A new fic! I really should stop adding fics when I still have other fics to complete… XD

I finally have an idea on how to start chapter 20 of Love to Kill!!! Yeah!!! I'll start writing it as soon as I get some more free time on my hands. XD

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Title: Sanity's End

Warnings: AU OOC YAOI

Pairings: Decided, but not telling… yet ;P

Flames are not welcomed.

Note: I am not that good in grammar so don't flame me about it. I have no beta so that's that.

Author: Tsukishiro

Summary: After a successful 'Sasuke Retrieval Mission', instead of being praised, the demon vessel was further scorned and shunned into the realms of loneliness. Barely clinging to sanity, an event shatters him completely. Realizing their mistake, all of rookie eight and Gai's team

Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto, but I can dream… right?

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Chapter 1 – Sanity's Balance

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Hate, anger, pain, and despair… such powerful emotions were being experienced by all human beings alive at one point in time.

Hate, whenever they were betrayed by friends…

Anger whenever they were tricked by comrades…

Pain whenever they got hurt in a fight…

And despair when they were left out.

But for Uzumaki Naruto, the vessel and jailor of the nine-tailed demon fox, his case was entirely different…

He was hated for the demon he contained within his own body.

Anger was directed towards him as the people thought that he was the reincarnation of the demon itself.

He felt pain whenever he was used as an outlet for the people's hate and anger.

And he felt despair when the people refused to see him as a fellow human, a different being from the fox that was sealed inside of him.

The way the villagers look at him with so much hate really hurt… it was as if they were throwing knives and daggers towards him with their bare eyes.

He never felt love, kindness, and recognition. He never knew what happiness really was.

He may appear strong and happy to the naked eyes, but deep inside he was weak…

Extremely weak…

Unknown to everyone, it was easy for him to lose his self-confidence whenever people put him down. He easily gets depressed when people ignore him or talk behind his back.

The harsh treatment he was receiving daily took a huge toll on his mental stability to the point that he was barely clinging to his sanity by a thin thread, threatening to break at any moment.

But he can't let anyone see his weakness… he can't let anyone see his vulnerability…

Subconsciously, he created a self-defense mechanism to protect himself from breaking completely.

He created a sort of 'shield' for his fragile and unstable mind.

And that was his so-called 'mask'.

A mask where he behaved differently from what he really was.

Instead of the silent and lonesome demeanor, he adapted a loud and obnoxious personality that clashed completely with his 'real self'.

The 'mask' was so strongly contradicting with his real emotions that it covered him perfectly.

It was so perfect that no one saw through it.

He was fully aware that he needed a friend, a confidant to share his inner feelings, thoughts, and built-up emotions with so as to ease the burden from his weak mind and heart.

But because of the constant hate and pain in his life, he grew wary and feared people, fearing betrayal that might follow after.

He may appear open and trusting to the public, but deep inside he was extremely cautious and kept his distance

But no matter how much he wanted to stay away from people, a spark in him gave him the desire to be recognized, to be acknowledged as a human being. He thought that if he becomes a ninja and help protect the village, the people might change their mind and opinion of him.

And it did…

Slowly, but surely, he was gaining friends who acknowledged him as a human being

Umino Iruka, the rookie nine, team Gai, their Jounin instructors, Sandaime, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade.

Naruto became close to these people like a family, but not close enough to reveal his 'mask'

And he was glad he did

Because after Sasuke's betrayal, his world came spiraling down on him.

He fought with his so-called 'best friend/rival' and was able to knock him out, but not before convincing him that he will not be able to attain his revenge with the help the snake sannin who's only goal was to take his body for his eyes.

Even though both were badly injured, the blond managed to make his way back to Konoha.

With the main gates of the village in sight, the blond slowly dragged himself towards it with an unconscious Uchiha on his back. He was surprised to see so many people waiting at the huge gates.

But it didn't surprise him to see his teammate, Sakura, to be among those who waited for their return and was now running towards them.

She was smiling, happy that her childhood crush was brought back. When she was a few meters away from the pair, she frowned and anger was evident in her eyes which confused the blond.

Without warning, she slapped the very ninja who had brought back the traitor she loved so much.

"I told you to bring Sasuke-kun back! Not hurt him you monster!!!" she screamed before taking the unconscious Uchiha herself and left.

'Why did she hit me?' he wondered, bringing up his hand towards the stinging sensation on his face.

'I brought Sasuke back, didn't I? I kept my promise, right?'

Umino Iruka was on the scene and saw the kunoichi's outburst. He fumed when he saw how his former student treated her won teammate with such hate, even thought the blond had just kept his promise to her.

Fearing for the boy's mental state, he approached the blond and embraced him in a warm and reassuring hug before taking him to the Hokage's office.

It took a while for Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, to heal Naruto's wounds. When she was finished, she listened to Iruka's report on what had happened.

She was calm and silent the whole time the Chuunin narrated the events at the gate, but deep inside, she was seething and screaming bloody murder towards a certain pink-haired kunoichi and raven shinobi.

What made her even more furious was that Hatake Kakashi, team seven's Jounin instructor, didn't bother about the blonde's well being and went straight towards the Uchiha, his favorite and most prized student to check his condition.

Tsunade and Iruka stared at the younger blond, who was seated on the couch just in front of the Hokage's desk, worriedly.

Naruto may appear calm, relaxed, and uncaring at the moment, but they can see that underneath that 'mask' calmness was pain and severe depression.

