Chapter 5: Don't Look Back

"Hey Sakura, check it out!"

"What can I say? You're the girl of my dreams."

"I'm gonna be Hokage, believe it!"

"I'm going to bring him back… I promise."

Was she a bad friend?

It's a common saying that one doesn't realize what they have until they lose it, the thing about common sayings is that they are common for a reason.

Because there's a truth to them.

Sakura was admitting it, it was true. Naruto was valuable to her more than the boy would ever know, she's beaten him, she's berated him, she's ignored him. Yet that boy still did everything in his power to ensure that she was safe at the end of it all.

He was the one to beat Gaara in the woods that day not Sasuke, he was the one who risked his life to find and bring back Sasuke who tried to kill him, the one person he considered his only friend only to look her in the eyes and tell her he won't give up.

When she saw the way Naruto looked on that day, how close to death he was and how much blood he was covered in. Even she almost gave up all hope for Sasuke despite her feelings that she harbored for the boy.

The missions in Gelel and the Crescent Moon Kingdom he's done nothing but his best to make sure he's always had her back yet she' always in a way held the boy back.

The pink haired girl walked with her head facing toward the ground staring at it, she had no destination she was just alone.

Naruto was annoying but he meant everything he said from the bottom of his heart and never went back on his word, she never got the chance to tell him that she appreciated that about him and to tell him that she wanted to help him properly.

How could she?

She was always the weakest of the team, Sasuke had his natural talent, Naruto had his tenacity, she had nothing like those two. The fact that she even believed that she could keep up with them even for a minute was just a lie she told herself.

Now Naruto is gone.

There are no other means of support or shoulders for her to lean on, she was officially on her own. It was a scary feeling and she didn't know how to handle it.

It made her feel so weak.

"787."

"788."

"789."

Sakura's head lifted up slightly at the sound of the voice, she knew that voice and who the owner of it was. The pink haired girl turned her head toward an open patch of grass spotting Rock Lee in the middle of doing handstand push-ups with his leg weights on.

"Lee?"

Sakura spoke out loud while the boy lifted on of his hands to point his index finger upward, "One moment, I'm almost finished with this set!" Lee called out passionately while Sakura sweat dropped at the boy.

"797."

"798."

"799."

"800!"

Lee yelled out before he flipped, landing on his feet directly in front of Sakura who moved back a little, "Ah if it isn't the lovely Sakura! What brings you to this area? Perhaps you wanted to train in the way of fiery youth!" Lee fisted pumped the air while Sakura nearly groaned at the fired-up boy.

"No thanks, that much training sounds like it's bad for your body actually. I was just passing through…"

Sakura said while Lee tilted his head at the girl, "You seem sad, what has happened?" The bowl cut haired boy asked while Sakura shook her head at the him in denial.

"It's nothing Lee."

Sakura tried to deflect while Lee nodded his head, "It's Naruto isn't it?" Lee said while Sakura gave him a look before she sighed.

"How did you guess?"

Sakura asked half sarcastically while the boy stuck his finger up, "Because both Nothing and Naruto start with the letter N. At least in most foreign languages." Lee stated causing Sakura to chuckle at his ridiculous logic.

"How do you do it Lee? We pretty much lost another one of our friends and yet you're still as energetic as ever… like nothing happened."

Sakura said while Lee looked off to the side, "We didn't lose a friend Sakura, he's merely somewhere else at the moment." Lee said while Sakura raised an eyebrow at the boy who kept his eyes to the sky.

"A friend is only truly lost when we allow them to be gone from our hearts."

Lee stated while Sakura's eyes slightly widened at the words of the green clad boy, the gentle look in his eyes reflecting Naruto's at multiple points when he spoke about Sasuke even after the boy deserted the village.

"We don't even know if he's alive, Lee."

Sakura said with pessimism lacing her voice while Lee pointed a finger to her, "Do you want him to be?" Lee asked while Sakura looked toward the boy.

"Of course I do."

Sakura said while Lee quickly nodded his head, "Good! Then he's alive and well!" Lee exclaimed while Sakura scoffed at the boy.

"That's not how that works and you know it. Just because I want him to be alright it doesn't guarantee that he is."

Sakura said while Lee turned his head toward her, "Then you don't believe in him." Lee said while Sakura was taken aback from the suggestion.

"Naruto right now is taking part in one of the toughest challenges of his life, having to fight for it. If you believe that he's not strong enough to face that challenge then you don't believe in him. That's how I'm able to move forward, I have faith in who Naruto is."

Lee said with a serious expression on his face while Sakura looked away from him, her not believe in Naruto?

That's ridiculous.

She's seen his strength countless times, she's seen Naruto fight against odds that should have been impossible and triumph. She has nothing but the utmost belief that Naruto would be able to make it through.

Right?

