The Mask I Hide Behind

Bonding Time

It was about 2 hours that Naruto relaxed in the trees before everyone was called. He sighed, knowing he had to go to keep up his act, and slowly walked to the meeting area.

"So, what are we doing this fine morning?!" He asked, all energetic like "usual". "We don't know yet, baka. That's what Asuma-sensei was trying to explain before you interrupted!" Sakura yelled and Naruto pretended to be embarrassed. "O-oh. Sorry."

'This act is going to be the death of me!'

'Then drop it.'

'Shut it, Kura-chan'

"Anyways, as I was saying, today we will be traveling for a while but will come across a town with games and carnivals. We will also spend some time there." Asuma explained.

"This trip will let the power of your youth SHINE!"

"If Gai Sensei says it, it must be true! Let's show off our youth!" Lee says.

"Couldn't hurt." Ino says.

"Th-this could be g-good bond-bonding time." Hinata stuttered, looking up at Naruto who returned a smile.

That's about the usual time Naruto puts up the mask and this time's not exception. "This is going to be fun! I'll beat all of you at those games and PROVE that I'll be Hokage!" He mentally sighed.

Kakashi seemed taken aback toward the sudden energy. He apparently had seen the hints of depression the boy had been showing previously. 'I gotta work on that. Nobody should see the true me.'

'You're such a teenager.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Oh, nothing. Drop it.'

'...You're...weird'

'What else is new?'

Soon after they had gotten the plan and the route configured, the group started for the carnival place thing. The traveling wasn't very important. Naruto decided to fawn over Sakura a little more and bring his usual game on the whole act. You know, fighting with Sasuke, following Sakura, talking to Hinata about his future plans of being Hokage.

It seemed to have been working out pretty well. The eyes of Shikamaru, Sasuke, Kakashi, Neji, and Shino seemed to lighten up a bit. All according to the plan. 'This carnival should really get them off of my back.'

After about 45 minutes of walking, we finally made it. It was a lot cooler than Naruto thought it'd be. He hadn't really been out of the village before and it was really cool for him. After seeing the outside world though, he started thinking about not staying in that hell anyway. He thought of going to the Land of Waves of somewhere he'd be accepted and liked. Of course Tsunade would send somebody after him, so he'd have to factor that into the plan as well.

'So you're going rogue, huh, kid.'

'Maybe. This might be a great opportunity as well.'

'I understand, so I'll support you in whatever you choose, Naru.'

'Thanks Kura. It means a lot.'

'Don't go soft on me now, kid.'

'S-hut up.'

"Okay, we're going to do this, strategically. No matter where we are, Konoha still has enemies, so stay in groups." Kakashi Sensei ordered and the children nodded before being split up. The groups were:

Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Choji, Kakashi, Asuma

Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and TenTen, Kurenai

Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Gai

After being assigned a group, they figured battle formations and plans in case of an attack. It wasn't too hard as the teams were put together pretty well. All of the shinobi would be able to work together easily. However, there was one person who wasn't satisfied with his group at all. That boy was Naruto.

Naruto was really hoping he'd get group members that wouldn't be so suspicious of him but he got the exact opposite. His luck was obviously wearing thin and he wasn't happy about it. Not only did he have Kakashi and Sasuke, who he knew were catching on, but Shikamaru and Asuma aren't easily fooled either. He'd have to bring out his A game acting to pull it off.

And that's exactly what he did. Or that's what I want to tell you. Although he tried hard to pull off the act, he wasn't very stable mentally because of the previous day's events. And having four watch dogs weren't making it any better. So obviously, he couldn't cover all of the cracks in his performance. 

However, Naruto wasn't stupid or hopeless. He could figure a way out of the mess he was in and that's exactly what he did. His plan was to make the excuse of needing to use the restroom immediately and then shunshin somewhere into the woods to be alone and gain composure after hiding in a stall. There were a lot of flaws in his plan, but he hoped the little pieces of luck he had left would be enough.

He had waited until everyone had begun a game, beside Kakashi and Asuma who insisted on sitting out, to put his plan in motion. "Aagh! Kakashi Sensei, I have to go! I can't hold it in anymore!" the boy said, turning to face his teacher. Kakashi looked at the squirming boy for a while and smiled. "Well I'll help you find the nearest one, okay. Asuma, you stay and watch over the others." Asuma just nodded and released more cigarette smoke.

Naruto internally cried out in agony. Kakashi had foiled his plan, but he'd have to try anyways. "Well hurry up, Sensei! I don't have any time to be dilly dallying!" the boy said before running in the direction of the nearest restroom. He'd marked it before, so it wasn't hard to find it again. It was perfect, a one person bathroom. He'd have Kakashi stay outside while he locked himself in and shunshined into the woods.

Once they reached the bathroom, Naruto had placed his hand out. "Stop and wait out here, Kakashi Sensei. I'll be out as soon as I'm finished." and with that he ran in and slammed the door before locking it. Inside the bathroom, Naruto began to form the hand signs for the shunshin jutsu.

Kakashi, as he stood outside of the stall, was thinking about his student's behavior. He'd obviously been informed about the treatment that he was receiving from the villagers, but not about Naruto's personality without the mask. However, little by little, he was starting to see it. His student wasn't nearly as energetic and ignorant as he'd proven himself to be before and that worried the man. 

He had taken it upon himself when he got the boy as his student to be there for him when he needed someone. Even if it was out of self-pity, he wanted to do it. But how could he do it if he didn't even know Naruto's personality? How could he protect his Sensei's son like that? So he gained his resolve and decided to talk to the boy when he came out of the restroom. He would just wait patiently for that time to come.

And he did wait. And waited some more, and some more, and some more, but Naruto still wasn't coming out. It had been over 30 minutes and Kakashi was worried. So he knocked on the door and called out for the boy who had already left for the woods. "Naruto? You okay in there?" he asked, but received no answer. "Naruto?" he asked again, knocking on the door. "Naruto! Are you in there?" he yelled, catching the attention of the others in his group, causing them to rush toward said bathroom. All the while Naruto was gone.