Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Three ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, but I am the proud owner of a brand-spanking-new Gaara plushie! woohoo!! (^_~)

Translations:

nindo: way of the ninja

teme: bastard

Anbu: I guess you could say they're the special agents of the ninja world

Sanin: three ninja

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Th ree

by: Lostlily

Chapter 8

Naruto was silent. He hadn't said a single word since the battle they had with the stone-nin several hours ago. He didn't say anything when Gaara said they should move on their way to the cave and he didn't say anything as Yuri helped him to his feet and gently led him away from the bodies. His body moved automatically as they scaled up the mountain to the cave they were supposed to wait in. Upon reaching their destination, he just leaned against the large boulder next to the cave and slid to the ground, staring off into space. He hadn't moved an inch since.

Gaara was sitting on the boulder Naruto was leaning on. His green-eyed gaze was concentrated on the sun that was slowly setting in the west. You would never have thought he killed anyone that day by the expressionless look on his face. As usual, he was lost in his thoughts and musings.

Yuri stepped out from the darkness of the cave and glanced at her red-haired companion before worriedly looking towards the blond genin. It was clear that the boy was still upset about the fight. Obviously, it was his first kill.

The kunoichi understood his feelings as she remembered the first time she took the lives of other people. She gave an involuntary shiver at the memory. Sometimes she still dreamed about that dark day. The two teenagers that tried to harm her, her fear, the sudden surge of chakra, the sudden screams of terror, and most all...the look upon her Chichiue's face when he found her with the bodies. She shook her head, dislodging the images from her mind.

Sighing, she sat next to Naruto. She watched as the sun dipped lower and lower into the horizon until it was gone. The sky was beginning to darken as she said quietly, "Killing is part of the life of a shinobi."

The young leaf-nin flinched in response.

Yuri drew her legs up to her chest, then crossed her arms over her knees and rested her chin on them, continuing, "Akuma-aniki once told me that as ninja, we are to be used as tools to wield against others. He said that to be a true shinobi, we have to live with the fact that killing is just part of the job. It's a necessity..." Very softly, "It's our nindo."

It's our nindo...nindo...Yuri's softly spoken words echoed in Naruto's mind. He had his own nindo. He remembered the time when he decided that he wasn't going to live his ninja life the way others did. He remembered deciding that he was going to be a ninja in his own way.

-flashback-

Team 7 was standing before the graves of the fallen Zabuza and his companion, Haku. The three young genin wondered if the only way they were to become true ninja was by being tools used by others. They questioned their sensei and he told them that it was an issue that all shinobi must deal with.

Naruto looked off towards the setting sun for a moment, then said determinedly, "Yosh! I've just decided. I'm going to be a ninja in my own way!! I'm going to run straight down a path of no regrets!"

Kakashi looked startled for a second, then nodded and smiled.

-end flashback-

Naruto said quietly, "He's wrong. We're not tools."

Startled from hearing his voice, Yuri's blue-violet eyes slide in his direction with some confusion, "But..."

"We're people. All shinobi are. We eat, sleep and breathe," The blond boy glances up towards the sky as the stars begin to wake. "We bleed when we're hurt, we cry when we're in pain and we smile when we're happy. We have nightmares...and we have dreams. I'm not going to live my life as a tool. That's my nindo."

The kunoichi stared at the boy for a long while before nodding and saying, "Hai, I understand."

"Yuri-chan? Arigato," Naruto said, still gazing up at the stars.

"Hmm? For what?"

"For reminding me of my nindo."

Yuri smiled warmly, then looked up at the night sky as well, "You're welcome."

Naruto suddenly sighed, his gaze falling downward to stare at his hands in his lap. Although Yuri snapped him out of the shock he was in, it didn't make his problem go away. He still killed somebody.

The cloud-nin lowered her head guiltily, guessing at her companion's thoughts, "Gomen nasai, Naruto-kun."

The blond looked at her with surprise, "What are you apologizing for?"

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have ended up killing that man."

"It wasn't your fault..."

Blue-violet eyes look towards him tearfully, "Hai! It was! If I only had been more alert...then...then..."

"Did you want to die?" A voice slowly questions from above them. Both turn their gaze up to Gaara, who was quietly sitting on the boulder until he spoke.

Yuri softly whispers, "Iie."

"Naruto, why did you throw that kunai?"

The leaf genin frowns slightly, "To stop that teme from hurting Yuri-chan."

"Then what's the problem?" The sand-nin's voice held a tinge of annoyance.

"B-but...I've never killed anyone before..."

"It gets easier with time."

Cerulean eyes widen, "How can you be so cold?!"

"Because I've killed a lot of people. I was just a small child the first time I took a life. You knew that already. I told you before, remember?"

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that.

Yuri leaned her head back against the boulder and went back to gazing at the stars, "I was young too the first time I killed. I know how you feel, Naruto-kun, because I felt the same way too, but Gaara's right. It does get easier with time. Especially when you're fighting to survive."

