chapter 10: opening up to people is not always easy
-fuck". Biju/Talking Beast.
- "because I did it" The character thought.
- "How are you?" Biju/Summon/Beast Thoughts.
- "I fell in love with." , character speaking.
This fanfic is just for fun, I don't own any characters from Naruto or the rwby series. I hope you enjoy reading this story I created
/-/
Naruto observed the Cardinal team with a cold and defiant look, with whom he had lost all sympathy and respect. He had no reason or desire left to feign courtesy with them.
Cardin Winchester was a young man with dark orange, almost brown hair, worn back with a few loose strands in the front, and indigo eyes. He wore gray armor with gold trim that gave him an imposing appearance.
Russel Thrush was a thin, short boy who had a shaved head, except for a light green mohawk that fell over his forehead. His eyes were blue and contrasted with his pale skin. He was wearing a sleeveless jacket and bracelets that covered part of his arms. Underneath the jacket, he had a shirt of a light green shade. On his chest, he wore a brown strap that held a pointed metal piece over his left shoulder. His pants were dark gray.
Dove Bronzewing had light brown hair and was combed to the side. Her eyes were almost always half-closed, as if she were hiding something. Her armor was a tan color and she had a dove-shaped buckle on her waist. She also wore bracers the same color as the rest of her armor. Underneath this, she was wearing a shirt, pants and a scarf, all black.
Sky Lark had deep blue eyes and long, dark blue hair that was combed back. His armor was a very dark gray with lighter gray edges, as was his bracers. Under his armor, he wore a long-sleeved, V-neck shirt with black pants.
Naruto grabbed his sword, still sheathed, and threw it to the ground in disdain.
But Cardin did not lose his arrogance smile and said mockingly: —"What, are you going to give up? What a pathetic coward. Could it be that you got scared?"
—"It's not fear I feel, Mr. Winchester. You know very well how our previous fights ended," Naruto responded calmly.
—"I will be completely honest with you, I say this so that everyone can hear it, although not everyone can hear me, only those who are close and the occasional faunus," Naruto continued, raising his voice.
—"No one in this room has the level to defeat me, not even Miss Nikos, although I have not faced her, I am sure that she would not be an obstacle for me."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cardin exclaimed, frowning, but Naruto ignored him.
—"I'm not belittling your academies or your efforts, I'm just telling the truth: you guys aren't skilled enough, and that includes you, Mr. Winchester, and your entire ridiculous team," Naruto said, looking at the other members with contempt. by Team CRDL.
—"What the hell…!" Cardin tried to reply, but Naruto interrupted him.
—"You know, I love combat, it's one of the few things I enjoy and here I find a lot of variety of opponents... But no matter who it is or how many they are, they aren't good enough, they don't offer me a worthy challenge and I always have to hold back so as not to hurt them," Naruto explained, with a serious expression.
—"But the real reason why I don't use all my strength is that I hate hurting people, I don't like doing it, but sometimes you have to free yourself," Naruto concluded.
—"Mr. Uzumaki, the battle has already begun," but Naruto continued talking, even ignoring his teacher.
—"I like a person to have confidence in themselves, but if that confidence is not supported, it is simply bravado and nothing more," Naruto continued, ignoring him.
Naruto unbuttoned his sleeveless jacket and let it fall to the floor, rolled up his sleeves and took off his gloves, but continued talking.
—"Have you felt absolute helplessness?"
—"What are you talking about?" Cardin shouted, furious.
—"You have felt the situation of being completely useless, powerless and unable to defend yourself, you have felt that no matter how many times you tried, you simply could not win, have you felt that, Cardin?" Naruto asked, with a cold voice.
Naruto knelt down, took off his shoes and socks, stood barefoot, stood up again and looked at the CRDL team, who were confused by the blonde's actions more than his words, of course, everyone except Cardin.
—"From what I see in your eyes, I know that you have felt it, but that is where our similarity ends, the difference is that you gave up in those situations and resigned yourself to helplessness, I did not, I did not give up, I got up and I kept trying... and I didn't train, I didn't train until my bones broke!, so that an idiot, an idiot and his damn gang of idiots!, would come to call me a loser!, never again!, NEVER AGAIN, CARDIN! ".
His cry of anger was so loud that it shook even Glynda, but Naruto calmed down and lowered his voice, putting his serious face back on. —"I'm going to make you feel helpless again and I'm going to enjoy it, did you hear me?" Naruto told him, staring at him.
Cardin was furious,—"you dare to threaten me damn fau..."
but he couldn't finish the word faunus, because Naruto moved with incredible speed, he stepped so hard on the ground that he cracked it, leaving the mark of his foot. It was so fast that no one saw it, it just disappeared in an instant, a strong wind was felt in the direction of Cardin's team and behind them was Naruto, at the edge of the training arena, he had his right arm extended, with his hand covering Sky Lark's face. Blood trickled between the connection of his hand and his face, indicating that in that brief second Naruto had broken Sky's nose.
— " But how? " thought Cardin, stunned. — " in an instant he was gone and appeared behind us . "
Cardin looked at the Aura meters and noticed that his partner's Aura was red, — "what the fuck?!" he exclaimed. —In a second he managed to break Sky's aura! How is that possible?!
—"Mr. Winchester," Naruto spoke, with a cold voice.
At that moment Cardin came out of his state of shock and observed the blonde who dropped the body of his partner, who was obviously passed out, he could no longer fight,
—"I suggest that you don't get distracted, don't blink, and don't hesitate to attack me with everything you have, because if you don't, you'll get very hurt," Naruto warned him, with a threatening look.
Cardin felt a chill when he saw Naruto's expression, which showed no emotion, only determination. He realized that Naruto wasn't joking, that he was willing to really hurt him.
Cardin looked at his other two companions who were just as surprised and scared as him.
He realized that they were at a disadvantage, that Naruto surpassed them in speed, strength, and skill. He wondered if they had any chance of winning, or if they would just be humiliated and defeated by Naruto.
Cardin felt a mixture of fear, anger and helplessness. He couldn't accept that Naruto was better than him, that he challenged him and insulted him. He couldn't let Naruto make him feel helpless again, like when he was a child and suffered abuse from those faunus children. He couldn't let Naruto take away his pride and reputation from him.
Cardin clenched his fists and pulled out his weapon, a sledgehammer. He decided that he would not give up, that he would fight with everything he had, that he would show Naruto that he was not a coward, that he was the best.
He decided that he didn't care if Naruto hurt him, that he would hurt him too, that he would make him pay for everything he had said and done to him.
Cardin looked at Naruto with hatred and shouted: "Don't intimidate me, damn faunus! I'm going to show you who's boss here! I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
and he rushed towards him, ready to hit him with his mace.
/-/
This was difficult for everyone to witness. Naruto wasn't holding back in the slightest. When he immediately finished off Sky Lark, everyone's jaws dropped. That speed was amazing. Not even Ruby, with her specialized speed semblance could compete with what Naruto did. She defeated him with a single move, without giving him time to react.
When the rest of team CRDL attacked, Naruto moved between their attacks fluidly. But the most surprising thing was not that he avoided them, they saw that every day when Naruto fought with the others. What surprised them was that with two hits he broke the CRDL team's Aura. he went through it like it was paper.
