Well here we are again. This chapter definitely flew by much quicker than I anticipated. There's more happy NaruSaku than I originally planned on in this chapter, so be happy for that. However the angst is definitely coming, my apologies. Anywho, I should probably stop rambling and let you get along on your merry way.
As always, I appreciate the reviews/favorites/follows.
Shout out to my reviewers since I posted the last chapter: Lionmate, holydemon90, Serenity Namikazi, mIYaOftHeSaND, cmcwiki, alphashadow 425
Alphashadow 425: I don't know... That Orichimaru was pretty smart guy. We'll just have to wait and see if boiling the potion actually had any effects. Seeing how much of a genius Orichimaru is, I would be shocked if his potion didn't get the job done just because it was boiled though...
cmcwiki: the moment of truth! There's a lot more fluff than I planned on in this one, so hopefully it offsets the angsty sadness a bit for you =P
Serenity Namikaze: seriously, why did Kishimoto just suddenly ignore Sakura's genjutsu talents? WTF! Maybe if I send him an EXTRA nice email we'll see the yume-no sakura jutsu used in the mangas =P If only... And no worries, Naruto isn't going to be striking the nice guy pose for a LONG time at the very least
holydemon90: hahahaha, yes I know, I'm cruel. But no worries, I like happy endings so the angsty sad stuff will all be worth it... sorta... in the end =)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or else I would be filthy stinking rich and Naruto would've been able to learn Raikiri from Kakishi and would eventually teach Sakura the rasengan (oh, and Sakura would miraculously have enough chakra to even use the rasengan…)
Please do enjoy "A Jinchuriki's Husk"- Chapter 3: Broken
Naruto was quite possibly the happiest he had ever been. He was on his way to a movie with Sakura Haruno, the woman of his dreams… no, the angel of his dreams. Not very many people believe in love at first site, but the blonde jinchuriki would gladly offer himself up as an example.
FLASHBACK
A young Naruto clad in an orange and blue jumpsuit with a pair of green goggles on his head strode into the academy classroom. It was his first day of class and he was ready to become a ninja and prove to everyone that he wasn't some piece of trash.
He expected to receive glares and insults in the academy, why should things be any different in the academy then they were in the rest of Konoha after all? Although in here, he was at a distinct disadvantage. On the streets he could run when the adults yelled at him or beat him, but here in the academy he couldn't run. He had to stay for the entire class.
That thought gave Naruto an uneasy feeling as he took a seat in the back of the classroom. Much to his surprise the boy he sat next to did nothing. He was obviously aware of Naruto's presence next to him, but didn't seem to care. He just continued to sit there with his head down.
Naruto continued to take in the classroom when his eyes fell upon a magnificent sight. There in the front row of the room, sat a beautiful girl with porcelain skin, shining emerald eyes, and vibrant pink hair. She was wearing a red dress with a red ribbon tied in her hair.
"…Beautiful." Naruto mumbled.
"Huh?" the boy next to him sat up a little. He followed Naruto's eyes then gave an exasperated sigh. "Troublesome." and put his head back down.
Naruto barely noticed as he was too transfixed on the emerald-eyed angel. She was talking to a blue-eyed, blonde-haired friend clad in all purple, although for some reason things seemed to be a little heated between the two.
The emerald-eyed angel and her blonde-haired friend quickly shut up as a raven haired boy with a look of indifference plastered on his face entered the classroom. He wore a blue shirt with some sort of strange ball and fan symbol on the back and a pair of white shorts.
The two girls instantly greeted him with coos of "Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuun!" and got up from their seats to surround him. The gloomy looking boy instantly scowled and ignored them. Naruto curled his fist into a ball… how dare that kid ignore the beautiful emerald-eyed angel, Naruto could see the hurt look on her face even though she tried to hide it.
"Ne, what's your name?" he asked the boy next to him.
"Shikamaru Nara." Naruto was surprised he got a name out of someone so easily without getting beat or jeered at. Shaking off his surprise, he hoped Shikamaru actually knew who people were in their class. None of the adults in Konoha would ever let their children play with Naruto, so each one of his classmates was essentially a stranger, although he slightly recognized most of them.
"Who's that teme down there surrounded by those two girls?" Naruto said pointing down to the dark-haired boy that was currently ignoring the emerald-eyed angel.
"That's Sasuke Uchiha and that girl with pink hair that you seem to be so fascinated with is Sakura Haruno" Shikamaru smirked.
