A/N Thank you fabulous reviewers! I have so many reviews that have been made in so little time! (possibly because of my update speed) That makes five chapters in two days. I'm so amazing sarcasm. Also, just wanted you to know that I'm just updating whenever I finish chapters. Okay, I would like to thank the reviewers once more! Most of them came as positive things, though. So far hardly anyone was a critic. Please, I need more critics! I also don't mind someone requesting what to happen next in the story. I've been checking the reviews often. Looks like a lot of people like Naruto getting revenge. Don't worry, that wasn't the climax! Well, it was a climax, but not THE climax. I'm just getting started! In case you've forgotten, this is only chapter six! Akatsuki gets involved in this chapter, too! Yay! Also, I've decided to write a different version of what happens after finishing this, if people really decide they like it. It has a lot more to do with Akatsuki, though… Oh well! You'll figure out when the time comes! For now, just read! This Author's Note is taking up way to much space!
Chapter Six: How Much Do You Care?
The woods were dense and filled with shadows. All those happy memories Naruto had… He could hardly believe they had all happened, just to lead up to this horrible point. The missions, the friends, the comfort… His innocence.
His innocence had been destroyed once he scratched his forehead protector. He had loved that forehead protector. The one he earned when he graduated ninja academy after four consecutive fails.
Fails? Yes, he had failed. The memory, instead of making him laugh like it used to, appalled him. How could he have failed? It didn't matter now. He was strong. He had no bonds. Nothing. And nobody had a bond with him.
Then why had he let them live?
Go back, you wimp, and destroy that village! The Kyuubi's rage was quite frightening at first.
You said you were going to possess me!
Not my fault! Like the wimp you were, you only partially let me possess you. I was able to give you much power, yes, and I was able to kill those people whether you liked it or not, but whatever happened, I wasn't in control ENTIRELY.
Just be quiet, would you?
What? You think you can boss me around?
Actually, yes. You're the demon, I'm the Jinchuuriki. I summon your strength. I can put it away. You can't kill me, or you kill yourself as well. Use logic. Obviously you aren't as smart as everyone takes you for.
There was no reply. Naruto sat down at the base of a tree. They won't let you away that easily, you know, the fox told him meekly, obviously not happy at his defeat in the recent conversation. Apparently he was used to being able to order Naruto do do something with that threat-the fear would usually cause Naruto to obey, despite the fact that he really had nothing to be afraid of.
I have a good few months before they send someone after me, Naruto replied, before taking out a Kunai and hitting an apple on a nearby apple tree with it. He fruit fell to the ground with a dull thud, and Naruto picked it up.
I wouldn't eat that, if I were you.
Why not? Naruto took a bite.
Because it may have bugs in it.
You're a demon that's afraid of bugs?
I said if I were you. I didn't say if I were you and had my powers and knowledge.
Yeah, well, if you were me and thought like me, you would eat it, because I'm eating it.
Noticing that it was the second argument he had lost in a few minutes, the Kyuubi seemed slightly annoyed as it said, Well, if I had my intelligence and knowledge and was in your place, I wouldn't eat it.
Yes you would. Having your knowledge would mean you would be used to having extreme chakra levels, and would obviously not fear a mere bug.
I'd like to know how you went from the idiot of the village to being as smart as Sakura.
Not hiding all my pain and sorrow makes it a hundred times easier to focus on more important things, such as winning arguments against you.
Yeah, yeah. Don't get too cocky.
"And his position is?" Kisame murmured quietly from on a branch above Itachi.
"Standing beneath the apple tree in front of us."
"Weapons?"
"None. He's currently eating an apple. By the look in his eyes, it seems he's communicating with the Kyuubi." Itachi withdrew a kunai. "Let's go."
"Right."
Naruto tossed the apple core to the side, not expecting the kunai that whizzed past him and pinned him against a tree. Soon more kunai pinned the rest of his limbs against the rough bark, and Naruto gave a frightened gasp as he saw Itachi. The Uchiha made Naruto's face feel cold, and his heart skipped a beat. "Get away…" he murmured, unable to assert anything. His fear made him forget the Kyuubi.
"Should I cut off some limbs now? He's escaped us one too many times," Kisame muttered.
Itachi remained silent as Kisame approached the frightened Jinchuuriki. No, please no!
Are you forgetting about my existence?
His blade absorbs chakra, idiot! Including demon chakra!
Before any further comment could be made, the large blade seemed to come at Naruto faster than lightning.
Blood splattered onto the ground, staining the bright green grass with a bright red.
Hinata was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. "Naruto!" Multiple skilled ninja were filing past her, tracking down the son of the Fourth Hokage.
"I've seemingly lost all power! The only thing that keeps me the Hokage is this paperwork!" Tsunade muttered angrily, tears falling to the ground.
"I wish Naruto knew how sorry I was for bringing this upon him and everyone else!" Sakura cried.
"There, there. He's alright, I know he is. Naruto is full of the power of youth," Lee comforted, though it wasn't helping much.
