A Shattered Demon Child

Part 23

Hey everyone; it's been a while. Sorry for the wait, but since it's been a while, I've got something a bit lighter for you guys this time. I don't want to spoil the update, but I will say that we're now going to stray a bit farther from the canon.

With that being said, for any NaruHina fans who happened to find this story, you might enjoy the rest of the story from here until the end. It was always my intention to bring Hinata in as an important character after a while, and now, the time has come. Their relationship won't be the main focus, but it'll pop up from time-to-time as we approach the end of the story.

But relax; this is still going to be angsty. Enjoy the update!

-xXstarryXnightXx

The rest of the Rookie Nine were all trying to do what they could to stop Naruto from chasing after Sasuke. The majority had worn Sakura down and convinced her to abandon hope for bringing Sasuke back. That hurt Naruto the most about the entire situation; he could see they were giving up on the raven-haired teen that had abandoned their village. Naruto thought defeating Pain would bring down the rest of the Akatsuki, but once again, he was wrong. He worked so hard and managed to save the village in the process, and yet, it still wasn't enough.

Naruto had helped Nagato see the error in his ways, and yet, he felt little relief in what he accomplished. The blond was beginning to understand why Sasuke didn't stop with killing Itachi; it just wasn't enough. The more bodies that dropped, the more Naruto realized there were bigger threats looming above their heads. Sasuke appeared to the village to be just a hindrance, until the other threats to the village began to be taken care of one-by-one. No number of accomplishments nor amount of acknowledgment could replace or undo the darkness that stained his heart. The blond became more and more obsessed with pushing the limit and facing more and more danger. Where he felt most shinobi would run away, he couldn't help but run straight into the fight.

The blond barely slept a wink after he saved the village. He was always on edge, feeling as if it was his responsibility to fight whatever came his way, even at the cost of his life. Naruto wouldn't describe his behavior as intentionally reckless; it was more like an impulse to run a fight, no matter the size. Sakura and Yamato had both tried to talk to the blond numerous times about his behavior, but he ignored them. He was stuck in his own path to complete self-destruction, and Naruto was almost addicted to his dangerous impulses. Kakashi himself had tried to talk to the blond, but Naruto would just brush off his concerns and explain he was just really focused on his goal to protect the village.

The jonin knew what his student was doing, and Kakashi could only try to move him in the opposite direction if possible. By the time Sakura made up her mind on killing Sasuke, the Rookies were very aware of Naruto's path to his own self-destruction. Many of them theorized just as Sakura did that if they took care of Sasuke, then they would ease one of the blond's heaviest burdens. Everyone knew when Naruto found out how he would react, but never did they think he would completely breakdown the way he did. If there was one thing Naruto made sure of, it was that he never let others see his panic attacks if he could help it.

The entire event was a blur to Naruto, but to Kakashi and Yamato, they couldn't forget if they tried. If it hadn't been for the fact Kakashi was more worried about Naruto than Sakura or Sai, he would have yelled at them for hours for their part in creating more stress for Naruto. Kakashi didn't try to stop Sakura, nor did Yamato, but Yamato did convince him to tag along while he took Naruto back to the village when he woke up. The gray-haired sensei didn't expect for Naruto to slip away to chase after Sasuke.

For most of the trip back to the village, the blond hardly broke character. Kakashi was unsure as to why Naruto even bothered faking it when his entire team knew it was all a façade. His sensei had attempted to speak to Naruto privately on their journey back, but to his disappointment, there had hardly been time to talk with him. Kakashi had fully intended on lecturing him once they returned, but once again, his plans had changed.

Time seemed to slow down once Tsunade was finally awake from her coma. Kakashi visited the still recovering Hokage shortly after catching her up on the situation with the Five-Kage Summit and Danzo. She quickly caught on to the reason he visited her alone when she noticed how exhausted the jonin looked.

Kakashi was growing more and more concerned for his blond student; Naruto's behavior had become more unpredictable. While Tsunade understood the sensei's concerns, she had to point out the fact that their hands were tied. Their objective was to protect Naruto and deal with the fact they were soon going to war with the Akatsuki. Any hope of redeeming Sasuke had already left all minds expect for Naruto's; he would still fight for his rival to return home. They viewed his unconditional bond with Sasuke as toxic, but Naruto didn't see it the way they did.