"Nani? I didn't say anything about her, who said I'm fascinated?"
The lazy boy's smirk just grew bigger, "Please, if you're going to try to play that card try not staring at her like she's the most beautiful thing to ever grace this Earth and stop balling up your first and glaring at Sasuke just because he's ignoring her."
That was when Naruto discovered that Shikamaru was an insanely observant genius.
"So what's the deal with those three?"
"The other girl there is Sakura's former best friend, but now rival, Ino Yamanka, and those two are only two of the vast horde of Sasuke's fan girls. For some reason all the girls in our class think Sasuke is the best thing since sliced bread since he's so dark and brooding. It doesn't make much sense to me, not that I care. Girls are far too troublesome anyways."
Naruto just nodded as he took in Shikamaru's words, as he turned to ask Shikamaru another question he found the Nara boy had put his head back down and took it as a sign that Shikamaru was done talking for a while.
As Naruto walked through the cafeteria with his first ever academy lunch (YOSH!) he spotted the girl he wanted to see. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the pink-haired beauty, but stopped as soon as he saw who she was talking to.
"Sasuke-kuuun" she cooed as she batted her eyelashes, "Would you like to get dinner with me after school is over? I know a great new dango shop that opened up and I'm sure you'll love it! It'll even be my treat!"
"No"
"Oh, come on Sasuke-kuuun. You don't have to be so shy with me."
"I'm not being shy, I just don't want to go to dinner with you."
"Oh… ok, sorry." a dejected Sakura said as she began to stand get up from the table. Seeing the look of sadness on Sakura's face removed all logical thoughts from Naruto's mind. He dropped his tray.
"HEY TEME! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"
A stunned Sasuke looked up to see a fuming boy with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Sakura stood rooted where she was in shock.
"And who are you?" the Uchiha spat, obviously annoyed with the blue-eyed blonde in his face.
"NARUTO UZUMAKI. REMEMBER MY NAME, I'M GOING TO BE HOKAGE ONE DAY. BELIEVE IT!" Naruto's face was pulled up in an impossibly large grin before he quickly returned it to a scowl.
"You shouldn't be so mean to Sakura-chan!"
This snapped Sakura out of her shock and a feeling of anger slowly started to build in her. Here's a boy she never met, referring to her as Sakura-CHAN, and embarrassing her in front of Sasuke-kun.
Unfortunately for Naruto, he didn't notice this.
"I don't know who you are Uzumaki, but what I do is my own business. Sakura is just another annoying girl who won't leave me alone. Now if you don't get out of my face I'm going to show you why I'm the top of our class."
"That a threat teme? I'm the future Hokage, don't think you can…"
WHAM.
"LEAVE SASUKE-KUN ALONE. I DON'T KNOW YOU, SO DON'T GET INVOLVED IN MATTERS THAT DON'T CONCERN YOU!" a white-eyed Sakura fumed.
Naruto was on the ground in an awkward heap with a slight smile. Sakura no longer had that dejected look on her face. Her hit definitely hurt, but at least she wasn't sad anymore.
He smiled and muttered under his breath softly enough so no one can hear, "So this is love."
FLASH IN
Naruto chuckled to himself as he remembered that memory, earning him a quizzical glance from the "emerald-eyed angel" who currently had her arm looped around his.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Nothing Sakura-chan, nothing at all." He continued to chuckle a little to himself. "I just saw something that reminded me of one of my fonder memories. That's all."
The pink-haired kunoichi seemed to accept this, as she just nodded and leaned back into him.
There was absolutely nothing in the world that could wipe the grin off of Sakura's face. She happily leaned into Naruto with her arm looped around his. Tonight was it, she could finally confess to her knucklehead. Hopefully instead of casting her yume-no sakura jutsu tonight, she could just wrap her arms around him instead.
She couldn't believe that two months had already passed since her meeting with Tsunada-shishou after they returned from the Iron Country and their confrontation with Sasuke…
FLASHBACK
"SAKURA! Your friends have already debriefed me on EVERYTHING that happened. I can understand wanting to shield Naruto from the burden of killing Sasuke and saving Sasuke from plunging any further into darkness, but why would you tell Naruto you loved him? You know he loves you, that was cruel." a disapproving scowl was fixed on the Hokage's face and her hazel eyes looked as if they were cutting a hole through Sakura's very soul.
