Training wasn't something Naruto could focus on, each time there was trial and error as his mind was clouded by this emotion. Sakura got the exercise done quite fast, which proved the Jinchuriki's theory correct — she had great potential as a ninja. How can I be feeling hurt? Naruto kept questioning himself. The lack of concentration made it difficult to control his chakra, thus he was stuck with Sasuke.

"Very nice, Sakura," Kakashi praised. "You can watch over the bridge builder by tomorrow after practice."

Sakura awed at this. She was being trusted enough to go alone? "Yes, Kakashi-sensei!" she nodded and smiled over at Sasuke only to find his grumpy facial expression. She panicked and avoided eye contact. Sakura decided to examine Naruto. It was a little strange thinking back to what he did and said. Sure, he was right in more ways than one, the problem was that Sakura felt uneasy to think Naruto would've actually cut someone's head off. It was cruel.

Everytime she would think back to the old Naruto and then look at the present Naruto. She had slowly gotten used to him, but after this incident she was pushed back to the start. The start where she wondered just who this was, because she couldn't believe it was Naruto.

"You're staring, Miss Haruno," his nonchalant voice brought her out of those thoughts. 

Sakura flinched realizing she had been staring intensely at Naruto who seemed to have noticed without taking his eyes off the ground. She was sure that Naruto does not like people staring at him. "Uh, sorry!" Sakura wasn't the only one to notice Naruto's poker face. His headband was taken off and tied around his wrist. As a result of this, as he stared at the ground his bright blonde hair reaches slightly above his eyes.

"Naruto. Are you alright?" is what Kakashi wanted to ask, but he knew Naruto didn't like being openly asked this question. Especially not in front of people. He was a private person despite his blunt behavior.

Once Sakura climbed down the tree and was in arm's length of Naruto she proceeded to ask: "Um... do you want advice?" She noticed how he wasn't even trying to master this technique. Naruto didn't answer immediately, but he nodded, not quite thinking much on the question. "The trick is to concentrate and calm yourself." It was also advice mentally to the boy.

Naruto nodded. "I see. Thank you for the advice." He pointed to his left. "I will take a short stroll to calm my nerves," he stated. Sakura was startled by the action. Not only was he admitting he wasn't in the best mental state, but he was suddenly leaving without much regard to it.

Kakashi didn't stop him, so she reluctantly nodded. "Okay...?"

Sasuke, on the other hand, gave a glance. However, he kept staring at the scene until he had completely turned his body around. "Where's he going?" the Uchiha asked, trying not to sound interested.

Sakura shrugged, almost forgetting Sasuke Uchiha just spoke to her. Was she getting used to him or was too many things on her mind to think about love? "He said he's going for a walk," she replied and sighed afterwards. "Sensei," she called mustering all her confidence to do this, "can I ask you a favour after we get back to the village?"

Kakashi curiously hummed and raised an eyebrow.

[-]

Here he was in the same situation he was. He thought back to memories of the past, he thought back to every last one his mind could rack up, the far back ones and the recent ones. Again, he hated this feeling. He hated not knowing things, it made him scared of foreign feelings — partly why he didn't want to fall in love. He'd gotten too close to them. He should've distanced himself more. Prior, he was warned about this weakness by that man. The things he did to hi-

Naruto froze.

No, no! I do not wish to remember that!

The blond shook the thoughts off. The point being he had gotten weaker.

"Can I help you?" inquired a voice smooth as it was soft. Still, there was this rough tone to this person's voice. It blended so well with the softness of it that the rough edges of it were barely audible.

Naruto put up his poker face while eyeing the person in suspicion, he was always skeptical of new people, but he felt especially wary about this girl before him. At least, he assumed she was a she.

He came straight out with it. "What gender are you?" he blurted out. He was always formal and respected woman, but he really wasn't sure if this was a girl or a boy.

She or he laughed lightly at his blatant behavior. "How straightforward of you to ask such a question."

Naruto bowed. "Yes, how rude of me."

"It is fine. I don't usually get that question often, because people assume I'm a girl at first glance. It's a nice change to hear someone notice my male features," he explained, graceful in the way he handled himself. He smiled.

Naruto peered at the pre-teen collecting herbs — he assumed. "I see," he simply said not wanting to start a conversation. He barely knew this person and he wasn't going to change that notion. The problem with this was the fact that he kept examining Naruto and vice versa. He had a theory he wanted to prove, but not enough evidence to keep it as a possibility. Was this boy the one from earlier? He resembled the appearance and the voice could be alternated.

