//------------------------------// // A Harsh Lesson of Life // Story: Disharmony of the leaf // by iamgoku //------------------------------// Naruto rolled his eyes at Discord's antics, but he had a genuine smile on his face having won perhaps one of the most difficult fights he's ever been in. Suddenly, the other two members of the Sand Siblings appeared next to Gaara, shocked at the amount of damage their seemingly invincible younger brother had sustained. Said sibling said where he lay, "That's enough...it's over." And indeed it was. For at that point in time, the invasion of the Hidden Leaf had been successfully repelled. However, it was a bittersweet victory, as the scars from this battle were sure to effect the lives of both shinobi and Draconequus for weeks, if not years, to come! ~0~ Gaara realized that he couldn't move; something was wrong. He could still feel his limbs, but they just refused to move. It would not benefit anyone if he panicked, so he simply stated, "I can't move." "I think I know what the problem is," Discord said as he hovered over them unnecessarily wearing a doctor's uniform. "Those vines and your chakra had a very nasty reaction; kinda like oil and water, but a bit more…" Discord waved a claw as he searched for the right word. "Intense. Like opposing magnets being forced together." "We should go back to the village," Sasuke suggested, somewhat wincing as his Curse Seal panged. "We need to get Gaara to the hospital." Naruto said. "And, I know a guy who can help with your Seal, too." "Really?" Nearly all three Sand-Siblings asked at the same time. "Yep!" Naruto said, popping the 'p' and grinning. Discord easily formed a few cotton candy clouds for those who needed it, and they made their way back to the village. Upon reaching the village, the guards tensed up noticeably, looking as if they couldn't decide whether they should stare at Discord or be nervous about the Sand-Siblings. Temari raised a hand. "We surrender." "They also need to see the Pervy-Sage." Naruto announced, a few questioning eyebrows were raised in response. "For those who are not in the know, he means Jiraiya," Discord clarified. The guards nodded, and one volunteered to escort them. He kept giving the Sand-Sibling odd, nervous glances, which Temari and Kankuro did their best to ignore. Discord also noticed that something was off. He just couldn't put a talon on whatever it was. It was a moment that a pony would remember forever. Discord would remember where he was and what he had been doing. If anypony ever asked him, he could give the details of what they were doing right at that moment. They had been celebrating their well-earned victory. Naruto, although tired and barely able to move, was smiling at him from his spot on a pink cloud of cotton candy next to Sasuke. The mood in the village was somber, sure, they had all just been through a battle. But something wasn't right. "Something's wrong." Sasuke said, who noticed the mood quickly. Turning to the guard, he asked in his typical Uchiha way, "What's wrong?" "Uh…" the guard looked nervous as his gaze shifted from the people he was guiding to the ground and back to them before looking ahead. "I uh…" "Spit it out, man!" Discord shouted as he appeared in a Shakespearean outfit for dramatic effect. "The Hokage…" the guard stopped walking and turned to face them, sighing. He glanced at the Sand-Siblings again before finally saying, "I'm sorry… The Hokage died defending our village…" Discord almost lost his concentration on the cotton candy clouds as he processed what he just heard. Surely the man was joking, the guy was-no, is a main character! "W-what are you saying?" Naruto fought to keep his voice even. "His former student and missing-nin Orochimaru killed him…" this time, the man's gaze fell on the Sand-Siblings. "Orochimaru was masquerading as the Fourth Kazekage…" The Sand-Siblings' eyes widened. "Father's dead?" Gaara asked, his voice not showing any emotion. "That's ridiculous!" Kankuro shouted, denying the possibility. "There's no way dad would have-" "Kankuro, stop." Temari ordered, and her brother immediately clammed up. "Let's not waste any more time. We have to get Gaara to the hospital." Standing tall, she said, "Well, let's get going." "I…My… condolences." The guard muttered as they continued on their way. Discord was trying to understand. How was Hiruzen dead? ~0~ Temari felt sick, and a heavy weight of guilt hung over her. She wanted to be alone, unable to even face either of her brothers or Baki. So she hid in a small alley behind the hospital, not wanting to be bothered. Her father had been replaced, and she hadn't even noticed. What did that say about her? She should have known, yet… what did that say about her father? No-one had realized it. But…Temari knew that the blame didn't lie with her late father – not really, anyway. He had been strict, serious and stubborn, but everyone should have realized that something was wrong the moment he started talking about invading Konoha. That b*****d Orochimaru had used Suna's anger and resentfulness against Konoha and manipulated them just like one of Kankuro's puppets. And now, here they were: her father