:Okay… so I wanted to write a fic for Sasuke's birthday, and here it is. (even if July 23rd is still about three hours away)
:I don't own Naruto. This is fanfiction.
:Stuff in italic are flashbacks.
".The Traitor's Requiem."
It was a hard time for Konoha, their village had just been attacked, and the weather seemed to be in agreement with the thoughts of three particular shinobi standing over a certain person's grave, it was raining slightly, like the sky was mourning with them. This was the grave of the final Uchiha, the last of his clan, the survivor, the traitor, the betrayer, the missing-nin.
This was nothing compared to the Third's Funeral, where the whole village mourned. Actually, most, if not all the other villagers were happy he was dead. He did almost destroy Konoha after all. He was nothing more than an enemy. They found it strange that those three would even bother making him a grave, and mourning for him. In their eyes, was just a murderer, just like his older brother.
But then again, who else would be there but the ones who really knew him?, even if it was just for a short time. They were his team when he was a genin, when he was the year's number one rookie, when he made his first true bonds after the massacre of his clan… Team 7.
First off, their silver-haired sensei was standing on the right, and didn't seem to show much emotion, but then again, he never did. Everything was hidden under that mask of his, and the only thing you could read from his one visible eye was sadness. No tears flowed, but they knew that he felt just as much pain as they did.
He was after all, like a big-brother, or maybe even a second father to him. He of all people should've been able to prevent this from happening. The Uchiha was different from the rest, because he was very much like the masked jonin. They both lost everyone they loved, and they were cold, and never let anyone close. He should've seen this coming, he should've been able to do something. He should've known, ever since that day.
.:Flashback:.
"In the end, those who tasted revenge were not satisfied, it ended in tragedy. You'll only hurt and suffer more. Even if you are successful in your revenge, all you'll be left with is emptiness." He said to the boy who was currently tied to a tree.
"What do you know! Don't talk to me like you understand!" the boy protested. "What if I killed the one you loved most? How far would you stray from what you just said?!"
"That would never work, however. Unfortunately, no such person exists. Those people have already been killed." He said, with his one visible eye curled upwards, while the boy's onyx eyes widened as if he couldn't believe it.
"I understand how terrible true pain and loss are. We haven't been very lucky, that's for sure… but we aren't the worst off either." He said. "Both of us have found precious people."
"You should know from your loss, Chidori is a technique I taught you because you found things precious to you. It's not something to be used against your friends or for revenge… I think you know what it's really for." He said with a kind smile, and disappeared as he set the boy free.
.:Flashback End:.
Oh how naïve he was. He should've known that words wouldn't be enough to stop the raven haired boy from leaving. He lived only for one thing, revenge was his only purpose. Maybe he wouldn't attack Konoha if they had been able to stop him from leaving.
Then, another thing bothered the masked jonin. They already knew that the older of the brothers was dead before the attack on the village took place. What could've prompted him to do such a thing?
Meanwhile, the pink haired kunoichi was kneeling on the wet dirt by the grave, with her hands covering her face. The two beside him already knew that the puddle in front of her was not just the rain, they were her tears as well.
.:Flashback:.
"I know all about your past, Sasuke… even if you get your revenge though… it won't bring anyone happiness. Not even you, Sasuke." She said, tears flowing from her green eyes.
"I already know." He said. She was taken aback. He knew?
"I'm different from all of you. There is something else I must do. Deep in my heart, I've already decided on revenge. I only live for that one thing." He said coldly.
"If you leave… to me… it's the same as being alone." she said between sobs. She can't let him leave.
"From here on out, we begin new paths." He said, still not turning to even look at her face. Why did he have to choose this path? Why?
"I love you with all my heart!" she screamed, confessing everything and bearing her soul in a desperate attempt to convince him to stay. "If you stay, you'll have no regrets! We'll be happy! Please… just stay. Or take me with you if you can't stay here."
He paused, and finally turned to look at her.
"After all this time…you're still annoying."
She was now completely desperate.
"Don't leave! If you do, I'll scream!" she pleaded.
In a flash, he was no longer in front of her, but behind her…
She tried hard to hear those two final words that escaped his mouth.
"Thank You."
.:Flashback End:.
As the memory of that night flooded her thoughts once more, she began to wonder if he ever was happy. It was as if happiness was just a word to him, revenge was the only thing to live for. But why did he attack the village, if his brother was already dead?
She knew he loved him then, and even if she had already put the past behind her, his death was making those emotions resurface again. He was her first crush, and her obsession that soon turned to what she believed to be love. Even if he would never return her feelings, she knew that he at least cared. He had risked his life for her, more than once, and the night he left her on that bench was one of the best things he's ever done for her. He saved her from himself. Maybe she should've been the one to say thanks. She knew there would always be a small hole in her heart only the Uchiha could fill.
Meanwhile, the blonde standing beside her handled things differently. "Teme! Why did you have to do this?!" the blonde one shouted at himself, angry. He was, after all, the one who ended the bastard's life. He put the safety of the village over the life of a friend. There was no real choice. But to this blonde, He was more than a teammate. He was his first real friend, his biggest rival, his best friend, the brother destiny forgot to give him.
