The Boy In The Mirror: A Naruto FanFiction

Clarity

Beams of sweat dripped down Naruto's ghostly face. He had been running for twenty minutes, not stopping once. His shoes were long forgotten, leaving his bare feet to slap against the cold pavement. A shinobi had been murdered and it was his fault.

Each sting, each tickling sensation of blood oozing out of his feet, took his mind off of the painful thudding of his heart and the guilt that made him sick. His head pounded against his skull. By now, he was heaving with loud gasps, attempting to take in as much oxygen as he could muster. But, he was stubborn and determined. Naruto wasn't going to stop running till he was face to face with Shikamaru.

The village's afternoon bustle seemed to have died down as the sun was nearing the end of the horizon. It was slightly past seven thirty, which was the perfect time for evening walks. But by some twisted turn of fate there was barely anyone around to witness the absolute mess Naruto had become. Except for him. The dark haired ninja who had stopped briefly in his tracks for a view of the sunset.

He had left Kiba's house hours ago and didn't want to return to his empty house. So he wandered around the busy streets for what seemed like hours, completely lost in his thoughts. Right when Sasuke felt compelled to return home he was captivated by the many colors and shades that had been casted on the sky. He was mesmerized, the only thing breaking his trance being his distraught teammate sprinting down the streets with no shoes on. Almost immediately he tailed Naruto, trying to understand where he was going, or what had happened without alerting the boy of his presence.

Hot liquid could be felt at the bottoms of his feet. But it didn't stop Naruto, he was already past the point of caring. Right now, he didn't feel real, nothing did. He was terrified. His reality had to be flawed. The reality that a decapitated head and dead body was the only thing awaiting his return couldn't be real.

He felt numb.

He shut his eyes tight, trying his hardest to rid his brain of the horrible memories. He couldn't. The memories were eating his brain away, like a disease it made him sick. Soon the sickness would spread and consume his brain and body, leaving him broken and empty.

Tears fell from his eyes as he opened them once again. Although his vision was blurred he could spot the Nara's living quarters in the distance. His heart skipped a beat as he sent chakra to his feet, closing the distance in mere seconds.

Snot dripped from his nose. Fresh tears streamed down his face. His head throbbed. The blonde's feet had left trails of crimson all along the streets, making it more eerie then he hoped. Naruto took a few minutes to catch his breath and calm himself. He needed to form at the bare minimum a couple of sentences. The boy didn't know what he was going to say without sounding like a complete lunatic. But, he had to confess to someone the terrifying things that had been happening to him. He didn't care if they believed it or not. Naruto raised his arm, reaching for the the doorbell when he was interrupted.

"Stop, Naruto."

The loudness of the voice scared Naruto. Stumbling backwards, he immediately looked around. When he was met with no one his heart sank to the pits of his chest.

"You're not a fool, Naruto. Turn around."

It was the voice.

"Who the fuck are you?!?" Naruto shouted into the street, leaving behind formalities. Anger and fear had swallowed the boy whole. Just who was this voice? Was it the shadow? Why was it stopping him? When his question went unanswered the blonde's breathing picked up.

"Why—why the hell are you doing this?!" His voice wavered as he tried to keep himself from hyperventilating.

"Turn around and leave. You'll get us caught."