Date: 30/7/15

Hello there, I am just writing a little additional note here (the below writers note is the original one) to say that I have done some additional editing on this oneshot! I just read through it and became aware of the terrible spelling and grammar mistakes I had made, I know I wrote this in a rush but i can't believe how bad it was... So I fixed it up a little; there are no changes to the storyline or how it ends so I am really only doing this because i can't bear the thought of this going unedited any longer. And if you actually read this at all thank you very much!

It's been a while since I published any stories, this is actually a one-shot that I thought of just as the war against Madara started in the anime, I am aware that when a tailed beast is extracted the person/container cannot survive for long and the side-effects that I write about probably don't happen. I also know that Sasuke is probably not completely in character (I find him really hard to write)and might not say all the things that he says in this fanfic, as I said I wrote this a while ago and apart from a little additional editing I didn't really change it.

I do not own Naruto.

I failed.

Thought Naruto as he dragged his sluggish body forward, every muscle and joint screaming in protest. He was barely recognisable in his blood and dirt caked clothes, the once bright orange barely noticeable beneath the filth. His eyes once a sky blue had faded to a foggy grey, hair limp and lifeless. His body was thin and bony, from the tears and holes in his jacket ribs and bruises were clearly visible.

His lungs wheezed as he sucked in another unwilling breath of air. Just a little further, he thought. Just a little further, I don't want to die alone.

The war was still raging somewhere, those plant-people left to stall the ninja for long enough to extract the last two tailed beasts. Obviously Obito, Madara and his 'gang' of resurrected Jinchuuriki were already preparing to create the ten-tails. There was no need to fight the ninja anymore, as soon as the ten-tails is created Madara will control it and it will all be over...

killer Bee's tailed beast was also extracted but he died almost immediately after, it was only the Uzumaki blood and sheer willpower that still kept Naruto alive but there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to die. Soon.

He trudged along the forest path that he knew lead to the camp that Sakura and Kakashi were staying at for the moment, Sakura being a medical ninja staying at the base almost all the time whereas kakashi was there for an injury, not life threatening but still serious and disabling. I wonder if i'll make it in time... I have to tell them to run away, that it's too late. I want to say goodbye to them...

His thoughts were going fuzzy, his breath came out in gasps with blood soaked coughs every now and then that wracked his body. He had never in his life felt as tired as he did now, he wanted to sleep, to lie down... to give up. Eyesight blurred, legs felt cold and numb and before he even realized what had happened he was on the ground.

No! He screamed internally. Come on legs don't fail me now! I can't die here, I have things to do!

His arms and legs shook with effort as he tried in vain to get into a kneeling position, they gave out and soon enough he could barely feel them at all. His body had become so reliant on the foxes chakra that without is he was weaker that a newborn baby, his muscles wasted, lungs weak and heart giving out. Each thump was irregular, more like listening to morse code that a heartbeat but at least it was still going. For now.

I can't move, I can barely even think straight. This is pathetic, I am pathetic. Everyone is going to die and it's all my fault...

Salty tears fell on the hard, unforgiving ground beneath him, his body shaking with quiet sobs.

With his senses so frayed and battered he barely heard the sound of someone walking up towards him, the steady thud of one foot in front of the other vibrating through the ground. Who was it? Naruto didn't really care to know at the moment, his heart was now spluttering to short halts and then starting again which, if he had the energy would have made him very worried. As it was it was only just noticed in the haze that was his mind. His crying fit had subsided and he was now only just able to get enough air into his failing lungs.

The footsteps stopped just in front of him, the person kneeling down to try and look at his face he presumed. He really wasn't very interested in talking to a stranger at the moment, he didn't have the energy.

"Never thought I'd see the day you give up"

That oh so very familiar voice said in a somewhat scathing tone, although was that a hint of regret he heard in that unforgiving voice? No, he must be hallucinating. No I really must be hallucinating, there is no way Sasuke would ever bother to talk to me before killing me. And besides, why the hell would he be here anyway?

