Disclaimer: Guess what I don't own...listens to audience's response...you got it! Naruto!

The Risk

Chapter 4

Naruto was discharged from the hospital the next day. He seemed fine but already he could feel something different within himself. It felt like he had swallowed a rock. He couldn't escape into his thoughts either because he couldn't get Sai's reaction out of his mind. Naruto was sure that he had been kind in turning Sai down. Apparently he didn't understand guys anymore then he understood girls. Great. His friends were dropping like flies. He really wasn't in the mood to go chasing after lost friendships right now.

"…demon."

Automatically Naruto looked up and around at whomever had said that. Speaking of it was still forbidden and it had been years since he had last heard it said aloud in public. Only when he looked around did he realize that he had a problem bigger then Sai. The crowd had parted like he was some sort of Moses; everybody was trying to get as far away from him as possible.

Naruto looked around himself, confused. He had never seen such fear and hate in the crowds, not even when he was a child. This was another problem that Naruto didn't have the heart to face right now.

Shaking his head, Naruto went into the nearest tea house to order a cup of tea and maybe some breakfast. He hadn't eaten anything from the hospital. Even free food had its limits so he decided to treat himself to someone else's cooking. He didn't have any food at home so he would probably do some shopping as well. When the server came to bring him his tea the poor girl was shaking so bad that she spilt the steaming liquid onto her hand. Naruto acted in the instant that she cried out, taking the cup from her hand and putting it on the table. The girl was in such a state of shock at his speed that she didn't even react when he led her to the light so that he could inspect her burn more closely. When she did regain her senses she began to cry and lash out savagely. Naruto released her in shock when he felt the sting of a slap on his cheek.

"What—" Naruto gasped in shock. He went to pull her from the floor from where she collapsed in her terror when her grandmother came to her rescue armed with a broom.

"Get away from her, demon. You fattened yourself enough on her parent's flesh. You'll not have hers to!" With that the old hag proceeded to beat him with the broom until he had left the shop.

Naruto's skin prickled with the feeling of all eyes on him but he was too shocked to move. Nobody had ever in his life been so aggressive to him like that. Ninjas doing their job were one thing but to be treated so cruelly by such a sweet looking old lady was completely different. They weren't even supposed to know about him.

"Mommy, what's a demon?" a soft voice asked from behind him. Naruto turned to look at a mother with her young son. As soon as his eyes fell on them, the mother turned her body to block the little boy from his view, as if she was protecting him. Naruto held his breath as he waited for her to answer.

"You must never go near that boy," the hairs on the back of Naruto's rose as he listened to her words, "and if you ever see him, run away as fast as you can."

Naruto couldn't believe what he had just heard. Nobody was allowed to talk like that, it was forbidden! Naruto thought desperately. His eyes turned to look at everyone who was looking at him. Eventually his eyes fell on a shop window where he saw his own reflection looking back at him with fear and pain reflected in his blue eyes. Naruto ran away as fast as he could.

Naruto was still visibly shaken as he reached his own apartment, he couldn't even get his key into the lock for a few minutes; his hand was shaking so badly. He finally made his way inside only to be back out within minutes in a change of clothes. His muscles had ceased to ache and so he sought a sense of normalcy in the pain.

Training block 17 was empty, as he expected it would be. With both Kakashi and Yamato gone away on whatever mission Tsunade had sent them on and Sai pissed at him, Naruto had to take charge of his own training. Sighing, he formed specific hand signals and in a poof of smoke he was facing an exact double of himself. Bowing to his opponent he took a fighting stance and charged.

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Sakura shifted her weight as she stood outside of Naruto's apartment. When she first heard the whispers she ran to the hospital only to find that Naruto had been discharged. She checked at the ramen stand that Naruto frequented and when she found no sign of him there she checked with Iruka (who was just exiting the academy), and Sai (was it just her or was he colder then usual?). Finally she made her way to his apartment; He had to return home eventually.

Sure enough, Naruto hobbled around the corner. Sakura took one look at him and ran to his side, immediately checking him for serious injuries. "Naruto, what happened?" she said worriedly as she ran her hand over at least two broken ribs, "Who attacked you?" Anybody who dared attack her teammate like this would be getting a taste of her left hook.

Naruto smirked through a wince as she touched his sore side, "No one attacked me, this is training."

Sakura would have let him taste her fist if he wasn't so injured, "You idiot! What kind of training leaves you in a state like this?" Sakura reached out her chakra in order to heal his ribs, sending it to the tips of her fingers.

"The good kind," Naruto responded as he reached out and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "Please don't heal them, Sakura; I want them to heal on their own." Anything to make the pain last as long as possible.

Sakura shook her head at what she thought was manly posturing. "Alright, but you'd better get some rest tonight, you look like something the cat dragged in after he urinated on it."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, "Gee Thanks." He allowed Sakura to support him on his way into his house. He turned to look at her. "I'd invite you in but I'm not well equipped to handle guests right now." His apartment was a mess and he still didn't get any groceries.

Sakura understood as she had just been coming to check on him anyway. With all the rumors flying around she had been worried for his safety. But then again, even if the fox truly was breaking free, nobody would dare attack him. She just hoped that Naruto hadn't gotten wind of the rumors; he'd be crushed to find his years of hard work of getting the village to accept him had been swept away in the blink of an eye and a whispered word.

As Naruto closed the door he fell against it. He knew exactly why Sakura had come. didn't she think that he could take care of himself? Naruto sighed as he stripped out of his clothing, walking nude through his apartment to the shower. Why bother with modesty, it wasn't like there was anybody to peek in on him anyway.

After his shower he dried himself of as best as he could with his hands. Sitting on his bed cross-legged Naruto settled down to meditate. He needed to talk to his tenant without any interruptions. Closing his eyes, Naruto completely shut himself from the world.

To be continued…

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A/N: In case anybody didn't notice, Naruto's type of training is like self-mutilation. I see Naruto fan fiction where Naruto is a razor-cutter and I personally can never see him doing that.

Please give me input on my story. I'd really appreciate it.