Hello, Brother

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Happy holidays everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful week (except for all the finals some of you took, that must've been a drag) and it's almost Christmas! Here is a new chapter, hope you enjoy! I also realized that I've never shown you a pic of Riko (Kaji's brother) so here he is! I don't own the pic, credits go to the artist!

I don't own Naruto, sadly

Peace

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Kaji's POV

"Finally." I mutter to myself, quite a ways behind Team 7.

We finally arrived back at the Leaf, and I'm overjoyed. We had to spend an extra two weeks on that wretched island because Kakashi used his Sharingan too much.

Seeing the two huge familiar gates made me smile a small bit, but my thoughts stop as we hear a huge crackle above us.

Rain starts to pour down on all of us, soaking our clothes and packs.

We run inside Konoha, me finally being at the same pace with the group. I throw a wave over my shoulder as I run back to my apartment, not bothering to teleport. I love rain.

I don't love a lot of things, but rain is one of them.

My shoes make sloshing noises as my feet hit the dirt path beneath me, and water finally stops being poured on me once I reach my house. I strip down to my undergarments at the door, after I shut it of course, because I was most certainly not cleaning up water droplets on my floor. I sprint to my room and put all my things on the tile floor in the bathroom, then go back into my room to get fresh clothes. I gather everything I need, underwear, shirt, pants, and socks.

I walk back to the bathroom, again, and place the dry clothes on the counter. I pick up my wet clothes and move to the shower, wringing the water out of them.

I put my clothes on the towel rack to dry, changing into my dry ones. The outfit was basically a gray version of the one I usually wear, except it had a thin line of fur on the inside to keep me warmer.

I go to the kitchen and start to boil water, opening a packet of ramen and putting it in a bowl. My stomachs growls could be heard from miles away, and my mind goes blank for a second.

'Crap! Sasuke has probably been training all day, I need to go over and make him some food, hopefu-' I start to think, but then realization dawns on me and I walk back to the kitchen with slouched shoulders. I release a long and heavy sigh just as a scream from the kettle begins to echo throughout my house, making me turn the stove off and pour the water on the ramen. I put the kettle back and take the packet of chicken flavoring, mixing it in with the noodles and water.

I grab a pair of chopsticks and walk to the living room, sitting on the floor and eating my ramen. I quickly slurp up all the ramen and the broth, releasing a content sigh from my mouth, and laying on the wood floor.

(This song is called So Far Gone by Thousand Foot Krutch, listen to it!)

I know they say that the space between

Can make it stronger than we've ever seen

They might be right but I disagree

Cause I've never felt stronger than when you're with me

Sometimes I wonder why you even care

Cause even when I leave you're always there with me

And like a candle makes a brighter place

This mark you've made on me can't be erased.

I wanna be so far gone in you

So far nothing else will ever do

I wanna be so far gone in you

In you..

I've stood alone and I've fallen down

Your hands were there to pick me off the ground

Sometimes I cry cause I can't believe

Your love is big enough to cover me

Sometimes I've wondered if you're even there

But when I feel far away you meet me there

And like a candle makes a brighter place

This mark you've made on me can't be erasedYeah..

I wanna be so far gone in you

So far nothing else will ever do

I wanna be so far gone in you

In you..

I wanna be so far gone in you

So far nothing else will ever do

I wanna be so far gone in you

In you..I wanna be lost

I wanna be lost in you

Like a ship in the night

I wanna get lost in you

Underneath your sky

I wanna be lost in you

Like a ship in the night

So far gone tonight

I wanna be so far gone in you

So far nothing else will ever do

I wanna be so far gone in you

In you...

So far gone in you

In you

In you

So far gone in you

I release another sigh, getting up off of the wooden floor. I open the door and shut it softly, the soft sound of rain getting louder as the walls that encased me before were now gone. I walk along the buildings, the clouds covering the sky, giving me a comforting feeling.

The streets are quiet, not a soul but mine daring to go outside into the harsh rain. The echoing sound of my steps are drowned out of the world as the harsh rain slaps against the ground.

The rain starts to cover me, but I ignore it as I make my way to my destination, a sinking feeling in my chest.

The cemetery.