"What does faith have to do with the real world, Lee? I could believe in whatever I want but that still doesn't make it true, I believed that Sasuke would come back, I believed that Naruto was just pulling a prank, I believed that I could be a good ninja."

"I had faith in all of these things and yet none of those are real."

Sakura stated while she could feel herself beginning to choke up, "Then the truth about this is that you have no faith in yourself." Lee said while Sakura slowly looked toward the boy who took a deep breath while keeping eye contact with the girl.

"Sakura, faith isn't a physical thing that grants wishes. Faith also isn't expectation. Faith is an honest belief in one's ideals, my faith in Naruto is something that can be backed up by his character like your faith in yourself is set by your own expectation."

Lee said while Sakura looked away from the boy's eyes, "This isn't about me Lee, this is about Naruto. This about him being gone, this is about me not being strong enough to do anything about it. About me not being there for him when he needed me." Sakura said while Lee gently pushed Sakura's face to his gaze with his hand.

"It's all about you."

"This is about your need to revel in your failure, you're blaming yourself because you don't believe in yourself. Naruto in this situation is an excuse."

Lee stated while Sakura turned to glare at the black-haired boy, "Take that back, Naruto isn't some excuse I'm using to beat myself up. He's gone now and I should have done something." Sakura nearly growled while Lee's face stayed calm.

"I was in a similar position not too long ago… When everyone was telling me that I would never be able to be a ninja. I have no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu and awful chakra control. I always believed deep down that they were right."

Lee explained while Sakura kept her gaze to the ground, "I tried and tried but everyday felt like it was getting harder and harder. When I was injured by Gaara… When I also lost Naruto. As a part of that mission, I was a part of the blame even if it was accidental and unofficial." Lee picked up a rock holding it toward the sun.

"But you never gave up Lee, that's you. I'm not like you. I can't be strong like that, I've always had it better than my peers. I had both parents, I was raised in a good home, I was practically a genius in the eyes of the academy and my sensei. I haven't lost the things you, Sasuke, and Naruto lost to become strong like you all."

Sakura said while Lee tossed the rock before catching it, "One's past does not determine their strength Sakura, it's one's present. The past certainly helps with motivation, but true strength comes from the effort you put in today." Lee said while Sakura turned toward him.

"Strength can't change what has already happened, even if I become strong, I can't fix the fact that I lost my friends!"

"Then become strong so you can get them back."

Lee countered Sakura's point while he made eye contact with her again, "My failures are my greatest teacher… 2nd greatest… Nothing beats Guy Sensei! My failures are also the reason why I train so hard every day." Lee said before he crushed the rock in his hand nearly effortlessly.

"I failed to be strong enough to protect my friend this time, now I'll become strong enough to prevent that from ever happening again."

Lee spoke with resolve in his voice while Sakura looked at the boy with admiration, "Must be nice, being able to learn from your failures. I'm not sure I even can." Sakura said while Lee placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's where faith comes in as well. Before you can learn from your mistakes you must learn to believe in yourself."

Lee said while Sakura looked at the dirt below her, "Lee, I just… No matter what I just can't-" Sakura was cut off by Lee turning her frame toward his.

"I believe in you."

Lee said leaving Sakura temporarily speechless while the green clad boy smiled at her, "If you really don't wish to believe in yourself right now, then believe in me until you can believe in yourself. I'll never stop believing in you." Lee spoke with bright smile on his face while Sakura could feel the sensation of her eyes watering.

"...What if that's not me?"

Sakura said while Lee's smile only grew while looking at the green eyed girl facing him, "Be the you that you want to be Sakura, not the you that you think you are." Lee said while Sakura's tears fell.

The Sakura she wants to be.

Who even was that?

What kind of Sakura did she want to be?

The images of Naruto and Sasuke flashed through her mind as they both fought their battles she witnessed, how they both were always able to find the strength to win despite the odds all while she stood by and watched them.

She didn't want to be those two.

She wanted to be right there with them.

Properly this time.

She wanted to be the Sakura that was strong enough to bring them both back. "...Lee, I want to believe in myself too." Sakura admitted through her tears while the sunset engulfed them both in its dying orange light while Lee smiled at her.

"Good."

"Train me."

Sakura said while Lee's eyes widened, "Huh?" Lee gave the girl a confused expression while Sakura took one of the bands off of her wrist before pulling up some of her hair and tying it up into a standing ponytail.

"Help show me the me that you believe in so much."

Sakura said while Lee nodded his head before the pair both walked back into the patch of grass Lee grinned widely before he yelled something about youth before he began to show the pink haired girl the steps to the Leaf Hurricane. When Sakura tried it herself, she stumbled and hit the ground hard multiple times, it hurt but she forced herself to get up.

Sasuke.

Naruto.

I'm coming to get you back.

