Heir of the Uchiha

by EastWestWriter

The Land of Fire is torn apart by a bloody civil war. Sasuke is mortally wounded in the conflict. But why won't Naruto see his best friend in the Uchiha's last moments? Warning: AU - Canon Divergent, character death, Sharingan!Naruto

It was a bright, sunny day in the forests of the Land of Fire. The hot summers offered the rebel Leaf ninja a short respite from the war. They could untie their slashed headbands, peel off their threadbare clothing, and swim in the river beside the rebellion campsite. Naruto Uzumaki joined the splashing rebels, unzipping his orange jumpsuit and jumping head first into the fresh, cold water. He didn't have to be a shinobi anymore, or a man with a wife and child to protect. Right now, he was just a kid.

His wife, Hinata, rested beside a tree. Her eyes were heavy as she slowly dozed off with their baby, Boruto, in her arms. His newborn son was blissfully ignorant of the war, lazily nestling himself in his mother's arms and enjoying the soothing sound of water sloshing against the shore. Naruto smiled. Just seeing his family safe and sound blotted out the image of his blood-stained hands from a week ago. He could let the river current carry his body away. But just as his fears started to wash away, Sakura arrived.

Her crestfallen face carried bad news. And at the first sight of it, Naruto felt his chest tighten and his stomach turn harder than a rock. Pictures raced through his mind: a bloody cloak, a singed belly, and desperate gasps for air. He thought those memories would eventually leave, but now they came rushing back. He hoped she wouldn't say it, those words he refused to hear from his comrades and the doctors. But when Sakura opened her mouth, Naruto's heart sank.

"Sasuke is going to die," she said.

Hinata woke from her slumber, confused. She thought it was just a dream or the sounds of buzzing cicadas in the trees afar. It was so unexpected, she didn't believe it was Sakura's voice at first. Boruto meanwhile whimpered, his nap interrupted. Naruto stood still as his mind ground to a halt.

His wife encouraged him to visit the Uchiha. They were, after all, squad mates before the uprising and comrades-in-arms during it. But he didn't move. Instead, Naruto fiddled with his necklace, polishing the jagged beads of teeth with his thumb and forefinger. Sakura no doubt expected him to visit Sasuke, but he didn't want to. So Naruto tried to think up an excuse. He struggled to find the right words to say: to kindly tell her he didn't want to be around death. In fact, Naruto wanted to pretend he didn't hear Sakura at all. He thought of falling back into the water and swimming to the other side, far away from her glaring eyes. But he fought against the impulse, it'd only infuriate her. And the last thing Naruto wanted was to make a soon-to-be widow burst into tears and make a scene.

Eventually, Sakura grew impatient with Naruto's silence, and she sighed in disappointment. That surprised Naruto, he expected her to snap.

As Sakura walked back into the forest, she said, "He'd like to see you, Naruto, if you have the time. But if you can't, I suppose he understands," Naruto felt the sting of venom in her voice as she said, "He'd hate to interrupt this war we started,"

---

The Uchiha laid in his cot, sweating. Suddenly he gasped, he thought his wife dropped him into a kiln to burn into ash. But as he tossed and turned, Sasuke noticed the bright sun peek through the creases of his tent. He sighed in relief, he's not dead—yet.

If that's the case, hopefully Sakura would hurry back to take Sarada; it's too hot for his baby to be in here. Then he noticed how silent it was in the tent, nothing to hear but the cicadas buzzing away outside. His eyes darted back and forth, concerned. Where was his baby daughter? He twisted himself around, a shot of pain ripped through his belly. He yelped, but kept pushing himself out of the cot. He needed to find Sarada, someone may have taken her. But before his feet touched the wooden floor, Sasuke suddenly remembered Shizune took her as Sakura left.

Sasuke grumbled, gripping his belly wound, and eased back into his cot. He's so close to death that his wits betrayed him. And he felt so hot and sweaty, it was hard to think clearly. Kiba and Lee mentioned swimming in the river last time they visited him, Sasuke wished he could do that. But Tsunade and Sakura were both firm in their prognosis: no swimming, not with that wound.

That wound, this was what all the nurses and doctors called Sasuke's crushed belly. As if the mere mention of those bloodied holes and ground-up insides would send Sasuke into shock. They even kept Sasuke from looking at it, covering that wound in thick rags and an itchy, woolen blanket. He didn't need them to downplay this, he knew the moment he fell in battle what it meant. A slow death—if he were lucky he'd fall into a coma and not writhe in agony. He hated the mere thought of this coming demise.

To remind himself he wasn't dead, Sasuke looked around the tent once more with his eyes. His eyes, that's what made an Uchiha an Uchiha. He couldn't believe that they failed him, however. That he didn't see the incoming jutsu before it ripped through his abdomen.

'Where's Naruto?' he suddenly wondered. It bothered him that all the other rebel ninja visited him at least once, but not his best friend. He didn't like the fact that Naruto didn't pay him a visit. And yet he hated the countless visits by the other ninja. They all prattled away nonsense, willfully ignorant to his impending death—best not speak of that wound out loud, Sasuke might up and die from it! That angered him, and Sakura just made him angrier.

She'd dutifully sit by him and lie to his face, 'Oh, it isn't so bad. Just take your medicine,' and then proceed to spoon-feed him a bitter, white powder. And Sasuke hated to take that medicine, he didn't think it really did much to heal him. But what irritated him more were the lies Sakura fed him, she acted as if nothing serious had happened. That if he took the medicine, everything will miraculously get better. But those green eyes, day by day, started to lose their light. And the once cheery smile turned into a forced crease upon her lips. He didn't need his Sharingan to see that.

'Where's Naruto?' Sasuke again wondered. The ninja carried Sasuke back from the battlefield, this burning ferocity in his eyes as he dodged kunai or shielded Sasuke with his own body. It didn't matter what happened to him, as long as Sasuke made it back to Tsunade and her field medics. But why all the effort to save him if not to check up on him? Did Naruto care at all about his comrade? This irritated Sasuke, especially since he had something to say.

It was lonely in the tent. The only sound were the buzzing cicadas overhead. They were out there, a swarm of them from the sound of it. And they're all nearing the end of their lives too. He could hear their dead bodies fall from the sky, like pellets of rain against his tent. Sasuke couldn't help but think of those dry, flakey insect bodies: the wings so brittle they flake apart and the bodies burst into dust.

Sasuke shook his head. 'When will Sakura get back?' he asked himself. He wanted Sakura to be there with him. He tried to yell out, "Sakura!" but the pain in his belly overcame him and he ended up crying, "Sak-e!"

A hearty laugh cut through the sound of those buzzing cicadas. Then a tall man with long white hair burst in holding a big gourd of sake. It was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. His face was flushed red, no doubt from the sake. He grinned, "Someone call for a drink?"

Sasuke wanted to tell Jiraiya to get out, to leave him in his own misery. But his throat felt dry and swollen, then his stomach tensed. He coughed violently, drips of blood painting the palms of his hand a dark red. "Now, now, kid," Jiraiya slurred, stumbling his way to a stool near Sasuke's bedside. He poured out sake into a small cup, shoving it in the Uchiha's face.

"Get out," the Uchiha spat, swatting the cup away. But by then it was too late. The Toad Sage slipped out of his sandals and rested calloused, dirtied feet on the wooden floor. He sighed, taking the cup and downing it in one gulp.

The Toad Sage seemed happy for the company. The first time he visited Sasuke, Jiraiya happily chatted his ear off and read from one of his erotic novels. That irritated Sakura, but Jiraiya jokingly said it'll raise Sasuke's blood pressure. And it did, but only because Sasuke got annoyed from hearing his voice for so long without pause.

This time, however, Jiraiya didn't read from his novels. Instead, he simply rested while sipping his sake. Finally, Sasuke asked the Sannin something all the other ninja refused to answer, "How goes the battle?"

Jiraiya's drunken smile turned severe—clearly not well. "That requires another drink," he sipped straight from the gourd this time.

Jiraiya gave him a long, grim tale of the battle:

The Lord of Fire and his foot-soldiers have struck a decisive victory against the rebels. And the rebels have been pushed to the border of the homeland. They barely held onto a small strip of land, covering the escape of refugees to the Hidden Sand Village. It wasn't an ideal place, but better than to suffer in the No Man's Land that the Land of Fire's been reduced to. What keeps the loyalists from smashing through the rebel army were the rebel Leaf ninja. At the cover of night rebel Leaf ninja destroyed bridges, burned forests, and harassed the enemy with hit-and-run tactics—all meant to set the loyalists off balance.

Sasuke nodded, he knew all of this. Especially since it was the second night of those raids that he received his belly wound (His abdomen clenched tightly now, Sasuke could barely contain his pain). An enemy ninja wearing a demon mask gave him this wound—Hannya, rebels called him. He wore an ANBU mask shaped as the devil itself, with long twisted teeth and horns. He was strong, unusually cunning too. Hannya terrorized the rebel Leaf, evolving into a legend of epic proportions: if a mission failed, or a ninja disappeared, the rebels pinned it on Hannya. Luckily, there was only one Hannya to deal with. Unfortunately, there was only one Uchiha the rebels had—and it doesn't look good for him.

"But what about now?" Sasuke demanded, gripping his belly.

Jiraiya nodded, the news clearly hurt Sasuke but shinobi are proud warriors—the truth won't be denied to him. "Danzo's Leaf ninja are on the move," Jiraiya dropped, "it seems he's crushed the resistance back in the Hidden Leaf. Now he can focus on wiping out those that got out when the going was good,"

Sasuke held out his hand, motioning for the sake. Jiraiya poured him a cup, which Sasuke promptly gulped down. It burned, naturally, but that didn't matter now. He felt his hands tingle and his legs numb, the alcohol worked a lot faster than it normally should. "It was only a matter of time," Sasuke admitted, now more amiable. At least Jiraiya didn't pull back any punches, he'd tell the truth to Sasuke even if it killed him. Now Sasuke opened up, muttering, "His nin would've recovered eventually from that ambush at Tanzaku Quarters,"

This raised Jiraiya's spirits, the rebels still talked fondly of that encounter. He laughed heartily once more, "Oh, yes! That was fine shinobi work you did, I'm sure he cursed your name from that night on ever since,"

"If it were fine shinobi work, Danzo would be dead and I wouldn't be here with…" Sasuke leaned back, relaxing the grip on his belly, "this wound,"

Jiraiya nodded in silence, and stood up. Evidently, he was making his rounds. By rounds, he means sharing a round of drinks with each and every injured shinobi on base. It's the least he could do: to share their pain, that is. The war for the Sannin has been an unfulfilling yet trying experience. He's been reserved for special assignments, which were far and few between now. The battle has ground to a halt, attrition warfare meant genin or chunin were sent out to the meat grinder instead of valuable jonin such as Jiraiya himself.

When Sasuke got hit, however, Jiraiya was tasked with assassinating Hannya. But this mission was a failure. Hannya was just too smart. He knew the best time to fight, and the best time to lay low and wait. Ever since Sasuke received that wound, in fact, Hannya disappeared altogether. Perhaps he knew they'd be sending their best after him, or perhaps with Danzo's Leaf entering the scene, he was no longer needed. But the lower-ranked rebel ninja, like Naruto, still believed he was still out there somewhere.

Danzo's Leaf ninja enjoyed their own successes too. They'd engage the ninja, using their own guerilla tactics against them. And even if the rebels make a kill, Danzo had more than enough villagers to replenish his ranks—whereas the rebels have limited manpower.

It's a slow death for the rebellion, they only hold out for the refugees who were scrambling for the Land of Wind. Surrender wouldn't be an option. If the Lord of Fire's armies break through the rebel foot-soldiers' trenches, they'd encircle everyone and all would be put to the sword. A disconcerting thought, one that Sasuke worried about often in his long hours in solitude.

Before Jiraiya left, Sasuke said, "I need to see Naruto, have you seen him?"

"Naruto?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "I haven't seen that pupil of mine since he dragged you here, he's been volunteering for missions every night since you got that wound," Jiraiya scratched his chin, "…perhaps he's hoping to spot Hannya and get a few souvenirs from him,"

Sasuke frowned. Naruto has been crueler than Sasuke cared to admit. He would gather up the ANBU masks of his victims, and if he thought they were a worthy kill he'd take their teeth too. All soldiers keep trophies and mementos, Sasuke's seen the other ninja flaunt them about too. Maybe it helps them cope with killing, maybe it made them feel powerful. But Sasuke didn't appreciate this aspect of his best friend, let alone the tooth necklace he kept fiddling with. But if Naruto was so used to death, why not visit him?

It annoyed Sasuke. He needed to talk about the stone tablet with him. For some reason, Sasuke remembered it after all these years. Through the pain and all his memories, that stone tablet kept coming up in his idle thoughts. It was almost as if his demise was connected to the tablet's mysterious words. And the Uchiha didn't know why, but he wanted to tell Naruto about it. He felt compelled to. It was a mystery that he himself couldn't solve, and Naruto held the other piece somehow. If he could just talk to the idiot, everything would become clear and he could finally rest.

---

It's hard being a father and a soldier. Hinata understood, but little Boruto didn't. He'd whimper and cry, demanding his father to hold him. Nothing could calm their baby in those twilight hours. Boruto seemed to know that when his father left, he'd come back a little less whole…

Naruto didn't want this life for his family. The Civil War brought them nothing but hardship. Food is sparse, it smelled and reeked of horse dung, and it buzzed with mosquitos at night. Worse yet, the frontlines weren't very far away. Even now as he held Boruto in his arms, Naruto could hear the cannons thunder behind the tree line.

The loyalists were making another push, the rebels needed the shinobi's help. Hopefully the traps that Tenten and Shikamaru set up in No Man's Land will slow their advance. They developed ingenious devices: kegs of gunpowder buried underneath a light dust of dirt. If anyone stepped on top of a keg, it'd ignite and send them flying helpless up into the air. Naruto grinned at Shikamaru's demonstration; those kegs will kill a bunch of the Lord of Fire's men, maybe a few of Danzo's too.