"Shishou… it's not like that! I don't care about Sasuke like that anymore. I didn't want to save him from falling any further into the darkness, I guess that's a nice added perk, but mainly I wanted to protect Naruto. He's done so much for me, he doesn't deserve to shoulder the guilt of killing his best friend. I don't want that to happen to him." Sakura said with a surprisingly calm and confident voice.
"As to why I told him I love him? Well… it's because it's the truth. I admit, I chose to tell him when I did to try to get him to stop chasing Sasuke, but I do love him. I'm not exactly sure how or when it happened, I just know it happened and I'm glad it did!" she pumped her fist into the air to emphasize this point.
"Naruto's always been there for me, he's always put me before him. He's always accepted me for who I am and not once has his faith in me wavered. I know that he would do anything for me, and damnit, I would do anything for him!" Sakura proclaimed as tears began falling from her eyes.
"But I screwed it up, as I usually do. He didn't believe a word I said, he just assumed I was lying to myself. And then that idiot Sai told him that I just told him that to get him to stop chasing Sasuke! Shishou, I don't know what to do now. He's stubborn and he doesn't really believe he can beat Sasuke to win my heart." Sakura was sobbing at this point, arms wrapped around herself.
Tsunade sat there in shock as she looked into the tear-filled emerald eyes of her apprentice. Sakura really meant it. Her lips turned upwards into a big smile. She loved Naruto like a son, and she knew how much he loved Sakura. She was glad to know that her apprentice loved him back and her favorite gaki would be able to find true happiness. Before that could happen though, she needed to give her apprentice a small push in the right direction.
"Don't worry Sakura, I have a plan. Your excellent chakra control makes you a natural at genjutsu, and I know that you received genjutsu training from Kurenai." Her apprentice's tears slowed, as she looked into Tsunade's eyes wondering where her master was going with this.
"Now what do we know about everyone's favorite blonde knucklehead?"
Sakura looked at her master confused, they knew a lot about Naruto. He was brave, caring, determined, loves ramen…
"He's terrible at genjutsu. That gaki can never figure out if he's in a genjutsu unless it's blatantly obvious."
Sakura was still confused, but nodded her head.
"Now, we know that Naruto is stubborn. So we need to break down that wall. You know as well as I do if you try to act all lovey dovey with him now he will assume you're just trying to manipulate him. So we need to wear down his defenses in his dreams."
"In…his dreams?" Sakura's mind was slowly getting on the same page as the blonde Hokage's.
"Exactly, I don't know of any genjutsus that can alter dreams subtly, but I didn't know of any jutsus that could attack the body on a molecular level with countless tiny wind blades either." Tsunade winked.
"I get it! So just as Naruto created the futon rasenshuriken, I need to create my own genjutsu to cast on Naruto when he sleeps. Thanks so much shishou!"
The Gondaime Hokage smiled warmly at her apprentice as the pink-haired girl turned and ran out the door, a new fire lit within her.
Sakura smiled as she thought about that month. After consulting with Kurenia-sensei and a couple of sleepless nights, she decided she would create a genjutsu that would cause Naruto to dream of her and him together. At the end of that month, she had finally completed the yume no-sakura jutsu, a genjutsu that was to be used on Naruto, and Naruto alone.
She smiled and pressed further into her knucklehead, loving the warmth he radiated. After a month of using her genjutsu, she was finally here. Arm in arm, headed off on her first real date with the baka.
The lack of sleep I've gotten these past two months has all been totally worth it.
The sannins' apprentices walked into the movie theater, deciding on seeing a new chick-flick that Sakura wanted to see. Naruto honestly could care less what movie they saw, just as long as he was watching it with Sakura. The Gondaime's apprentice tried to pay for the movie tickets, but the Yondaime's legacy would have none of it.
Sakura grabbed ahold of Naruto's hand as soon as they sat down and rested her head on his shoulder; the two quietly sat together in a pleasant silence as they waited for the movie to start. Both just enjoying the others' company.
The movie itself was something Naruto would never actually watch if left to his own devices. Some strange man with a strange accent and kind of bad teeth (for the lead guy in a chick flick!) was best friends with the woman he loved. However, this man didn't want to be tied down, so never acknowledged his feelings.
Then the man's world started to crumble down as the woman he loved got engaged to an overly charming, handsome and extremely wealthy man. Suddenly the man could not get his best friend off his mind, and when asked by her best friend's fiancé to be a groomsman, the man said yes in a numb tone.
As the movie progressed, the man and some of his friends devised a scheme that would surely win his best friend's heart. Then tragically, the man was convinced that the woman truly loved her fiancé (Sakura was bawling her eyes out by this point), and didn't go through with his plan.
