The night was cool and breezy. The people of Konoha were enjoying a peaceful night. As everyone enjoyed their evening and prepared for the next day, one woman in particular didn't share those feelings.
Inside of the shinobi bar, Anko was drinking herself to death. She couldn't even sit up straight and whenever someone tried to cut her off, she'd send her snakes at them.
Entering the bar, Kakashi saw the sad form of Anko and sighed. "Anko, it's time to go home." Kakashi said.
"Fuck you, cyclops." Anko said with a heavy slur.
The masked ninja went through a series of hand seals before putting his hand on Anko's forehead. The seal used allowed Kakashi to purify Anko's body of the all the alcohol.
"Come on, let's go for a walk." Kakashi said. Anko glared but nodded.
As the two walked, Kakashi didn't bother pulling his book out. "Rough night?" Kakashi asked.
"It's Naruto. I can't believe him. I thought he was my friend." Anko said as her tears started to fall.
Kakashi saw this. "What happened?" Asked the masked man.
Anko started explaining the events that took place a few hours prior to their meeting.
Flash Back
Anko was jumping across the village. For awhile, Naruto had been acting strange and even his friends and family began to get concerned. She decided that she'd check on her Gaki.
When he wasn't at the ramen shop or any of the training fields, she decided to check one final spot. Anko proceeded to the Hokage's monument and saw the blond sitting on the stone head of the fourth Hokage.
"Yo, Gaki. Iv been looking everywhere for you." Anko called out.
"Hello, Anko." Naruto greeted in an emotionless tone without turning his head.
Anko noticed the greeting. "You alright?" Anko asked as she sat down next to him
"I'm having a problem and I just don't know what to do." The blond admitted in the same tone.
"What's got you all dark and serious. With this attitude and those eyes, if you change you hair, you'd be a perfect Uchiha." Anko joked.
"You see, I'm debating on weather I want to kill you or not." Naruto said while remaining calm.
This made the woman's eyes go wide. "What? Naruto, that isn't funny." Anko said.
"I wasn't joking. You see, I recently learned about the second level of the Sharingan along with learning how to awaken it." Naruto explained.
"Anko, you're the best friend I've ever had along with being the first and only woman I have ever loved. Training with you, while brutal, it was the best time of my life." Naruto said.
"Then why do you want to kill me?" Anko asked with a louder tone.
"Do you know why the Uchiha are so strong? It's because they love more than the average person. In a way, my love for you is something that nobody could ever compare to." The blond said with more emotion then intended.
"You see, while love is one of their strongest emotions, it isn't their strongest. The one thing an Uchiha has that's stronger than their love, it's their hate." Naruto explained.
Anko drew a kunai from her overcoat. The words Naruto were speaking broke the woman in a way that not even Orochimaru could ever compare to.
"Anko, I'm going to be frank with you. I absolutely hate you and everything about you. From your voice, your smell, and just the sight of you makes me sick." The blond said as he started leaking killing intent.
"You don't mean that. No, the Naruto I know wouldn't hate anyone." Anko shot back, but Naruto only laughed.
"Really? That's a lot of talk coming from the worthless tool of Orochimaru. Didn't he abandon you? Was it because of how weak you are, or is it because you're nothing but an object to be used?" Naruto asked with a sinister smirk.
"Stop it. Please, Naruto. Please stop it." Anko said as she started crying.
"You're such a child. You aren't even worth killing. I'm leaving, my business with you is over." The blond said as he started walking away.
As Anko looked at the blond, he gave one final look and for a moment, it looked as if he was also crying. The blond vanished in a yellow flash, leaving a broken Anko.
Flash Back ended
Kakashi looked in absolute shock. "Are you serious? I just can't believe that Naruto would do such a thing." Kakashi said.
"I can't believe it either. But you know what,? Fuck him and everyone else. The snake bitch from Konoha doesn't need anyone, especially a damn kid." Anko said.
Though only a single eye can be seen, Kakashi's display of sadness wave evident. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here." The silver haired man said.
Anko left the masked ninja and he just sighed. "Naruto, what's going on with you?" Kakashi asked himself.
The blond in question was inside his room. If anyone were to look inside, they wouldn't see a prodigy, shinobi in training. They would see a boy that's an emotional wreck from losing his best friend.
"Naruto." Called out Hagoromo as he pulled Naruto into his mind.
"What?" Naruto asked through his tears.
"Why didn't you kill her? Certainly it would have been less painful and heartbreaking." Hagoromo said to his reincarnation.
"You know that it's the only way to awaken the power. How do you plan of changing the world of you cannot make a single sacrifice" the sage asked.
