Naruto had never been disgusted by his own reflection before. He had always been somewhat satisfied by what he saw in the mirror. He didn't consider himself handsome beyond belief, like many considered Sasuke to be, but he wasn't terribly ugly either. Some had dared to admit that he was very cute, and he himself thought he possessed a little bit of charismatic charm. The only thing he could change, if ever given the chance, was the six fox like whiskers on his face. Other than that, he felt he looked fairly decent. He was good looking in his own way. He never hated the thought of seeing himself or his reflection. He never had a reason to.
But, then again, his reflection had never stood before him as solid as his own carbon based body. His reflection never had eyes tinted red with hands bathed in blood. His reflection never had faint traces of weapon marks adorning his arms and upper body. His reflection never had a venomous smile on his face while three dead bodies stood not three yards away from his feet. His reflection had never killed anyone precious to him.
"Sakura," Naruto's voice was barely above a whisper. "Sasuke, Kakashi-Sensei." His eyes remained fixated on the corpses on the ground. "Why?"
His reflection scoffed, a devious smirk never leaving the face that was too much likes his own. "I was just doing what you didn't have the guts too."
Naruto did not want to believe what he saw. He wanted to pretend like the lifeless bodies of his team did not lie 10 feet in front of him, behind something that looked exactly like him. He wanted to pretend that none of this was real.
"Who the hell are you!?" He shouted at last. "Why did you do this to my friends?!"
"They ticked you off didn't they? I was just giving them their just desserts."
"You sick twisted bastard!" The scent of blood running through the air was enough to make him sick.
"I've been called worse. Or rather, we've been called worse."
Despite the fact that it made him look ridiculously childish and frightened, Naruto took a step back. "We? What do you mean we?"
"What else could I possibly mean idiot?" The smile turned into a thin line. "I'm a part of you, no matter how much it kills me to admit it."
Naruto shook his head. "What are you talking about? Are you that damn fox?"
The other scoffed. "Please, that fur ball inside you is just as much of a coward as you are. The only fox I'm connected to is the great beast that nearly destroyed our village twelve years ago." He sounded far too happy about that.
It made Naruto sick. "The hell are you saying? They're the same creature."
"Wrong." The boy before him said bluntly. "Those two are about as different as you and me."
Naruto let out a sharp scream, trying to let loose every amount of frustration he had in his body. "I don't understand this at all! Who are you?!"
The reflection sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his index and forefinger. "I already told you, I'm a part of you. I can't break it down anymore that."
"Fine," He tried to sound calm, even though he knew the time for such things was too far gone. "Then what part are you? You can't be compassion, and you're far too crazy for common sense."
The other boy laughed. "Finally starting to grow some huh? Good, good, I'm proud of you."
Naruto scoffed. "Thanks, but I don't need your praise. What I need is an answer to my question."
A shrug and a cruel smile greeted his eyes. "What do you think smart guy?"
"I think you need to stop beating around the bush and answer me."
"Temper, temper." The tone of the others voice made the blonde genin think about a parent teasing their child. Something far too inappropriate to term the situation at hand. "What do we say?"
"Now!"
The other just continued to smile. "If you really must know, I'm the part of you that you never seem to want to pay attention to. The violent, cynical, angry, side that you keep locked away from the prying eyes of your precious village. I. Am. Your. Rage."
Naruto shook his head. "How could- why would-"
"I came out because you pushed me aside. You kept me locked up for far too long. I don't like being ignored Naruto." An icy look morphed its way onto his face. "I tend to get violent when I feel I'm not getting enough attention"
"But why them? Why did you have to kill my friends?" There was a venom buried deep within the confides of his usual happy tone. A poison so unlike his normal joyous self that he actual had to wonder if those words had actually left his mouth.
The other shrugged. "I had to get your attention somehow."
Both were sent tumbling to the ground, with Naruto clutching his reflections neck with newly clawed hands. "That's you're excuse?! That's your excuse for killing innocent people?!"
