Naruto Misbegotten

Chapter 10

The meaning of pain

"Gaara no." Yashamaru dived in front of the wall of sand to save the child in Gaaras grip. The children ran off, leaving Gaara and Yashamaru alone. "Yashamaru, why did you do that?" Gaara asked.

"Because what you did was wrong." Yashamaru admonished.

"Lets go home Gaara." Yashamaru said.

The four children spent a week crossing the desert to reach the village hidden in the sand.

"Man this place is a bit of a dump." Naruto remarked at the barren and dilapidated look of the place.

"I heard the viallge had been suffering severe budget cuts the last few years." Yakumo said as they searched for a hotel.

"I don't think there are any hotels." Hinata said worriedly

"If the village has been going down hill, I guess tourism would be the last thing they'd worry about." Naruto said.
"That's bad news for us if we can't find a place to sleep." Sasuke said. Getting an idea, Naruto picked a door went up to it and knocked.

Gaara held the knife to his arm and tried to stab himself, but the sand sheilded him like it always did.

"Yashamaru, what does pain feel like?" Gaara asked.

"Pain isn't very pleasent." Yashamaru said.

"Yashamaru, I think I feel pain right here." Gaara said, grabbing his heart.

"It doesn't bleed but it hurts. Why does it hurt." the child begged

" A wound of the heart is different from a wound of the flesh. Medicine and ointment can sooth and heal the pain in the bodie, but healing a wound of the heart isn't so easy." Yashamaru explained.

"What can heal a wounded heart?" Gaara asked

"Love." Yashamaru answered.

"What is love?" Gaara asked

"Love is the feeling you have toward those you wish to protect, that is why I believe the spirit of your mother inhabits the sand that defends you. It is the expression of the love your mother feels for you." Yashamaru explains, earning a sweet smile from the boy. A knock on the door interrupts their conversation. Yashamaru opens the door to find four children about Gaaras age or a little younger outside the door.

"Hello, do you need something?" He asks.

"Yea, thier are no hotels around here and we need a place to stay." The leader, a blond with slitted eyes states sheepishly.

"Yashamaru, who is it?" Gaara askes peeking out from behind Yashamaru.

"These people need a place to stay, lord Gaara." He says

"They can stay here right?" The boy akes eagerly, seeing children who weren't afraid of him.

Yashamaru considered it for a long moment.

"All right, come in" The adult said and opened the door wide open.

"All right!" The blond shouted rushing into the house followed by a silent boy with black hair. two girls, one with long brown hair, the other with short black hair bowed and thanked Yashamaru for his invitation and came inside. Naruto was looking around the living room with appreciation.

"Nice place you have here." Naruto said happily.

"Thank you." Gaara said.

"My names Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto introduced himself and offered his hand. Gaara looked at it, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Lord Gaara, tak his hand and introduce yourself." Yashamaru explained. Gaara did as he was told.

"Gaara, what a wierd name." Naruto said

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed, but was stooped when Gaara began to giggle which was joined by a full throated laugh from Naruto.

"So, you guys gotta bath, were all a little grungy!" Naruto asked

"Of course, rigth through here." Yashamaru said, and lead Naruto through a door on the right side to the stone room.

"We apologize for Naruto-kuns behavior." Yakumo said.

"That's allright." Gaara said

"What's your name?" he asked the other three. He had not felt any fear talking to Naruto so disarming was his personaltiy, but he was afraid how these other three would act toward him.

"I am Hinata." The pale black haired gril said and bowed.

"My names Yakumo." The taller girl said and bowed.

"Sasuke." The black haired boy said coldly.

"Well your friends taking a bath right now. You three don't mind taking turns bathing do you.?" Yashamaru asked

"No, and thank you for your hospitality." Yakumo said and bowed.

"It's no trouble." Yashamaru said. After every one had bathed, Yashamaru laid out futons for the four of them in the guest room and left them to bed down for the night. In the middle of the night Naruto woke up with a full bladder. After stumbling to the bathroom and reliveing himself, Naruto was on his way back to sleep when he met Gaara in the hall. "Hey Gaara, you gotta take leak to?" Naruto asked.

"No, Gaara" said blushing at the crude comment. "I was just goning to the roof, I don't like staying in my room all night long." He explained.

"You should really sleep." Naruto said. "Iruka sensie always said healthy sleep equals a healthy ninja."

"I don't sleep" Gaara said as casually as if it was the most normal thing in the world and walked past. Naruto followed him.

