The shadows

ch24

Naruto had just finished a training session with Hinata. In the morning, he woke up with a sense of dysphoria, and he knew that it would be a hard day. However, he did not expect Neji to come after Hinata.

Neji looked so young and innocent. Just like the others. There was no seal on his forehead. But he already knew that. With the Kumo accident averted, Hiashi put his foot down on the matter of sealing the branch family.

While he couldn't convince his elder council to remove it from the already sealed members, he managed to put a stop to the practice for the future. His elders were still unhappy with his actions, but it was his first step to bring his clan closer.

Over the past few years, the normal tension of the Hyuga clan had gone down drastically, and it was only his first step. There was still animosity between the branch and the main family, but things were looking up by the day.

Neji came to pick up Hinata for a clan meeting. They both left quickly. But from the short interaction, Naruto could see how much happier this Neji was. He was still serious and formal spoken, but there was no hatred toward Hinata.

Naruto could remember their deaths. Hinata's last words were about how she wished to unite his clan and put an end to their unjust system. She died with a sad smile, knowing that even if she survived, there would be no Hyuga clan left for her to unite. There was only a handful of Hyugas left at the time, and they all knew that the war wasn't ending anytime soon.

Neji's death was even more painful. Naruto was supposed to be there. They were supposed to hold the enemies back while others escaped. It all happened so fast. They were in a valley in between tall mountains the only way for the enemy to get through was to go through them.

There were too many, and Naruto could only focus on himself. He was overwhelmed. There was only time to dodge and kill enemies. One second he was confident that they had the upper hand, and the next, he heard an explosion.

He was thrown back. It took him a second to gather himself. The explosion came from Neji's position. Naruto ran as fast as he could, but there was nothing left. Only a burning corpse with pieces scattered.

Naruto saw red. He didn't remember much of what happened next. He only woke up a few days later in a medical tent. It was all his fault. If he was paying attention....

He sometimes forgot that his friends were only humans. They weren't invincible. Just because they lasted so long, it didn't mean that they could survive everything thrown at them.

He was devastated. It had been a while since the last death among the people close to them. He was so stupid to believe they were so much stronger that they wouldn't experience another death. He vowed never to let it happen again.

But he failed miserably. He was always too late, too stupid, and too reckless. One after another, they all fell. They died protecting him, getting him through the war, and giving their lives so that he could survive.

He knew that they gave their lives to save all the survivors, but why should it always be him who was protected? Why should it be he who was supposed to be a savior? He couldn't take it.

His breathing became ragged as he sensed the early signs of a panic attack. He could feel his chakra fluctuating. He had to get away. He couldn't get back to ROOT. While they knew how to deal with his chakra fluctuation, he couldn't explain the panic attack.

He couldn't bring any attention to Hinata. So he Shunshined as fast as he could to a secluded training ground he often used. He could see the faces of his friends. He could see their deaths.