So, Here is another chapter for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Enjoy!

I DON'T OWN!

Naruto stood in his apartment looking into the mirror on his wall. He tried to clone himself, watching in the mirror to make sure he didn't mess up the hand signs.

"bunshin no jutsu." Naruto called out before a burst of smoke appeared and a sickly looking Naruto appeared next to him.

"No! Not again!" Naruto complained in English. Ran stood next to him and watched as his flame spiked dramatically when he tried to make a clone.

"You're going to be late for school." Ran reminded him. "It's the graduation test today." Ran said as Naruto got dressed.

"I'm going I'm going." Naruto grumbled as he ran out of the room fast. Ran watched his flame grown smaller as the boy got closer to the school.

"Hi Sasuke." Naruto said as he sat next to his best friend.

"Almost late again Naruto." Sasuke said as he pushed a box too the boy.

"I bet you forgot breakfast." Sasuke said with a smirk as Naruto''s stomach growled.

"I was busy Believe it!" Naruto said before he scarfed down the meal.

"If you ever say that again I will not bring you more food." Sasuke said, his eye twitching.

"But it's my catchphrase." Naruto said with food in his mouth.

Sasuke just glared at him. Naruto finished his meal in silence.

Sakura and Ino burst into the room right after Naruto finished. "I win!" Sakura and Ino said at the same time. Naruto ignored them in favor of imagining Ran's world.

"Take a seat please." Iruka started class, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts.

Sasuke and most of the rest of the class have taken the last part of the test. Only a few remained, including Naruto.

Naruto stood before Iruka and Mizuki. "Alright Naruto, just make three acceptable clones and you pass." Iruka told Naruto. Naruto nodded and tried to make the clones.

One had no color and the other two looked dead.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't pass you." Iruka told Naruto with disappointment, he really wanted Naruto to graduate this year.

Naruto was sitting on a balcony, waiting for Ran to find him, he knew that Ran could and would find him so he wasn't worried.

He had spoken with Mizuki earlier, he told Naruto about another way to graduate.

But now Naruto was having second thoughts, what if he didn't? Would he be a regular person? Could he continue doing what he was doing? Or should he just give up his dream of being Hokage and just live a normal life as best he could. He could travel. He wouldn't be alone.

"Master?" Ran asked as he got closer to the dimming flame.

"What if I just gave up? We could travel around and do stuff." Naruto said without looking up, it wouldn't matter if he did or not, Ran couldn't see him anyways. Naruto shook his head, thoughts like that are the kinds of thoughts the villagers thought he thought on a daily bases, negative thoughts and evil thoughts. Thoughts of destruction and pain. And they were right. He does think those thoughts on a daily bases, just not about them.

"Are you okay?" Ran asked as he sat down. Naruto shrugged and continued to look out at the village.

"Can we really just leave these people? Even though they treat us like crap? I don't know why, but I still want to protect them. I probably sound stupid huh?" Naruto said as he leaned onto Ran's shoulder.

"It's not stupid. You have a kind heart. You know what you want and that just so happens to be something that you can do. So, are you going to give up your dream and just leave, or are you going to fulfill your dreams and make these people respect you?" Ran asked. He knew what was going through Naruto's mind. He himself had thought of this. What would have happened if he had just given up? He would have probably helped his previous master take over the world. The thought made him shiver in disgust, at his past master and at himself.

"We all have to make the hard choices. The question is, did you make the right one?" Ran asked. Naruto seemed to think about it for a second before nodding.

"I think I should go and do the exam and become a ninja. Then I can protect the ones I love." Naruto said with a grin.

Naruto walked into the apartment very early in the morning. Ran awoke from his light sleep.

"How did it go?" Ran asked as he started to rummage around the kitchen for food.

"I found out why the village hates me." Naruto said in a depressed tone. He slumped over on the bed. Ran was worried about him, so he walked over after putting some water on the stove.

"What happened?" Ran asked as he hugged the fragile boy, he even aged himself so he could comfort the boy better.

Naruto just cried into Ran's shoulder, speaking in a fast pace in all six of the languages he knows.

"I don't know what you're saying. Please slow down." Ran said in a quiet tone.

"I am the container to the Kyūbi no Kitsune." Naruto told him in Japanese, before bursting out in tears. "I really am a monster." He whispered before falling into a fitful sleep while clinging to Ran.

I know, it's really short this time, but that is because I like the way it ended here.

I was going to end it sooner, but I had another part to add. I think this will be only a chapter or two longer.

I will continue it, just not this and after I catch up on a couple more stories.

Read/Review!

Mars