But Naruto didn't stop there. He was not satisfied with just breaking their Aura, but he went ahead and slaughtered them. Every blow he gave afterwards was certain damage to a person's integrity, since there was no layer to protect them. His fists were like hammers that crushed her bones and organs. His kicks were like blades that cut through his muscles and tendons. His eyes were like flames that burned her hopes and his dreams.
It was a completely terrifying sight. Naruto's shirt was stained with blood and so was his hands. And the only one left standing was Cardin.
Glynda, the teacher in charge of supervising the combat, tried to stop it many times. But Cardin's stubbornness made her stop. He refused to give up, much less before Naruto Uzumaki.
Cardin shouted angrily, still in his unprotected state, and continued to attack Naruto with everything he had. Naruto dodged and stepped on Cardin's left hamstring, causing him to kneel. He immediately punched her left cheek, splashing blood on the floor again. Cardin fell to the floor, but not unconscious.
—"Get up, this is not over," Naruto exclaimed calmly, but obviously furious.
Cardin immediately got up and attacked again. Naruto dodged it and hit him in the stomach, causing him to kneel again. But this didn't stop Naruto and he stepped on the orange haired man's head with his bare foot, slamming him into the floor.
—"Get up, you despicable being. I'm going to show you how inferior you are to me!" Naruto shouted very furiously.
Cardin did so, standing up. He was in a completely horrible state. Her face was barely recognizable because of all the blood that covered it. His clothes were torn and his armor was destroyed. Her mallet was thrown off the stage. He only had his fists to defend himself. But he didn't give up. He had too much pride and too much hatred.
Cardin attacked angrily. He didn't care how many times Naruto knocked him down, he always got back up. Of course, the blonde at this point was holding back to prolong the battle. He wanted to make her suffer. He wanted to make him pay. He wanted to make her feel what he had felt. He wanted him to know what it was like to be humiliated, mistreated and hated.
Cardin ran towards Naruto again, but he just stood there, waiting for him to come closer. Once he did, Naruto grabbed his right hand and put him in a headlock, slamming him into the ground hard. But he let go of him immediately and distanced himself, waiting for him to attack again. Naruto didn't want to finish him off so quickly. He wanted to play with him like a cat with a mouse.
—"Cardin, frankly this is getting very boring," Naruto said dismissively. —"Show me what you're capable of. And if that's all you've got, I honestly don't know what you're doing here. Aren't you supposed to be a student at Beacon, the best hunting academy in the world?"
—"If this is the level required to enter Beacon, I am truly very disappointed," Naruto continued, smiling evilly.
— "Cardin, of the Winchester family, a line of fierce warriors who fought in the great war, frankly I expected more from you. I expected more from someone with this type of ancestry. You are a disappointment, Cardin. I am not surprised that your father deceived to your mother because her son was a complete disgrace.
Those words were like a dagger to Cardin's heart. His father had been a war hero, a respected and admired hunter. His mother had been a sweet and loving woman, who had raised him with love. But his father had… ...
At that moment, Cardin screamed in fury and lunged at Naruto. The Uzumaki didn't fight back, he just let the orange haired man hit him. Everyone was surprised and his friends were worried about the young blonde. Why didn't he defend himself? Why was he letting Cardin hit him like that? What was he planning?
But he kept taking Cardin's blows and when he stopped, Naruto was covered in blood. But there was no visible wound. It was like he just poured red paint on his face. Naruto had pretended to be hurt, to make Cardin believe he had a chance. Naruto had been cruel and ruthless.
—"What a disappointment, Cardin," said Naruto,— "I expected more from you. I expected you to give me a good fight. I expected you to make me sweat a little. But I see that you are just a cheap bully, who doesn't know how to fight."
Naruto frees himself with a kick, hitting Cardin's stomach and sending him flying three meters away from him.
Cardin writhed in pain on the ground, coughing up blood.
The blonde stood up, took a small handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from his face. It was very fresh, like lettuce. Not caring that all his clothes were stained with blood and his hands too. Naruto laughed lightly.
—"Heh heh heh, whoa, whoa, whoa, looks like I hit a nerve there, right?" Naruto said, throwing the bloody handkerchief to the floor and walking towards Cardin, who was still trying to recover.
Naruto didn't allow it. He waited for Cardin to get to his knees and with a kick to the chin he made him fall onto his back. Cardin was staring at Naruto from the ground, his eyes filled with hatred and fear. Naruto mocked him with a cruel smile.
Naruto stood to the right of Cardin's body and positioned his bare foot on the orange haired man's wrist.
—"Alright, it's time for you to say: I surrender," Naruto ordered in a cold voice.
—"Fuck you, asshole," Cardin responded defiantly.
—"You still have that strong will. I admire you a lot, really. Maybe under different circumstances we would have gotten along very well," Naruto said sarcastically.— "But now you're just an obstacle in my way."
Naruto pressed and pressed on Cardin's wrist, making him feel excruciating pain.
Cardin screamed at the top of his lungs.
—"Give up, Cardin!" Naruto exclaimed impatiently, but only a scream and the orange-haired man's refusal could be heard.
—"Give up, Cardin! Your wrist is going to break," Naruto warned sternly. Naruto pressed harder and Cardin screamed louder as well.
—"Give up, I have no qualms about breaking your bones! Now, you damned idiot!" Naruto threatened furiously.
—"You think I'm going to give up on you, fuck you, you moron! You're a damn disgusting faunus, you can't hope to be anything more than a dirty vermin," Cardin insulted hatefully.
Naruto put more pressure on her wrist, he was about to break her wrist bone. Cardin felt like his life was slipping away with every second that passed. But he didn't want to give Naruto the pleasure of watching him beg. He preferred to die rather than surrender to him.
—"Stop it!", then Naruto's body paralyzed. It was the likeness of Glynda, the teacher who supervised the combat. She had used her power to control the objects and stop Naruto.
—"It's over, Naruto Uzumaki wins, the Cardinal team loses," Glynda announced in a firm voice.
Naruto just stared at Cardin, he didn't care what Glynda said and put more strength into his foot. He wanted to finish what he had started. He wanted to break Cardin's wrist and make him scream in pain. He wanted to make her pay for everything he had told her."
—"Stop it, Naruto!" Glynda scolded, increasing her power. The Uzumaki didn't listen and put in more force. He resisted Glynda's semblance with his chakra. He was surprisingly strong.
—"I said stop!", you could hear the small effort Glynda was making. She didn't expect this kind of resistance from Naruto. It was as if something had taken over him.
Naruto pressed even harder. Glynda was already clenching her teeth tightly.
—"N-Naruto Uzumaki, I order you to…!"
—"N-Naruto, please stop!", in the distance he heard the voice of Ruby, his best friend. Naruto was surprisingly able to turn his head and looked at his friend. He could see the fear on her face. He could see the tears in her eyes. He could see the pain in his heart.
This made him remember things from the past. Days when his people were afraid of him and rejected him. Days of him abandoning and betrayal. Days in which his life became hell. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand that look. Not in Ruby.
Naruto calmed down and then Naruto realized everything he did. He saw the whole massacre. He didn't kill them, but frankly he wasn't soft on them either. He hurt them deeply. He hurt the CRDL team, but more importantly, he hurt his friends. He hurt Ruby and scared her. Naruto regretted his actions. Naruto hated himself.
Naruto hung his head in shame and walked away without saying a word. It didn't matter that classes weren't over yet. It didn't matter that he had won the fight.
