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Mitsuki always knew that his life was going to be harder than others. For starters, everyone else was born naturally and Mitsuki was created in a test tube in a laboratory. That already set Mitsuki apart from the others. Everyone else had a mother and a father but Mitsuki didn’t even know the gender of his parent, not that he really cared. Yet, the things that didn’t matter to Mitsuki seemed to matter to everyone else.

His parent was Orochimaru and while Mitsuki didn’t see anything wrong with his parent, the rest of the world saw everything wrong with him. Orochimaru was one of the most hated ninja across the nations. Everyone had heard of his name. Everyone knew what he had done in the past. They knew his track record. They knew what he was capable of.

Yet, Mitsuki found it unfair to be judged by his parent’s reputation. It’s like as soon as they saw his face they were reminded of Orochimaru. It’s like as soon as they got one look in those yellow eyes all they could see were Orochimaru’s sinister yellow eyes. It was like they had judged him before he had the chance to prove them wrong. All they saw in him was Orochimaru. They didn’t even know who Mitsuki was.

Mitsuki remembered the first time someone had said something to him. It was his first week in the Leaf.

He was walking towards his apartment when someone from behind him hissed at him, “You took everything from me during the attack on the Leaf all those years ago. You killed him.”

Mitsuki stiffened at the mention of the attack on the Leaf. He refused to turn around. He knew he wasn’t responsible for the attack. How could he be responsible when he wasn’t even alive? How could he be responsible when his creation wasn’t even a thought in Orochimaru’s mind? How could Mitsuki be responsible for any of that?

“Look at me, you snake!”

The person couldn’t see it but Mitsuki’s hands were balled into fists in his long sleeves. There was such a large part of him that wanted to turn around and snap at the person but he knew he shouldn’t. He didn’t want that person to be right about him. He didn’t want to show that person that he was just like his parent. He knew he couldn’t lash out. It would be best to not draw any more attention to himself.

Mitsuki started to walk towards the stairs, trying to ignore the civilian behind him. The villager didn’t like the fact that Mitsuki wasn’t acknowledging him so he ran forward. Mitsuki could hear the footsteps behind him and that’s when he turned around and grabbed the fist that was aimed at the back of his head. How fitting of that person to try to hit him in the back like that. Mitsuki’s eyes were cold and emotionless when the person looked into them.

“I knew it… you really are just like him.”

The person missed how Mitsuki winced at those words. The blue haired male released the person’s hand and then turned to continue on his way home. As Mitsuki was walking up the stairs he could feel the person’s heated glare on him. He knew that the person was watching his every move, as if he was waiting for him to mess up. Mitsuki took a deep breath. Everyone was going to be waiting for him to make a mistake.

Mitsuki unlocked the front door and closed it behind him. He locked the door and then sighed as he leaned his back against the door. He slowly slid to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest so he could wrap his arms around his knees. Mitsuki was so young and he felt like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. He didn’t know if he would be strong enough to carry this but he was going to have to try.

Each week was harder than the last. He had spent countless nights alone, some of those nights consisted of hearing people talking about him outside his apartment. People were starting to figure out where he lived. Mitsuki wasn’t scared that they were talking. He was scared that they were going to try to hurt him and he would hurt them trying to protect himself. He didn’t want to give them a reason to hate him even more but everything he seemed to do drew hatred towards him.

Yet, he wouldn’t say everything was bad in the Leaf. He would admit that he had managed to make friends. He had met people who didn’t know who his parent was and even if they knew his origins, they didn’t say anything. These people were the first ones to look at him and not see Orochimaru. These were the first ones to look at him and see Mitsuki, or at least who they thought Mitsuki was.

Truth be told, they didn’t know him as well as they thought. Mitsuki barely told them anything about himself. Mitsuki had a way about him where he could make you feel like you knew everything and nothing about him at the same time. He had told them that he was a transfer from the Hidden Sound. He was almost weary to share that piece of information. The only known people to reside in the Sound were Orochimaru and some of Team Taka. Some of them had to have known he was Orochimaru’s child.

Mitsuki was upset to walk home one day after the academy to find that someone had drawn graffiti on his door. He took a deep breath as the weight of the words sunk in. Mitsuki slowly reached a hand out and felt the words under his fingertips.

GET OUT SNAKE!

The blue haired male took one more deep breath before he walked downstairs to the landlord. As soon as he walked into the man’s office, he was met with a harsh glare. Mitsuki acted as if he didn’t see it. He carried on walking towards the man.

He tried to smile as he began, “It appears someone has written graffiti on my door.”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“I can show you it if-“

“Are you giving me an attitude?!”

Mitsuki’s smile disappeared in seconds. He tried not to show the man how hurt he was by that aggressive question.

Mitsuki tried again, “No, sir. I just wanted to voice my concern. Someone is vandalizing my home and-“

“Let’s get one thing straight here,” the man marched over to Mitsuki and growled in his face, “this isn’t your home. This place will never be home for you. No one wants you in this village and you’re just lucky that the Hokage made me give you a place to stay. Now, you can fix the door yourself or you can find yourself without somewhere to sleep.”

“But-“

“Take your pick, snake.”

The blue haired male let those words sink in before he nodded back. He turned around and started making his way back to his room, not missing the way the landlord snickered behind him. Mitsuki walked back into his apartment and grabbed cleaning supplies. He spent the next couple minutes scrubbing those words off his door.

Some people would laugh at him from below while others who were walking by would kick his water bucket over. Each time someone knocked the bucket over, he would just stand there. He would have to battle with himself on whether he wanted to strangle the person or not. He always chose not to strangle them but, God, did he want to.

Another month went by and he was finally graduating from the academy. He was happy to find that he would be placed on a team with Boruto and Sarada, forming the new Team Seven with Konohamaru as their squad leader. Mitsuki remembered Konohamaru pulling the new team aside and asking them the basic question.

Why do you want to be a ninja?

Boruto had said he wanted to be a ninja because he wanted to show he could be better than his stupid old man. He wanted his father to see the light and he was sure he could do that. Sarada rolled her eyes at Boruto and told Konohamaru that she wanted to be a ninja because she was going to be the Hokage one day.