At the wedding just before the man's best friend said I do, the man couldn't take it anymore and interrupted the wedding saying that he couldn't let her get married to another man. He told his best friend that he loved her, he always has, and always will. The two shared a passionate kiss as miraculously, his best friend's (now former) fiancé just sat there with a sad smile on his face.
At this point Sakura leaned up and gave Naruto a long kiss on the cheek as tears continued fall down her pretty face.
While Naruto may not have enjoyed the movie all that much, after having his emerald-eyed angel rest her head on his shoulder, tightly grasp his hand, and kiss him on the cheek, this movie was now the jinchuriki's favorite movie ever.
"That movie was beautiful" swooned Sakura as she once again held tightly onto the future Hokage's arm.
"Hehe, it sure was Sakura-chan." Naruto mumbled in a tone of voice that said, I didn't really care too much about the movie.
Sakura giggled at her knucklehead's antics. "That movie kinda reminded me of us Naruto." she smiled staring into his face lovingly.
Us? Did Sakura-chan just say us? YATTA! YATTA! YATTA!
"Hehe, yea except I never tried to hide my feelings for you Sakura-chan." Naruto chuckled, too nervous to look into her beautiful emerald eyes.
He was a little surprised when the girl leaning into him suddenly busted into laughter.
"Hahahahaha, no you didn't Naruto. You certainly didn't."
Emerald eyes met blue, and a matching pair of soft smiles was fit upon the apprentices of the sannins.
Sasuke watched as Naruto exited the movie theater. A small part of him, a VERY small part of him mind you, was slightly happy that Naruto and Sakura were finally getting together, and felt kind of bad for what he was about to do.
He wasn't overly surprised that Sakura ended falling for Naruto, but he was a little surprised as he thought of that night. The night when he left Konoha.
FLASH BACK
Sasuke walked down the path leading out of Konoha with a backpack on his back. The time had come to leave Konoha behind. He would miss his team and would cherish the memories he made in Konoha, but he needed more power to beat Itachi. And he just wasn't going to be getting that in Konoha.
He shuddered as he thought of where he was going. Orichimaru was creepy, he didn't trust the snake sannin as far as he could throw him. But Sasuke was too weak, he needed to be stronger to get his vengeance.
As he neared the gate, his number one fan girl, and teammate came out from behind a tree, a sad look fixed in her eyes.
"Why are you hanging around in a place like this in the middle of the night?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Sakura's face fell even further into sadness, "One has to pass down this road to leave the village…"
The "last" Uchiha went to walk around the pink-haired kunoichi. "Go home and sleep."
Tears streamed down his teammate's face. "Why… why won't you tell me anthing? Why are you always silent like that? You won't tell me one single thing…"
"Why should I have to tell you anything?" he interrupted her with a harsh tone. Sakura couldn't follow him, this path was not meant for her. And Sasuke knew no better way to keep someone away than being harsh and cold.
"I'm telling you to keep your nose out of my business. Stop bothering me over everything I do." he didn't bother looking over his shoulder at her, he couldn't. He would not allow his teammate to follow him.
"I…make you dislike me all the time don't I?" from the tone of her voice the raven-haired Uchiha could tell Sakura now had a sad smile on her face.
"Do you remember? We just became genin and the three man squads were assigned… You and I were alone for the first time at this very spot. You got mad at me…"
Sasuke vaguely remembered when Sakura ripped on Naruto for not having parents, while that may have pissed him off, he didn't let it show anymore than he normally does. He just told her she was annoying. Confused why Sakura would mention this memory the avenger decided it was a better idea to just play dumb.
"I don't remember that."
"Yeah I guess… that was a long time ago after all…" Sakura said as she tried to keep her voice upbeat.
"But it all began that day. Sasuke and me. And also Naruto and Kakashi-sensei.
Memories of his time with Team 7 flashed through his mind, but Sasuke couldn't let these deter him from his path. He had to avenge his clan, he needed power. He had to leave.
"The four of us went on various missions, didn't we?" his female teammate continued. Those were tough and difficult times, but…but… more than anything… it was so much fun! I know about your family Sasuke… But revenge…that won't bring anyone happiness. No one… neither you…nor I."
Sasuke mentally sighed. Sakura never did see him for who he really was. Sasuke had always been an avenger, not some sweet and caring guy with a cold exterior. Sasuke Uchiha lived solely for revenge. And that's all there would ever be to it. He had to make her see, she needed to give up on him for her own sake.
