A/N: I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long, but I've been really inspired to write again recently. Please forgive my absence! Anyway, this story goes up to chapter 593 of the manga. I wouldn't call it a possible ending for Naruto because it definitely isn't, but I suppose it's an interesting take on what could happen if Naruto and Sasuke's final battle ended in Naruto's death. It's subtle, but they're two different things. Also, this oneshot is rather Sasukecentric, but Sasuke is rather OoC; he does go crazy, after all.

Humpy Dumpty sat on a wall

Uzumaki Naruto was dead, and Sasuke was the one who killed him.

Lightning flashed across the midnight sky, illuminating the empty expression on Sasuke's exhausted face. He glanced down at the boy lying at his feet, the boy whose heart had stopped beating, the boy whose heart had once brightened the lives of so many. A smile was left etched on the whiskered boy's face, and Sasuke could almost hear the jingle of Naruto's laughter in the frigid wind. A trace of those brilliant blue eyes was left uncovered by Naruto's eyelids, but the dreams that had once shimmered within them were gone, just as dead as he was.

In that moment, Naruto wasn't the only one who was dead.

The fight between them hadn't been so simple. Naruto and Sasuke had finally crossed paths back in the Valley of the End, and the only thing either of them had left to do was battle each other. The Masked Man had already fallen, Kabuto was still trapped inside Izanami, and Madara had been defeated forever. With Sasuke being the only enemy of the world left, the Shinobi World War was essentially over; it was just this one battle that was left, a battle to protect Konoha and, more importantly, peace.

Naruto fought for his friends, his village, his home, his bonds. He craved love and happiness, but was just as ready to spread that same love and happiness to whoever needed it. He was the light in the world with the strength to drag anyone out of the darkness through his never-ending optimism. The only person he hadn't been able to save yet was Sasuke.

Sasuke, well, he wasn't sure what he was fighting for anymore; an all-consuming darkness blinded him. All he knew was anger, hatred, and sorrow, and he would unleash that and present it to the world that had made him this way. It was a parting gift, really, for he had already given up on both himself and his life. He would welcome death whenever it took him, but he still had enough pride left to not force death to come his way.

The battle had waged on for longer than Sasuke could remember anymore. After a fury of rasenshurikens and chidori nagashis, rain eventually began to pour, and another round of kirins and odama rasengans flew across the valley until the land was eventually no longer recognizable as the Valley of the End; only remnants of the Madara and Hashirama statues remained, remnants similar to the few fragments of chakra Sasuke and Naruto still somehow had. They barely had enough for one more attack each.

Sasuke never wasted time. He immediately rushed at Naruto, screaming his opponent's name as he poised his blade to stab the jinchuuriki straight through the heart.

Naruto still believed in Sasuke, and something inside him stopped him from readying a kunai. After all those pretty words he had once said during the last Team Seven reunion, he couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke, and landing just one more attack would certainly end that boy's life. Sasuke was still his best friend, and Naruto would do anything to drag that boy out of the darkness. As much as killing Sasuke would free him of his hatred, Naruto wasn't willing to save him in that way. Instead, Naruto did what he always did best.

The blond held his arms out toward the boy rushing at him with that shining sword, and his final smile graced his bright face. As his body welcomed the blade into his chest, Naruto let his arms fall onto Sasuke's back in a sloppy, but genuine embrace. All Naruto ever wanted to do was burden Sasuke's pain and give him love, and he would do it even if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

I always believed in you, he had said. You always were my best friend, he had said. That was when Naruto's arms fell limply to his side and his knees buckled beneath him, dropping him into a puddle of his own blood at Sasuke's feet.

And then Sasuke, with that emotionless face, glanced down at the boy he had slain.

Why did Sasuke kill Naruto? Because it would finally sever their bond, it would let him avenge his clan, and it would destroy the light that gave people hope. Finally, Konoha was bathed in darkness.

But Sasuke knew that by killing Naruto, he had also lost his only light. Now, he wasn't sure if killing him had been worth it. Before he could consider this though, he passed out by Naruto's side.

When Sasuke finally awoke a few hours later, the rain was still pouring and the sky was still black, but a hint of sunlight lay behind the storm clouds. The avenger had some of his strength back, but pain rushed through his muscles and bones; he was still exhausted, and he was sure that some of his bones were broken. He looked to his right to see Naruto curled at his side, smiling incessantly, but strangely still. Sasuke had been ready to sneak away from Naruto and again hide from their unbreakable bond when he finally remembered something important.

Naruto was dead.

The raven-haired teen should have been happy about it. He finally fulfilled his promise to the blue-eyed boy and now had no obstacles in the way of his revenge for his fallen clan, his poor brother, his own long lost happiness. He finally destroyed the light. Instead, he found himself unsure of how to feel.

