Happy Harry Potter Day everyone! Got your books yet? I've had mine for only twenty-four hours, and I'm already almost done! I was so into reading that I almost forgot to update!
Anyway, I would like to send out my usual thanks to everyone who added me to an Alert List or reveiwed. Thank you!
I am also sorry to inform you that this is the end, the final chapter. I didn't mention it before because I didn't want anyone to get… upset (even though it's clearly stated in my profile). I am working on two semi-sequels, but the going is rough, and it may take a while. Sorry!
And now, for the disclaimer, performed by Deidara!
Deidara: Griffin does not own Naruto, yeah.
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A few days later, when they were just a few miles from Konoha, the young ninja decided that it was safe to let Naruto wake up. Sakura removed the seal, and Naruto woke up immediately.
"If you try to run, we'll knock you out again," Sasuke threatened.
Naruto glared at Sasuke for a few seconds, and then hung his head. They all resumed their walk towards Konoha.
"Naruto," Hinata said, worried. She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, but he jerked away. No one said anything after that.
After a couple of hours, they had reached Konoha's gates. Lady Tsunade had, apparently, doubled the guard in their absence.
"Who goes there?" a random ninja demanded.
"Team Seven, Team Eight, Team Ten, and Team Gai," Shikamaru replied. Instantly, they were surrounded by at least twenty ANBU.
"You will come with us," one of the ANBU ordered. The young ninja looked at each other, shrugged, and allowed themselves to be herded.
They were put in a large, empty room with no windows and only one door. Naruto immediately separated himself from the others, sitting at the opposite end of the room. Whenever someone would try to talk to him, he would slam his hands over his ears, and he stayed that way until they left him alone.
After several hours, the young ninja were beginning to get nervous, and not without due cause. (As a matter of fact, here she comes now….)
CRASH!!!!!!
The door flew open, hit the wall, and broke it two. Standing in the doorway was Lady Tsunade, very steamed (like vegetables).
"You ... you… YOU BRATS!!!" Tsunade bellowed.
"Hello, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said nervously. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
"Don't give me that!" Tsunade exclaimed. "You lot disobeyed a direct order!"
"So punish us," Ino said.
"Why you…," Tsunade growled.
"We couldn't just leave Naruto-kun out there," Lee said.
"No kind of order would have kept us from going after him," Hinata said. Everyone else nodded, agreeing.
Tsunade sighed and smiled.
"Fine," she said. "Wait here, your parents will be up shortly."
"What about our punishment," Neji asked.
"We'll talk about that later," Tsunade said, her smile become quite evil. She left, laughing softly.
"Why do I have the feeling that we are seriously screwed?" Kiba said.
A few seconds later, a flood of parents entered the room.
"Honey, I'm so glad…."
"… not hurt, are you?"
"… was so worried…."
Fragments of conversation floated around the room. No one approached Naruto, and he kept his hand firmly clamped over his ears.
"Sakura, honey!" Sakura's mother, Yuri, squealed. She hugged Sakura tight.
"Are you alright, Sakura?" Sakura's father, Tadashii, asked.
"Yes, of course," Sakura said.
While Sakura's parents checked her for wounds, Hyuga Hiashi was approaching his oldest daughter calmly. Hyuga Hanabi, however, was running.
"Ne-san!" Hanabi shouted, tackling Hinata in tears. "I was so worried!"
"It's alright Hanabi," Hinata said, holding her little sister close. "I'm here."
"Hinata," Hiashi said. Hanabi squeaked and backed off. Hinata climbed to her feet.
"Why did you disobey orders," Hiashi demanded.
"I… well, I…," Hinata stammered.
"Well?" Hiashi asked.
"I…," Hinata said. Suddenly, a look of determination lit her face. "I made a decision. I…."
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After checking Sakura thoroughly for wounds, despite her insistence that she was fine, her parents were finally convinced she was okay.
"Now Sakura," Yuri said, "why did you do something so foolish?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"You disobeyed orders," Tadashii said, "and you deliberately put your life in danger."
"But… I… Naruto's my teammate, my friend!" Sakura exclaimed. "I couldn't just sit here, not doing anything!"
"Now, honey," Yuri said, patting Sakura's hand, "we know how you feel about… the boy. But there's something you don't understand."
"What?" Sakura asked.
"What you Kaa-san is trying to say is that boy is dangerous," Tadashii said. "You may think that he's your friend…."
"Stop it," Sakura said, in a quiet but harsh voice. She snatched her hand away from Yuri.
"Sakura," Yuri said, in an admonishing tone.
"Why don't you say his name," Sakura asked. "Why haven't you ever looked at him?"
"This is neither the time nor the place," Tadashii said.
"I know Naruto is my friend," Sakura said. "He's a loyal friend, and a good ninja. Naruto taught me the meaning of strength. Naruto saved my life. Naruto… Naruto…."
"Honey it's just," Yuri said.
"Naruto is Naruto," Sakura said. "He is not the Kyubi."
Tadashii and Yuri stared at their daughter, openly shocked. Over in another section, Hinata was still talking to her father. She nodded firmly, and he smiled. What happened next stunned everyone in the room into silence.
Hinata turned and walked towards Naruto. Sakura left her parents and joined the Hyuga heiress.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata said. Naruto took his hands off his ears and looked up at the two kunoichi. Hinata dropped to her knees, and took Naruto's hands.
"We don't care about the Kyubi Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "That doesn't matter to us" The other young ninja left their families, and stood around Naruto.
"We will never turn our back on you, Naruto," Neji said.
"We will always be by your side," Choji said firmly.
"No one is going to call you a monster or a demon ever again," Tenten said.
"We'll make sure they don't!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Yeah, we'll beat them bloody!" Ino shouted.
"For sure," Shino agreed.
Naruto didn't' respond to any of this. Sasuke stood beside the blonde boy.
"Fool," he said flatly. "You don't believe us? You think we hate you? Because you hate yourself?" Naruto stared at Sasuke.
"You think too much," Sasuke said. "You always have."
"No one thinks badly of you, Naruto," Sakura said.
"Stop taking all the blame onto yourself," Shikamaru said. "You're not strong enough to bear that burden yet."
"Divide it up," Lee said. "Let us lighten your load, until you are strong enough."
Naruto looked around at all of his friends. Each time he made eye contact, that person would nod. He looked at Hinata last.
"Naruto," she said. "Aishiteru, Naruto-kun."
Naruto stared at Hinata for the longest time. Then, he collapsed forward, into Hinata's arms, sobbing.
I'm not alone any more! Naruto thought.
Of course not, kit Kyubi replied. You never were.
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Damn… I made myself cry… and this is the end too… cries for five minutes
A little something extra: the speech given by Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Lee is taken from another manga (with a few modifications, of course). Tell me what it is, and you win a special prize. If you tell me who made the original speech also, you get an even better prize…
Well, this is the end. I've had a lot of fun writing this, and I've enjoyed the response… from the number of Alert Lists it's been put on, I'd say it's been my most popular story, even though it has the fewest reviews. Thanks for your support, please read the rest of my works. Sayonara!
