were raised in times of peace, yet we found ourselves in situations that would contradict that term. What you said out there, those nightmares you had, they didn't make you weak did they? They made you strong." Here Menma slowly looked up, meeting Sasuke's eyes for the first time. Sasuke smirked and continued, "You are one of the strongest Genin in this village, so am I and your brother." Sasuke and Sakura assumed that Naruto was a Genin as they didn't know his status as an ANBU operative. Sakura had a downtrodden face, at hearing Sasuke's words. She wasn't anywhere near their level of expertise. "Sakura is one of the brightest Genin in the village." Sasuke continued, seeing the broken look Sakura had, and hoping to somehow make amends. She looked in Sasuke's direction, a blush creeping across her face.
"Yes we took a life yesterday, but that was to prepare us for a life as shinobi." Sasuke stated, knowing that he had the attention of both Sakura and Menma. "We can get stronger, together." He continued. "I have to get stronger, to kill my brother." Sasuke stated, eyes flashing from onyx, to sharingan, then back again. "The brother who killed my whole family, and left me to be the last Uchiha." Menma nodded slowly, but Sakura was shocked. She did not know this fact about Sasuke. "Now I cannot do that without help. And the only people I can trust are those around me. That consist of three people, two are in this room." Sakura's head dropped slightly. She was thinking of ways that she could help, nothing actually sprung to mind.
"Now I don't know if he'll keep his word, but if this sensei of ours is going to make us great, then I say we give it a shot. What is there to lose?" Sasuke asked at the end voice dropping.
Menma smiled. A true smile, the likes of which Sakura and Sasuke had never seen. Sakura smiled in response to what Sasuke said and in response to Menma. Sasuke smirked once more before standing.
"How about some training?" He intoned, gaining the attention of Menma and Sakura.
A silent consensus was reached that day, a forging of friendships, the likes which had never been seen.