I've always hated cemeteries. They hold so many unknown secrets kept by the silence of the dead, so many unspoken confessions kept by death. A dark feeling surrounded all cemeteries, your loved ones and your enemies all buried in the same place.

But I still occasionally go to them, despite my hatred.

I walk in front of the gravestone I haven't visited in a long, long time, and sit down on the grass, ignoring the mud.

"Hey, brother." I say to the gravestone.

'Riko Tora'

"It's been a while, huh?" I say to gravestone, breathing out a bitter laugh at the end.

"A lots been going on since you left me Riko. One of my best friends left me, to the man who killed you. It really hurt me. And I had to go back to that godforsaken island, though thankfully my Sensei let me stay indoors. I haven't told him about my life. I'm not even sure of you know. Do you, Riko?" I ask the grave, water running down my face.

"I really miss Sasuke. Despite how much he hurt me, he's still my friend..." I laugh slightly at that. "I guess Naruto is the one who is rubbing off on me now."

"I haven't told anyone this yet, Riko. I wouldn't even let myself think about this." I say to the grave, tracing my fingers over the name carved into the stone. "I miss Sasuke."

"I worry about him. I know it. Even if I deny that I ever said this to you, and push it to the unconscious side of my brain, I know it. I hope he is eating enough after training. I hope he is getting enough sleep. I hope he has fun once in a while." I say, lowering my head.

My salty tears start to unwillingly drip down my face, and I succumb and let myself have a moment of weakness. The warm tears get drowned out by the cold rain, my face becoming slightly numb.

"I miss him. I miss you. I wish you were both here with me." I whisper to the grave, clenching my fists.

"Why?" I question to the clouds. "Why is it always me... Who loses one of the very few people who mean so much to me?"

"Why is it me who had to have their clan murdered? Why was it me? What did I do to deserve this? Why do I have to bear the burden of choice between my friends? Why does all of this happen to me?" I question, ripping out a blade of grass angrily.

I release a long an heavy sigh, taking Sasuke out of my mind and replacing it with the choice that's been burdening me for a while.

The Akatsuki and Naruto.

I'm not stupid. I know Pein wants me to join. Hell, I hate to sound conceded, but everyone in the Akatsuki wants me to join them. They are usually so serious, and I guess being around me reminds them of their family. That gives me comfort too, because they feel like my family.

But then there is Naruto.

Naruto is a lot like me. He's been bullied, stomped on, spit on, treated horribly, shunned by the public. And I know that he knew, that there was no way to fight back. Being bullied wasn't just like having a cold. It it isn't like if you take medicine it'll go away. If you do good deeds for the public, they'll probably think that you're out to gain their trust, then stab them in the back and kill them all.

But it's their stupidity and fear of the unknown that pushes them to do this.

These villagers... They don't know that we're the ones who are stopping tailed beasts from going on a rampage and killing them.

'No offense Minoru. You're cool.' I say sincerely in my head.

'None taken kid.' Minoru grunts sleepily, just waking up from a nap.

We sacrificed everything for these villagers, and all we get in return is dirty looks and beatings.

But to some degree, I understand their fear. I know it'd be frightening to know that some measly kid would have such a powerful beast sealed inside of them, being able to release that power on them at any time.

Though Naruto had it... Not easier... But less painful, physically.

I'm almost positive that no one knew I was a jinchuuriki on the Land of the Moon. So nothing that they knew of was stopping them from beating me up, just because I look much different from them. But it was different for Naruto. Everybody knew that he had the nine tails locked inside of him. They were all too scared to do anything that would hurt him physically, so they cast him aside. They did anything to let him know he wasn't welcome.

So how do I choose?

Naruto has been my best friend for a while. Though I did get angry at him for something, I forgave him, silently, and moved on. I realized his life was more important, I guess. He will serve a higher purpose than me. That's how it is.

But will I help him grow, and watch from the side?

That's not me... I don't do nothing, and stand off to the side. I do something. I contribute.

But I can only do that if I join the Akatsuki. Though they haven't formally asked me, I know it'll happen one day.

And I'll have to choose.

"Hopefully..." I say to the grave, using my hands to stand up. "I'll make the right choice." I say, walking back to my home.