Next time you see me I won't be just sitting back and watching either of you get all the work done, I'll be getting it done right there with you. I'll keep fighting as hard as I can until the day I do.

Believe in that.

{...}

Tazuna groaned while he was sitting in seat Naruto placed him in while the blonde boy did his best to dress the older man's wounds, "Naruto… wait. Those men… they said they were after you. This is a trap so they can hurt you… don't just run in." Tazuna gritted through the pain while Naruto continued to dress the man's wounds.

"Tsunami's in danger, whether it's a trap or not doesn't matter to me."

Naruto said before he finished bandaging Tazuna's wounds, "Naruto we can figure out a different way, even if it's a ransom for all I care but you can't just rush into danger." Tazuna said while Naruto glared at the older man.

"This is your daughter we're talking about!"

Naruto yelled while Tazuna gave the boy a look, "Don't you think I know that!? I would do anything to get her back but I ain't lining up the people I care about to send them to get hurt!" Tazuna barked back while Naruto turned away from the man.

"I'm also anything, Old man. They wanted me so badly then they got me. I ain't leaving that damn place until I bring Tsunami back home where she's safe, even if I have to tear through the whole place."

Naruto spoke before he felt a pang through his chest after saying those words, he had said the same thing before when referring to a different person.

He still hadn't even brought him back like he promised.

Naruto shook his head ignoring the thought while Tazuna gave the blonde boy a look, "Naruto…" Tazuna trailed off before the blonde haired boy pointed a thumb at his back facing the old bridge builder.

"I'm bringing her back, Tazuna. Believe it."

Naruto said while the older man merely watched as the blonde-haired boy rush out of the door into the night toward imminent danger.

"Naruto… be careful…"

Tazuna spoked before he was rendered unconscious.

{...}

"And you're sure this is him?"

"Yep, same blonde hair and same clone technique. It has to be him."

The brown-haired thug spoke to a black-haired well-dressed man. His hair was messy and there was a scar that ran through the corner of his mouth toward his chin. He wore a white suit and had a cigar burning slowly in his mouth.

"Good then when he gets here, the order is to bring him to me. If you boys want to rough him up before you do then feel free to get a little of your own payback, but vengeance is mine. That little rat bastard helped take everything I ever had away from me."

The whited suited man took the cigar from his mouth before tossing it to the side haphazardly, the cigar flew past Tsunami's face before it hit the wall behind her that she was placed against. Her hands and feet were bound.

"I wanna make him watch me return the favor before killing him."

The man said while the brown-haired thug nodded his head, "Gotcha Banira." the thug said before he left the room leaving both Banira and Tsunami alone.

Banira was once a part of a powerful organization that practically ruled the Land of Waves with an iron fist from the underground, his previous boss was a man to be feared and one he respected more than anything.

Yet all of that effort that was placed into slowly building this empire all came down one day due to a group of Leaf shinobi and a weakling of a bounty hunter who folded at the sight of his cohort dying in front of him.

Almost all of them were hunted down after the bridge had been completed leaving nothing but shambles for Banira himself to put back together, it had been a long and arduous process, but he had finally begun to make some headway.

The organization was nowhere near where it used to be but it was growing, all he had to do was scrub from the bottom of the barrel in the Land of Waves and there were plenty of bodies that he could use to rebuild.

Now that he had confirmed that it really was the blonde kid from that team back then and he was alone back at the village, Banira had to get revenge purely out of the honor of his previous boss. Once the kid was dead then he would ransack the village and even destroy the bridge they built.

"Leave him out of this."

Tsunami spoke with a glare on her face while Banira turned toward her, the man approached before cupping the woman's face in his hand.

"You know, I actually wanted both you and your kid here so count him lucky. Just for when that Naruto kid gets here I had someone to beat on to help break his spirits, fortunately I don't hit women so count yourself lucky for that. I still may need to kill you. I gotta send something back to that old bridge builder."

Banira said while Tsunami tried to jerk her face away from Banira's hand only for the man to pull her face back.

"I ain't going to do anything to you yet, so try not to fret lady. I'm going to beat the shit out of your little hero first and then I'll put you out of your misery."

Banira said before he roughly pushed her face away before he stood looking toward the door to his office on the wall ahead of them.

"...Would you look at that… He's here early."

Banira said while Tsunami's eyes slowly widened before thunder clapped and lightning cracked across the air.

Outside in front of the small castle just outside of its gates icy blue eyes glared at their target unphased by the rain.

{...}

Hoshi Castle.

An old building on the outskirts was first built during the Second Great Ninja War as a stronghold for the Land of Fire in the Land of Waves. The relic was now occupied by the recovering forces of what was left of Gato's regime, however for Naruto.

It was the place these bastards were holding Tsunami.

Thankfully the villagers had noted that the gangsters had visited the village multiple times and always went back to a similar path that led to the castle. Bringing the blonde boy here, Naruto found the large bridge that connected the castle grounds to the mainland.