Yes…

These two individuals can actually see though the blonde's 'mask of deception', while the said blond was completely clueless about it. There were other three individuals who knew of his mask, one of which was Jiraiya, the toad sannin who Tsunade's teammate and Naruto's teacher.

It was heartbreaking for the two adults to see their favorite blond suffer silently and alone.

Later, the Hokage received news that some adults revealed to the younger generation about the nine-tailed demon fox out of anger and hate towards the demon vessel for hurting their prized Uchiha.

Naruto's mental stability was close to its breaking point and the Hokage was fully aware that the blond needed help which can only be provided by his 'friends'. But because of some stupid villagers', who were now experiencing Morino Ibiki's 'hospitality', idea of revealing the S-class secret to the younger generations, there was a ninety percent chance that Naruto would be scorned, hated, and spat at for 'hiding' or 'being the demon in human clothing'.

Even though there was a ten percent chance of it not happening, the risk was too great for the Hokage to take.

Tsunade left her desk and made her way towards the couch where Naruto sat. She seated next to him and pulled him into a warm embrace. She was surprised when her 'surrogate brother' snuggled up to her but she didn't show it.

Both she and Iruka were saddened of the blonde's actions because it was a sure sign that the boy was, unconsciously, desperately looking and reaching out for support.

After a pregnant pause, Tsunade made a decision on how she would protect her beloved 'brother'.

-o-o-o-o-o- One Year Later…

One lone shinobi can be spotted training at the training area within the forest, which was located at the far east side of the village of Konoha.

With unbelievable grace and fluidity, he performed numerous taijutsu styles with great mastery. With every kick, punch, leap, and twist, beads of sweat flung from his smooth skin unto the empty cool air. If an amateur would watch his performance, it would look as if he was dancing with delicate but powerful sways of his body.

But for a well trained shinobi, the complicated and graceful moves of his slim, small, but well-toned body was an art filled with powerful emotions.

The lone individual continued his intricate dance for another three hours before deciding to have a break. He walked towards a tree where he placed his belongings earlier that day. Taking out a towel from his bag, he wiped off the sweat that clang to his heated body before sitting down on the grass under the shade of the tree.

A gentle breeze caressed his body, cooling it down as well as ruffling his golden locks. His sapphire blue eyes gazed at his grassy training grounds. It was a simple but beautiful sight. Emerald green grass swayed along harmoniously along with the wind as well as the leaves that hang from the trees.

The scenery was harmonious, capable of making any individual, no matter how stressed or how furious they may be, calm and relaxed in a matter of seconds.

The blond sensed an individual approaching at a fast rate but he paid little attention towards it. He never thought of it as a threat because the chakra signature was from someone familiar and close to him. Seconds later, that individual arrived and walked towards the resting blond.

"Training till you drop again Naruto?" the man asked, receiving a nod as a reply before deciding to sit down next to him.

"I brought some onigiri and sushi, do you want some?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei"

The pair enjoyed their meal in silence, welcoming the absence of noise warmly.

"So are you going to sleep at your apartment tonight?" the older male asked, receiving another silent nod from his former student.

He sighed

"Why do you still insist of staying there? You know you can live with Hokage-sama permanently so why not live there?"

"I can't, I don't want to be a burden to Tsunade-obaa-chan. But because of her constant and persistent nagging, I agreed to live with her for at least five days a week. Don't be mistaken, I am extremely grateful for all the things she has done for me as well as you. But just as I had said, I don't want to be a burden."

Uzumaki Naruto has stopped being a ninja right after the 'Sasuke Retrieval Mission'. He no longer saw any point in continuing such profession and has been living peacefully for a year, but that did not stop him from keeping his body well trained.

Well, just because you stopped being a ninja doesn't mean that you have to stop training as well.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Iruka respected him and never questioned his decision.

"Alright, just be careful, okay? And don't forget our lunch 'date' tomorrow" Iruka stated teasingly with a wink before going off, leaving the blushing blond in the training area.

"IT'S NOT A DATE!!!"

Still blushing, the blond decided to continue his training, starting with a taijutsu warm-up, then moving onto ninjutsu, and then to kenjutsu using a katana he had bought in the past. It was only until an hour before midnight when he decided to stop.

Tired and exhausted, he slowly made his way towards his apartment. His body was screaming for rest but he decided to take a quick shower first to get rid of the sticky feeling he had on his body due to training.

Now garbed in only his boxers and a loose white shirt, he let himself drop unceremoniously onto his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep, fully unaware of the three individuals standing in front of his door.

"Is he asleep?" one of the three figures asked.

"Yes, he is" the second one answered while lock-picking the door

Unlocking the door successfully, the three crept inside and locked it before proceeding to perform hand seals that created two kinds of barriers.

One was a common barrier to prevent entry.

And the other was a sound barrier to prevent any sound from entering or leaving the apartment

"Everything has been set, now's the time to let the demon know what real pain is"

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Tsukishiro's Corner:

I'm going to stop here.

For those who have missed the warning, this will be a YAOI fic. What pairing? Not telling…

But I'll give you some hints:

1. Not UchihaNaru (meaning, not SasuNaru/ ItaNaru)

2. A certain favorite Author of mine wrote a Birthday fic for Naru-chan and that was my source of inspiration for this pairing/s.

Hmm… I think I gave too much hints… nah!

So is there anyone who can guess?

Review!!! XD