Chapter 12: Depths of the Mind

"There is no hope, yet you still persevere in order to beat me. Why?" Madara asked as Naruto and Sasuke stood across from him, both men breathing heavily. 

"Because we won't allow this world to become trapped in a delusioned monster's world!" Sasuke shouted, wiping the blood from his lip as he opened his left eye, revealing his Rinnegan. "Let's go, Naruto!" 

Naruto nodded and breathed a sigh of relief as himself and Sasuke walked through the portal, teleporting into a different dimension where they could rest. Naruto collapsed to his knees and hands as he threw up.

"I told you not to over-exert yourself, idiot." Sasuke muttered under his breath, getting a small chuckle out of Naruto.

"Well it is what it is." He stood up, his body screaming at him to get some rest and lay down, but he ignored his body's pleas and continued walking alongside Sasuke. 

They would get through this, he knew they would. They would overwhelm Madara and bring back all of those who were lost using the Rinnegan they would steal from the monster of a man. He had seen Nagato use Rinne-Rebirth to revive everyone in the village after it was destroyed, so Naruto knew it was possible. 

He would bring down Madara and revive those who had given their lives for this war. 

He swore he would.

Naruto stood in an open field, his eyes closed as took deep and steady breaths. In his right hand was his sword. The wind made the grass he stood on move slightly, the trees and branches rustling as they shook steadily. 

Then a whistle. 

Naruto ducked under a kunai as it flew over his head, missing his golden blonde hair my mere millimeters as he suddenly twisted in the air, pushing off with his left foot as two more kunai glided under him.

Landing on his right foot, Naruto deflected two more kunai that had come from different directions with his sword, the metal clashing together, sparks flying off of the respective blades as Naruto shifted around and slapped another kunai with his blade.

The kunai began hailing down upon the Uzumaki, who only kept weaving between them, dodging and ducking under them with the occasionally block from his sword. It went on like this for several more minutes before Naruto sealed his sword away and began catching the kunai. 

After he had ten kunai in each hand, all expertly placed, he jumped into the air, flipping and as he spun slightly before he hurled the twenty kunai in different directions. As he landed on the ground, Naruto opened his eyes to see the smoke from twenty different shadow clones that had been scattered across the training ground, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face. 

It had taken him six times to get that down perfectly, but now that it was done, Naruto felt nothing but pride in his own accomplishment. 

He looked up at the setting sun, admiring the dark purple and orange color the sky was turning. He was interrupted from his sun-gazing when his stomach rumbled, a result from not eating anything but a banana for the day that was rapidly ending. 

Rubbing his stomach, Naruto headed to Ichiraku Ramen, a place he had neglected when he had first arrived in the alternate world he now lived in. He didn't bother checking his wallet, knowing very well he had sufficient funds.

Apparently killing Orochimaru and his accomplices in the Forest of Death rewarded a ridiculous amount of money that he could easily retire in peace with. However sad it may be, he would not retire. 

He also doubted he would be allowed to do such even if he wanted to, being the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails and all. 

Arriving at the ramen stand, Naruto breathed deeply as the aroma of freshly cooked noodles and an assortment of pleasant smells invaded his nostrils, causing him to exhale a sigh of contentment as he took a seat in the middle of the stand.

"Naruto-kun is here dad!" Ayame shouted to the back as she greeted Naruto with a smile. "So how have you been, Naruto-kun?" She asked him. 

The bodies of all his friends, all of his comrades, surrounded his body as Naruto clutched his head and let out an ear-splitting scream of despair. 

"I'm fine," Naruto lied with a cheeky grin and a scratch of his cheek. "How have you two been? Sorry I haven't been coming by as often, I've been preoccupied by shinobi stuff." Teuchi, the owner of the stand, poked his head out from the kitchen with his signature smile. 

"Don't worry about it my boy! Make it up to us by buying all of the ramen for your friends!" Naruto rose an eyebrow and was about to ask Teuchi what he meant, but stopped when he felt a small hand touch his shoulder. 

Jumping slightly, Naruto turned his head and saw Sasuke sitting right next to him along with Sakura and Kakashi. "W-What?" Naruto stuttered as he saw the sight of his old friend and old sensei, both who were supposed to be dead in this world. 

"Dobe, this is a-" Sasuke began saying before his voice began getting deeper before he began melting right in front of Naruto, seeping to the ground. Naruto's eyes were wide as fear spread across his entire body, shaking slightly. 

A snap echoed in his ear and Sayuri sat next to him, her eyes narrowed with a hint of concern. Beside her sat Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Kiba, and on his left, sat Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino. 

"Naruto," Sayuri spoke firmly. "We all need to talk to you." Naruto avoided her gaze and looked at the ramen Ayame had set down right in front of him, the golden pork covering the noodles as the broth drowned both ingredients. 

"At least let me eat first," Naruto said as he picked up a pair of chopsticks. Sayuri shrugged.