Naruto with a glare firmly on his face walked onto the bridge ready to dash toward the castle.

Three thugs walked onto the bridge getting in Naruto's way before one of them pointed their knife at the boy.

"We've been expectin' ya Kid, you're late."

The thug spoke while Naruto narrowed his eyes at the men, he took another step stopping his foot as he did.

"Where's Tsunami?"

Naruto growled while the men scoffed at the boy, "Having a hell of a time, so good in fact she personally asked us to tell you to piss off!" The thug laughed while Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Fine, I'll have to tear through the entire damn castle!"

Naruto roared before he placed his fingers together, the thugs were already finished with their hand signs to release their justu.

"Fire Style: Blazing Roar!"

"Wind Style: Air Splitter!"

A massive ball of flame shot toward the boy while the thin blade of wind curved around the flame. Naruto and his clones avoided the attacks before advancing on the trio of thugs ahead of them. One of the thugs swung his knife at Naruto who leaned back avoiding the swing before he swung his leg around to kick the thug in the face.

The clones Naruto made quickly beat down the other two thugs before going to his side, "That was quick." "At this rate we'll be at the top in no time!" The clones celebrated while Naruto felt a drop of rain hit his head.

The boy watched the rain slowly start to come down before he glared at the entrance of the castle.

"Let's go get Tsunami back!"

Naruto yelled while his clones cheered before they all rushed the front door, "He's here!" One of the thugs inside yelled while another one nodded his head running toward the stairs.

The thug nearly tripped at the sound of the door being smashed open and a dozen Naruto's entering the room. He kept moving up the stairs while Naruto fended off multiple enemies, the boy ducked under a clothesline before turning to kick the attacker in the back.

Naruto rolled before headbutting another man in his stomach before leapfrogging over him to take down another thug.

Naruto watched while their reinforcements entered the room, "Boss! Keep going up! We got the first floor!" The clone yelled while Naruto nodded.

"You guys are the best!"

Naruto yelled before he dashed up the stairs, the clones looked at the extra men that entered the room before they grinned.

"Hell yeah!"

The clone cheered while Naruto ran up the stairs to the second floor the boy slid into the room where more thugs were sitting at tables waiting.

"Kill him!"

One of the thugs yelled while Naruto spotted the one he saw dashing up the stairs earlier moving to the next flight. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he ran toward the men advancing toward him, he dodged multiple swipes before he cartwheel kicked one of the men into a wall.

Naruto deflected a punch from another attacker before he turned to grab a chair, smashing it across the attacker's body. One of the thugs punched Naruto in the face, sending the boy flying into a table before the thugs ran toward him. Two clones were quickly summoned to defend Naruto while the boy recovered from the hit he took.

The blonde fought along with his clones before he stared at the ceiling, "Need a lift boss?" One of the clones asked before he cupped his hands together.

Naruto nodded, running toward the clone who gave him a boost into the air. The blonde boy pulled out a few lines of wire from his pouch before throwing them into the ceiling trapping them there.

While still holding onto the wires Naruto swung and kicked one of the men on top of a table, the boy then flipped before landing on the thug's chest smashing through the same table.

The thug groaned while wrapped his legs around the man's back, the blonde tugged on the wires again and aimed the half-conscious thug at the ceiling.

Naruto and the man smashed through the floor into the next level sending multiple waiting thugs and tables flying backward from the spot he crashed through.

The running thug looked back at the boy with surprise before Naruto glared back at him, the thug quickly started to run up the stairs again while the blonde was quickly preoccupied by the other thugs in the room.

The brown-haired thug continued up the flights of stairs to each level and somehow Naruto was keeping up. Whether he smashed in through the floor, from one of the windows, or even the walls the boy didn't stop pursuing him.

All with that same icy blue glare in his eyes.

Thankfully for the thug, this next level was where the boss was supposed to be then they would launch the plan.

And kill Naruto.

The thug panted as he reached the final flight of stairs, Naruto again was preoccupied in the room next to him with fighting. He rushed up the stairs as quickly as possible before he placed his hands on the sliding door to Banira's office.

"Boss he's her-"

The brown-haired thug was suddenly cut off by a foot slamming into his back hard enough to smash through the door and wall.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Naruto yelled the name of Might Guy's famous technique while they both crashed into the room, the now unconscious thug rolled to Banira's feet while Tsunami's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde.

"Naruto!"

Tsunami yelled while the blonde pointed a thumb to himself, "Don't worry Tsunami, I'm getting you outta here!" Naruto said while Banira gave the boy an unamused look.

Banira let out a heavy sigh before he picked up the unconscious body of the brown-haired thug. He tossed the man through the window to his demise while Naruto's eyes slowly widened at the action.

"You monster!"