Sarada claiming to want to be the Hokage sparked an argument with Boruto, who said she was just going to ruin her family’s life just like his dad. Sarada and Boruto argued with each other, which caused Konohamaru to step in between them so he could settle the two of them.

Mitsuki watched the three of them squabbling with each other. He wondered if they remembered that he didn’t get to share why he wanted to be a ninja.

Once the argument was over, Boruto declared that he was done with this introduction. He exclaimed that he already knew Mitsuki and Sarada so they needed to just get on with what their first mission would be.

Konohamaru took a deep breath before asking, “Mitsuki, why do you want to be a ninja?”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

Konohamaru wanted to object to that but Boruto was in his face asking what their first mission would be. Konohamaru sent a longing look to Mitsuki, who just stared back with that small smile. That smile looked so fake, so inhuman. It looked like he never really learned how to smile and actually mean it.

Konohamaru felt sorry for Mitsuki. He was on a team with such loud and expressive people and Mitsuki looked more quiet and introverted. He hoped Mitsuki would stick with the team.

Mitsuki had gotten used to being the odd man out on his team. Over the past couple weeks, they were doing petty little missions that Sarada didn’t mind but Boruto couldn’t stand. Mitsuki was indifferent. He really didn’t care what he was doing as long as he wasn’t in the village. The less he was in the village, the less of a chance someone would say something to him in front of his team.

It was nearing the end of the day when Team Seven returned from a mission. The three genin were walking home when Boruto turned to Mitsuki.

The blonde wondered aloud, “You know, I’ve never seen where you live, Mitsuki. We could walk you home first this time if you want?”

The three genin stopped when they realized that they were standing in front of Sarada’s house. Mitsuki looked at Sarada’s home, noticing her mother cooking dinner in the kitchen. Sarada noticed the longing look in Mitsuki’s eyes. The look in his eyes almost seemed envious.

Sarada sent a smile to her friend as she asked, “Would you want to join me for dinner, Mitsuki? I’m sure my mama wouldn’t mind.”

Mitsuki seemed to snap out of his trance as Sarada’s words sunk in. He looked at Sarada’s mother one last time before he turned to his teammate.

Mitsuki tilted his head and closed his eyes, that emotionless smile on his face as he replied, “Oh, no, it’s quite alright, Sarada. I’m actually a little tired so maybe another time?”

Neither of them had a chance to say anything because Mitsuki was jumping away from them. Boruto took a couple steps forward as if he was wondering if he should follow Mitsuki or not.

He let out a long sigh before turning to Sarada and asking, “Something seemed a little off about him, you know?”

“It’s Mitsuki.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s naturally odd.”

“Yeah, I know but…”

Sarada pushed her glasses up on her nose as she watched Boruto struggle to finish his sentence.

She shook her head before she stated, “I’m sure he was just tired, Boruto. If you push him to talk you’ll only push him away. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“Yeah… you’re probably right.”

Part of Mitsuki wanted to accept Sarada’s offer that night, but another part of him knew he shouldn’t. He knew that her mother was trained under Tsunade. If Sakura was trained under Tsunade then that would mean she knew who Orochimaru was.

Mitsuki knew if he had dinner with Sarada then his mother would see his eyes and know he was Orochimaru’s child. He didn’t want his origins to ruin the friendship he had with Sarada.

Lying was never hard for Mitsuki. He was trained to deceive people and not feel a thing while doing it but this time it felt wrong. For some reason, it felt wrong to lie that he was tired. Mitsuki didn’t get tired. Mitsuki barely slept but they didn’t know that. For once, Mitsuki felt bad for lying to his friends. He also felt bad for ignoring Boruto when the blonde asked to switch it up when they were walking home.

Mitsuki didn’t want his friends to see how the people of the village would vandalize his apartment. He didn’t want his friends to hear the harsh words and hateful slurs people would bark at him as he made his way home. He didn’t want his friends to come home with him and figure out who his parent was. He didn’t want his friends to look at him like everyone else did. He didn’t want his friends to look at him and see a snake.

Mitsuki walked up the stairs slowly, knowing that there would be a new form of graffiti on his front door. His eyes widened as he saw the graffiti waiting for him. He covered his face with his hands but his fingers left room for him to see the people had drawn a picture for him. There was a white snake spray painted on his door with a red X over it. Underneath it were the words.

YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU STAYED.

There were tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes but he blinked them away. He removed his hands from his face and opened his door. He had a determined look in his eyes as he scrubbed away the graffiti. He was upset at first but now he was determined to not let these people get to him. These people were trying to knock him down but he refused to go down. He refused to let these people win.

Once his front door was cleaned up he walked inside and locked the door. He took a deep breath as he placed his cleaning supplies back in the cabinet under the sink. He went into his room and decided to meditate to ease his mind.

It wasn’t until a few hours of intense meditation that he sensed chakras approaching his apartment. His eyes were glowing in the dark when he heard what sounded like someone trying to open his door.

He pulled out a kunai and quietly approached the door. He heard the click of his door being forced unlocked and that’s when the door opened, revealing his intruders. There were three people who barged in but then tripped over themselves when they realized that Mitsuki was awake and waiting for them. The only source of light was the moon and that menacing glow to Mitsuki’s yellow eyes.

“He’s got his eyes!”

Mitsuki almost flinched at those words but he held his ground. He listened as the three of them whispered amongst themselves, hissing at the one in front. It appeared that they thought that Mitsuki would be asleep or out of the apartment. Mitsuki’s eyes narrowed at them, causing them to take a fearful step back.

The blue haired male took a step forward, causing the three people to step back. Mitsuki eyed each one up and down like he was a predator and they were his prey.

Mitsuki hissed like a snake, “I was unaware that I would be having company this late but I’m more than happy to entertain you. Next time, you should pick your target more carefully.”

“He even sounds like him!”

That was it. Mitsuki threw the kunai at the wall. He wasn’t aiming for them but the three men didn’t know that.