/-/
Some of the academy students were shocked to see a young man covered in blood walking through the halls as if nothing had happened. However, no one dared to approach him or ask him what had happened to him, because his posture and gaze reflected great aggressiveness and hostility. Everyone preferred to avoid trouble and stay away from him.
Naruto was aware of the impression he made on others, but he couldn't control his anger. He didn't understand why he felt that way, since he normally didn't have problems handling his anger. He had spent so many years pretending to be someone he wasn't, that he had developed some control over his emotions. But now he felt less able to do so, as if something inside him had broken or been unleashed.
He entered the bedroom he shared with his team and took off his blood-stained clothes. He got into the shower and let the hot water wash his body and soul. While he was soaping up, he was wondering what the hell was happening to him.
—"I know Cardin's words hurt me a little, but why did I react like that? I've been told worse things, but I've never hit anyone like that," he muttered to himself, remembering how he had broken Cardin's nose. bully who had made fun of him and his past.
—"Something is not right, something is happening to me. I'm ignoring my friends, I can't even pretend to be happy. Is it pressure? Pressure from what? Now the guy who was extorting me has already blocked his number and hasn't gotten back to me to call. Sometimes I feel outbursts of explosive anger for no reason," he continued talking to himself, trying to find an explanation for his strange behavior.
—" That's not your thing, Naruto ," he heard a voice in his head, a voice that he knew very well, but that he hadn't heard in a long time.
—"Zorzo, so you finally deign to talk to me, you piece of trash, son of a...", he began to insult the voice.
—" You see, you're not yourself, you haven't realized. I told you that you were holding back before, but now you're in a bad mood all day. But it's not you, Naruto ." replied the fox, with a tone of concern and reproach.
—"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused and curious.
—" It's the Grimm well, the place where you immersed yourself a while ago. That black substance leaked into your body and it's affecting you. Don't worry, you're in the process of purification, I'm taking care of that. You'll go back to being like before. "explained the fox.
Naruto sighed, relieved and grateful. —"Thank you, Kyubi. Listen, I know I said very ugly things to you when I asked you for answers and the days after that. I also said hurtful things to you, I truly apologize deeply," Naruto apologized.
—" Don't worry, I understand. You were angry ," the fox accepted, with a note of understanding and forgiveness.
Naruto remained silent, feeling a strange bond with the fox that lived inside him. After getting out of the shower, he dressed in new clothes, a simple white t-shirt and black shorts, nothing special. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening, it was his team and team RWBY, who had come to see him. They brought him the rest of his clothes and his weapons, which they had collected from the place where they had trained.
Naruto sat on his bed and lowered his head, unable to look his friends in the eyes. He felt ashamed and guilty for having left them out and worried them. He didn't know how to explain to them what was happening to him.
— "Naruto, Ruby's voice was heard, you left your things and we came to bring them to you," said the girl, with a kind smile and a worried look.
— "Thank you, guys, really, thank you very much," Naruto thanked, in a dull voice and without looking up.
— "Naruto, what happened before, Weiss spoke with doubt, what was that?" the girl asked, with a tone of curiosity and fear.
Naruto covered his face with his hands and sighed, — "shit, that was... I'm so sorry you had to see that," Naruto apologized, remembering how he had lost control and attacked Cardin and his minions.
— "Naruto, if you have problems, you can count on us," said Nora, with her usual enthusiasm and optimism.
—"I know, guys, don't worry, Cardin's words hurt me more than I thought and it still wasn't right what I said and did, I'll apologize later, how are they?" Naruto asked, with some certainty. worry and remorse.
— "Well, they are not in the best condition, with the injuries you caused them they will have to spend about four days in the infirmary to recover well," Blake said, with a tone of reproach and compassion.
Pyrrha sat next to Naruto and took his hands, — "Naruto, I don't know what kind of life you've led, but if it's hard to remember, we can help you, no matter what, we'll be here to listen to you," the girl told him, with a sweet and sincere voice.
—"Thanks, guys, but this is not the time to talk," Naruto responded, with a hint of sadness and frustration.
—"Naruto, I think we should talk, this is becoming a problem for us," Ren said, with his usual serenity and wisdom.
— "I said stop it!", Naruto raised his voice and all his companions became tense, — "damn, guys, we'll seriously talk, but not today, I'm not in the best condition," Naruto shouted, feeling how the anger took hold of him again.
/-/
—"Let go of me, that's enough!", shouted a female voice from the other end of the dining room.
—"It seems like those guys never learn, right? After what Naruto did to them, their discriminatory attitude didn't go away, Yang commented.
—"Those guys disgust me, Blake said.
—"Naruto, you should have hit them harder, so you would have taught them a lesson once and for all.
Naruto stood up from his seat and walked towards Cardin and his team, who were bothering a girl with bunny ears. His friends looked at him expectantly, knowing that this was not going to end well. It was not the first time that Naruto had faced Cardin since he defeated him in a fight, and each time the tension was greater.
Naruto said something to Cardin, who got angry and grabbed him by the shirt. Naruto's friends were ready to intervene, but Professor Glynda stepped between them and separated them. There was an exchange of words that no one could hear, and in the end everyone calmed down.
Naruto took out a handkerchief and offered it to the girl who had been bullied. He knelt in front of her and spoke sweetly to her, making Velvet blush at her. Naruto got up and returned to his team, who was waiting for him curiously.
—"Really, Naruto?" Weiss asked him.
—"What?" he responded, confused.
—"Nothing, forget it".
—"Well, at least you've calmed down now, you're better than before," Yang said, —"but really, you should stop apologizing to Cardin, he's not worth your attention."
—"Maybe you're right, but I feel bad about what happened," Naruto sighed and continued eating.
—"Yang, Dad called us and asked if we're going to Patch for the holidays," Ruby said excitedly.
—"Of course, where else would we go?"
—"I don't know, I do want to go, but you...maybe you have other things to do."
—"No, we're both going, always both of us, and there's still a month left until the holidays."
—"They always talk about Patch, what is he like?" Weiss asked.
—"It's a small island near Vale, it's amazing! Everything is surrounded by a forest and the town of Patch is small but cozy," Ruby said proudly.
—"Sounds calm," Blake said with an envious tone.
Everyone knew the details of each other's origins, except Blake, Ren, and Nora, who were secretive about it, but knew enough to know that they weren't lying about their birthplace.
—"And you, what is the place where you were born like, Naruto?" Ruby asked innocently, but with a bit of doubt in her voice. She had noticed that Naruto always avoided talking about his past, and she was intrigued to know more about him.
—"A small town, nothing more I have to say about that," Naruto replied dryly. He was tired of these intrusions into his privacy. He wondered why they wanted to know about him so much, they didn't need to know, there was no reason, they just had to get along, his past shouldn't even matter, and although he could possibly tell lies, he didn't like lying to them, so he preferred avoid questions.
—"Come on, Naruto, tell me," Ruby insisted. Naruto looked up and saw Ruby's eyes, he didn't know why, but whenever he looked at her, she gave him that feeling of peace, it was downright strange. And since he couldn't tell her the truth, but he didn't want to deny her either, he proceeded to tell her cover story.
—"I was born in a small town called Kuroyuri, near Mistral, well, not so close, in the direction of Mistral..., and well..., it no longer exists," Naruto said with feigned sadness.
