Naruto woke up, drenched in sweat; his ears ringing, vision blurry, gasping for a breath of fresh air. It has been months since the war has ended and yet the phantoms still haunt him. They won't leave him alone. So many of his friends died; he couldn't save any of them. The explosions, the blood, the screams haunt him every night.
People hail him a hero. A hero that couldn't save Neji, one of his closest friends, as he took his last breath in front of Naruto's very eyes, but a hero, nonetheless. There is not a day when he doesn't remember all those who have died, he recites their names like a prayer before bed.
They will only die when they're forgotten, and Naruto won't let that happen.
He's supposed to be a hero, so why does he not feel like one? Everyone treats him like he is. He saved so many people during the war, the war that was ended by him and his friends.
A war that was started because of him.
He could bask in all the glory, he could, but he can't. The reality won't let him. The nightmares won't. He won't let himself. He knows very well that he shouldn't blame himself for all of those brilliant shinobi dying, yet he can't help but imagine if only he could have done more; if only he was stronger sooner. Maybe then he would have been able to save Sasuke sooner. It was too late now, though.
Sighing, Naruto used his left hand to wipe the sweat dripping from his chin and got out of bed. His legs shook as he walked over to his bathroom. The light flickered on, stinging his eyes. The cramped room provided little comfort, as did the rest of his tiny apartment. Even as the hero he couldn't afford anything more . . . comfortable. After Pain's attack, his previous equally apartment got levelled to the ground, and after he was busy with everything else, so in the end, he could only afford this small place with his budget.
Reaching out with his right hand to open the tap, realisation struck him. There was no right arm. He could feel it, could feel himself extending it, the cold metal brushing against his skin, the pressure required to open the tap . . . and yet, nothing. The sensations nothing but a fragment of his imagination.
YOU ARE READING
The Sun and the Moon (BL)
Fanfiction(Disregards chapter 700/episode 500) Months have passed since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War and Naruto is doing anything but fine. He managed to save his best friend, Sasuke, just like he always wanted to, but at what price? He's praised as a...