Hinata worked about the small tent: brewing some hot tea, neatly packing away the ANBU masks Naruto collected last night (she hated to look at those things) and began to fold some of the clothes that were drying outside. It was busy work, but she relished in those moments. The calm, boring minutes of an average family. Save for the intermittent thunder of cannon fire, it was quite relaxing.

Outside of these twilight hours, Hinata helped Sakura at the Medical Corps or found some other small way to contribute to the war effort. She wished to be a kunoichi again; to be by her husband's side on the field of battle. But Naruto begged her not to fight anymore. He'd say, 'If I die, Boruto will still have you. But what if we both die, what'll he have then?' and Hinata couldn't say anything. Especially since Naruto grew up without parents.

Just as Naruto rested on a wooden stool with their baby in his arms, Hinata struck up a conversation. She recounted the time they were at the river and how much fun it was. Hinata got to wade in the river a little, letting Boruto touch the cool water with his small, soft hands. Boruto, in fact, loved it so much he nearly leapt out of Hinata's arms and plunged right into the river. Naruto chuckled, and jokingly asked Boruto if he'll be a specialist in water jutsu. Boruto cooed in response, seemingly understanding his father's words. Then, Hinata dropped, "I was shocked to see Sakura like that…"

Naruto's pleasant demeanor turned sullen. He stared out at the campsite from the tent's opened flaps, silent.

Hinata pushed, "I was thinking, it's been a week ever since Sasuke got that wound. Perhaps, before you go off on your mission, we visit them?"

But again, Naruto remained silent. Boruto reached for Naruto's necklace in the meantime, he wanted to play with it.

"Perhaps, we could just go and comfort Sakura and Sarada… it looks like they could use some relief,"

"I don't think it's a good idea," Naruto softly replied.

Then Boruto tried to put the necklace of ivories in his mouth, his teeth were coming in. Naruto gently pulled his trophy necklace away from the toddler. He suddenly stood up.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked.

"It's time to go," he said and placed Boruto in Hinata's hands. Boruto frowned, his eyes shut as he cried out for his father. Naruto rubbed the toddler's back and kissed him gently on his forehead. This calmed the boy down, the touch of his father a great comfort. Then, Naruto gently kissed Hianta, tenderly wishing her goodbye. She frowned, worried it'd be their last kiss. He caressed her cheek with his rough hands, looking deep into her eyes, 'I'll be back,' those blue eyes said.

He broke their gaze once he slung a backpack around his shoulder. Then, he stepped out onto the beaten path. "I guess I'll go see him," Naruto sighed, surprising Hinata. She looked out of the tent, but Naruto already disappeared.

---

It's been chaos ever since Sakura returned. Sasuke could only watch as his poor little girl cried emphatically in her crib. Sakura ran about frantically from one side of the tent to the other. She forgot where Sasuke's medicine was. It meant so much to her, that she ignored their child's cries.

"Bring Sarada here," Sasuke weakly requested.

But Sakura didn't hear him, instead she focused only on finding that bitter, awful-tasting powder. She searched through their footlocker, throwing out the clothes and their toiletries. Then she knelt down by Sasuke's bed, looking underneath the cot to see if the bottle rolled around down there.

"Sakura…" Sasuke called out.

Sakura's head jolted up from the bedside. She looked at Sasuke with utter horror in her eyes, as those were his final words and he'll finally pass. But he was still there, angry now. She quickly recomposed herself, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and forcing out a smile. "Yes, my dear?" the kunoichi sweetly asked.

Sasuke motioned for Sarada, who jumped up and down anxiously in her crib. Sakura looked at Sarada, then back to Sasuke confused. She's just crying, it isn't as if she were dying. And then Sasuke ordered, "bring her,"

Sakura nodded. She picked up the toddler and gently placed her next to Sasuke. The little girl already had some black hair growing in, and she bore a tender smile. It comforted the Uchiha, caressing the small wisps of hair sprouting on her head. Sarada was so small, so vulnerable. All Sasuke wanted to do was hold her and never let go. In the meantime, Sakura finally found the medicine bottle. It was right where she left it: in her pockets! Sakura laughed at herself, she put it there specifically so she didn't need to look for it.

Now, she grabbed Sarada who just started to nestle herself in Sasuke's arms. Sarada cried out, grabbing her father's sleeves and his blanket. Sakura scolded the toddler, as if Sarada could understand, telling her that she needs to let daddy rest so he can get better. That only irritated Sasuke, another lie she told herself and forced him to listen to. And then came the worst part, that awful medicine. It was supposed to take away Sasuke's pain, which it did. But only because it tasted so bad that he'd forget about the burning sensations in his stomach.

With her wifely duties complete, Sakura slouched on a stool outside. The crickets chirped as the fireflies flew aimlessly around her. Sasuke looked at Sakura's silhouette, it seemed battered and beaten. He knew how hard it was for his wife, how trying these moments have been for them and their small child. But then that stabbing pain came back, and the stone tablet flashed across his eyes. His wife became an annoying fly that buzzed outside the tent.

Feet shuffled by the tent, making Sasuke's ears perk up. He looked at the tent covers to find another silhouette approach Sakura. It looked familiar, Sasuke recognized that short spiky hair anywhere. And when it spoke, blood rushed into Sasuke's heart. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, Naruto…" Sakura's shadow looked up at Naruto's. She quickly picked herself up and straightened out her robe. Sakura let out a light laugh, "you know how it is…"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, he didn't know. He nervously laughed, then stumbled over his own words, "How is… can I… Is Sasuke up?"

Sakura waved her hand, "Oh, it's rather late. I think he needs to rest…"

Sasuke bit his lower lip, this could be his only chance to talk to Naruto.

"Ah…" Naruto's voice trailed off, "well, let him know I stopped by to say hi, will you?" he said, sighing in relief.

Sasuke couldn't let Naruto walk away. What if Naruto wouldn't come back? Sasuke opened his mouth, ready to scream. But the words lodged in his throat, and his stomach started tying knots.

"…guess I'll see you around," Naruto's shadow slowly turned around.

Sasuke flailed about in his bed. He coughed violently, just as Sarada noticed her father struggle. She jumped up and down in bed, balling her eyes out in distress. The Uchiha felt blood and stomach acid well up in his throat: a hot, stinging pain. Until finally, Sasuke pushed himself out of the cot with a loud thump. His insides sloshed about: a distended kidney, a stitched-up intestine, and what was left of his liver all begged for Sasuke to stop. He'd grip his belly, rubbing it gently. But the pain was too much, and a dull, drawn out moan escaped him.

But it got Naruto's attention, and all the bashfulness in his friend melted away. In an instant, Naruto stormed into the tent, "Oi! Sasuke, you alright?" he shouted.

---

Naruto noticed how weak and emaciated Sasuke has become. The blond hated to see his friend like this. He would rather remember Sasuke as the proud, strong shinobi that fought by his side, always covering his back. Now, Sasuke laid in a cot—weak and pathetic. His eyes glazed over, the light was quickly dimming in them. Sometimes the Uchiha would lick his lips for no apparent reason, he wouldn't utter a word or make a sound. And then there was that wound, which luckily Sakura made sure was covered up in a thick, woolen blanket. Naruto eased up, at least he wouldn't see his friend's guts come out.

Sakura sighed exasperated, Naruto should've checked with her to see if it was okay before seeing Sasuke. But she quickly masked her dissatisfaction and played the hospitable host. With one hand, Sakura offered Naruto a stool to sit on and then twirled around to find a tea kettle and small stove to heat up some tea. Naruto silently accepted his host's gifts and rested by his comrade's side.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, suspicious. He looked up to Sakura as she handed Naruto the tea, his eyes asked his wife to see for him. Sakura sweetly said, "Naruto's really here, dear. But he has to go soon, so don't take long,"

With his sight confirmed, Sasuke eased into his cot. Thankfully, his wits haven't wholly left him. Then the Uchiha looked up to his comrade, some of the light came back and brightened those dark eyes.

Naruto nervously smiled, fiddling with his fingers unsure what to do. He's killed a lot of people and didn't think twice on it. But for someone he knew to die (and die slowly in a cot, no less), Naruto struggled just to keep his emotions in check. He didn't know what to say, but thankfully Sasuke started for him.

"Your necklace, it's got more teeth on it," he pointed out.

"Aha," Naruto scratched his head. When he put it like that, Naruto sounded like a brute. The blond meekly replied, "Yeah, I've… uh… been busy, you know?"

Sasuke kept his eyes locked on Naruto, serious and stern. He didn't approve of Naruto's trophies, he never did. Sasuke looked at Naruto like a father would to a disappointed child, and it cut Naruto deeper than he'd care to admit. But Sasuke blinked, that disappointed look disappeared as he changed the subject, "I need to tell you something,"

"What's that, Sasuke?" Naruto's shoulders scrunched up. He braced himself for the worst, as if Sasuke was about to strike or stab him. Depending on what Sasuke had to say, the wall he built around his emotions may come crashing down. Naruto avoided Sasuke's gaze, just one look into those glassy eyes and Naruto feared the wall would collapse and he'd sob uncontrollably in front of his comrade: weak and pathetic as the Uchiha himself.

"Do you remember Konoha? Our home?" Sasuke started.

Naruto took a breath, squeaking out, "Yes, Sasuke. I do,"

And so Sasuke spoke of their childhood: the trees around the village, the food, the people.

The smells, more so, and the warm sun that bathed their hometown. He spoke of regret, remembering those moments of childhood where he was so focused on killing his older brother, Itachi, rather than stopping and just enjoying the small, silly moments.

Sasuke reflected on the past, claiming how futile his vendetta with Itachi was. Naruto nearly slipped off his stool. To give up on Itachi and let go of the hatred, Sasuke was either mad or hallucinating. And yet, Sasuke seemed eerily self-aware. He told Naruto, "Honor. Duty. Revenge. These are all a young man's ideas, but when you grow up and have kids of your own—you start to wonder if these ideas were meant for yourself or for others," And Sasuke didn't say it outright, but Naruto could sense the very meaning in Sasuke's words. Sasuke hated who he became, and how he feared it was too late to change.

Naruto didn't know how long the conversation lasted, it could've been an hour or it could've been a few minutes. But they were agonizing. He kept looking away from Sasuke, barely raising his head just to acknowledge he heard Sasuke's words. When Sasuke recalled some shared memory they had in the past, Naruto would rub the palm of his hand. He'd dig deeper into the palms to try and distract himself from those images, smells, and sensations that raced through his mind. Those memories were tainted now, every time he'd feel them a voice would say, 'but he'll be dead,' and it'd scratch that wall Naruto built around his sorrow. His face contorted, fighting back the tears. His vision became blurry, a crack in the wall. But he quickly wiped the tears away before anyone noticed.

Then Sasuke told him about a stone tablet. He described it in unusual detail and clarity. The nonsensical scribbling on it, its location in the village, how all the clan elders and his father were weary of it. Sasuke said he asked his father why everyone seemed so sad around the tablet, but his father just told him he needed the Sharingan to decipher its message.

And when he finally did activate his Sharingan, Sasuke understood why the clan elders never smiled. "It spoke of a prophecy," Sasuke started, words poured out of his mouth with increasing intensity and speed, "I know neither of us believe in prophecy and fate, but so many things it spoke of came true. It talked about my clan's downfall, how the village would be torn apart, and the promise of peace at the hands of an Uchiha not born an Uchiha. This clansmen would be a Great Uchiha, and restore the clan's name…" Sasuke looked up to Naruto, who nodded but kept his eyes glued to his hands. Naruto didn't understand a word that Sasuke said. They seemed like mad ravings of a dying man and hoped Sasuke will soon dismiss him so he could leave.

Then, a long pause suddenly filled the tent. At the corner of Naruto's eye, he noticed Sasuke's eyes widen, like death had gripped him in its bony hands and squeezed the life from him. Naruto shook that thought away, and broke the silence. It made him uncomfortable. "So what's the prophecy mean, Sasuke?" Naruto smiled, laughing nervously, "it means you'll live, right? Who else can restore the clan?"

But Sasuke didn't laugh. His eyes stared up to his comrade, and he finally asked, "Would you refuse a dead man's request?"

Suddenly, Sakura exclaimed, "Don't say that!"

And Naruto quickly added, "Yeah, how do we even know you'll die, Sasuke? There's always a chance, you know?"

Sasuke sat up in his bed, he winced in pain but pushed through. He showed his belly wound to Naruto, and the bloody bandages started to tear. Blood and puss oozed out of five jagged holes in his abdomen. Sakura exclaimed in horror running out of the tent for a medic. Sarada started crying, frightened by Sakura's exclamation. But Naruto froze in shock. Those holes, those gaping holes, seemed so dark and black that they'll swallow him up. Then Sasuke raised his cold, sweaty hands and held Naruto's face in them. His dark eyes stared right into Naruto's as he said, "Let me adopt you,"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked, confused. He pulled Sasuke's hand away from his face, making excuses, "You can't do that. We're both the same age,"

Sasuke took his hand and placed it firmly on Naruto's shoulder, he gripped it with surprising strength, "it can be done. I was born sooner than you. Clan's that don't have a male heir can adopt another to preserve the name,"

"But that's an old rule, what about Sarada?" Naruto looked over to the baby, hoping the toddler could somehow put a stop to this conversation.

But Sasuke shook his head, "If you want to make her the Main Branch that would be your choice. But you need to take my name,"

"Why do I need to take your name?!" Naruto exclaimed, he was starting to get angry. He flailed his hands in a fit of frustration. Naruto stood up, letting the stool tumble off onto the floor. He bared his teeth, angry.

Sasuke furrowed his brow, clearly irate, "Look, idiot. Look at this," Sasuke forced Naruto to look at those deep jagged holes, "Remember it. Because by tomorrow, I'll most likely be dead," Naruto shut his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. But Sasuke continued, "The rebels need an Uchiha, they have to know that a great ninja is still fighting for them. And an Uchiha needs to look out for my family, I can't trust anyone else. And you," Sasuke's voice shook at that moment, "you have to survive this war," but when Naruto looked away and kept silent, Sasuke did something that Naruto never thought possible: he begged, "Please… do this,"

Naruto felt scared. His comrade piled duty after duty upon him. He was unsure, uneasy even. But Naruto couldn't say no, so he nodded. Naruto feared Sasuke would get agitated if he said no, that he may die right there. Or perhaps, Naruto thought, this was all just the mad ravings of a dying man. Sasuke could forget about the whole conversation tomorrow, and Naruto could pretend this conversation never even took place.