"Why? What happened?" Ruby said urgently, feeling sorry for him.
—"Grimm attack," Naruto said dryly, without giving further details.
—"Oooh..., I see," Ruby spoke softly, lowering her head.
It seemed strange to him how Ren and Nora's gaze drilled into his head, it made him very nervous. They knew that Kuroyuri was the village where they were born, and that it had been destroyed by a giant Grimm called Nuckelavee. How was it possible that Naruto was also from there?
—"And what kind of Grimm attacked," Ren said with a trembling voice, wanting to confirm his suspicions.
—"I'll leave the details for later, I wouldn't want to remember," and he proceeded to eat, avoiding the topic.
—"Y-yeah, you must miss home, Naruto," Weiss said, trying to be kind.
—"Yes, I bet it must have been a very beautiful place," Ren said, with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, —"with beautiful people, always kind and lively."
—"Everything must have been nice..., until that tragedy happened, Naruto," Nora said with a touch of melancholy, remembering her own childhood.
—"No".
Maybe it was because he was not paying attention or because of that substance, but memories of Konoha came to his mind, Naruto laughed dryly, it was not a laugh of joy, but a laugh of mockery,
—"no, that town was rubbish, full of false and cruel people, the people of that town were not what they seemed at first glance, they were not good or lively, they were complete unfortunates, it is a shame that they cannot return, "I missed the chance to destroy it and turn it into ashes," that last part was said with so much hatred that it seeped into the air, making everyone shudder.
Naruto realized what he said and looked at his wide-eyed companions, —"Oh, for Kami's sake," Naruto hung his head in complete shame, —damn, I did it again", Naruto thought, —"these Glimpses of violence are coming and coming again, Kyubi, how long until you get all this out of my system?
—" One day at most, this would be easier if you had full access to me..., " a voice in his mind responded.
— "What about me?" Naruto asked , confused.
—" Nothing, boy, nothing to talk about ," said the voice, cutting off the communication.
Naruto again apologized and with an embarrassed face proceeded to leave again, leaving his friends with many questions and concerns.
—"Wow, that was really heavy, what the hell is wrong with him?" Yang exclaimed, surprised by Naruto's reaction.
—"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with him?" Ren said quietly, sensing that there was something more behind Naruto's story.
/-/
—"Here is the third vial", Pyrrha, write it down please, Naruto said, handing her the container full of red sap.
—"Yes, it's your third flask, Naruto," Pyrrha confirmed, writing down the number in her notebook. She was in charge of keeping track of the amount of sap each team collected in the Forever Fall forest, a mission assigned to all Beacon first-year students. The sap had healing properties and was very valuable, but it also attracted Grimm, so care had to be taken.
Naruto rejoined his friends, who were busy filling their own jars. They tried to keep their conversations non-personal, they were a little worried about him. The joy he exuded and the mischief he did to entertain them was gradually disappearing and they didn't know why. But curiously, today he woke up in a good mood, as if nothing had ever happened. He apologized to them again and promised that nothing like that would ever happen, but they were downright worried. No one would change their mood so quickly.
— "Haa, yes! I feel great! I can control myself better now. Thank you, Kyubi, I feel like before, although I already apologized, I think it's not enough. You know, Kyubi? I think I'll go "Okay and I will bring the best food in the city, no matter how expensive it is and even if I don't have a single cent, at least I have a gold bar left," Naruto said in a low voice, speaking to the entity that lived inside him. .
—" Do you know what is better than food for them? I think they would better appreciate the research you did ," Kyubi responded, referring to the cartridges that Naruto had designed to improve the performance of his weapons.
— "Are you talking about the cartridges? Are they already full?" Naruto asked , excited.
—" Yes, now you can give them to him as compensation for everything that happened ," said Kyubi, satisfied with the result.
—"I'll do that, friend," Naruto said, smiling.
Suddenly, the whirring sound of an object approaching in their direction was heard. Naruto didn't even have to look and stopped the object with his left hand. It was a vial of sap, thrown with force. Naruto was analyzing the jar, but he didn't find anything strange. He sniffed the vial and realized it had some familiarity to it.
— "Team CRDL, seriously, friends? I have nothing against you, I wanted to apologize, but you don't allow it," said Naruto, looking towards the place where the jar came from.
A loud scream was heard and several people came out of the forest, running in terror. He realized that it was the rest of Team CRDL, who was being chased by a group of Grimm. Apparently, they had tried to attack Naruto out of revenge, but had incurred the creatures' wrath.
—"Wow, looks like they got into trouble," Naruto said, with a mix of pity and irony.
/-/
—"Throw it now," Cardin ordered Sky Lark, who was holding a vial of sap in his hands.
—"Cardin, I really think this is a bad idea. I know he beat us up, but this is too much, even for me. Do you know what will happen if he finds out it was us? Maybe he'll punish us harder than last time. And you should have too…" Lark tried to reason with his leader, but was interrupted by a sharp tug on his neck.
—"Are you implying that I'm afraid of that idiot? I'm not afraid of anything or anyone, much less that stupid guy. He said that I had given up... and that we were the same. Of course not, I'm not like a damn animal," Cardin spat the words with contempt, while glaring at Naruto, who was calmly staring at a tree, paying them no attention.
—"So you better obey, you moron. And so do you!" he shouted to the other members of his team, Russel, Dove and Sky.
—"I am not your friend, I am your leader and you will do what I say."
Lark, with no other option, threw the vial of sap towards Naruto, hoping it would hit his head. However, to the surprise of him and his companions, the jar stopped in the air, held by the hand of Naruto, who had not even bothered to look at them.
—"This can't be, throw another one!" Cardin exclaimed, furious at the failure of his plan.
—"Cardin, really, this doesn't make sense," Lark tried to dissuade him, but to no avail.
—"I said do it!", this time, Cardin shouted so loudly that it echoed through the forest. Lark, scared by Cardin's reaction and tired of his abuse, threw the vial hard, but not at Naruto, but at Cardin.
The flask broke over his head, spilling the sap over his body and clothes. Cardin and the others realized his grave mistake, because this wise woman had the peculiarity of attracting the Grimm, wild beasts that attacked humans.
They didn't know how that worked, but they knew it was dangerous. The others, without a second thought, ran off, leaving behind their leader, who was surrounded by the approaching Grimm.
Cardin saw that there were six Grimm, of different shapes and sizes, but he was not intimidated. He stayed to fight, determined to prove his bravery. He wasn't going to run away, he wasn't a coward, no matter what Naruto had told him. He didn't give up and never would.
He fought fiercely against those beasts, using his weapon and skills, but they were too many for him. It was inevitable that he would lose in the end. After killing two Grimm, only three remained, who continued to attack him mercilessly. He was already exhausted and injured, and he couldn't avoid the next blow that sent him crashing to the ground.
He tried to make room and recover, but it was useless. The beasts attacked him again, ready to end his life. But when the nearest beast was going to deliver the final blow, it was cut in half. Cardin saw that he was a recognizable and annoying figure at the same time. Naruto Uzumaki had come to his rescue.
—"What the hell are you doing? I can handle these beasts, I don't need your help," he shouted angrily, as he stood up from the ground.
—"I know," Naruto said, calmly. —"Don't worry, I was just passing by."
