If some of the characters are OOC, don't complain because this is an AU fanfic, meaning some of them will be OOC.
The italics is the voice speaking.
In all honesty, I'm very fond of this story, but it's a dark tale. I'm not sure if there will be a happy ending or not because my mind has only taken me to the Chunin exams. I received a review that liked the story but asked me to lighten the mood. How do you lighten the mood of a story about a twelve-year-old who on the brink of insanity with everyone out to make him go over the edge? To me, Ice Cold shall be like a dark fairytale. Maybe I'll make the ending something sappy and happy. To that reviewer, I do try to include fluffy moments. They just don't seem very fluffy.
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't be driven to go to Orochimaru.
Chapter Five: End of Sanity
Naruto looked around the room he would be sharing with his teammates. It was tiny to say the very least. Two bunk beds lined opposite walls with a dresser between them. He noticed a bathroom connected and was slightly relieved. He didn't want to walk around this place at night. Kakashi wasn't with them, but he told them to save a top bunk for him. Naruto walked over to the bunk above Sakura, who claimed the first bunk. He threw his bag onto the mattress and looked at Sasuke, who was taking the last lower bunk. They were nervous.
"Naruto, how are you holding up?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged and looked through the dresser drawers. They each had a drawer. Clothes and weapons were to be stored in different scrolls. He found it interesting that this was their method. "My parents…" Sakura trailed off at the parent word. Naruto didn't seem to notice, but Sasuke looked away. "I'll miss the village." Naruto shrugged again as he went into the bathroom. All the necessities were there. Even Sakura's were there. "Naruto, do you know what they're going to do to us?" Naruto looked at them. Team Seven were just three kids in way over their heads. "Please tell us." Naruto climbed into his bunk and judged how tall he'd have to get to hit the ceiling while waking up. "Naruto." Naruto sighed.
"They're going to break us. Make us feel nothing towards human life. I don't know how, but it'll be gory probably," Naruto said. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke and wondered how quickly they'll leave this place behind. He switched to staring at the ceiling and wondered just how long it'll take to break them. He closed his eyes and all he saw was killing Mizuki. He forced the images away and dozed off to the memory of a fairytale, something he hadn't heard in a long time.
ICECOLD
"You had no right to use such a jutsu on him!" Kurenai shouted at Kakashi. She was too worried about Naruto the day before to really make Kakashi pay. "Kakashi, Naruto is teetering on the edge and you pull a dumb move like that!" Kakashi was stunned on the floor because Kurenai slapped him hard. He was surprised his jaw wasn't broken from the blow. He couldn't fully understand that Kurenai just hit him. Kurenai. Just. Hit. Him. That was something that hadn't happened in a long time. He touched the spot where she did as she glared at him. "Naruto is one of my precious people, Kakashi. He's one of the few left. Please don't hurt him like that ever again. I don't know what will happen in his training, but I don't want to say goodbye to him." Kakashi nodded slowly.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like that. I need something to knock him out without any physical damages. I wasn't aware of the sedatives being for adults," Kakashi said. Kurenai sat down on her couch and pinched the bridge of her nose. Kakashi listened to her muttering about the ward and stupid nurses. She looked at Kakashi and sighed.
"When Naruto killed Mizuki, everyone thought he would snap and kill everyone. He kept pleading to the Hokage and me to stop the voice. He was terrified of being alone because of the voice. They had Naruto sedated and restrained most of the time," Kurenai said, exhausted. She remembered looking over at a drugged up Naruto, who could barely say the simplest of words. She remembered him staring on at the shadows of the room as if expecting someone to come out of them. "They found Naruto next to a dead Mizuki and an injured Iruka. He was placed in a genjutsu that time too." She wasn't allowed to be part of the search team because if they had to, they were going to kill Naruto. "I think Sasuke being on his team is a bad decision. Naruto is still hurting over Itachi." She saw the locket that no longer held any pictures and was buried in a shoebox. "Kakashi, go back to your team." Kurenai couldn't stand to look at the other Jonin anymore. He nodded and left quickly. Kurenai left her apartment and travelled to a familiar one. She unlocked the door with her key and looked at the lonely place. Years ago, a single father and son would've found this place a sanctuary. Kurenai could almost see Tora and little Naruto laughing. Naruto didn't deserve to have his life ripped right from under him. She walked back the hall and stood before a locked door that was Tora's. She closed her eyes and knew it was wrong to be here. She fled from the apartment and never looked back at it. It was wrong. She was confused by the feelings growing in her heart. Naruto was probably never coming back. Promises only go as far as a kunai is long.
