Starting from the End

22. Lost Again...

"We'll see."

And that was how Naruto knew to be more vigilant in this training. For a long time, he knew that two friends of Iruka were very genuine people. They belonged to the 'indifference' group, but not in the bad sense. One could say, they never purposely steered away from him, and also laughed when they encountered some of his pranks. And for some unholy reasons, Naruto never pranked them, which clearly needed to change. And the war-time, it changed the people. 

Among them was Izumo Kamizuki. The death of Kotestu left him bitter and angry towards the world. The joyful, fun-loving, and care-free man died with his partner in crime. They were twins from different parents, soulmates through brotherhood. They were completely polar opposite, still, they knew each others' moves before one started to drew their own's blade. They were perfect until they were not anymore.

The war destroyed everything. It always does the same. The life in military force was never easy. Whether they were ninjas, samurai, or just police force. But war... war broke each of them, war gutted people alive. Naruto had witnessed them with his eyes. And those reanimated people were the worse type of weapons used by their enemies. To bring back the loved ones, only to fight against them. It was the most torturous way to stop the allied nation. 

And Naruto was torn between his future and his possible future. He wanted to stop the heart-wrenching grievance. He wanted to feel free, happy; but the memories wouldn't leave him alone. Each night he saw another friend or another comrade die in front of him. The memories became a constant companion. On one hand, he was too tired to stay awake; on another, he was dragged into those hellish nightmares. Either he had to endure those or he had to retreat into his mind and take refuge with Kurama. And the weak form of the in-house companion was making him more agitated with every passing day. Naruto wanted Kurama awake. It didn't matter whether this one was filled with hate or had compassion for the blond. He just wanted the reassurance of the biju. The sudden thought of left alone make him falter in his steps and he suddenly stopped. 

"I'm sorry Kit."

No, he won't. Would he? No, no... stop thinking like that. He promised, didn't he?!

A sudden touch jolted him to reality. "Naruto, is everything alright?" The concerned look of the chunin again grounded him. 

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. So, how did you manage to convince those three to assist you? Those paintballs are quite a good idea. It will cause mayhem if they launched it in the shopping district. What do you say, dad?" He started to hop again from one tree to another.

"Not much, just unsupervised attack on you. That's all." Iruka said with a small smile, turning a blind eye to the avoidance.

"Those brats. Maybe I should prank them. It's been one week already, and they failed to organize a prank. Shame, I was thinking to show them the tree walking. It would help them in their pranks more."

"Naruto, are you trying to pass your prankster legacy to them. None of the Chunin or Jonin would appreciate it. And if somehow they managed to avoid them, it would be a disaster to control. And they are behind their standards. Those three belonged to three prestigious shinobi family, Naruto. Their family won't be happy about it."

"I know, but they are still children. They have time to grow more powerful than we can imagine. But let them have their fun. Once they crossed the academy threshold, they won't be able to be a child again. Just make them be prepared for the worst, they'll grow their own." Naruto said with a distant voice.

Iruka felt uncomfortable. Iruka concentrated on his chakra to scan his surroundings. When he was certain, he called out, "Naruto, hold on a minute." He brought out two seals from a hidden pocket of his sleeveless jacket and gave one to the confused blonde. "Place it inside your jacket like this," He showed Naruto by pasting the other one inside his jacket, "May I?" Iruka didn't know why he asked for permission, but the relieved look on the blonde assured him of his instincts. He had observed the blonde's behavior and Naruto behaved like a wounded animal. He had seen those flinches, slight tremors that the blonde tried to suppress as much as possible. And he was right in his assumptions. He placed his hands on both seals and poured a small amount of chakra.