"As I expected… I'm different from you guys. I'm walking a road that's incompatible with the rest of you. The four of us worked together… and it's true that there were times when I thought that was my road. The four of us have worked together, but in the end, I decided on revenge. That's been my reason for living. I can't become like you and Naruto…"
"Are you going to isolate yourself again Sasuke? You taught me that solitude is a very rough thing that time Sasuke! Now I know exactly how that feels. I have both family and friends… But if you were no longer here, Sasuke… for me… for me it would be the same as solitude…"
Sakura was pouring her heart out to him… but he only saw her as a friend, nothing more. He appreciated how highly she thought of him, and both she and the rest of Team 7 helped save him from his solitude. But that was not his destiny. An avenger's destiny is a lonely road, and he refused to let her follow.
"From here again… we're going to start walking our new paths individually."
"I… love you so very much Sasuke!" a river of tears were trickling down her face now. "I won't let you regret it, no matter what! I'll make it fun everyday and you'll definitely find happiness! I'll do anything for you, Sasuke! So… I'm begging you, please stay here! I'll even help you with your revenge! I'll make it happen somehow, I promise you… So stay here… with me…! If that doesn't work for you… Then take me with you…"
He turned around and fixed with her a rare version of what he would call a smile, "You really are… annoying." He began walking towards the gate.
"DON'T GO!" Sakura yelled as she ran towards him. "If you go, I'll scream and…"
Sasuke disappeared and reappeared right behind the kunoichi. "Sakura…Thank you." He hit her on the back of the head knocking her out, catching her before she could hit the ground. He carried her to the nearby bench and laid her down.
"Don't worry Sakura, you won't be alone. That's not your destiny."
And with that, Sasuke Uchiha abandoned Konoha.
FLASH IN
You've come a long way since then Sakura, I knew you wouldn't be alone. Sasuke thought as he stared at the couple below him. Guilt began to seep into his mind as he thought about what he was going to do.
He shook his head. No, I can't think like that. They are both citizens of Konoha, the village that destroyed my clan. I need to be strong, I need to break Naruto so I can wipe Konoha off the face of the Earth…
The avenger smirked. Now Naruto, now is when I break you. Now I take my first real step towards Konoha's destruction.
Now all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment.
As Sakura and Naruto neared Ichiraku's, they saw three Anbu standing just outside the entrance.
"Ne, what's going on?" Naruto asked the Anbu in the cat mask.
"Lady Hokage has rented out Ichiraku's tonight for herself. No one else but Lady Hokage and Ichiraku's staff may enter."
"NANI?" Naruto's yell could be heard all the way in Suna.
"NANI?" Tsunade smirked as she heard Naruto's yell. As he began arguing with the Anbu she took another sip of sake.
Dumb brat, I'm not going to let you take Sakura to Ichiraku's for your first date.
She chuckled a little bit as she heard words coming from Naruto that would make the most evil criminals blush.
You'll thank this me for this later gaki.
After the "civilized discussion," as Naruto put it, failed with the Anbu, Sakura led her knucklehead to her favorite dumpling stand all the while he grumbled about the evil old hag who was out to ruin his life.
"I know you won't like this as much as ramen, but I promise you you'll like it!" she stared directly into his sapphire eyes and flashed another smile. This put his grumblings to a halt as he matched her smile with his own.
"As usual you were right Sakura-chan! These dumplings are great!" Naruto beamed as he stuffed yet another dumpling into his mouth.
That boy's stomach is something else. I have no idea where he puts it all! Sakura mused as she continued to smile.
"Well of course! You don't think I would bring you to a restaurant if I knew you wouldn't like the food would you?"
Naruto didn't quite know how to respond, so he just leaned into her instead.
I can't believe how good this night has been! This is straight out of one of my dreams. Sakura-chan… she really loves me. I've finally won the girl. Naruto's smile softened as he looked at his pink-haired teammate. This has truly been a great night.
The two were arm in arm again as they left the dumpling stand and headed to her house.
Well… it's now or never. She thought gathering all the courage and confidence she could muster. There was really no reason to be so nervous, she knew Naruto loved her. He always had, even though she treated him like absolute garbage when they were younger, he never gave up hope. He continued to love her. She smiled.
Time to give you a memory you will never forget Naruto.
Naruto, I… There's something I need to tell you. I've been wanting to say this for a while now… It's finally time to tell you the truth."
