Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Breaking Point ❯ Friends and Teammates ( Chapter 4 )

Breaking Point

 

All right, I finally got this stupid thing to load the way that I want it to.

 

Disclaimer: No matter what the voices in my head say, I do not own Naruto.

 

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Dusting my hands off, I gulped anxiously as I stepped over the two Anbu towards the door. Stretching my hand out, I let it rest on the doorknob. Glancing behind me, I felt reassured that I wasn't going to have to go in there alone. Taking a deep breath I opened the door and silently made my way into the room. As I entered, the greeting that I had ready, died on my lips.

 

`Baa-san.

 

My `baa-san was crying.

 

Here I thought that it was impossible for me to feel any worse than I already did. Apparently I was wrong. Crossing the room to her desk quickly, I placed my hand on her shoulder, and my breath caught in my throat when she looked up.

 

“All this time you've known who my father was. All I ever really wanted to know was my father's name, and yet no one would give me even that. I never had a grave to visit or take flowers to. NOTHING!”

 

Closing my eyes against the onslaught of memories, I wrapped my arms around her and began to whisper.

 

“Nobody even knew that he had a child…much less a son. Why is that? Why did no one ever try to tell me before now? What was so horrible about me that no one could know who my father was?”

 

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…”

 

“I understand. It's because everyone thinks that I'm Kyuubi. There is no way that Kyuubi could possibly be the son of someone as great as Yondaime right? I wasn't good enough to be his son, regardless of what he thought. That's why I had my name taken from me right?! Dammit! That was my father's name! Probably the only thing I was left other than a few scrolls…”

 

“Naruto.”

 

“I am leaving Konoha. I can't stay here any longer. So you might as well mark me down as a missing nin because I won't return. Because I no longer have anything to return to.”

 

When I heard her voice my heartbeat slowed down, and the memories from earlier began to fall silent once more. Feeling her arms wrapped around me gave me the time that I needed to regain my composure. I'd been so afraid that she would yell at me when she saw me, and I can't say that I wouldn't deserve it, considering how I acted earlier—

 

“Dammit kit! Would you stop feeling sorry for yourself already? You're driving me insane.”

 

Hearing Kyuubi's voice jerked me back from my mental dissertation and instead moved me onto more productive feelings and thoughts. I mean honestly, how hard would be to drive a kitsune crazy? Particularly when the kitsune in question has just interrupted a rather spectacular pity party. I wonder if having Kyuubi sealed in me was my father's idea of a joke. I mean, everyone has said that he was a great prankster before he settled down for lack of a better term. Sealing Kyuubi in your only child in hopes of driving them insane with the never-ending sarcastic diatribe must have seemed like a great way to go.

 

Agh, I'm getting away from myself again, I have to remember that talking to your self is the first sign of mental instability. Honestly, it is. If you need proof look at Sasuke, he walked around for years talking about how he was going to kill Itachi and the different ways that he was going to do it. I think he even had a list at one point in time. Maybe I should do something like that, come up with a list to find out how many different ways there are to drive Kyuubi insane.

 

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked up rather startled. Neji was looking down at me rather worriedly. Gently removing `baa-san's arms from around me, I stood up. Nodding at Neji to let him know that I was all right, I asked him something quietly.

 

“Do you think that you can let everyone know to meet us at Ichiraku's in about a half hour?”

 

Sensing more than seeing his agreement, I waited for everyone in the room to leave, before I turned my attention back to `baa-san. My voice was quiet, but still firm when I began talking to her again. She told me that she had found out about the scrolls after one of the council members let something slip. It was a month later before she managed to get the scrolls into her possession. Leaning against the wall, I asked her for some advice about the council.

 

“You can't just threaten them, gaki. To make the council change their decision, you're going to need all of the support that you can get. That includes the heads of the major clans. And in order to get their support you're going to have to drop the act.”