ICECOLD
Naruto wasn't surprised when Sakura was taken away first the next morning. He wasn't surprised when Sasuke was given scrolls on human anatomy to learn up on. Naruto was given the same scrolls, but Kakashi told the white haired boy that he'd be doing something else. Naruto was given scrolls on different types of genjutsu. Kakashi left the boys in the room together and went to check on Sakura. He put it out of his mind that he was killing children as he walked underground to the ANBU prison. Sakura was waiting for him with a death row inmate. The ANBU had saved many prisoners for Team Seven's uses, and Kakashi planned to use them up.
"Sakura, your task is to get rid of these prisoners. The ANBU will keep bringing them in until I command them to stop. I expect you know what to do. Here," Kakashi said, holding out a standard ANBU sword. Sakura took it was shaking hands and looked at Kakashi with terror in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. "Good luck. I'll check up on you soon." Kakashi left Sakura in the room, but he watched her through a double sided mirror. Sakura abandoned the sheath and took only one slice to go through the prisoner's neck. Kakashi watched her throw up while another was brought in. He continued to watch Sakura cry and hack her way through prisoners. He didn't notice the fidgeting ANBU members behind them. They wanted it to stop, but Kakashi was the boss.
"Why us?" Sakura shouted at no one. She missed the neck and had to try again as blood flowed everywhere. Kakashi was interested. "Sasuke, Naruto, and I are just kids! What did we do to deserve this!" Sakura stabbed the next prisoner and stopped for a moment. Kakashi picked Sakura for her intelligence. He didn't need her to be the killer, but he needed her to know how to kill. "Naruto was the real prize, huh?" Sasuke was only chosen because of guilt. Kakashi could've done without him. Naruto was the killer. He was the one Kakashi wanted to mold to be perfect. He saw himself in Naruto. He saw Obito and Itachi in Sasuke. In Sakura, Kakashi saw Minato and Rin. He signaled to the guard to let one of the prisoners go to run around in the room. Sakura went through another messy kill. He called it over after watching Sakura curl up in the blood to cry her heart out. The ANBU were happy to follow.
"Sakura, today is the first day of this same training. I need to you to learn to kill effectively. You're not our killer, but I need to know for the purpose of the mission. I need you to believe in your teammates and follow the mission, no matter how difficult until finished," Kakashi said. Sakura weakly stared up at him. She threw up a final time and looked at the final prisoner. He was slumped against the wall with several gashes and a final wound to his stomach. This wasn't her future. Kakashi could see Sakura leaving this place as soon as she became Chunin. "Go shower and get something to eat. Tomorrow is Sasuke's turn. Maybe he'll break the first day like you." Sakura got up quickly and was gone as fast.
"Hatake, are you sure about this? They're just children," an ANBU captain said. Kakashi looked at the captain in question. The rest of the team was cleaning up the room of the blood and body. "This is going a little extreme for children. Didn't they just graduate from the Academy? You should've started them off slow." Kakashi sighed and hated it when his methods were questioned. He glanced over the diluted blood and wanted to hurt the captain. "You could at least spare Haruno and Uchiha. They're not killers, Hatake. Only Uzumaki is a killer." Kakashi's anger bubbled.
"They're not children anymore. They gave up on childhood when they accepted their hitai-ate. Uzumaki is in the same boat as them. He's not a killer. Haruno and Uchiha aren't killers either, but they'll become what I need them to be. They're my soldiers now," Kakashi said. He left the room behind and went to check up on the boys. He reached the room and heard shouting going on inside. He opened the door slowly and came upon the scene of Naruto patching up a wound Sakura got from the sword and Sasuke shouting because Naruto was ignoring his questions.
