Chapter 6: Again

"Are you sure you want to leave him?" Tsunami asked in a worried tone. Obito grinned at the woman, waving her off.  Juse 

"Nah he's fine, just let him sleep for now. We gotta go back to the bridge anyway. If he's up past noon feel free to boil some water and-" 

"Sensei," Sayuri cut in sternly. "We're wasting time." Obito laughed as he noticed Tazuna's slightly irked face. 

"Oof, okay let's go then, guys." The four of them left the house quickly. Tsunami let out a tired sigh, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs of the dining room, cupping her forehead as she recalled the events that had happened the previous night. 

Flashback, this time brought to you by might right index finger which just pressed the h's in this sentence

"Heroes don't exist," Inari, Tsunami's son and Tazuna's grandson. "So why do you try so hard? Why do you train and put so much effort into this?" He cried out, tears rolling down his face. Naruto glanced at Inari, but chose not to say anything. 

"Your training is useless! You'll just die!" Inari shouted, standing up as he slammed his hands on the table. "There's no way you'll be able to match Gato's men even with all your training! No matter how much effort you use, the weak always lose out against the truly strong!" 

"Would you shut up?" Naruto spoke up, the fork in hand already bent slightly. "We're not like you." 

"SHUT UP!" Inari shouted. "Looking at you makes me sick! Sticking your nose into what happens in a land you don't even understand! You all walk around without a care in the world not knowing one thing about pain!" 

Sakura looked at her teammates and noticed how they all tensed up, well, Naruto wasn't necessarily tense, but he was shaking, was he scared? If so, what of? 

Naruto felt the fork drop from his hand as the world around him turned slow, the images of all his comrades being slain over and over and over and over again in his head, each wooden spike, each Zetsu clone, each jutsu, every single word that came out of those vile mouths, the powerlessness he felt. 

"Pain," He repeated the word as if never hearing it before. "Pain is something you feel when you're alive. If you're dead, you can't feel the agonizing pain that always torments you. You can't feel your heart being torn to shreds after watching those you love die while being powerless to do anything to stop it." 

"Pain is what keeps us moving," His hand unconsciously gripped at his shirt, right above his heart. "Pain is what makes us feel alive while we secretly wish to be dead, it's ironic, isn't it?" Standing up from the table, Naruto walked out of the house into descended into the forest. 

Obito looked at the door with a worried glance. "Sayuri," He began. "Go check on Naruto, make sure he doesn't do anything too hasty." Sayuri nodded and quickly walked out of the house as well. 

"That was very. . ." Tazuna began, looking for the right word. "Dark? Morbid? I don't know but it was definitely not a positive thing." 

"Naruto didn't have the easiest path growing up," Obito began. "And he won't have an easy life as a shinobi either. His parents died when he was born, so he was unable to form familial bonds. He was lonely and still doesn't have many friends. But it seems something is out of my view as well, he talks as if he's seen so much yet he only recently became a shinobi. So I'm almost as lost as you are." 

With Naruto 

Naruto was sitting down next to a very large tree trunk, his eyes gazing upward, almost lifeless as the events of the war rang down on his mind. He had tried so hard, so very hard and he couldn't win. 

He couldn't. He didn't. 

"Dobe," He heard Sayuri's voice call out as she stood a few feet away from him, her arms crossed. "What was that?"

"The truth." He replied cryptically. 

". . ." Sayuri didn't know how to respond to something like that, so she chose to be silent for now. She thought about something for a moment before asking. "Are you suicidal, Naruto?" Naruto sat there for a moment before responding. 

"You haven't called me by my name before." He whispered. "That's the first time I think." Sayuri narrowed her eyes. 

"Answer the question." 

"I don't have to answer that question, especially from you." He said the last three words bitterly. Sayuri's face twisted into one of anger. 

"Why do you hate me? I mean, I knew you disliked me in the academy, but ever since we've became Genin you have done nothing but berate, laugh at, or flat out ignore me! Why? I'm not accepting some bullshit answer either!" 

