-Chapter 1-

~All Pain, No Gain~

How long had it been now? Days? Weeks? Months? How long? And even more concerning, how much longer? The pain was unreal, like nothing he'd ever felt before, but somehow he managed to push past just barely enough to finish a battle. But every time he moved, the horrible pain shot through his spine, up to his neck, and traveled to every part of his body. Normally this would be flat-out debilitating. Naruto had a strong will, though.

In fact, he was just heading back to the Hidden Leaf. He had a home, but he had no one to look after him. It had been that way ever since he was a newborn. The only reason they kept him alive was to suppress the beast's awesome powers. Yes, the nine-tailed fox happened to be that beast. And he happened to be the host, the jinchuriki. He'd wondered why too many times to count.

He recalled the events of the mission as he made his way back. Most of what he remembered was the agony he felt every time he moved. It got even worse whenever he used a jutsu. At this rate, he would have to quit fighting. Shinobi were supposed to stand their ground, though. They couldn't afford to let pain or injuries or even illness stand in their way.

But the pain… The pain had been so intense, so horrible… He couldn't help but wonder what was happening inside his own body. Perhaps he had overused his chakra. Come to think of it, he hadn't really rested from fighting rogue ninja and other enemies. Sometimes he would be called to duty even in the middle of the night. Yes, that had to be it. It would be a logical explanation. This might be exactly why his teammates told him to calm down and get some sleep.

He sighed, feeling sleepy. He brushed it aside just long enough to flop onto his bed. His body still hurt a whole lot, but the pain loosened its grip on him just a little now that he was staying still.

Man…today was rough. I winced a few times from the pain, but I don't think anyone noticed. he thought. Hopefully I'll feel better after I rest.

But after hours of insomnia from the torture he was being put through, he gave up on trying to sleep. Instead he settled for just relaxing on his bed. He tried to shove the pain from his mind and concentrated on training and perfecting his techniques. But there were a few other things on his mind as well. His sensei and teammates, his friends and their techniques, and most obviously, Sakura. He'd asked her out numerous times when he was younger, but each time she shot him down. She had her hopes up with Sasuke. She never thought of him as good enough.

But then, nobody ever truly did. Sasuke was the ace of the class and the team. No matter how hard Naruto tried to claw his way to the top, everyone still feared him. They rejected him. To them he was nothing more than the very monster which threatened their lives. But he'd used the fox's chakra for good deeds, hadn't he? Didn't anybody see that? No, of course not. They either refused to believe it, didn't know about it, or ignored it entirely. In their eyes, their village was jeopardized because of his very existence.

Was that how his fellow shinobi thought of him? Or maybe they saw him a bit differently. Maybe to them, he was the ultimate weapon. He was a monster that could wipe out all the Leaf's enemies in one fell swoop.

No, no, that couldn't be right.

Either way, no matter what they saw him as, he had been weighing down the team pretty drastically. He had to stop and catch his breath more often than usual. He had to rush to catch up to them, and then work ten times harder to keep up with them. Oftentimes he found himself relying on his friends' help because his strength would simply fail him. The longer a fight took, the more he put himself and his team in danger. He had become a huge disadvantage, though he didn't think anyone noticed something was off with him.

He grunted as the pain forced itself back into his mind, reminding him how badly his body hurt. Oh, what he would give just to have one minute of peace.

He hissed as he felt the spot on his arm where two kunai knives had sliced him. They'd cut him pretty deeply, but not enough to deal any serious or permanent damage. It was still bleeding a little bit, but he knew it would stop soon. In fact, it was thanks to Kiba and Akamaru that he survived at all. He didn't have the energy to dodge the kunai, but luckily Kiba spotted the attack. Akamaru knocked him down, saving him from all but two kunai. Kiba quickly grabbed him and carried him away before the assault could continue. Neither of them got hurt, but he should have been able to dodge the weapons on his own.

The only thing his team had observed about him was the two wounds he received from the kunai knives. It was truly astonishing how oblivious they were when it came to Naruto's well-being.

The only real downside to ever even going on that mission was the mere fact that Sakura was there. Not only had he made a fool of himself right in front of her during the fight, but she was a medical ninja. That meant it was her job to heal his injuries, the same injuries he normally would've avoided. He never gave her a chance to do that, having lost all pride and dignity. He left the rest of the battle to his team, knowing he would only slow them down. This meant Sakura would be looking for him when she got back.

Good thing she doesn't know where I live. At least I don't think she knows; she's never been to my place before. he thought.

He yawned tiredly and tried to get some sleep. The pain made it hard, but eventually he just passed out on his bed. He needed the rest if he wanted to fell better.

A/N

Hope you guys liked it. Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. I figured it would be longer, but I guess I thought wrong. Anyway, the story takes off with this chapter, and more are on their way.

I'll only post the next chapter when I receive six reviews. I just need to keep interest in the story is all, and sending ideas to me would be a great benefit to the story. Praise is also much appreciated.

Oh, and can someone PLEASE tell me how to spell Kakashi/Kekashi? Also, is Akamaru spelled right?