"Look, Sasuke, I'm not going to tell you a damn thing about Itachi because what happened between me and him is none of your damn concern!" Naruto said. Sakura was staring at her hand without any emotion in her eyes. Naruto noticed this and lifted up her head by her chin. A brief shot of familiarity crossed his eyes before changing to in thought. "Sakura, it's okay." Sakura's eyes didn't change, but Kakashi wasn't noticed and Sasuke was silent. "It'll get easier to handle. The nightmares go away, and the memories will fade." Naruto helped Sakura to the bathroom and sat against the door as she showered. He didn't look at Kakashi, who was writing something down in a notebook, or glance at Sasuke, who was fuming about Naruto's earlier comment. "Sakura, let me tell you about the greatest man I've ever met." Sakura was finished showering and was probably sitting against the other side of the door. "I want to tell you about my father." Everything in the room stopped moving as Naruto talked proudly of the short amount of time he got to spend with Uzumaki Tora. "If Tora never tried to get close to me, I would've found a way to kill myself a long time ago. I'll never forget what his teammates told me at the funeral." Naruto paused and looked at the floor and wonder how many shinobi like him dwelled in here before. "I was called Tora's pride and joy. Even though I wasn't his blood son, Tora loved me that much." Naruto got up as the door opened. Sakura hugged him unexpectedly. Naruto tore from her and left the room. He was afraid of hurting her.
"Sakura, you should get something to eat and then rest. Let Naruto sort out the situation on his own," Sasuke said. He took the pink haired girl to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Kakashi was reminded of what the captain told him. They were only children, but it was too late to even think of backing out of it now. He remembered briefly meeting Tora. Tora was showing off a picture to all the ANBU guys. One of them told Tora that he was suicidal for taking in the monster. Kakashi remembered watching Tora give the talker a death glare that used to send prisoners into tears. Naruto was truly something to touch the hearts of Tora and Itachi was the way he did.
ICECOLD
Naruto sat in the weight room. There were a few others there, but they paid no attention to him. Everyone was a ghost to one another. Naruto watched them try to improve themselves because they were all in a race to avoid being obsolete. The white haired boy sighed and went to staring at the ceiling once it was only him. It was getting late, and his stomach gurgled softly. He ignored it and remembered Sakura. Her hug hurt almost. The only person he could ever picture hugging was Kurenai. He didn't want to accept another person in because that could mean a lot of pain. With the nightmare still on his mind, Naruto was afraid of losing another person. He was only grasping the edge.
"Hey, kid, is your father nearby? He should know not to bring anyone here," somebody said. Naruto looked at the door at a purple haired woman. She saw the face and whisker marks and nodded. "What are you doing here? I don't think Hatake will like that you're not eating with the others." Naruto didn't say anything as the lady walked over to him and sat on a piece of equipment in front of him. "I'm Mitarashi Anko." Naruto stared at her outstretch hand and looked up into her brown eyes. He slowly shook it and quickly withdrew his hand. He wanted her to hate him. He wanted her to insult. "I know exactly who you are, Naruto. You took your adoptive father's last name, right?" Naruto wanted to be hated because that would mean he didn't have to lose another precious person. Anko smiled at him though. She wasn't mean. Her eyes didn't show malice.
"Why don't you hate me?" Naruto asked. He was confused. Sakura's kindness and Anko's smile made him remember the times he was with Tora, Kurenai, or Hikari. Anko's smile vaguely reminded Naruto of Itachi, but he'd never admit it to anyone. "Everyone hates me." Nobody looked at Naruto anymore. It was the same since Tora was killed on a mission. They were waiting for the ticking time bomb to go off inside him. He narrowed his eyes at Anko, who stopped smiling. "I don't trust you." Anko smiled again and laughed. Naruto was definitely confused. What was so funny?