"Well, if it's on you then I guess we can all eat." Any other time, Naruto would've refused to pay for their food as well, but seeing as he was now rich he decided to let it slight this once. 

"That's fine, but I'm a quick eater so I might give you all the slip." 

"Do you have any fat-free options?" Ino asked Ayame, who only chuckled at the kunoichi. 

"This is a ramen stand, not a vegan restaurant."

"Yeah Ino, what's the harm of some meat on them bones? I bet that guy you like will find you more attractive rather than that skeleton!" Choji said as a beef ramen appeared in front of him as he began digging in. Ino glared at her teammate, hoping to set him aflame from the sheer intensity of her gaze, but to no use. 

"What a drag, I'll get the chicken ramen I guess." Shikamaru drawled out. 

"Beef ramen please!" Shino and Kiba said at the same time, with the latter being more exuberant about getting a free bowl of ramen while Shino nodded to Naruto, silently thanking the blonde for the meal. 

"I-I'll have a m-mix of chicken and p-pork, please." Hinata got out timidly, her face red with embarrassment. 

"A weird combo," Ayame commented, causing Hinata's blush to darken in color. "But that's alright, at least you aren't boring like Naruto who gets the same thing every time." Naruto rolled his eyes as he slurped the last of his noodles. 

He put down a small wad of cash onto the wooden bar-like table. "That should cover myself and the rest of these leeches, as well as a small tip for being so nice to me." Ayame beamed at Naruto as she grabbed the cash.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun! Come by and tell me what it's like taking the Chunin Exams!" Everyone stopped eating, their eyes shifting to Naruto. 

Scratching his cheek, Naruto chuckled awkwardly. 

"I need it, blood. Blood? No? Why blood? Mother? Father? This burden is too great! I can't save anyone nor myself but I can't help but laugh at the circumstances of my person. Do you know what a Tailed Beast Bomb can do to an army of five thousand people?" 

"THEY ALL DIE!" He shouted before he burst into a bright yellow and suddenly disappeared from sight. Kurenai's eyes widened and went to defend herself, but it was already too late. Enlarging his fist with Kurama's chakra, Naruto slammed the fist into's Kurenai's entire body, hitting her across the arena as she hit the concrete walls. 

"They're fine. Nothing too challenging just yet but the Second Exam was a little scary, I admit. I'll tell you all about it next time I swing by here!" He exclaimed cheerfully before walking away quickly.

"Number 7." He called out before disappearing from his fellow Genin's eyesight. 

"What a drag," Shikamaru groaned. He turned to Sayuri who was quickly eating her tomato-themed ramen. "Do we have to do this?" Sayuri gulped whatever she had in her mouth down and nodded repeatedly before speaking. 

"Yes. Something has been off about Naruto ever since we graduated, he's changed drastically."

"Naruto?" Choji asked aloud. "Since when did you call him Naruto and not 'dobe'?" 

"Isn't it obvious, Choji?" Shikamaru said lazily. "She-" 

Suddenly Shikamaru found his bowl of ramen spilled all over his lap, the noodles dangling around his knees as he looked up and saw Sayuri walking away from the ramen stand in a hurry, whether to get away from them or get to Naruto quickly, he wasn't sure. 

Kiba began laughing and turned to Hinata. "Seems you got some competition, Hinata!" He barked. Hinata blushed a bright red, hiding her face with her hands.

"Lay off Kiba," Sakura growled to the boy, causing him to hold his hands up in surrender. "Let's go." 

Sayuri arrived at Training Grounds 7 to the sight of Naruto laying on the cool night grass, gazing up at the stars. "Yo," She eventually got out and began cursing herself. 

'Yo? Who the hell starts a conversation with yo?'  She berated herself inside her head as she walked over to the blonde, her hands in her pockets as she peered at the blonde-headed boy in front of her. 

"Yo," Naruto repeated after her. "So what are we gonna talk about?" Sayuri shook her head.

"We're waiting for the rest of our class to get here." She replied in a confident voice. Naruto chuckled.

"Suit yourself, I'm guessing we're here to talk about how I sent Kurenai into the hospital," He turned his head and met Sayuri's cold coal-colored eyes, amusement twinkling in his own eyes. "Is that right?" 

"Yes and no," Sayuri answered cryptically. "We're here to talk about everything, alright?" Naruto rolled his eyes and gazed back up at the stars.

"Whatever appeases the curiosity of you guys." He replied. "Though I will only speak about what I wish." Sayuri sighed and sat down, folding her legs under each other. 

"That's fine." 

". . ." Sayuri sat in the uncomfortable silence and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes. "Naruto, how strong are you?" Naruto chuckled, though there was no humor in it.

"I'm weak compared to the goal I've set for myself. I'm but an ant that's climbing up a thousand- mile high mountain in hopes of reaching the top within five years or less." Sayuri frowned.

"That's not an answer. How strong are you compared to someone like me?" 