dead, along with the Hokage, people were either injured or dead, property was destroyed, people's lives ruined, her brother in the hospital…all because they hadn't realized their Kazekage was a snake in disguise. Temari hadn't cried in years – tears were unbefitting of a Ninja – especially if they were a woman. Tears were a sign of weakness, and even as the Kazegage's – former Kazekage's daughter, she was to be a pillar; an example to her peers and underlings. The tears started flowing and they wouldn't stop. Temari covered her mouth and muffled the sobs that shook her entire body. They didn't deserve Konoha's kindness or forgiveness. ~0~ Naruto walked into Gaara's room, passed a pair of sullen-looking guards who were standing outside the doorway. He smiled at his fellow Jinchuuriki, well… it came out more like a grimace. Naruto had a few cuts and scrapes that hadn't healed yet, so he was sporting a few bandages. Fortunately, thanks to Discord's presence, the nurses hadn't tried to deny Naruto basic medical care. But they did take an unnecessarily long time to treat his wounds once they got to him. It was as if they were looking for or expecting some kind of disease. It was understandable that there were seriously wounded who were to be treated ahead of him, but sheesh! Discord hovered on the opposite side of the room, having a silent staring contest with the Kabuki-cat boy Kankuro. Kankuro was genuinely fascinated by Discord, having never seen or heard of a creature like him before. Discord was wondering if Kankuro actually applied all that makeup himself or if his siblings helped. He was now wondering if he could get away with drawing something on Kankuro's face – like maybe writing Eat at Ichiraku's or something like that. "Hey, Gaara!" Naruto said a little too enthusiastically. "…Hello." Gaara responded awkwardly. He had vague memories of being taught basic manners, but he figured he would just follow along and hopefully respond appropriately. Naruto settled on the foot of Gaara's bed. "How are you feeling?" Before Gaara could respond, Naruto went. "Oh! I almost forgot!" he fished a few Ichiraku coupons out of his pocket and handed them to the other boy. "This place is the best at making ramen ever, so when you get out, it'll be my treat!" Gaara nodded slowly, staring at the wrinkled coupons in his hand. "No-one has ever invited me somewhere before." Awkwardness hung over them, but Naruto just smiled. "Heh – well, now you have! You're coming, right?" Gaara only nodded, a feeling of…something he didn't fully understand confused him. But it wasn't unpleasant. "Great! Back to the question! How are you?" Speaking as if he were giving a mission report, Gaara answered, "The 'Pervy-sage' came by about two hours ago. His sealing technique is certainly admirable. I have not heard my monster whisper in my mind since then." "That's awesome!" Naruto responded, seemingly a bit too happily – something that both Discord and Kankuro picked up on. Naruto seemed genuinely happy for his friend, but he seemed a little too enthusiastic for the news. "Yes." "…"Naruto turned quiet again, before saying, "Hey, I'm sorry about your dad." "Don't be. He wasn't a pleasant man." It was awkward again, unbeknownst to Gaara. He thought carefully. He should be apologizing here as well, shouldn't he? "I am sorry to hear about your Kage. People seemed to really care about him." Unlike his father. How different would things have been if Rasa had been like the Hokage? Naruto stared down at his hands. "Yeah. Yeah, they did. They told me his funeral is going to be tomorrow. So I'll be back later after...y'know." "You're coming back?" Gaara couldn't help but ask. "Well, yeah." Naruto smiled, a more genuine one this time. "You're my friend." The two Sand-siblings looked at Naruto in surprise, and at this point, Discord was no longer surprised by such things coming from the Fishcake. "Friend?" "Of course!" The nurse came in then, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw Naruto. Judging by the expression on her face, Naruto wasn't very high on her favorite people list. Naruto in turn stuck his tongue out at her and quickly made an escape through the window, shouting, "See you tomorrow, Gaara!" Discord figured there had to be an unpleasant history between the nurse and Fishcake, given their reactions. "Later, Raccoon-Eyes, Kabuki-Cat." Discord disappeared in a shower of confetti and glitter. Both boys made an expression at the nicknames and Discord's exit. The nurse huffed and muttered under her breath, but was careful not to speak too loudly, given who her patient was. Gaara leaned back and stared at the ceiling, contemplating Naruto's words. Friend. Naruto was his first friend. Gaara determined right then that he would work to become a person like Naruto: someone who had precious people and would fight to protect them. It would take him awhile, but he would prove himself to the people of Suna. Meanwhile, Naruto walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets, kicking a stray soda can as he made his way home. Discord didn't like seeing Naruto like this. It was different from when he had been worried about facing that Neji-kid. It was