Sakura stared at Naruto as he stood, protectively, over his comrades. A feeling of death washed over Sakura, causing her to recoil in fear.

"What is this awful feeling?" Sakura looked all around her for the source. Gradually, her eyes came to rest on Naruto's form and a sudden realization formed.

"Naruto...Naruto are you..."

"Sakura just stay back and you'll be fine. These guys, however, won't be as lucky." Sakura could've sworn his eyes were now red. Suddenly, a shower of kunai rained down on Naruto. Sakura was dumbfounded to see Naruto standing there, not a scratch on him.

"Not even Sasuke could do that... Who IS this Naruto Uzumaki?" Sakura was fairly impressed...until she seen what he was capable of.

Naruto was pissed. He was angry at them for hurting Sakura. He was angry at himself because he failed to protect her. But most of all, he was angry because it felt so GOOD to be angry! He didn't feel like talking either so instead he let his actions do the talking and let me tell you, he was giving them quite the lecture. Before the lead ninja even knew what hit him, his left arm was sailing away from him in a fountain of blood. His back was drenched with the warm fluid as it sprayed out of the throat of the man behind him.

"Such speed" Naruto thought to himself as he advanced on the tenth enemy, "with this speed, nothing could touch me. And this power is unbelievable!" He was going to thoroughly enjoy this. The eleventh shinobi fell to his claws as his heart was impaled. Naruto's arm was covered in the blood of his enemies but he clearly remembered that there was sixteen ninja.

"One must've gotten away. Oh well that means more fun is on the way!"

"Naruto please...please just stop!" He heard the fimiliar voice. He was about to yell at the person when he felt himself in someone's embrace. Everything came rushing back to him, causing him to drop to one knee.

"Sakura?" He turned back to see she was crying.

"Hey Sakura it's fine." He went to hug her back but he seen something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"My...my arm...what happened to my arm!" Sakura just pointed behind him, causing him to avert his gaze from the pinkette in front of him to the gruesome seen behind him. All he could do was stare.

Sakura has seen genjutsu that would make adults cry for days but this was by far the most brutally terrifying thing she had ever witnessed. She watched as Naruto went from professing his love for her to tearing the limbs off of people in seconds. She didn't know why she had thrown herself on him but she felt it was the right thing to do.

"Sakura, I'm ok now. You know you could've been killed right?" Sakura looked up to see the sapphire eyes staring back. At that moment she knew one thing for sure: Naruto would never hurt her by his own decision.

"Naruto...what just happened to you?" She knew that she might not like the answer but she needed to know. She was shocked to find herself being picked up and carried to the others.

"Later, Sakura, for now we need to help patch up the others. After that we need to hide again." Naruto looked over Sakura's form in his arms and felt his heart jump up to his throat.

"Why not head home?" Sakura knew he was right but needed to know his reasoning.

"Because" Naruto stated, "one got away and is probably getting reinforcements right now."

"Yeah, you're right. Plus none of us are in any condition to travel long distances yet."

Nabitora woke up in complete darkness. He was sore, cut up, and nearly looked like a mummy with all of these bandages on. As he got up to look around, he saw a light around a corner. As he got closer, he could clearly make out two voices, one was Sakura and the other was Naruto. He strained to hear what they were saying:

"What happened back there?"

"I guess it's impossible to act like nothing happened so I guess it's time to tell the truth." Nabitora heard the blonde sigh. "Do you remember 13 years ago how the village was attacked by the Kyubi?" Sakura nodded her head, remembering the stories from that fateful night.

"Then you also remember how the Kyubi was defeated, right?"

"I think so. Didn't the Fourth Hokage seal the Nine Tails inside a child?"

Slowly the pieces started falling into place in Nabitora's head.

"Yes well that child...that child...was...me."

Silence. Absolute stunned silence. Nabitora boldly turned the corner, to both Sakura and Naruto's surprise, "YOU'RE LYING!"

Naruto just put his head down. Thats when Nabitora hit him. Naruto looked up at him and they both gasped.

"Now do you think I'm lying? WELL DO YOU!" Naruto had Nabitora suspended of the ground by his throat, his red eyes drilling holes into Nabitora's gold eyes.

"Naruto stop!" Again Sakura was there trying to snap Naruto out of it. Nabitora watched in shocked silence as those demonic red eyes were replaced by the blue eyes they all knew and loved.

"Naruto I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Nabitora was cut of by Naruto starting to cry.

"No you don't. No one does. You will never know what it's like to have your own village look at you like you're a monster. You'll never know what it's like to grow up completely alone. No body ever wanted to be friends with 'that kid'. It was like everybody was waiting for me to lose control. But then Iruka came along and so did Old Man Hokage and then it was like I had a brother and father. Now Kurenai is like a mother and you guys are the only friends I've ever had. So telling this to you guys is a huge leap of faith. Please...please don't abandon me too." Sakura and Nabitora looked to each other and back at Naruto, not quite knowing what to do.

Naruto knew he looked like a wreck but he didn't care. "I guess I have my answer." Naruto started to turn away until he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Naruto...I am your friend and i always will be." Naruto looked at Nabitora and smiled. Then for the second time that day, he found himself in Sakura's embrace.

"I agree with Nabitora, Naruto. Your my friend too."

Naruto just kept crying, with a smile on his tear stained face.

AN: here is another chapter of (Re)Setting the Stage. I want to thank everyone for their continued support and you know the rest.