shattered truths

chapter 3

Yay!!! Double update!

Naruto's Apartment

Iruka stood at the door to Naruto's apartment,.

"Naruto?" he called, pushing the door, as he realized it had been left open. He looked around at the condition of the house, as he noticed there were a couple of holes in the wall, a window was shattered in the back, graffiti on the walls with things like 'Demon!' 'Monster!' or 'Why don't you just die. He stopped dead in his tracks, as he saw Naruto laying on the floor of the kitchen, staring at the ceiling with a dazed expression.

'Naruto...' he mused with concern, as he took notice of the dried up blood on the boy's knuckles, which signified he'd been punching something. Something hard. Crouching down beside him, he faced his student. They sat in silence for the next few minutes, as he studied his face. He could easily tell he had been crying. His eyes were red and swollen.

''Iruka-sensei...'' Naruto murmured in a dead, emotionless voice, as he continued to stare at the ceiling. Iruka looked at him with tears in the corners his eyes.

''What is it, Naruto...?''

"Kill me..." Naruto muttered, barely loud enough for Iruka to hear. A cold chill ran down the teacher's spine. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. Following it, a long eerie silence settled between the two. He was utterly shocked. The boy who never gave up, WASgiving up. What could've upset him to the point of this...? he wondered. He shook his head, for he would never kill Naruto. He would rather die, himself, than have to kill any of his students.

"Why...?" he choked. "Why would you-"

"It was my fault." Naruto interrupted, answering the question he'd been about to ask.

"What was your fault...?" Iruka question, however, there was no reply. Naruto mumbled something beneath his breath, when there was a sudden knock on the door. Iruka looked up, asking who it was.

"It's us." Sakura answered from behind the door.

"Come on in!" Iruka invited them in, still observing Naruto from the corner of his eye. Sakura stepped in first, followed by Sasuke. They both stopped, noticing the damage that had been done to the walls, the insults that were were painted, and the shattered window. They also noted that there wasn't much that Naruto owned besides his clothes, his bed, the little food he had, and the small brown table in the kitchen, which looked as if the paint was chipping off.

Sakura studied her teammate in pity. She now realized that villagers were not only ignoring him and insulting him, but also they had also been taking his stuff, and damaging his home. Sasuke looked away, not paying attention to the look on his face. In fact, he wanted Naruto to know that he was sorry.

"Damn it..." the blond muttered, turning over. He couldn't bear to face the, for he was afraid of them insulting him, or that they would be mad at him for ruining the mission. He buried his head beneath his arms. Iruka gently placed his hand on Naruto's back, hoping it would calm him down. Sasuke slowly sat down, followed by Sakura. They sat in silence for several minutes before Sakura broke it.

"Naruto...Kakashi-sensei told us about the Nine Tails..." she said softly. "He told us not to tell anyone that we knew, but we think you should know."

Naruto's clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his skin. Damn you, Kakashi!

Iruka's eyes widened. You told them! Kakashi, you...

"I finally beginning to realize how much you must've went through. I hadn't even stopped to consider how much you could've been suffering...You've never had that many friends, so our opinion must've meant a lot to you...I'm so sorry..." Sakura apologized sincerely.

Another moment of silence. Sasuke then came to the decision that he needed to speak too.

"Naruto... I have admit. I've never really considered your feelings. All I knew was that you had no family, which was the exact opposite of me. It wasn't until just now that I realized something important. Losing friends and loved ones is painful, but the absence of knowing what it feels like to have loved ones hurts even more. To have that warmth, and reassuring comfort. It lets you know that people are there for you, and that there's someone who cares. For that to be absent, the extent of your suffering has proved to be greater than even my own... I...apologize for what I've said..." he finished softly.

Naruto seemed to grow a little less tense, seeing that they understood the way he'd felt, but it didn't last long, as there were still so many questions going through his mind. Some of which he knew they would never be able to answer.

Iruka was aware that he needed to report to the Hokage about everything that had happened, but wasn't sure if it was safe to leave Naruto alone with only two Genin.

"Sasuke, Sakura, I need to go speak with the Hokage about something, do you two mind staying here until I get back?" he asked. Sasuke and Sakura looked up, nodding.

"Yeah..." Sasuke replied.

"Of course." Sakura added.