The Hidden Mask

Chapter 1: Reckoning

I failed. I can't, I can't believe I failed to bring Sasuke home. I promised Sakura-chan I would, and I broke that promise. Naruto thought as he limped back towards the village, the gates just barely in sight. 

He had two holes in his body, one in his shoulder that seemed like the littlest bit of pressure could tear off his right arm, and his stomach, which was leaking blood like a water fountain. He looked like shit basically. 

He finally got to the gate, seeing Sakura there waiting for him as he did so, a smile on her face. "Naruto!" She called out as she gained sight of him, running up to him, before slowing down, her smile disappearing. "Where's, where's Sasuke-kun?" 

Naruto looked down at the ground, not able to meet her emerald colored eyes. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, I couldn't bring Sasuke back. If I tried any harder, he would've died, I didn't want to kill him Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry." He whispered as tears fell down his face, hitting the ground, turning it darker that it's previous form. "I'll get him back, I won't stop trying, I won't, I promise!" 

"How are you going to promise me something when you failed to keep your last promise?" Sakura whispered as she glared down at Naruto. "I ask for one simple thing and you failed to do it! Then, when you already shattered my heart with this news, you have the gall to actually promise me something again! How dare you?!" She yelled before she punched him in the stomach, causing his eyes to widen as he fell backwards, a scream erupting from his lungs. 

"Sakura!" A voice behind the pink haired girl yelled, causing her to straighten up. "That's enough, can't you see he's already injured?" Sakura looked down at her fist and saw that it was painted in blood. She hadn't hit him hard enough to draw blood, so that means...

"Oh Kami," Sakura whispered, taking a step back before she looked at Naruto's fallen form, her eyes widening as she actually took in his appearance this time. "Naruto, I'm..." 

"Save it." He said, before he broke into a coughing fit, blood coming out of his mouth and landing on the ground. "Tsunade-baachan, I don't feel so good." Tsunade, who was the one who yelled at Sakura, rushed forward and immediately began healing the boy. 

"Prepare an emergency room right now!" She yelled as an Anbu with a Cat mask and purple hair nodded before disappearing in a shushin. 

"You're going to be alright, you're going to be alright." Tsunade continued to say over and over again as she went to pick the boy up, lifting him up delicately as if he were a baby, only to almost drop him in shock. 

His arm was on the ground, his body was not. 

Naruto's arm had fell off due to the final punch given to him by Sakura. 

"Oh my Kami!" Sakura screamed as she almost threw up, barely being able to hold the vomit down.

"No no no no no no no, please, not again, please don't take someone from me again, please Kami, don't." She started running towards the hospital, putting chakra into her legs so she could go faster, leaving behind a completely shocked Sakura and Naruto's arm to be left alone. 

12 Hours Later 

Tsunade walked out of the emergency room, sweat dripping down her face as she looked at Naruto's two remaining teammates, Kakashi and Sakura. "Good news, he'll survive." Kakashi looked relieved to hear those words while Sakura began crying of happiness. 

"Bad news, I couldn't reattach his arm, when it fell off, dirt got into the limb and immediately infected it, though how it infected him I have no idea, but I wasn't able to save his arm. He will no longer be able to be a shinobi unless he gets an artificial arm, which I plan on slaving over for the next few months, how else will he become Hokage?" She said, trying to lighten the mood, but failing miserably. 

"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry for hitting Naruto, I, I was just so angry, and I, I couldn't-" 

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to Sakura." She said, refusing to even look at the girl. Kakashi's eye widened. 

"You mean he's awake?" Tsunade sighed. 

"Yes, he is awake. He is allowed to have visitors, go ahead and say hi. He's in Room 129." 

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Kakashi said, bowing, as did Sakura. They walked down the hall and into the room, where Naruto was bandaged up from his stomach to his stump of an arm. 

"Hi Naruto," Sakura said as she stood next to the bed. "How do you feel?" Naruto's blue eyes shifted towards her, and she almost gasped as the bright blue eyes seemingly lost there color, they seemed dull and lifeless, prior from the always happy and filled with life eyes he always had. 

"Hey Kakashi-sensei." He said, completely ignoring the pink haired girl. 

"Hey Naruto, how's it going?" 

"Oh you know, just Sasuke basically cut off my arm and put a hole in my stomach with that technique you taught him. Other than that, it's been going fine." He said sarcastically, making Kakashi flinch. 

"B-but Sasuke-kun would never hurt his teammates! How could he..." Sakura began, but stopped when Naruto glared at her. 

"Oh yeah, he really loved his teammates. Always ignoring us to get stronger, picturing us as step stools, he was a bad teammate Sakura, get over it." 

"T-that's not true!" 

"Oh really? When was the last time he's actually spoken to us on his own free will unless it had something to do with training or telling us that we're useless huh? And didn't he knock you out so he could actually leave the village? You're so blinded by your obsession with him that you can't even think straight. Wake up and smell the roses Sakura, he left us!" Naruto shouted, bringing Sakura to tears as she ran out the room. 

"That was uncalled for Naruto." Kakashi chided lightly. 

"No it wasn't. She needed to hear the truth. She needs to know that Sasuke isn't what he's all cut out to be, he was my best friend, my brother, and he stabbed me with his stupid Chidori twice without any remorse, like I was nothing." 

"Naruto, if this is about her hitting you, she was just angry that-" 

"I couldn't complete my promise to bring back the teme? Why didn't she just go out and get him herself? Because she literally couldn't. She's weak because you only train Sasuke." 

"Now that's not true, I taught you plenty of things Naruto." Kakashi said, raising his voice slightly. 

"Like what? Tree walking? You pawned me off to Ebisu during the Chunin Exams to train Sasuke. I wouldn't have even beaten Neji if it wasn't for Pervy Sage training me! You refused to train Sakura and I during the whole time we've been Team 7!" 

"Because unlike you and Sakura, Sasuke has talent! Sasuke has the potential to be great, you guys don't!" Naruto's eyes died a little bit as he bit back his tongue. Kakashi immediately knew what he said. "I didn't mean-" 

"No talent, no potential? Really? Is that all you think of me Kakashi?" 

"Naruto, I-" 

"Get out." Naruto said before turning to the other side of the room, not even looking at Kakashi. Kakashi ran a hand through his grey hair before he walked out, not saying a single word. 

After awhile, Naruto sat back up, the tear streaks on his face evident. Then, a swirling vortex appeared in front of his bed, revealing a man at least a foot and a half taller than him with a black cloak with red clouds littering it with an orange swirling mask with one eye hole in it with black, spiky hair. 

"Hello Naruto." 

And done. New book! Yay! Hopefully I'll keep the motivation to keep doing it! 

Was it good? Bad? Tell me! 

Also, for a pairing, um, I don't really know to be honest. Maybe suggest some peeps that aren't guys or Hinata? Thanks! 

Til next time my lil demons!