Naruto looked at Cardin with a serious expression. —"You know, Cardin? I saw it all. Despite being at a disadvantage, you kept fighting and faced those beasts."
Naruto paused, then continued. —"The words I said to you were completely unacceptable, Cardin. I should not have spoken like that and I was obviously wrong about you. Despite all your faults, I know that you would never run away from anything. You are not a coward."
—"What the hell do you think you're doing? This isn't over! There are still enemies!" Cardin pointed angrily at the Grimm who were approaching behind Naruto, ready to attack. Naruto didn't even bother to look at them and reached out his hand, forming a rapidly spinning blue sphere of chakra. He threw her at the nearest Grimm, with such force that he dragged the other two and shattered several trees before they vanished. Due to the impact, Cardin was thrown and fell backwards to the ground, looking at Naruto in shock.
—"How… how did you do that?" he asked, incredulous.
But he snapped out of his shock and frowned. — "Are you crazy! Are you a complete idiot!? After everything we've been through, you're still trying to help me? Are you crazy?" He snapped at her, furious.
—"The truth is that we are both to blame for what happened that day, but I at least try to apologize. That is a sign of madness or rather idiocy," Naruto replied, calmly.
Naruto saw Cardin trying to get up and extended his hand as a gesture of goodwill, but Cardin rejected it. — "Don't touch me, I don't need your pity, you damned idiot. Get away from me," he ordered, with contempt.
—"Cardin, I came here especially to apologize for what happened. If you could listen to me…" Naruto begged, sincerely.
—"I don't need to hear you! You don't understand, I don't want to hear you! Get away now or I'll have to fight you, I don't care that we're in the middle of this forest, I'll keep fighting just to hurt you," Cardin threatened, with resentment. .
Naruto knelt down to his height and smiled sadly, looking him straight in the eyes. — "It's painful, isn't it, Cardin?" he asked him, with compassion.
—"What are you talking about?" Cardin asked, confused.
—"It's hard to forget what happened to you and everything they've done to you. You can tell yourself that it doesn't matter, that you're over it, but the pain persists and eats away at your soul," Naruto explained softly.
—"S-stop talking, you don't know anything about me, I don't know how the hell you knew about my mother," Cardin interrupted, with anguish.
—"You know very well that it wasn't your fault, you know it deep down, but you can't help but feel guilty and in the end you believed it, you believed everything they said about you," Naruto told him, with conviction. —"But I don't think that, I think that you are a good person, that you just need an opportunity to change, to be better," Naruto told him, with encouragement.
Cardin hugged his knees and covered his ears, not wanting to hear any more. — "Shut up, shut up, shut up! D-dirty animal," Cardin's voice broke, he didn't know why, but Naruto's words reached his heart and made him remember.
—"I know how difficult it is and even if you tell yourself that you are no longer that scared child, that you are already strong and that you don't need anyone, the pain is still there and it hurts you," Naruto told him, with understanding.
Cardin looked up and looked into Naruto's eyes and remembered, he remembered the happy days when he was little, he remembered his house, he remembered his beautiful home, it was a rich family, he had everything he wanted, food, clothes, toys, but no I knew why it happened.
His father cheated on his mother with a faunus servant who worked there and had an illegitimate child with her, his father preferred to stay with that child and the servant. Maybe it was because he thought Cardin was useless, that he wasn't strong enough, he tried to prove it to her many times, but it was never enough for his father.
And in those days little Cardin watched helplessly as his mother walked away from him, maybe it was because he was a lot like his father and his mother hated him or because she simply blamed him for not being good enough. Cardin tried to understand what had happened, he tried to find the culprit of all this, he blamed himself many times, he blamed life, he blamed circumstances and it was easier for the boy to direct all his hatred towards the fauns, because If it weren't for them, his father wouldn't have cheated on his mother and so he did, he developed a fierce hatred towards them.
Although in truth, he never wanted it to be like that, he wanted to play with them and have fun, but that pain in his soul made his heart hate them deeply, he didn't want to do it, many times he tried to get over it, but he couldn't, no matter how many times he He told himself he was strong enough, he couldn't forget the pain. His eyes betrayed him, his tears ran down his face.
—"You have done very well Cardin, you have come this far on your own," Naruto told him, with admiration.
—"S-Stop it, please," Cardin begged, anguished.
—"I know you don't hate me Cardin, you've never hated anyone, I know that the kind young man you once were is still in there, you hid it so deep that you already forgot that you're not like that," Naruto told him, excitedly.
Cardin lowered his head, unable to look at him. —"I-I'm not like him anymore, I'm strong, I don't need, I don't need any of this," Cardin told him, with rejection.
—"I know, you are strong, I have seen it with my own eyes, you are brave, but we are still missing something, do you know what that is, Cardin?" Naruto asked him, curiously.
—"I don't want to know anything about your nonsense," Cardin replied.
—"We lack trust in the world, trust in situations and trust in people, trust that they are not as bad as we think they are," Naruto explained, wisely. Naruto extended his hand to Cardin again, waiting for him to take it.
—"Let's start again Cardin and this time there will be no misunderstandings between us, start again and do things right from the beginning," Naruto proposed, optimistically.
—"Y-you think there's even a chance for me, I no longer have a chance, look at the things I've done," he said with a broken voice, —"Who's going to trust me? Who's going to believe that "Am I really going to change?" he asked, desperately.
—"I will trust you," those words surprised Cardin, —"so come, give me your hand, help me help you," Naruto told him, lovingly.
Cardin pushed Naruto's hand away and stood up, still teary-eyed.
—"Damn crazy man, get away from me," he said, with anger. She then ran in the opposite direction of Naruto, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. Naruto watched him leave, but he put a smile on his face, he knew that Cardin hadn't really rejected him, he was just confused, he couldn't understand that someone could believe in him, despite all the mistakes he had made.
He heard someone calling him, then Naruto turned around and saw that it was his friends slowly approaching him.
—"Hello guys, how are you? What you saw was very embarrassing, please don't tell anyone." he told them, sadly.
They saw that he had recovered that smile that they always liked to see, that wide and sincere smile.
—"Haaa, guys, why are you looking at me like that? You make me nervous, I know I like a little attention, but having so many girls at the same time overwhelms me, especially if they are as beautiful as you, don't be offended Ren "Your look also intimidates me," he told them, flirtatiously.
Naruto had returned to how he was before and his friends were happy about that, of course they still had that problem with their life and their past, but for the moment they could put it aside.
/-/
—《If you want to stay healthy and strong, you should drink a lot of hot milk》
—"How hot must it be!?" Naruto asked his companions who followed him
—《We have no idea!》, they responded in unison.
—"You are doing a good job, but you can do better! We still have 2 km to go, don't give up," the blonde encouraged them.
—"How is it possible that you have so much resistance?" Cardin complained, exhausted.
A week had passed since the confrontation between Naruto and Cardin, and no one expected this turn of events. Now, the two got along wonderfully, as if they had always been friends.
The blonde's friends were at first skeptical that Naruto was friends with Cardin, but he assured them that Cardin was a good person and wasn't as evil as he seemed. And the truth was, he wasn't. Cardin showed that he was willing to change, and apologized to his friends for everything he had done. He even apologized to Velvet in the middle of the dining room, kneeling before her and lowering his head. It was a bit of a weird scene, but it was well received. Mind you, that didn't stop Velvet's team from giving him a beating as punishment, but he took it like a champ. Of course, his friends still had some doubts, but they trusted his leader's decision and accepted it. They also joined the training days with the NNPR team.