Mitsuki glared at each of the intruders, “If you don’t leave now I can assure you I will show you just how similar I am to my parent.”

“He’s just a kid, guys!’

“Yeah, let’s get him!”

Mitsui shook his head, these people were idiots. Mitsuki’s mouth moved a bit as if something was in it and that’s when he opened his mouth, sending a kunai out just like his parent. The kunai lodged itself in one man’s shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. One of the men dropped down to try to help him while the leader charged at Mitsuki. The man cranked back and tried to land a punch, only for Mitsuki to grab his fist and twist his arm.

The man screamed out as Mitsuki twisted his arm so that it was now behind his back. If he bent the limb any further it would surely break. 

Mitsuki hissed in his ear, “If you come breaking into my place again I can assure you that you won’t be leaving with just a broken arm. Next time… I’ll just remove it from your body.”

The man couldn’t even form words because Mitsuki had snapped the man’s arm. There was a blood curdling scream that emit from the man as he saw his own bone sticking out of his arm. Mitsuki threw the man at his companions and glared at them.

“Don’t ever come back.”

The next morning, Mitsuki walked down to see his landlord to get a new lock for his apartment before he had to train. He entered the man’s office and was met with the same harsh look on his face as the last time Mitsuki met him. Mitsuki tried his best to make his smile look real but the man only seemed to grumble under his breath how Mitsuki was the worst tenant.

Mitsuki still tried to keep that smile on his face as he stated, “I just wanted to see you because I would like to request a new lock for my door. Last night, my apartment was broken into and I would like to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

“I can assure you it’s not.”

“Are you questioning my competence, snake?”

It seemed like everything Mitsuki said just offended the man. Everything he said just set this man off.

Mitsuki’s smile vanished from his face. He shook his head as he replied, “No, sir. All I want to do is make sure I will be safe when I fall asleep. I don’t think I’m very safe here.”

“Then move out.”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened at how easy it was for the man to say that to him. Mitsuki shook his head again, “But where else would I go? This is the only place I’ve known in the Leaf. I wouldn’t know where else to go.”

The man trudged over to Mitsuki with the intent to intimidate him, but it didn’t work because Mitsuki didn’t flinch at all.

The man glared down at him and growled, “Then I suggest you get used to sleeping with one eye open. You’re a little monster just like him so that shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Mitsuki’s eyes widened when he heard the man call him a monster. Mitsuki nodded to the man and turned to leave the room. Right when he exited the office he felt the door slam behind him.

Mitsuki stood there for a moment, putting his hands out in front of him. He looked at the palms of his hands, trying to figure out if these were the hands of a monster or not.

Only time would tell.

These people were getting bold now. They weren’t very happy with Mitsuki ignoring their insults and it made them angry when he washed off all the graffiti at the end of every day. It was like none of it bothered him but in reality, Mitsuki was starting to tear at the seams. He couldn’t keep parading around the village like nothing bothered him because everything bothered him.

It bothered him how consistent these people were with making new graffiti on his front door. It bothered him how he had people trying to break into his apartment every other week. It bothered him how much this had all become a routine for him. It bothered him how these people still hated him. It bothered him how they didn’t even know him but they wanted to make his life a living hell as if he already didn’t think being alive was hell.

Mitsuki was scared that one of these days he was going to actually see himself the way everyone else saw him. He was scared one of these days they were going to break him. He was scared that the weight on his shoulders was getting too heavy and there wouldn’t be anyone to save him. He was scared that he was more like his parent than he thought. He was scared these people were going to be right.

Mitsuki was waiting for Boruto outside his home. Sarada was supposed to meet them in front of Boruto’s house any second but it seemed she was late. Mitsuki was about to walk towards Boruto’s front steps when someone from behind him called to him.

“Heads up, you fucking snake!”

The blue haired male wasn’t ready for someone to throw what felt like a water balloon at him. Boruto opened the door just in time to see a group of guys throw a balloon filled with red paint at his back.

The balloon was heavy enough to make Mitsuki fall to his hands and knees. He was shaking as he felt the paint dripping all over his back, some of it had even got into his hair. He wanted to find those people and kill them but he knew that wouldn’t make it better.

“Mitsuki! Are you okay?”

He looked up when he heard Boruto’s voice. The blonde quickly helped his friend up, careful not to get any of the paint on himself. It only took a moment for Boruto to catch the look of defeat on Mitsuki’s face. It looked like he was close to breaking down. There was such a kicked puppy look in his eyes as if he was heartbroken by the act of hatred against him. But as soon as that look came, it was gone.

“Yes… I’m okay.”

“Who were those guys, Mitsuki?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why’d they throw that at you?”

Before Mitsuki could respond, both males heard someone running towards them. They both turned to see that Sarada was running towards them with a worried look on her face.

She looked at the paint on Mitsuki and then looked at Boruto as she asked, “What happened to you, Mitsuki? I swear I’m late one time and this happens!”

“Never mind, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Mitsuki was thankful for Sarada not wanting to press the matter. Boruto was about to lead Mitsuki into his house when the blue haired male froze. If he went into his house then he would meet Hinata or Naruto. Those two knew about his origins. He couldn’t afford to have them asking if they should tell his parent about this.

“It’s okay, really.”

Boruto and Sarada were about to argue with him but he shook his head and explained, “Don’t worry, I’ve got another kimono at my place so I’ll just meet you guys later, okay? It’s fine. I’ll rejoin you soon.”

In the blink of an eye, Mitsuki was gone. Boruto was about to run after him but Sarada grabbed him by the back of his jacket.

Boruto was about to snap at her when she cut him off, “Just let him go. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want us worrying about him. I’m sure whoever did this to Mitsuki didn’t mean to hit him. Mitsuki doesn’t even know that many people in the village.”

”But-“

“I’m sure it was an accident.”

When Mitsuki arrived at his apartment he was greeted with another hateful drawing of a snake being killed. He didn’t pay it a second glance as he rushed into his home only to find that someone had broken in while he was out. Mitsuki closed his door and took in the sight in front of him. How could someone do something like this to a child?