like Naruto was forcing himself to be happy when he was with Gaara, and then he was sullen as he walked home. "Fishcake…?" "Sorry, but I don't feel like talking right now, Discord. Let's just go home." Discord watched Naruto for a moment before following along again. He noticed the dark storm clouds on the horizon, matching the general mood of the village. Naruto didn't say a word after that, and he had undressed and changed into bedclothes within minutes after arriving home. He hadn't even bothered turning on any of the lights. Naruto climbed into bed, and just stared at the wall. Discord sat down on the couch, wondering if he should say or do anything. But he contemplated doing something to hopefully raise the Fishcake's spirits. Seeing him like this was weird, and very un-Fishcake-like. ~0~ Discord didn't know what he should say or do as he silently watched Naruto's blanket-covered form rise and fall in time to his breathing. The moon and the streetlights outside shown through the window of Naruto's apartment, giving the room an almost eerie glow. Discord could tell that Naruto wasn't actually asleep. The boy simply had his back turned to the Chaos Spirit, and stared at the wall. "…So…cat got your tongue, Fishcake?" Discord attempted the pun. The boy should have said something in retort, only to find that his tongue had a cat latched to it. Instead, Naruto raised his head and turned so he could silently glare at Discord before turning back to stare at the wall again. Okay…no jokes, then. No more words were exchanged between any of them that night. Discord didn't like it, because he couldn't think of what to say. He was a creature with a wonderfully wide vocabulary, and for the first time in his long life, he had absolutely nothing to say. It was a clear indication by the bags under Naruto's eyes that he hadn't slept the night before. The whiskered boy moved like a robot as he put on a black uniform and his head protector. Discord walked out of the kitchen wearing a pink apron carrying a bowl of steaming pork ramen – Fishcake's favorite, if he recalled. "Good morning, sunshine! Breakfast?" Discord greeted. Naruto eyed the ramen. "I'm not hungry." What? Naruto was turning down ramen? Plus, he hadn't eaten since the pancakes yesterday. "But…" Naruto gave the Draconequus a weak smile. "Thanks anyway…" Naruto made his way for the door. He paused when his hand touched the handle. "I'm leaving now…you don't have to come if you don't want to…see ya." Naruto didn't wait for an answer and left, shutting the door behind him like Discord imagined a normal person would. It wasn't the exuberant slamming and rushing that the boy normally displayed. Not wanting to stay behind, Discord made the ramen disappear, and he put on a black suit of his own before appearing outside beside Naruto. The boy didn't even react to Discord's sudden appearance. He simply trudged along in the pouring rain. Discord sighed, and formed himself into an umbrella before shrinking down to a size where he would fit easily on Naruto's shoulder and keep him from getting any wetter than he already was. Their walk was a silent one; the only noise was the thunder and pouring rain. Discord wasn't sure how to fully process this. He had been there when Ponies died; but it was always old age that had taken them. But this…Discord had never seen anything like this before. The Third Hokage, the man Naruto had affectionately dubbed 'Gramps' was dead, and it was not because old age had taken him. It had been because he had died defending his beloved village. He had died fulfilling his role as Hokage. Wasn't that the position that Fishcake was always shouting and bragging about? Why…why would the boy even want a position like that? The man had reminded the Chaos Lord a bit of Princess Celestia and Luna. If either of the Alicorn siblings had died, especially in the manner the Third did, how would have Equestria reacted? Even he wouldn't have wanted to see the chaos that would bring! Sure, Discord could have been easily classified as a villain both before and after his imprisonment, but he'd never killed before! Bending reality to his will and causing everypony to go crazy was his motivation, yet he had standards to maintain of never leaving permanent damage. Looking at the village and the air of depression that had clung to it like a blanket since the end of the Invasion, Discord could honestly say that he'd much prefer being sealed in stone. More people were gathering, but no one was speaking. A few people glanced at Naruto and Discord, but no one said anything. Naruto found his way towards Konahamaru, who was outright sobbing. Discord had never seen a child cry like that before. It was… unsettling. He noticed how some people seemed almost numb to the idea that someone had died; much less their beloved leader. Others seemed resigned to it. Then there were those like Naruto and his fellow classmates. They may have seen death, but it had never been so close to home in such a fashion. Naruto placed a comforting hand on Konahamaru's shoulder, and the young boy threw himself into Naruto. Naruto said nothing as he hugged the younger boy, and the embrace only lasted all of