October 10th, the date jumping out at him from the calendar. Naruto sighed, knowing he won't be able to hide this from his father. Every year, on his birthday, there's a little event called "The Fox Hunt". It's only known by civilians and a few shinobi, hidden from the Hokage. Naruto's been able to hide this for years, but now that he's closer to his dad than ever, it'd be nearly impossible to keep this from him.
He rolled out of bed, cursing Jiji for making him leave his house. Making his way to the dining room, Kakashi set down a couple of plates, turning to feed the ninken. For breakfast, Kakashi made miso soup, rice, and ohitashi (pickled veggies).
Kakashi handed him a small box, one he knows contains his favorite mochi cake: matcha. He's not a fan of sweets, but matcha mochi cakes? 10/10.
"Happy 12th birthday, Naruto."
---
Jiji completely forgot the date, considering they had to do D-Rank missions today. Usually, D-Ranks are boring or annoying, but today they're dangerous.
Naruto's familiar with this civilian in particular. He lost his pregnant wife and two children during the Kyuubi attack, and he has a vendetta against Naruto. Then again, very few civilians actually like him, Teuchi and Ayame being the only ones.
The look on his face when he saw Naruto could only be described as murderous intent, lucky that only the blonde caught the look. He informed the group that Kakashi and the other two Genin are to work in the yard while Naruto helps him inside. Naruto knows what was going to happen, resigned to his fate until Kakashi eye-smiled and said,
"No, I think I'll stay with all of my students, thanks."
The civilians eyebrow twitched, irritation clear on his face. Shino and Shikamaru flanked his sides, protectiveness radiating off of them.
"Fine then, you'll all work outside."
From there, it was just pettiness, ranging from 'forgetting' to get Naruto a drink to 'accidentally' spilling paint on him when he brought paint buckets for the fence. After three hours of labor, Naruto was thirsty and splattered with paint. He sighed in relief when his dad told him they're done for the day.
Naruto slightly tensed, knowing that he'd have to ditch his team and get this over with, knowing from experience that otherwise it'll be worse next year. He said he was going to get washed up, asking if they could give the mission report without him, and bolted off before they could respond.
He might regret this decision later, but this isn't for his safety, it's for theirs. Every beating gives the villagers a sense of relief, relief that the demon is still weak, that the village is safe. They need that relief, and it's Naruto's job to let them have it.
It's his penance for killing his family, destroying the village, ruining lives. He may not have actually done this, but all that blood and destruction is on his hands. He has to pay his dues,
but this price may be far too great.
---
(TW:⚠️Child abuse and violence⚠️)
Naruto didn't make it far, maybe three blocks, before being yanked into an alley. He forced his body to become limp, knowing that any sort of struggle will make this worse. It started small, just being punched and kicked, before quickly escalating into breaking bones and slicing new scars into his body. The scars are small but deep, hard to heal but easy to hide.
While many left, getting bored, some of the...crueler...ones got angry at his lack of response. One man, large and bulky, stomped onto his ribs, instantly shattering most of them and making it hard to breathe. His vision swam, seeing a familiar ponytail running closer, angry yells and cries of fear fading to nothing.
⚠️End of TW⚠️
---
Kakashi stared at the kid, his kid, laying in the hospital bed. His skin so pale it almost blended into the surrounding white, his form looking so small and fragile, practically being swallowed by the bed.
He remembers Shikamaru's clone running to him, pure fear and rage shining in his eyes, hurriedly explaining what happened before poofing away.
Shikamaru found civilians trying to kill his son. Found that they've been doing this every year, and he never knew. What kind of shitty father can't even tell that their child gets fucking hunted on their birthday, by people he fucking saved by having the Kyuubi sealed into him?
Kakashi wanted to break something, to go out and find every single fucker who hurt his son, and break them just like they broke his baby. His small, kind, selfless baby who thinks that he has to carry the world on his shoulders.
"Dammit! Why is it always him? Why can't he catch a break?!" Kakashi whisper-shouted, more angry at himself than anything
How did he miss this?
---
Considering the way things are going, Shikamaru's going to have to tell him soon. Not now, obviously, considering Naruto's still recovering, but soon. Being a shinobi is dangerous, and being Naruto is even more dangerous, so he has to put this out there while he still can.
He remembers the cold rage he felt when he stumbled into an alley, only to find his Naruto being hurt by some bastard who thinks that he has the right to hurt what's Shikamaru's. He remembers how he killed a civilian, not an ounce of remorse shown, and carried on with his day. He'll never regret it though, because if you touch what belongs to a Nara? Not even a god can save you.
He'll protect Naruto from the shadows, for as long as he lives.
---
Naruto woke up, sore and confused. He's warm, and he's somewhere soft; completely different from the cold hard ground of the alley.
Is he dead?
Movement next to him told him that, no, he's not dead.
Looking over, he saw his dad staring at the floor, book abandoned. He squeezed the hand he was holding, instantly getting his attention.
Kakashi looked him right in the eyes, and apologized,
"As your father, it's my job to protect you, keep you safe. I...I haven't been doing a great job at that, and I know apologizing won't help the situation-"
Naruto cut him off with a firm look, refusing to let him take responsibility.
"Dad. You didn't know, because I didn't want you to know. I hid this from you, not because I don't trust you, but because..."
Naruto broke off, shame coloring his face.
"Because...it's the price I have to pay for all the damage I caused. For the lives I took, families I ruined. I may not have directly caused all of it, but the blood is on my hands."
Kakashi crushed his son in a hug, careful of his ribs.
"Naruto, listen to me. I mean, really listen to what I'm about to say. You aren't the Kyuubi, you didn't cause the attack, and you definitely don't have to pay for crimes you didn't commit. You are a child. You were a newborn when all of this happened, a human baby. Not a demon. Most of all, you're my knucklehead of a son, Naruto Uzumaki-Hatake."
Naruto burst out into tears, and for once, it felt like things were going to be okay.
A//N: Ahhh, don't you love some hurt/comfort? This chapters been on my mind for a while now, and I can proudly say that Naruto's had enough character growth for now. Please note that his PTSD will be a major part of the story, and while romance will happen (soon), it won't fix all of Naruto's problems. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
And thanks Shroom_and_Bat for not only supporting this story, but also for the fucking hilarious comments and the ideas they bring!
-Viri
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Echo Of A Song (On Hiatus)
قصص الهواةThis fic is meant to be word building practice, so *constructive* criticism is encouraged. This fic has themes that may be triggering, so please be aware. Active trigger warnings (more may be added): Major Character Death, Depression, PTSD, Child 4b...