Then again, there wasn't much evidence to lead to it.

"What happened to your hand?" the boy interrupted the gears turning called Naruto's thoughts. The ninja dressed in black and bits of orange took a glimpse of his hand, the bandage was tinted with a light color of red. There wasn't too much, but enough to be noticeable.

"It must have opened when I was training." Naruto came to the conclusion. He was not bothered by the small wound, it didn't hurt in the slightest. If it didn't hurt then there was no need to worry.

"Training?" he asked, dismissing the wound as Naruto did.

"Yes." The blond Uzimaki nodded briefly; he was gingerly answering this boy's questions. Nonetheless, he kept his poker face well.

The one exception to his poker face was the moment he asked Naruto a simple yet complex question, "Are you training to be able to protect someone special to you?" the mysterious boy smiled innocently when Naruto allowed himself to express confusion. 

"Protect someone special? To me?" he repeated as if not knowing the concept or meaning. In truth, it wasn't familiar to him. Training to protect someone special? He might've heard protecting the village from harm, but that was a must as a ninja. Protecting someone? It was unheard of — completely foreign to him.

"Yes, why do you want to become stronger?"

That was a good question.

For Naruto, however, there was a simple answer. He became stronger to survive. As said, it was a given, he had potential. He said that he had to fight for the village and he said that Naruto was the village's weapon.

"I want to be able to survive," Naruto spoke without thinking. This person pushed the right buttons, at the right time to get the blond to openly speak. Lucky, indeed.

"You want to survive." Something flickered in his eyes. It almost resembled understanding...? 

Time passed without a word from the two. He continued his frequent action of collecting herbs. Naruto joined at one point finding it awkward to stand there. He didn't want to leave either. The blond pre-teen was overwhelmed by curiosity. His previous dull-blue eyes had gradually turned into that of a child's curious eyes, those that lit up without realization yet the confusion was something they were aware of. He almost seemed like a normal child.

Almost.

"I know how that feels," the feminine looking boy said, his appearance fitting him quite well — in an odd way. "I only lived to survive, but after I found someone I wanted to protect... I wanted to become stronger to keep that person safe," he said, putting the last of the plants in his basket. He looked at Naruto with an unreadable expression. "So I'm asking. Is there someone you want to protect. Someone you would risk your life for. Someone special to you?"

He almost seemed to be testing Naruto, the tone he used brought Naruto to that conclusion. He wasn't the only one that wanted to know something from the other.

"Do..." for the first time Naruto couldn't place his words. He sucked in a breath, finding this version of himself pathetic. Unacceptable. He sighed. "The special people that you speak of. If they seem distant or look at you with something close to disgust would you feel... bad?" the blond asked with uncertainty and hesitance. Why was he asking a complete stranger these questions?

"Hurt?" the boy rephrased almost as if he knew Naruto was avoiding the word. "Yes," he answered simply not bothering to hear Naruto's inevitable rejection of the word. Naruto unintentionally nodded. His eyebrows had long since creased as his thoughts ran wild. As his thoughts drifted to the images of a hand full of people.

A girl with gentle eyes that reflected her personality.

A boy who held the tired behavior of a grown man who had enough of life.

A loyal friend with the energy of a toddler on a sugar rush, but would listen if told to stop.

Iruka Sensei, the Hokage and Kakashi Sensei.

He tried to imagine not helping them in a dire situation, but he couldn't. He would help them. That's when he realized: "I have people like that."

The boy smiled. "Then you'll become strong, really strong." He began to walk away. "Until then."

With that, he left.

Naruto wasn't sure about that. He wanted to believe it to the point that he believed it. He tried to reject the idea, but he couldn't. At least he got his answer, he cared for his team and that's why he felt hurt when they looked at him like that.

They were becoming people he wanted to protect...

"No," his words came out cold and rough. His hands shook uncontrollably as his eyes widened. It resembled fear. Complete and utter fear. Shakily his hands slowly reached for his hair. "No." It was a hallucination, a mere memory of a hand reaching for him. Not reaching to comfort, but with the intent to torture. He took a gasp of air. Naruto shut his eyes closed, shamelessly kneeling down. It was an illusion, but he was still scared that it would get him.

He forgot about reality for that moment. No!

"Naruto?"