Far Away by Fourthiv

Authors Note: I do not own anything Naruto or Naruto related. I also do not own the song that this fan fiction is based on, "The Next Life" by Suede.
Also note that the end of Naruto's "note" in this story are the lyrics of the song mentioned above.

Underline - Naruto's Note
Italics - Flashbacks

"There is no refuge from confession but suicide; and suicide is confession" - Daniel Webster

"My Name is Uzumaki Naruto and these are my confessions:"

He wasn't sure how long he had been standing at this place; hours or minutes, it did not matter. He could have spent years standing in front of this tombstone, withered away into nothing, and it still would not matter.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Now that he was gone, everything just seemed a bit more dull, yet so much brighter.

"I am the container of the Kyuubi demon. Haven't you ever wondered why you really didn't like me? Why your parents hated me with a such a fierce passion? That is the reason why. Because of something I could never control.

I have lied to my precious ones every day of my life. I have never been happy. I hate everything I've pretended to be. In reality I've always been cold and alone. Sort of the way Sasuke-teme acts.

I have no real desire to be Hokage; I just want to be loved and cared for.

Last but not least...

I love Uchiha Sasuke..."

There was nothing he could have ever done to prevent this situation, to prevent his rival and companion from making the conscious decision to stray from the plan they had set. There was no one who had any idea what Naruto was thinking when he broke the formation that all of team Seven held. It wasn't until Naruto darted in front of Sasuke, receiving a blow that both of them could have easily avoided, did they realize what was going on.
Yet there was nothing anyone could have done.
No one really knew the true side of Naruto. No one ever had a clue. No one could have ever predicted that this would happen; that Naruto would be the one to end his own life by so stupidly sacrificing his for Sasuke.

Part of him wished that he knew about Naruto's secrets. That he saw through Naruto's mask and was madly in love with him.
But it wasn't true. Sasuke was just as blind as everyone else.

"Now, my secrets are out. For good. Now, there is no turning back.
There is no reason for me to second guess the blade scraping across my wrist; the gun brushing across my head. For in this confession I find my solace knowing that no one will ever confront me about it, no one will ever ask me questions, no one will ever make fun of me.
What I have done may not seem like the right answer, or even an option to you all, but it is for me. It is all I have left..."

As much as Sasuke truly hurt about Naruto's untimely demise, a part of him was smiling. He was the one who saw the look on Naruto's face when it happened. It was as if Naruto had found his place, where he was meant to be for the rest of his life.

Sasuke knew that the smile held by Naruto when he died would haunt him forever. It wasn't that same goofy grin Naruto held day by day. No, this one was different. It seemed more realistic than anything else he had ever seen on Naruto. It was almost beautiful. Because of this, Sasuke knew that this is where Naruto really wanted to be, and that he was happy, even if he was alone.
And it was in this that Sasuke knew that what happened wasn't so bad. Yes, his best friend was dead, but that didn't mean it was the end of things.
There was always the next life...

"I could have run away, I could have hidden from you all.
Or I could have held in my secrets for the rest of my life.
I tried to kill myself before, but it just didn't take. I tried over and over and over to work up the courage, and I couldn't do it. It took me so long to figure out the problem; why I couldn't complete what I set out to do.
It was my secrets. I needed them to be released from my heart and my mind. I needed everyone to know without ever having to hear and see their judgements."

Everything around him was moving in slow-motion, like it wasn't even real. He couldn't grasp what had just happened, but he did know that everything went wrong.
There mission was a difficult one, but one they could manage. The Hokage had assigned Team 7 to go after Orochimaru and Kabuto and terminate them. Easier said than done, but if anyone could do it, Team 7 could. Naruto had finally perfected the Rasengan, and had also saved Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches, just in time. He was stronger than anyone around, and with the aid of Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke, he could defeat them.
Everything went well, at first. Kabuto had already been defeated, and all that was left was Orochimaru.
Although it seemed to be a four on one fight, it was in reality a one on one. Sasuke versus Orochimaru. It seemed they both had a vendetta against each other.
For one tiny moment, Sasuke became distracted and Orochimaru took advantage of the situation. Pulling out his sword, Orochimaru ran at full speed toward Sasuke. Sasuke noticed just in time, drawing his own sword as a defense against Orochimaru, but that was where it all went wrong.

Right as Orochimaru lifted his blade to slice into Sasuke, Naruto gracefully stepped between the two, taking the blow as his own. Sasuke watched in horror as Naruto stared strait into his soul and smiled, falling to the ground never to get up.
Then there was silence all around them. Rage began to boil inside of the remainder of the team, and within moments, Orochimaru was dead.
But, it didn't save Naruto.
Sasuke rushed to his fallen comrade's aid, trying his damndest to bring him back. Nothing seemed to work. That's when he found it. The thing that turned Naruto's death from a sacrifice to defeat Orochimaru to a suicide.
Sasuke delicately unfolded the paper and read it over and over again. He could not believe what was there. It was as if it was Naruto's last joke. Yet, he knew it wasn't true.

Glancing around him, Sasuke saw many more ninja than before. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. Then, it dawned on him. They were taking Naruto's body. Hiding the note, Sasuke backed away, and walked off. He had a lot of thinking left to do.

"So without further ado, I give you my parting words, meant only for the one who always held my heart..."
See you in your next life when we'll fly away for good.
Stars in our own car we can drive away from here...
See you in your next life when we'll fly away for good"