Naruto Uzumaki walked down the main road of Konohagakure. Head down. Silently evading and sidestepping anyone who walked in front of him without effort. He wove in and out of the crowd effortlessly. The sunshine outside only made his hallow state seem even more melancholic. As if the world was laughing at him. Mocking him. Telling him that he had messed up. That he was to blame.

The owner of the Ichiraku Ramen store called his name. The boy didn't even shrug in acknowledgement.

"Naruto! Hey! Baka!" Sakura yelled after him, having to step up her job to a full sprint to finally reach his side, "I've been calling your for five minutes now! Our Jounin exam is about to begin! Where are you doing?".

The blonde's glazed blue eyes only stayed focused on the road in front of him, unseeing.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?" the medical nin asked, her concern quickly surfacing when he didn't reply with his usual 'Hell yeah! I'm ready! Bring it on, dattebyo!'.

Without even realizing it, they passed the guarded gates of Konoha and were heading deeper into the forest now. The spring sun was pleasantly warming. It was the first sunny day Konoha had experienced this week.

"We're going to be late, Naruto-kun!" Sakura said, trying a friendlier approach, trying to coax the boy into action. No, man… into action. After his years of training with Jiraiya, it seemed that most of his childish, loudmouthed silly behaviour had died down. He had become much more serious and focused…. And deadlier.

Not a moment after Sakura placed her hand on his arm had he shrugged it off. The sparkle in his sapphire eyes had died down and now only seemed dull and lifeless. It worried her immensely. He had been through so much throughout his childhood and even worse the older he got, and yet, he always stayed positive and optimistic. What could possibly have happened to change him so much?

"I really did try…I was too late…"

His voice was so low and monotone that the young woman next to him hadn't recognized it as his. "What?" she said, breaking her stride 'Was he become this upset about Sasuke leaving again…? Or….'.

Her thoughts drifted to the young woman Sakura had seen been hanging around Naruto for the past year.

The girl, probably in her early twenties like Naruto, had long dark brown hair and dark grey eyes. Her wavy locks were always tied into a ponytail. A self-assured smile almost always on her face. Sakura couldn't, for the life of her, understand how someone like her could stand Naruto for so long… but the pair of them had been almost inseparable over the year. But, even though she had tried to find out many times, Sakura couldn't find out the girl's name or even where she had come from. Even when she had asked Naruto, he just grinned and shook his head saying 'I can't tell you that, Sakura-chan!' before laughing.

"Please leave me alone," Naruto said darkly as he started up the hill.

"Uh…. What's bothering you, Naruto?" Sakura asked again, having to jog to keep up with his walking pace, "Cheer up, huh".

The blonde-haired boy's eyes narrowed. His lips didn't even twitch in response.

"Aww… come on, smile for me!" Sakura said with a smile, poking him jokingly on his whiskered cheek.

A hand snapped around hers in a crushing grip, "Don't. Say. That. Ever. Again…" Naruto warned, his voice dropping its volume with each word. A bitter laugh slipped from his mouth as he shut his eyes. He clenched his teeth and grabbed hold of his head with his hands. He stopped walking. His shoulders hunched up. He bent forwards and started pulling on his hair, as if physical pain could erase any other.

She hesitated before lifting a hand to his back, "What happened…?" she asked, her voice soft and filled with undiluted true concern.

"A D-rank mission…a simple delivery mission…" his voice cracked as he gave another bitter laugh. It was so filled with pain that it made it hard to listen. "A stupid… amateur…".

He swallowed dryly, wiping furiously at his cheek as an afterthought. His face contorted into a forced, callous grin, "One… lucky hit," Naruto growled. He laughed again, although, it sounded more like a sob.

His shoulders shook for a moment. He coughed and wiped angrily at his eyes.

"Is she…" Sakura left the ending unfinished, hoping for the best. Even though she didn't particularly like Naruto, she still hoped he could find his own happiness somehow….

Taking in a deep breath before hiccupping, Naruto looked up. His bloodshot eyes were darkened, dull. Dark circles from sleepless nights lined his eyes, making him seem even older. His smile was forced and painfully care-free, "Let's get going, Sakura-chan. We're going to be later than Kakashi-sensei!" he said hastily. He turned around and started jogging back to Konoha.

"S… She's…" Sakura mouthed numbly as the realization hit her.

Her childhood friend's voice called to her, "Come on, dattebyo" although, this time, his voice was thick, hallowed and empty.