Naruto dashed toward the white suited gangster who popped his neck, "Naruto, no!" Tsunami yelled before the boy felt a heavy kick slam into his solar plexus.

The blonde teen's body flew upward, nearly hitting the ceiling before he landed roughly near the door he smashed into. Naruto gasped for air after getting the wind knocked out of him before Banira waved an arm extinguishing the candles that illuminated the room darkening it.

"For the longest time I was waiting for a day like this, I don't think I ever could have really been satisfied with razing that little village before killing at least one of your team from back then."

Banira spoke calmly while Naruto writhed on the ground trying to catch his breath, the man slowly took off his suit jacket revealing his sleeveless button down shirt.

"And instead of having to make some elaborate plan to get you all here, you came to me."

The gangster popped his knuckles before he grinned at Naruto widely. "You don't know how happy I am to see you, Naruto." Banira spoke his words laced with venom while Naruto finally recovered panting as he stood.

"I don't care who you are, you bastard! Let Tsunami go or I'll tear you apart!"

Naruto yelled while pointing toward the gangster who shook his finger, "Temper temper, shouldn't a ninja keep his cool in all situations? Besides… you're not the one who should be angry here." The white clad man spoke while Naruto glared.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm pissed off anyway!"

Naruto yelled putting his fingers together in his famous hand sign while Banira chuckles at the blonde. "Well then, if you're so angry… Why don't you do something about it, Ninja Boy?" Banira opened up his arms exposing his chest to Naruto who summoned clones, it was obviously a taunt but someone needed to put this bastard in his place.

"Naruto! Stop none of this is-"

Tsunami was cut off by a gag being placed in her mouth, "Let the men handle this." Banira spoke with a chuckle while Naruto growled.

"You bastard!"

Naruto and his clones charged in while Banira turned toward Naruto with the same large grin.

The clone lunged toward the gangster who merely side-stepped them before he grabbed the face of one smashing it into another causing them both to disappear. Naruto swiped at Banira with a quick kick but missed, meanwhile his other clone tried to attack the man from behind.

Banira avoided the punch from the back quickly grabbing onto the clone before he kicked Naruto in the midsection again, while the blonde was staggered Banira lifted the clone in his hands before slamming it directly onto Naruto's back.

The blonde boy smashed into the ground while the clone disappeared into nothing from the impact. Naruto coughed before he was kicked, sending him rolling toward the door again, Banira laughed while Naruto groaned.

"Is this really the Naruto of the Great Naruto Bridge? The ninja from the Hidden Leaf? You're a joke, no wonder you spent most of your time here hiding behind that sensei of yours!"

Banira laughed even harder while Naruto struggled to his feet, "Shut up! I ain't nowhere near done yet!" Naruto yelled before he formed his hand sign again.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto yelled while fourteen clones appeared in the room, they all yelled before charging at the man.

Banira dispatched the clones with ease all while the grin was still on his face, the gangster's eyes slowly widened when two clones came at him from both sides, each one holding a Rasengan in their palms.

Banira merely smirked before he quickly stepped back quickly kicking one of the clones into the other causing them both to disappear.

The two Rasengans lingered while Naruto placed his palm on one of them slamming it into Banira's side, the gangster grimaced before Naruto placed his palm on the other one pushing into Banira's other side.

The gangster stared down the boy while Naruto roared, the two Rasengans exploded causing Tsunami's hair to wave violently from the impact in front of her.

Naruto panted while he pushed through the smoke, "It's alright Tsunami, I've got you." The boy spoke in a tired tone while a silhouette stood in the smoke behind him.

A hand grabbed the back of Naruto's hoodie before he was flung backward, smashing into the wall at the front of the office before he hit the ground.

"Did you ever stop to think whose fault this is?"

Banira spoke while Naruto looked at the man in shock, not even his clothes were scathed he looked untouched despite the direct contact with the Rasengans earlier.

"All you and your team had to do was leave this worthless village alone, they could have lived their lives in peace and servitude to us and wouldn't have to risk things like raids and insurrections."

Banira spoke while Naruto punched the ground before getting back to his feet, the blonde boy swung at the gangster while he moved quickly. None of Naruto's attacks made contact before he was smacked across the face with a heavy punch.

"All you had to do was walk away! But no you just had to be the hero, rushing in and giving these poor bastards hope. Now they have to suffer and that's your fault!"

Banira yelled before he grabbed a staggered Naruto before beginning to pummel the boy with his fists. "Don't feel too bad though, I'm actually happy to see you! It makes my pitiful need for revenge feel validated! You didn't even know it but you became my dream!" Banira yelled while Naruto tried to defend himself but when he swung the man would dodge before attacking again.

"I was so angry that everything I had ever dreamed of and helped to build was crushed by some meddling ninja. I was so angry in fact that I've done nothing but imagine and reimagine this moment!"