"Someone like you. . ." Naruto repeated, trailing off. "That's a difficult question to answer, Sayuri." The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine as she looked down at the grass, a small blush on her cheeks. 

He was about to talk more, but stopped when he sensed the other Genin arriving on the training grounds. He stood up, stretching a little before putting his hands in his pockets and turning to the rapidly approaching group.

Sayuri shot up and took a few steps away from Naruto, dusting off the non-existent dirt on her clothes. Naruto's eyes scanned the eight Genin in front of him and chuckled.

"So what can I do for you?" Shikamaru took a step forward, a rare serious expression spread across his face. 

"You've been acting differently as of late. So what's up? What happened the night before you became an official Genin?" Naruto pondered about it for a moment and shrugged.

"Well, Mizuki did try and kill me, then he told me that I was the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox, you know, the one everyone pretends that the Fourth Hokage killed?" Everyone's eyes widened as they let out a gasp of shock, not expecting to hear such a thing come from the blonde they had known from the academy. 

"Pretty sure he's in jail right now," Naruto trailed off. "But I guess I never truly found out what had happened to him because I was dealing with things a tad bit more important than whatever he had going on." 

"So you're saying the Nine-Tails is inside you?" Sakura asked nervously, still shell-shocked by what the blonde had said. 

"Yep, I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox! But that's irrelevant." 

"How is that irrelevant?" Sayuri asked, narrowing her eyes. "You hold one of the most powerful beings in the world inside yourself, what's to make sure it doesn't get free?" Naruto laughed.

"That's pretty simple," He said, lifting up his shirt to reveal the tattoo-like symbol on his abs. "I'm stronger than he is. Or rather, I was. Now I pale in comparison."

"What does that mean?" Shino asked. "In no point in time have you ever been stronger than the Nine-Tailed Fox, who inflicted terrible damage to the village almost thirteen years ago." 

"Don't worry about that little detail," Naruto spoke, his voice getting higher pitched like it did during the preliminaries. 

"What caused you to act out like that in the preliminaries?" Shikamaru spoke a little harshly. "Kurenai-sensei is bedridden and won't be able to resume normal shinobi duties for two more months because of what you did!" Naruto took his hands out of his pockets, his smirk slowly growing in size. 

"She stepped up to me! Her arrogance as a mere Jounin made her believe she was above me! She agreed to fight me and if I had it my way, she would've died." 

"How can you say that?" Kiba growled, his features slowly becoming more feral. "She's a fellow shinobi!" 

"Heh heh heh," Naruto began chuckling before he clutched his stomach as his chuckle turned into full-blown laughter, cackling at Kiba's statement. 

"Fellow shinobi? Are you for real?" Another burst of laughter came from Naruto as he saw the bodies of his friends in front of him once more. "All of you are already dead, can't you tell? You're all dead! Why should I care who I hurt?" 

"Stop talking like that!" Sayuri shouted. "This isn't you!"

"YES IT IS!" Naruto roared, his sky blue eyes turning into a vermillion red, a thin black slit going vertically down the middle of the red. "This is me, the true me! I'm tired of acting like everything is alright! Do you know what it's like to watch your home be flattened to nothing but dust?" No answer. 

"Typical," Naruto muttered. "Do you even know what it's like to see the only family you've ever had murdered right in front of your eyes? To feel so hopeless and basically drown in despair as you find out the people closest to you, the people you would've loved for the rest of your life, get murdered? To die in your arms? To be helpless? Well? DO YOU?!" 

"Yes," Sayuri muttered under her breath and turned around. "Screw you dobe." She then walked away. 

"You're an asshole!" Kiba yelled at Naruto, who didn't even flinch as he glared at Kiba. 

"Leave, all of you." He said in restrained anger. "Now." None of them moved. Naruto's nose twitched. "I SAID LEAVE YOU USELESS FUCKS!" He screamed at the top of lungs, causing his fellow Genin to flinch.

"Fine," Shikamaru said bitterly. "Suffer in your so called despair alone. We just wanted to help." With that, they left Naruto alone in the training grounds. 

Naruto's vermillion red eyes shifted into their usual blue and grabbed at his hair, pulling it slightly as he spun around. "What am I doing? These are my friends?!" 

"No!" He yelled at himself as he forced himself to the ground, putting his forehead on the dirt. "All our friends are dead! We saw their bodies! These are nothing but fakes! Fakers! Stupid fakes who think they can replace the real deal! Fakes!" 

"Stop talking like that!" Naruto bellowed. "They are my friends!" 

"No!" 

"Yes!" 

"NO!" 

"YES!" 

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Naruto screeched out in agony, not even realizing that he was talking to himself and not a person. "I'll cut you out! I'll cut you out and feed you to him! He'll eat you alive just as he did to Sasuke and I!" 

Naruto remained silent for a few moments, his forehead still pressed into the dirt as his body shook violently. "I'm so sick of this," He cried out to no one.

Not even he heard himself. 

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

Anyway, yeah. 

Til next time my lil demons!