Hello there my friends! Here is a new one for you all I truly do hope you enjoy it.

Warning: While this does not contain direct spoilers it does contain brief references to the events after the Nagato ark and incident with the village. This is set after the Nagato/pain ark and before Madara's plan goes into affect ( I hope I am not spoiling to much with this. I'm trying to not give out details.) For those of you who are saying "Wait, who's Nagato?" and "who's Madara?" you best not continue unless you don't mind references you won't get anyway.

As far as plot, this is my own twist so don't expect it to be bang on with the manga. I am changing some things so buckle up. Enough rambling and on with the show!

Chapter 1: Friends to the End

After a long and violent battle, it was at last over. The rocks of the canyon and the low hanging clouds above the valley trapped the young men in the atmosphere's grasps, sealing them on the stage of their last performance where the curtains now closed permanently. Their final testaments to their beliefs lay on the altar of fate before them, and judgment had been passed over the souls of the two young men. In the end only one could have lived, and as it now was clear, life had chosen the prevailing force.

Blonde tresses of the victor swayed hauntingly in the passing breeze as the boy stared down at his fallen enemy—his fallen brother. The heaving of the young shinobi's chest had subsided for the most part as the former battle drew further and further into the past. No matter how much time ticked with the taunting pendulum, it didn't seem to the boy that any time had passed at all. He was frozen, just as still as the lifeless black haired teen before him, locked in that last breath. The blue depths of the regretfully victorious young man were glazed over with a blank note of emptiness, their dead stare fixated on his fallen friend.

It was true that the blonde boy had won, but in a battle such as this there could never truly be a victor. They had both lost their lives in one sense or another, one physically and the other spiritually. A silent echo rung through the now hollow space in the blonde's heart where his meaning for existence once dwelt, reminding the young man again just how much this boy before him had meant to him. They had been oil and water as far as personality had allotted them, but they experienced a pull towards each other that neither could ever truly forget. Naruto Uzumaki, the boy of prophecy, and Sasuke Uchiha Madara's successor could not live without one another.

Even with that being said, the truth remained that one now did live in the absence of the other, one soul left behind by its matching counterpart. A stream of silent tears worked their way down the blonde's face in silvery trails, marring the already anguished face of the boy with more scars of his pain. The blood that clung to his cheek, some his own and some the blood of his fallen comrade, melded with the salty substance of tears and dripped down to the fabric of his tattered jacket. Balling his fists the young man knelt down beside the lifeless Uchiha, who had now gone on to join the rest of his family in the afterlife.

"Dammit, Sasuke…" the young man swore aloud, his eyes clenching shut as a sob hiccupped from his bloodied lips.

Why couldn't he have saved him? The blonde man could not ever forgive himself for going back on his word, for letting the Uchiha fall so far away from his friends, the only people who could have ever made him feel a sense of family again. The black haired Konoha shinobi turned self-justified vigilante had been so blind to what was around him and that blindness had led the boy so far astray. Painfully just out of the reach of his comrades, always eluding them by a step or two ahead. He was like a photograph of a time that was forever unattainable once it had passed. And that's just what the young Uchiha had done, came into the lives of friends and passed back out like the drifting breeze.

"Dammit, Sasuke! Why couldn't you see that we all loved you? That we were there to help you...That I was there for you …" the blonde cried, his balled fists resting on his knees as his head bowed in pain, tears falling onto the face of the motionless black haired teen beneath him.

The glittering droplets ran down the frozen boy's cheek, making it look as if he were crying alongside the Uzumaki boy. Ironic, only now could Naruto say what he always wanted to say to the Uchiha, now that the boy could never hear his words again.

A scuffling sound could be heard as the footsteps of his other teammate and their teacher approached slowly, making their way over the two brothers. The flaxen haired boy did not turn to meet the saddened eyes of his friends as he was frozen to solely his best friend's side like a shadow, the way he had always been when they were young, and the way he had longed to be when they were older. He did not even flinch as the gentle hand of his pink haired teammate grasped his shoulder or when the form of his teacher now knelt beside him. Team 7 was together again at last.

They all sat in silence for a long moment, the time seeming to hold onto that slice of time in a vice grip just as death now held onto the black haired teen at the end. The only sounds penetrating the hanging gloom were the soft sniffling of the blonde boy and the occasional hiccupped sobs from the pink haired kunoichi beside him. It seemed for the time that all of their hearts were in sync, each humming with the anguish of the loss. When Sasuke had died, it was as if his team died alongside him.