Then Sakura stormed back in, this time with Tsunade and Shizune in tow. The tall, intimidating Senju pushed Naruto aside, tending to her patient. She scolded Sasuke as she pressed him back down onto the cot. "This is why I can't drink anymore," she muttered under her breath. Tsunade inspected the wound and said, "I have to operate now, the stitches came off." Sakura looked up to her mentor, her eyes full of fright. But Tsunade needed Sakura now. She ordered Sakura to the other end of the cot, and they both picked Sasuke up and trotted away. Shizune tended to Sarada in the meantime.

Naruto was left alone in the tent, he felt strangely at ease. It was good that Tsunade came when she did, he felt relieved that they took Sasuke away before he had to make any more promises. But Naruto feared he did something wrong. Everything went so fast, he didn't even say goodbye. Will he make it? Naruto shook his head. 'No, he'll definitely make it,' he thought, it wasn't his time.

A simple nod couldn't change his life that drastically anyway. He stumbled out into the campsite still stunned from his visit, when Kakashi hollered after him. He was assembling a squad for a raid—volunteers only.

Naruto pondered if he should go and be by Sasuke's side. But that image of the bloodied gut, still vivid in his mind, made him recoil in disgust. He didn't want to be near death. There'll be crying and wailing, there'd be chest-pounding and screams of despair. And there'd be a sickening smell cutting through the rubbing alcohol. He could see Sasuke's body become stiff, crusted over. Naruto shivered.

He looked away and turned his attention to Hannya: he could be out there. His teacher, Jiraiya, insisted that Hannya was gone, but Naruto didn't believe it. Hannya's the bastard all the rebels feared, the one everyone said they could never kill. Just hearing Hannya's name sent Naruto's hair standing on end, a jolt of excitement which Naruto couldn't shake. That was something Naruto had power in, killing the killer.

And Naruto wouldn't be of any help at the hospital. He wasn't a doctor, what could he do? Must he stand around and fight back all the emotions he's painstakingly penned in? In fact, Naruto already felt better now that Sasuke was out of sight. And if there's a chance to fight Hannya, Naruto would take it.

---

A hot light shined in Sasuke's eyes. He shut them tight as he heard Tsunade and Sakura frantically search for surgical instruments. He could smell alcohol permeate throughout the operating room. And he shivered as his back rested upon a cold, steel table. Then, a warm feeling built up in his stomach. Was it blood, was he hemorrhaging? A weakness overcame him and he quickly fell unconscious.

He woke up, Sakura slept at the foot of his bed. It wasn't the stuffy tent now, instead he was in the Post-Op with other critically injured shinobi and foot-soldiers. The bed, at least, was more comfortable. He heard Jiraiya's jovial laughter as he entertained the injured with tales of his exploits. Tsunade was there as well, writing something on a clipboard.

Sasuke tried to move, but that quickly sent him recoiling in pain. He groaned, waking up Sakura as Tsunade raised her eyes. They quickly leapt into action, "Easy…" Sakura quietly said, "Don't tear out the stitches this time,"

Once Sasuke rested himself against the pillow, Tsunade scolded him, "You want to die sooner, Uchiha?"

"Tsunade…" Sakura started, but the Senju wouldn't hear it.

"If you try to get up again, I'll stitch you to the bed," Tsunade warned.

Sasuke smirked, amused. She was another veteran from a past war. Jiraiya and Tsunade seem to remain remarkably frank in the face of death. They must've known he'd appreciate it, not being lied to or coddled when death comes. They treated him with dignity and acknowledged his coming end. Whereas his peers kept clinging onto wild optimism or succumbed to hopeless despair. They knew he didn't want others to ignore what happened, he wanted them to think.

Sakura held Sasuke's hand, pressing her cheeks against it. Perhaps she believed it'd help him feel better, or even cure him. Sasuke didn't know, but he could tell that the last few days have worn her down. She certainly wouldn't approve of what he needed to tell Tsunade…

"Sakura…" Sasuke hoarsely spoke, he took the hand she held and caressed her cheeks with it, "please, bring Sarada here, I want to hold her,"

Sakura obeyed, she didn't fight him now. There was hesitance at first, what if he died the moment she left Post-Op? But she didn't have the strength to argue with her husband. After four mind-numbing hours in surgery, she simply obeyed and went to retrieve Sasuke's only child.

Finally, Sasuke was alone with Tsunade. She was still scribbling something on the clipboard. "How long do I have?" Sasuke asked.

She dropped, "Can't say. Hopefully until dawn,"

Until dawn. And now it's only 3 in the morning. Sasuke couldn't believe it, at first. That he is here now, but won't be later. The minutes are ticking away. The dreaded countdown until he sees the sun. Sasuke said, "I want you to do something for me,"

Tsunade shifted uneasily, a dying man does strange things. She carefully said, "That depends on what you want me to do,"

"Before you came, I was with Naruto," Sasuke explained, "I adopted him,"

Tsunade kept calm, nodding slowly. She must be processing the news, remaining serious and attentive now. With cold professionalism, Tsunade replied, "I'll make sure we change his last name. When this war is over, I'll see to all the legal paperwork,"

"Thank you,"

Tsunade smiled slightly, thinking that was it. But Sasuke wasn't done, "but when I die, I want to entrust something to you,"

"What would that be?" Tsunade asked.

"I want you to keep my eyes for Naruto,"

The gravity of Sasuke's request wasn't overlooked. It was the logical outcome. If Naruto were to be an Uchiha, he needed the eyes and Sasuke wouldn't need them where he was going. At first, Sasuke feared Tsunade would deny his dying request. As if he needed to fight, even as his body was too weak to. Luckily, Tsunade slowly nodded, simply remarking, "He'll have to agree to take them,"

Sasuke nodded, that could be a problem. He wondered if it was right to ask Naruto to give up a part of himself. But Sasuke could only do so much, and if Naruto refused to take Sasuke's eyes he wouldn't know of it anyway. All Sasuke could do was hope that his best friend would choose the right thing.

Either way, the truth was safe. The Legendary Sannin was his witness, none could stop him. And with nothing else to add, Tsunade left. She had other patients to tend to.

Sasuke felt at ease. Bequeathing such a personal part of himself to Naruto was strangely comforting. He's started to outweigh his own shortcomings with good deeds, all in the hopes that things would turn for the better. For a moment, Sasuke wondered if he lost his mind. That he found faith in all the wrong places. A hunk of stone with carvings written thousands of years ago shouldn't change the course of history, or his best friend. But Sasuke pushed those thoughts away, closing the door and locking it in his mind. He will die, that will be set in stone. And if he were to die, he'd do it helping Naruto and his family survive this war as best he can. And there was comfort in that. Sasuke can say he's done everything in his power to protect those he's come to cherish and love:

Sarada would grow up with a man to teach him the things that he couldn't. Sakura will one day live in a quiet home, only to fret over whether Sarada will marry and have children of her own. And Naruto will survive this awful war.

He loves them. Though he'd never say it out loud. But he did mutter under his breath, "It'll be okay now," and awaited his family's return.

The rest of the night went slowly, with agonizing pain. The stomach pains returned, worse than ever before. Tsunade was forced to wheel Sasuke's bed to a private room—to die without disrupting the other patients.

For Sakura, it was too much. In Sasuke's final moments, Sakura realized how frail the human mind was. How frail she was. How she couldn't keep up with Sasuke or understand what he felt or understand what life was truly like for another human being. Doctors and nurses stepped in and out every so often, but not often enough. She'd scream at the nurses, unloading her pain and frustrations on them. She yelled at them to give Sasuke something for the pain. But even if they did, it still wasn't enough. Then she returned to sobbing and tried to hold Sasuke's hand. Then he'd swat it away, as if she crushed it. Then Sakura would get angry and yell at him.

So many feelings went by in so little time, she had to step out every few minutes. When the feelings faded, she'd take a deep breath and walk back in to subject herself to that horror again.

There was nothing the doctors or nurses could do. They would give him some medicine, some painkillers to try and numb the pain. But Sasuke knew it wouldn't work, he suffered pain from the mind and not the body. He looked back to his childhood again, remembering how bright and beautiful it was. And then how his life slowly marched onward growing dim with every month that passed.

He missed him: Itachi. He missed them: his family. Those memories after the clan's massacre mattered less and less as the pain became clearer and clearer. In his mind, the only respite would be to think of his happy family. He needed to toughen up, what would they think of him now?

Of all the things to say, he asked, 'why?' In between the shouts of agony, he'd mutter, 'why?' to nobody in particular. As if calling to somebody, calling out to beyond the ceiling and the roof tiles above him.

And something felt swollen in his belly, something hot and piercing. Tsunade suspected it to be a clot of puss and rotten flesh. The clot felt like it'd pop at any moment, but it kept pressing more and more against him. Tsunade was helpless. She couldn't operate on it or he'd die sooner.

He shriveled up like a baby. He cried, moaned, and begged for the nurses, for Sakura. Sasuke wanted to see her: he derided her, he scorned her, but he loved her. She's been there from the beginning. She's suffered his insufferable moans and aches and all he wanted now was for her to be there—to suffer with him.

And he hated himself for that. He hated that he wanted her to be there. To see him so defeated and weak, to want her to care and look at him with love and kindness like his own mother did. He slipped through moments of clarity then and there, he'd tell Sakura, 'live' or 'move on' and then fall back into a stupor of tortuous pain and weakness.

Sarada was there too, for a little while at first. In one of the few moments in Sasuke's clarity, Sakura gave him Sarada to hold: to feel her, to see her raise her arms and squirm in his hands. He laughed one moment, and the next sobbed uncontrollably. The feelings, the torment, the dread of thinking she will live after he was dead. It was too much, and he handed Sarada back to Sakura after a few moments.

Finally, he heard a voice say, 'It'll be over,'

He thought to himself, 'death? Death will be over?'

And the voice replied, 'yes, death. It won't last forever,'

And Sasuke felt comfort hearing those words, 'fine, then let the pain come,' he told himself. And his pulsating, stabbing pains lasted only a few seconds more. After which he saw a great bright light. Overcome with joy, he exclaimed, "it'll be fine!" pleased not to see darkness. And then the voice said, 'it is done,'

But to those around him, his body continued fighting until dawn. It twitched as gurgling and sloshing sounds came from his belly. Until finally, the sun peeked through into the room and Sasuke's body stretched out and died.

---

"Sasuke's dead. I'm sorry, Naruto," one of the rebel Leaf messengers reported. He perched upon one of the tree branches in the forest. The messenger breathed heavily, he's wandered from tree branch to tree branch looking for the returning raiders.

Naruto thought he'd get the chance to say goodbye to his dearest friend. How could this have happened? It was just a small mission: ambush a supply wagon bound for the enemy's army. But how did it end up with Sasuke's gut splattered across the beaten path?

"Tsunade wants you pulled from the front lines," the messenger ordered.

"What's the hurry?" Kiba said irately.

"This comes straight from the top, Naruto must report to the operating room,"

"Operating room?!" Kiba exclaimed, "Naruto, what's going on? You sick or something?"

But Naruto wasn't listening, he kept staring out into the forest. He thought of that mission, where Sasuke was hit. Hannya was there, with his devil mask on. He slipped through unnoticed, undetected. Hannya attacked with his ANBU companions. Naruto charged in, head first. He didn't think, he only saw the enemy and knew only one thing: kill. The rest was a blur, but Sasuke tried to stop him. Sasuke tried to warn him about Hannya. Yet by then, it was too late. And Naruto stood before a bloodied Sasuke, holding onto his stomach such that his entrails wouldn't slip out.

"Naruto, come with me," the messenger ordered again.

Kakashi looked at his student, who stood still while grasping his necklace. That wasn't good.

The messenger was getting annoyed, and almost shouted at the ninja before Kakashi stopped him. Without a moment's notice, Naruto pounced. He jumped down to the forest ground and ran. Kakashi and his teammates yelled after him, telling him to stop. That he was heading back into enemy territory. But Naruto didn't hear them. He blamed himself, but he didn't want to admit it. He hoped that Sasuke would live, that his own stupidity wouldn't be the cause of his best friend's death.

Naruto started to get angry. He looked around the darkened forests, its thick trunks were obstacles. He twisted and turned around them, avoiding and maneuvering about. All he wanted to do was run straight and narrow, down a road or some path.

One moment, he wondered if Sasuke was right behind him, watching his back. And the next, anger flashed across his mind and he ran faster and faster. His chest felt tight, his legs felt weak.

Fallen tree branches and leaves crunched under the weight of his feet as he kept running. Naruto made as much noise as possible, he wanted someone to hear.

'It's my fault,' he told himself.

He repeated it in his mind, as if punishing himself. Like the villagers did to him when young, when they reviled him and scorned him. And now, he believed them. Now more than ever he believed them. He brought death and destruction. When Danzo tried to seize power, he could've kept quiet and pretended nothing was wrong. But he didn't, he made an uproar of it.

'It's my fault,' he bludgeoned himself again with those bitter words.

Naruto shouldn't have become a ninja. He should've ran away and built a house somewhere deep in the forest, and lived alone. What has he done? He brought Tsunade in to challenge Danzo to be Hokage, he listened to the calls for revolt. And everything spiraled out of control: riots and protests than mass killings and imprisonment. Then Naruto hurled the first kunai, the first Leaf ninja to kill a Leaf ninja was him. All hopes of peace died when he did that.

'It's my fault,' he bit his lower lip, the pain coursed through his veins.

Naruto ran off with Hinata to join the resistance. He put her in harm's way. And she did it, and he knows why. Because she loves him and would do anything for him. She's been loving, supportive. And yet, he's brought nothing but dishonor and shame to her. The Hyuga clan has disowned her, they consider her a lowly peasant now—a tramp. All because she ran off to join the rebellion on Naruto's wishes. All because she ran off with a browbeaten thug in an orange jumpsuit. He has a child now, a son whose life began during a war and will likely end because of it.