five seconds. But after sniffling and straightening his back, Konahamaru faced forward once again. He suppressed sobs as the procession continued, trying his best to appear strong. It wasn't fair, Discord decided, right then and there. He realized just how young so many people here were. He began to process what Naruto's goals were. Why would the Fishcake want to protect and even die for these people? He had seen how they treated him. Why… He remembered Naruto's words to Gaara: "It hurts to be lonely, doesn't it?" Yes, loneliness was more painful than anything. In his younger days, Discord had pulled his chaos pranks just so that people would pay any kind of attention to him. Ponies had viewed him as this unnatural thing; a sore reminder of the Chaos Wars. As he got older, he had become calloused to the ponies and their fear. He would be the thing that they expected of him, and he had become incredibly good at it. And what did that get him? A thousand years in a stone prison. And now, he was here… and for the first time, Discord wished he could be back in that stone prison so he wouldn't have to witness this. He didn't know how to deal with this kind of pain and loss. "Iruka-sensei," Fishca – no – Naruto said suddenly to a scar faced man who had come over to help comfort the two boys. "Why do people...sacrifice their lives for others?" Discord now gave his full attention, wondering if perhaps he'd at least be given a reason behind all this sadness. The man, Iruka, seemed to think for a moment on what to say before speaking, "When a person dies, they lose everything. The past, present, and future will all be lost. A lot of people die in battle or while on a mission, and they might also die because of a simple reason. Lord Hokage was one of those people. Among all those who are dead, there are some who have dreams, goals...but everyone has something that is most important to them. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers, people of the village. These are very important people. We trust each other, help each other. We come in contact with these bonds from the day we're born. As we grow, these bonds also grow and become stronger. This isn't a complex idea! Anyone with these bonds would be like this because they cherish it." They stood in silence for a moment, both human and Draconequus reflecting on the man's words. A part of Discord couldn't help but think about the Elements of Harmony and their wielders, especially Twilight Sparkle. 'Is that why they were able to beat me?' Discord thought. He figured the purple unicorn's speech might have been along the lines of Iruka's, though he wasn't really paying attention at the time since it seemed to be one of those boring 'heroic/friendship' speeches he had always found so tedious. But now…now Discord felt like he was beginning to understand. By caring for something, you'll be ready to risk everything to protect it, even put your lives on the line. Naruto seemed to understand as well. "But," the blond said quietly, "Death really is a painful thing." A voice suddenly spoke up behind them and the duo turned to see the silver haired, one eyed masked man from the exams (Discord believed Naruto called him Kakashi). "The Third didn't die for nothing. He left us some important things indeed." Seeing Naruto's confused look, he continued, "One day, you'll understand." Naruto's face suddenly gained a smile. A warm, true smile, that was somehow more sincere then most of the ones he'd given even before that fiasco of an examination went down. "I know, even I don't really understand but, I feel the same way!" Discord couldn't help but chuckle at this as he turned back into his regular form, the rain dissipating to allow bright sunshine to fall on the village. 'Maybe,' Discord thought almost wistfully, 'Maybe there is something to the whole "friendship is magic" bit. At any rate,' he then floated above Fishcake as they departed from the funeral in lighter spirits then before, 'I think things are going to just keep getting more interesting from here on out!' Unknown to the Draconequus and the villagers, two figures were observing the village from on top the Hokage Monument at that very moment. They had a mysterious and ominous vibe to them. Both wore wide brimmed hats that hid their faces while the rest of their bodies were covered in a black cloak that had blood red clouds on it. One of the figures, the taller of the two with a bandaged wrapped object on his back, turned to his smaller companion and spoke. "Looks like the Leaf was able to avoid being wiped out, though not without its cost," he mused as he lifted his head a bit, showing a face that almost looked like that of a shark with pale blue skin, gill like markings around beady eyes, and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. "Pity," the other man said in an emotionless tone, "Once a proud village, now just a shell of its former self." The first man gave a sharp toothed smile as he chuckled, "Heh, I guess even you feel nostalgic when seeing their old home, eh Itachi?" "...No, I don't feel nostalgic at all," Itachi spoke in a monotone as he too lifted his head up, showing a mature pair of Sharingan eyes.