Chapter 73 : Breath of Life (6)

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They were crying. It hurt so badly. Their neck burned, and their heart ached. Their eyes were puffy from how much they cried. They hadn't eaten anything in days. They were too depressed to eat. He had abandoned them. He was their world. They would have done anything for him. How could he do this to them?

Was it their fault?

....

They had to hide it from them. The people would kill them if they knew their secret. They couldn't help it though, they were born this way. Why did everyone hate people like them? They didn't hurt people. They weren't bad. They were just different. Kaa-san told them to be proud of their bloodline.

What did they ever do to be feared?

....

They could feel the fear and hate everyone felt towards them. They were all alone, always. They were never scared, but sometimes they were lonely. They understood why everyone hated them.

But still, it hurt. Why were they so different from everyone else? Why could they feel everything? That was the worst part, understanding why they were hated. This was a nightmare.

How could they wake up?

....

Things were getting a little better. They no longer cried themselves to sleep. They no longer felt betrayed. Now, they felt pissed. They were never going to let someone hurt them like that again. They were going to kill him.

They needed to get stronger.

....

They were no longer afraid. They didn't care what people thought about them. They would fight back. They heard about a resistance. That's where they belonged. This was their home too! They would no longer cower in the face of the ignorant.

They needed to get stronger.

...

They were finally awake. The nightmare had stopped for a short time. They had done something terrible to a terrible person. They finally had a way to do what they wanted. They were already strong, and they'd only get stronger.

They needed to feel awake again.

....

He had freed them. They thought they'd be forever trapped, but he freed them. He just walked into their life and fixed it. He had heard their heart. He was their knight in shining armor. They didn't ever want to have this feeling again, but they did.

They loved him.

....

They were just curious at first. They didn't think it would turn out like this. He had set their people free. He had asked for nothing in return. Whenever he smiled, they felt warm, safe. He was the most amazing person they had ever met. He was their warrior angel.

They loved him.

....

They dreamt about both of them every night. When they dreamt about the first, they dreamt about her beautiful, long auburn hair that brought out her beautiful green eyes and cute smile.

When they dreamt about the second, they dreamt about large, brown, playful, somewhat mischievous eyes and her thousand-watt smile. They were always on their mind.

They hated themselves for loving them both. They wished for nothing but to have them both, but they knew that was very unlikely.

Why did they love both of them?

....

The gold shine faded from their eyes. Naruto was a little tired, but he'd be fine in a few minutes. He was able to catch both Mei and Anko before they fell. That was a lot harder than he thought it'd be.

It completely exhausted the girls. They couldn't stay conscious after that overload of information. When he synched with Anko, he only had the link open one way. He received information only, Anko received nothing. This time however, he completely opened the link.

Anko, Mei, and Naruto now knew everything about each other. Naruto made sure not to look into the top secret information he and Mei knew. But everything else, their childhoods, their entire lives, it all was shared.

Yoko and her Sensei, another woman with auburn hair, approached him. "She's fine." He stated, feeling their worry for their leader. "She's just exhausted." He allowed the older woman to take Mei into her arms. Before they could leave, Naruto stopped them.

"Wait." He held out the letter he had written Mei. "Can you make sure she gets this when she wakes?" Yoko nodded and took the letter. "Thanks." When the Kiri-nin took off, Naruto decided it was late, and that Anko needed to get home.

With one final look at the moon, he Shunshined (Body Flickered) out of the clearing, intent on dropping Anko off and heading home. He really needed his Nee-chan. She was always there to talk to him and help him with whatever he needed.

He had slipped in the window of Anko's room, making sure he was unheard. He knew Kurenai was asleep in the next room, and that she wasn't alone. He didn't want to wake two sleeping Jonin because he couldn't be silent. It would have been embarrassing.

He laid Anko in her bed, pulling the covers over her. He took her sandals and trench coat off, trying to make her as comfortable as he could. He just stared at her sleeping face for a moment. He was able to feel her soul a second time, and it was just as beautiful as the first. He was about to kiss her forehead when he felt the extreme feelings of sadness and desperation form Yugao.

His heart stopped when he couldn't feel Hayate. What in Kami's name happened? He vanished, trying to get to his sister as fast as he could.

Yugao could do nothing but stand and stare at the body of her dead fiancé. She had her ANBU mask on, and Shinobi, never mind ANBU, never cried. Her team was silent, as was the other ANBU cell that arrived before them. Standing here, atop Kikyo Castle, the cold wind hitting her already shivering body, all she could do was curse the full moon staring at her.

She usually loved gazing at it, but right now, with Hayate gone, she didn't much care for the beauty of it anymore.

She only had one question. Where was Naruto?

Why hadn't he felt the battle and come to save her lover? That's what he did, wasn't it? Save people? So why didn't he save the person her heart belonged to?

Naruto arrived just in time to feel her anger at him. "Y… Neko?" He stuttered. Why was she so mad at him?

"This is an ANBU matter. You don't belong here. Leave." The purple-haired Kunoichi droned in an emotionless voice. Naruto looked as if he'd been struck.

"W-wha-" He tried to speak, but the shock of her reaction to him wouldn't let the words come out.

And then, the one emotion he never thought he'd feel from his sister, his best friend, hit him like a Bijuudama (Tailed-Beast Bomb).

Yugao hated him.

She signed for the ANBU assembled to remove the boy from the crime scene, but no-one, not even the other team, listened.

Naruto lost all emotion in his eyes. He… he looked dead inside. "I'm still the Second in Command, Neko." He turned to Hayate. "Now let me do what I came here for." He paused. "And I will no longer need to stay with you and Hayate. I'll be fine on my own." He would not cry. He had something impossible to do.

Why he spoke like Hayate wasn't lying before them dead she didn't understand.

It was time for him to give his new Senjutsu technique a try. If the positive side of the metaphorical number line represented the Yang half of his ability, then the negative half represented the Yin half. And if the Yang half, which represents the physical side of the ninja arts, allowed him to give Natural Energy form in the impure world, then that only meant…

Naruto's gilded eyes closed, his left hand touching Hayate's head, his right touching his heart. He concentrated, trying to find what he was looking for.

And then, he found it.

Hayate?

Nothing responded for a few seconds until…

… N-Naruto?

The instant Naruto's eyes shot open, Hayate's did the same. The Tokubetsu Jonin sprang upright, taking in a deep breath.

"H-how…" he whispered, feeling his body for the wounds that should still be there. He found nothing. Yugao just froze. What… what had just happened? She felt his dead body with her own hands. This was impossible, even for the Kamikage… right? His words found their way to the front of her confused mind.

"And I will no longer need to stay with you and Hayate. I'll be fine on my own."

What had she done?

Naruto cursed under his breath. He didn't know enough about the Yin half of Natural Energy. He should have trained with it more before he used it. He was already so dizzy. Before he lost consciousness, he whispered the name of the only true friend he had left.

"Kurama…"

Naruto's pupils slit vertically.

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I've decided to give Naruto the Hiraishin, but don't worry, he won't spam it. I'm going to use it for different reasons, and most of them aren't battle related.

And in case some of you are confused with what Lee did. It's a maneuver from Naruto's personally made Taijutsu style. I will be going into it later on, so if you're confused as to why Kakashi was so shocked, don't worry, I want you to be. For now.

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