Chapter 17

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Trigger warning

I also ask that you do not offer constructive criticism. I will write in my style, and you may write in yours. 

Third person pov

"They made Shikamaru watch." Naruto trembled in Kakashi's arms, staring up at the man hopelessly. Kakashi's heart pounded with slight-fear of what else he would hear, and with pain from what he was seeing. He'd failed to protect this boy. "T-They were givin' him blood. I think i-it was because he... he lost so much'a his. And it hurt... it hurt so bad when they were.... And they wouldn't l-let go! And th-they kept hittin' us and healin' us over and over and over and o-over. And S-Sasuke was screamin' because of his arm. T-They burned it closed with their green glowing hands. A-And my neck, they cut it because I w-wouldn't open my mouth. I w-was too scared. S-So they cut it and-"

Another wave of sobs came in, and Kakashi soothingly rubbed Naruto's back as the small malnourished boy buried his face in his chest once more. The Hokage's face was red with fury, and you could see the wrath in his normally soft brown eyes. Kakashi, while ready to kill a man, had to keep his cool. For Naruto, and for himself. He couldn't leave Naruto alone anymore. He had to look after him from here on out, because he didn't want to fail his sensei again. He wouldn't be able to bare another failure.

"And they did it f-for so long." Naruto shivered. "Naruto..." Hiruzen trailed off sadly. "They kept cuttin' us and touching us, and they kept putting their... their..." Naruto's eyes went distant again, and Kakashi had to wipe his own eye again, hugging Naruto as close to him as he could. He just wanted to surround this poor, precious boy in warmth, affection and a load of much-deserved love. "They didn't do it to Shikamaru." Naruto blinked slowly, in a haze. "Sasuke and I begged them not to do it to Shikamaru. We couldn't let it happen to Shikamaru. We had to save him. We did... everything they said when they said they'd do i-it to him too. We couldn't let it happen to him. We couldn't." 

"You saved him." Kakashi assured, softly petting Naruto's hair and shushing his cries. The blonde nodded shakily. "W-We did?" The blue-eyed boy asked for confirmation only a moment later. "You did." The Hokage kept his voice soft, but Naruto still flinched at the sound of it. He tried to wipe the tears off his cheeks, but he only succeeded in smearing them. He sniffled. "T-They cut us a lot, and one of them started to talk to me. Like how everyone does. H-He called me names... like monster, and dirty, and... and..." Naruto shook his head, clutching his scalp. "Sasuke got mad a-and he got one of the knives they were usin'. A-And he stabbed one, t-the naked one w-who was doin'... it too him. He did it right i-in the head, but I swear it was in self defense!" Naruto said quickly, his eyes widening. He sat up, looking completely alert and ready to defend his friend. "He didn't mean to be bad! He just got mad and scared and-"

"It's okay, Naruto." Kakashi assured, looking to the Hokage. Hiruzen nodded silently. There was no way they could punish Naruto, or Sasuke, for their actions. In the Hokage's eyes, they'd done nothing wrong. Naruto relaxed slightly. "S-Sasuke's eyes turned red, and got pinwheels, and they spun really fast. They started to bleed too, and I heard Shikamaru screamin'. A-And then they just, they knocked Sasuke out! And so much was happenin'." Naruto clutched his head again, curling up in Kakashi's lap. The man ANBU let him, rubbing soothing circles on the shaking boy's back. Naruto took in a deep, uneasy breath before continuing. 

"A-And Shikamaru kept screamin', and they... they were tryn'a saw off his leg." Naruto's eyes widened with pure fear, and the Hokage flinched. Kakashi swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. "They were... they were laughin' about it." Naruto's face twisted, and he looked conflicted. He seemed mad, but so... so scared, and so broken at the same time. This boy was in pain. "They were laughin', and I just got so mad! A-And they everything was orange, and they started to scream. A-And..." 