"Innocent?" The one below him seemed to be laughing at him. "I hate to break it to you, but none of your friends are even remotely close to innocent."
"You shut up about them! You don't know them at all!"
"Oh I know all about them. I've seen them through your eyes. I know just as much about them as you do."
Naruto could not stop the twitch he felt in his hand. By that point he didn't want to stop the oncoming contact his fist made with the face of the other on the floor. He even found it enjoyable to see an all too familiar red liquid running down his sharpened claws. Suddenly, the overwhelming stench of blood wasn't so sickening anymore.
"You're starting to like it aren't you?" The one below him mocked. "The feeling of blood, the power it offers you, you're starting to get accustomed to it."
Naruto looked at his hands, looked back at his tainted reflection, and tried desperately to wipe away the dirty substance on his hands. His breathing quickened as he painstakingly tried to remain calm. But as the seconds flew by, the blood refused to come off. If anything, it spread from the tip of his fingers to the tip of his elbow. It was like a fountain, continuously flowing down without any intention of stopping.
"You can't wipe it off." The other informed with a smirk. "Once your hands have been stained, there's no cleaning it off."
The blonde genin jumped up and tried clawing at his now bloodied arms and hands. "But I didn't do anything!"
"Aww, how modest." He pointed to the bodies that were still lying lifeless on the ground. "You did that. That's their blood on your hands."
"No!" Naruto shook his head vigorously. "You did that! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"I am you, you moron. I did something, therefore, you did something. I killed them, therefore, you killed them."
"No!" Naruto almost felt as though he couldn't breathe. The air was so thick and his throat was too small. He couldn't get anything into his lungs. "I didn't do anything!"
"Just who are you trying to fool? This is your fault, and you know it."
"NO!"
"It doesn't matter how many times you say can't deny it."
"Be quiet!"
"You are a murderer."
"Shut up!"
"You are a monster."
The first thing that registered in his head was that he was staring at an all too familiar wooden floor. His body had been tangled up in a batch of ramen decorated blankets. The only sounds that could be heard in that room were his panicked and frightened breaths. He was alone, alone in his own bedroom. No reflection, no dead teammates, absolutely no one but him.
"A dream." He felt like crying. "It was all just a dream."
Not entirely Kit.
Naruto's hand instinctively went to his stomach. "Fox, what the hell was that?"
Your subconscious trying to tell you something.
"Like what?" He asked bitterly. "That some crazy clone is going to pop out of my head and start killing my friends?"
I know you're upset, but try to think. What did that clone say to you?
Naruto didn't want to remember. "He said he was my rage." He pulled at the messed up hairs on his head. "That makes no sense!"
Don't take it so literally. You're dream manifests your feeling and emotions and makes them look like something you can understand. Now continue. What else did he say?
"He said he didn't like being ignored, so he lashed out."
Well Kit, you do tend to block out any…unpleasant emotions.
"I don't have a choice. What am I supposed to do? Let them out for the whole world to see? That's just begging this village to come out and hurt me."
Keeping them in won't do you any good either. All that does is cause them to lash out and take over your very existence.
"Is that what happened to you?"
There was silence for a moment. Yes Kit. That is exactly what happened. I let my anger stay dormant for far too long. When I was wronged by the ninja of this village the final straw was snapped, and in the end I destroyed myself. Because I had denied myself the right to feel angry, my anger denied me the right to think straight.
Naruto tucked his arms under his knees.
Don't let that happen to you.
This is your author speaking. I wrote this for a reason, I tend to write everything for a reason. If anyone is angry at me, or at anyone else in this world, do NOT just keep it to yourself. I'm not saying something that looks like you is going to come out and kill people, but something bad can happen. I'm not saying punch someone every time they tick you off. But if you want to yell, yell. If you want to cry, cry. If your mad at someone, let them know. Don't destroy yourself over something so stupid.
That goes for you too young time Mistress.