Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Fighting Dreamers ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

 

In a chilling transformation, Naruto threw Iruka off, crouching on all fours. He growled, curling his lips back, exposing a set of fangs sharp enough to tear human flesh. The round pupils in Naruto's eyes narrowed their shape into thin, black slits like a wild feline's and his irises turned a deep hue of crimson, bright like freshly drawn blood.

 

Iruka fell back, opening to his mouth to scream in terror, but no words came out. I'm too sad to scream. It broke Iruka's heart to see the boy he so loved possessed by that malicious demon. “Kyubi, you killed my parents 12 years ago and now you've taken my Naruto-kun. What reason do I have to live?” Iruka cried out.

 

“Have you no shame? Destroying everything this man loves!?” yelled Kakashi, pointing to Iruka.

 

Naruto froze, struck by the cries of Kakashi and Iruka. The pain in their voices penetrated deeply into Kyubi's conscious, reaching beyond the malice and hate, where the light might be found in Kyubi's soul. That pain awoke the light in Kyubi, flooding its psyche with a deep-seated guilt. The fox demon gave a final blood-curdling scream and retreated back into the recesses of Naruto's mind.

 

The moment he came to his senses, Naruto cried bitterly out of the shock and trauma of the whole experience.

 

“Naruto-kun, its okay, sensei's here,” sniffled Iruka, squeezing him.

 

Naruto cried so hard he choked on his tears, burying his head into the dark green vest around Iruka's chest.

 

“Iruka, wait here with Naruto. I'm reporting this to Hokage-sama,” said Kakashi, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

 

The sensei appeared at the Hokage's residence. In his private quarters, the Hokage sat crossed legged on a cushion, while practicing his calligraphy that adorned the numerous scrolls hanging from the walls in his room.

 

“What is it, Kakashi?” the Hokage asked, setting his paintbrush in its tray.

 

Kakashi bowed deeply before the Hokage he revered, sighing. “Hokage-sama, it's about Naruto.”

 

“Did he paint graffiti over the faces of the Hokages on the mountain again?” muttered the old Hokage, suspecting trouble.

 

“No, it's the seal,” replied Kakashi, with his head still lowered. “I'm afraid it's weakened. It happened back in the Nation on Waves and just now. In times of great emotional loss, Kyubi's chakra leaks through him. The outburst was so great before, it caused that earthquake a few minutes ago!”

 

“So that's what it was,” concluded the Hokage. “I sensed a great chakra triggered it. Only Kyubi's could cause all that damage like it did 12 years ago. But if Naruto saw the dead bodies of those founds in the rubble of the quake, he'd blame himself believing he was the evil fox who killed Iruka's parents. And you know how much Konoha loathes him.”

 

“Yes, I know, Hokage-sama. The poor boy has suffered. Alone and abandoned, he yearns for the love of a village who hates him, when he says to me, Kakashi-sensei, someday I'll become Hokage-sama,” recalled Kakashi, remembering the time he first met Naruto. The confidence in his eyes and his sweet smile, if it's lost, what will he live for?

 

“I want Naruto to believe in his dream. For that to happen, he needs to know that others out there besides Iruka-sensei care for him.” The Hokage eyed Kakashi subtly as he spoke.

 

“I suppose that means his primary sensei, who is me,” presumed Kakashi, understanding the Hokage's message. “But I've never been the type to form attachments, for all those whom I've loved have…died.”

 

“So you are afraid to love again. Is that what holds you back from caring for Naruto?” asked the Hokage, approaching Kakashi.

 

Kakashi didn't answer. He just turned away in silence. I've held back not only from Naruto, but Iruka-kun too. Hokage-sama is right.

 

“It takes time to heal the pain from the past and love again, Kakashi. Especially for shinobi after we've seen our comrades die before our very eyes,” continued the Hokage. He stopped, laying a sympathetic hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

 

“Hokage-sama, how do you heal that pain then?” asked Kakashi, touched deeply by the Hokage's compassion.

 

The edges of the old Hokage's mouth curled up, and the crow's feet by his eyes wrinkled as he smiled, puffing on his pipe. “With love,” he answered.

 

To be continued…