A gush of air could be heard as the silver haired jounin sighed through the thick fabric of his mask. His saddened mismatched, half-lidded obsidian and red eyes were glued onto the image of his students before him—his precious little students. Naruto, the boy who never gave up, Sakura, the girl whose kindness had blessed them all, and Sasuke, who now lie bloodied and limp on the ground. They were his pride and his joy, and regretfully one of his biggest short comings. The older man blamed himself for the way his team had fallen apart, for the way Sasuke had fallen as well. The Uchiha was his responsibility, and when it came down to it—when the Uchiha had needed guidance most—he had let the boy slip away into the darkness of hatred. He had become so corrupted with his own anger and misled ambitions, and his sensei had not been able to pull him back.

But, even if he had failed one of his students, he still had two more that he would be damned to let go of. The jounin knew that they were both in agony—as was he—and they would need to be comforted. On top of that, they were not safe there, even with Sasuke dead they still had to worry about the rest of his team was and more importantly, Madara. Who knew where they were at this point? Battered and bruised from the relentless struggles they'd faced, Team 7 was in no shape to take on more enemies.

"Naruto, Sakura, it's over now…We need to get away from here soon." The man sighed, his voice dead and bland on his tongue. It was like he had gone completely numb, sorrow being the only thing to permeate his senses.

Deep saddened pools of emerald locked onto the blank depths of her sensei's, their teary glimmer refracting light. Those green orbs of the silver haired man's student sunk his heart further. They were so full of pain and confusion, the questions of "why did this happen?" and "why him?" floated in their light green depths, begging her sensei for answers.

Yet another failure of his students, the older man thought. He could not make this alright, nor could he put into words the reasons for life's plans. The scarecrow let his sight drop to the ground beneath him, only to shoot back up a moment later after catching another painful glimpse of the young Uchiha's corpse.

"We don't know where the rest of Sa—…Rest of Team Taka is or Madara for that matter. It isn't safe here right now." The man pushed again, forcing his words to form through the thick seal of grief.

"I don't care…" the blonde teen muttered almost instantly, his misty eyes never breaking their attachment to the Uchiha.

"Naruto—" Kakashi tried only to be cut off.

"I said… I don't care. Let them come here…Nothing matters anymore." Naruto rejected completely out of character. The depression that clung in his voice made his words seem harsh and distant, their heaviness sinking in the stagnant air. "You know what's funny… I promised him I would die with him… but I'm still alive. We were supposed to go together. That teme, he was always a step ahead of me…but I guess that doesn't really matter now."

"Yes, something does matter, Naruto. You and Sakura matter to me. I am responsible for both of you. You both are meant to live, even if Sasuke wasn't. He became so lost in his rage and thirst for revenge that he pushed his body too far over the edge. His destiny was always tied to tragedy…for him, this is a fitting end. He died like a true shinobi, fighting for his beliefs." The teacher explained in a saddened but determined tone, though the pitch seemed to be only just above a whisper.

The eyes of the two teens looked up to meet the silver haired man's gaze, Naruto finally having broken his stare on the lifeless boy's face. Their stares held questions, pain and confusion within their depths, as they looked upon the older man.

"And now, you two have to keep fighting for your goals and live your life with meaning, it's what Sasuke fought for. Honor his memory. If Madara shows up now, none of us will have the strength to put up a fight and our dreams will end right here, do you want that to happen? You will throw away the life that so many of our comrades fought and died to protect." Kakashi offered, trying to persuade his students.

"Sensei, are you saying we should just leave now?" The pink haired kunoichi voiced one of many questions floating in her mind.

"We have to. None of us has the energy to fight for ourselves let alone each other. We need to head back to the village and report what has happened. An Anbu team will be out here shortly to make sure the area is clear and retrieve Sasuke's body…"The team's sensei explained as detached and as professionally as he could, seeing as clinging onto his professionalism was all he could do to hold it together. He could not handle the pain in his student's eyes.

The eyes of the blonde turned incredulous as they widened with hurt, the blue depth filling with a rage. He let his teeth grind together harshly before he let his pain and anger burst.