Banira yelled while he kept slamming his fists into Naruto, the blonde boy coughed up blood before he was sent rolling backward with another punch.

"I'm kind of disappointed though… When I really thought about this I figured it would be more fulfilling. Instead, I'm just beating up on some weak kid."

Banira walked away from the boy toward Tsunami causing Naruto to growl, "Get away from her!" Naruto roared before he swung at the gangster only for his attack to miss.

No matter what Naruto tried, his attacks wouldn't reach the man, he was way faster than him.

Almost impossibly fast.

"Naruto!"

Tsunami yelled while Banira stood beside her with his arms crossed, "He can't hear you… he can't hear either of us." Banira spoke while he wiped sweat off of his brow.

"He hasn't in a while."

Banira spoke while Tsunami watched as Naruto was punching at the air, his opponent wasn't even in front of him.

"Water Style: Bloodlust Mist. From the minute I sighed when he entered that boy has been stuck in a genjutsu I spent a lot of time mastering while laying low. His senses are making the illusion stronger the more that he wants to defeat his opponent."

Banira explained to the bound Tsunami as she growled at the man, "You're only fighting like this because you're scared of him!" Tsunami yelled while Banira shrugged.

"You're right, me this kid are pretty far apart strength wise. Sure, I may be stronger physically, but I allow that kid the room to use his techniques and I'm screwed."

Banira said while he walked toward the tired boy still swinging at the air.

"The only way to win is to fight smarter not harder, hell yeah I'm a coward lady. But I'm not a fool, this is how I'm going to make him suffer."

Banira said while Tsunami teared up looking toward the boy, the gangster sidestepped a sloppy punch that was barely aimed at him before slamming another punch into Naruto's face. Blood shot out from Naruto's nose and face while the boy staggered. Naruto went to swing again completely missing before Banira kneed him.

Naruto got up again before he summoned a shadow clone to help him charge up a Rasengan. Banira merely shrugged slowly walking out of the way while the boy charged again crashing into multiple pieces of furniture.

"Stop it! Just stop!"

Tsunami yelled through a sob while Banira looked back at the woman, "You're right… I should stop." Banira said before he reached toward the back of his neck reaching into his shirt.

The man slowly revealed a pale bamboo sheath, Tsunami's eyes widened as the gangster pulled out its blade. "I should stop just beating up and get it over with, he's suffered enough right?" Banira asked with a grin on his face while Tsunami looked toward the blonde boy who was struggling to get up.

"Naruto! Run! Get away from here!"

Tsunami yelled while Naruto took a few more steps forward toward the gangster pointing a finger toward him.

"I… I'll never… I'll never give up!"

Naruto growled while Banira just grinned at the boy who balled his hands up into fists while glaring. In Naruto's vision he saw the gangster laughing in front of him with his hands extended outward. The boy rushed toward the gangster again only to be kicked backward by him, Naruto rolled before he coughed again.

"You're weak."

Banira spoke while Naruto struggled to his feet again, the boy looked toward the gangster again but his eyes widened when he saw a familiar face.

The dark-haired boy in front of him in his vision laughed, the curse mark taking up half his face while his other eye was black with a yellow iris.

"You could never save anyone, you can't even save yourself."

The vision of Sasuke spoke while Naruto froze at the sight of his friend, his face slowly shifted with the curse mark engulfing it until his skin was a dark color. His hair now longer and bluish color, both of his eyes now black with his Sharingan in his irises.

"You never stood a chance and to think I've been taking it easy on you too. You're pathetic Naruto."

The vision of the boy spoke while Naruto shook his head.

"Shut up!"

Naruto yelled through the frog in his throat while a laugh came from the vision of a face now twisted into the visage of a pale man with snake-like eyes. "Shut up… the great Naruto Uzumaki's best comeback. What's next? 'I'll stop you?' That would be rich considering you haven't stopped me yet." Naruto stood there watching the face trying to shake his head while the vision kept cackling at him.

"Bend and break until there's nothing left and in the end you'll be just as pitiful as you always have been. I want to see it, Naruto I want to see you fail again."

Orochimaru's face cackled while Naruto shook his head, "...Stop it." Naruto said quietly while the voice cooed.

"It's ok Naruto, your failures are my entertainment. I could never hate you, it'd be a waste of energy honestly and a waste of time because it's just you. Little lonely, worthless, unloved, and weak Naruto. Just do the world a favor already."

The voice of Orochimaru spoke, "Stop it!" Naruto yelled through a sob before he stopped in his tracks completely.

In front of him was the crying face of Sakura with a kunai in one of her hands while the other was wiping tears from her face.

"Please die."

Sakura's voice spoke while the blonde young man stood and looked at her crying face in his vision in shock.

It wasn't real.

None of this was real.

Yet it cut him even deeper than any blade ever could.