The blond boy looked towards the night sky, hoping that maybe the stars could help him understand what his companions were talking about. Surprisingly, it was Gaara that helped make things more clear for him when he said in his almost monotone-like voice, "Didn't you once say to me that you would stop me if I ever tried to hurt those precious to you?"

Naruto blinked as the memory of that day came to him.

-flashback-

Gaara laid on his back after falling from the last blow that Naruto had dealt him. Turning his head, he was surprised to see the other boy dragging his equally exhausted body towards him.

Thinking that the leaf-nin was planning to finish him off, he yelled out, "...My existence won't be put out...It won't be put out!! Will I be saved?!!"

The blond boy paused and painfully lifted his head, "Urgh..." Looking towards the fallen sand-nin, a flash of the him earlier standing in the hospital flashed through his mind as he thought to himself, 'Take this guy...He wants to destroy because of what happened in the past. So what reason do I exist for?' Then came a flash of Haku's face, 'I thought I was like him...No...Not quite like him...And that is the worst pain I know...' His head hit the ground weakly. 'A world where one's existence is called unnecessary.'

Gaara's eyes widen as the other boy started to drag himself toward him again. The sand-nin cried out with panic, "D...Don't come closer!!" He actually felt fear as the boy slowly continued. Then he watched as the blond boy lifted his head a bit to gaze at him sadly with tear filled eyes.

Naruto said to him in a shaky voice, "...Being alone...Being incomplete...What you must feel...What your pain must be, I understand that..."

Gaara just stared at him...watching as a fierce look suddenly came into the blue eyes.

The boy continued on to say, "But...for the people that are precious to me, to be able to...The people that are precious to me...If you are hurting them...And if you are trying to kill them...I will stop you..."

With utter shock, the red-haired boy said with confusion, "....What the....What? Until now, for the sake of other people, you've..."

"Because they rescued me from the hell of being alone...They acknowledged my existence...That's why they are all the most important..."

It was then that Gaara understood the power of this boy. A soft look entered his pale-green eyes as an image of his uncle appeared in his mind, '...Needing those close to you. An affectionate heart that gives all of itself for those important people, and it watching over them...' "...Love..." 'That's why this guy is so strong...'

Soon after that, Sasuke appeared, telling Naruto that Sakura was safe. Naruto smiled, uttered a few words, then passed out. Gaara's siblings appeared as well and carried their exhausted brother way.

-end flashback-

Naruto was finally feeling better now that he understood that the incident happened because he was protecting Yuri.

The cloud-nin didn't quite understand what her companions were talking about. She asked curiously, "What's Gaara talking about, Naruto-kun?"

"Just something I said to him in the past. Don't worry about today, Yuri, I'm not so upset about it anymore."

"You're not?"

"Iie. I only did what I did because I was protecting a friend."

The young girl blinked as she felt her heart warm slightly, "Y-you think of me as a friend?"

"Aa. Of course I think of you as a friend. I know we haven't known each other all that long, but in my heart, time doesn't matter and I believe we're the best of friends. Gaara's my friend too."

That last part startled the sand-nin into gazing down at the blond genin with pale green eyes that widened with surprise. 'Nani? After all that's happened between us...He actually considers me as a friend?'

Yuri began to absently fiddle with the edge of her shirt as she said quietly, "Gaara told me you strong because you have people that are precious to you..."

Naruto gazed at the girl curiously, "Aa."

"Ano...I was just wondering...What's it like to have precious people?"

The boy blinked, "You don't have any? What about your Chichiue? And that Akuma guy? Aren't they precious to you?"

The cloud-nin began to nibble on her lower lip, "I...I'm not sure. What is a precious person exactly?"

Gaara was interested to hear this as well. After all, he did tell himself that he wanted to know more about the things that Naruto was talking about the last time they met.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes squinted with deep thought, "Hmm..."

Things were silent for a moment.

"YOSH! I got it!" The leaf genin happily announced in a loud voice. Yuri jumped from the sudden exclamation and Gaara flinched slightly from the loudness. Naruto jumped into his explanations, "A precious person is a person that you want to protect. It's a person that accepts you for who you are. It's a person that you want to keep safe at all costs, even if it meant giving up your own life."

"Even it meant killing the person trying to hurt them?" Yuri asked slowly.

The question caught the blond boy off guard, making him quiet for a second. Then he gave a small nod.

The kunoichi still felt confused about the whole matter. Did she have people that were precious to her? Naruto said that the person was someone that would accept her for who she was. An image of her Chichiue's cold gaze flashed through her mind. 'Chichiue doesn't accept me. He hates me...just like the villagers...' Then an image of Akuma appeared. 'Akuma-aniki...Up until now, he was only person who was ever nice to me. Does that mean he's someone precious to me? What about Naruto and Gaara? Naruto said I was his friend. Am I precious to him? I think of him and Gaara as friends. Are they precious to me? I still don't....understand...'

