Becoming

Part 3

Naruto took a deep breath, waiting for the onslaught of names he would be called, but as he looked at the cousins in front of him, they stayed silent. They looked shocked, like they might be looking at a ghost. Hinata's lips began moving, but no words came out.
"Naruto, how about you let Neji and Hinata escort you to my office? I have some things I'd like to talk to Jiraiya about, and it's been so long since you've been here, you probably forgot how to get there." Tsunade pushed Naruto forward and before the blond could even retort that he knew the way perfectly well, they were gone.
The three of them stood in an awkward silence, and Naruto looked anywhere but at them. He was going to kill Tsunade for doing this to him! Naruto had never wished to be somewhere else more, and that was saying something, considering what he'd been through.
"Are you guys going to say anything?" Naruto finally asked impatiently. "I thought the moment you'd see me you'd say all kinds of things."
"And what exactly did you think we'd say?" Neji asked, narrowing his eyes in Naruto's direction.
"I don't know. Call me a monster?" Naruto shrugged, not used to not being in control of the situation or not knowing what to say. Before, if something was awkward, he would find something funny to say, but that didn't seem appropriate just then.
Hinata gasped and covered her mouth. "So you heard everything that day."
"We figured as much," Neji said. "Why else would you leave that day?" Naruto watched the two curiously, wondering what they'd say next. Honestly, it surprised him that they weren't acting rudely. In fact, they seemed to treat him with a certain amount of respect.
"Am I a monster?" Naruto asked, watching every little reaction they had. Neji as usual, was emotionless, but Naruto saw Hinata's face portray horror and then sadness.
"Of course not!" Hinata yelled, shocking Naruto, and apparently her cousin. Neji's eyes widened slightly and he looked at his cousin like he didn't know her. Naruto hadn't been aware she could raise her voice that high. The girl bit her lip, but stared at Naruto with an intensity the blond didn't know she possessed. "You aren't a monster!"
"What makes you say that?" Naruto asked, staring at her suspiciously. He almost didn't want someone to think of him as human. To him, when he was called a monster, it justified his actions. If he had a job to do in Konoha, he didn't want to feel guilty of anything.
"You never were," Hinata said, voice softer, but still not her normal. "You are a person, Naruto, holding a beast inside you. That isn't your fault."
Naruto stared at the woman, feeling something strange. He'd been called a heartless monster all his life, and for the first time, someone told him differently. Of course, Tsunade and Jiraiya, and a handful of others, had told him the same, but they didn't seem to count. He looked at them like family. Of course they would say something to make him feel better, even if it weren't true.
"But I certainly don't do anything to keep it from controlling me," Naruto muttered under his breath. "That makes me a monster." He was fine with admitting it. He knew he was a monster, and he'd known since he was born. That was just his life. It's better to face the truth than run from it. Better to chase the truth than run from a lie.
"I'd like to walk alone. I know how to get to Tsunade's. I'll see you guys later," Naruto said, and walked away. He glanced back once, and saw them watching him. Guilt filled his heart as he saw the sadness written all over Hinata's face. He shook his head. That wouldn't do. He turned forward again and ran till he reached the building Tsunade's office was in. Two ANBU were at the doors.
"Who are you and what business do you have here?" one asked, and Naruto groaned as he recognized the voice. So much for not seeing anyone he knew. Unfortunately, Naruto knew that voice well. The voice of Sasuke Uchiha.