Are you thirsty for blood?
The Truth
I entered the forest and began my search. After thirty minutes, I realized I was walking in circles. "Oh, Lord, give me a sign," I begged, staring at the night sky. I saw a bat in one of the trees. It began flying away. 'Hmm,' I thought. I followed the small bat until I found a shed. I smiled. "Thank you, little friend." I smiled at the bat.
The bat flew inside the shed's window and came out with four more bats. They flew high in the sky. I only could see them because of the moonlight. Too most people, bats would be creepy, but to me, this was a beautiful sight.
I waited for about five minutes when I saw Naruto running in my direction. I stood up and leaned against the shed. He stopped when he saw me. "K-Kaitlyn-chan, what are you doing here!?" he asked, surprised.
"Checking on you," I spoke.
"But how'd you find me?" he questioned.
"I followed the bats," I explained.
"Bats?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. "Well, why you're here, do you want to help me learn some awesome techniques?" he asked with a wicked grin.
"I guess," I shrugged. He sat on the ground and opened up the scroll.
"Let's see. The first one is Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Naa!" he grabbed his head. "Not this again! It's my worst Jutsu!" he yelled. I smiled and helped him up.
"Well, let's work on it together, Naruto-kun. It should be easy then." I smiled.
"Hmph," he pouted.
Naruto and I were lying on the ground, breathing heavily. We heard footsteps nearing us. We both sat up and stared at an angry Iruka. "It's all over." Iruka chuckled creepily. Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Huh?" Iruka questioned. Naruto stood up.
"Caught me already? Not bad. You're quick, Sensei. I only had time to learn one technique." Naruto continued rubbing the back of his head. Naruto laughed again. "Listen, Iruka-sensei! I'm going to show you this amazing Jutsu and you're gonna let me graduate! Then everything will be okay! That's the way it works right? Anyone who learns a Jutsu from this scroll passes!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Huh!? Where'd you get that idea!?" Iruka asked.
"Mizuki Sensei told me about it! Believe it!" he shouted, turning around to show Iruka the scroll on his back. "He told me where to find the scroll and this place…" Naruto suddenly got quiet, seeing the look of horror on Iruka's face.
I stood up and dusted myself off. Naruto looked over at me with a look of confusion on his face. "Mizuki's the bad guy, Naruto," I explained. He gasped.
"What!?" he asked, shocked. Kunai came flying at us from behind Iruka.
"Huh!? Look out!" Iruka yelled, pushing Naruto out of the way. I quickly dove to the ground to avoid any kunai. Unfortunately, Iruka wasn't so lucky. He was hit by several of them. "I see you found our little hideaway," Mizuki said.
"So that's the way it is, huh? I should've known," Iruka scolded himself.
"Naruto, give me the scroll now!" Mizuki ordered. Naruto looked over at me. I shook my head to tell him no. He looked back at Iruka.
"Wait a minute. What's going on here?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded. Iruka was breathing heavily.
"Naruto!" he called, pulling a kunai out of his leg and throwing it to the ground, "Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden Jutsu that could put this village in grave danger! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself for his own power!" Naruto stood up, shocked at what he was hearing.
"Naruto, Iruka's just trying to scare you 'cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll," Mizuki told him. Naruto gasped. I glared at him.
"Mizuki's lying, Naruto!" I tried to tell him. He looked around in confusion, trying to figure out who he can believe.
"Don't let him trick you, Naruto!" Iruka yelled. Mizuki chuckled.
"Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying," Mizuki spoke.
"No, Mizuki!" Iruka panicked.
"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto. Since the degree twelve years ago," Mizuki spoke.
"What degree?" Naruto asked.
"Everyone knows, except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you, even now. He'd do anything to shut me up," Mizuki continued.
"What is this degree? Why does everyone else know about it?" Naruto questioned.
"Don't tell him! It's forbidden!" Iruka commanded.
"The degree is no one can tell you the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside you!" Mizuki told him. Naruto gasped. "The foxed spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body," Mizuki spoke, "You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Stop it!" Iruka cried.
"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you, like dirt? Like they hated you for just being alive!" Mizuki questioned him. Naruto had tears in his eyes.
"No! No! No! No! No!" Naruto yelled as his chakra surrounded him.
"Naruto-kun," I spoke softly.
"Naruto!" Iruka cried.
"That's why you'll never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!" Mizuki lied. Iruka cringed in pain from the kunai.
"He's lying to you, Naruto-kun!" I tried to tell him.
Mizuki repeatedly swung his giant shuriken around. "Die, Naruto!" he yelled. Mizuki threw the giant shuriken straight for Naruto. Naruto tried to crawl away, but was not succeeding.
"Naruto, get down!" Iruka ordered. Naruto covered the back of his head with his hands and sat still. I gasped and closed my eyes in fear, forgetting that I already knew what was going to happen. I slowly opened my right eye to see Iruka above Naruto, the shuriken in his back. Mizuki gasped.
"Eh, w-why?" Naruto questioned Iruka's actions.
"Because we're the same," Iruka told him. He began going into detail, but I just tuned him out. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I looked up at Mizuki as he stood in the tree. Iruka was now crying, his tears falling on Naruto's face. Iruka was apologizing to Naruto for suffering through so much. Mizuki began to chuckle at Iruka's words.