All of the times he spent on the swing set after being beaten, laughed at, ignored went through the young man's head. He realized that he had always been weak, he never did anything but cry and put up a false bravado in those days. The only difference now is he's allowed himself to get cocky because of a few wins under his belt.

The truth is…

He didn't save Sasuke.

He can't beat Orochimaru.

He can't keep his promise to Sakura.

The one truth that he always refused to look at and accept was always right there in front of him.

He really was weak.

Banira watched the frozen boy with a slight grin before he readied his blade to swing at the boy. "Water Style: Cutting Whip." Banira weaved the hand signs before his blade was slowly covered with water, Tsunami looked at the unmoving Naruto while tears ran down her face.

"Naruto! Move!"

The woman yelled while Banira swung his sword at the motionless boy.

"Looks like I'm going to have to save you again brat."

A voice spoke while a cage was seen with a seal at the very front of it, inside the cage was a large orange fox with nine tails that slowly swayed. "I was getting tired of watching you get beaten by a puny existence like this guy, I'm a little disappointed too… well go on then. Beg for my chakra." Kurama the Nine Tails spoke in a deep growl with a chuckle in its voice, strangely the boy wasn't even in front of him.

By now his jailer would be sitting in front of his cage calling him a stupid fox and asking for his chakra.

Yet the boy was nowhere in sight.

It was strange but Kurama figured it was the boy being stubborn, it was annoying, but he would have to leak out his chakra to the boy like the last time.

Then Kurama felt something strange, the fox blinked at the feeling it was like something was slowly dragging him out of the cage. Kurama's eyes slowly widened as he came to the realization, it wasn't he himself that was being dragged out.

It was his chakra.

That didn't make sense, he hadn't even started to leak any for the boy to use yet. Yet his chakra was being forced out of him.

"What?"

The fox spoke before his eyes slowly widened at the sight of his chakra being dragged out without his will.

What happened to the boy?

Banira's swing easily split the roof in half exposing half of the room to the heavy rain that was falling into the room. Banira's grin slowly faded from his face when he caught sight of the boy in front of him, Naruto had leaned at the last second completely avoiding the slash.

Unbeknownst to anyone else in the room Naruto came to two realizations, the boy on the swing set alone had always somehow felt this too.

It was the one other thing he couldn't forget about no matter what that he was constantly reminded of daily while he was growing up in the Leaf Village.

That he was a demon.

Banira quickly line up for another swing while the genjustu vision was of Sakura pointing the kunai at him.

The gangster swung his sword down only for a hand to smack against his wrist deflecting it, nearly sending the gangster flying backward from the force alone. Banira stepped back from the boy glaring at him as the image of Sakura shattered to pieces while the blonde stood there.

His eyes now a blood red and sharp while Tsunami looked at the blonde in shock, he had completely changed.

"Lucky shot!"

Banira yelled before he swung at Naruto again the boy grabbed the gangster's wrist stopping the swing in its tracks. Naruto then delivered a quick punch into Banira's chest and an audible crack was heard before the man crumbled to his feet. Naruto then unleashed a kick that sent the gangster flying backward through multiple pieces of furniture.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm weak. I always have been. The only one who can change that is me, and unfortunately…"

Naruto's calm voice quaked with a quiet rage while Banira looked at the boy with horror as a finger was pointed toward him.

"That starts with you."

Naruto spoke while Banira quickly got up, "So you got a second wind? So what?! I'm killing you regardless!"

Banira started weaving hand signs before he glared at Naruto, "Water Style: Raging River!" The gangster yelled while water exploded from his hands toward the blonde.

Naruto quickly dashed avoiding the water before running across the wall slamming his own kick across the face of the gangster whose head whipped from the impact. Naruto then tossed the tossed the man into the air toward the ceiling before summoning multiple clones. They all jumped after the man in the air punching and pummeling him while Tsunami watched the boy overwhelm the gangster.

"Naruto…"

Tsunami spoke in awesome while multiple clones suddenly disappeared, "Water Style: Great Water Whip!" The gangster yelled while multiple strips of water formed around him launching to quickly dispatch the clones attacking him.

Naruto dashed across the room to deflect a stray shot of water that was flying toward Tsunami.

Tsunami looked at the back of the boy in front of her, "You ok?" Naruto asked while the woman merely nodded in response.

"Good."

Naruto spoke before he dashed toward Banira's water offense, another clone was dispatched before Naruto's fist made contact with Banira's face. The gangster staggered before he was assaulted by multiple punches from Naruto, Banira roared while the blonde boy wailed on him. Naruto slammed a heavy fist into the man's face once more, sending him flying into the wall.

Naruto glared at him before Banira unstuck himself from the wall landing on his feet before he coughed up a little blood. He had multiple broken ribs he could feel them, and the pain hurt so badly it was hard for the man to stand.