—"I think I'm going to fall," said Dove, panting.
—"Don't worry," Ren said, with a calm voice.— "this is almost over, just 2 more km and we'll be done."
—"Don't forget, afterwards we will do 200 push-ups," Naruto reminded them, with a smile.
—"Really?!" Russel Thrush exclaimed, even more tiredly.
/-/
—"Buaaaaaaaaargh
—"Alright, drop it all, drop it all," Naruto said to Cardin, who was bent over, dumping everything he had eaten before.
—Very good, this has been a very productive day. I have to say, you guys have some of the worst resistance I've ever seen.
The entire CRDL team was so exhausted, that they didn't even have the strength to replicate what Naruto said. "But we can improve that, they have good potential, we'll go from there, but we're already out of time, see you on Thursday, I won't." forget, same time, same place, Naruto said, as Cardin tried to crawl on the ground, he was so tired he could barely move properly.
—"I still can't get used to this," Pyrrha said, with a grimace.
—"What are you talking about? ".
—"About the Cardinal team, the truth is, Naruto, and I'm going to tell you honestly, I don't trust them."
Naruto didn't answer anything and just continued walking towards his bedroom with his friends behind him, they took a shower, of course, that had to be done separately because otherwise it would be very embarrassing.
Everyone put on more comfortable clothes, except Naruto, who was preparing for the detention he had with Glynda, that was already something common for his friends, because Naruto had told them about the punishment that was in force, and of course, he had also told them. surprised the first time they saw him with Professor Oobleck, helping him with classes.
They heard the sound of the door opening, they saw it was the rest of team RWBY. —"Hey! How's it going? Coming back from training?" Yang shouted, excitedly.
—"Yes," said Nora, a little tired,—"the truth is that Naruto wanted to evaluate the CRDL team's skills."
—"Oh, right, how are things going with them?" Weiss asked, curiously.
—"Well, they're going well for now," said Nora, with a smile.
—"You know," said Ruby, —"maybe they haven't caused any problems, but I'm still a little suspicious of this, a week ago they almost hurt Naruto."
—"You know Naruto," Blake was serious or more serious than normal, —"I don't want to tell you this, but I really don't trust those people, you shouldn't hate them, but it's not like I want you to be their friend."
—"Come on guys, they're not that bad, they're good people, I trust them and I believe..."
"Just like you trust us?" Ren interrupted, frowning.
"Shit," Naruto muttered, "really, guys? Are we going to have this discussion now?"
The entire room was silent, they did not expect this type of fight again, it had been a week since they had the last one and frankly they did not want it, and the most surprising thing was that Ren started it.
Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself. —Okay, guys, listen, I know it bothers you that I don't tell you anything about my life, but I think you can imagine why I don't want to.
—"Yes, why don't you want to do it?" Yang asked, a little tired.
—"Well because obviously I don't want to remember it, because it was a shitty life!"
—"That's why, Naruto," Weiss said, —"I know you may be in pain, but it's good to talk about it, it will help you heal."
—"I don't understand it, but like I said, it's not necessary."
—"Naruto, please understand that we want to know you, as you know us," Nora expressed her feelings.
—"Naruto, I really think we should talk about this, you know, it's very dangerous to keep things to yourself, please," Blake said, with a pleading tone.
—"Don't insist, I don't want to hear that from you, so let's leave the topic, guys, please, I don't want to talk about this, don't mention it again," said Naruto, firmly.
When he was going to leave, Yang took him by his arm, "Naruto, please, we have to talk about this, that week you spent after that incident, you acted a little strange, we don't know what happened to you, but we are worried." "Yang said, with concern.
—"Alright, friends," Naruto said, and shook his arm to free himself from Yang, —"I don't understand what the problem is with you.
They all looked at each other, but they didn't know what he meant, —"really? What...is...the...problem? I'm not nice to you?!"
—"Y-yes, Ruby said, her voice shaking."
—"Do I not help you when you need me? Am I not collaborative with you? Am I a bad leader?!" he specifically asked his team.
—"N-no," everyone responded in a low voice.
—"So, what is the need for you to know everything about me? The only thing you need to know is that I am your partner, I am your friend, there is no special reason for you to know about me."
—"Why do you do it?", Yang replied, —"what do you have to hide?"
—"I have nothing to hide, I just don't want to talk about it," little by little Naruto's patience was running out, these guys really didn't stop insisting.
Pyrrha gathered her courage and faced Naruto, "I don't understand what the problem is, I don't know why you're always lying to us! Don't you trust us?" Pyrrha reproached him with pain.
Naruto felt a prick in his heart, seeing the expression of Pyrrha, who was one of the people he loved the most. He didn't want to lie to them, or hide anything from them, but he also didn't want to tell them about his past, which was so dark and painful, that he preferred to forget it.
Naruto was fed up, his patience was running out, and it wasn't because of the substance, it was because of the mere curiosity of his classmates and he couldn't stand it, he was already arriving too late for Glynda's punishment, she would be furious and it was the last thing I needed.
—"Listen, guys, I'm late for detention, we're not going to talk about this topic, no more," Naruto told them, dryly.
Naruto was going to turn around, but was grabbed by the shoulders by Pyrrha, curiously she was more aggressive than normal, he had never seen her this bold.
—"No!", she screamed, —"I'm tired, Naruto, please, this could be a problem for us, we don't have full confidence in you," Pyrrha told him, with anguish.
That was the breaking point for Naruto, "Don't you trust me?" He grabbed Pyrrha's hands and pushed her away, crashing into the rest of his friends.
—What the hell do you want to know?!, said Naruto, already furious, —What the hell do you need to know about me?! What do you want to know about me? I'm a damn orphan, do you want to know that?!
—"N-naruto," Ruby was scared.
—"Did you want to know that I am a damn orphan?! That I lived in an orphanage until they kicked me out! That I had to live on the street eating from the garbage! That I hunted in the forest to find food because I couldn't pay it! That's what you wanted to hear from me, friends?! You guys are seriously stupid! "
All his friends were a little tense at Naruto's reaction, it was the second time they had seen him like this and frankly it was very terrifying.
Naruto's voice was breaking, the last thing he wanted was to remember, remember all his experiences, remember his entire life was the last thing he wanted and frankly if he could erase his memory, he would have done it a long time ago — "Is that what?" "What did they want to hear from me?! That the town I lived in hated what I was, they didn't care that I was a child?!" Naruto lowered his voice, he was holding it in because at any moment he could break down and start crying. .
—"w-what the reason I train until I drop is because they treated me like garbage my whole life and they called me a loser and that I could never aspire to be more than that, ...a damn loser, that's what you wanted to hear from my? ".
—"Naruto, I-I didn't want to," Pyrrha said with a trembling voice, trying to get closer to him.
—"To hell with this!", Naruto shouted again, —"I don't want this! This is the last thing I want! I don't want anyone's sympathy! I never had it and I don't need it now "Go to hell!" the blonde opened the door and slammed it shut.
He ran towards the roof of the building, what he didn't realize was that Glynda was near the NNPR team room, because she was looking for Naruto, it was very strange that it took so long, so he decided to investigate, but no. I was hoping to come across this discussion.