Mitsuki eyes widened when he saw that all his furniture was knocked over or broken. Anything that he had that was glass or breakable was a shattered mess on the floor. Mitsuki ran into his room only to find it in the same state. He gasped when he noticed that the framed picture of his team was on the floor. Mitsuki walked over and knelt down to pick it up.

The frame was barely sticking together and there was glass on the ground. Yet, he noticed that the picture wasn’t in the frame anymore. Mitsuki’s breathing turned frantic when he realized that someone had taken his picture and shredded it to pieces. He reached down and picked up the pieces of his teammates faces. He held the pieces in his hand and shook with rage.

He threw the pieces back on the floor and stormed out of his apartment. He was steaming mad as he walked down the stairs and knocked on the landlord’s door. The landlord could be heard grumbling on the other side of the door but Mitsuki could hear him walking to open the door. When the door opened, the landlord rolled his eyes and tried to close the door.

Mitsuki held out his arm and pushed the door back open. The landlord was about to say something but Mitsuki glared at him, rendering him speechless.

The blue haired male snapped, “You listen to me, sir. I’ve come to you with concern after concern only to be brushed off like I’m nothing. I told you I didn’t feel safe and now my home has been broken into and everything that I have is destroyed. You will be held responsible for this. I won’t be ignored by you any longer.”

The man was seething by the time Mitsuki had finished telling him off. The man got right in Mitsuki’s face as he snarled, “Now you know what it felt like for everyone in the Leaf when your piece of shit dad killed the Third Hokage and rampaged through the Leaf like it was his playground! You think you’re so innocent and you even have the audacity to assume you have any rights in this village! You’re not one of us… you will never be welcome here.”

The man glared down at Mitsuki, sending him off with some final words before closing the door in his face, “For someone whose parent was claimed to be smart, you’re pretty fucking stupid to stick around here.”

Mitsuki had never felt so angry and frustrated in his life. He made his way back to his apartment, only to be greeted to the sight of the graffiti again. Mitsuki shook his head, he didn’t even have the energy to clean it off today. He entered his apartment and went straight for the bathroom. He looked at the pieces of his hair in the mirror that were now stained red. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered if any of this was worth it anymore.

He turned on the shower and slowly bean to undress. As he stepped under the water, his shoulders shook. He looked down at the water and noticed how the red paint almost looked like blood. He was fighting with himself. Part of him wanted to cry but another part of him refused. He tried to tell himself that eventually these people would stop. He tried to believe himself when he thought that but he couldn’t.

He spent most of his time in the shower thinking. He didn’t know what he was going to do about this. He knew he couldn’t keep acting like everything was okay but he knew he couldn’t give these people what they wanted. He came here thinking that he would get a new start on life but it was worse than being in the Sound. He wished he could ask for help but no one else would understand.

Boruto and Sarada didn’t know what it felt like to be hated for who they were. Everything about Mitsuki was hated by people who didn’t know him. Boruto and Sarada were well respected by everyone because of their parents and Mitsuki was hated for who his parent was. They would never be able to understand what it’s like to have a death wish written for them.

“I don’t think I can keep doing this…”

It was a brand new day and Mitsuki was so upset last night that he found himself sleeping in late. He quickly got dressed and was rushing out the door when something caught his eye. He noticed he never cleaned the graffiti off his door. He wondered if he should clean it off before he left for his mission. He nodded to himself quickly and ran back inside to grab the cleaning supplies.

He knew he had to hurry or Boruto and Sarada would come looking for him. He was scrubbing as hard as he could without breaking the door but the graffiti refused to go away. The more Mitsuki scrubbed the more he wanted to cry. He couldn’t believe that he was still trying to scrub off the graffiti only for it to be replaced with something else.

His shoulders were shaking as he stopped scrubbing. He closed his eyes, trying to force the tears to go away. He gasped when he sensed Boruto and Sarada’s chakras coming towards him. Mitsuki quickly opened his door and placed the cleaning supplies close to the door. He shut his door and tried to run to the stairs when Boruto and Sarada jumped down in front of him.

“What are you both doing here?”

“We were worried about you.”

“I’m fine. I just overslept.”

“Hey, what’s that on your door?”

The two of them heard a faint, “it’s nothing” before Mitsuki grabbed their wrists and made them jump with him. Boruto took one quick glance behind him to try to see what was on Mitsuki’s door but he couldn’t make it out. Whatever was on Mitsuki’s door seemed to scare him. Whatever was on there was something Mitsuki didn’t want them to see.

The three of them met up with Konohamaru by the entrance of the village. Konohamaru greeted his team with a smile before telling them that needed to head out now or they would be late. Their mission was to deliver a scroll to a nearby village. It wasn’t supposed to be challenging by any means but things never are as easy as it seems when it comes to Boruto and his pals.

As they were travelling, Mitsuki was in the back while everyone else was a little bit ahead of him. It normally didn’t bother Mitsuki to be in the back but today it felt like everyone was getting farther and farther away from him. He wanted to reach out for them but he knew that he shouldn’t bring them down with him. He knew if he brought them into his mind they wouldn’t want to stay.

It all happened so fast.

Mitsuki couldn’t even get a word out as he felt a wire wrap around his waist and pull him back. Mitsuki reached a hand out to his team but they continued jumping without him. Mitsuki wanted to say something. He wanted to call out to his friends but he didn’t. It would be better this way. They had a mission to complete. They didn’t need him there. They didn’t even notice he wasn’t with them.

He watched as they jumped off without even looking back to make sure Mitsuki was still there. Mitsuki had a faint smile on his face as he saw them disappear into the trees. His smile quickly disappeared when he was thrown to the ground. Mitsuki grabbed a kunai and sliced through the wire. He got to his feet and tried to sense how many ninja were ambushing him but he couldn’t sense any of them.

Mitsuki’s eyes flashed in every direction. It seemed as if there was a sensory type among the enemy. This wasn’t good for him. If someone could hide the chakra of their team then there was no telling how many of them were here. Mitsuki was barely able to deflect the kunai that was shot out at him. He gasped when two more kunai launched at him. He was able to dive out of the way but he had a feeling this was only the beginning.