There was really one solution to their situation; they couldn't afford to let Naruto out of their sights if they could help it. Kakashi knew something inside of Naruto changed when Jiraiya died; losing his master had almost broken the blond, and surprisingly, he still held himself together well enough that Kakashi didn't think locking him in a padded room was entirely necessary. The sensei, however, feared that if the blond became any more out of control that they might have no choice. The gray-haired jonin didn't want to lose his student, so he was willing to risk Naruto hating him if it meant saving his life.

There was also the issue that Sakura found shortly after looking at Naruto after he was poisoned by her kunai in when he saved Sakura from Sasuke's attack. Kakashi had ordered her to search for any new injuries or signs of bruising, and to his disappointment, she found all of the above. She also noted that Naruto wasn't eating properly based on how many visible ribs she could count. He had lost weight again, and on top of that, he was still hurting himself. What hurt the most for Kakashi was that he was starting to wonder if he could help Naruto at all, or if the blond alive only because he hadn't decided to make another attempt on his life.

After talking with Tsunade about the entire situation, she ordered Kakashi to go talk to Naruto. Kakashi had already planned on doing so, but he still nodded along and left shortly after talking with Tsunade. Kakashi recalled Naruto dragging Yamato to the training grounds when they spoke not even a few minutes prior to his meeting with the Hokage. He darted off across the still rebuilding village as he made his way towards their usual training grounds. When he got within sight of the training grounds, Kakashi was surprised to see Sakura talking with Naruto.

Well, not exactly talking, but having a heated argument of some kind. Yamato, who was a bystander in the conversation, simply watched the two with a conflicted look on his face. Kakashi managed to sneak through the trees close enough to hear a bit of their conversation.

"Naruto, not everything is your responsibility!" Sakura scolded in a loud tone. "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep this up!"

The blond crossed his arms before he replied sharply, "I promised I would bring Sasuke back, and I never go back on my word! Why are you suddenly so against that?"

The pink-haired girl flinched at his tone before she answered loudly, "Because I don't want to watch you die in the process! You're running yourself to the ground and you don't even care enough to think about how much it hurts to watch!"

Kakashi winced at her harsh words as he began to use his Sharingan to further observe their behavior. He could see the tears in Sakura's eyes and the pained look on her face as Naruto looked away from her with a bitter look in his eyes. Yamato looked ready to run for his life to get away from this conversation. The sensei would step in when he needed to, and so, he watched from a distance.

"If it bothers you so much then just leave me alone," Naruto said in a dull tone.

Kakashi's trained ears could hear the hurt in his voice despite how he tried to hide it. Naruto did his best to think of everyone else's needs before his own, so this comment was out of character for him. He could see the dark look in the blond's eyes; Naruto had removed his mask again, and it was terrifying. Any sunshine or energy that he could reflect in his bright eyes had turned dark and cold. This Naruto seemed lifeless, almost as if he were operating without thought or consideration for the impact his words really had. This wasn't their Naruto; this was someone else.

"Fine."

Kakashi's eyes widened a bit as he watched Sakura quickly storm off. Naruto didn't bother trying to stop her; he just looked down at the ground and turned away from Yamato. The brown-haired sensei put his hand on his shoulder before muttering something that Kakashi could only assume was "I'll go talk to her" before he darted after Sakura. The blond was left standing alone on the training field, leaving Kakashi to wonder what his student was going to do while he was unaware of his sensei's presence. The gray-haired jonin would observe from the shadows just to see what would happen if Naruto was left completely alone.

His heart hurt a bit when Naruto plopped onto the ground, drawing his knees to his chest. Resting his chin over his knees, Naruto just kept his eyes on the grass. Kakashi knew the dull look in his eyes; it was misery. The jonin in the trees was about to dart forward to speak to him before he noticed a familiar Hyuga walking into view towards the distressed blond.

"H-Hi Naruto," the kind girl greeted the blond with a small smile on her face.

