A Shinobi's Creed

Chapter 17 - Fraction of the Truth

"Normal Speech."

'Normal Thought.'

{Different Language} – Note that if someone speaks in a different language and the person of who's perspective it is doesn't understand what is being said, this will appear.

"Demon Speech."

'Demon Thought.'

"Sentient Blade Speech."

"Techniques/Spells."

-X- Line Break -X-

The Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four, a team of superheroes that had amassed a large number of enemies over the years. Not only that, but with scientists like Reed Richards and Susan Storm, it was home to numerous powerful and extremely dangerous weapons. It was for that reason, that this building was one of the most secure and well-defended in all of America.

Yet for Naruto, who had spent weeks inside the building, familiarising himself with its defences, it was almost child's play to sneak back in. All of the countermeasures and defences put into place to ensure that only those with authorisation were allowed entry and those that without could be swiftly dealt with, were avoided.

For Naruto, the trickiest part was avoiding said countermeasures that logged the entry and leaving of those with authorisation.

Yet, Naruto did so with ease born from years of infiltration and familiarisation with the buildings defences. He moved forwards, quickly avoiding cameras and anything else that could track him before entering his room.

Yet, unlike the past fortnight, Naruto did not find the room empty like he was used to. Instead, he found Susan waiting for him, looking straight at him, though her eyes flickered over his body, taking into account the splatters of blood on his clothes. In the background, he picked up the sound of reporter talking about the recent string of murders which they assumed to be related to criminal gangs taking out the competition.

From the look in Susan's eyes, she knew who was really behind those deaths.

"You caught me." He said simply and Susan raised one eyebrow in shock.

"You're not even going to deny it, deny killing those people." She pointed in the general direction of the TV behind her, neither of the two taking their eyes off the other.

"No." Naruto replied.

Susan sighed and shook her head. "Why? I mean I know about your past, how you've killed people before and fought in a war. But you're not in a war, so why? Why kill them? All you've ever told me is how you want a peaceful life and I believed you. But I find that instead, you've been sneaking out behind our backs, behind my back and killing people."

"Criminals." Naruto cut in before Susan could continue. "I was killing criminals, people that have stolen, killed, raped and abused others for their own gain and would continue to do so. They lost the right to be called people the moment they started."

"That still doesn't tell me why you did it?" Susan pressed firmly.

"Because someone out there has to know who killed, Benjamin Parker." Susan's eyes lit up in understanding, though her frown only deepened even if she did know why he did so.

Susan moved forwards till they were stood directly in front of one another. "And what are you going to do when you find him. Are you going to kill him because they're still people, no matter what you think. Don't you feel remorse?"

"No, I'm going to find out why he did it, then I'm going to kill him." Naruto calmly spoke without a hint of care for what this could mean. "And you're wrong, people who kill, rape, steal, it changes them, warps them until they're no longer a human being, but a monster. As for remorse, no, I don't. I've stained my hands with the blood of too many people that I have become desensitised to the act. I feel, nothing when I take a life, but you already knew that."

Susan hesitated the words he had spoken striking her hard. "What about you? What about Ben? What does that make you both, you've killed people. And yet, you're heroes."

Naruto laughed this time. "Ben may be a hero and a good man, but I'm not. Ben was simply following orders, killing those who held guns in their hands and would hesitate when a so called 'innocent' would point a gun at him before pulling the trigger. Hell I'm not even sure he could kill an innocent. Not purposefully anyway." He explained, his hollow humour making his smile seem lacklustre. "Me though, I'm a monster."

"You're not." Susan argued.

"Believe me, Susan." He stepped forwards making sure that they were seperated only by a hairs breadth and looked down straight into her eyes. "You don't know what I've done. You believe I told you my full story when I first arrived? You think you know everything about me in these past few weeks since I've been here? Believe me when I tell you, Susan, what you think you know barely scratches the surface."

"Then tell me more." Susan said. She was angry, annoyed and disappointed that Naruto had gone out to kill criminals but it was not like she had not taken a life since becoming a hero. Annihlus and the Kree were a fan of sending their soldiers at them in waves, hoping to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. In response, Susan had to use lethal force to save her friends and her brother.

Taking a life was nothing new to her, yet it had never been something she would resort too first, always a last resort. It hurt her to see that her friend would resort to killing first. Yet what hurt most, was the knowledge that Naruto had barely told her anything about his life.

She of course knew he had omitted certain details, but over the course of the weeks they had spent together she had thought that they had shared stories and gotten to know one another. Had she misjudged him?

Naruto shook his head. "No, there are somethings I have done, that you won't ever be able to forgive me for. Some parts of my life, the decisions I've made, the actions I've taken are not something that can easily be forgotten or forgiven."

"Naruto-"

"No." He said firmly and Susan looked at him in shock. "Just leave it."

Susan stood at the spot, staring up at his blue eyes before frowning angrily. "I'm not someone you can just brush away, Naruto. You may think that are world is different to yours and maybe you're right. But at the same time, are worlds aren't that different. People die and commit terrible acts every day, you think I don't know that's a natural part of life."

"Natural?!" Naruto barked out, accompanied with a short laugh. "You think it's natural for someone to arrive at an innocent village and slaughter everyone living there. Every man, woman and child simply to gain a strategic advantage. What's natural about that, Susan?"

Susan had no answer and stood their silently, her head slightly lowering as she tried to understand what Naruto had said. It was not difficult, to understand, but it was difficult to imagine Naruto doing just that. Killing men, women and even children, just to gain a strategic advantage? Who would do such a thing?

"That's exactly my point." Naruto continued, finally breaking the silence that had descended amongst them. "I'm not a hero, nor am I a good guy who killed simply because he was ordered too. I did things men like Ben wouldn't have thought of nor imagined doing because I'm not either of those things. I'm not a good guy nor a hero."

Silence descended amongst them both once more.

A few times Susan tried to speak, her mouth opening to say something only for her to second guess herself. Eventually, Naruto grew tired of waiting for her to speak and walked straight past her into the bathroom, leaving Susan alone to look at the door that had closed behind him.

Sighing, Susan left the room unsure of what to do or to say and so, decided to do nothing.