A/N: Update Date - 7/11/10. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Last chapter was short and he promised that this one would be longer, not SHORTER!" I know.
So here's what. Next chapter will be LONG. Why? Because it's the goddamn Kyuubi attack. Satisfied?
I understand that the story seems to be taking a darker turn. While it won't stay that way, keep in mind that all good stories have ups and downs.
Shoutout to Yarra, the whole first scene is for you :) (and coincidentally, it actually ended up working very well for the story).
Sora Nadeshiko: Certainly an interesting idea, though not what I have planned.
.Alpha: Am I? Perhaps I will. Perhaps I won't. Perhaps I'll take a third option. Perhaps I'll quote TVTropes again!
HatchetChu: Trust me, I know what you're going through. Imouto12345 had me saying the exact same thing when reading his "What If?" fic. I'm going to take a different route this time, though. All I can say is: Please keep reading until the end, you won't regret it.
SolBird: I don't know what fanfiction you've been reading, but that's certainly not how it went. Danzo had nothing to do with the Kyuubi attack. Nor would he have anything to gain from helping it happen.
Zashire: Don't you dare :( Naru's been through enough as is. So help me god, if you kill off either of Naru's parents, I will stop reading right then and there.
1ryeguy8: A good idea, but once again, not what I have planned. Normally, I'm wide open to suggestions, but this part is something I really want to do a certain way.
Ironically, I'm still deciding whether or not I'm actually going to kill him off. You know, no outline or real plans whatsoever. Funny thing. I will listen to good ideas, though, if they work with what I already have in mind.
Chapter 16: The Path We Make For Ourselves
Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, lost in thought. If he was going to die, he could take solace in the facts that it would mean something, and that his family and friends would be safe because of his sacrifice. Isn't that what they all felt? he mused as he stared off at the Hokage Monument in the distance.
Sighing through his nose, Naruto almost didn't see Sakura walking along the intersection…with a kid? She didn't do much babysitting outside of the babies of the Konoha 12 generation, so what—
And then he noticed something else. The little girl's hair was pink. It couldn't have been her sister, he surmised, because the girl was at least a couple years old. So why…
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto turned to see his girlfriend shouting from just behind him. Smiling, he waited for her to take his hand…but she kept going. She didn't even look at him. What's going on?
He watched Hinata walk right up to his teammate, each sporting large grins. Deciding to investigate, he walked over to the pair. "Hinata-chan, Sakura, what's…" He trailed off, now very confused. They were ignoring him…
"GUYS!" he yelled, swinging his hands in front of their faces. Still unable to get their attention, Naruto placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder…only for it to pass right through her. Startled, Naruto jumped back and looked at his hands in shock. "Wha…" He tried again, with the same results.
"…it's almost the anniversary…" Naruto looked at Sakura, only now paying attention to their conversation.
"…I know…" Hinata whispered in reply. She waited for several moments before speaking up again. "I'll be at the memorial stone if you need me."
Deciding to just go with the situation, Naruto followed her until she stopped at the stone he had long since known as Kakashi's favorite place. Hinata walked over to the stone slowly before dropping to her knees. Naruto moved in closer, but was stunned to see tears silently falling out of her eyes. "Naruto-kun…" she whispered. For a moment, he thought she had finally realized his presence, but what she said next stopped that train of thought cold. "...your sister took her first steps today. She fell down what must have been a couple dozen times…but she kept getting back up to try again. She's just like you…you would have been proud."
Naruto stood there in detached surprise. Part of his mind was reeling at what she was saying, but the other part of him needed to take in every word.
"…I can't wait until she's older…I'll be able to tell her all about you. No doubt she'll adopt your nindo…in a way, she already has…"
A tear fell from his eye as he understood her meaning. "…she's looking more and more like your mother each day. She's got some of her personality, too…I could almost imagine you treating her to ramen after she passes the genin exam and you plowing through thirty bowls…" She took a sharp, pained breath. "I'll be sure to treat her that day, I promise. And I never go back on my word." Hinata futilely tried to wipe away the tears before continuing. "She's like a sister to me. She's already calling me nee-san…" She began weeping, barely able to speak. "…I'll take care of her, I'll—I'll make sure she knows all about you."
After several minutes of pained weeping, she stood up. "I'll be back soon, Naruto-kun. I love you…"She turned walking past Naruto with an expression that made him want to embrace her right there…but he knew he couldn't.
"Kit." Naruto turned around to see a miniature Kyuubi that he instantly recognized as his four tailed form…except with nine tails flailing behind the beast.
"Furball? What's going on?"
"Three…two…one…"
"Naruto!" He jumped out of his chair in surprise, falling backwards onto the floor. Looking up, he saw the concerned face of his mother staring down at him. "Why were you sleeping at your desk? And what's with all of these seals? Honey, you can't overwork yourself like this. It isn't healthy." She bent down and helped him up. "Are you alright?"