Glynda was paralyzed, hearing Naruto's words, which revealed a part of her past that she did not know. She knew Naruto had a difficult history, but she didn't imagine he was so terrible.
/-/
This was very strange for Glynda to see, she was on the roof, looking for her best student, there was no one like Naruto Uzumaki in all her years as an educator here in Beacon, he was polite and helpful, but above all he was diligent, she couldn't To believe that someone like him existed on Remnant, he graduated from the Empire institution at the age of 13, a prodigy in every sense, but now I knew him better, he was not a genius, he was just a boy who worked harder than anyone else, But all this effort was due to a feeling of inferiority that he had, he did not want to feel inferior to anyone, he wanted to show everyone that what they said about him was not true, that he was more.
Glynda completely opened the door that gave access to the roof, there she found Naruto sitting on a balcony crying.
She stood right behind the boy, she was staring at him, she didn't know how to approach that topic, she was a teacher but she never had the opportunity to comfort one of her students, she was always distant with them, she was strict but it was always for her. well, but I had a certain affection for this young man.
—"Naruto," she spoke.
The young man recognized her voice and tried to wipe away his tears to pretend that he was fine, "Miss Goodwitch, how are you? Forgive me for not making it to your detention, as you can see, I'm not in a position to go now."
—"Don't worry, I'll take whatever punishment you have for me," Glynda told him, understandingly.
Glynda simply watched him, "Naruto, are you okay?" Glynda asked him, worriedly.
—"Yes, I'm fine, why the question?" Naruto responded, evasive.
The teacher simply remained silent.
—"I see," said Naruto, with understanding, —"you saw everything, right? You don't have to worry, I'm going to fix it, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Naruto told him, with determination.
Glynda moved from her place and went to the balcony where Naruto was, she sat next to her student and caressed his head with her hand. —"You have done very well Naruto," Glynda told him, proudly.
—"I know," answered the young blonde, modestly.
—"You have done very well," Glynda repeated, with emphasis.
—"I know, you don't have to repeat it to me, Miss Goodwitch," Naruto told her, shyly.
—"Well, it seems like they don't tell you very often, right? I'm very proud of you, I'm proud of how far you've come on your own Naruto, there's no one better than you, you've done incredible," he told her. said Glynda, admiringly.
Naruto's lips curled and he began to cry again, "t-thank you very much, I'm sorry, I shouldn't look like this, I'm supposed to be firm, I didn't want to yell at my classmates, but they told me." They made me remember... remember, and-I didn't want to..., I didn't want to, they didn't deserve any of that, they didn't deserve my words and they didn't deserve that hate," Naruto told him, with guilt.
—"Talk to them, I know you didn't mean anything like that, you were just angry, don't worry, they will forgive you, they will understand, they will even always be there with open arms for you, at the end of the day you are their friend and "You belong with them," Glynda told him, lovingly.
—"Thank you Miss Goodwitch," Naruto said, gratefully.
—"You're welcome," she smiled broadly.
Naruto had to admit what was already obvious to him, Glynda Goodwitch was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his short life.
The two remained silent, but it was a comforting silence, Naruto was relaxed in the company of his teacher, he felt safe and protected with her, he felt understood and accepted by her, he felt loved and valued by her.
—"Miss Goodwitch, can I ask you a favor?" Naruto said, his voice soft.
—"Anything," Glynda told him, in a sweet voice.
—"Can you stay with me a little longer? I don't like being alone," Naruto said, with a sad voice.
Glynda felt a pang in her heart, hearing Naruto's request, which revealed his loneliness and need for affection. She realized that Naruto had no one but his friends, that he had no family to care for him, that he had no home to feel comfortable in.
She wondered what Naruto's life had been like, what horrors he had experienced, what traumas he had suffered. Glynda hugged Naruto tenderly and said in a warm voice:
—"Of course, Naruto, of course, I will stay with you as long as you want, I will not leave you alone, I will never leave you alone, I promise."
/-/
Naruto felt anxious and distraught as he stood in front of the door to his room, where he knew his friends were. He had gathered the courage to face them, but he still found it difficult to take the step. He took a deep breath and opened the door. It was eleven at night and team RWBY hadn't left. They were all there, waiting for him. Naruto stared at them and smiled sheepishly.
—"Hello guys, how are you?" he greeted, closing the door behind him and approaching them.
At that moment, everyone stood up and surrounded Naruto with a collective hug. Naruto was stunned by this reaction, he wasn't expecting it. Glynda was right, they would always support him, welcome him with open arms.
When they let go, Naruto walked towards their bed, lowering his head, unable to look them in the eyes. He sat on the edge and slapped his hands on his knees in frustration. He then got up again and knelt on the ground. He reached under the bed and pulled out a box 20 cm wide by 80 cm long. He opened it in front of his companions, showing them the contents.
Everyone in the room looked curiously at what was in the box. They were powder cartridges, but they didn't look normal. They had a small piece of paper taped to it with strange writing that no one recognized.
—"This is part of the investigation I mentioned before. I want you to accept it as an apology," Naruto said in a serious voice.
—"Naruto," Ruby intervened, —"you don't have to do this, we're putting too much pressure on you, no..."
—"No, they shouldn't have done it, but that doesn't justify me yelling at them, saying those things to them. They are my friends, I should have been more understanding, more patient. Guys, please forgive me for everything I said to you." Naruto apologized sincerely.
—"Naruto," Ren's voice was heard calling him, —"you don't need to do this to have our forgiveness. I was the one who started the fight, I... it was for something personal, the truth is that Naruto... the town where you lived, also... no, forget it, it's not important, we'll talk later," Ren said, avoiding the topic.
Naruto looked at him confused, but decided not to insist.
—"Naruto," called Pyrrha, who knelt next to him and gave him something. It was a bowl of ramen, her favorite food. Naruto was pleasantly surprised by the detail, they knew how much he liked that dish. He accepted it and thanked him.
—"Thank you," Naruto said with a smile.
Pyrrha took her hand and placed it on Naruto's cheek, stroking his whiskers gently. Naruto felt a tingle and purred involuntarily.
—"Naruto, I want you to listen to this. I trust you completely, we all do. What I told you that time was not true, I was angry with you, you are everyone's best friend, but I want to know more about you, I want to know you... "I don't know anything about you, Naruto, I actually wanted to know more, but I was stubborn and didn't want to wait, I was just arguing with you," Pyrrha told him sweetly.
—"Pyrrha," the blonde whispered.
—"So let's continue as before," she continued, staring at him and smiling sweetly at the blonde. Her smile was like that of an angel and although he had never seen one, this had to be the closest thing to an angel's smile. — "We can continue as before and when you have time, instead of avoiding me, tell me your stories," she proposed.
Naruto smiled widely. — "Okay, but are you sure? My stories are a little sad," he warned.
Pyrrha told Naruto firmly that she wanted to hear his stories, that she wanted to know everything he had experienced, suffered, and achieved. She wanted to know who he really was. Naruto felt his heart fill with warmth. Pyrrha was the first person to show him so much interest, so much affection. Maybe she was more than a friend to him. Maybe she was... his angel.
The two laughed at the same time, as if they were in their own world, oblivious to the others. When the laughter stopped, Naruto stared at the bowl of ramen in his hands. — "Do you know why I like ramen so much, guys?" he asked, hoping that his friends would pay attention to him.
