The world was nothing more than a collection of dark, blurry shapes and faded colors. Naruto was vaguely aware of the jolt that ran through his body as his hit the ground hard before losing consciousness. Trapped within the confines of his own mind, he hung his head. The dread weighed on his shoulders like sandbags. When this happened, when he fell into this world, it wasn’t a good sign.

With the exception of the enormous cage at his back, nothing but darkness surrounded him. Something had gone terribly wrong. Behind him, an enormous smile appeared in the darkness, revealing only gleaming white fangs. It could have been his imagination, but he thought he heard a low, deep chuckle echo in the empty void.

“Here you are again, child,” came the bemused, wicked voice through the sharp teeth. Naruto clenched his fists by his sides. It infuriated him, not only that he’d let himself be caught by surprise, but also that he was trapped here. With that.

“Yeah, what of it?” he snapped back, refusing to turn around. This time he was certain he heard the demon chuckle; he could feel the vibrations beneath his feet.

“You’re a foolish boy. And weak, letting those pathetic assassins get through so easily,” the fox said in a growl. “You’re going to die.” Naruto froze, his angry shaking ceasing altogether. It had to be an exaggeration. If he was still conscious at all it couldn’t be true. Pleased with the sudden uncertainty, the fox continued. “Those weapons were laced with poisons. You’re too far away to go for help, and those silly teammates of yours can’t do anything.” The young ninja’s brows furrowed as he ground his teeth. It was right- they were practically in the middle of nowhere. Then something in his mind clicked. The fox seemed to sneer once again. “Not only will you die, but your teammates as well, if they haven’t already. You think their sense of smell is as keen as mine?”

“Don’t underestimate us,” Naruto snarled in response. His knuckles were turning white, shaking once again, this time in anger. “We’ll find a way.” The fox cackled cruelly.

“You think those weaklings can stand a chance when you were taken out in an instant? You give them more credit than they’re worth, those pathetic children.” It was true. None of them had sensed the assassin’s presence- a huge mistake on their part. And if their opponents were that fast, he worried for his team. “I have a proposition for you, though I think you already know what it is.”

“What, you want me to hand over my body to you? Well forget it!” Naruto barked, turning to face the face the cage. “This is some kind of trick, isn’t it? And even without Sakura’s brains and Sasuke they’d be able to do something, but they have both. Believe in your team, that’s what I was told. I’m not going to stop listening to that just ‘cause you’re trying to scare me, ‘cause I’m not afraid!” One giant paw emerged from the shadows, followed by another. The front portion of the fox was bathed in light, revealing the ugly, twisted face which held the set of smiling fangs. “You’re not gonna scare me.”

“Not my intention at all. I’m trying to save us. What would happen to me if you were to die? There’s nothing I can do trapped behind these bars. All I ask is a little space to work in. That’s not much. Surely with your life on the line, rather, our lives, you wouldn’t deny me that.”

The teeth gleamed. The ninja hesitated.
“Well… You’re wrong! You think I’m stupider than I really am. I’d rather die than risk you breaking free. It’s not like I wanna die, but I can’t let the people of the village die either. If it’s a choice… I’m taking you down with me, it’s as simple as that.”

“How very noble!” scoffed the fox, followed by a sharp, cruel laugh. “You think you can gain redemption by one gallant deed. But the people you want to protect will never respect you. They will say that the choice was an easy one. That anyone would have made it. You’d be scorned, then forgotten. You should know better by now the nature of humans, after what they’ve done to you.”

“But that’s not everyone! Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura… they’re part of that everyone too. I don’t care what people say about me. I never have before. But I won’t put the people I care about in danger. They’d understand. They’d remember me.” His fists loosened slightly, feeling the impact of his own words. He could hear the demon snort, though his eyes traveled down, staring blankly at the ground at his feet. “Even if it’s only a few people, they’re the few people that really care about me, and that I really care about too. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m not doing it for attention. I’m doing what a friend does, and that’s protecting the people he cares about. Because they believe in me. And I still believe in them, too…”

The bars dissolved in a blurry haze, along with the monster that they held. Dizziness overwhelmed Naruto as everything seemed to dissipate. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling as if he were floating. Or falling. So they were too late, he thought. But it was okay. He knew that they had tried. Something told him so. It wasn’t desperate hope or arrogant pride, but something much warmer and comforting. It would be something that he’d cling to until the darkness carried him away.

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The room was bright and empty. A single body occupied the bed, bathed in the afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the open window. Slowly Naruto began to recognize his own room as his eyes focused. It was his room… right? The floor was spotless and everything rested under the comfortable silence. So death really wasn’t all that bad…

“Naruto, you idiot! You’re awake!” Despite her irritated tone, Sakura walked into the room with a huge smile on her face. But it quickly turned upside down as soon as she came within arm’s reach, using it to her advantage and landing a hard punch on the other ninja’s cheek. “You’re such a slob, Naruto! I can’t believe how much junk you accumulate! I’d better get a big thanks for this later, you know, after spending all this time cleaning.”

“W-what about the ambush?!” stuttered Naruto in utter confusion.

“What are you talking about? You’ve been unconscious for two days while I was doing all the work!”

“But I was knocked unconscious because of the ambush!” he insisted, sitting upright and rubbing the sore spot on his face. “You gotta tell me what happened!”

“You must have been dreaming. You passed out after chugging a carton of old milk. It’s amazing that you survived… but if you didn’t have such filthy habits it never would have happened and I couldn’t have been volunteered to take care of you!” she shouted. Naruto winced. So much for the peace and quiet. “And by the way, go buy something besides ramen for a change. It’s not healthy to eat that all the time.” With a final huff, she stormed out, leaving Naruto in a state of confusion.

It had been real. Maybe not the false encounter that the demon had planted in his memory which manifested itself into a dream, but the encounter itself was undeniable. Something new had been sparked within him. He had faced death, or what he thought was death. But it wasn’t as scary as he thought. The confidence and hope he’d been able to feel under such pressure was unbelievable. If it had been a real situation it would have been the right decision, and more importantly he would have been able to follow through with it. His mouth curved into a crooked smile, and he laughed to himself. Thanks, he thought. What doesn’t break me makes me stronger, and someday I’ll be stronger than you.

Fiction: 05/03/09 | Posted By: NinjaGirlSango | 5 comments | Naruto