He only hesitated for a moment before assuring her that he was, but his mother knew him better than that. "Naruto…you can tell me. Please…"
"Just a bad dream. I need a little walk, that's all." He hated lying through his teeth, but he couldn't bear to look his parents in the eye and tell them that he was going to die for their sakes in a few months.
She was hardly satisfied by the answer, but decided to give him a little space.
Naruto walked down the streets, his head stooped. He only had a few months left. Less, actually…he would make the most of it. Snorting in amusement, he realized that having a few months to spend time with one's loved ones before dying was a blessing that almost no shinobi ever received.
00.000.00
Uchiha Madara sat upon his lonely throne, contemplating his plan. He'd gone over it many, many times over the months, but now he had to make some changes. Konoha was not nearly as weak as he had been hoping after the last war, and he'd heard interesting rumors about there being two Yellow Flashes. Leaving nothing to chance, he settled on the best option: backup.
In only a few months' time, he would finally have his revenge. Konoha would be utterly destroyed on the same day that he had been driven out of it by that bastard Senju Hashirama, and he would laugh as it burned to the ground. The Will of Fire would burn brightly before it was extinguished completely.
00.000.00
Naruto woke up to the smell of cooked eggs. Glancing at the clock, he groaned as it reached eight. No, he was definitely not a morning person. A nagging feeling returned to the forefront of his mind as he looked at the calendar. October 9th. His last day alive.
He'd already prepared everything well in advance: letters addressed to all of his friends and family, including letters for his sister and any other potential siblings when they were old enough to read them, and he'd spent a lot of quality time with everyone. So today wasn't about spending his last moments trying to have one last laugh with his family and friends, or one last kiss with his love. Today was the day he would look back at everything he'd done over his life, everything that he had experienced.
After a nice breakfast with his family, he took a stroll along a familiar route he had taken many times over the past year. As he passed the smiling citizens, he wondered how they'd feel after the attack. But his thoughts drifted to another direction…was he doing it for them? If his family and friends were not in danger, would he give up his life for all of their sake? The same villagers who, in his time, made his life a living hell for holding the beast they hated at bay, despite having no say in the matter. The caretakers at the orphanage who ensured that he was alone in every way possible so no one would ever ask him to play with them except to crush his feeble hopes. The same villagers who denied him service, deceived him, or overpriced him for shitty goods. The same villagers whom he saved time and time again.
And an hour past midnight, he would save their lives once more, this time at the expense of his own. But as he looked at the cheerful people lost in the busy activity of the shops and talk, he couldn't help but come to the conclusion that he was doing it for them. Even if they hated him, ruined his life, and spit on his parents' sacrifice, he couldn't let them die so that he could live. They deserved better. He could die happily knowing that they would continue smiling years down the road…that they would be able to live out the happy life that he had been denied from the day of his birth.
He could live with that. That was just who he was, he guessed. Willing to give up his life for the sake of others. Willing to bear hatred and adversity to make people feel better. Willing to give another chance to those who were beyond redemption in the eyes of everyone else. Only a past like his could have resulted in him being who he was, he realized. Had he grown up with a happy family like a normal kid, he wouldn't have given Sasuke another chance at the Valley of the End. He wouldn't have even tried talking to Pain instead of killing him right away. He wouldn't have been able to deal with the pain of facing one's death and still go through with it.
Wandering towards the Hokage Tower, he passed by a place he cherished in his memories: Ichiraku Ramen. In his early years, this place had been his only happy place. Teuchi and Ayame…they were the first people who were openly nice to him. Continuing his walk, he visited the academy and its roof where he first became part of Team 7. Where he made his dream known to his teammates. He sat against the same log he had been tied to during their team's first test, where one of his favorite memories took place. Turning around to look at the memorial stone, he recalled the memory with bitter irony.
I guess I really am going to get my name put on there for sure…Kakashi-sensei.
Reaching the top of the Hokage Monument, he looked out over the whole village from atop his father's head. He used to come here a lot as a kid. It was both comforting and appealing to him at the time, because the Yondaime Hokage was his hero, his idol. Who he aspired to be. Thinking back on it, it was almost cruel that he had been as close as possible to his father then and never even knew it. He could go back in time and change everything, but he couldn't change what had happened to him. He couldn't relive his life, his childhood, with a happy family. He could change the world around him, but he could never change himself. This was his fate. His destiny. Except this time, he wasn't thrown into the situation, nor was it prophesied since his birth. He chose his own destiny. He chose to give his friends and family happy lives, at the expense of his own. This was the life he had chosen, the path he had made for himself, the same sacrifice that many a person had made on his behalf.
He sat there, staring out at the horizon as it grew dark. It was time.
A/N: Next chapter, Kyuubi attack. And it will be LONG. And EPIC. And stuff.
Let me know what you think!