He was going to be fighting a losing battle if he stayed in this spot. He needed to get out of here. Just as he was going to jump he felt a wire wrap around his left wrist. He gasped at the tight grip and tried to slice through it when his other arm was immobilized by another wire. His arms were spread out wide, leaving him open to any attack.

This wasn’t good.

Mitsuki tried to pull on the wires but they just dug into his skin, tearing at his skin until it started to bleed. Mitsuki took a deep breath before concentrating on starting medical ninjutsu on himself. The areas that were being cut were starting to heal under the wire without him having to be touching the area.

“Did you think I would forget about you?”

Mitsuki knew that voice. His eyes widened when he saw the three men who had broken into his house come out of the woods. There were two of them who were holding the wires while the leader was walking towards him.

Mitsuki glared at the leader as he hissed, “I see your arm has healed since our last encounter.”

“This is payback.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“No, you will.”

The man grabbed Mitsuki by the hair with his newly healed arm. He yanked Mitsuki’s hair back, exposing his pale neck to the man.

Mitsuki grit his teeth as the man growled, “You should have killed me when you had the chance, you little monster. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your dad joins you in hell soon.”

The man pulled out a kunai and that’s when Mitsuki started fighting against his restraints. He couldn’t get his arms free so he went with the next best choice. Mitsuki smashed his head against the other man’s, watching as he fell back. Mitsuki could feel blood trickling down his forehead. He knew it was his own blood but he felt satisfied knowing that the leader was bleeding from that, as well.

“You little bitch!”

Mitsuki’s eyes were glowing as the man approached him again. The man cranked back to stab him but Mitsuki’s mouth moved and then opened, sending out a kunai that lodged in the man’s shoulder.

The man hissed in pain as he ripped the kunai out, “That’s it! I’m sick of all your little tricks!”

The man stormed forward and grabbed Mitsuki by his throat, lifting him up in the air. Mitsuki was gasping for air as the man clamped down on his throat. Mitsuki’s vision was starting to turn spotty as the thought crossed his mind to coat himself in lightning. He tried to coat himself with lightning but when the man saw a spark come he grabbed a sword off his back and stabbed it right through Mitsuki’s stomach.

Mitsuki couldn’t even scream because of the tight grip on his throat. He coughed out blood, feeling a little satisfied when some of the blood hit the man’s face. There was a faint smile on Mitsuki’s face as he tried one last thing. He stretched his arms out and wrapped them around the other men’s throats. If he was going down then he was going to take them with him.

Mitsuki gasped in pain as he felt the men stab his arms. He closed his eyes, he couldn’t let it end like this. He was going to lose consciousness soon so he had to make one last effort to get out of this mess. Mitsuki’s eyes were glowing as his body started glowing green. The leader let go of Mitsuki, terrified when he saw a horn sprout out of the blue haired male’s forehead.

The other two men let go of the wires and stumbled back to the ground. Mitsuki dropped to his hands and knees and coughed out blood. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay in his sage transformation for long. He had taken too much damage and it was only a matter of time before he lost too much blood.

Mitsuki felt the leader walking towards him. Mitsuki looked up in time to feel the man reach down and rip the sword out of his body.

Mitsuki screamed bloody murder at the feeling. He lost his sage transformation in the blink of an eye. He placed a hand on his gushing wound and looked up at the man one last time. He was going to kill him.

Mitsuki’s eyes were wide as he heard the man scream, “This ends now, snake!”

“Y-You’re n-no better than him…”

The man had a look in his eyes as if he was shocked Mitsuki would dare to compare him to Orochimaru. Mitsuki looked down and coughed out blood.

He wiped his mouth off on his shoulder and then looked at the man to say, “My parent has killed countless people in his life… but you would kill a child… how are you any better than him?”

Mitsuki wasn’t going to last much longer so while he was stalling, he was healing his gaping wound with the hand pressed on it. Mitsuki was a little surprised that the man actually walked over and put a knee on his back, forcing the blue haired male to the ground.

Blood gushed out of his back from the wound. Mitsuki gasped in pain, he wasn’t finished healing himself. He didn’t have enough time. He wasn’t enough to stop these men.

“This is the end for you, snake!”

“That’s enough!”

The man’s sword was knocked out of his hand when a kunai knocked it out. The man rubbed his wrist and backed off of the blue haired male. Mitsuki was at a loss for words as Konohamaru was standing before him. He looked around to see that Boruto and Sarada were now standing in front of the other two men, as if they were trying to tell the men that they weren’t getting past them.

The leader took a moment to observe the situation and then glared at Konohamaru, “I didn’t think you of all people would come to save him. After everything he’s done to you in the past you would still protect him?! Don’t you know what he’s done?!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The Chuunin Exams all those years ago!”

“Mitsuki wasn’t even there!”

“So, that’s your name, snake?”

Mitsuki had finally found the strength to stand on his feet, although he looked like he was on his last legs. Konohamaru stood in front of Mitsuki, a kunai in his hand and a dangerous glare on his face.

Team Seven’s captain was obviously angry as he growled, “None of that has anything to do with Mitsuki! You ambushed a child and you monsters were just going to kill him and leave him for dead!”

The man reached down and grabbed his sword. He pointed the blade at Mitsuki as he hissed, “You call me a monster but you’re protecting the biggest monster in the village! You were Lord Third’s grandson yet you can’t even recognize the face of Orochimaru’s spawn right there behind you! You would defend the son of the man who murdered our Hokage! He’s Orochimaru’s little snake!”

The atmosphere seemed to grow even more tense as Konohamaru dropped his kunai. Konohamaru looked visibly shaken as he turned around to look at Mitsuki.

There were tears in Mitsuki’s eyes as Konohamaru asked quietly, “Mitsuki… is that true? Are you really Orochimaru’s son?”

Mitsuki didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie to Konohamaru but at the same time he knew the truth wouldn’t be easy to swallow for Konohamaru.

