Chapter 15 - Chapter 14: The Ashes of the Past

days had passed, The streets were the same, the people still went about their lives, but to Naruto, everything had changed. His heart had hardened, his soul hollowed by years of rejection and hatred. The once bright-eyed boy, who had craved love and acceptance, was now a shadow—an embodiment of rage and despair.Naruto's feet moved silently over the dirt path that led him to the house he once called home. The weight of the past clung to him like a second skin. He hadn't stepped foot inside in days, not since that day—the day Minato had torn the last piece of his heart from him and left him broken. But now, he wasn't here for memories. He wasn't here for closure.He was here to destroy it all.The front door creaked open under his touch, and the familiar scent of wood and dust hit his senses. The house was eerily quiet, as if it had been abandoned by the very warmth it once held. He moved through the rooms, each step echoing in the emptiness. The photos on the walls, the memories etched in every corner—none of it mattered anymore.Naruto paused at a door near the back of the house. His fingers hovered over the handle for a moment before he pushed it open, stepping into the dimly lit room. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and forgotten days. This room held the memories, the photographs, the remnants of a time when they had all been a family—when Menma, Naruko, and Naruto had been loved equally.He walked over to the shelf where the photos were kept, his eyes scanning the frames. There were countless pictures—his parents smiling with Menma and Naruko, their faces glowing with pride. They were happy, united, whole. But in all of these memories, there was only one photo that mattered, the only photo that had naruto in it.Naruto's fingers found it at the back of the shelf. A small, dusty frame that had been forgotten over the years. He pulled it out and stared at the image within. It was a family photo, taken when he was younger. Naruto, Menma, Naruko, and Minato stood together, smiling. Kushina was there too, her arms wrapped around them all, her laughter frozen in time. Back then, they had loved him. Back then, he had been part of something—something real.But that was a different time, a different life.Naruto's eyes darkened as he looked at the smiling faces in the photo. His hand tightened around the frame until the glass cracked beneath the pressure. Without a second thought, he ripped the photo from the frame and held it in his hands, staring at the boy in the picture—staring at the version of himself that no longer existed."This was never real," he whispered, his voice cold and lifeless.With a flick of his wrist, Naruto summoned a small flame of chakra into his palm. He watched as the fire danced in his hand, reflecting off his cold blue eyes. Slowly, he lowered the flame to the corner of the photo. The paper blackened, curling as the fire consumed it. He didn't blink, didn't hesitate as the faces of his family were swallowed by the fire.As the photo crumbled into ash, Naruto felt something deep inside him break free. There was no going back. He watched the last remnants of his past burn before him, and with it, every connection he had once longed for.But it wasn't enough. Not yet.Naruto's gaze drifted to the walls of the room, to the rest of the house. This place—this house—had once been his home, but now it was nothing more than a reminder of everything he had lost. His fingers twitched, and a surge of chakra coursed through his veins. The flames in his hand flickered, growing larger, hotter.Without another word, Naruto released the fire. It spread quickly, licking at the walls, the furniture, the memories. He stood there, watching as the flames engulfed the room, his eyes empty, devoid of emotion. The fire roared, filling the house with the sound of destruction, but Naruto didn't flinch. He didn't move as the flames closed in around him.As the heat grew unbearable, Naruto turned and walked toward the door, leaving the house to burn behind him. The fire consumed everything—the walls, the photos, the memories—turning it all to ash.He stepped out into the cool night air, the flames roaring behind him, casting a flickering glow across the village. Blood dripped from the cuts on his body, the result of walking through the burning debris. But he didn't care. Pain was nothing new to him. It was the only thing he had left.Naruto stood there, watching as the house—the only place that had ever held any meaning to him—collapsed into the inferno. His eyes narrowed as the last of it crumbled, the fire spitting embers into the sky.In his hand, he held a single white bloody rose. He lifted it to his lips, the soft petals brushing against his skin as he stared into the flames. The white rose—symbolizing purity, innocence, love—was nothing but a cruel reminder of everything he had lost. Everything that had been taken from him.He bit down on the stem, crushing the delicate flower between his teeth. The taste of bitterness filled his mouth, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.As the house burned to the ground, Naruto turned away, walking into the darkness, leaving behind the ashes of his past.The village would soon know the wrath of the boy they had once cast aside.