.:Flashback:.
"Fuuton: Rasenshuriken!" the orange-clad shinobi shouted, as the immense amount of chakra formed the technique at the palm of his hand. He was enveloped by the demon fox's chakra, and there was no turning back. Konoha would be saved, but the Uchiha would be dead.
As the technique hit it's target, and the opponent's flesh torn and bruised as his blood stained everything from his clothes to the ground. The blonde knew his best friend would soon be dead.
"This never should've happened… Sasuke." He muttered under his breath as tears began to well up in his azure blue eyes. "I'm so sorry…" he said, fighting back tears.
He knew he would be the last person on earth who would ever see those crimson kaleidoscopes return to their onyx form, the last of the true Sharingan. This was the end for the once proud and mighty Uchiha clan.
"…dobe…" was the last word he said, and he closed his eyes, but there was a strange peaceful smile on his face as he succumbed to eternal slumber. A smile was a rare sight from this Uchiha, and this smile would haunt the Uzumaki's thoughts forever.
.:Flashback End:.
The blond knew there had to be more to this than it seemed. Why did he attack Konoha if he had already exacted his revenge? Why did he seem to target the village elders during the attack? Why was there a smile on his face when he died?
Naruto didn't know. But he was determined to find out. They would find out. Him and his team, together.
"I won't let you be remembered as a traitor." The blonde said, wiping the tears from his eyes, and with a determined look on his face. "I know you did this for a reason."
The masked jonin then spoke. "Aren't we going to be late for the elders' funeral?"
"Since when weren't you late Kakashi-sensei?" the pink haired kunoichi said, rubbing the tears from her eyes and standing up, giving the two a kind, sad smile.
"Heh. I'd rather be here than at some old geezer's funeral." the blonde one declared with a smile.
No one said another word, or moved another inch. They all silently agreed to stay.
After that day, Kakashi was always later than usual, and Naruto and Sakura knew that he had one other grave he needed to visit. Sakura would often be seen there, and was now a regular at Ino's family flower shop. Naruto was working to make his dreams come true, he would become Hokage if it was the last thing he ever did, and fulfill his vow of finding the reason for Sasuke attacking the village.
The citizens of Konoha always found it strange that those three still bothered with the deceased Uchiha, He was dead, he was a traitor. That was a good thing. There was nothing more to it than that.
Several Years Later…
It was a clear summers day, nothing like the gloomy rainy night years before, when we find the three at the foot of the grave once more.
"You know, loads of the villagers have been wondering why the Rokudaime keeps visiting the grave of a traitor. They think you keep remembering your victory against your bitterest rival." Kakashi said jokingly.
"That's not it, and he's not a traitor." Naruto replied with a grin. "We found out the truth about the massacre, didn't we?" He said. "When I became Rokudaime, I started to look for anything that might explain why he attacked Konoha, and after searching through some forgotten files that used to be the eIder's, I knew I found it. We found the truth."
"I never would've guessed that his older brother killed the clan under orders. He lost everything because of Konoha!" The Rokudaime seemed angry at this point, at the village, at the elders and himself as well. "I wish I knew. He didn't have to die."
"We all do." Sakura said as she held Naruto's hand as if to comfort him.
"I think I would've done the same thing if I was him." He said with a mournful look. "He wanted to change Konoha by destroying it."
"I'm going to change Konoha for him. I'll be the greatest Hokage." He said. "I promise not to let this happen to anyone ever again."
"We're going to make a change. Make the village better. Make Konoha a village Sasuke would've been proud of." He vowed. The will of fire will never die.
As he finished his sentence, they felt the wind suddenly pick up, and the leaves started to rustle, just like it did when he was around, it was like the wind was trying to tell them something.
Sakura smiled at the déjà vu, and could almost hear those last two words again.
As the three of them stood there, they could almost see Sasuke smirk, and nod in approval… or maybe even… smile.
They knew he was happy wherever he was. He was finally free. Free from the vows of revenge that bounded his heart, his soul, every fiber of his being. He was no longer an avenger.
"I think I've found the perfect name for our first son, Naruto." Sakura said with a smile.
The masked jonin smiled behind his mask and nodded.
"Me too." The Rokudaime replied, sharing the same wide smile he always had.
"In memory of Sasuke, the last Uchiha."
…the true measure of a shinobi, is not how he lives, but how he dies…
… it's not what they do in life, but what they did before dying that proves their worth…
:Well, there it is. Happy Birthday, Sasuke-san! Though this story isn't exactly happy.
:I've got a question... where did the Sasuke-tomato connection come from? I don't really remember Sasuke preferring tomatoes or anything. Thanks to whoever will answer. I'm just curious.
:This is my second 'Sasuke is Dead' fic. It seems like the only thing I can write for now. I really hope he doesn't die in the series though. Seriously.
:Oh, yeah, sorry if I took out loads of scenes from the anime, since only Naruto's flashback was mine. Well, they usually do that in 'funeral' episodes don't they? This is also my first time writing a sort-of NaruSaku, because I don't really like the pairing, but it was necessary for the story. Oh, sorry for the messiness too.
:THANKS A LOT FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!