"You only trust Kurenai, right?" Anko said. Naruto stood up and went to leave, but Anko grabbed his wrist. He recoiled and held onto the wrist as if he was burned. "Look, Naruto, I didn't mean any offense. I laughed because you don't see the people who care." Naruto sat back down. "You and me are similar, you know." Anko's face changed to one that was similar to Naruto. "Everyone hates me too. Someday when you're older, we can talk about our problems over drinks." Naruto stood up again and figured he'd try something. Sakura's hug was to offer her pity and to show him that she cared for him. "Naruto, you don't have to go." Naruto hugged her. Anko was shocked at first, but she hugged him back. "It's best to have at least one friend who understands your pain." Naruto felt upset and happy. He pulled back and smiled at Anko. His eyes became warm, and Anko understood Kurenai's affection for the boy.
"If you see Kurenai before I do, tell you that you're my friend please. She's my precious person, and I promised to marry her one day," Naruto said. He had revealed pieces of his heart to his team and this lady. Doing so made Naruto feel better. It took away some of the pain that the nightmare left behind. He remembered Asuma and their talk. "I'm sorry, but I should be getting back. Kakashi definitely will give me a lecture about the importance of food." He waved as he left the room. Anko smiled and left the room once he was gone. Kurenai told her to keep an eye on him. She was so worried about him.
ICECOLD
Naruto slipped into the room and was glad that Kakashi wasn't there. Sakura was sleeping in her bunk and bundled tightly into her blankets. Sasuke was asleep as well, but he looked like he was dead almost. Naruto quietly climbed into his own bunk. He felt better than ever. If he ever saw Asuma, he'd tell him that a kid like him had all these scars from being an idiot. Naruto was asleep before Kakashi walked in. The Jonin looked at the white haired boy and didn't bother waking him up for a lecture on food. Naruto probably knew that it would be coming. He just settled into his own bunk and prepared for another day.
"Sakura, it's still your turn. Today should be the last day," Kakashi said in the morning. Sakura didn't say anything. She was dressed and ready to go before Naruto and Sasuke were awake. Naruto woke up as the door shut behind her. "Naruto, you and Sasuke are to study the scrolls from yesterday. Don't run off again or there will be consequences." Kakashi left, and Sasuke woke up. He didn't look at Naruto or the empty bunks. He just picked up his scroll and began to read. Naruto had a feeling Sasuke was scared. It was only a matter of time before Sasuke's turn came up. Naruto only stared at the door and hoped Sakura would be okay.
She wasn't okay. She was puking in the corner. The ANBU captain from the day before was there and watching as Sakura threw up her breakfast. Kakashi refused to give the signal to stop. Sakura needed to overcome this problem. She needed to kill her emotions to succeed. After three more prisoners, civilian ones, Sakura stopped shaking and crying. Kakashi smiled as he watched Sakura's eyes darken as the emotions left them empty. He knew that tonight would be the night she broke down for the last time. He told them to stop because she passed. The captain pulled Kakashi aside again.
"I'm serious, Hatake. Stop this training immediately. She's just a little girl. You're making monsters," the captain said. Kakashi knew why the captain was so defensive. His daughter was almost Sakura's age. "You're ruining her before her time." The captain was just trying to protect his own daughter from monsters like Kakashi. Kakashi shrugged him off and walked over to Sakura. She was telling him something about her aim. It needed some work. The captain looked at Sakura and thought about his own baby girl. She wasn't going to ever do this. He was going to keep her pure for as long as possible. He wasn't going let monsters like Kakashi and Naruto get to her.
ICECOLD
Sakura was talkative that night. Naruto and her discussed the possibility of getting a hold of some medical jutsu scrolls as a just in case sort of thing. Sasuke was quiet the entire night. Kakashi wasn't giving any hints on who was going next. He was silently observing them, as if picking out the next victim. He didn't say anything before they went to bed either. He just told both boys to be ready in the morning. He wanted both of them to be as nervous as possible.