Naruto closed his eyes, resting his head upon the wood. "Because you remind me of my failures." Sayuri took a step back, her eyes wide with shock. 

"What do you. . ." She trailed off. 

"I had a friend named Sasuke once. He had a troubled life and was like me. We were brothers and we fought together, bled together, and cried together. I watched him die protecting me and I could avenge him in the end. You and Sasuke are similar, so looking at you makes me think of him, and thinking of him, makes me think of myself." 

Sayuri was shocked at his answer. "I don't know this Sasuke," She began carefully. "But he sounds like he meant a lot to you." Naruto nodded. "Do you think he would want you to drown yourself over him?" 

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the Uchiha in front of him and squinted. Behind her, was a pale image of Sasuke Uchiha, a thin almost sad smile on the Uchiha's face. The image nodded at him before vanishing. 

Naruto chuckled, standing up and swiping the dirt off his clothing. "I would suppose not." He began walking in the opposite direction of the house, making Sayuri raise an eyebrow. 

"Where are you going?" She asked curiously. 

"To train." He said before stopping and twisting his head, his blue eyes meeting her own black ones. A small smile appeared on his face. "And thank you, Sayuri." And with that, he disappeared in the forest.

Left alone with a small blush on her cheeks, Sayuri turned around and walked back to the house, her mission accomplished. 

A loud knock was heard and Tsunami stood up to answer the door, only to be knocked back as the door was suddenly sliced into several pieces. Two men came through the door, brandishing swords. 

"I was wondering when you two would finally show up, I was getting bored pretending to sleep." Naruto called out as he walked down the stairs as if he were to follow the normal schedule and get a bowl of cereal, barely acknowledging the fact that two of Gato's goons were now in the house. "Like honestly, you guys waited the entire flashback?" 

"What?" One of them asked in a confused tone. Naruto waved him off before a kunai appeared in the man's throat. 

"Sorry, I meant for that to go through you and into the other one, guess I really am powered down," Naruto began as he took out another kunai. "Then again, humans are usually more durable than Zetsu so I wouldn't really expect much of a difference." 

Tsunami watched with wide eyes as Naruto easily dispatched one of the two thugs and was about to deal with the other, before a loud snap was heard as well as a whistling sound before a loud thump echoed throughout the room, an arrow sticking out of the other thug's forehead. 

Inari had a determined look in his eyes, holding the crossbow in hand. Naruto felt a smirk tug at his lips as he walked over to the boy. "Taking someone's life isn't easy, but that was something you thought you had to do in order to protect your mother." He ruffled Inari's hair before looking at Tsunami.

"I think Inari here will be protecting you from now on, eh?" Tsunami was too shocked to even respond. "Anyway, I have to go, there's probably trouble at the bridge." With that, Naruto ran out of the house to the bridge. 

Tsunami immediately wrapped her arms around her son, crying hysterically, happy that they were both okay.

Sayrui, on the other hand, was not having such a good time. With needles sticking out of her skin with her newly activated Sharingan, things were not looking all too well for her at all. Cursing, she quickly discharged another fireball at the ice user, only to fail once again, not even causing the mirrors to melt in the slightest. 

"It's over," The masked ninja said as they appeared in all of the mirrors, brandishing needles made of ice in their hands. 

"Perhaps not," Naruto said as he entered the dome of mirrors. 

"What the hell are you doing dobe? You really are stupid!" Sayuri berated him as he laughed nervously.

"Calm down, Sayuri. I just thought it would be more interesting in here than out there ya know? All that's out there is Sakura protecting Tazuna and Obito pretty much kicking the shit out of Zabuza. I think we can take down one of the two together hm?" 

"Don't be so sure." The masked ninja stated in a monotone voice. "This is my ultimate jutsu, nothing, not even Zabuza-sama, can penetrate it." 

"Sayuri," Naruto began. "Buy me ten seconds, that's all I need." Sayuri nodded.