Naruto had been Sasuke's closest friend, and Sasuke, though he didn't want to admit it, knew that. The Uchiha had lost his final important bond with someone, and he had crushed it himself. Now...there was no one left. No one would come for him. Everyone else had given up on him. Hell, he had given up on himself.

Naruto was dead, and it hurt more than Sasuke could understand.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Sasuke was tired of breaking. His clan's murder, his brother's lies and betrayal, his incessant loneliness, his brother's love that came too late, and now his best friend dead...Constantly throughout his life, pieces of Sasuke's heart had been chipped, smashed, trampled on, and then messily glued back together. His heart was never the same after each break; there were always parts missing, pieces misaligned, and a certain instability that made Sasuke's heart waver with each step he took. Sasuke was tired of continually breaking and healing, for he knew that his heart would just be in worse condition each time someone tried to fix him, and then it would just break again more easily than before. He was tired of the pain of his heart shattering over and over.

So, Sasuke let his heart stay broken. He let the pieces crash to the rock bottom hatred in his chest and dissolve into nothingness, leaving his chest hollow inside. However, without the heart, the mind and soul can't stand on their own; the mind and the soul rely on both each other and the heart to survive, just as the heart relies on them. If one part breaks, everything else cracks.

Now, Sasuke's heart was no more. Now, it was too late for Sasuke to be fixed.

He laughed. It was just a small smirk at first, then a large grin coupled with a chuckle, and then insane, bloodcurdling laughter. Staring at Naruto's dead body, Sasuke cracked up in more ways than one as his sides began to hurt from laughter unrestrained and cruel. Ah, yes, Naruto, that idiot, he was finally dead, finally, nothing could stop the avenger from fulfilling his purpose anymore. Power surged through Sasuke's body, rejuvenating it, and he stood, his incessant laughter echoing through the ravaged valley.

Hatred. Anger. Murder. Death. Revenge. There was a strange joy to be found in such things, and Sasuke was the only one who could understand that. He didn't know where he was going - Konoha was no longer the only object of his dark, deep desires - but it didn't matter; wherever he ended up, whatever stood in his path, he would destroy. He would destroy everything. Nothing could stop him now that the light was dead. That fool, that Naruto was dead, and now the entire world's blood would spill.

People's shrieks of pain and horror jingled like bells in Sasuke's ears as he guffawed at the bloodshed he created. His sword plunged into the bodies of who knows how many, decapitated who knows how many, and these people soon knew the same pain Sasuke did. No longer would they laugh at him, his brother, or his clan; now they knew even just a piece of his hatred.

These people, these stupid ninjas always praised peace. Just how funny it was that they finally knew hatred.

Sasuke let his chidori tear through the forests and buildings of wherever he went. Of course, people tried to stop him, but it was no use; the light was gone, and the only one who could see through the darkness was Sasuke. The avenger could not even feel any of the kunai launched into his stomach, and fatigue was no longer a word he understood. Blood splattered onto his face, and he smiled cruelly.

"See, nii-san," Sasuke smiled wildly. "With these eyes of yours that I have, see the purification of the Uchiha clan and a world that knows pain."

Itachi nodded, patting Sasuke on the head. "I love you no matter what, little brother."

Grinning deliriously, Sasuke ignored the pain beginning to blossom in his body as he ripped through whatever crossed his path. Just as he was about to throttle some pink-haired girl whose throat was currently in his grip, some man - he was vaguely familiar - tore her away from Sasuke. The Uchiha frowned; he would dare try to stop him?

The silver-haired man - Kakashi, he supposed - began droning on about revenge being a bad thing and protecting comrades yada yada yada none of it mattered. The avenger didn't let the man finish what he was saying and instead attacked mercilessly, and the girl - Sakura? - began screaming, or maybe it was just that Sasuke never acknowledged her screeching earlier. The boy wasn't sure which was true, but he didn't care, nor did he care about what she was saying. However, one word, one name caught his ear.

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke felt something sharp in his side, and for a moment, the cloud in his head lifted. Sakura? Kakashi? Where was Naruto? What the hell was happening? The last Uchiha, eyes wide, asked all these questions out loud, but he only got one answer, and it was from his former sensei.

"Naruto is dead. You killed him."

Sasuke was submerged under the black waters again, and the icy temperature chilled him, molding him into someone he didn't recognize. The boy doubled over in pain - physical pain or not, he wasn't aware - and saw nothing but black. His breathing hastened as he began to tremble, and he stared wide eyed at the girl and the sensei he had once known long ago.

"Done done done done," he said between gasps. "He can't be gone?"

The boy who had betrayed Konoha was done with fixing his stupid, useless heart, that part of him that had once made him so weak, but even so...Naruto couldn't be dead. Someone so important, someone who could understand Sasuke's pain couldn't be dead. Sakura, that pink-haired girl, must be Naruto in disguise, right? Maybe if this Sakura died, Naruto would finally come back.