"Don't make me laugh!" Mizuki shouted. "Iruka always hated you. He was orphaned because the Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents and that beast is now inside you. He'd say anything to get the scroll from you," Mizuki said.
Naruto ran out from under Iruka and further in the woods. "Naruto. Naruto!" Iruka called after. I quickly began to follow Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, wait!" I begged, sprinting after him. 'If I run too long, my asthma will act up,' I told myself. "I have to catch up with him soon," I muttered. Naruto looked over his shoulder at me and sped up his pace. "Darn it," I mumbled, trying to speed up. "Naruto-kun! Slow down! Please! I need to talk to you!" I yelled, pushing my way through the bushes. He didn't slow down for even a moment.
"Go away! You heard him! I'm a monster!" he bawled.
"No, you're not, Naruto! You're my friend! Now please, stop!" I cried. I started gasping for breath. I couldn't breathe. My asthma finally got to me and I didn't even have my medication in this world with me.
I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. Naruto stopped to stare back at me. "Kaitlyn-chan?" he asked. Tears made their way to my eyes. I was starting to panic. "Kaitlyn-chan!" he yelled, running towards me. He slid next to me and sat down. "What's wrong!?" he asked, scared.
"I-I c-can't breathe," I gasped. I leaned against the tree and held onto my stomach, trying to slow my breathing. Naruto just watched. It was a trick an asthma expert taught me, belly breathing. I just had to relax. After five minutes, my breathing began to calm.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, worriedly. I smiled and nodded. "Why did that happen?" he questioned.
"I have asthma. It's a lung problem. My airways aren't as wide as yours and they swell easily," I tried to explain. He closed his eyes in confusion. He crossed his arms and nodded.
"Ahh, I understand." He nodded. I got an anime sweat drop.
"You didn't understand a word I just said, did you?" I asked. He scratched the back of his head, childishly.
"Nope." He smiled. I giggled a bit, but cringed at the pain in my side. "What's wrong now?" he asked me.
"Nothing. Just cramps from running so much," I explained.
"Sorry about that." He laughed. We heard something from behind the tree we were next to.
"You're a fool. Why are you protecting that freak? He's the one that wiped out your family," Mizuki said to Iruka. Naruto looked at the ground sadly.
"I don't care what you say. You're not getting your hands on that scroll," Iruka spoke.
"As if you could stop me." Mizuki smirked. "Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me." I rolled my eyes.
"How's that?" Iruka questioned him.
"He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything," Mizuki told him.
"You're right," Iruka commented. Naruto gasped.
"So it's true. Iruka-sensei never believed in me. He thinks I'm some beast, some kind of freak!" Naruto spoke softly.
"Shh. Keep listening," I told him.
"That is how beasts are," Iruka said. Naruto's eyes widened. "But that's not who Naruto is. He's nothing like that. Naruto's one of a kind, works hard, puts his whole heart into it. Sure, he messes up sometimes and everyone jumps on him, but his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong. He's nothing like the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's Naruto Uzumaki of the Village Hidden in the Leafs," Iruka finished. Naruto was crying now.
I peaked around the side of the tree. Mizuki's eye was twitching in anger. "Huh? You really believe that little dribble? Iruka, I was going to save you for later, but I changed my mind. You're finished!" Mizuki yelled, spinning his giant shuriken. I blinked. When I opened my eyes, Naruto kicked Mizuki, sending him backwards. I stood up and ran towards them. Iruka's eyes widened. Naruto stood up. "Not bad for a little punk," Mizuki insulted.
"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!" Naruto said in a dark voice.
"Such big words. I can completely destroy you with a single move!" Mizuki warned.
"Take your shot, fool. I'll give it back to you, a thousand full!" Naruto yelled.
"Let's see you try! Show me what you can do, Nine-Tailed Fox!" Mizuki ordered.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. There were Narutos everywhere. I was shocked at how many he managed to make. We worked on the Jutsu together and both of us managed to make a real solid clone, but we didn't practice making so many of them. Iruka was in awe. Mizuki fell down. "If you're not gonna come, then we're gonna come after you!" one of the Naruto's spoke. Mizuki screamed as loud as his lungs would let him as Naruto beat him into a bloody pulp.
Mizuki laid on the ground unconscious. "Hehehehehehe. Sorry, I kinda got carried away. You okay, Iruka Sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah," Iruka answered.
"That was amazing, Naruto-kun," I complimented. He smiled his famous grin at me and gave me a thumbs up.
"Ah, Naruto, come here a minute. I've got something I want to give you," Iruka said. Naruto slowly walked over and sat in front of Iruka Sensei. "Okay, close your eyes," he told him. Naruto did as he was told. I watched as Iruka removed is headband and Naruto's goggles. He tied his headband around Naruto's forehead and smiled.
"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Iruka smiled. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and stared at Iruka Sensei. "Congratulations. You graduate!" Iruka said, still smiling. Naruto was actually speechless for once in his life. The sun came out and shined its light on us. "And to celebrate, I have a surprise. We're going out for ramen tonight," Iruka announced. Naruto slowly smiled. "Huh?" Iruka questioned.
"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto tackled him in a hug. I stood a few feet away from them, smiling. They began laughing.
I looked up at the sky. "So much for getting a good night's rest," I mumbled.