"YOUTH?" Sakura barked, indignant. "You and Gai-sensei's stupid youth! Nobody cares about that stupid thing!"
"Sakura! Calm down!" Neji said quietly. "You know Lee. He's just doing whatever he can to make things better."
"Well, neither of you are much help!" Sakura shouted, venting her anger out on the two boys.
A ninja who had gone out to look for Naruto stepped up to Tsunade and said loud enough for most people to hear: "We've found blood. But not just any blood. After close examination, it looks like Naruto's."
"What?" Hinata, Sakura, Neji, Lee, Tenten, and all those who had been close to Naruto said, shocked, in unision.
"You've got to be kidding…" Tsunade managed to whimper. "Any evidence that he was killed?"
"No, it looks like someone just wanted to make a capture. By the amount of oxygen left in the blood we found, none of it came directly from his heart, nor any other vital organs."
Hokage or not, Tsunade's face grew pale, and she leaned against a wall for support. "Go back and do whatever it takes to find out who did this!"
"Understood."
Hinata gave a gulp. "Naruto…" Shocked she passed out, unable to handle what had happened to her hero.
"Well, no more demons in Konoha now, right?" someone in the village who had heard cheered.
"He isn't…" Sakura whispered, then raised her voice to its loudest. "HE ISN'T A DEMON!"
"All of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" Tsunade added as a few cheering people fell silent. "Do you dare doubt the strength of the Fourth Hokage's seal?"
Silence. One person dared. "The Fourth Hokage was a nutcase! I don't even know how he became Hokage in the first place!"
"That isn't true!" someone else argued. "The Fourth Hokage was a great ninja! So were all who had his blood!"
"I'm glad," Jiraiya said, smiling, "That you just complimented Naruto."
"What do you mean?" the woman who had defended the Fourth Hokage asked, curious.
"Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son," was the answer. Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Well, it was quite obvious!" Tsunade shouted at them. "Isn't it odd that out of all the babies in the village, the one chosen was one who coincidentally looked and later on acted just like the Fourth Hokage?"
"Well…" Murmurs of confusion, doubt, and acknowledgement went through the crowd. Hinata slowly got up after a lot of shaking from Tenten.
"Well, if the boy's possessed, technically he could be the son of anyone and still be evil!" someone shouted happily.
"HE ISN'T POSSESSED! DO YOU PEOPLE NOT KNOW WHAT A SEAL DOES? THE KYUUBI HAS NO CONTROL OVER WHAT NARUTO IS DOING UNLESS NARUTO LETS HIM! HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE KYUUBI WAS INSIDE HIM UNTIL THAT BITCH MIZUKI TOLD HIM!" Hinata snapped. Gasps erupted from the crowd; all out of the shocking fact that Hinata had just shouted something angrily, and in the process, called someone a bitch.
"Hinata!" Sakura gasped. "You just… Just… What's gotten into you?"
"Naruto was my inspiration!" Hinata cried. The crowd quieted down. "No matter what people did to him, or said about him, he never gave up!" The words were shaky now as Hinata began crying. "He showed me that I can have dreams, too. He showed me what it means to be strong. To never give up. He showed me that a dropout can become whatever they want, no matter what! And you're all just taking his dreams away from him, just because he's a Jinchuuriki! He tried harder than any of you, just to be recognized! Not to be great, to be recognized! And you all just… You just ignored every attempt he made! No matter how many times he helped save the day, no matter how many times he did what was right at the cost of his own safety, no matter what he did… For the record, I find he's done more than anybody in this entire village has done to prove themselves worthy of recognition!" Hinata wiped away her tears. "And… Now I'm wishing that he had just killed you all!" She buried her face in her hands and started crying.
A long silence crept over Konoha. "I think she's right," someone said quietly. "He nearly died bringing Sasuke back. Most ninja didn't even go, or even want to go. And yet we treat him as if he was the one who didn't try, and we did."
"Not to mention," someone added, "The time he saved Sakura and Sasuke's life with sheer determination while battling the Sand Shinobi."
"And the multiple missions he's been on where he's completely changed the way people look at things. Remember the princess from Snow Country? He saved her life, and made her see that she should never run away or give up," someone else remarked.
"Now do you see what we've been doing? It's us who are the demons! He's been going through more hardship in one lifetime than anyone should go through in a thousand lifetimes!" Tsunade stated. "Who's for saving Naruto?"
Silence. One person dared once more. And cheered. "Save Naruto!" he cried, and was followed by multiple others. If you had stood a mile away from Konoha that day, you would hear a faint voice in the distance; "Save Naruto."
A/N Just for those who haven't watched the Japanese versions of the shows and instead prefer to watch the English versions-which are very far behind-, Jinchuuriki means Demon Container. Also, the Snow Country mission was a movie, and by far one of my favorite Naruto movies, too. Don't even bother watching the second Naruto movie, just skip to the third... That second one was bad, just in my opinion. Just wanted you to know this. By the way, for those of you who think Naruto's life is ruined and he'll never be a ninja again… Well, just keep reading. You'll find out.