Wind

Disclaimer: Never owned 'Naruto'. Just playing around with the characters for awhile…

It's raining. Long and hard. Sheets and sheets and sheets of liquid pouring out from the sky, seemingly endless in their fall. The city and the surrounding country that the rain is falling on, is empty, streets barren and devoid of life. People are inside, sheltered from the furious downpour that rattles the rooftops and pelts the paved roads.

It's the hardest rain Konohagakure had seen in a long time.

There's thunder and lightning and it's colder than cold. And most sane humans are inside, out of the frigid rain and next to a heater or a fire place. Nice, safe and dry.

But not every one is sane. And not everyone is human.

In the center of Konoha, behind the Hokage tower, there's a cemetery. It holds the tombs of shinobi. Important ones, ones that have shaped Konoha's history and the history of the ninja world. The Shodaime is buried there, next to a large cherry blossom tree. The Nidaime is there too, his grave in the center of a small plot of land, surrounded by a tiny pond. The Sandaime is there, his grave a marble tomb, surrounded by small candles. The Yondaime's grave is in there somewhere, his resting place a small monument made of gold and silver, seals imprinted into its surface.

And there's a white gravestone. A simple small, while tomb that's stuck into the grass. It's not close to the Hokage's, but it's not far. It's surrounded a few flowers and there's a bottle of sake propped up against the side. There's a bench in front of the tomb. A place to sit and stop and think.

And there's a person on that bench. Not quite a boy but not yet a man.

He stares at the grave.

It's pouring harder. But the person just sits there, a small orange umbrella gripped lazily in his right hand barely shielding him from the lashing rain. He's sitting. And staring. And occasionally the young man, old boy, raises a lit cigarette to his mouth and takes a long drag. The smoke drifts up, into the rain and disappears.

The black clad blonde has an empty look in his eyes. He tilts his head up, blowing smoke out of his mouth. There's a tiny, small, melancholy smile on his face, stretching across his mouth. The rain is pouring down on him and the gravestone, pelting them both with large, circular raindrops.

There's a flick of his hand, barely visible in the rain and now his cigarette is on the ground and his heel is crushing it, grounding the tobacco and paper into the wet earth.

The blonde is talking. It's a low voice, full of bitterness and there's a little bit of hatred lacing his words.

"Can you believe it? They tried to stop me from going to your funeral. Me of all people."

He chuckles softly and his eyes are closing, frosty and blue as his lids blink once or twice.

"They've got some nerve…don't they, Ero-sennin?"

There's a silence for a moment. But the blonde just keep talking.

"You know how they are. I'm just Uzumaki Naruto. The demon. No one gives a shit even if you were my sensei."

Naruto pauses, reaching into his pocket. He shakes his head as if disagreeing with something.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this... You know that. I know it. And the people in this village should damn well know it too."

He's lighting another cigarette, his hands bursting into a small flame under the umbrella, burning the tip of the well rolled tobacco. He inhales and it fills his lungs. His eyes are half lidded and he's savoring the flavor of the smoke. Naruto waits and finally exhales.

"They don't care Ero-baka, not anymore…and I'm starting to give up too."

His voice is soft at the last words. Naruto lifts the cigarette and places it in between his lips. He talks, smoke billowing from his mouth.

"Jiraiya…"

He pauses, adjusting the umbrella in his hand as the rain whips in another direction.

"…do you remember when you said you wanted me to be free…?"

He stops as if waiting for a response. He leans forward, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Free from Kyuubi, free from Konoha, free from being a killer…? Free like the wind…? That I deserved that much…?"

There is a long pause now and Naruto's brow creases.

"Well...well now, I think…I want to be like the wind; everywhere at once. You can feel me, but you can't see me. I want to be free…"

A moment of silence and Naruto just closes his eyes, the cigarette now limp in his hand.

"I'm telling you because I just want you to know, you probably won't be seeing me for a long time. Don't want you to get mad at me for leaving without telling you now would I?"

A playful tone is in his words and a small, fox like grin graces his features. The grin fades second after second and he raises the cigarette back to his mouth.

"Yeah I've got it under control… It's something bigger than you or I or even the Yondaime could have imagined."

He glances far past Jiraiya's tombstone to the crafted gold and silver grave in the distance. Naruto stares for a few moments, lost in thought. He's sighing now, smoke coming out from his mouth.

"…Thanks for everything Jiraiya sensei…"

He's quiet and now he's just sitting and staring. Just like before. The rain is still slashing at him, but he doesn't seem to notice. The tombstone is so white and so clear in the rain; Naruto doesn't even need to look carefully to know what he's doing next. He's kneeling suddenly. He can see the bottle of sake. So he adds something else to the small offering. The blonde is up again, standing, pummeled by the rain.

"I won't forget you…"

The blonde's footsteps are muffled as he steps through the mud and into the furious storm. Naruto takes no notice of the rain whipping at his body, cigarette still stuck in his mouth and hands deep in his pocket. He walks on.

His umbrella is still at the grave, forgotten.