"I'll try my best!" Naruto held his hand up, slowly developing a Rasengan. Sure, he could do it without a clone now, but now it took about five seconds to complete the technique instead of the original three. 

"I'm not foolish enough to let you finish that." Haku said behind the mirrors as he aimed the needles to impact every inch of Naruto's body. Throwing the needles, Naruto trusted the incomplete Rasengan into the air, hoping to use the chakra to expel the incoming needles, only to stop as he realized what was about to happen. 

If he used the chakra from the Rasengan, the he would definitely expel the needles from himself, but not Sayuri. Perhaps he could just tank the needles are try to complete the Rasengan? Thinking that it was the best option, Naruto brought his Rasengan back down, closing his eyes, ready for the impact, only to feel nothing. 

Opening his eyes, Naruto took a step back in shock as Sayuri stood in front of him, littered with needles. 

"D-Dobe," Sayuri got out before collapsing. Naruto quickly dispelled the Rasengan and caught her body as to not push the needles further. 

"Why?" Was all he asked. 

"I don't know," Sayuri whispered back. "My body just moved on its own." 

"And you call me dobe," Naruto whispered to her. Her body went still and he gently placed her down. "It seems you're in luck, Sayuri." Naruto spoke, standing up straight. "Because I think," He trailed off as red chakra formed around his body, oozing from his pores as he glared at Haku. 

"I think I want to protect you too." He finished before rushing towards the mirrors and breaking them with his fist in such a fury that Haku couldn't pinpoint his location, the blonde moving faster than he could even comprehend.

"Haku," Naruto said, surprising the ice user before he was knocked out of the mirror he was in, flying backwards as he hit the stone ground hard, skidding slightly as Naruto looked at him with a small glare that held just a little bit of reluctance in them. "I want to save you. I don't want to have to kill you."

"You have to," Haku said plainly, taking off his mask and revealing his feminine face. "I'm a useless and broken tool to Zabuza-sama now. Please, kill me." Naruto shook his head. 

"I refuse to kill someone who is pure despite going through so much." Haku tilted his head to the side.

"What do you know of what I've been through?" Haku wondered aloud. "We've never spoken." Naruto's alarm in his head went off as he thought of a lie. 

"I can read minds, it's my Kekkei Genkai likes yours is ice." He responded convincingly. "I know all about your life, and I know how much Zabuza means to you. I want to save him too." Naruto said almost passionately, causing Haku's eyes to widen. 

"Do you truly mean that?" Naruto nodded. 

"You are both good people, I know that. If we hurry, we can save him from my sensei!" Naruto turned around to see Zabuza kneeling as Obito stood over him, the latter's Sharingan activated, looking down at the missing ninja. 

"I'm sorry Zabuza, but you leave me no choice." Obito whispered as a Rasengan appeared in his hand. Zabuza closed his eyes, awaiting his death. 

"NO!" Naruto shouted as he ran in front of Zabuza, spreading his arms out as if to shield the man. "He doesn't need to die! He has good in him!" 

"Naruto. . ." Obito whispered. Suddenly, Zabuza, with a spare kunai in his hand, lunged towards Naruto, ready to kill the blonde who didn't have his eyes on the ninja. "NARUTO!" Obito shouted again. 

In a burst of speed that Naruto couldn't even detect, Obito grabbed the blonde and threw him to the ground before plunging the Rasengan towards Zabuza, only for Haku to appear from a thin mirror made of ice, taking the Rasengan head on as it grinded into his chest, blood splurting everywhere as the boy flew backwards into his master, both of them falling. 

Naruto's eyes widened as blood hit his face, speckling his tan skin as he could do nothing but watch as the life left Haku's eyes. Zabuza quickly flipped over the dead boy's body, kunai still in hand as he charged Obito, a battle cry coming from his mouth. 

"NO!" Naruto shouted as he watched Obito quickly and effortlessly form another Rasengan and doing the same to Zabuza, killing the man almost instantly. "No," He whispered again in a defeated tone. 

