As you can tell from the title and the image there will be some angsty sh!t in this chapter. I almost want to apologize ahead of time, but then I realize you guys will probably end up loving the character development in this chapter.

Also, I think this shows a side of Naruto we don't get to see as much in fanfics like this where she goes back and loses everyone she knew. I think we need more fics with this type of character development and realism.

Thank you all.

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"So, what happened?" Obito and Rin had been hammering her with this question since they had left their training for that day. None of them had seen anything other than her practically getting thrown into the tree, then disappearing. After that, it had just been their sensei looking confused as he searched for her and the sounds of a battle in the forest.

As the four of them entered the small food stand, for they had all dragged Kakashi along, she began explaining. She told them how she had taken the hit on purpose because she knew she would be able to get out of it with minimal damage and be able to set a trap for Minato-sensei. She then explained the other trap she had set and then how the fight had ensued. She left out certain details of course, like the fact that she had massive amounts of chakra she had somehow managed to suppress, how she had argued whether or not to even fight him with the demon inside of her, leaving out the fact that she even had a demon inside her, one more real than most.

They looked at her in shock, and awe in Rin's case, as she explained the whole debacle to them. Of course, Kakashi tried his hardest to cover his look of shock with his usual placid expression, failing to do so before she caught sight of him. She swelled up with pride at the fact that she had been able to get that reaction from the younger Kakashi but didn't know why.

Kakashi was just amazed at how she had been able to fool Minato-sensei so easily. Naruto had not given him the impression at first that she was capable of such a thing. Sure, maybe threatening people, and maybe even good aim, but to have such strategic prowess at such a young age...

She explained it as if she had thought of the whole thing right on the spot and carried it out with much ease, although he felt something was missing. He decided not to pry, a lesson he had learned from his sensei.

As they ate, a question popped into the Hatake's head. He was appalled at himself for not thinking to ask before but chalked it up to being distracted by the spar.

"What clan do you belong to, Naruto?" He asked suddenly, with no warning. He had been hoping to catch her off guard and make sure she couldn't lie, but it seemed as if she had been expecting the question.

"I forgot to tell you, didn't I? My name Naruto Sarutobi." She grinned at them with a blindingly bright smile, but there was sadness there. She must know what it was like to be all alone in the world.

Naruto was saddened at the fact that she could not use her real name. She was proud of her Uzumaki heritage and didn't want to have to give that up for any reason. It had been Oji-Chan's idea to use his last name, and it would give an excuse for her to be going to his office as often as she did. But she couldn't help but be sad at the fact that she had to disguise herself to some of the people she cared most about because they had no idea who she was.

"What? You're related to the Hokage? But you look nothing like him. Also, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a daughter." Obito stated skeptically, and, although he would never admit it, Kakashi agreed with him.

"I'm adopted, but he didn't want anyone to know I was daughter in case of enemies." She quickly explained, trying to escape the hole they had to begin digging for her.

Kakashi looked like he was about to ask another question, and most likely try to pry the truth out of her. She had never been very good at lying to him. Before he could, though, he was interrupted by Obito.

"That makes sense. Doesn't it, Rin?" He asked the girl who was sitting between the two boys. She seemed to be acting almost like a barrier between them, or maybe she was the thing keeping them both here. She simply nodded in response as she continued to eat her food.

Obito smiled and began making small talk with the other two as Naruto sullenly sat in her seat. She looked over and saw them all smiling. She could even see the ghost of a smile on Kakashi's lips as Obito made a stupid joke that even he couldn't resist.

It was times like this that she missed her old friends. She missed the way they would make fun of her in a good-natured way, the way they would always laugh with each other, the way they would reprimand her for eating too much junk food. She couldn't help the tear that dripped down her cheek. Deciding it was time to take her leave, she quickly said her goodbyes and walked home, hoping no one noticed the tears that slowly slipped down her cheeks.

"I'm home." She called out to the empty apartment.

As she walked in, she half expected Iruka to be there, telling her she should get more sleep before forcing her into bed. Or maybe she expected Kakashi to be sneaking vegetables into her fridge in an attempt to get her to eat healthily. Maybe she even expected her parents to be there waiting for her, a warm hug ready for when she finally got home. At least one thing about her had stayed the same throughout her life. Her naïve dreams of having parents there when she got home, of having food ready when she entered the door.

She meandered her way to her bed and collapsed into it, hoping the pillow would hide any evidence of the sobs that were currently racking her body.

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As Naruto left, Kakashi noticed tears slipping down her cheeks. He was shocked to find out that this worried him. Why should he be worried? She was just a member of his group, just a tool to get the mission finished, even at the cost of her life. At that thought, he felt his fists clench. For some reason, the thought of any harm coming to her hurt him.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked, noticing the way his hands were forced into tight fists.

"I'm fine, I think I'll be going home now." He told them as he exited the small booth. He found himself following Naruto on the rooftops as she quickly made her way to what he presumed to be her home.

"I'm home." She called out as she opened the door, only to find an empty apartment.

"Is she like me? Does she have no one waiting for her?" Kakashi thought, "No, she has the Hokage. She has a family, people who care about her and who she cares about. I have no one. I need no one." He resolutely decided in his head, but as he saw her fall onto her bed, he couldn't ignore the stab of pain that went through his heart as he saw the sobs rack her body.

He quickly turned away and went back to his own empty home, also having no one to answer him as he called out.

"I'm home."

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We got some angst, some character development, and even some romantic development in this chapter. Hope you like it. Thank you.

Word Count: 1221