And Sasuke. Sasuke is dead. His friend urged him to take a step back, urged him to be more cautious and think. But Naruto didn't listen, he only saw what was right and what was wrong. He'd jump head-in without worrying about consequences.

Consequences. That's all that's left now, and nothing but. He'll have to call himself Naruto Uchiha now. He'll have to wear that red and white fan as his own crest. He'll need to tutor a toddler to be an Uchiha as he learns how to be one himself. But he wasn't one. He's still learning how to be himself, and he's failing that too. Now Naruto gripped his necklace, feeling unease.

"Hannya!" Naruto shouted. He stopped into a clearing, surrounded by the thick trees, "Hannya!" His eyes turned a bloody red, his pupils into black slits. Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come out here! Fight me!"

But silence was the response, his voice blotted out by the leaves and trees. And Naruto only got angrier, picking up a rock and hurling it into the forest. He tried to make a sound, any sound. He will be heard.

"Hannya!" he shouted again, wisps of red chakra twirled about him, the force so strong it snapped the branches off trees, "Fight me!"

But again, nothing but silence. Hannya wasn't there, he hasn't been in the Land of Fire for days.

Naruto collapsed onto his knees, pounding the ground. He cursed himself, cursed everything. That image of the Uchiha crest on his back frightened him. Then he screamed out, louder than he thought possible until his throat gave out. There was no going back now, he can't pretend everything will be the same.

Now he panted heavily, his anger started to subside. But deep in him, Naruto felt the grumbling of Hatred incarnate. It spoke to him, taunting him. Those demonic red eyes and the Teeth. 'More teeth, It'd goad, 'get more,'

The Teeth has been watching him. Perhaps It admired Naruto's handiwork, and the young-nin did it all without It's help. Naruto tore apart the village, tore apart his friend. And now there's only the consequences of his actions. To watch as people suffer around him: to cry out in pain and agony alone and then simply cease being. Their empty deaths will be on his hands, and he gets to survive. The Teeth laughed at him.

He doesn't want to survive. 'You need to survive this war,' Naruto mockingly said to himself. He hated being Sasuke's friend. How dare he tell Naruto to live! When Sasuke said it, he really meant Naruto had to live so he could suffer. That's why Sasuke showed Naruto those gaping holes in him. All to burn that image into his mind and punish him with it. To sleep every night seeing it…

And yet, he loved Sasuke. The man entrusted him with everything he held dear. 'How could he do this to him?' Naruto thought. To give him title, respect, and nobility. How can he wear the crest of the Uchiha proudly when he wiped out the clan? Itachi may have massacred the Uchiha, but Naruto ended it—usurped it.

And that's what they'll say. He stole Sasuke's title and made it his own. He'll be called a monster, a savage.

Frustrated, Naruto gripped his necklace. He pulled on it harder and harder. The Teeth frowned, it roared and barked, threatening to swallow him up if he didn't continue to amuse It. Until finally, the threading snapped and all the beads of teeth fell onto the grassy ground. It growled, slamming Its claws against the cage. The Teeth demanded to be let out. To see more blood.

But Naruto didn't listen to the voice, in fact he didn't pay any attention to It. Because it finally hit him, Sasuke wasn't here anymore.

"You're dead," Naruto said, tears finally streamed down his cheeks.

The Teeth seethed with rage, it snarled and snapped.

"You're dead," Naruto repeated. He collapsed onto the clearing, his strength failing him. His best friend died, and Naruto wasn't there for him.

The Teeth taunted him, "You want to be weak and pathetic?! Like him?!"

"You're dead," Naruto simply said. He stared at the blades of grass and pebbles on the ground. He tore his mind away from his own thoughts. The Teeth faded into the back of his mind, giving up. Naruto repeated himself between sniffles, over and over again. And Naruto continued speaking those words. Until finally, his voice cracked and he returned to sobbing in the forest alone.

---

Naruto's teacher knew where he'd go. To that spot, the place where the ambush went awry and Sasuke fell. During the raid, Naruto would briefly gaze at the spot when they passed by it. He hoped to kill Hannya.

But Hannya disappeared, Jiraiya said so. The devil killed an Uchiha, one of few noble shinobi in the rebellion. 'A respected ninja, even as a rebel, no doubt had a kill/capture order on his head,' Kakashi thought. If the enemy noticed the banner of the Uchiha crest fluttering in battle, they'd sooner flee than fight one of the great clans of the Hidden Leaf.

But Naruto didn't understand this, why Sasuke was killed because of his name. To him, Sasuke wasn't a noble shinobi to look up to, or a godly hero: he was Naruto's best friend. The first of his peers to acknowledge him.

Everyone felt less without Sasuke: the calm, collected individual to find in the heat of battle. The foot-soldiers praised his name as he walked by, the fellow shinobi looked to him for guidance. But Naruto felt his loss differently, he took it personally. And that worried the teacher.

Kakashi found him sitting on the clearing, right in the middle. His head hung low, as if waiting for someone to come and hack it off. Naruto's lucky that Hannya wasn't there.

Kakashi called out to the ninja. Naruto looked up briefly, he seemed empty inside. The teacher insisted that Naruto return to the rebel camp, it wasn't safe here. But Naruto took a moment to look up above the trees, to the blue sky. It looked less cluttered up there, so freeing. He'd much rather go up there than look back down at the dirt.

After a minute or two, Naruto picked himself up and walked back with Kakashi. He wasn't in a hurry, however, to return.

The teacher wanted to comfort his student, he too has suffered loss. But they weren't safe, not completely anyway. He kept his Sharingan activated, and started the long trek back. Naruto struggled to keep up with the jonin, everything distracted him.

Kakashi figured Naruto was in shock. He stopped at the slightest movement of anything: the gusts of wind rustling the leaves, the bees buzzing nearby, or even the deer grazing some distance away—all of it distracted him. Occasionally, Naruto did speak. But only to make some comment of what he saw. He'd note how big a tree was, or how colorful a flower was.

Short of carrying Naruto back to the camp, Kakashi couldn't think of a way to get Naruto to come. So, Kakashi spoke—hoping Naruto would focus and follow his voice. He tried to talk about history or different jutsus. Naruto responded with silence or disdain. But when Kakashi mentioned his travels, Naruto seemed interested; especially when Kakashi described the sights. Naruto was surprised Kakashi remembered those small things, even during missions. But Kakashi insisted it was necessary. In the down time and the waiting, if he didn't appreciate the beauty around him than life as a ninja would be an empty, unfulfilling duty.

Naruto asked what he meant. Kakashi explained that ninja live in the shadows much of the time, and even the most experienced shinobi struggle to cope with it. So, Kakashi found his own way of coping. "Enjoy the nature around you, wherever you go," he said, "find something remarkable, no matter how small," He gave some examples: the sounds of waterfalls, the wind that tickles your nose, the fresh taste of cold, mountainous air, and the colorful petals of flowers and oceans of green plains. And with each example, he noted how unique it was. Whether it was the sounds the waterfall made, the smell of the wind or the calming beauty of the endless sea of grass. Amateur ninja often ignore those experiences, but to veterans it's an indispensable peace that can't be found elsewhere.

And for the first time, Naruto understood a word that Kakashi actually said. This intrigued the jonin, normally he struggled just to keep Naruto's attention for more than a minute. But now, it seemed that Naruto understood and delighted in hearing more of it.

Kakashi sighed in relief. He didn't know how to help Naruto, but it seemed that Naruto left a door open for him to walk through. All Kakashi really needed to do was be there for him and act like a fellow shinobi. And so, Kakashi recounted more tales of his missions. Not the gory details or targets, but what he saw while there. And not only the plants or the sights, but the natives and wildlife too: the different foods the locals ate, for example, or the pets they kept, or the mighty beasts and small, fickle creatures that lingered in the places Kakashi hid in.

And Naruto listened to it all as he started to admire the world around him right now. The jonin wondered, concerned, 'does Naruto think that if he died right here, he'd be okay with it?' But later Kakashi realized he too thought that himself, and there was nothing to fear. So the two ninja enjoyed this moment of peace, reveling in their homeland's beauty as they forgot about the war.

Eventually, the two linked up with the rest of their squad. Kiba was there, along with Shikamaru and the messenger. The messenger seemed upset with Naruto's sudden departure, even threatening to report him AWOL. But Shikamaru convinced him to leave Naruto be.

The squad journeyed back to the camp. On the way, they briefly passed No Man's Land—where the foot-soldiers fought in trenches and cannon fire altered the formerly green fields. Kakashi noticed Naruto's mood turn dour. He lagged behind the rest of the squad, scanning every inch of the beaten terrain. Naruto didn't like it: the smell of gunpowder and smoke, the sight of smoldering trees and craters of unearthed gravel and rock.

The refugees didn't make for a comforting sight either. A mass caravan of three hundred thousand refugees rushed down a thin, narrow road. This visibly touched the young ninja. Kakashi heard the wailing cries of children and the panicked screams of the poor. They weren't far from the muddy trenches of the foot-soldiers. But the jonin tried to keep his eyes forward, there was nothing he could do now. But Naruto didn't look away. He saw it all, and he described their ragged clothes, their muddied faces. They whipped horses and oxen pulling wagons, pushing the livestock to their limits in desperation. Any person or animal that collapsed from exhaustion was simply pushed off to the side, their bodies rolling down into water-filled craters. And then the whole squad fell silent once the sickly sweet scent of rotten flesh blew by.

Naruto's voice shaken as he noted what lied ahead of the caravan. A massive range of treacherous mountains marked the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. If the caravans were to make it, they must climb atop the peaks, weather through the harsh winds and bitter cold, and hope they brought enough water to trek through the blistering desert and barren steppes on the other side.

Kakashi was used to sights such as this, it was war. But for Naruto, this was the first time he truly looked at the misery of the commoners. His eyes faltered, but he refused to look away.

When the squad finally returned, the messenger insisted Naruto report to the operating room. When he inquired as to why, the messenger waved his hand dismissively. He repeated the orders given to him and walked off. Shikamaru and Kiba were curious, but Naruto went without question.

Kakashi accompanied him, and the two entered Post-Op first. It reeked of rubbing alcohol, a sterile smell. Naruto grimaced. It smelled different than the caravan, not the same scent of death—it felt colder, sharper even. Kakashi didn't think it was so miserable, but then he quickly remembered that Naruto rarely ever set foot in a hospital. But Naruto walked through it now. He held his hand up to his mouth, but still pushed onward to the operating room.

When they arrived just outside the room, they found Hinata and Sakura arguing over something. As Naruto walked by, Hinata ran to her husband and asked him if he'll go through with the surgery. Naruto blinked, asking what surgery he had to go through. Sakura walked up and explained. "Sasuke…" Sakura calmly said, "he left you his eyes,"

Naruto nodded, "I see,"

Hinata was taken aback with Naruto's cool response, but remained silent. Kakashi wondered what she must be thinking.

Tsunade walked by. She sat down with Naruto and explained the procedure and its risks. It was entirely voluntary, but if Naruto didn't choose by the end of the day then the eyes would degrade. "Fine," Naruto promptly said, "give me the eyes,"

Kakashi pointed out how drastic of a surgery it would be. That he won't see things the same way with the Sharingan. He should take time to think it through before risking surgery.

Naruto nodded, "Fine, maybe I shouldn't take the eyes,"

But then Sakura pointed out that he needed the eyes to really be an Uchiha. Otherwise, it'd be pointless if Naruto called himself an Uchiha. He may as well forget about Sasuke's wishes altogether. Upon hearing this, Naruto asked Tsunade again to give him Sasuke's eyes. Kakashi pointed out he doesn't know what he wants to do. That he's too troubled over Sasuke's loss to think about it clearly at all and just goes along with whatever anyone says they think he should do.

Naruto glared at Kakashi, frustrated that those around him wouldn't support his decisions. He looked to Hinata, his wife, and asked if she was okay with the surgery. But his own wife shook her head and gently said, "No, I don't think it's a good idea," and that hurt him.

Tsunade told Naruto to think about it first; she won't operate on someone who wasn't sure. Kakashi wanted to speak up, to give Naruto some insight into his own Sharingan. But Naruto stormed off before he could say anything. Hinata called out to him, worried about where he was going. Naruto rebuked her, telling everyone he wanted to be left alone.

---

The Toad Sage heard of Sasuke's death, he knew that it'll hit Naruto hard. The last Jiraiya heard, his pupil stormed out of the operating room. If his student was anything like him though, Naruto would be at the mess hall—eating his heart out.

The mess hall currently served stir-fried vegetables, braised tofu, and a plain bowl of rice: Naruto's least favorite foods. Jiraiya grumbled, Naruto wouldn't stay if that were the case. But he noticed one of the cooks, Teuchi from the old Ichiraku Ramen back in Konoha, was there. He asked Teuchi if he's seen Naruto.

The old ramen chef hummed in acknowledgment. He was busy, but once he heard his former customer's loss he went out of his way to prepare a bowl of ramen. Teuchi pointed Naruto out in the large wooden lodge; he sat by himself some distance away from the other ninja and foot-soldiers.

The ninja thanked Teuchi for his thoughtfulness and walked to Naruto.

Jiraiya frowned once he could see his pupil clearly. Naruto wasn't eating. Instead, he stared into his bowl of ramen, gazing at the broth. He noticed Naruto stare deep into his own blue eyes in the reflection. And after a few moments, Naruto grumbled and twirled the broth with his chopsticks—anything to break his gaze into those blue eyes.

A few of his friends walked up to him, they offered to sit with him and eat. But Naruto politely declined, asking each of his peers that offered to leave him be. Then Jiraiya walked up. He promptly sat down beside Naruto without asking. The Sannin remained quiet for a bit, penning something down in a notebook. He was thinking of writing another story: memoirs about the rebellion. He munched on the vegetables in the meantime and commented how flavorful the cooks made it. The garlic and ginger did wonders for the flavor, the sesame seed oil made for an acceptable accent.

Naruto kept quiet, staring still at his blue eyes' reflection in the bowl of ramen. Jiraiya remarked that it'll get cold if he doesn't eat. And Naruto suddenly snapped, "Can you stop talking?"