 

I already knew most of that. The good thing to all of this, is that my closest friends happen to be the heirs to the major clans…well most of them anyway. The problem is going to be convincing the others that I'm not just an extension of the Kyuubi.

 

“Naruto?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you thought about what happens after you get your father's name back?”

 

Looking at her my head tilted to one side questioningly. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated for a couple of seconds like she wasn't sure about what she wanted to say. Finally, she figured out what she wanted to say and started talking again.

 

“Arashi is a legend with shinobi. Everyone knows about Konoha's Yellow Flash. The thing is, your father made a lot of enemies. Getting your name back is going to be like walking around with a target on your back. People looking for revenge will come after you. I just want you to be sure that this is what you want, gaki.”

 

Moving back to `baa-san, I kneeled down in front of her. Lightly holding her hands in mine, I looked up at her as I spoke softly.

 

“ `baa-san, a name means a lot to a shinobi. Your name shows what clan you're from, and who your family is. It doesn't matter what the consequences are; this is something that I have to do. I can't claim to be my father's son if I'm not willing to do this. Being afraid of what problems his name will cause me isn't the way to honor his memory.” Smiling at her, I let go of her hands and stood up once again. Straightening my clothing, I walked silently to the doors of her office. Holding open the door, I turned back around and grinned at her saying, “Wish me luck.” Before the doors closed behind me, I heard her say, “Tell them everything, Naruto.”

 

Leaving the building, I blinked stupidly when I saw who was outside waiting for me. Okay, maybe dropping the act is going to take a bit of work on my part.

 

“We're going to be late, Naruto.”

“I thought that you went with the others to Ichiraku's”

“How are you?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I was concerned about your emotional wellbeing. You do have the disturbing habit of suppressing your emotions.”

 

Not caring that I was stopping in the middle of a busy street, I tugged at his hand to make him stop too. Hugging him, I whispered, “Thank you,” before I let go and started walking again. It didn't take him too long before he caught up with me. I blushed faintly when I felt him squeeze my hand reassuringly when we reached Ichiraku's. Sitting down with the others, I sighed heavily before starting my explanation. Amazingly, they managed to stay quiet long enough for me to tell them everything, my mask, kyuubi, my jounin status.

 

“You mean this whole time has been nothing but a lie?”

Damn. I knew this was too good to last.

 

“It hasn't all been lies. I just showed everyone what they expected to see.”

 

And once again everything has gone to hell. All of them started yelling, trying to get answers from me.

 

“There's no way—“

“What do you mean you're a jounin?”

“You mean you're not an idiot?”

“What the hell—“

 

SLAP!

 

Wincing, I brought a hand up to my throbbing cheek while I stared in disbelief at Haruno-san. Scanning the room I noticed that the others had moved to stand beside me when she hit me.

 

“I'm your teammate. All that time that we were on the same team and you never trusted me?”

 

Inhaling sharply, I glared at her, as I stood abruptly from my seat.

 

“Trust? You want to talk to me about trust? What reason have you ever given me to trust you? My entire life, you've done nothing but ridicule my dreams and…me. Even now, when I show you the real me, you still attempt to ridicule me. What part of this is supposed to make me fall at your feet and beg for your friendship? If this is all that you wanted to say, then I think it would best for me to leave now.” Turning away I tried to control the feelings of anger and hurt that were running rampant.

 

“Naruto, I—“

 

“Don't call me that. I believe that I've already told you that Haruno-san. If you feel the need to address me, then use Uzumaki.”

 

That said, I left Ichiraku's.

 

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Next chapter is a brief look into the past.

 

Chapter 5: Bitter Seals

 

“Your shinobi skills aren't the only thing that you've kept hidden, is it Naruto?” Hearing the rapid breathing of the small blonde, he sighed softly before he went on. “Your abnormal chakra, the seal on your stomach, your birth date, and the simple fact that you aren't dead…” Raising his pale eyes to meet the shocked blue ones before him, he finished his speech.

 

“Yondaime didn't kill the Kyuubi, did he?”