"Sasuke, let's go," Kakashi said in the morning. Naruto knew that it would be Sasuke. Sakura was silent and staring at the floor as Kakashi led Sasuke away. Naruto wasn't afraid. He was definitely going next. "Don't worry, Sasuke. If you figure out what my goal is, you'll only have to go today." Sasuke followed Kakashi to the killing room and was giving the same sword Sakura used. "Just take care of these creeps and figure out the puzzle." Kakashi left, leaving Sasuke alone like he did Sakura. The prisoner in the middle growled at him and looked about ready to bite his head off. Sasuke disposed of him quickly. He puked and was shaky. Kakashi watched as Sasuke quickly figured everything out. He knew Sasuke's time would be the shortest. He had a guess that Naruto would fight it before giving in. Naruto was the prize.
"Why Sakura and me?" Sasuke shouted. He ignored the prisoner and threw the sword at the wall. "Sakura and me, we're not assassins. We're just children!" Sasuke's eyes were wide with fright. Everyone had a breaking point. Kakashi's job was to force them to theirs. Sakura's was easy. Expose her to blood and killings. Sasuke's was to show him what to expect with Itachi. "Just stupid, ignorant children!" Kakashi called it off and regretted his decision. Sasuke's time in the killing room was over. He wasn't going to bring them back here anymore. It was the guilt that had Kakashi's heart. It saved Sasuke, but it condemned Naruto. Kakashi wanted Naruto to be perfect. "Kakashi, I don't want to do this anymore." Kakashi didn't have anything to tell Sasuke. He saw Obito before him, crying over his first kill. He only saw Obito and Itachi when he looked at Sasuke. "I don't want this anymore. I want out." It was too late. They should've failed the bell test. If they failed, Sakura and Sasuke would be back in the Academy, relearning everything and angry. Naruto would be drugged in the psych ward, waiting for a visit from somebody almost familiar.
"It's too late," Kakashi said. Sasuke only nodded and followed the Jonin out of the room. He didn't see them cleaning up the blood and body. He prayed to whatever god there was that he would never see that room again. He pushed into his thoughts memories of good times. It didn't matter if the memories were with Itachi or not. They were better than the horror in the killing room. "By ending this before completion, you're condemning Naruto. Can you do that to him?" Naruto was insane already, right? Sasuke merely nodded and walked behind Kakashi to their room. Only Sakura was present. She had an understanding with Sasuke, and guilt made Sasuke never want to look at Naruto again. "My, where has Naruto gone off to? He better not be making trouble." Sakura shrugged and read her scroll.
ICECOLD
Naruto was back in the weight room. He was getting instructions from the other guys on how to use the different equipment. He was actually waiting for Anko but didn't want to appear like an idiot. Naruto fell onto a bench exhausted after working out with the adult males for a few hours. He didn't want to think about his turn. He just wanted to talk to Anko again. He wanted to talk about anything at all. How did she act so happy all the time? He could barely muster eye smiles sometimes. The room was empty except for Naruto and the dust on the shelves. He rolled over onto his stomach and pressed his cheek to the cool bench. He closed his eyes briefly and was sucked into the memory of Mizuki's death. He opened his eyes before Mizuki finally just died. He felt sick to his stomach.
"Back again?" a familiar voice asked. Naruto looked over at Anko and shrugged. "You actually worked out this time. Did Pinky tell you that she liked buff men?" Naruto smiled as Anko laughed and sat on the other bench. Naruto was cold. The sweat made his skin feel like ice to him. "Cold?" Naruto pretended to ignore her. He sat up and folded his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. Anko laughed and got up. She went to the closet and dug out a sweatshirt from a box inside. The sweatshirt was big on him, but it was warm for him. He nodded his thanks. "Are you going to talk tonight?" Naruto was waiting for her to start the conversation because what would he said to her? Anko sighed and looked around the empty room. Naruto tried to estimate how long he'd have to sit there to gather dust. "Why are you attached to Kurenai like you are?" Anko was often curious about Kurenai's relationship with Naruto.