Naruto turned to look straight into her eyes, his attention was fully hers.
OK! Here we go!
"Naruto, I… There's something I need to tell you. I've been wanting to say this for a while now… It's finally time to tell you the truth." Naruto turned and looked straight into Sakura's eyes.
"Soon, soon I'll be able to tell you the truth Naruto. Soon you won't have to suffer anymore."
This was practically straight out of his dream. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, HIS Sakura-chan was finally going to return his feelings…
"Naruto, I… There's something I need to tell you. I've been wanting to say this for a while now… It's finally time to tell you the truth."
There it is. The "last" Uchiha smirked as he activated his sharingan.
"Now you break Naruto. Akutibu."
Sakura's mind suddenly went blank. For some reason the words she was about to say to Naruto just disappeared. Feelings of hate and disgust began bubbling up inside her. How dare this…demon look at her that way. She smirked an Uchiha smirk.
"The truth is Naruto, you annoy me. You utterly annoy me. I love Sasuke, not you. That's just the way it is."
Naruto's heart began to crumble. At least… at least Sakura-chan cares enough to stop leading me on. She's helping me let go. He tried to reason, saving his heart, if just a little.
"The only reason I pretended to be your friend was because I knew you would do anything for me. You were my own personal pet demon." Sakura made sure to put an extra emphasis on demon. "I figured a demon might be strong enough to bring my Sasuke-kun back to me."
Naruto's legs were shaking, his mind was blank, his heart was crumbling and falling to the ground.
"But you failed Naruto. You were a bad pet, you couldn't bring MY Sasuke back. Now you've decided that the two of you are going to kill each other the next time you fight. I could care less if you die, but I can't have you killing my Sasuke-kun Kyubi brat. So now I'm cutting you off. You failed me Naruto Uzumaki, you were just worthless demon scum in the end."
Naruto fell down onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. This can't be happening… Sakura-chan would never say this… This has to be a nightmare… This….CAN'T…BE…REAL!"
But then he remembered his sage training earlier, Sasuke… He was in Konoha. Sakura-chan finally got together with Sasuke-teme and now she's dismissing me… damn it... DAMN IT...
"I don't ever want to see you again dobe. Leave this village and NEVER return."
Naruto couldn't repress the scream of anguish that escaped his lips. His heart was nearly gone, there was just the smallest of slivers left. This could all still be some terrible nightmare.
"Oh don't give me that Uzumaki. You. Are. The. Kyubi. You are an evil and terrible demon who slaughtered thousands of innocent villagers. Don't even try to tell me you're not the Kyubi, because I know you are. This scar on my arm is proof of that. Naruto Uzumaki, a demon like you… doesn't deserve happiness. Demons like you only deserve misery. Now get out of my sight demon scum." Sakura spat.
The last sliver of Naruto's heart shattered and fell to the ground. Lifeless blue eyes stared into the emerald eyes of "his angel." The Kyubi jinchuriki's face was now completely impassive, devoid of all signs of life.
"Hai… gomensai Haruno-san for failing you. I apologize for wasting your time." came the monotone voice of the Yondaime's legacy.
Naruto pulled out a three pronged kunai, and leapt into the air throwing the kunai as far as he possibly could. He formed the handseals his father became famous for, and in a yellow flash, Naruto Uzumaki, Kyubi jinchuriki, legacy of the Yondaime, student of the great Toad Sannin Jiraiya, sage, hero of Konoha, and future Hokage, left Konoha… planning to never return.
A small part of Sasuke's heart ached, a VERY small part mind you. His former brother and best friend was now completely broken. Once his potion wore off, his other teammate would likely be broken as well when she realized just how badly she destroyed the man she loved.
He shook the thought from his head, and clenched his fist. Those two are my enemies...
Now to take you to Akatsuki Naruto, then I shall destroy this accursed village. The Uchiha clan shall finally have its vengeance.
After Sakura watched Naruto disappear she began heading back home. Slowly the feelings of hatred and disgust began dissipating. She began replaying through the words she had just spat at the jinchuriki. She didn't mean any of that... Naruto wasn't a demon, he was her friend, he was the man she loved…
OH GOD!
Suddenly it all struck Sakura just what exactly she had done. She dropped to her knees, tears falling down her face like a waterfall,
Why would I ever say those things to you? I love you Naruto… This doesn't make sense. I would never use you, I would never call you a demon.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?" Sakura screamed.