"So what? You just wanna leave him here?" A furious hand swung to gesture to their surroundings, adding emphases to the absurd notion. "That is so wrong, Sensei! How could you say that? No matter what… no matter how far he fell…Sasuke is still one of us! He is our teammate, and we can't—we won't—just leave him behind us!" the Uzumaki boy outburst, his strong will igniting his voice. He would not leave his best friend behind all alone…never again. He knew how it felt to be alone and dead to the world, and no one ever deserved that, especially not the Uchiha. Even in death it was wrong.

"Naruto…Please understand. If we were to try and carry him back it would only increase our chance of being caught and killed. You can barely stand, as can I, and we can't rely on Sakura's healing ninjustu because she is also completely worn out. I will already have to help hold you up as I had to for Sakura, carrying Sasuke will be impossible in our state. We are facing severe chakra exhaustion and if Madara was to catch up to us we would be able to do nothing more but watch each other be slaughtered. You need to think about what's best for the team right now." His sensei reprimanded him, forcing himself past the pain of what he was actually saying. Of course it was wrong to leave Sasuke behind, but right now he had to protect his remaining students.

"Sasuke is part of that team! He is our friend! We can't just walk away! That's so low—" the blonde boy shouted once more only to be cut off by the voice of his sensei.

"Naruto, Sasuke is gone now, you need to realize that. As a ninja you need to be able to deal with loss and move on with the mission. You two are my only teammates left and I will not let my comrades get killed again." Kakashi sighed painfully through his mask. It was so hard to do this to them, but the reality that they could have never saved the Uchiha remained to plague them all.

"Sensei… weren't you the one who taught us that those that break the rules are scum…but those who abandon their friends are even worse than scum? I thought you believed that, because I always thought you were the kind of shinobi that stood up for what is right." Naruto's low voice murmured thoughtfully, scorn and disbelief now lacing his words.

Kakashi's charcoal eye went wide, a small gasp of shock hanging in his throat. His mouth felt dry as he let his gaze lower to the dirt beneath him. Naruto was right, he had said that to them long ago during their very first training exercise. He had hoped to instill good values in his little team so that they could pass it on to the next generation, but somehow along the way the recent events had left him cold and he had forgotten that lesson. What kind of sensei was he?

"Sensei…you and Sakura can go back to village now if you want, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I don't leave my friend behind. I promised him I would never give up on bringing him back, and I won't break my promises anymore." The cerulean eyed boy vowed with deadened depths fierce.

Tears streamed from emerald eyes as they looked down on the dark haired boy that had held their gaze for so long, even in death. The kunoichi held her hands over her broken heart, trying not to let any more pieces crumble away. This just wasn't fair.

She thought she had resolved her feelings for this young man who now lay lifeless before them, but in the end she hadn't changed at all. He was always going to be her everything and she knew Naruto was right. They couldn't let him lay here alone.

"No, Naruto… I'm staying with you. S-sasuke-kun was my teammate too… I won't leave him." The pink haired girl sobbed, her glossy green eyes meeting the blue depths of her friend's.

Naruto's eyes went wide before a saddened smile slipped onto his chapped and bloodied lips. Blonde and pink, blue and green, locked in the eyes of one another. As their eyes connected all of their suffering seemed to be exchanged, each one knowing wholeheartedly the anguish the other was in. They had both just lost the meaning for their lives up until then, their singular goal—their hope. Only they could understand what each other were thinking perfectly, like their thoughts had melded with Sasuke being the glue. It was just as Nagato had said; only through true pain could people understand each other.

When Naruto finally broke the painfully reveling ocular conversation he let his weary eyes drift back to the silent silver haired teacher, whose eyes had softened from the widened gaze they had held.

Harsh black melted into smooth obsidian as tears visibly pricked at the uncovered eye of the older man, his gaze now focused on the sight of his students. They were right…of course. Their hearts were still young and so full of justice and compassion in their purest forms. Even though they had seen their fair share of violent battles and deaths, they still held onto the life lessons they were instilled with—lessons he had taught them long ago when everything was so simple. He never gave much thought to how those words had affected them, when they were still malleable and his every teaching was sculpting their future outlooks. He had passed down the Will of Fire to his little team and taught them how to be honorable shinobi, and now, it was his turn to learn from them. Honorable shinobi did not mean only someone who follows rules; it was someone who others could look upon with respect because when it came down to it they were not only amazing ninjas… but amazing comrades. Comrades did not leave their companions behind.