"She showed me kindness," Naruto said. Anko didn't and wouldn't understand. "When Hikari died, nobody even glared at me anymore. They wouldn't touch me as if I was poison. I was a ticking time bomb." Naruto ran a finger over the scar on his neck. Anko noticed and chalked it up to the scar being something that happened in the story. "I took one of Hikari's kunai and tried to run away. I was four and only knew about princesses and princes. I thought I would be welcomed elsewhere. She was returning from a mission. She didn't even have to help me. I tried to kill myself, but she saved me. She was the only person who would smile at me or look at me without any malice. I love Kurenai." Anko couldn't help but wonder if Naruto understood the meaning of love. She didn't say anything because she understood him. There was a point in her life that she questioned love.
"Sounds like one hell of a day for both of you," Anko said, smiling. Naruto shrugged. He rubbed his neck as his eyes darkened at the memory. What if Kurenai didn't care like everyone else? Would he have lived? "Naruto, I remember meeting Kurenai outside a bar after being kicked out. She asked me why I was so obsessed with getting inside. I told her that I could get somebody to look at me without any hate. She laughed at me and offered me her hand to help me up. She told me that I didn't need to go into the bar for that. She had no reason to hate me and accepted me as I was. She's my best friend." Naruto was happy for Anko. He was happy that she found the one that would look at her like a friend. Naruto didn't completely trust Kurenai. The darkness from the nightmare was still in his heart. He killed the monster, who wore Kurenai's face. "What's wrong?" Naruto's face darkened and became blank. He looked like the life was gone from his soul.
"Nothing," Naruto lied. He tried to push his thoughts away, and eventually he grew tired of holding it back. "I've got to go. Kakashi-sensei should be back with Sasuke." Naruto got up and left Anko sitting there. She only watched him go. He was exactly like Kurenai said. Anko wondered if Kurenai loved Naruto the way the boy thought he loved her. She figured that Kurenai didn't know what to think. Unknown to Naruto, he drew people in like a magnet. Anko looked at the abandoned seat.
"I wonder what would've happen if you were a happier, hyper child," Anko said quietly. She got up as soon as she heard the guys returning from dinner. She was out of the room before the first man showed up. He didn't take notice of the open closet or the silence that filled the air. He just went about his daily routine as if there wasn't death hanging over his head.
ICECOLD
"Naruto, it's your turn," Kakashi said. Sasuke sat on his bunk with his face buried into his palms, and Sakura was trying to comfort him. Naruto was at the door and ready to go because he just wanted this to be over. He wanted them to do the normal team stuff. He wanted to suffer through the D-ranked missions all of a sudden. He longed to be a child versus a ninja. He was a little too late for that though. He followed Kakashi in silence and stood still in the killing room. "Kill however you deem right." Naruto was given the same sword. He noticed a chip in the handle from where Sasuke threw it. "Good luck." Kakashi left Naruto alone, and the killing started immediately.
"I told you the brat was a natural at it," the captain said. Kakashi was beginning to dislike this particular ANBU captain. He was quiet as he watched Naruto's face. It was pained by something. He was frustrated because Naruto was to be perfect. Naruto was to take up the job of killing the targets to save Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke condemned Naruto to save his own skin. Sakura wasn't given the option. Kakashi had a feeling that she'd condemn Naruto too. "Why does he look like he's in pain?" Kakashi didn't know. He watched as Naruto dealt with every prisoner. He called it off as it was nearing dinner. Naruto dropped the sword and was gone before Kakashi reached the room. Naruto would have to go again.
"Wow, tiger!" Anko shouted as Naruto ran by her into the weight room. He sat in the darkness of the corner and hugged his legs to his chest. Anko knew what happened. She could smell the blood on Naruto. "Rough day?" Naruto didn't look at her. He just hugged his legs and was muttering to himself. Anko couldn't remember her first kill. She was sure it was some random shinobi that was trying to kill her. She walked over and sat next to him, in the light though. His muttering became clearer.
"I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster," Naruto chanted. He was trying to push back the memories of the nightmare. He watched Tora and Hikari die before his eyes. He felt on his skin the attack of Itachi. Anko wasn't there. Anko wasn't anywhere in Naruto's mind. He was lost in the nightmare. He killed the monster, but the monster was wearing Kurenai's face. Naruto kept on muttering and remembering until Anko put an arm around his shoulder. He looked at her. "Why?" Anko understood the unspoken parts.