Jiraiya snapped back, "I'm your master, show some respect!"

But Naruto huffed and went back to staring into the ramen again. Jiraiya didn't move, he quietly kept eating his meal. After some time, Naruto decided to speak. He bitterly told Jiraiya everything that happened: Sasuke's death and the eyes he gave him. He said he wondered what it would look like to have those Sharingan. That it terrified him. And now he wants to get it over with so he needn't think about it anymore. But his wife won't support him, along with Kakashi and Tsunade too.

Jiraiya nodded. The Sharingan were powerful eyes. He pointed out the good points. The visual prowess will make Naruto an even stronger shinobi than he already was. Better yet, those eyes will be invaluable to the rebellion.

And Naruto shouted in approval, finally someone on his side.

But then Jiraiya asked why he's so terrified. Why he won't enjoy the bowl of ramen and simply wait for the operation.

And then Naruto suddenly admitted, "I don't really want the eyes, but Sasuke gave them to me…" He explained the stone tablet Sasuke spoke about at length, about the "Uchiha not born an Uchiha" and how he's supposed to become a "Great Uchiha". Naruto's voice shook, he felt scared and confused. Worse yet, he still hurt just thinking about Sasuke's death. All Naruto wanted to do was shut down, to not have any more emotions and think about it as rationally as possible.

Jiraiya chuckled, noting how Naruto refused to do this in the past.

Naruto, exasperated, said he never had to deal with something like this before. To make a heavy choice while simultaneously mourning a dear friend's death. There were too many questions that needed to be answered, too many problems involved. Should he take the eyes? What will everyone think of him? Could he even be an Uchiha? He simply didn't want to deal with it.

Jiraiya took out his pipe and lit it. As he expelled a thick cloud of smoke, the teacher agreed that no one come's close to Naruto's position. Except for one person, that is.

Naruto asked who.

Jiraiya replied, "I know of a shinobi that lost a best friend and gained Sharingan at the same time,"

Naruto nodded, he knew who Jiraiya meant—Kakashi. But Naruto felt unsure of asking his teacher anything. While they do get along fine on missions, this felt too personal.

Jiraiya pointed out if he were Kakashi, then he'd want to help out his student even if it brought up such unpleasant memories. A bond between teacher and student is stronger than people think, it shouldn't be underestimated. If Kakashi truly was Naruto's mentor, than he'd help no matter how hard it was.

Naruto agreed. And promptly set off to find his teacher, leaving the cold bowl of ramen for his other teacher, Jiraiya, to enjoy.

Jiraiya finished his pipe quietly by himself. He stared into the bowl of ramen, sorrowful.

---

The Copy Ninja rested on the rooftop of the hospital, trying to read one of Jiraiya's romance novels. He barely finished the first sentence until he heard Naruto call him from below. Kakashi greeted his student, closing the book. He asked Naruto what he needed.

"I just want to talk," he said.

Kakashi motioned for his student to come up and sit by him, which Naruto did. At first, Naruto spoke openly about Sasuke, recounting the memories they shared under Kakashi's tutelage. Then when all the memories Naruto could recall were said, he started to hesitate. He briefly mentioned his last conversation with Sasuke. And then, Naruto struggled to explain to his teacher the stone tablet, and how frustrated and powerless he felt because of it. Naruto hated to talk of his own weakness, his indecision. But he tried to lay his heart out for Kakashi, to be earnest in himself. Kakashi kept quiet, in the meantime, respectfully listening to his pupil. Until finally, Naruto popped the question, "what do you think I should do, sensei?"

His teacher sighed, closing his eyes to think for a bit. He laid out the pros and cons:

There's a lot of benefits to being an Uchiha, even more with the eyes. The foot-soldiers and ninja have all heard legends of Uchiha's battle prowess, he'd be a morale booster just by his presence alone. They'd praise and acknowledge him, and the more victories Naruto scored the more they'd celebrate his name (something Naruto dreamed of and yearned for when he wanted to be Hokage). He may even be able to use the Sharingan to control the Beast inside of him.

However, there were problems. Some won't accept a non-Uchiha taking the name, however legitimate the adoption was. And Naruto would paint himself a target for assassination or bounty, especially if he had the Sharingan. Also, Naruto would be removing his own eyes; something that should never be taken lightly.

"But," Kakashi ended, "I don't think that's why you're so conflicted,"

"Why then?" Naruto asked, eager to find the answer.

Kakashi bluntly said, "You don't want his eyes because you don't deserve them,"

Naruto frowned. "You're right," he softly said, "that's what it is,"

And Kakashi stopped talking, there wasn't much else to say. He could give more reasons to take the eyes but it'd fall on deaf ears. When Naruto's head hung low and the light faded from his eyes, the jonin knew he had to say something—anything. But he could only offer Naruto one thing: his experience.

Kakashi suddenly broke the silence, "You'll feel pain,"

Naruto raised his head, confused at first.

"With the Sharingan," Kakashi explained, "it'll burn all the time, even when you don't use it,"

"Then how do you deal with it? Why did you take the eye to begin with?"

And Kakashi became quiet. He carefully thought of what to say next, and began, "I don't know what you should do, Naruto. But I can tell you what happens if you take the Sharingan,"

Naruto nodded, ready to hear his sensei speak of the past for the first time. Kakashi told his student the story of his Sharingan and the guilt he's endured ever since.

---

There were days Tsunade wished she never was a doctor. She just finished removing Sasuke's eyes from his body. They were spare parts now. A tool used to kill other people. It didn't matter that they were his eyes; that he used them as a toddler to see for the first time.

Tsunade lowered Sasuke's eyes into a glass jar and injected a slight amount of chakra to activate them. Once the red irises looked through Tsunade, she shivered and promptly clamped the jar shut. When the eyes were stowed away, the Senju peeled off her gloves and told an orderly to roll Sasuke's body back into its cold chamber.

She sighed once the vault sealed shut. Tsunade couldn't help but reflect on her own choices. Part of her wondered what would've happened if she didn't challenge Danzo for the office of Hokage. That if she let Danzo go about his business, then she wouldn't be patching up ninja 24/7. And that's what made the job harder. There was no playbook on leading a revolution, you use what you have and do the best you can do. But to be a gifted medical-nin and a rebel leader made for an awful combination. One day she'd dole out mission orders to her troops, and the next stitch up the ones lucky enough to come back. No one thought Sasuke would be the one to get hit.

But Tsunade shouldn't have given Naruto his first command. The supply wagon seemed simple enough, a good way to break in Naruto's promotion to chunin. But she should've been more cautious with Hannya lurking about and anticipated how rash Naruto was. Jiraiya and the other jonin tried to comfort her, they tell her that this was war—casualties happen whether you make a decision or not. But they didn't witness the costs of war firsthand.

When Sasuke asked her to give Naruto his eyes, Tsunade wanted to tell him, "No, I can't do this,"—but she couldn't. Because as the strong, moral leader of the rebellion, she must respect the wishes of her fallen comrades. Even if it hurts to pry their eyes out and plant them in another. And the rebellion needed those eyes. They both knew it: rifles and swords were more valuable than a soldier's well-being, let alone their life. And the rebels were losing. At every jonin council meeting, it always was the same news: another push by the enemy, more land lost, more casualties. The rebels needed to take care of the weapons they have left, or they'd be fighting with sticks and stones in the end…

The rest of the day, Tsunade tended to the wounded in Post-Op. She flipped through her clipboard and spoke with the nurses on hand: which of the wounded were new or in critical condition? The nurse told her the usual, but dropped the name, Iruka Umino, into the mix.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and asked her to repeat the name. He shouldn't be a rebel. The nurse simply pointed to the end of the long hall of wounded, where foot-soldiers and rebel Leaf ninja curiously guarded one bed.

Tsunade walked up and demanded a report. The foot-soldier bowed and apologized for not reporting sooner, they just arrived some minutes ago. He said that Iruka Umino suffered from dehydration and exhaustion, along with some large cuts and bruises. She demanded to know why a loyalist was brought all the way here and not to the POW camp they placed at the outer rim of the camp.

The foot-soldier claimed Iruka had information for Tsunade—terrible news in fact.

Tsunade looked at Iruka. He tried to stand up and bow to the Lady Tsunade herself but nearly fell out of his bed. Tsunade had a nurse rest him back in bed. After which, the two spoke casually. She wanted to know why he decided to join the rebellion all of a sudden. He chose a poor time, in fact, to join. The loyalists were pushing them out of the Land of Fire altogether. Moreover, she wanted to know why Iruka abandoned all the children at the Academy—the main reason he stayed in the village at all.

"War changes things," the Academy instructor lamented, "but I didn't think it'd change home so much,"

Home. Tsunade once called Konoha home, but that was a lifetime ago. She pressed Iruka to tell her more. "I tried to protect the students, my students," Iruka said, "I just wanted to give them a safe place to be themselves and forget about the war. But Danzo kept coming, they needed more ninja for the war effort. Tsunade, they're still children! Could you imagine being a 12 year old and ordered to kill? A 12 year old?!"

"It was a common in the Third War, I can see Danzo's reasoning," Tsunade admitted.

"I must've joined the wrong rebellion if you believe in things like that!" Iruka exclaimed, he started disrupting the other patients and soldiers. Tsunade ushered him to stay calm, she had no intentions of sending Boruto or Sarada or any young one to the front line when they can walk and carry a knife. But its war, and some sacrifices need to be made (she thought of Sasuke's eyes at that moment).

Iruka scoffed, but continued, "Well, one day I tried to smuggle all the kids out. I got in touch with the resistance, we had the day planned and everything,"

Tsunade noted how brave that was, "where'd you plan on taking them?"

"The Hidden Grass Village, they'd give us asylum. But don't bother asking if they made it, we didn't even make it out the front door. Danzo had me dead to rights, they arrested me as a collaborator. But I didn't give them anything, Tsunade! They beat me, flogged me, they even burned me in places! The whole time I didn't give up my contact. And then they wrapped a black hood over my head, and I thought they'd execute me. But just as I heard them unsheathe a blade, Hiashi stopped them,"

"Hiashi? Hiashi Hyuga? Why would he go out on a limb for a schoolteacher?" Tsunade briskly asked.

Iruka flinched, rubbing his wounds from Danzo's interrogation. He merely said, "I need to see Hinata and Naruto about that. It concerns them,"

But the rebel leader denied him his request. She'll decide what the couple needed to hear.

Iruka sighed, but didn't have any fight in him left. So he talked, "Hiashi may have been Danzo's right-hand man, but he didn't count on the war taking as long as it is. Hiashi doesn't care about Konoha, all he cares about are the Hyuga—and he only cares about the Hyuga who've died, deserted, or left the village because of the war. And Danzo kept promising him it'll end, that he need only to devote more of Hiashi's clansmen to the fight. Some time ago, Hiashi openly disobeyed Danzo in front of the Lord of Fire himself,"

"That's pretty brave," Tsunade dropped, "and pretty stupid,"

Iruka nodded, it was. "Rumors spread throughout the village since then. They say Hiashi supported the resistance movement, that he may have even been its ring leader. But what do I know?"

"Iruka… don't tell me you were the resistance ring leader,"

He evaded the remark, "I'm just a schoolteacher," and continued his story, "Anyways, Hiashi's support dwindled by the time he broke me out of the interrogation chambers. He must've used up all the leverage he had left, but it worked. When I sat in his compound, right in front of him bloodied and bruised, Hiashi lamented that the Main House would perish soon. And he wanted to smuggle himself and those that followed him out. Tsunade," Iruka leaned forward, "he wanted to put himself at your mercy,"

"Well, where is he then?" Tsunade asked.

Iruka sighed, "Danzo's ANBU stormed the compound that night, he must've been fed up with Hiashi. He fended them off while I escaped,"

Tsunade nodded, silent. She hoped that he'd come. Having the Main House on her side would breathe life into a dying rebellion; the Hyuga loyalists may have even flocked to their side.

Iruka leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "If they're not dead, then they're Danzo's thralls." The Hokage needed the Byakugan, so he most likely installed a puppet to rule the Hyuga clan in his name—possibly Hanabi Hyuga, Hinata's little sister (assuming she survived the massacre). Iruka refused to say anything more until he saw Naruto and Hinata. He carried a message from Hiashi himself to deliver.

Tsunade told him Sasuke has died and that Naruto was in no position to hear more bad news. Iruka seemed shocked to hear that Konoha's prodigy perished, but pressed her to bring Hinata at the very least.

She agreed, and ordered a foot-soldier go find her. Some time passed until Hinata rushed in. Hinata asked if he was well and being treated fairly. He nodded, but asked Hinata to sit by his side. She did so, and Iruka told her everything he told Tsunade. Hinata remained quiet the whole time, her lips quivered when Iruka described the ANBU attacking the Hyuga compound. She asked the fate of her little sister, of her father too. But Iruka didn't know (they were most likely killed or enslaved, but Iruka didn't want to trouble her). Then, he opened a pocket on his flak jacket, which contained a blue scroll.

Iruka explained Hiashi actually summoned Iruka to his home for an interview. Hinata and Tsunade didn't understand, but Iruka elaborated. "He wanted to know more about your husband, Hinata," Iruka started, "I was the closest thing Naruto had to a father… so I did my best to make Naruto sound good," Iruka suggested, "Your father wanted the Hyuga clan to live on outside of Konoha, but he must've missed you too. When the ANBU broke down the compound's gate, he quickly wrote this scroll. It's his will. He's accepted Naruto, Hinata, he's given his blessing to the marriage. But more importantly it's a letter of adoption for Naruto,"

Hinata looked down at her feet. Her father has forgiven her, and even gifted Naruto a huge dowry—he can be the Hyuga clan's head. She sat still, considering everything that Iruka told her. If Sasuke hadn't died, then this wouldn't be a problem. But since Sasuke left his clan for Naruto, he'd effectively be choosing the fate of the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan.

Tsunade sighed, she really needed a drink. Even when good news come their way, it comes with a price.