Everyone looked at him curiously, waiting for him to tell them a story. Naruto took a deep breath and began to speak. —When I was little, I didn't have money to buy food and I couldn't go hunting in the forest because it was raining a lot that day. I was wandering around the town, aimlessly, and the rain got me completely wet. I sought refuge at a food stall called Ichiraku Ramen. The truth is that at that time I didn't know what ramen was or what they sold there.
—Normally, store owners kicked me out of their stores, so I tried not to attract attention. But curiosity got the better of me and I stuck my head out to see what kind of store it was. I saw an old man who was there, preparing the food. When he saw me, I hid scared, but he smiled.
—"It was the first time that happened to me, the first time that someone did not look at me with hatred and contempt. The old man motioned for me to come closer, gave me a towel to dry myself, and served me a plate of ramen. Never "I had seen a dish like that and the first time I tried it, I loved it."
—"I liked it so much that I devoured it right away. The old man laughed at me and his daughter too. She was very pretty and nice. From that moment on, that was my favorite food stall. I came almost every day when I had money and when I didn't have any, he would buy me a plate of ramen. He was like my family."
Naruto couldn't hold back the tears and they escaped from his eyes, falling into the bowl of ramen. —"He was a very good man, very generous, too much for his own good. I'm sure I caused him a lot of trouble, but he always served me a bowl of ramen. His daughter was very kind to me. They treated me like a son."
Pyrrha's arms wrapped around him, comforting him. Naruto saw that everyone in the room was crying with him, sharing his pain. —"I miss them so much, I miss the old man so much. And I couldn't even say goodbye to him," Naruto said, sobbing.
/-/
(mental landscape)
—"Hola, zorro".
Naruto greeted as he entered the mental space where the seal that imprisoned the Nine-Tails was located.
—" Brat ," the fox replied disdainfully, showing his sharp teeth.
—"You know what you've come for, right?"
—" Yes, and you know what I'm going to tell you, it's no ," replied the fox, refusing to cooperate with the young ninja.
Naruto simply smiled, not showing any sign of anger or frustration at the fox's attitude. —"How have you been? Is life treating you well?"
—" Cut the nonsense, Naruto. This week has been a pain for me. Whining and feelings spread everywhere, it's disgusting, " the fox complained, referring to the emotions he had sensed from Naruto through the seal.
—"Come on, Kyubi, that's how we humans are. We are very fickle, at one moment we are sad and at another we are happy," Naruto said optimistically.
—"Let's make a deal," he proposed, changing the subject.
—" Well, now you're speaking a little of my language. What will you give me in exchange for information? " the fox asked, interested in Naruto's offer.
—"Give me the information I want and I will open the seal that imprisons you." Naruto responded, willing to risk it to get the truth.
— " It's a good deal ," the fox accepted, — " I accept . "
—"Understood," Naruto said, slowly approaching the seal and placing his hands on it. Little by little, he began to tear it with his chakra.
—" Wait, stupid !" the fox shouted, stopping Naruto in his tracks.
—"What are you talking about? Didn't you want me to open the seal?"
—" Yes! But are you stupid?! How do you know that I'm not going to betray you as soon as you open the seal? I could scam you, you should ask for the information first, you shouldn't be so confident, " the fox warned him, trying to make him see reason.
Naruto simply hung his head and smiled wistfully. — "It's ironic, right? Zorro," he said, remembering his past.
—" What are you talking about ?" asked the fox, without understanding.
—"I gave my absolute trust to people who gave me so little and to you who have given me so much, I don't have full trust in you," Naruto confessed, seeing the seal again.
—"It's time to change that," he decided, and proceeded to open it again.
—" …Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, she was locked in her before you. When she was in childbirth, the seal weakened and I took the opportunity to escape. But as soon as I came out, I realized that I did not have full control of my body. There is "a period of time in which I simply attacked the village, but when I regained consciousness... I killed your mother, brat, " the fox revealed to him, telling him the truth about the attack the village suffered the day Naruto was born.
Naruto clenched his fists, but calmed down again. — "Why? Why did you do it?" he asked, wanting to know the fox's motive.
—" What choice did I have, Naruto? Do you think I like being locked up here? I wanted my freedom, I wasn't always in a cell, just like you, they treated me like a weapon ," the fox justified, explaining his situation. .
Naruto smiled widely at the fox. — "I promise you something, my friend. You will regain your freedom, just wait until I die," he said in a happy tone. —"You will be free, don't worry, I will not lock you in any other body, nor in a container, that is a promise."
he assured her, showing his kindness. For an instant, the fox's vision changed to a man, an old man with a wrinkled smile. He was the Sage of the Six Paths, the creator of the bijus. The fox felt a strange sense of familiarity and nostalgia upon seeing him.
The fox smiled. —" Yes, I can trust your word, you have never broken a promise. Very well, break the seal and I warn you, once you do, you will have full access to my power. I will teach you everything I have learned in my long life, and I will tell you everything about your parents, about the life you don't know about and everything they have hidden from you ," the fox offered, willing to share his secrets with Naruto.
—"Well, full access to your power and information of all the things you know. Are you sure I'm not the one scamming you, friend?" Naruto joked,
—" Hahaha, you wish, brat. From now on we are partners, the only thing that can free me from you is death! " the fox laughed, accepting the bond with Naruto.
—"Yes! It's like a happy marriage," said Naruto.
—" Don't make it weird, please! "
—"Alright, Kyubi, let's get started!" Naruto exclaimed, excited to begin his new adventure with the fox.
—" It's Kurama ," the fox corrected him, revealing his true name.
—"What?" Naruto asked, surprised.
—" My name is Kurama ," the fox repeated, hoping that Naruto would remember it.
The blonde smiled and the fox smiled back. —"Wow, nice to meet you, Kurama. Now let's get started!" Naruto said, using the fox's name for the first time.
—" Yes! " Kurama responded, feeling a strange emotion upon hearing his name from Naruto's mouth.
—"3!" Naruto counted, preparing to break the seal.
—" 2! " Kurama continued, joining the count.
—"1!", the two finished, synchronizing their voices.
—" OPEN UP!", they shouted in unison, releasing the power of the fox and opening a new stage in their lives.
/-/
—"Damn, I can't even move a muscle, I'm exhausted... Who am I?... Where am I? Why do I feel this stabbing pain in my head?"
—《Sasuke-kun》
—"A sweet and familiar voice resonates in my mind, like a distant echo. But who is she? I don't see her, there is only darkness around me."
—《Naruto, you're a loser》
—"Another voice, this time mocking and arrogant, provokes and challenges me. I see it, there is only emptiness in my heart."
—《Fight me, Sasuke》
—"He insists, as always, seeking my attention and my recognition. He wants me to show him my power, to show him my value. But I don't want to fight, I just want to escape,….that's wrong, I don't run away."
—《That idiot, really, what's good about him? He's nothing more than a show-off》
—"I say…to myself? Something is not right, whose voices are those? Who am I?"
—《¡ NARUTO!》
—《¡ SASUKE!》
—"I think, ...I think my name is "Sasuke."
I hope you liked this chapter as much much as I I did did.
I want to apologize for any spelling mistakes this text may have. It's the first fanfic I've written and I would love to receive your feedback with tips and suggestions to improve my story. This is the English version of my Spanish story, which has some changes from the original. I don't know English, I used a damn translator.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your opinions.