"Gaara sat on the roof staring at the moon and driffting in the trance like meditation that was the closest thing he ever got to sleep.

"Sorry about earlier." Naruto said and plopped himself down next to his new friend.

"Just because I don't sleep dosen't mean you don't have to." Gaara told him.

"I'm fine." Naruto said with smile. The two new friends started talking about thier lives. Gaara taked about being the son of the Kazakage, and about being hated for his powers over sand, commanding it to rise up and form simple shapes.

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed completely surprising Gaara. "I wish I had a shield of sand to protect me from all the beatings I got from the people in my village." Naruto told Gaara about the village hidden in the leaves, about how the villagers hated and beat him, and about how he and to others had left.

"But you can't tell anyone, it's a secret." Naruto swore his friend to silence. The two children were so wrapped up in their conversation that they never noticed the ninja behind them until it was almost to late. The kunai he had launched at them nearly empacted when the sand sprung to life, shielding both children from the blast of the explosive notes. The smoke cleared to reveal a half dome of sand protecting Naruto and Gaara. Gaara sent the sand after the assassin, but stooped when her heard Naruto shout "Shadow clone jutsu" and thirty Narutos jumped the surprised assasin and beat the tar out of him before he could defend himself. Five Narutos pinned the assasin down as the sand retreated back into the guard on Gaaras back.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he Hinata and Yakumo burst onto the roof.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright!" Hinata asked.

"Were fine." one of the Naruto's said

"The shadow clone jutsu. I never expected a child to know such an advanced technique." The assasin said from his place under the five Naruto's

"Did Konoha send you!?" Naruto demanded, threatining pain if he didn't recieve an answer.

"Look at the head band Dobe, this guys from sand." Sasuke said, earning a glare from Naruto. reaching down, Naruto pulled the mask off the assasin reaveling the nice man who had given them a place to stay.

"Yashamaru!" Gaara ghasped. "Why! Why you."

"Your father ordered my to kill you. You have been deemed a failed experiment Gaara. A danger to the village that must be destroyed." Yashamaru explained.

"So you were just following my fathers orders. You didn't have a choice." Gaara reasoned.

"No. I could have refused but I was glad to do it glad to destroy the monster who took my dear twin sister from me. Do you know why your mother named you Gaara. It was after a demon who loved only himself. She hated this village for sacrificing her to creat a weapon and she wished you to carry on her hatered and spite toward the village and eventually destroy it." Yasamaru explained bringing Gaara to tears. Enraged Naruto commanded the clones to lift the man to his feet and using all his strength, punched the man in the ribs and heard two satisfying cracks as the man coughed blood.

"You idiot. It wasn't Gaaras fault he was born this way. He wasn't the one who wanted to sacrifice his mothers life to make a weapon!" Naruto shouted at the man.

"I know that. but the Kazegage is the leader of the village. Attacking him or the counselers who are responsible is an act of treason punishable by death, but nontheless, I had to find some outlet for my anger, bitterness, and hatred, and Gaara was the only one within my reach. I tried to learn to love you, but I just couldn't and after watching you the last few weeks I have come to agree with the Kazege. You are an unstable forc, unable to control your own powers." The man was silenced by an even harder punch to his ribs causing two more cracks.Looking into the boys eyes, Yashamaru saw they had becom red slits, and a chakra even more foul than Gaaras began seeping out of the boy. Yashamaru began laughing like a lunatic as understanding dawned on him.

"Of course, now I understand. It makes perfect sense ." He said

"What!" Naruto growled.

"How anyone could become such fast friends with something like Gaara. You two are two of a kind." He explained.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"When Gaara was born his father the Kazekage ordered the spirit of the demon shakaku sealed in his unborn body in order to make the perfect weapon. That is how he has so much power over sand. And you boy." He said looking at Naruto "You are exactly the same. You are the child that had the Nine-Tailed fox sealed inside of him."

"Your lying." Naruto said

"I have no reason to lie. Everyone knows the Nine-tails attacked your village, and everyone knows it was sealed to save the village by the legendary fourth Hokage, except the generation born after the attack who were never suppose to know. You've been lied to Naruto-Kun by everyone. Ironic the one person to tell you the truth was an enemy. and now that you know the truth, you and Gaara can die." And with that Yashamaru exploded.

Cliffhanger, and just to rub salt in the wound I'm going on a two day trip so the soonest you can expect the next chapter is late sunday to monday.