I thought of this while rereading the Naruto manga. Which, is always, the source for my AU's. I know I might upset some people with this fic, but I love exploring the 'what-ifs' and 'could've beens' of Naruto.
Chapter One: Death of an Uchiha
Sakura was smiling, her green eyes lit up, her long, pink hair waving back and forth as she waved to Naruto, who was standing quietly.
"Hey! Naruto! Is Sasuke with you? Where is he?" she looked for him, still smiling.
Naruto stood there, his head hung low and his blue eyes dulled to a dark sapphire. He couldn't...the pain that he would cause Sakura...it'd be unbearable at this point, especially with already such a heavy tension in the air. Not too far from them, Kakashi, his bloody hand in Haku, in front of a stunned Zabuza.
"S-Sakura...Sasuke...S-Sasuke...he's not going to come back," he had to stumble over his words, tears welling up in his eyes.
Sakura's face turned pale and her smile immediately turned into a frown. Even Kakashi, who was far away, heard the conversation and let his guard down for a split second, soaking in what Naruto had just said. Pakkun and the other dogs holding down Zabuze disintegrated, and he was free from the grasp.
"You let your guard down!" Zabuza saw this second as an oppurtunity to strike, and swiftly grabbed his large sword, swung it-
Kakashi didn't have time to deal with Zabuza.
He quickly stabbed a kunai in his chest, Zabuza staggering and falling to the ground beside his fallen comrade, Haku.
While Tazuna and Sakura were standing over Sasuke's cold body, Sakura dropped to her knees and tried not to cry, her lip quivering and herself shaking from fright and shock. Tazuna looked away, his paddy hat down low so his eyes were not viewed.
Naruto was shivering, not from the low temperature but of his sadness. His guilt was growing bigger and bigger everytime he thought of the dark haired Uchiha. The only Uchiha who was spared from the Uchiha massacre. He had a goal, to seek revenge on the murderer.
And yet his life was cut short. Too short.
--
It was day of black and mourning for Konohagakure. The streets were filled with hundreds of people, businesses and every single school closed. All for the funeral and remembrance of the twelve year old Uchiha boy.
On a small, makeshift wooden platform, the Sandaime, Hatake Kakashi, and a couple of other jonins, chunins, and ANBU stood tall in respect. Among the crowd of people was Haruno Sakura, grieving and her former rival in love Yamanaka Ino, blowing her nose. A couple of other girls cried and huddled, while the boys sniffled a little.
Naruto was far back, by himself. No one really knew what happened on that bridge.
He had watched him die in front of him, weakly speaking about how his body moved to protect Naruto from Haku's deadly needle trap.
Why Sasuke? I could've died instead, fall into the trap. That can't be you up there, in that small, dark wooden coffin.
As Sandaime started off the service, Naruto lost interest and started to cry a little, lowering his head so none of the other people would see. Not that it mattered. Every single person was either crying or holding back the tears or staring into space in respect. Kakashi recited his elegy for Sasuke, the Uchiha prodigy and the only survivor of the Uchiha massacre. Well, a survivor no more. Naruto clenched his fists. That murderous Itachi...he had really killed off every other Uchiha besides himself.
"As the Hokage, every year on this day...it shall be Uchiha Rememberance Day, and to show respect and empathy for not only Uchiha Sasuke, but to remember the Uchiha clan as well. What a terrible and unfortunate tragedy that befell one of our own genin...so early in his life as a ninja..."
Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He slipped away, into the empty, desolate road and ran back to his house, to maybe outrun the reality of the situation.
Uchiha Sasuke is dead.