Shizune suddenly ran up to the Senju, Sasuke's eyes were beginning to degrade. The transplant needed to be done now or not at all. The time went by faster than Tsunade expected. Before Tsunade could call for a messenger to look for Naruto, Hinata asked instead they wait for Naruto to come to them. Tsunade didn't disagree.

Shizune, blinked confused: shouldn't they alert Naruto?

But Tsunade's faithful companion hasn't heard of the news. Naruto could become an Uchiha and a Hyuga. And now they're just delaying the inevitable.

Either way, to Tsunade it was a lose-lose: she'd be forced to break her oath as a doctor or jeopardize the rebellion for a man's wishes. She sighed, it was one of those days where she hated to be a doctor and leader of the rebellion.

---

The teacher and student talked for hours. Kakashi didn't think he'd speak of Obito ever again. But Naruto listened to every word, and didn't waver nor fall asleep like he normally did. Then the ninja asked his teacher, "do you think you deserve Obito's eyes, sensei?"

Kakashi looked up to the sky, it was painted a bloody orange. He remembered the boulder that crushed his comrade, how in his last moments Obito gifted him the Sharingan. "I don't think I do, no. But I don't let it bother me," Naruto didn't understand, so his teacher continued, "I like to think that Obito gave this eye to remind me never to let my friends be killed,"

"That sounds like a heavy burden, what if you fail?" Naruto asked.

"War is full of casualties, if it's their time to die then a Sharingan wouldn't make much of a difference. But that doesn't mean I would sacrifice those most precious to me, not even for the sake of a mission,"

"Not even for the rebellion, sensei?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto. He was young and hurting, but Naruto needed the truth and nothing but. His sensei told him, "not even for the rebellion,"

Naruto nodded, silent. His teacher taught him the same rule when he was just a genin: "Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." It made sense at the time, a given even. But that was when the village was at peace and they could thoughtlessly carry those ideals without really testing them. As the cannons boomed and the sound of gunfire and screams rang afar, it seemed all the more vital and potent. That is, if Naruto didn't jealously guard this one truth, he wouldn't be a shinobi but a pretender instead.

"I think I've made my choice, sensei," Naruto said, his voice cracked as if unprepared to say it.

Kakashi nodded, "then let's tell Tsunade,"

The two jumped off the roof and entered the hospital. They entered Post-Op first, and to Naruto's surprise they noticed Hinata with Iruka.

At first, Naruto jumped for joy to see Iruka. But then he asked why Iruka suddenly joined the rebellion. Iruka fell silent, and let his wife explain the situation. Kakashi stood in the distance and listened in.

The two read aloud the blue scroll. It detailed his pardon for Hinata's transgressions against the clan and accepted Naruto into it. "Isn't that great, Naruto?" Hinata held onto his arm tightly, "my dad accepted you, you're a Hyuga now,"

Kakashi's student couldn't appear any more confused. Just as he figured out what to do with the Sharingan, his wife complicated the matter tenfold. Kakashi stayed out of it, however. He gave him everything Naruto needed, if it wasn't enough then anything Kakashi could say would matter. Surprisingly, Naruto remained calm, and listened to Hinata more, "if we become the Main House, a lot of Hyuga would join us. And you can sit out the war,"

Naruto eyed Kakashi in the meantime, Obito's story rang in his head. "Where's Tsunade?" Naruto asked.

Hinata didn't think he needed to waste time with her. But Naruto pressed to see the doctor. Eventually, Hinata told him they could meet her outside of the operating room if he wanted.

Naruto said he did, and walked away with Hinata.

Kakashi didn't follow them. Naruto's a man now, he needed to make his own decisions. All Kakashi did was hope for the best and left the hospital altogether.

---

Tsunade just finished amputating a man's leg off with Sakura as her assistant. It was gruesome work, but Tsunade enjoyed doing something she had control over. As the two peeled off their bloodied surgical gowns, a foot-soldier reported that Naruto arrived. He must've made his decision.

Tsunade and Sakura exited the operating room. "What is it, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto stiffened his back, firmly telling the rebel leader, "I want Sasuke's eyes,"

"I didn't marry an Uchiha!" Hinata suddenly exclaimed.

"Then why did you marry me?" Naruto retorted.

Hinata twisted around, her voice shook in surprise, "Because I love you,"

And then Naruto noted how she abandoned her clan for him, how she ran off into a war with him and had a child with a man that her own father considered a mongrel. Hinata was dumbfounded, but Naruto continued. He said, "If you married me out of love, then it wouldn't matter what last name I carry. I will still be Naruto,"

But Hinata shook her head, "My father's forgiven us, it was his dying wish that we live well. How could you throw it away like that?"

"If that were the case, how could I throw away Sasuke's gift?" Naruto retorted.

"But Sasuke wanted you to live. If letting my father adopt you kept you alive, shouldn't it be enough?"

Naruto replied, "No, it isn't enough. Not for me,"

Hinata couldn't understand why her husband stubbornly refused to listen. She didn't understand why he wouldn't support her—his own wife. "But Naruto," she said, "taking Sasuke's eyes won't bring back the Uchiha clan. My clan is dying, but we're still here and need you,"

Naruto shook his head. He turned away from her and asked Tsunade, "Can I do the surgery?"

Then Hinata gripped Naruto's black jacket, she begged him not to go through with it. "How can you pull out your own eyes and throw them out like they're nothing?! They're your eyes, Naruto!" she exclaimed.

"Because they don't matter," he coldly said.

Silence filled the hallway. Hianta looked around: to Sakura, to Tsunade. But they were fine with what Naruto said. What Naruto said was the truth.

Hinata asked Sakura why she would let her husband do this to Naruto. Sakura replied, "Because Sasuke wanted Naruto to live, and I want Naruto to live too,"

Hinata rejected this and went to Tsunade. She appealed to her, "Please, you're a doctor, Lady Tsunade. You can't take out my husband's eyes, they're healthy! How can you call yourself a doctor if you do this?!"

Tsunade disagreed with the way it all turned out, but she wouldn't push Naruto otherwise. She heard the confidence in his voice, he'd choose to be an Uchiha—even without the eyes. Tsunade declared, as if to herself, "We're in a war, hun. In war, ethics go in the trash,"

Hinata was shaken to her very core. Her eyes darted across the whole room, as if surrounded by a pack of beasts. Her voice shook as she ran back to her husband, "What are we even fighting for?" She pleaded with him again not to go through with the surgery.

And then Naruto tenderly held her hands, and let her gaze into his blue eyes for the last time. He said, "Because I want our son to see a world no longer at war,"

And tears streamed down Hinata's face, she tore Naruto's hand away and pushed him back. "If you go through with the surgery," Hinata warned, "then I won't be there when you wake up,"

That hurt Naruto, Tsunade could see it. But he firmly told her, "I'm taking Sasuke's eyes,"

As Tsunade motioned Naruto to prep for surgery, Hinata looked at her husband. There wasn't bitterness in them or anger, it was horror. She walked off, covering her eyes with her hands and quietly sobbed.

Naruto wanted to go after her, but Tsunade held him back, "Sasuke's eyes won't last any longer. It's now or never,"

Naruto stared at his feet, but eventually entered the operating room. Shizune directed him to take off his clothes and wear a hospital gown. Sakura lightly kissed him on the cheek, "I'll be right here, Naruto. I won't leave you,"

And then, Shizune wheeled in a cold, steel table for him to rest on.

Tsunade waited in the operating room when Naruto rolled in. He looked scared, knowing what would happen next. His blue eyes looked around, his head turned left and right. He thought what other's that enter the operating room thought, 'what instruments are they going to use?', 'would there be pain?', but for him mostly, 'this will be the last thing my eyes will ever see,'

Tsunade and Naruto exchanged one last look, his blue eyes up into her brown ones. At that moment, she almost asked if he'd like to reconsider. But she couldn't wait any longer.

Naruto suddenly raised his head. His eyes seemed to take a life of their own, faltering in the light as they begged Tsunade not to take them out. But she didn't give Naruto a chance to speak and put him under anesthesia. Once he fell asleep, Tsunade pried his eyelids open with mechanical forceps. The blue eyes looked up to her, but they didn't have life anymore. She asked Shizune for a scalpel…

---

Sasuke's eyes were now his eyes.

Naruto woke up to thick bandages wrapped tightly around his eyes. As he sat up in his bed, Naruto hoped to hear the fretful footsteps of his loving wife. But only Sakura and Tsunade stood by him.

Tsunade spoke briefly with Sakura. She instructed her to change his bandages every day, and wash the eyes with clean water. The Sannin said the surgery was a success, and that his eyes could be used in a week, given proper care.

Naruto already heard the multitudes of people clamor to see the new Uchiha outside. At first, it was his fellow ninja—all of them visiting at once. Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Tenten, Rock Lee, among others. No doubt they all were obligated to visit their injured comrade, but felt inexperience and hesitance to be around someone with a dead man's eyes. So, in the natural instinct of safety in numbers, they endeavored to enter together. They cautiously asked how he felt, gauging his state of mind. When Naruto responded with measured reassurance, they quickly rejoiced. Many patted him on the back, telling him how eager they were to see "his eyes in action" once he gets better.

Later, the older and more experienced ninja came to visit him. Kakashi came first, alone. He remained silent for the most part, reading an erotic novel on his own. Naruto welcomed the silence. He felt most at ease around him than anyone else. Asuma, Kurenai, and Might Guy also paid him a visit; they too were warmer and more genuine in their care—no doubt the mature members of the rebellion knew how to handle loss. They offered a few words of encouragement, but generally paid their respects to him and went out of their way to offer their assistance if needed. (Naruto had no intention of asking them for help, but he still appreciated it nonetheless).

Iruka also visited. He heard Naruto wore the dark headband of a chunin, and told Naruto how proud he was of him. Naruto smiled and thanked Iruka kindly, but didn't want to speak much more of it. Iruka sensed something amiss and pressed Naruto; what happened to that dream of becoming Hokage that he used to yap on about? He was one step closer and should be proud of that. Naruto simply said, "Being a chunin is a big responsibility, I can't imagine what being a Hokage would be like," Iruka noted that Naruto sounded like he's changed. But Naruto insisted, "I've just been thinking, that's all," Iruka hummed in acknowledgment, with nothing more to add he left to rest up. They said their goodbyes, but Naruto could hear unease in Iruka's voice. Naruto wasn't Iruka's student anymore, he probably won't be coming back.

Then, Jiraiya finally showed up. He jovially asked his pupil how he felt. Naruto replied, "the eyes feel sore, but I get to listen the goings-on outside," Jiraiya chuckled, "you've learned more in one day then I could've taught you in three years!" and offered to slip him sake. Naruto politely declined, fearing it may harm his eyes. Jiraiya simply hummed in acknowledgment, perhaps another time.

Visitors were frequent in the following hours. Foot-soldiers resting from the front lines visited him, curious to see who the new Uchiha was and what he looked like. Many whispered that it must all be a ruse, that the Uchiha clan will fade into the annals of history; while others spoke ecstatically of the coming scourge Naruto would be.

When Naruto was alone in the hospital room, he heard loud thumping sounds suddenly close into him. Then someone spat on him, called him a pretender and promptly left. Naruto didn't speak of this incident to anyone. Instead he wiped down the stain as best he could and pretended it was his own spit when Sakura returned.

Sakura tried to speak, but she lacked the words to. With nothing else, Sakura spoke of Sasuke's impending funeral. It'd be tomorrow morning. Naruto shifted uneasily in his bed hearing this, he didn't like thinking of Sasuke's dead body burning up in the kilns and turning to ash.

But Sakura tried to cheer him up, and offered to take him to Sasuke's funeral. He hesitantly agreed.

The next day, Sakura helped Naruto put on a dark, black robe. He sat on a wheelchair while she pushed him down the long hallways. Since there was no room to carry Sarada, Sakura left her baby in Naruto's lap. The baby felt heavy and warm, but she took a liking to Naruto and snuggled up in his silken robe. Naruto welcomed the warmth, but frowned when he remembered his son Boruto wasn't there.

After pushing through a stuffy, crammed hospital, Naruto welcomed the refreshing breeze and the warm sun beat on him. The cicadas couldn't be heard, they must've all died. Sakura tried to describe the small tent they held Sasuke's wake in. But Naruto couldn't visualize where exactly in the camp the wake was. He merely accepted that it laid somewhere off to the border of the camp, where the kilns were for the dead to burn into ash.

When they arrived, Naruto felt a chill come on. Maybe, the wake took place under tall trees. The whole assembly spoke loudly and forcefully, some of the so-called guests must be passersby witnessing the funeral of a true Uchiha. The whole time, Naruto sat in the corner listening to the crowds. He still felt tired from the surgery and therefore kept quiet, content to listen as others spoke. They paid no attention to him.

Sakura stood some distance away, greeting the guests as they offered their condolences. The Konoha 11 were there (except for Shino and Neji whom couldn't make it, they had a scouting mission), along with a few other friends and fellow ninja. They recited the usual condolences rehearsed beforehand, their voices sounded stiff and it felt unnatural. They never had to deal with a peer's death, nor knew how to console another peer's personal loss. Most seemed to hide their own relief, that it was Sasuke's and not their own funeral they attended. But some burst into tears, in front of Sakura. And Sakura felt like she had to console them for her own husband's death. In fact, on one such occasion when Sakura spoke with a jonin, one of the rebel Leaf ninja started audibly pounding his chest and bursting into tears. He declared to everyone there that Sasuke was a brother to him and that he'll honor the Uchiha's memory and what he strived for. Naruto pretended not to hear that.

The rest of the wake felt dull and uninspired. Naruto wanted to feel heartache, to cry tears for his departed friend, but the constant yammering of the monk and the drawn out ceremony took its toll on him. Naruto hated himself for nearly falling asleep, in fact.

Finally, they carried Sasuke's coffin to the kiln just outside. Naruto wanted to carry the coffin, to feel the weight of Sasuke's body. But his legs refused to stand, and Naruto suffered to hear the grunting of other nameless chunin that volunteered for the honor. He heard the coffin sizzle and snap in the hot fire outside, and the whole time Naruto wondered how Sasuke felt if he witnessed this funeral.