"Sakura? What's wrong?" Team 7's jounin sensei, Kakashi Hatake, was standing before her, hands on her shoulders with a concerned look in his one visible trying to figure out what was wrong with his only female student.
"Kakashi-sensei… I've… done a terrible thing," Sakura sobbed out. "Naruto… he left the village because of me… We need to notify Tsunade-shishou. She needs to save him."
Kakashi looked at Sakura in confusion, "There there Sakura, this is Naruto we're talking about. I'm sure he'll forgive you. Now tell me what you did." He tried to tell her in the most reassuring tone he had.
His pink-haired student just continued to sob uncontrollably. "There's no time sensei, we need to get to Tsunade-shishou now…."
Deciding he wasn't going to get any more answers out of the distraught kunoichi, Kakashi picked her up and headed off to the Hokage's office.
"Naruto Uzumaki, a demon like you… doesn't deserve happiness. Demons like you only deserve misery."
She's right the jinchuriki thought into his numb mind. I'm just a demon, why did I ever let myself believe I deserved happiness? I'm responsible for so many deaths. My destiny was set as soon as my father sealed the Kyubi inside me. My destiny is to be alone, and miserable until the day I die.
Naruto stared down at the three-pronged kunai that his father was so famous for, it fell from the sky after his initial throw from Konoha two hours ago. He placed his hand on his stomach, dad knew I was meant to suffer. Thanks dad. I know that my suffering will bring joy to others. The people at Konoha will be celebrating now that the Kyubi brat is gone…
He felt a familiar chakra signal, but didn't bother looking up.
"Sasuke…teme." he called out in his dead monotone voice.
"Dobe." Sasuke looked at his former teammate. He was really gone. The person in front of him was no longer the loud boy he grew up with. The man that stood before him was simply a husk of the jinchuriki. Naruto Uzumaki was gone.
"You're coming with me dobe. The Akaktsuki has wanted you for a long time."
Naruto merely nodded and wordlessly followed his former teammate. The jinchuriki's husk no longer cared about his life, he no longer cared about anything. He was now merely walking to the end of his life. No more, no less.
OH MAN, SO ANGSTY.
First off, I know I know, Naruto doesn't know Hirashin. But he needed it to realistically escape Konoha in this story. Naruto is now literally a husk of his former self. He no longer cares to employ any sort of stealth, so there's no way Anbu or the gate guards would let the jinchuriki march out the gate by himself without any notification from the Hokage. Meanwhile, with the Hirashin, Husk Naruto can get out of Sakura's site quicker and can realistically escape Konoha without using stealth. So we'll just assume that Minato told Naruto how to do it when chatting with him outside the Kyubi's seal.
Now that I got that out of the way, I would like to officially say, "Sorry, that hurt to write." You have no idea how tempted I was to suddenly type, "and then Sakura wrapped Naruto in a hug and said, "j/k, lolz. LUVVVVV U [insert anime happy face here]." But sadly this needed to be done for the purposes of this story. To make up for the excessive angst, I'm including a bonus mini-story that will hopefully make you chuckle a bit.
This mini story is going to show you how Sasuke found out about Kyubi Naruto attacking Sakura. I'm going to tell you now, Orichimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke are all going to be VERY OOC. And if you are someone who likes Orichimaru and Kabuto, you probably won't enjoy this as I'm going to be implying that both are gay with each other. So… on to the amusing mini-story. This takes place directly after Naruto lets the Kyubi take control of him as he fought Orichimaru on the bridge.
"That damn Kyubi brat! He's much stronger than I expected" Orichimaru spat out.
Sasuke just smirked, "That's what you get for going after Naruto. I already told you, Naruto's mine."
"My my, so possessive aren't we Sasuke-kun. Got a little thing for the jinchuriki? I'm not overly surprised, seeing as how you ignored all those fan girls when you were in Konoha."
"SHUT UP DAMNIT, I JUST COULDN'T ALLOW MYSELF TO FALL IN LOVE. I'M AN AVENGER, AND AVENGERS CAN'T FEEL LOVE. JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T MAKE A MOVE DOESN'T MEAN I'M GAY."
"Keep telling yourself that Sasuke-kun. Remind me again… who did you share your first kiss with?"
"ARGH! THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT. HE WAS PUSHED INTO ME, I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD WAY TOO MUCH TO REACT. IF YOU TRY SAYING I'M GAY ONE MORE TIME ORICHIMARU I WILL FIND A WAY TO ACTIVATE MY MANGYEKO SHARINGAN AND AMERATSU YOUR JUNK!"