Mitsuki was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the leader yell, “Of course, he’s Orochimaru’s spawn! Come on, snake, tell them all how your parent murdered the Third Hokage! Tell them all how your father murdered over fifty children because he wanted to gain the First Hokage’s power!”

Mitsuki’s shoulders were shaking as he was fighting with himself not to cry. He brought his hands to his head and tangled his fingers in his hair.

It if Mitsuki was trying to block out the words the man was screaming at him, “Tell them how Orochimaru killed his friends and anyone else around him just so he could gain immortality! Tell them how he brought the First and Second Hokages back from the dead just to kill Lord Third!”

“Please, stop…”

“Oh, I’m just getting started!”

There were tears streaming down Mitsuki’s face as he heard the man spewing such hatred at him, “Tell them how you’re not even like us! I bet you’re another one of Orochimaru’s experiments and you were sent here to finish what he started! Tell them how you’re just like your old man! Tell them how you’re just a lab rat experiment! Tell them how you’ll never be like us!”

Mitsuki couldn’t take it anymore. He dropped to his knees and screamed at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t handle hearing about how terrible his parent was. He couldn’t handle all that hatred for his parent being directed at him. For once, Mitsuki desperately wanted to die. He didn’t want to be here anymore. They could win. Mitsuki didn’t want to do this anymore.

Everyone was shocked at the explosion of emotion from Mitsuki. Mitsuki had never looked so small and broken to his teammates before. They had always known him to be so strong, cool, and composed but seeing him like this reminded them that everyone had a breaking point. Even someone as calm and collected as Mitsuki could fall apart.

The leader took this moment as his opportunity to run in and raise his sword to kill Mitsuki. There was no time for Konohamaru to react, nor would Boruto and Sarada have been able to get there in time to stop the attack. The man came down with his blade but gasped in shock when Mitsuki grabbed his wrist. In a matter of seconds, Mitsuki was glowing green and the horn was back on his forehead.

“There’s no way you healed that fast…”

Konohamaru was actually terrified by how much Mitsuki’s eyes looked like Orochimaru’s now. Mitsuki stood up and twisted the man’s arm.

Mitsuki snarled loud enough for everyone to hear, “I’m going to finish what I started with your arm. You’re going to wish I killed you that night.”

There was the sickening sound of a bone breaking and that’s when everyone realized it was much worse. Mitsuki had ripped the man’s arm clean off. The man was screaming at the pain of feeling his arm aggressively removed from his body.

Blood had splattered onto Mitsuki’s face when he ripped the limb off. Nothing sickened Konohamaru more than when he realized Mitsuki didn’t even blink. He didn’t flinch. It was almost like he had done it before.

It looked like it didn’t bother him.

Sarada and Boruto were frozen in fear. Mitsuki had finally snapped. Whereas other people would just cry and isolate themselves for days on end, Mitsuki broke down and turned dark. It was like they were seeing a whole new side of Mitsuki. They wanted to stop their friend but part of them didn’t even know if that was Mitsuki anymore.

Mitsuki tossed the limb to the side, as if it was nothing. He walked forward and didn’t even wince when the man made one last effort to stop him by stabbing him with Konohamaru’s kunai. Mitsuki looked down at the wound and then sharpened his hand. Everyone screamed in terror as they saw him stab his whole hand through the man’s chest.

The man was shaking as he tried to form words. Mitsuki leaned in and stated coldly, “You wanted a snake and you got one. This is how all of you see me so are you happy now? Are you happy you brought this out of me? You wanted Orochimaru’s son and you got him.”

“I… knew you were… just like him.”

“I’ll see you in hell.”

Mitsuki forcefully removed his hand from the man’s body, not even bothering to brush the other man’s blood off. The man’s body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Mitsuki pulled out the kunai, not even wincing at the pain he was feeling. He turned around to face the other two men. He looked from one to the other, trying to decide which one he wanted to kill next.

Boruto and Sarada were still frozen in their places. Mitsuki had blood all over him, some of it was his and some of it wasn’t. Mitsuki was about to run forward when he felt two strong arms wrap around him from behind. Mitsuki stiffened in the arms and was about to fight to get out of them until he heard Konohamaru’s voice.

“That’s enough. You’ve done enough.”

“Let go of me!”

“This isn’t you, Mitsuki!”

“This is me!”

Mitsuki had tears pouring down his face as he cried out desperately, “This is who you all wanted me to be! This is who you wanted! I tried to show everyone that I’m not like him but all you saw was a snake! All you saw was him! If all you’re ever going to see me as is a snake or my parent then there’s no point in being anything else… there’s no point in being Mitsuki…”

He was sobbing by the time he got it all out. He sunk to the ground with Konohamaru holding him. His sage transformation disappeared as he brought his hands to his face. He didn’t want everyone to see him weak like this. Konohamaru just held him closer to his body, trying to show Mitsuki that he wasn’t going to let him go. He didn’t have to be alone anymore.

“I can’t carry this anymore.”

Mitsuki had spent almost a week in the hospital. He had suffered multiple wounds but he was successful in preventing major injury by healing himself on the spot. They knew his wounds were healed after the first few days but they knew he needed some time to himself so they let him stay a little longer. He had healed himself after the first couple days, deeming the hospital’s work inadequate compared to his own capability to heal the body.

Mitsuki didn’t know where this left him. He had killed a civilian so he was prepared to face the consequences for his actions. Yet, he remembered that he had been kidnapped and nearly killed so he would have to remember to claim that he had acted in self-defense. He took a deep breath. He really lost his composure back there.

He was sitting up looking out the window when he heard a knock at his room’s door. He didn’t make any movements to open the door. He sighed to himself when he heard the door open. This chakra felt powerful. It felt warm and inviting. It almost felt like Boruto’s chakra but Mitsuki knew it wasn’t him. That meant it must have been the Hokage. He closed his eyes when he heard Naruto sit down in the chair next to him.

“I’ll go quietly, Lord Seventh.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I’ll go back to the Sound.”

“Why would you go back?”

Mitsuki turned to face the Hokage, furrowing his brow at the look of confusion on Naruto’s face. Mitsuki blinked a few times, combing through his thoughts.

