Disclaimer: I do not, nor do i claim to own any part of the Naruto franchise
A/N: Very short story. Who knows, I might just come up with a prequel
White. That's all I see as I fall to the ground. Then the memories of the clones that dispelled. And then suddenly the sounds break through. The sounds of a thousand fire jutsu's being shot at Madara and Obito. The sound of rocks being thrown. The Juubi roaring. But most of all the voices. THEIR voices, the people I'm supposed to save. Then the whiteness fades into shades of grey, slowly, until finally I can see what's going on. Sakura's standing over me, yelling. I can barely make out what she's saying as she tries to heal my wound. Pointless, I suppose. Taking a Tailed beast bomb to the heart is sure to instantly kill you. At lest I could get a few thousand Rasengans in. I'm lucky to still be alive, for now. Or maybe I'm unlucky. I see Kakashi and Gai facing the juubi, ready to take it on.. And Shikamaru's standing there, trying to look cool. Heh, we all know better. Look, there's Hinata, the girl who loves me. I never got to talk to her about it, and that's the other thing I regret. Losing her cousin and the person she loves in the same day, I can't even imagine what she's feeling. The one thing I regret though, is leaving her, my Hime, my Ino. I see her there, being held back by Chouji. As my vision starts fading again, it seems like she's the brightest object in this valley. They say right before death, your life flashes before your eyes. That's not true, at least partly. My mind started pulling up images of my life, but not just any. These are the times when I was happiest. There's the time when Iruka-sensei bought me ramen, and graduation day, when he gave me his headband. That time I left the village with Pervy-sage. That's right old man, even in death I'll keep calling you that. But most of all, there's the times i spent with Ino. All our dates, our first kiss, the day we met, the day she punched me into a wall after I asked her on a date for about the millionth time. That was also the day she said yes. I feel a smile tugging at my otherwise numb body. I see Kurama in front of me, smirking in approval. It's something. Even though he dies with me, he gladly accepts his manner of death. And suddenly I'm back in the valley, back in the battle. Ino's kneeling over me, begging me not to leave her. I wish I didn't have to. I look around one last time, and I see the chaos. That' for me, was the ultimate form of irony. My birth created a chaos, and now my death will help end one. My eyes catch Ino's for the last time. Those blue eyes I could get lost in forever. She's crying. I want to tell her so much. I want to tell her to not cry, that it's all going to be all right. I want to wipe the tears from her face. I just want to hold her one last time. But all i can manage is a soft whisper. It's not much, but her reply makes it all worth it. I can die in peace now. "I...love you...hime." "I love you too baka"