Why? Why couldn't he save them? Naruto thought to himself as he sat on the ground, covered in Haku's blood, his eyes unable to leave the two corpses that laid on the ground just a few feet in front of him. Why not? He was sent here to save those who had died, and he already failed. . .

Failure. 

Failure. 

Failure. 

No. He failed. He couldn't achieve what he wanted to do, he couldn't rest. He couldn't even protect two people who he admired so much! He couldn't do a damn thing! 

Unknowingly to Naruto, who was in the midst of a mental breakdown, Gato and around fifty of his hired thugs approached the shinobi from the unfinished side of the bridge, having used a ladder and a boat to try and sneak attack the shinobi, only to find that they were already beaten. 

Or so he thought. 

"I congratulate you on defeating my two hired ninja, I'm surprised they went down to easily, especially for the price they demanded. Oh well, not really my job to pay those who are dead, so you just saved me some money. Thanks." Gato said sarcastically, holding his small cane in his hand. 

Sakura, who had been protecting Tazuna up to the point of Zabuza's death, walked forward a little bit and saw Sayuri's body covered in needles and still. Her vision went dizzy as she suddenly fainted, thinking her teammate had died. 

"Damn it," Obito muttered. "I'm almost out of chakra, maybe. . ." He trailed off as he heard Naruto's clothes shuffling, the blonde standing up, the headband on his head falling off, making his blonde hair shadow his blue eyes. 

Naruto saw Gato and his men. Again. They were going to betray and try and kill Zabuza and Haku and then finish them off themselves. Again. They were going to attempt it again. 

"I couldn't save them," Naruto whispered to himself as he took a step forward. "I'm weak. How can Zetsu like you pose a threat to Neji? To Lee? Tenten? To Ino? Choji? All of them, my comrades, how were you able to kill them? They were strong. You killed them," Naruto whispered as he watched the thugs transform into white Zetsu, their pale white bodies covered in tiny spikes with their shaggy green hair. 

Gato transformed into the black and white version of Zetsu, the original. The one who made the clones. The one who killed his friends. 

"You killed all my friends," Naruto whispered again as his body suddenly transformed into a bright yellow, shocking Obito. Then, it turned off, Naruto was back to normal again. "You made me suffer so much," Naruto said, unsealing his sword, letting the tip of the blade hit the stone floor they stood on as he walked forward.

"Naruto don't!" Obito shouted. "They're too many!" But Naruto didn't hear him. Naruto didn't hear anything but the explosions, the screams, the sound of blood dripping from the fingers of his friends, and the sounds of his friends dying. 

Over and over and over again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. 

"They died, you killed them." Naruto's body began flickering back and forth between the golden yellow chakra and his normal state, his eyes turning into a bright yellow color with each time he switched to the golden chakra. 

"And as the Seventh Hokage," Naruto said as a grin appeared on his face, not a grin of happiness, but one of madness, one of loss, and one of suffering. "It is my absolute pleasure to avenge them all!" 

In a flash of yellow, Naruto was upon the Zetsu, slaughtering them left and right, his blade leaving no survivors, their white flesh just falling apart. Zetsu didn't bleed and he wished they did. He would relish swimming in their blood, just the comfort of knowing he avenged his friends would be enough. 

Finally, after the last Zetsu was cast away, Naruto approached the black and white Zetsu, the leader of all the Zetsu. "You will perish as well, don't worry." Naruto's voice was different now, no longer the slightly cracked version it had once been, but calm and content, at peace for what he's done. For what he's about to do. 

He relished the feeling. 

Grabbing the creator's throat, Naruto lifted him into the air as he watched them try to kick him, claw at his throat as if it were to give them oxygen, but it would not. He would not let them breathe. 

They deserved to suffocate in his clutches, to die knowing they were useless, to die how he died, to die feeling worthless, to die like trash. And he would die. 