"I'm right here, you bastard!" a blond boy stepped out from behind the trees and grinned at his broken friend. "I thought you were smart enough to know that someone as awesome as me can't be killed, especially by someone as much of a bastard as you."

Sasuke sighed a breath of relief, releasing his grip on his sword. "You shouldn't pretend to be dead, idiot."

There was absolutely no way Naruto could ever be dead. He was right here, and Sasuke felt a strange lightness blossom in his chest from seeing the truth. Sakura was just lying, that was all. The light...it was still here. Sasuke still had something to hold onto. Naruto couldn't be dead.

"Sasuke," Sakura paused. "I don't understand what you're going on about. I'm right here, and I'm alive. The one who is d-dead is...N-Naruto."

"Shut up!" the raven-haired teen shouted, rage burning inside his empty chest. "He's right here...right here…"

Itachi glared at his younger brother, disgust evident in his eyes. "You're pathetic, little brother. I should have killed you after all. It's because of you that I had to lead the revolting, dishonorable life I did."

Sasuke went rigid. Itachi? But, but… "But I thought you loved me…"

"I...I still do love you, Sasuke," Sakura nodded, though confused.

"You were never good as Itachi. You could never make me proud the way he did," Fugaku Uchiha, former head of the Uchiha clan, turned his back on his youngest son, walking away into the fiery chaos Sasuke created.

"I always worked so hard to catch up to him! Was it...it wasn't...ever good enough," Sasuke trailed off, his hands balling into fists. He knew that he needed to become stronger, but he had always been stuck in the illusion that, through hard work, he could avenge his clan, and that would both make his father proud and erase all of Itachi's pain.

He was a fool to think so. Sasuke was hopeless.

The pink-haired girl bit her lip. "Sasuke, what are you talking about? Maybe we should take you to a hospital."

"We're under orders to kill him on sight, Sakura," Kakashi mentioned gently. "You should leave while I take care of this."

"Stop it...stop it!" Sasuke screamed, gripping his head in his hands. "I've failed. You're right."

Sasuke was a failure. He had failed to save his family from assassination, he had failed to realize the truth about Itachi, he had failed to avenge his family through utterly destroying Konoha, he had failed to save his important bonds...He had achieved nothing. His life was purposeless, meaningless, useless. Sasuke had nothing left, and no one bothered to believe in him anymore except…

Naruto. Naruto always believed in Sasuke and would always try to save him from the darkness. Naruto would always try to grant Sasuke freedom from his evils and burdens, and he would always lead Sasuke home.

"I told you we should die together, right, Sasuke?" Naruto beamed. "You can let go of your hatred and your clan once you're dead, so...just die, okay?"

Sasuke nodded, a hint of tears threatening to stream down his porcelain face. "Okay."

If Sasuke ended his life, there would always be light, and that would no doubt be the salvation the last Uchiha desperately craved. The light would finally guide him home, and Sasuke wouldn't have to be broken anymore. He would be free to finally smile again.

With that, the broken one took his sword in hand, and before Sakura or Kakashi could act, the blade found a crimson home inside Sasuke's chest.

"You shouldn't save him."

"...I can't stop myself. I can't just let him go..."

"...will he live?"

"I've stopped the bleeding, but his injuries are too severe. He still has injuries he probably got from fighting Naruto and from trying to destroy everything, and he definitely worsened them from not resting. It's also strange that he's conscious, but unaware of what is happening. He'll live long enough for Inoichi-san to find any useful information in his mind, b-but n-not m-much l-longer."

"It's better this way, Sakura."

"…"

"All right. I'll do my best to find good data now."

…

"...there's nothing left but...?"

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"This boy...his mind has been wiped of almost everything. There is one memory left, but..."

In a field of golden sunflowers stood a young boy with skin as pale as the moon and hair as dark as death. However, innocent joy sparkled in his lively eyes, and the warm glow of the sunset softened his features; it was obvious that he was just a child. Beside him stood another boy that was his complete opposite - with brilliant blue eyes like the sea, blond hair, and sun-kissed skin, he couldn't look any more different from the other boy - but their fingers entwined together, linking them and solidifying their eternal friendship.

"Sasuke!" a taller boy called from the distance. He looked similar to the raven-haired boy, but had light stress lines on his face and a complexion more similar to the blond boy's. "Time to come home for dinner! Mom and Dad are waiting!"

"Let's go," Sasuke smiled, turning to his best friend. "Your parents won't get mad if you stay for dinner, right?"

"Of course not!" Naruto grinned. "We'll be friends forever, right, Sasuke?"

"Obviously. Now, let's go!"

Ten minutes and forty-two seconds later, the fragments left of Sasuke's heart stopped beating.

All that remained was darkness.

All the King's horses and all the King's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again

A/N: I'm going through some of my other stories and fixing them up, and I'm working on a full-length fic to put up later. Thanks for reading, and I apologize to the readers I made wait for so long!