Naruto surprised himself. Everything he said was true. If killing a person was the only way to stop them from hurting his friends, then he would do it. Friends...he called them his friends and he meant it. Even if he's only been with them for a short time, he felt like he's known them all his life. It was strange, but it was like something inside him recognized these two. He really would give his life to protect them, which was almost funny because just last year, one of them tried to kill him twice.

He glanced towards Yuri, watching as she worried her lower lip, wondering what she was thinking. Then he shifted his gaze upward towards Gaara, who was looking a bit confused. Naruto could almost see the boy beneath the sand and cold exterior. These two people thirsted for control over their lives the way he does. He used to think he could get through life on his own, but his friends back home made him see that true strength couldn't be found by fighting alone. Maybe that's why he was brought together with these two. Maybe it was his job to teach these two about friendship and belonging. In teaching them about stuff like that, maybe he could learn a few new things himself.

Gaara felt like he was beginning to understand the words Naruto said to him when they laid spent on the ground after their fight. The sand-nin remembered thinking to himself that Naruto was strong because he had love to heal his emotional scars. Gaara knew his own emotional scars were slowly healing.

In the past, he never really noticed it, but there were people that did care about him. Maybe not much, but Kankuro cared a little and Temari...well, she always seemed to watch out for her little brother, even when he was at his most violent self. When he really thought about it, he always did have a soft spot for his older sister. During the Chuunin Exams, he let her talk him out of killing those young leaf genin in the forest and the day he fought against Naruto, he made sure she was far away from him when he was transforming into his demon form.

He blinked. He had precious people. He had his siblings and now he had these two who mirrored his very soul. Naruto and Yuri...they understood the loneliness he went through...the darkness he's just barely beginning to crawl out of. With them by his side, he could finally learn what it is to be truly strong.

All three of them went back to gazing up at the star-filled sky. A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling their hair as each became lost in their own thoughts. There was a certain feeling of peace to be felt when stargazing with friends.

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-Hidden Leaf Village-

Sakura watched as her dark-haired teammate angrily paced back and forth. She had never seen him this agitated before. They were in the outer offices of the shinobi headquarters, waiting for an audience with the Hokage. They had been waiting all day. They were told that Hokage-sama was having a serious meeting with the elders. Both genin insisted that they just had to speak with the Hokage, but their pleas had no effect on the Anbu guards at the door. They were told to wait.

"Chikuso! I can't wait any longer. I'm going to go after him," Sasuke said darkly as he punched a nearby wall.

Sakura jumped to her feet as she said with worry, "Sasuke-kun, you can't! We have to talk to Hokage-sama or Kakashi-sensei first."

"You talk to them and I'll go after Naruto."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Yo!" A voice cheerfully called out as their silver-haired sensei appeared in the room with a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're back!" Sakura cried out with relief.

The jounin looked at his subordinates, curious to find out why Sasuke was glaring at him and why Sakura looked like she was about to burst out into tears. There goes that bad feeling again, like something was terribly, terribly wrong. His feeling was confirmed when the young Uchiha spoke.

"Naruto was taken away by some girl and Gaara of the Sand."

"Are you sure? He left a note with the Hokage saying that he went to go train with Jiraiya-sama."

Both Sakura and Sasuke frowned. Then the boy said, "I fought with the girl and Gaara. I heard her say Naruto was going with them right before they knocked me out."

"This is bad."

"I'm afraid it's only going to get worse," A voice said from the doorway. All three look to see Tsunade with a frown of worry on her face.

"Hokage-sama, what do you mean?" Sakura asks almost hesitantly.

"She means that Naruto's disappearance is just the tip of the ice berg."

"Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi exclaims with surprise as the big, white-haired man steps out from behind Tsunade.

The Legendary Sanin had a grim look on his face as he said, "We have to get to those three before they find what they're looking for."

Sasuke scowled, "And what is it that they're looking for?"

"The Akatsuki."*

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A cloaked figure agilely leapt through the trees of a dark forest. The figure paused on a tree branch to gaze up at the half moon in the sky.

"It's almost time..."

Then the figure continued on silently, like a ghost moving from tree to tree. In the distance loomed the mountain where three demon-possessed shinobi waited.

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*Akatsuki: a group of 8 s-class missing-nins (used to be nine, but orochimaru left them), that sasuke's older brother belongs to. hmm...I believe the word akatsuki itself means red cloud, seeing as both itachi and kisame wear cloaks with red clouds on them.

A/N: whew, I hope this chapter makes sense. hmm....the story is about to get a whole lot more interesting. well, at least I think it will. But yeah, I'm debating whether I should involve the other characters or not. I just feel like they should get involved. hmm...anyways, please review and let me know what you think. A big thanks to those who gave reviews for the previous chapters. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. I'm off to go work on the next chapter. ja ne!

oh yeah, almost forgot. some of you might not be caught up, manga or episode wise, so here's a lil treat for ya! This site has the naruto manga scancalations from chapter 1 to 199. they also have episodes 1 to 64 to download if you have bit torrent. they update every week so it's a pretty cool site. enjoy!