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The kid stared at him and smiled, a smile that was as cold and as empty as a three day old ramen cup. "You're all gonna die, because there's no such thing as heroes, which you all try to play. No matter how much training you have, no matter how hard you fight, no matter how strong you are, you can't take out an army by your self."

Naruto scowled. "I'm trying to eat brat. Get off the pity wagon and go to bed or something, jeez."

Tsunami glared at her son. "Inari, these are the ninja your grandpa hired. They're here to help finish the bridge so we can hopefully be free soon."

"Pfft. Ninja, like they've ever had it rough, in their big village with all those expensive missions paying for all the stuff the people would ever need. The blonde looks like he's never had a hard day in his life, and that broody emo looks like he's royalty or something."

Sasuke preened, thinking he'd been complimented, but the other Genin were silent. Naruto stood up and turned to the boy. "Inari, is it? Let me show you something." Naruto pulled a kunai from his hip holster, a rusted, battered thing that had dark brownish stains on the blade. "See this? This kunai killed me."

Inari stared at the boy like he was mentally unstable. "Obviously," he said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

Naruto ignored the comment, and pulled his shirt off, revealing perfect skin, except for a single scar, above his heart. "I was five years old. I got jumped on my way home by a bunch of drunk villagers who blame me for something that happened the day I was born. It was out of my control, hell, it had nothing to do with me, but they still blamed me.

"I was found with that kunai in my chest, cold, and lifeless. I was rushed to the hospital, and they did everything to save me, under direct supervision of the Hokage. It took six minutes to revive me, and months of therapy after that to get me to where I am now. I was dead for a total of fifteen minutes before Kami saw fit to send me back here.

"I still experience side effects from that attack. I had trouble learning in school, but things I can do physically are no problem for me. I'm a little oblivious at times, and I can be childish. But I've managed to work around those parts of myself. So don't tell me you've had it rough. I was murdered by the people I work everyday to protect." Inari nodded, his eyes wide and full of tears. Naruto pulled his shirt down and put the rusty kunai back in his holster, before walking outside and into the night.

Everyone watched the normally happy blonde as he stormed out, then Sasuke grunted like always. "What a loser, making up a story like that just to get attention." Sasuke froze as a wave of killer intent hit him like a load of bricks. Every eye in the room was staring at him, many focused in rage.

"That wasn't a lie. Naruto's been through a lot before he joined the academy," Sakura said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah. He's a lot stronger than anyone here realizes. We're his teammates, and we've never even seen his true strength," Anko said, fighting tears, and the urge to rip out the Uchiha's throat. Sasuke sneered, his arrogance not allowing himself to see that he wasn't the only one who had had a hard childhood.

"How the hell do you know he wasn't lying? Or are you as stupid as he is?" he mocked, his voice reminding Anko of Mizuki's.

Kakashi grabbed his apprentice by the shoulder. "It was no lie. I know, because I was the ANBU that found Naruto and killed the guy who was laughing over his body." Sasuke's arrogant attitude dissipated quickly, and a sour taste welled up in his mouth.

Inari looked at the door that the blonde had gone through, and started crying.

Broken Seals, Second Chances, Chapter 7