Author's Note:

unedited version due to editor being unavailable.

Warning: This may be triggering for some people.

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Why was is so hard to breathe?

I tried to breathe in, but I barely sucked in any air. Something blocked me; a soft yet rough texture touched my teeth. Based on the sensation on my tongue, I could guess what it was. The tight grip it had - especially around my jaw - gave me my last clue.

Someone tied a clothe over my mouth and that was not all there was.

I tried to reach for the clothe, but my wrists stayed glued together. Whatever it was that kept my hands in place - rope, I thought - it was tied tightly. Both my legs and arms hurt, but when I moved my head, I became more aware of the splitting headache that came and went like a siren.

Throb and then gone.

It repeated like that in seconds. The pain was unbearable and my stomach kept churning in an unpleasant way. I would have gagged if this stupid thing wasn't wrapped around my mouth.

I groaned. I was starting to think this was a migraine instead of a headache. But, I don't remember hitting my head and I had an, overall, healthy body. I had no idea what was going on.

Where am I?

What happened?

Did someone...

I felt my forehead irk. Finally, I had the strength to open my eyes, but all I could see was darkness. Simple shapes, like a box that was next to me, caught my sight, yet I still didn't recognize this place. The shocking reality about my situation came crashing down on me.

Did someone... kidnap me?

"You're finally awake," said an unfamiliar, muffled, voice.

I squinted my eyes - suddenly they were bleary. Flashes of white replaced my vision from one second or another. At this rate, I would only be able to recognize their voice and gender.

Ugh, it really is a migraine.

When they walked into the small light source that I had, I saw a man. My eyes adjusted just enough to make out the ANBU mask on his face and the tattoo meant for ANBUs on his shoulder.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked me.

How would I know why someone just kidnaped me? Idiot!

I wanted to shout out those thoughts. I wanted to get out of here, but I helplessly stared at him. Something felt off though. Once the white flashes stopped and the throbbing subsided, I felt worse.

Was I supposed to be feeling this numb too, because they knocked me unconscious? No, did they sedate me?Now that I think about it, the clothe had a weird taste mixed with it.

I need to get out of here.

The room was spinning.

What was I thinking about again? I blinked, trying to shake my head. Right, I need to--

"Naruto Uzumaki."

I tried to look up at him, but the only thing that was barely functioning properly was my eyes.

"You know him, right?" He chuckled and slid a chair in front of me. "Of course, you do. You're chummy with him, after all."

His faux friendly tone changed into a deeper rough tone. "That's why you're here."

Huh? My eyes widened. What the--

The ANBU abruptly stood up, which caused the chair to harshly hit the floor. My body twitched at the loud bang, but I knew that menacing voice scared me the most. My breathes shortened until I was trying to gasp for air.

He was getting too close.

"And that's why I'm doing this, to make you face reality," he said without a hint of remorse. "So you can snap out of that things genjutsu."

My body instincts told me to run, to move away, but I helplessly sat there. Ironically, that very second he reached out for my face, my eyes opened fully.

He grabbed onto my head, that pain in my head spiking back as he did, and reached for something inside the box from earlier.

"Light it," he commanded to the darkness.

Another person walked out from the shadows, an orange light soon following them as they appeared in my line of vision.

In their hand, they carried a torch, which had been instantly lit. Their face hid behind a mask like that man, but the man's looked real.

What's he doing? I pulled on the rope trapping my feet. Again, I tried to free my hands with all the strength I could muster out, but my struggles done nothing in the end.

What's that in his hand?

Breathing was becoming more and more difficult as I watched the man raise something - something that ignited terror inside me. Then, he placed the edge of it in the fire. My heartbeat hit my ribs and once he raised it to my face, my squirming around intensified. I kicked and pulled on the ropes, but I couldn't get away.

And the burning pain on my forehead hurt too much to think over my screams that echoed throughout the room.

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My throat itched.

How long has it been since this started? I can't tell anymore.

I coughed continuously when I inhaled what little air I could take in. My forehead throbbed, but oddly, I couldn't feel the pain from the burn anymore. No doubt, my skin was a mess and maybe even gone. Something warm leaked down the first time, so blinking away the droplets that fell to my eyes worked best right that second.

If he puts third-degree burns on my hands--

"I'm sure you know what's going to happen," the man said, harshly tossing the tool he used to burn my skin on the ground. "But you can stop all this. All you need to do is help us bring that monster down without notifying the Hokage."

"He's not."

"Huh?"

Although my lungs felt so weak and making a single sound was a struggle, I needed to make it clear. The words rolled out of my throat; it was as if I croaked.

"He's not a monster!" I screamed, coughing right after each exclamation. "He's just as human as anybody is!"

I clearly remembered the day we met and the way I bullied Naruto. Then, he stopped my brother from beating me up - knowing I tried to hurt him in the past. And, even though he saw me as nothing more than a nuisance in the beginning, he showed he cared for us.

He showed anxiety, he cried, he smiled and he had his flaws like any other human being!

"He's more human than you will ever be--"

The man hit my face with his clenched fist, but I knew he would be provoked. Still, knowing I'd be harmed and being prepared for that indescribable pain was completely different things.

"Sir, if you could calm dow--" The other person tried to simmer the man down, but the results were to naught.

"Quiet! What does this boy know, huh!?" The man shouted, pointing at me. "He knows nothing about the tragedy ten years ago - about the pain of losing your loved ones! It's all his fault, the demon!"

Ten years ago? Wasn't that a natural disaster that killed so many people and destroyed people's houses? What does that have to do with Naruto-sama?

Do they have a screw loose?

"Maybe so, but--"

"Maybe!?" The man was fuming, but at the very least, I had him talking instead of burning my flesh till it stops my blood flow. "Are you doubting who is at fault!? Are you trying to say that the boy is innocent now and it's not his fault? Is that what you're saying? Are you going to try to stop me!?"

"I never said any of that, sir," the other masked person stuttered. "I'm just saying-- sir, what are you doing!?"

"I'm going to teach this boy some manners," the ANBU-man said. He reached for his pouch - strapped to his thighs - and pulled out a dauntingly sharp kunai.

Although, his mask covered his face, I knew he'd gone mad. Something else ticked him off about what I said, not just his denial. My guess: he was all too aware of the insanity in his plan and the irrational reasoning behind it.

But, he continued to do this.

"You know," I said as my voice cracked and I tasted the metallic liquid between my teeth, "I'm the one who's tied up and covered in blood."

I chuckled weakly after coughing.

"But you're the ones that look pathetic."

After seeing shoulders tremble and fist knuckles turn white, I only felt pain.

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