Naruto felt the pulse of the creator of Zetsus to slow down before stopping completely, their legs dangling in the air like a Christmas ornament. Satisfied, Naruto tossed him to the water below. 

Turning around, Naruto froze as he saw dozens of dead bodies on the bridge, blood leaking from their bodies heavily, forming an inch deep pool of blood as it steadily poured off the end of the bridge like a tiny waterfall. 

"What?" Naruto whispered in a confused tone as he suddenly looked back and saw Gato's lifeless floating in the water below. "Oh god," He got out before falling to his knees, looking at his hands. 

Blood. 

He was covered head to toe in blood, not a single inch was left clean. His blonde hair was matted down to his scalp. "No, they were Zetsu! They weren't human! They weren't human! They weren't human!" He shouted repeatedly. 

Obito walked over the bodies of the hired thugs, not caring if his shoes got wet or anything. He knelt down and embraced Naruto in a hug. 

"You did what you needed to do." Obito whispered. "You aren't in the wrong here." Naruto's eyes were lifeless, shocked to the core for what he had done. 

He had massacred these men who were just trying to feed their families. They were human and he slaughtered them like animals. How could he do that? Didn't he promise he would bring peace to the world to Jiraiya? To Kakashi? To his mother and father? 

He couldn't do that if he killed every single person he had to fight! But this was different, they were thugs, just barely above civilians. He was the Seventh Hokage! He was trained differently, he was trained better and for longer. And he killed them with no remorse or even batting an eye, and he enjoyed it while doing the deed, but not now. Not anymore. 

He hated it. He hated how ugly he looked. 

He was absolutely terrible. 

So, doing the only rational thing a twelve-year-old shinobi could do at that point and time give the circumstances, he wrapped his blood-covered arms around his sensei's body and just stayed there, his lifeless eyes peering at the frantic Tazuna who was pulling needles out of Sayuri's body while almost simultaneously using his stinky sandal to fan Sakura. 

"Come on," Obito said gently, patting Naruto on the back twice before standing up, smiling at the blonde. "Maybe you should go dive in the water and clean yourself up?" Naruto turned around to do just that but Obito quickly grabbed him. 

"I was kidding. Go to the shore and do all that. I'll clean up all of this." Naruto nodded as he wordlessly walked away. "Wait, Naruto!" Naruto stopped walking. "Are you okay?" Obito asked in a concerned tone. 

". . ." Naruto stood there for a moment, his back still turned towards Obito before he continued walking, opting not to answer his sensei's question. 

Obito sighed as he watched Naruto disappear from view before walking over to his other students, with both girls finally waking up, one sore from having taken dozens of needles in her body at once while the other's nose was curled in disgust due to the fact Tazuna still had his sandal in her face. 

Smiling sheepishly, Tazuna quickly backed off the pinkette as Obito crouched down to get eye level with both Genin. "So, how you girls feeling? Good? Bad?" 

"I feel like shit," Sayuri said with a small groan of pain as she stood up with the help of Sakura. "Where's the dobe?" Obito shook his head. 

"He went to go get some medical supplies. Head back to Tazuna's house, I can take care of the rest here." They both nodded, unaware of the small genjutsu Obito had placed on both of them as to not reveal what Naruto had done. 

As they disappeared from view as well, Obito let out a long and loud sigh, getting a small chuckle from Tazuna. 

"Hell of a fight huh?" Obito rolled his eyes. 

"Shut up you old geezer and help me pile these bodies." 

Naruto looked into the water, staring at his own reflection, his skin no longer covered in blood. He was terrible. 

He was a terrible person. 

He failed. Again. 

Naruto knew that he could hate the Zetsu, hate Madara, hate everyone, but he knew that his hate for those things didn't even come close to the hate he held for someone else. 

Himself. 

And done. How was it? Good? Bad? Tell me!

So yeah, hella PTSD, hope I wrote it rightish. Anyway, yeah. 

Til next time my lil demons!