Naruto's gaze lightened a bit as he looked up at Hinata. Her gaze softened a bit as she crouched down in front of Naruto. There was at least one person who didn't get angry with Naruto, and Hinata was that one person. The blond wasn't always sure what Hinata's deal was or why she was so nice, and regardless of her reasons, he trusted her. He wanted to be alone, but this was Hinata, and he couldn't just push her away. Something in her eyes just told him there was something she needed from him. Naruto never minded talking with Hinata or helping her with something; she was a gentle soul.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto greeted with a weak smile. "What's up?"

"I just happened to be passing by and saw you," Hinata answered shyly. "I haven't really seen you by lately, so I thought I'd ask how you were doing."

Naruto's expression dulled a bit more before he replied, "Oh, I was just training with Captain Yamato. We were just taking a break."

The heiress nodded quietly before she replied, "O-Oh, I see. S-Sorry to interrupt your break then."

As she rose to her feet, Naruto quickly reached out and lightly grabbed her hand. Hinata froze as she turned to look at him with a bit of surprise. The truth was Naruto did want to talk to her about whatever was on her mind. He knew something was bothering her, and he was a little worried about the shy girl. He may have been dense, but he wasn't blind. Naruto had nothing but respect for the young heiress and her amazing strength.

"No, you're not interrupting at all," he said quickly.

Hinata nodded at him before sitting in front of him. Naruto crossed his legs as he let go of her hand. A light blush crossed her face as she looked at Naruto with a slightly worried look. The blond tilted his head to the side before he decided to break the sudden silence.

"Is something the matter?" Naruto asked quietly.

Hinata thought to herself for a moment before she answered hesitantly, "N-Not really. It's nothing."

His blue eyes widened a bit. "What is it?"

The pale-eyed girl pulled her knees to her chest before she replied quietly, "It's just… A lot has happened since you came back to the village…"

Naruto tensed up at the reminder. He took a deep breath as he waited for the possible lecture or manipulation to begin. His gaze dulled a bit before Hinata finished her sentence. He had heard it all before, so it wasn't impossible for him to sit through. He was lectured or reminded about his wellbeing and his self-destructive tendencies. It wasn't unusual, if anything, he'd been expecting this from everyone sooner or later.

"I just hope you're doing okay, that's all," Hinata quickly blurted out.

The blond was taken aback by her sincerity. He felt guilty knowing he had to lie to her. It wasn't fair for him to keep lying to everyone, even Hinata. He never directly lied to her, he only fronted. Naruto almost choked when he realized he had already been deceiving her since the very beginning. The girl who had only ever been honest and kind to him didn't deserve to be lied to. She deserved better than that. Naruto's eyes watered slightly as he put his head down.

"Hinata," Naruto breathed.

"Y-Yes Naruto?"

He couldn't stop himself if he wanted to. "I'm not."

Those two words weighed heavily in the air as Hinata stayed silent. Naruto looked up at her to see her concerned gaze. Her mouth hung open slightly as she simply stared at him. The blond didn't feel she was pitying him like everyone else; she was genuinely concerned. She really did care about him, and that hurt Naruto a bit. He didn't want to worry her; Hinata had enough on her plate. She didn't need to concern herself with someone like him. Even still, Naruto felt it was easier to put her mind at ease by being honest than leave her worrying with a crappy lie.

"I think it's perfectly reasonable not to be," Hinata replied softly. "You've had to deal with a lot all at once."

Naruto felt a sad smile tug on the edge of his lips. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'll be fine, ya know?"

The heiress frowned slightly. "But you're not fine right now, and that matters just as much."

The blond almost choked as he fought against the dam in his eyes that threatened to burst. Hinata, despite how shy and timid she was, was very insightful. Naruto had almost forgotten that she could see right through him sometimes. It made him wonder if she had known how bad things had gotten. Naruto was certain that Sakura and Sai had kept their mouths shut about his destructive habits or about how miserable the blond was. Regardless, it had gotten to the point Hinata had confronted him about her concerns.

"I-I'm here if you want to talk about anything," Hinata said with a small smile.

Naruto thought for a moment before he asked quietly, "Why would you do that for someone like me?"

