The Future: Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 78 SUFFERING TOGETHER OR ALONE

The Hidden Leaf Hideout

The silence only adds to Naruto's depression as he takes the final few steps back towards the hideout that they have established. He has grown to be familiar with this feeling, too familiar. He has felt it all throughout his life, since he was a child, every time when he compared himself to Sasuke. The dark path that Sasuke had taken, it could so easily have been him. The same is true with Hashirama's path, and if it were not for Sarada's bringing him forward in time, he would have eventually wielded the power of 'death'.

Naruto has lost to Hashirama. Twice. What stings isn't the defeat, that can be explained each time by circumstances favourable to his opponent. What stings, is that every time Naruto fights it is a battle of wills, a battle of heart. Hashirama's heart has overcome his twice now, Hashirama has shown himself to be right.

The second Naruto steps into the Hidden Leaf hideout, a pair of people immediately teleport to his side with a flash of gold. Naturally, it is his father and his mother, two sources of eternal support.

"Are you OK?" Kushina asks, being careful not to touch any of her son's bruises. "What happened to you Naruto, you look terrible?".

Naruto sighs, "Sorry, I haven't taken care of the injuries yet".

Naruto exhales, sending 'life' energy through his body as he does so. It's as easy as breathing for him now, fixing his own wounds like these. A trifling matter for the man who has gained control of 'life' itself. It does make Kushina worry though, she knows that he must be seriously depressed if he couldn't even focus his mind to heal himself.

"Are you OK?" Minato asks, repeating his wife's question.

"… I'll be OK, I always am after all. I can't afford to get too depressed" Naruto says, ignorant to the irony in his statement. "Everyone is watching me right now, I can't go showing them any signs of weakness".

As large groups of captains, shinobi and citizens arrive to welcome their four leaders back, Naruto forces an empty smile onto his face, determined that it shall be as infectious and comforting as always. It isn't, everyone in the village knows him well enough to tell that something is wrong. However, they also know him well enough to know that he is trying, so each of them does the politest thing they can and smiles back at him.

Making his way through the crowd to General Clyde come new Generals Peterson and Sheer.

"General, you look disheartened, is everything alright?".

Clyde doesn't even look at Peterson, simply casting his eyes to Naruto. He wonders if he will now be eternally entranced by his actions.

"I watched them fight again you know, and it's not like they were going all out, it was just a battle of frustration. But each hit they landed was powerful, not physically but mentally. It made me realise just how pathetic I am right now" Clyde says painfully. "I didn't move, and if I had, I know should they go all out that I would be too weak to stop them".

"You need to stop expecting so much from yourself, that is Naruto after all" Sheer says, patting her boss on the back. "It is what we are all hoping for, we are all hoping that he will become so strong that he will leave us behind and become untouchable".

Clyde doesn't know how he feels about it now that he considers it. It's a dream, Naruto could be the one to kill the false god. However, if that dream were to come true then it would make Naruto something more, something even further beyond the gods of this world. There is nobody more suitable for such a role than Naruto, yet he is also the last person Clyde wants to see journey off towards the horizon.