Naruto glared at the man. "Shut up! You don't know anything about me!" Naruto roared.
"Foolish boy, I know everything about you." Hagoromo snapped. As he stared with a stern expression, Naruto glared back.
Naruto sighed as he decided to calm himself. "Look gramps, I understand what you're saying." Naruto said.
"I don't believe you do. How can one hope to save the world if they cannot make a simple sacrifice?" The old sage asked.
Naruto smirked. "How can I save the world if I can't even save a single friend?" Naruto shot back, leaving the sage of six paths speechless.
"Look old man, I don't know how you did it in your past or what the others before me did. But I'll find another way to achieve the power needed. I want go down the path of darkness and lose myself to my hatred. I will break the cycle of hatred and create a new world, believe it." Naruto declared with determination.
Hagoromo smiled. "I knew it was you, my child. I truly believe in the words you say. Naruto, never lose your will and never let anything change you." The old sage said as he vanished, leaving Naruto to return to his thoughts.
The next morning at the academy, the class was greeted by Iruka and a silver haired man. "Everyone, Anko sensei will no longer be teaching. Mizuki Cortel will be our taijutsu and physical conditioning instructor. I expect you all to show him the same respect as you do me and Anko." Iruka said.
Naruto sat down with his friends but remained silent. Even when the others tried to speak with him, his answers were short and his tone was cold. This had everyone concerned and they believed something happened to Naruto.
"Hey, Naruto. What's with you, man?" Kiba asked.
Naruto turned to face the boy. "Nothing." Responded Naruto as he resumed his class work.
"Well, we're going to Ichiraku's ramen shop after school today. Do you want to join us?" Kiba asked.
"No." Naruto said without looking at the boy.
"Oh, come on! What do you have to do anyway?" Kiba asked.
"Train." Naruto said.
"Okay, you're really pissing me off!" Kiba roared as he grabbed Naruto by his hoodie. However, the blond quickly grabbed the Inuzuka's wrist and pinned him to the ground with a kunai to his face.
"Hey man, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you." Kiba said defensively.
Naruto sighed and returned his kunai to his pouch. The moment Iruka dismissed them, Naruto vanished in a yellow flash.
When the blond arrived at the training field, he created multiple shadow clones. "You all have your orders. Get to work." Naruto said in a stern tone and without hesitation, the clones started training.
Arriving at the training field, Kakashi decided to find out what was wrong with his brother. "Naruto, I'm going to have a few words with you." Kakashi said in a tone he didn't use often.
"Later, Kakashi. I'm busy." Naruto said but found himself strapped to a tree by ninja wire.
"I figured you wouldn't sit down and listen. So I'm going to make you listen." Kakashi said in a fatherly tone.
After a moment of struggling, Naruto have in and listened to what his brother had to say. "Naruto, I heard about your conversation with Anko. What's going on?" Asked the masked man.
"Nothing, Kakashi. It isn't any of your business. I simply severed the bond with her." Naruto pointed out.
"I think you did a bit more than that. What happened? What has you acting like such an irrational brat? All you need to do is due your hair black, and you'll be just like an Uchiha." Kakashi said.
"You wouldn't understand, Kakashi. There is so much about myself that not even I understand. What I told to Anko was needed. Weather she was hurt or not, it's irrelevant." Naruto said.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, what was one of the things that I taught you?" Kakashi asked.
"Those that abandon their friends are worse than trash. I know Kakashi. But I'm willing to be that trash. I've got no choice." Naruto argued.
"Naruto, what is going on. I don't want to force it out of you. Please just be honest and open with me. You're like my younger brother and I care about you." Kakashi said while softening his tone.
"Sorry, but no. Until I figure everything out, I need to be alone. Speaking of which, please inform Aunt Yugao that I will be moving into an apartment. It seems that with how things are going, it would be better for me to stay away from them." Naruto said as he vanished in a yellow flash.
"Minato sensei, I wish you and lady Kushina were here. I don't know what to do." Kakashi silently thought as he noticed the shadow clones continue their training.
Over the course of the next few years, Naruto continued training and isolated himself. Slowly but surely, his friends stopped bothering to hang out with him. Yugao was forced to accept his decision but she and Kakashi often kept an eye on him while on Anbu patrol.
Anko worked with Ibiki in the torture and interrogation department. While there, she found her talent in torture and to help cope with everything, she created a stronger mask that kept everyone except her friends, Hana, Kurenai, and Yugao away.
While one would consider Naruto to be going down a dark path, the reality was, he was afraid to hurt anyone that got close to him. Naruto and the Hokage would meet a few times out the month and discuss different topics and things to help prepare Naruto for his shinobi career.