The Wolf Inside - A Naruto Fanfic - Watty Award Winner 2013

Chapter 34

Edited 15/12/2017

Ashley's POV

I walk through the forest, with my arms wrapped around myself and my eyes trained on the ground, brows furrowed.

How could Naruto say that to me? I never thought he could hurt me, but.....

'I told you' Hakuba says eerily, his voice clearer than normal thanks to my weakened state, 'You shouldn't trust anyone...None of them actually care for you brat.....You're an outsider, and humans can never truly accept outsiders.'

".....Maybe you're right...." I whisper, feeling strangely alone for the first time since arriving in Konoha. "Maybe....Maybe they all think I'm just a traitor, pretending to be a Leaf Ninja....."

'That's exactly right' Hakuba growls, suddenly sounding angry for some reason. 'Humans will be kind when they want something from you.....But they always turn their backs on you in the end.'

"But.....What do they want from me?" I wonder out loud, perplexed. "I don't have anything they could......Hakuba! Get out of my head! Stop messing with me like this!"

All Hakuba does is laugh in response, the sounding echoing inside my head. It's been like this the whole way back to the Leaf Village. Usually I can block his voice out for awhile, but right now, I'm too weak to do that and he's taking full advantage of it.

Letting out a troubled sigh, I look up, only to see the gates of the Leaf Village up ahead, though they seem less welcoming than usual to me today.

Walking very slowly, it takes me a few minutes to reach the gates, but as soon as I do, Izumo and Kotetsu greet me cheerfully.

"Ah Ashley" Kotetsu says with a nod, glancing down to write something on a clipboard. "It's been awhile!"

"....Has it?" I ask quietly.

Izumo raises an eyebrow and peers over Kotetsu's shoulder, before suddenly jabbing his finger at the paper and almost knocking it out of the other man's hand.

"Hey!" Kotetsu protests, holding his clipboard out at arm's length and pressing his free hand against Izumo's face to keep him away. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Get off of me you idiot!" Izumo barks, slapping Kotetsu's hand away. "Give me the clipboard for a second!"

Kotetsu smirks evilly and waves the clipboard around in front of Izumo teasingly, to which the brown haired man grows an anime vein and tackles his friend to the ground.

"I just need to fix something that you wrote!" Izumo shouts, annoyed.

"Never!" Kotetsu argues defiantly. "You always just want to fix something that I wrote!"

"Give me the clipboard dammit!"

"No!"

"Give it!"

"No!"

Heaving a deep sigh, I shake my head and continue walking into the Village. Usually they don't bother me too much, but I really don't feel like dealing with their shenanigans today.

I blink as the clipboard suddenly goes whizzing past my head, narrowly missing me, before disappearing into the window of a nearby house.

"Kotetsu you idiot!"