IT'S ALL FOR THE MISSION (Sasuke x Naruto)

Chapter 12

Naruto pov,

The moment I stepped into that tunnel, something felt wrong. The air was cold, suffocating, like it was trying to crush me. But before I could say anything, before I could react, the world around me twisted and blurred.

Suddenly, I wasn't in the tunnel anymore. I was back in the village, but it wasn't the lively Konoha I knew. It was empty, dead. The streets were deserted, and the silence felt heavy, like the entire village had turned its back on me AGAIN.

I tried to move, but my feet wouldn't budge. My body felt heavy, weighed down by something invisible, something I couldn't shake off. My heart pounded in my chest, and I started to hear voices. Cold, cruel, and familiar voices.

"Why is she still here?"

"Can't believe they let her walk around like a normal person..."

"She's dangerous. Always has been."

Their words hit me like daggers. It was like being thrown back into my childhood-the time when everyone looked at me like I was a monster. The stares. The whispers. They were all there again, surrounding me, pulling me under. I could feel my heart racing, my breaths coming quicker, but no matter how much I tried to scream, no sound came out.

I knew where I was now-

Suddenly, shadows appeared. Kids, older villagers... people I knew but wished I could forget. They stepped closer, sneering, laughing, their eyes filled with disgust.

"You think you belong here? You think anyone actually cares about you?"

I tried to back away, but I was frozen. They surrounded me, their voices getting louder, sharper. My skin prickled with fear, and I could feel their hatred, like it was seeping into my bones.

One of them stepped forward, shoving me. Hard.

I stumbled, but couldn't stop myself from falling to the ground. My hands hit the dirt, and I could hear them laughing-laughing like it was all a joke, like I was the joke.

"Monster," one of them spat, kicking me in the side.

The pain was real, sharp, and it knocked the wind out of me. But it wasn't just physical-it was the ache in my chest, the feeling of being hated, being rejected by everyone.

"Go crawl back to whatever hole you came from," another voice snarled.

The kicks came harder now, hitting my legs, my arms, my stomach. Each blow brought back that same feeling I'd fought so hard to forget-the feeling of being worthless, of being nothing more than the demon they all feared.

"Why are you even alive?"

"Someone like you shouldn't even exist."

I tried to scream, tried to push them away, but nothing worked. The pain, the shame, the hopelessness-were drowning me. I curled in on myself, arms wrapped tight around my body, but the blows kept coming, and so did the voices.

I felt tears burning in my eyes, and I hated it. I hated being weak. I hated feeling so small, so broken.

But I couldn't fight it. Not this time.

Then, in the middle of it all, I heard it-faint at first, like a whisper breaking through the storm.

"Naruto."

Itachi's voice.

"Naruto, listen to me."

I tried to focus, tried to pull myself out of the nightmare, but the pain was overwhelming. My body hurts. My heart hurts. It was like all the years of rejection, of being alone, were crashing down on me all at once.