But this time it's propped up on the tomb, sheltering it, sharing the space with the small bottle of sake, a half pack of cigarettes and a long black strip of cloth, connected to a dull metallic Konoha headband.

"You stupid baka! Scaring all of us like that! Who do you think you are?"

Sakura is screaming, again, and even Kakashi has to wince at the volume and pitch of her voice.

Naruto doesn't even bat an eye. His teammates are seated across from him in small wooden chairs.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, venturing a question to the young demon container.

"But what happened Naruto…? I don't really understand."

He's in the hospital. Things hadn't been as clear cut as he'd believed when he'd sat in front of Jiraiya's grave and told him he had it under control. That they had it under control. Naruto avoids Kakashi's question for a few moments before Sakura begins screeching again, demanding answers.

All Naruto has to say is one word.

"Kyuubi."

That shuts them up. Kakashi's first words are predictable.

"The seal?"

Naruto responds like he would almost all the time.

"It's fine."

He can see the jounin visibly relax. Sakura's question is next.

"How did something with the Kyuubi destroy an entire training ground? I don't understand."

Naruto closes his eyes and thinks. Kyuubi's power…Kyuubi's power flowing through his veins…flowing through his body…his genes… The wind, howling and dangerous, compressed, pushed into him, combined with Kyuubi's infinite chakra and sealed by his own… An explosion. Wind, fire and light. His body passing through time and space…and air. Out of Konoha. And back into it. In an instant. In a split second. Whatever wind touches… Whatever air touches…

He doesn't know how to respond so he says the only thing he can.

"No…I don't expect you to. Either of you."

Naruto sees Tsunade out of the corner of his eye, heading toward his hospital room. Shizune is right behind her and he can hear her rapid footsteps echoing in the hall. She's trying to catch up to Tsunade. There's a stack of folders in her hand and Naruto realizes with widened eyes that Shizune…Shizune must know…

Sakura is talking again, but Naruto stops listening, instead focusing his hearing on the two medic nins conversation. Shizune had examined him when he was brought in. If anything had been found out…she'd be the first to know. She'd be the first to realize that Naruto's genetics…his DNA make-up, was no longer the same. That whatever wind touches… Whatever air touches…

"…something different with him Tsunade-sama…He's not the same."

There's concern in her voice with an undertone of curiosity. Naruto listens intently, ignoring his screeching teammate and his lazy jounin commander. Maybe she's figured it out. Maybe she knows what Kyuubi did to him in that demolished training ground. Maybe she knows that Naruto has achieved something that no other shinobi has ever achieved… Maybe… And if Tsunade listens, she'll know too.

"Its okay Shizune, he'll be fine. He's Naruto. He always bounces back."

He hears, and a sad smile splits across Naruto's face at the words coming from the Hokage. She shuts down Shizune. No interest at all…no worry. His teammates don't notice his expression and even if they did they wouldn't know why.

If only they knew. Everyone can be broken.

Days pass. A week. Two. And then finally, Naruto leaves the hospital.

Clouds inch by overhead, floating lazily in the afternoon. Wisps of white and puffs of cream hang scattered about the blue sky, and he watches every single one as they drift by his eyes. One cloud. Two clouds. Three clouds. A bowl of ramen, a shuriken and a frog.

The wind blows and the clouds waver in their shapes.

A smile flits across Naruto's face as he gazes at the skies.

He stands atop the Hokage monument, staring down at everything below him. The buildings, the metal and tile of their supports seemingly swaying. The trees and the ponds, the water rippling with each gust of wind that passes over head. The people, their clothes flapping as the air reaches them, pushing their jackets and hats up, skirts and dresses flinging in the wind.

The wind touches everything…

Naruto is relaxed. His wounds have healed but it's a moot point now. The Kyuubi's done its job. It's his turn now. It isn't his first time doing it… But it's his first time doing it purposely. He can't be scared. Not after what happened. He can't hesitate. He's got one good shot and one damn good chance. The demon in the depths of his mind stirs.

His feet scrape a bit at the stone underneath him, shifting from one to another and he pulls his hands out of his deep pockets. He stares at the people walking by, their figures so small from his view, their bodies no bigger than ants, bustling about in their daily work.

It's free…

The wind whips around him and he closes his eyes, pulling his gaze from the city below.

It's now or never.

Naruto steps forward, his eyes still closed. He's closer to the edge now, and the wind gusts around him ever more. His hair is flying wildly in the sky and he can feel the air surround him. His hands curl into seals and the Kyuubi begins roaring in his head, the demonic voice drowning out his senses.

'You've got one shot at this human! Don't mess it up!'

The blonde just smirks.

'You were always one for dramatics Kyuubi…"

The demon fox growls in the depths of his mind and the wind swirls and he can hear it in his ears, loud and echoing. Whatever wind touches… Whatever air touches… He can touch too. And he can be free…

'Freedom…'

He leans forward.

'Wouldn't that be nice, Naruto…?'

And falls.

-Fin-

AN: Too vague? Too detailed? Tell me.