"Sensei, are you going back to the village ahead of us?" the blonde muttered quietly, his eyes fixated on his teacher. His voice was soft yet it held the strong tone of accusation. Naruto couldn't believe that his sensei would turn his back on their friend.

"No, Naruto. Not without my students…all of them." The man replied with a sad smile crinkling his visible eye. "But Naruto, there's still the matter of carrying Sasuke back, none of us have the energy."

"Don't you worry about that… I promised I would bring him back, and no matter what I am not going to give up! Even if I fall I will still get up and keep going, because I am not ever going to go back on my word again. That's my ninja way!" the blonde vowed intensely, a flicker of his usual energy gleaming in his promise.

The boy's teacher and pink haired teammate sat in awe as the boy who could barely stand forced himself onto his feet, lifting the lifeless Uchiha's body in his wary arms. After adjusting the added dead-weight the blonde steadied himself on his leg and turned to face his team, his sandals shuffling on the dusty ground.

"Well are we going home or not Team 7?"Naruto pushed through the thick sadness that dampened his voice and permeated his senses.

With a nod his remaining teammates struggled up onto their feet, their bodies wanting nothing more than to give in and crumble to exhaustion. But they knew that if Naruto, as tired as he was, could shoulder the burden of their fallen friend than they could at least walk beside him. To give him as much emotional support as they could, seeing as they weren't good for much physical support.

As the team walked the clouds that had been threatening them all day had finally decided to wage a tragic war upon the land, showering the earth in their tears. The walk back would be long and tiring, but at least they were making it together.

Shizune nodded to the messenger ninja and thanked them briefly before turning and walking into the Hokage's makeshift office, her eyes saddened and full of disbelief.

"My Lady?"She pardoned as entered the room. "May I come in?"

"What is it, Shizune?" the female Hokage replied with a slightly distracted tone, focused a letter in her steady hands.

The woman looked over the younger black haired medic, her eyes then flicking back the paper she held.

"Well, we just received notice from one of Kakashi-san's ninja dogs that they came upon Sasuke, and apparently he and Naruto fought." Shizune began slowly, hesitation floating in her words.

"Well, what happened? Come on, spit it out." The edgy blonde pushed, impatient with her subordinates stuttering.

"…well, the batter got pretty bad, not to mention Kakashi-san and Sakura were ambushed by white Zetsu which caused them quite a bit of trouble and so Kakashi-san wasn't around for Naruto's fight and…"

"Shizune! Out with it! Is Naruto alright?" the blonde half shouted, causing the younger woman to jump.

"Uchiha Sasuke has been eliminated, my Lady." The medic finally blurted out, bowing her head.

The room grew quiet as the news set in, white noise humming in the atmosphere. On one hand, it was a relief to know that the rouge ninja situation had been dealt with, but on another hand even she herself had not wanted to kill the Uchiha prodigy. He was one of Konoha's brightest shinobis, before he was corrupted by her ex-teammate Orochimaru. But more than her feelings, she knew that Naruto was now suffering an unimaginable burden of pain. The pain of losing a dear friend.

She sighed letting her head rest on her intertwined fingers, her elbows braced on the desk top. "Thank you, Shizune." She said. "I need some time to work to think, alright? You are dismissed." The Hokage stated, allowing her professional mask to slide back into place.

"Yes, my Lady." The younger woman replied while bowing and turning to walk out.

"Oh, Shizune, one more thing. Did Kakashi state when Team 7 will return to the village?" the professionalism continued.

"Um yes, my Lady. I believe he said they would be here by late tonight." Shizune answered, her tone still sad and soft.

"Good. Have an Anbu team dispatched to meet them at the border, and have them take the body to the Intel division for evaluation. This needs to be done in the utmost secrecy, not a word of his death gets out to the villagers yet. Understood?" The blonde's eyes met the sad orbs of her assistant.

"Yes. Understood, my Lady." The young medical ninja responded as she turned and walked out, her form stricken with the uncomfortable feeling left in the wake of the information.

Once the young woman was out of ear shot the blonde Hokage stood from her desk to look out the window, the setting sun bathing everything in a golden copper hue. It would have been beautiful, if it weren't for the events that had come to a close with that setting sun.

"Oh, Naruto…" Tsunade let a single tear escape her eye.

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think. I promise it will not always be this depressing, things are about to get very interesting. I just have to get things in place. Think of it as setting the table. Please review!