He answered with no emotion in his voice, “I ripped a man’s arm off then used my own hand to stab a hole in his chest to kill him. You probably don’t want… someone like me in this village.”

“Haven’t you heard?”

Naruto had a warm smile on his face as he continued, “It turns out those guys who attacked you were rogue ninja hiding out in the Leaf to plot our destruction. They saw you and thought they could take out Orochimaru’s son while they were at it but you took out their leader and now we have the followers in prison.”

Mitsuki nodded but it didn’t make him feel any better. Naruto was confused by Mitsuki’s sad look in his eyes.

The Hokage asked softly, “Hey, what’s wrong? I haven’t really seen you smile since you’ve been in this village. What’s been going on, Mitsuki?”

“It’s… it's nothing, really.”

“You remind me of myself, you know?”

The blue haired male looked into those sky blue eyes with wonder. He was like the Seventh Hokage? Mitsuki found that hard to believe, to be a demon compared to an angel.

Naruto gave a little laugh before saying, “Yeah, you’re a lot like me, you know. When I was growing up no one wanted anything to do with me. I was an outcast. Everyone looked at me with hate. They all wanted to pretend I wasn’t there so I acted out to get attention. It wasn’t good attention but as long as people were looking at me… that was enough.”

Naruto looked down at the ground, his voice more solemn as he continued, “I grew up without a mom and dad. They had died the day I was born so I went my whole life without them. I had to take care of myself but… I knew there had to be a reason why I was here. I wanted to be there for these people so that no one could feel how I felt… but it seems I haven’t been doing as good of a job as I thought because you’ve been feeling the same as me, haven’t you?”

Mitsuki didn’t say anything back. His silence spoke a thousand words to Naruto. To the Hokage, Mitsuki’s silence was far more painful than any jutsu he has been hit by.

The blonde let out a sigh before he looked at Mitsuki and said, “I… I want to apologize for not being there for you. I say that the whole village is my family but somehow you went on thinking you weren’t family. You were constantly looked at with hatred but… but you just ignored it all. How did you do that? Why would you do that?”

“Conflict breeds disaster, Lord Seventh.”

Mitsuki slowly turned to look out the window, staring at the bright sun shining down on the village. Some days he wished he had told someone about the hatred he endured since he came to the Leaf. Some days he wished he had brought someone into his home to show them the hatred people left for him every day. Some days he wished he let people into his mind but he didn’t think they wanted to see the war zone going on in his head.

The blue haired male shifted his attention back at the Hokage as he stated, “I’ve been ten feet down nearly my whole life, just as you were. The only difference between us is that you reached out for people when the weight of the world was on your shoulders while I preferred to keep people from seeing my struggles. No one else would understand what it’s like to be me.”

“But what about Boruto and-“

“They will never understand.”

Naruto noticed how Mitsuki grabbed the sheets as he continued, “They grew up in a loving home with arms always open wide waiting for them. I grew up in a test tube and was trained to be a living weapon. I lost my memory countless times because I didn’t come out right. They could never understand what it’s like to grow up already being behind everyone else. They could never understand what it’s like to grow up knowing they will never be like everyone else.”

His grip on the sheets tightened but his voice remained calm and even as he spoke, “They grew up being told they could be whatever they wanted to be. I was created to be a ninja. They were brought into the world by highly respected people. I was forced into the world by a man that all the nations hated because of the reputation he had made. People take one look at me and only see him.”

Mitsuki looked down at the sheets as he finished, “People look at Boruto and see you and Lady Hinata. People look at Sarada and see both her parents. People look at them with such positive, high expectations. But… people look at me and see a monster. Everyone looks at me with such low expectations. People look at me and wait for me to make a mistake. It’s not easy to walk on eggshells because sooner or later they’re going to break and you'll fall through."

“Mitsuki… I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“You’re needed here in this village.”

“Honestly, I think that’s a lie.”

Naruto was going to say something but Mitsuki turned to him and stated, “I can’t believe those words after all the hatred this village has shown me. I’ve been cursed at and harassed on a daily basis. I’ve had my home vandalized, broken into, and told that it wasn’t my home. I’ve been the target for so much hatred since I’ve been here all because of who my parent is. Not one of them bothered to see past who created me. They couldn’t be bothered to get to know me.”

There were silent tears falling down Mitsuki’s face as he whispered, “None of them could spare me just a little kindness. I’ve spent a thousand nights alone, trying to hold onto what little sanity I have left. Between the madness and the apathy, it seems there’s nothing left inside of me that’s good. You can tell me that it’s all going to be alright but you don’t know what it’s like in my mind.”

Naruto felt like his heart was breaking as he heard Mitsuki murmur, “I tried to make friends. I tried to find love but… I don’t feel like I’m enough. I’ve tried to let people in but… I can promise you if you knew me you would probably walk away… you wouldn’t want to stay. There’s so much pain in my veins and it’s so heavy and I just… I want to be okay.”

The blonde moved to sit on Mitsuki’s bed. He had a smile on his face as he reached forward and brought Mitsuki into his arms.

He whispered softly into those blue locks, “You’re so strong, you know? I wish I could be as strong as you. You carried so much weight on your shoulders but it’s time to let go. I know it’ll be hard at first but you’ve got so many people who care about you in this village… and I’m one of them.”

Mitsuki just sobbed into the other male as the Hokage continued, “Boruto thinks the world of you. He told me how you called him your sun. You told him that he illuminates his path but what he hasn’t told you is that you’re his moon. When it’s dark outside, you’re his light. You’re his light in the dark, Mitsuki. He might guide you during the day but you guide him during the night. You two are best when you’re together.”

The blue haired male looked up with tears in his eyes as Naruto stated, “And Sarada will never tell you but she wishes she could be like you. She wishes she had your speed, your intelligence, and your ability to stay so composed. She looks up to you but she won’t say it. She won’t say it but… you’re one of the best friends she’d ever had.”

“Is… is all of that true?”

“Of course.”

“How will they see me now?”

