Naruto Senju : Konoha's Ice Dragon

Chapter 20 - The Land of Waves

KONOHA BOAT - ON ROUTE TO THE LAND OF WAVES

Naruto was now standing on the front-deck of the boat, admiring the setting sun on the horizon. The young blonde was still troubled about the actions he had to do, to ensure the mission's success and his Team's safety. His thoughts are still lingering on the 4 Ame-Ninjas that he had encountered and defeated.

Naruto never liked killing and he probably never will, but he has to admit to himself, that he is scarily good at it.

The more lives he takes, the easier it gets. And the easier it gets, the more his heart hardens. He just hopes that he won't turn into the very thing that the villagers had always thought him to be. A Monster.

His thoughts were broken, when he heard Asuma approached him, and stood beside him on the deck.

"Why are you up so early, Naruto?" Asuma asked, as he noticed the blonde is not asleep like his teammates.

".....I couldn't sleep." Naruto answered honestly, as he continues to gaze at the sunset.

Sensing that his student is bothered, Asuma then lit-up the cigarette in his mouth, and asked...

"Want to talk about it?" Asuma asked.

".....Not really" Naruto answered with a dejected tone.

".....Listen, I know you reported that you and the Team were attacked by the Ame-ninjas led by Aoi Rokusho. And I know that you said that you 'defeated' them. But you never said how." Asuma said, as he noticed Naruto tensed-up after he mentioned 'how'.

"What happened, Naruto?" Asuma asked with concern in his voice.

".....I killed them." Naruto answered honestly, feeling that he needed to let it all out.

"I see" Asuma said with closed eyes.

"Does....does it ever get easy, Asuma Sensei?" Naruto asked with a lifeless voice.

Asuma could see the pain in the young blonde's eyes, and decided to give him his honest opinion on the matter.

"Honestly.....yes." Asuma confessed.

"Really?" Naruto asked, slightly surprised by the answer.

"Look, I'm not going to give you some long lecture about killing is wrong....but....it IS necessary. Believe me, I have been where you are, kiddo, and even I couldn't stomach it at first." Asuma said.

"So how did you deal with it?" Naruto asked with hope in his voice.

".....By remembering what I was fighting for." Asuma simply said.

Naruto was silent, as his violet eyes widened, after hearing what Asuma just said.

"When I kill an enemy, it is mostly because they were either a threat, or they were trying to kill me or someone close to me. I didn't do it because I wanted to, or it was my duty. I did It because I wanted to survive, so I can continue to protect all those I love." Asuma said with a fond tone at the end, as he thought about a certain raven haired kunoichi.

Naruto remained silent, as he continues to listen to what his Sensei has to say.

"Life is very short, Naruto. And getting old....is a rare gift. Especially in this world where you can die at any moment. My dad is one of the lucky-few to reached past his prime, and he fought in all three great wars and killed many enemies. So tell me Naruto, do you think people call him a monster because of it?" Asuma asked.

"N-No, of course not." Naruto immediately answered.

"Of course not. Because he fought and killed for the people he loved. And because he did, they are safe and alive. The world is not all black and white, Naruto, because there is always a grey-area. We can be as selfless as we want, but it is natural for us to be selfish sometimes. Even if that means, other people will have to get hurt. But that doesn't mean we forget. We owed it to them, to not waste our lives with pain and regret." Asuma said wisely.