Yet in the face of one of the people responsible for his crew's downfall the gangster persisted on. "You… you thought the rain was your ally? It's actually mine, you idiot! Hurry up and let me fulfill my vengeance already you brat!" Banira rapidly weaved hand signs before he aimed his hands toward the open area behind Naruto.

"Water Style: Bloody Tears!"

The gangster yelled while some of the rainwater pointed toward Naruto and shot toward him at rapid speed. The boy dodged as many raindrops as he could but a few of them grazed and cut into him.

"This should do it."

Banira started forming more hand signs while Naruto was busy avoiding the raindrops pursuing him. "Water Style: Roaring Tide!" Banira yelled while water gathered around him before it began to spin rapidly in front of his hands.

The water twisted onto a vortex that was strong enough to tear apart the wood surrounding Banira.

"Shadow Clone Justu!"

Naruto yelled, creating two clones that immediately were shredded up by the rain drops still pursuing him.

"Shit!"

Naruto growled while Banira chuckled before he aimed the vicious vortex at the boy, "It's been fun Naruto! Thank you!" Banira spat out his gratitude as the vortex shot out at the blonde.

Tsunami closed her eyes at the sight of the water shooting toward Naruto while the boy was still trying to avoid the rain drops. "Please." Tsunami said while Naruto suddenly stopped allowing the water to cut into him shallowly before he glared extending his palm in front of him.

"Huh Pervy Sage? What do you mean my Rasengan isn't done yet? Look, check it out!"

"Yeah, you can form it, that's step one. Step two is forming it only using one hand."

"I do use one hand!"

"Without the shadow clones to support you with molding chakra. As long as you act as your own handicap you won't get stronger."

"Gah! I'll show you Pervy Sage!"

Chakra slowly before to mold and spiral in his hand while he kept a glare at the water shooting toward him. His palm soon held a solo formed Rasengan in his outstretched hand.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto slammed his jutsu into the vortex of water, stopping it in front of him before it tore into him. Banira roared as he pumped more chakra into his technique causing the vortex to open wider. Naruto's feet were pushed back while he struggled to hold the vortex back.

"I thought I told you already, you shitty gangster!"

Naruto yelled as he jumped slightly causing the gangster's eyes to widen the boy twisted his body in a spiraling motion opposite of the vortex. The blonde and the Rasengan then started to tear through the vortex heading straight toward Banira.

"Huh?!"

The gangster yelled while Naruto continued splitting through the vortex until his feet were planted firmly directly in front of Banira.

"I wasn't ever going to give up!"

Naruto slammed his Rasengan through the rest of the vortex directly into Banira who screamed on impact. The Rasengan's impact destroyed the other side of the room while Tsunami was blown backward, her restraints were released in the process.

Tsunami immediately stood up to look toward the blonde, "Naruto!" Tsunami yelled before she saw his face.

In the boy's palm he was holding into the heavily damaged Banira who coughed lightly in his grasp.

Naruto's eyes were still blood red, his teeth had grown into sharp fangs, and his face was covered in blood. Naruto spotted Tsunami looking at him before he realized himself what he must have looked like.

He quickly dropped the injured man and turned his body away from the woman, "If you can walk go home." Naruto said quickly while Tsunami looked at him.

He couldn't avoid it any longer, it was a part of him just as much as anything else. The Nine Tailed Fox, the demon within.

Since it was a part of him in his eyes that made him just as much of a demon as it was.

Now he was fine with it, he accepted it. If he was a demon then he was being to be a demon against all of the things that wanted to hurt those he cared about.

The sacrifice unfortunately would be those around him, in order to protect them he would have to become something this dark. They would never look at him the same again, he'll finally be what everyone always used to call him.

He was a monster.

He didn't want to see her face.

He didn't want to see her fear.

He didn't want to look back.

A sudden pressure wrapped itself around Naruto catching the boy off guard, arms wrapped around him tightly. He could hear the sound of a heart beating and the warmth of another person.

"Naruto…"

Tsunami said while she hugged onto the boy tightly as Naruto remained frozen in her embrace.

"It's ok. I know it's still you."

Tsunami said while her tears ran into the boy's hair, Naruto's visage of the villagers looking at him in fear was in his eyes while Tsunami held the boy gently.

"You were never a monster in my eyes."

Tsunami spoke while Naruto could feel his eyes begin to water, a sob came from her mouth as she smiled.

"And you never will be."

Naruto's visage of the villagers pointing at him and being scared of him slowly faded away until there was nothing left but him and Tsunami. Red slowly turned back into blue and a ninja slowly allowed his tears to fall down his face no longer trying to convince himself it was the rain.

Right now, he was just a boy.

Right now.

He was allowed to cry in someone's arms.

{...}

Yo, this a double upload I'll see you in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thank you again for reading.

-Ken