"What is it, Naruto? We won't be mad; I promise." The Hokage took off his hat to try and seem less intimidating. Kakashi nodded in agreement to his words, trying not to look at the Hokage's hat-less head. It was considered rude. "That's right, Naruto. I'm sure your actions were justified. I'd be mad too." Kakashi soothed. This was clearly all self-defense, from Naruto's description. "They... They were screamin' about a fox and..." Naruto looked down. "I killed 'em. I killed 'em all." 

His voice was a whisper, but the two men both heard it. Naruto began to shake again, staring with wide eyes down at his hands. His tears flowed out steadily, dripping onto his forearms and shorts. The Hokage sucked in a sharp breath, and Kakashi let out a silent sigh. He wasn't sure if it was of relief, or of something else. He was so glad those men were dead. "I-I didn't mean to! I... I was just so mad. I can... still see the blood. There was so much blood." He sobbed, covering his eyes with his hands. "Come here, Naruto. It's okay." Kakashi was near tears again. This poor boy had been through too much for someone of his age. Nobody should have to go through what he did.

"Are the bodies still there, Naruto?" The Hokage asked. Naruto shook his head, sniffling. "S-Sasuke got rid of 'em all after he got up, and I went and got Shikamaru." Naruto wiped his nose, seeming to calm down a little. Letting it all out without being reprimanded was probably a nice feeling. The Hokage's eyebrows raised. "All those bodies... gone?" He blinked. "Sasuke's eyes." Naruto provided. "What about them, Naruto?" Kakashi kept his voice soft, not wanting to startle him. "Well, they suck stuff up, don't they?" Naruto's expression shifted to one of mild-confusion. Kakashi and the Hokage shared a look. 

"Yes, Naruto." The Hokage seemed to decide, smiling a warm, closed eye smile. "That's completely normal. What you did was right, and nobody is going to blame you for defending yourself and your friends."

~

"Sasuke, you need to tell us. Do you have the eyes?" Fugaku asked firmly. He felt bad for Sasuke, but somehow he just couldn't wrap his head around the whole idea. Sasuke had told them the story, and he was clearly lacking an arm, but he just... he couldn't process. Not really. He couldn't believe something so horrible and inhumane could happen to his son, and in a ninja village as safe and as peaceful as this one. He just... he needed to see the eyes. If Sasuke was telling the truth, then he should have the eyes, or at least a Sharingan. It would have awakened. So far, Sasuke was failing to give sufficient proof. 

Sasuke shrunk back, shaking under his father's cold gaze. Was he really this heartless? Had he always been like this? Sasuke, for once in his life, couldn't remember. "Fugaku! Don't be so harsh with him, he's only a child!" Mikoto scolded tearfully, rushing to Sasuke's side. "I-I-" Sasuke looked away, his eyes trained on the floor with clear shame. Itachi moved to crouch in front of him. "It's okay, Otouto." Itachi moved to put a hand on his shoulder, but quickly recoiled when Sasuke flinched. The prodigy looked down sadly, tears welling in his eyes. Sasuke... his little brother. He was supposed to protect him! He was supposed to be there. But no, instead all he did was brush him off, and tell him he'd pay attention to him later.

Excuses.

"I... I want to see Naruto!" Sasuke looked up, coal eyes blazing with sudden determination. He was still crying, but now he seemed to have some sort of goal, and that goal was getting to his friend. "No, you need to rest! You need to go to the-" Sasuke cut her off. "No." He denied immediately, his eyes narrowing into a glare. He really needed to see Naruto, to make sure their stories lined up, and to make sure he was okay. He wondered if he'd told the Hokage yet. That, and he was getting antsy. What if someone tried to attack Naruto? What if something happened to the blonde? There were too many possibilities, too little time. 

"Sasuke..." Fugaku sighed at his stubbornness, massaging his own temples. Why did he want to be around a jinchuuriki? Was it because they'd supposedly gone through it together? Maybe Naruto knew something about Sasuke's eyes, or had seen something Sasuke had failed to mention. "Otouto, it's going to be okay." Itachi assured. Sasuke just stared at the ground, willing the world itself to go away and to leave him in peace. 



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