"I care, Uzumaki Naruto," Anko said, smiling. Naruto loosened the grip he had on his legs and stretched them out. Anko ruffled his hair and began talking about a fortune teller in Suna. Her brown eyes were sparkling and happy. Naruto could only watch and feel the happiness radiate from her. He didn't want to leave this spot ever again. He just wanted to listen to Anko's voice send the monster packing. He fell asleep against his knees as Anko went into an elaborate tale of her lost house keys.
ICECOLD
Day two in the killing room was the same. Kakashi couldn't understand what was wrong as he watched Naruto quickly deal with runners and stationary targets. The captain was getting more obnoxious by the minute. He kept demanding answers that Kakashi didn't have. The Jonin wanted Naruto to figure it out like Sakura did. After a few hours of nothing but killing, Naruto was spent. He sat in the center of the room and waited for the ANBU to enter to take the last body away. Kakashi ended the session and went out to meet Naruto. The boy didn't run this time. He was slowly getting it. Hope was still there.
"You'll have to come back in here tomorrow," Kakashi said. Naruto shrugged and stood up. He followed Kakashi out of the killing room back to their room. He took a hot shower and watched the blood disappear down the drain. How much more of this could he take? Naruto knew he was already too late to save from insanity. He clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood. "Naruto! Hurry up! Dinner!" Kakashi was worried because Naruto hadn't eaten anything in front of Team Seven. Naruto quickly got out and dried off. He walked out into the main part with only a towel to find clothes.
"Wow, Foxy-kun," a voice said. Anko was standing in the doorway. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her as he continued to search for his clothes. "Where did all of these scars come from?" Naruto paused and looked at his exposed skin. There were a lot of scars. He never paid attention anymore because it was pointless to keep train of them. "Twelve-year-olds usually have the scarred knees and elbows, but you went all out!" Anko smiled at him. Naruto gave her an eye smile that was daring.
"I jumped for a few of them. A couple of them were attained in some experiments with my body. I can't figure you out, Anko-chan. You make me want to challenge you," Naruto said. He pulled out a duffle bag from under Sakura's bunk and opened it. His clothes were inside. He dressed with his back to her and ignored her comments about his butt. He scratched at his neck and decided to give into the gurgles of his tummy. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get something to eat before Kakashi-sensei believes I'm starving myself out of grief." Naruto and Anko talked about everything but themselves that night. It was a nice change of pace. Naruto was relaxed as he ate dinner with Anko. He didn't think about the killing room in the morning because it didn't matter to him then.
ICECOLD
Naruto wanted to cry. He didn't want to kill anymore. It was too much. Anko made him feel like he wasn't a monster, but deep down, Naruto knew he was. He killed several prisoners before hearing something very familiar. Kill the emotions. Naruto paused as the next prisoner was brought in. Think back a little ways. Naruto's face darkened and lost every emotion, just like the voice told him. Kakashi was observing this with interest. After a few more kills, Naruto didn't even twitch at the sight.
"I was right again!" the captain said. Kakashi gave the signal for the dangerous prisoner. The captain didn't care. He was excited to see what Naruto would do. "I bet he'll cut him into tiny pieces." Kakashi and the others didn't know if they should agree or be repulsed by the man. "Let's go, Uzumaki. Show us what you can really do!" The captain was acting stupid in Kakashi's opinion. The guards kicked the prisoner into the room and waited. Naruto stepped closer and brought out the survivor instincts in the guy, who attacked the twelve-year-old.
"Die! I don't want to die!" the prisoner wailed. Naruto didn't care. He didn't care at all. The voice was giggling and telling him to dodge at the wrong moments. Naruto stop listening and stood decapitated the prisoner with the sword. A shower of blood went into the air and landed mostly on Naruto. Naruto licked where some had fallen near his mouth as the voice laughed. May the blood run so sweet.
How's that? I realized there are some mistakes in the chapters. I'm going to go back and fix those later. Please review to critique. I think I made Naruto's character development scattered again. Please tell me if I did so. Thanks – Kyuubi no Kitsune0101