Naruto had a grin on his face as he answered, “Oh, that’s easy! Mitsuki, they were so concerned for you when you broke down. They want to be here for you so you never have to go through anything alone anymore. You’ve been such a good friend to them so they want to show you that they can be good friends to you. They want to prove to you that you’re irreplaceable.”

“Actually, they’re all waiting for you!”

“They… they are?”

Naruto nodded with that grin still on his face. The Hokage smiled as he stated, “Mitsuki, you’re the heart of your friends. You always thought you were on the outside but honestly, you were the center of their worlds. You never let them go through anything alone so now let them return the favor. Let them in, Mitsuki. I can promise you that you’ll feel a lot better if you do.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Even though Naruto told him that his friends were waiting for him he was still surprised to see them all there. Boruto was the first one to run to him. Mitsuki’s eyes widened at the sight of his arms wide open as if he was welcoming them into them.

Mitsuki gasped when he felt Boruto grab him around his waist and twirl him around in the air. Mitsuki put his hands on Boruto’s shoulders for support. He was too busy humming in laughter to hear what Boruto was saying.

When Boruto put him down he felt someone wrap their arms around him in a near bone crushing hug. He felt someone put their chin on his shoulder, guessing it was Sarada.

He felt at ease when he heard Sarada whisper to him, “I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve missed you.”

It started to feel like more people were hugging him. He felt so overwhelmed when everyone jumped on each other, trying to get to Mitsuki. All the friends fell to the ground and burst into laughter. At the center of the mess of people on the ground was Mitsuki. He looked around at all these people who had come to see him. All these months he thought he was alone but they had always been there for him.

The weeks that followed weren’t always good but Mitsuki noted that the graffiti on his front door had slowed down until it finally stopped. Now, he had friends who would walk him home or friends that would spend the night. Those who used to prey on him stopped saying things to him because his friends would defend him now. Mitsuki was happy that Naruto fired the landlord and hired someone who was far more kind to him.

People didn’t throw things at him anymore or try to start fights with him anymore. Mitsuki knew it was going to take some time for everyone to fully accept that he wasn’t like his parent but he wasn’t going through the struggle anymore.

Mitsuki was currently locking his door as he was leaving for a mission with his team. As he rushed down the stairs, he smiled and waved to his neighbors, who returned the gestures.

He had a bright smile on his face as he ran through a plaza. He waved to Chocho, who grinned and expanded her hand to give him a big wave. Shikadai was giving Chocho an annoyed look as he tried to avoid her enlarged hand. Mitsuki hummed in laughter as he waved to the spiky haired male.

Inojin and Mitsuki nodded to each other. Inojin quickly painted a large blue and green bird, which flew to Mitsuki. The blue haired male jumped on the bird’s back, smiling and waving to Inojin, who was grinning back at him.

The bird flew Mitsuki up to the roof tops and then popped, causing Mitsuki to sky dive down. He smiled as he saw Sumire summon Nue in his lion size form to get Mitsuki. The blue haired male waved at Sumire with a smile as he straddled Nue’s back. Nue made a sound like it was purring as Mitsuki brushed the creature’s fur. Nue landed on the roof and lowered so Mitsuki could hop off.

He gave Nue one last brush before running towards Wasabi and Namida, who where waiting at the end of the roof for him. Mitsuki nodded to both of them, happy to see them grinning back at him. The two girls were ready when Mitsuki jumped up, landing in their hands so they could hoist him up over the taller building. He saluted the two girls from the top of the building before running again.

“You’re gonna be late, Mitsuki!”

“I could use a hand, Iwabe!”

Mitsuki jumped off the high building, fully aware that there was nothing for him to land on. He wasn’t worried, he knew Iwabe would be there. Iwabe slammed his hands on the ground, causing a pedestal of rock to erupt from the ground to catch Mitsuki and lower him to the ground. Mitsuki saluted Iwabe as he ran past him, earning a loud laugh from the older male.

The blue haired male was smiling as Denki was running past him, holding his hand up for Mitsuki to give him a high five. Mitsuki was smiling as he did a cart wheel and then high fived Denki when he was coming up from the cart wheel. Every time Denki and Mitsuki high fived, the blue haired male made sure he came to the high five in a new way. He could hear Denki cheering for him as he continued to run.

“Race me to the entrance, Mitsuki!”

There was the Leaf’s handsome devil enjoying the springtime of his youth. Metal was running right next to Mitsuki, both of them smiling at each other. Mitsuki nodded and started to pick up speed, which prompted Metal to run faster to catch up with him. The two of them rounded a corner, earning laughs from all the civilians around them.

Before, those people would’ve been annoyed with him but now they loved seeing him. They loved how Mitsuki was interacting with everyone around him and looking so genuinely happy while doing it. Now, everyone was starting to see him as a member of the Leaf. They were starting to look at him how Naruto looked at all his people. They were starting to see him as family.

The two rounded the last corner and saw the entrance in their sights. They could see the rest of Team seven waiting for Mitsuki. Mitsuki looked at Metal with a devious smile on his face. Metal groaned playfully as he saw Mitsuki extend his arm to grab the top of the entrance sign. In a second, Mitsuki reeled his body in to the sign. As Mitsuki landed with his team, Metal came over huffing and puffing, claiming that Mitsuki had cheated.

Everyone was laughing as Metal declared that he would do four hundred laps around the village to make sure he could beat Mitsuki next time. Everyone smiled and waved as Metal went on his way.

Sarada smiled as she bumped her hip into Mitsuki’s, who smiled and grabbed her hand. Boruto held out his fist for Mitsuki to bump. Mitsuki hummed in laughter as he bumped the fist and then grabbed his hand.

Konohamaru was grinning as he ruffled his hands through Sarada and Boruto’s hair, laughing when the two students groaned at his actions. Mitsuki looked at his team, smiling to himself.

He had been through a lot to get to this point but he believed it was all for a reason. He had to go through those hard times by himself to see that he didn’t have to be alone. Mitsuki was sure of one thing that would stand forever.

He wouldn’t be alone anymore.