Sakura came back some time later, planting an earthen vessel in Naruto's lap. Naruto asked what it was, to which Sakura replied it was Sasuke. He gripped the urn tightly, it won't spill on his watch.

At the end of it, Naruto laid back in his bed—still sightless. Sakura stayed some time to make sure Naruto was comfortable, and even changed his bandages and gave him a sponge bath. It felt weird as she brushed the sponge against his sweaty skin, especially without seeing it firsthand. But the whole time, Naruto could only think about Hinata; he wanted her to do these things for him instead. Finally, Sakura left and he sat alone in his bed. He quietly cried himself to sleep.

---

It was the next day, and Hinata didn't show up at the hospital. Usually she'd volunteer by cleaning out the bedpans or hanging up the clean sheets, but now there was no sign of her. Sakura asked around, to hear from the other nurses and volunteers if they knew where she went. One of them said they checked up on Hinata at her tent, evidently Boruto was rather ill.

If that were the case, did she take Boruto to the doctor for medicine? But the nurse merely shrugged and said it didn't seem like it, but that the baby didn't have a fever—he simply didn't want to eat or drink anything.

This concerned Sakura, but she kept it to herself when visiting Naruto. He too wasn't eating or drinking much. Sakura would try to spoon-feed him, but he'd stubbornly turn his head away and politely tell her he'd eat it later. She left the tray there. But when she returned after her next break, the tray was right where she left it.

Then there were the times she helped Naruto use the bathroom or to change his bandages and give him his sponge bath. He acted like a ragdoll the entire time, there was no rigidity in his body. Sakura would practically drag Naruto to the toilet, or hold his head with one hand as she ripped off the old bandages.

In a fit of frustration, she chastised Naruto. "My husband died and now my best friend doesn't want to live anymore!" Naruto's ears perked, he asked was he really her best friend. Sakura sighed annoyed, "If it got you out of bed, than you're the greatest best friend I ever had," Naruto snickered, and for a moment Sakura saw that mischievous smile of his when they were little.

Then, Naruto suddenly asked if she'd take him outside. At first, Sakura didn't want to let him go; but eventually she brought up a wheelchair. Once they were outside, Naruto finally relaxed into his chair. They didn't speak the entire time, Naruto just wanted to breathe in the fresh, crisp air and feel the warm sun beat against his chest. He delighted to hear the birds chirp and the squirrels nearby nibble on seeds and nuts. Sakura didn't think Naruto had such a sensitive side, but there were a lot of things she suppose she never knew about him.

When it was time to head back, Naruto talked up a storm. He heartily chatted her ear off about the woods back in the Hidden Leaf: how he used to fish in the streams and collect wild mushrooms nearby to cook up a stew, or how he climbed atop the giant oaks and firs overlooking the village and watch people go about their business. Sakura smiled listening to him speak fondly of their hometown. Now that they can't do those things, it made the memories that more precious.

Sakura mentioned a meadow Sasuke and she would rest by. The air there was perfumed by the sweet smell of plum trees, and there was a willow tree nearby a small, clear pond. Naruto fell silent, Sakura asked what was wrong. He said Hinata and he used to visit the meadow as well. Naruto's lip quivered slightly, but tried to hide it from Sakura. "I didn't mean to intrude," Naruto earnestly said, "that memory must mean a lot to you now that Sasuke isn't here anymore,"

Sakura dropped, "Sasuke's not here anymore—he's dead." She rolled her eyes every time someone hesitated to speak of Sasuke; as if the mere mention of his death would send her collapsing into a weeping mess. Naruto appreciated the candor.

It was time for Sakura to go, so she closed the windows and made sure Naruto took his medicine. Naruto thanked her for being there, and the two parted ways. Sakura took one last look at Naruto, he seemed lonely—but she had other people to take care of.

It was twilight and Sakura's hospital duties were completed, Sakura thought she'd check up on Hinata. If Boruto were ill, than he must see a doctor. So Sakura brought her medicine bag filled with the appropriate instruments and left to the other side of the camp.

Hinata's tent shook in the wind, but otherwise stood still. It seemed dark and empty, Sakura didn't think Hinata would be in there. But to her surprise, Hinata stood in it trying to comfort a crying Boruto. She sneezed every so often, which made the baby cry louder. Sakura opened one of the tent's flaps and asked to come in.

Hinata eyed her suspiciously, "You can come in, if you must," Sakura told Hinata that she heard Boruto wasn't feeling well and wondered if she could check on the baby. "I guess its fine," Hinata said and rested Boruto in the crib.

Sakura opened her bag and took out a stethoscope. But the cold, metal bell of the scope sent Boruto squirming, uncomfortable. He even swatted the bell away and cried. Sakura tried to rub his abdomen, it felt hard as a rock. "He's just colic," Sakura reported, relieved.

Hinata sneezed, but was happy to hear it was nothing serious.

But Sakura didn't leave, instead she tried to speak with Hinata about other matters. In between Hinata's sneezes, Sakura tiptoed around Naruto and dropped hints as to his condition. But Hinata remained cool at times and defensive in others. And when Sakura made the mistake of dropping his name, Hinata asked that Sakura leave as she needed to do some laundry. She sneezed again.

"You're sneezing an awful lot. Can I treat you?" Sakura requested. Hinata waved her hand, it was nothing serious just an allergy. But Sakura noticed Hinata kept the tent dark, as if hiding from the light. As she scrunched her eyes, Sakura could see how red and puffy Hinata's eyes were and the thick, brown fur coat she wore—it was a hot summer night, she needn't wear it. Sakura insisted, "I really think I should take a look at you," but Hinata resisted still. It was nothing. Just allergies, she'd say.

Again Hinata sneezed, and nearly fell back onto a stool. Boruto cried, out of fear. He jumped up and down in his crib, and Hinata tried to hold him but he kept crying more. Boruto kept pushing her and squirmed around in her arms, desperately grasping the air in the dark. And suddenly he called out, "Papa!"

That was the first Sakura and Hinata heard Boruto speak. He yelled it again and again: "Papa! Papa!" and Hinata tried to shush him, "No, we can't see papa. He's not here," and then softly sobbed herself.

Then Sakura mistakenly blurted out, "He misses you,"

Hinata glared at Sakura, briefly. Then told her, "He's made his choice,"

And Sakura asked if that was really what bothered her. Was it really that he chose the Uchiha clan over the Hyuga clan? Sakura reminded Hinata of her small wedding. It was just Sakura and Sasuke as guests. She remembered Hinata clearly say at the reception, "I'm not a Hyuga anymore, I'm free!" And it didn't seem like she cared at all what happened to the Hyuga clan if that were the case.

And Hinata suddenly snapped back, "He chose himself! Over his own family!"

Sakura didn't understand. And Hinata seethed with anger, gripping Boruto tighter and tighter like a bear jealously guarding its cub, "He's changed. When the war started, every day the light in his eyes got dimmer and dimmer. I thought maybe when this war was over, he'd come back! I thought I could fill those eyes with joy and he'll be his own self! But the war's taken and hollowed him out! And now I'll never get the chance to see those bright eyes again, they're gone! The man I had a child with is gone! He's not Naruto anymore—he's a stranger!"

Sakura walked up to her, to try and hold her and rub her back. But then a sound rang in the distance, and a cannonball crashed into the campsite—the war was here. The ground shook, the footlocker rattled as dirt and rock rained down on the tent. The baby screamed, Hinata screamed louder as she collapsed with her baby to the wooden floor. Sakura jumped and covered Hinata and Boruto. People were shouting outside, horses and soldiers rushed to the impact site. A foot-soldier ran inside the tent and asked if the two women and the baby were okay. Sakura yelled they were fine, but Hinata screamed, "Make it stop! Make it stop!" over and over again.

Then another sound rang in the distance, and the tent across from Hinata's flattened in a cloud of dust. More dirt flew up into the air. Hinata's tin mess kit and cup rattled about on a nearby footlocker and tumbled to the ground. The clothesline in the tent snapped, and all the clothing hanging on it piled on top of Sakura with Hinata and Boruto just underneath. Sakura raised her head up, cursing the enemy, "Will you cut it out?!" just as another shell crashed a few meters in front of them. The tent couldn't hold up under the shaking, and the green tarp collapsed right on top of the two women and the baby.

Eventually, the rebel Leaf ninja responded to the shelling, and neutralized a nearby artillery position. In total: one ninja was killed in action during the raid, two foot-soldiers in their tent perished, and five more were wounded. But now, the campsite could rest in the uneasy peace. The soldiers and ninja shivered when they heard cannon fire in the distance, luckily it was the regular artillery fire this time—directed at the trenches and not the campsite itself.

Sakura and Hinata rested just outside the collapsed tent, Boruto sat between them. He swung his legs and nibbled on a cracker, while the two women shared some tea a foot-solder brought to comfort the shell-shocked. They were lucky: a large big crater where the two foot-soldiers died lied in front of them, and a smaller hole sat behind them in the darkness.

Hinata finally calmed down, letting the warmth from the tea cup soothe her. They could hear the crickets now, and a few fireflies buzzed around—much to Boruto's delight. He didn't understand what war was, only that there long periods of boredom and dread between sudden moments of violence and chaos.

As Hinata sipped her tea, she thanked Sakura for staying. Sakura nodded, and even offered to help Hinata set her tent back up. Hinata told her it was fine, that the foot-soldiers told her they were moving everyone in that part of the camp to other places. She'll stay with Neji until they set up the new tent in the meantime.

Sakura hummed in acknowledgment, then looked up to the stars.

Hinata suddenly spoke, "I guess it's over, isn't it?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, what did Hinata mean? And Hinata continued, "He's not coming back," Sakura nodded, they'll never see Naruto the same way again. Hinata lamented, "I guess I'll be your sister-in-law… or will it be daughter-in-law now? This adoption thing never made sense to me,"

Sakura laughed, they needn't stand on formality. And then she asked if Hinata will really stay with Naruto. Hinata told her what choice did she have? Divorce him?—the rest of the Konoha 11 would shun her. Sakura told her that wasn't true, that they'll always support her. The big crater in front of them was reason enough to stick with each other, through thick and thin.

Hinata softly smiled, "I wonder about that. But I wouldn't know where to go if I did leave him. There's Neji, and if I took back the Hyuga name by myself, then maybe my clan will take care of me,"

Sakura asked her why she wouldn't simply do that.

Hinata said, "I never liked being the Princess of the Hyuga. I always felt like a failure. That's why I married Naruto: he was wild, and free. He did whatever he wanted. It was attractive," she admitted, "he made his own choices. If I took the Hyuga name, I'd be forcing myself to be miserable like my father. He'd obsess over everything Hyuga. Does this benefit the clan? Does this threaten the clan? 'There's never enough Hyuga in the world,' he'd say. And even if I had more kids, I'd have to worry about them having their own children. It'll never end," Hinata sighed, "I wish I was Naruto,"

Sakura laughed, it sounded like Hinata still admired Naruto.

Hinata's face turned stern, "I'll always admire my husband,"

Once they finished their tea, Sakura said her goodbyes. Hinata thanked Sakura for the chat, and Sakura told her if she needed anything, anything at all, to let her know. The two of them said their goodnights one more time and Sakura walked off to pick up Sarada.

When she could finally rest in her own bed, Sakura held Sarada in her arms. She looked at her baby, the last true-blood Uchiha, and feared Sarada would feel the same pressures Hinata felt. She whispered to her baby, "Whatever you do, do it because you want to,"

---

A/N: I did not edit this chapter, pardon the quality.

Her skin felt warm and sticky, the summer night's always made Hinata restless. There was nothing to do now, but carry her belongings and Boruto in her arms and wait in Neji's tent. When she arrived, Neji was kind but reserved. He didn't wish to speak about the state of their clan, which Hinata welcomed. But she did hint that perhaps he was best qualified to be the Main House. Neji's eyes widened in shock, there wasn't any precedent for it. But Hinata continued, she didn't want to be in charge of a whole clan. Hinata just wanted to make her own choices, and Neji was the closest living relative to the Main House. Neji agreed he was indeed the closest relative, but that clan traditions wouldn't be observed. Hinata told him about a scroll, it detailed how he's forgiven her and Naruto and believed that Neji was best qualified to run the clan. "A price, for the injustices my father did to yours," she said, "A way to mend old fences, and start afresh,"

Neji didn't believe this. Why the sudden change in heart for the old man? And why, if he didn't already forgive Naruto and Hinata, declare them the Main House. Hinata pretended it sounded strange, but showed him a red scroll that clearly stated Hiashi's will for Neji. The Hyuga remained stern and suspicious, he'll think about it. Hinata didn't press the matter further.

Finally, the time came for Neji to leave. He needed to prepare for another raid tonight, evidently Lady Tsunade and the jonin council felt it necessary to retaliate. They're hitting the loyalist camp, and they'll be hitting it in force.

Hinata remarked how dangerous that sounded, and her voice shook. She wondered if Neji will even come back, but he comforted her and said he had no intention of leaving her alone. Hinata appreciated the sentiment, and as he left Hinata started preparing her own sleeping space. In the middle of the tent, on the hard wooden floor, Hinata rolled out a soft matt with a quilt to rest on. Boruto would sleep with her tonight, it wasn't cold so he should be fine. But the floor felt hard, and her back started to ache. She was tempted to sleep in Neji's bed, he even told her she could. But it didn't feel right sleeping in another man's bed, regardless of circumstance.

The night felt long and horrible, she sneezed a few times here and there. And each time Hinata tried to lay still, and let the sleep come—a sneeze forced her awake. Boruto grumbled, but eventually felt too tired to be interrupted by anything.

A breeze blew through the tent, sending Hinata in a flurry of coughing and sneezing. She couldn't sleep here, and stood up with Boruto in hand and slid under Neji's bedsheets. It felt comfortable now, no dirt or dust could blow in and bother her. But now Hinata felt a sense of sadness, no one wrapped their arms around her nor did she feel another one's warmth behind her. It wasn't even her own bed, nothing about it felt right.