Naruto painfully moved his neck towards the sound of the voice and cracked open his eyes, then widened them in surprise and disbelief. There, crouched on the dirt sat Sasuke Uchiha, casually turning his head to match the angle of mine. His coal black eyes piercing into my lifeless blue ones, although they didn't look challenging nor blank. There was something unreadable in his eyes that Naruto had never seen in them before, sadness, pity and maybe even regret.

He tried to move his unfeeling hand forward to check he wasn't hallucinating, halfway through the motion before he realized that it didn't matter anymore. He was dying in the forest, heart and lungs failing and talking to an old friend (weather he was a figment of his imagination or not) seemed like a good way to die considering the circumstances. At least he didn't feel so alone.

"You heard me dobe?" Sasuke said a little louder.

Naruto painfully cleared his throat, coughing up a little blood as he did.

"Yeah teme, I heard you" He choked out in a hoarse whisper.

"So what exactly were you trying to accomplish by dragging yourself out here half dead, picking your burial place?" He said, voice slightly sarcastic but still serious.

Naruto could not believe it, was that an actual joke?

"Shut up" He wheezed.

"Now that's not a very kind way to treat an old friend is it?" he said.

Naruto's mouth twitched upwards into a shaky smile. Old friend... ha!

Suddenly Sasuke stood up, removing himself from Naruto's narrow field of vision.

"So, need some help getting to wherever it is your going?" He asked with an air of aloofness, as though he didn't just ask the person he had previously been trying to kill if he wanted some help.

"What?! Why would you help me?" Naruto whispered roughly.

Sasuke leaned down and put his face next to Naruto's ear so the words he spoke were clear and strong.

"Because you are my friend Naruto."

If he had said that simply to stop the protests that would come from his next action then it definitely worked, Naruto was speechless.

Sasuke then proceeded to pick up the now very light body and somehow he managed to get the cold limbs of his dying friend into a piggyback position, his pale, thin arms hung limply over the more muscular boys shoulders. Sasuke held Naruto's legs in place with his arms, leaning forward somewhat to stop him falling off. Well this is weird. Naruto thought absently as Sasuke silently took to the trees, jumping from branch to branch without much trouble from the weight of his extra 'passenger'.

"So where to?" The raven haired boy said nonchalantly.

"The camp where Sakura and Kakashi Sensei are staying at, should be pretty close to here." He whispered, having no energy for anything louder and being close enough the the boys head that he hoped he would be heard . He vaguely felt the muscles in Sasuke's neck tense quickly, then relax again. I can hardly feel anything at all now, Naruto mused. The hands he saw dangling lifelessly in his lower blurry vision didn't feel like his own, even though he knew they must be.

A stray thought occurred to him and he chuckled slightly.

"What's so funny dobe?" Sasuke said, almost sounding annoyed but not quite.

"I wonder how... they will react... when they see you. Wish I could... see their faces when... we get there." Short gasps separated every few words and the speech was slurred but he understood his words well enough.

"You still can see their faces, don't tell me your too lazy to even open your eyes? Come on, stay awake a little longer, were almost there Naruto" Fake teasing, maybe even a little desperation seeped into his voice.

"M' sorry... Sasuke" Was the blonds last whispered words before his heart stopped and breath died away, those once bright blue fiery eyes turning grey and misty.

Sasuke knew that he wasn't just sorry for dying.

And so he will bring his best friends body to the camp, the camp where he will face his past mistakes and regrets. Fear, hatred, pain and defeat will hang thickly in the air he will breath. He will be attacked and possibly blamed for the body lying lifelessly on his back, Sakura will punch him and Kakashi will give him that eternal look of disappointment. But he would go anyway because he believed that the blonde was a man of his word...

Because he knew that Uzumaki Naruto was sorry for everything.

One singe tear fell from his eye, quickly being pulled away by the whipping wind.

And so, Sasuke thought.

Am I.

This is the first one-shot and the first Naruto fanfiction I have ever published, constructive criticism and reviews would be appreciated. :)

It's sad I know but I have always just had this feeling that one of the main characters in Naruto will die...

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Once again thank you for reading this one-shot, I hope the little editing I did made it a little easier to read! Feel free to review and tell me if there is anything I missed (I wouldn't be surprised if there was).