A look of shock crossed Hinata's face before she answered confidently, "Because if it weren't for you, I would have given up on being a shinobi a long time ago. I'm not the only one you've inspired. The entire village has nothing but respect for you for all you've done for them."

The blond froze up at her words. "T-They respect me?"

The heiress nodded as she replied adamantly, "Your risked everything to save the people of this village. Everyone knows it, and they're grateful for everything you've done for us."

Tears silently raced down Naruto's cheeks as he looked up at her. Hinata looked hurt as she waited for Naruto to say something. The blond only looked into her pale eyes for a few moments before looking back down at the ground in front of him. He didn't expect to hear that, even from Hinata. He felt conflicted; he hoped she was telling the truth, but part of him couldn't believe it.

"I'm so fucking stupid," Naruto exhaled.

"W-What do you mean?"

The blond held his breath before he explained quickly, "I didn't think anyone cared.'

Hinata gasped quietly before she replied firmly, "That's not true at all. We all care about you."

The dam finally broke as Naruto hung his head. He choked down his sobs quietly as he dug his nails into his scalp. His mind was in a frenzy to comprehend what Hinata had just said. Naruto believed the opposite to be true, but it was hard to imagine Hinata being wrong or lying to him. She had no reason to lie; he genuinely believed she cared about him. After sitting in agonizing silence for several moments, Naruto felt a pair of hand brush against his. He flinched at the contact as he felt Hinata gently pull at his wrist. He stopped digging his nails into his scalp as soon as he felt her light grip on his wrist.

His hands landed in his lap, leaving him to stare down at them numbly. The blood coating his fingertips didn't really register as an issue anymore. Naruto had grown used to being hurt and covered in his own blood. Despite the fact his mind faintly registered that he could be worried about Hinata seeing it, Naruto couldn't bring himself to care. He balled his hands into fists just before his forehead made contact with a soft surface. Before he knew it, Hinata was hugging Naruto. He buried his head into her shoulder before she broke the silence between them.

"I have no doubt you'll bring Sasuke back," Hinata confessed in a soft tone. "And I know you'll become the Hokage. You've worked your whole life to get this far. It hasn't come true yet because your life is far from over."

Naruto choked a bit before he replied in a hurt tone, "I've already given up."

She shook her head. "You don't want to give up on Sasuke or your dream of being Hokage. What you really want is to stop hurting."

The gray-haired jonin was shocked at the sudden turn of events. One minute, Hinata and Naruto were just talking, and the next, the blond was breaking down right in front of her. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a bit of relief seeing the two interacting. He had known for years Hinata had a crush on the blond, but after she took on Pain trying to protect Naruto, the sensei knew without a doubt she loved him. He was smiling under his mask as he observed their interaction from afar. It warmed his heart he swore had turned to stone so long ago.

It wasn't long before he noticed someone was rapidly approaching his location. Kakashi turned his head to see Yamato suddenly appear below the tree, looking up at him.

"What did I miss?" Yamato asked in a stunned tone.

Kakashi flashed an eye-smile at him before he replied, "Nothing we need to worry about."

The captain sighed as he crossed his arms. "Leave it to me to miss out on the important stuff."

The jonin shrugged before he asked, "Did you manage to talk to Sakura?"

Yamato nodded hesitantly before he replied quietly, "I guess you saw what happened then. I did manage to talk to her."

"And how'd that go?"

The captain let out a heavy sigh. "About as well as you could imagine. She's worried about him. Apparently, the other teams have started to worry about Naruto as well, and they've been asking her how he's doing. Sakura tells them he's fine and that he's just really focused on his training, but they don't really believe that's all of it. She mentioned Hinata was especially worried."

Kakashi thought for a moment before he replied, "That seems to check out, all things considered."

He looked back up towards where Hinata and Naruto were to see something surprising. He had never expected to see the shy Hyuga touch Naruto, let alone hug him. Kakashi couldn't help but smile once again as he noticed Naruto then hug Hinata back. He didn't care about Naruto's bloody fingernails that he dug into his scalp, nor did he care to stop Hinata from comforting the blond. Naruto got a pass on this occasion; there was no need to bother lecturing him on such a minor offense.

He's happy, Kakashi concluded. That's all that matters.