This caused Orichimaru to sweat drop. An awkward silence fell over the two.
"So…" Orichimaru started, "Seen any good jutsus lately?"
Just before Sasuke responded, Kabuto suddenly appeared.
Oh thank kami both master and student thought at the same time.
"What's the news Kabuto? What happened with Naruto-kun?"
"As you know, once Naruto-kun sprouted his fourth tail he lost complete control. After you escaped, Tsunade's apprentice tried calming him down, but he attacked and injured her. As he started raging out of control, I escaped, but I do know that Tenzou managed to use the first's abilities to repress the Kyubi."
"Ah… I see. Very interesting." Ah I can't resist… thought Orichimaru. "Are you jealous Sasuke-kun, that you weren't able to be there to comfort your Naruto-kun?" Orichimaru leered.
Sasuke snapped… again. "ARGH, I'M NOT GAY. WE USED TO BE BEST FRIENDS, THAT'S IT. AND WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME SO MUCH CRAP? I KNOW WHAT YOU DO TO KABUTO. YOU'RE THE GAY ONE HERE!"
"Ah Sasuke-kun, that is where you are mistaken. Kabuto is a woman." Orichimaru smiled.
"Nani? Orichimaru-sama, I'm not a woman. I'm quite obviously a man…"
Orichimaru gave Kabuto an ice-cold glare. "Are you questioning me Kabuto? If I say you're a woman, you're a woman. Don't make me kill you."
Sasuke sweat-dropped.
Kabuto gulped, "Hai… Orichimaru-sama. I'm sorry, you were right. I'm a woman."
"Good" Orichimaru sneered. "Now go get the karaoke machine, there's a song you need to sing, and plug it into the speakers of this hideout, I want everyone to hear this."
"Please… please Orichimaru-sama no. That song is humiliating…" Kabuto was interrupted as Orichimaru held kusanagi to his throat. "Hai… Orichimaru-sama."
Kabuto left the room and returned with a karaoke machine and a dejected look on his face.
"You know what song to sing Kabuto."
"Kabuto numbly nodded, and chose "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and began singing.
"The best thing about being a woman, is the prerogative to have little fun!
Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts-short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction
Color my hair-do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!"
As Kabuto's voice played across the speakers, all of Orichimaru's minions snickered, while Sasuke merely sighed and dropped his head.
These crazy bastards are who I had to come to for power? Great choice Sasuske, great choice…
Well, that mini-story amused me. I hope it brought you up a little bit after the extreme angst that was the end of chapter 3.
As always, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are appreciated.
I've been cranking this story out MUCH quicker than I originally thought (I figured it would take me around 3 weeks to get to this point..) But here I am. I can say with 100% certainty that I will not be able to start working on Chapter 4 this weekend, so don't expect to see it until next Wednesday-Thursday'ish.
/e turns DragonBall Z narrator voice on. Ahem…
"Next time on A Jinchuriki's Husk- Tsunade and the rest of the Konoha crew react to news of Naruto's disappearance and Sakura's actions. How will they react? Will they ever like Sakura again? Will we ever get to see Naruto's new rasengan that this crazed author was talking about in chapter 2? Will Goku ever finish that damn spirit bomb and kill Frieza? And if he does finish it, will that spirit bomb actually kill Frieza? Or will Frieza survive and piss this author off, because he just wasted his life by watching 10 episodes of Goku standing there with his hands in the air saying, "Please planet, universe, give me energy" only to have this super awesome attack do jack-shit? Well… that last bit won't be in the next chapter…. But you get the picture….
See you… eh…. What?
"YOSH! THIS IS MOST UNYOUTHFUL. YOU HAVE INCLUDED MY ETERNAL RIVAL KAKASHI IN YOUR STORY BUT NOT ME, THE YOUTHFUL MAITO GUY? I WILL DO ONE 100,000 FINGER PUSHUPS AND DO 100,000 LAPS AROUND KONOHA TO SHOW YOU MY POWER OF YOUTH!"
…Damnit Gai. Calm down, you and your overly youthful apprentice Lee are going to get some cameos in the next chapter. Along with the rest of the Rookie 9 and your team. Sheeeesh. I just need to figure out how to write all of their characters.
"YOSH, THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS!"
….*sigh* See you next chapter….
"GAI SENSEI"
"LEE"
"GAI SENSEI!"
*sweat drop*