So she picked up Boruto again, and walked out. She went to the hospital, up the stairs and up to Naruto's room. He was resting in bed, but perked up hearing the door open. "Who's there?" he asked. Hinata suddenly remembered that Naruto was still blind. Her feet shuffled closer to him, Boruto in her arms still. The baby cooed softly, hearing his father's voice. "Papa…" it whispered, Hinata let Boruto's little hand brush against Naruto's cheek.

Naruto winced, but turned to raise his hand. He felt around, grasping and exploring with his hands just like Boruto did. His hand brushed lightly against Hinata's, and she took a step back. "I didn't think you'd be here," Naruto weakly said.

"A minute ago, neither did I," Hinata whispered back, and she suddenly climbed up into the bed with Naruto. She tried her best not to make him move, as she lied right next to him. He still couldn't see, and remained still as he faced the ceiling above. He'll need some guidance.

So Hinata took his arm and wrapped it around her neck, then she took their child and let him sleep between the two of them. She scrunched up to Naruto, making herself more comfortable in the soft, warm bed.

Naruto remained stiff the whole time, he didn't dare move an inch. But Hinata relaxed into the bed, letting her head lie on his arm and her hand softly holding onto his. They didn't speak for what felt like an hour, but neither wanted to move.

Her husband still must've felt nervous, still unsure if the slightest movement would make her leave. But she felt comfortable, and like Boruto slowly dozed off. Naruto didn't feel like the same man she married—but it felt like home all the same.

---

The Toad Sage entered a small wooden hut nearby the mess tent: the jonin's club. Now, only the high-ranked shinobi could enter the bar. It was Asuma's idea at first, a place for the remaining jonin of the old Konoha to drink and forget about the world they currently reside in. Jiraiya desperately needed a drink, he's just completed the mission to flatten the enemy artillery emplacements. But he noticed how old he's gotten: the ninja was slower and tired out more easily. His mind ground to a halt even during the mission, his indecision could've cost one of the rebel Leaf ninja their lives. He wasn't the Legendary Sannin he once was proud to call himself.

Jiraiya's sandals thumped across the wooden floor. It was a simple enough hut, it had a wooden bar, some stools and tables to sit on. The smell of freshly fried lotus root chips and the sour tinge of pickled cabbage and cucumbers was enough to raise anyone's morale. And a steady supply of alcohol poured in from a still somewhere built outside.

The Sannin saw Tsunade slouch over the bar, drinking a tall glass of what the jonin jokingly called "water". Tsunade sighed sharply, her face was flushed red.

Jiraiya ordered a glass and sat next to Tsunade, she hasn't drunk since the rebellion began.

At first, the two Sannin enjoyed their drinks in silence. But once the alcohol set in, the two talked freely and openly with one another. They exchanged war stories from the Third Shinobi World War, and laughed of their training days with their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Tsunade spoke briefly of the shelling not long ago, but Jiraiya frowned and told her not to remind him about this war. Tsunade scoffed, but changed the subject, "You visited your student yet?"

Jiraiya frowned even more, twirling his cup and downing the "water" in one go. "I have," he simply said.

"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "well, how was he?"

"Good," Jiraiya simply said, "Kakashi is with him,"

"Is that why you're here?" Tsunade said as she munched on some spicy rice crackers.

"Partly. Is it that obvious?"

"To me, anyway," Tsunade smirked.

Then Jiraiya talked Tsunade's ear off about Naruto: how much the two were alike and how much he cared for the boy. Before the outbreak of the rebellion, Jiraiya believed Naruto would follow in his footsteps and become the next Toad Sage. "But now," Jiraiya slurred, "Naruto has the Sharingan now. I have to take a backseat and let Kakashi do the rest,"

Tsunade simply nodded, there wasn't much else to say. Then Jiraiya abruptly asked her, "What about you? I haven't seen you this drunk since… he died," Jiraiya referred to Tsunade's little brother, who fell in the Third War. She never liked to talk about that, and the mere mention of his name sent her into a flying rage. But the two were drunk now, and the alcohol dulled the pain.

Jiraiya kept pressing the matter, until Tsunade finally spat out, "I cut into your student's eyes. They were healthy, not the slightest blemish on them. And I just scooped them out of their sockets and jammed in dead ones," she asked for another round of drinks, then continued, "now I'm wondering if I can ever hold a scalpel again. Honestly, I think I'm like Orochimaru and created my first monster…"

"Well, whatever happens I'm sure it won't be your fault," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade nodded, and then pointed out, "You weren't there before the surgery. In fact, I don't think I ever heard your opinion about the whole thing,"

"You're right," Jiraiya simply replied, "you didn't hear,"

Tsunade scoffed, "what's done is done, Jiraiya. Tell me what you think,"

Jiraiya chuckled, "What is there to say? I'm a useless old man that's got no business doing anything. Taking out those cannons showed me how slow I've gotten, and now I can't even teach my own student. All I do is drink the day away and yap my mouth off to whoever's in earshot. I may as well die and save the mess hall food for some young one,"

"No," Tsunade dropped, "please don't say that,"

And the two continued drinking into the night. The thunderous cannon fire filled the now empty bar. When the barkeep said the jonin's club would close soon, the two Sannin stumbled out and leaned on each other all the way back to their tents. They laughed, for the first time in what felt like years—genuinely carefree.

Once Jiraiya reached Tsunade's tent, the two sat on the wooden slab that served as the tent's floor. Tsunade pulled something from her secret stash, a cache of Land of Hot Water sake. They opened a bottle and continued drinking until the moon slowly started to set. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, staring deeply into the Toad Sage's eyes. This made Jiraiya uncomfortable, and he turned away to savor another cup of sake. Tsunade suddenly asked, "Why weren't we a thing, Jiraiya?"

"Beats me," Jiraiya simply said, he wouldn't take advantage of Tsunade like that.

Tsunade scoffed, and suddenly nestled herself into his arms. Her speech slurred, her eyes closed, and before Jiraiya could protest she fell asleep—snoring up a storm. Jiraiya chuckled but didn't move an inch. He enjoyed holding Tsunade in his arms.

He sipped the rest of the sake until the sun peeked through the trees: the dawn of a new day came.

---

A few days passed. Hinata and Sakura came in every so often with their children. Hinata would redress Naruto's eyes in bandages when she visited, and Sakura would help Naruto to the bathroom or give him a sponge bath when she visited. Every so often, the building shook with the roaring of cannon fire. Naruto could hear the intermittent screams and shouts from the nurses and injured—more people were dying.

Finally, when three days had passed, Tsunade removed Naruto's bandages. They unfurled from his face, his eyes sore and crusty. When the Senju ordered Naruto to open his eyes, he tried to rub them. But she held his hands back, instructing him to open them naturally or risk damage. Naruto peeked through his eyelids, slowly. Until light entered the Sharingan. He saw Tsunade, clearer than he never had before. Every inch of her face with every blemish and hair on her head, he saw it and remembered it all. Then he heard Hinata's voice, and moved to see her. Again, he could observe every wrinkle on her skin, but now he can also see the gentle white hue of her chakra. He looked to Boruto, asleep in her arms, and noticed his body sway so slightly that no one else could notice. And before others knew it, Naruto caught his son before he fell and crashed his head onto the floor.

When the baby opened its blue eyes, he peered into Naruto's red ones. Bortuo seemed scared, frightened at Naruto's fierce gaze. He cried out for his father, "Papa! Papa!" and thrashed about in Naruto's hands. Hinata finally took him away and tried to comfort him. He'd look to the door the rest of the day, hoping the father that left him would come back.

Sakura introduced Sarada to him next. The baby was confused, and slightly frightened. Naruto didn't dare pick her up. But the baby was curious, and crawled onto the bed and up to Naruto's face. She touched it. First his mouth, then his nose and his ears. And when her tiny fingers approached his eyes, Sakura tore her away from Naruto. She cried out loud, but a soft smile from Naruto and a gentle hold of her hand set the baby at ease.

It was ironic. He may soon be acknowledged by others as an Uchiha, but to those who should love him it would take work and time.

Naruto shut his eyes tight. He really wanted to rub them, they burned. They stung as he used them, just like Kakashi said. Sakura was shocked, although she didn't show it to others. But with Naruto's Sharingan, he could sense that she felt uneasy. He noticed how she leaned close to him, the slight crease on her lips as if gasping, and her eyes falter briefly as she gazed upon the black tomoe twirling about his eyes. Every time she looked back into those eyes, there was euphoria—her husband came back. But as she looked at the tanned skin and blond, spiky hair, Sakura felt crushed. She may have kept silent about it, but Naruto's eyes saw it all. Her sorrow each time they locked eyes, and Naruto's existence just made it worse.

Kakashi checked up on Naruto sometime after he adapted to his new sight. They spoke briefly with Tsunade about the use of his eyes. Tsunade rubbed her temples, seemingly vexed. She said Naruto must slowly break in his new eyes. Also, he must practice it as if it were a muscle, every day Naruto needed to push himself a little more every time to fully acclimate to the Sharingan. Kakashi nodded and then quickly spoke to Naruto about training.

Naruto was eager to finally step out of his bed and train. He spoke fondly of returning to the front lines and contributing to the war effort. Kakashi nodded, and then broke to Naruto, "We'll have plenty of time to train in the Land of Wind,"

Naruto blinked, confused. He wanted to train now, here in his homeland. But Kakashi told him the battle was already over. The loyalists had scored a decisive victory. Naruto fell silent, he hoped to use his eyes before the battle's conclusion. He quickly asked about the refugees' fate: the long trail of sad caravans and the clouds of mosquitos and scent of death that followed them.

Kakashi said the rebels' mission was a success. The huddled masses of three hundred thousand safely made it to the Land of Wind. Naruto sighed in relief, the rebellion succeeded without him after all. But then Kakashi added that the rebel armies must evacuate. The foot-soldiers will be the first to retreat, leaving the rebel ninja behind to slow the enemy's advance. Naruto was to be evacuated with the foot-soldiers as his eyes were still not strong enough to use in battle.

Naruto looked to Tsunade, and begged her to let him stay. Initially she declined, fearing he'll be rash and run off to fight with his comrades. But Naruto insisted that wasn't the case. He merely wanted the extra time to pay his respects to Sasuke's remains.

Sakura said his urn was interred at the Fire Temple nearby; she didn't want to take him to the Land of Wind. When Naruto asked why she did so, Sakura claimed it was because Sasuke needed to finally rest in peace. Naruto didn't press her. He knew they had to let their friend rest.

His ashes will be safe in the Fire Temple, it was a venerated cemetery for the fallen ninja of the Land of Fire. It would cause an uproar to desecrate the remains of such heroes. And thanks to the head monk, which was Asuma's comrade, they allowed Sasuke's remains to be interred there to begin with.

Tsunade agreed to Naruto's request and walked out. The wounded were given top priority to the evacuation and she had a lot to manage. Kakashi likewise had to cut his conversation with Naruto short, he'll be needed on the front lines.

Hinata insisted that Sakura go and pack her things, she'll help Naruto back to the tent. He needed a fresh set of clothes, otherwise he'd be paying respects in a hospital gown. Sakura left with Sarada in her arms.

At first, Naruto felt weak as he tried to stand out of his bed. The Sharingan didn't help either, it gave him a headache. Kakashi warned him about this before the surgery, that his brain hasn't adapted to the massive amount of information the Sharingan collect. After a few minutes, Naruto managed to stand on his own two feet albeit shakily. And the loving couple inched their way back to the tent.

All around the campsite people were packing away their items and hauling footlockers and chests onto horse-drawn wagons. The mess hall had been torn apart, they would need the lumber. And the tents were quickly disassembled by its occupants as officers and jonin shouted orders to their subordinates. Naruto and Hinata had to evade the frenzied horses as they pulled heavy wagons, and they had to avoid the hurried columns of foot-soldiers and shinobi as they rushed to their fall-in positions. The cannon fire was more pronounced, it wasn't the muffled thunder they once heard in the distance. It was closer. In fact, one such round crashed just outside of the campsite, spitting dirt and rubble high into the air. Everyone hugged the ground just as Hianta pushed Naruto down, covering his body and Boruto's with her own as the pebbles bounced off her back.

Then, Hinata picked Naruto up and brushed off some of the dirt. They pushed onward to their tent, it still stood while the others were already flattened or carried away. It stood like an island on the plains, lonely yet defiant.

Once inside, Hinata sat Naruto down on a wooden stool with Boruto and went straight to packing. She's already packed up the sheets and folded the clothes. The tin plates and cups were stowed snuggly away as she scrambled to jam in toothbrushes, ointments, and some scrolls. She seemed particularly frazzled by the ANBU masks that took up so much space. Naruto noticed this and told her to take all the masks out. She asked what he'd do with them, and Naruto simply said, "Nothing, I don't need them,"

Hinata didn't waste any time casting them out of the tent. Horses and foot-soldiers alike trampled on the masks as the ceramics cracked and shattered. They were pummeled deep and deeper with each step, until finally they were buried under a thick layer of dirt and mud.

Naruto then asked Hinata to set out some clothes for him. She asked what clothes he wanted to wear, the orange jumpsuit or the black jacket. He said neither, he wanted his uniform. Hinata double backed and asked if he were sure (he never wore that uniform before). But Naruto nodded, he wanted to wear it. She set out his uniform: a simple green flak jacket, an armband that held the Uzushiogakure symbol emblazoned across, and a black shirt with shin guards.

Soon enough, the tent was picked clean. The couple stood in their empty tent as the wind whistled by. This was where they must depart. Hinata asked if she could stay, to pay her own respects to Sasuke. But Naruto didn't want to risk it, he told her to meet up with Sakura on the next caravan out and wait for him in the Land of Wind. She kissed him goodbye, reminded him not to stay too long, and left with two chests and Boruto strapped to her back.

Finally, Naruto started to slowly put on his uniform. He took his time, taking care to straighten it out just as the frantic screams and neighing horses slowly faded away with each passing minute.

When it was dead silent, he finished straightening out his slashed headband and completing the formal uniform of his once great ninja village. This would be the first and last time he'll ever wear the uniform. In the past, Naruto refused to wear the flak jacket. It felt too tight, it wasn't flashy enough so no one could see him. Yet now it felt like a perfect fit. And when Naruto looked in a small mirror Hinata left behind, he felt proud to be a ninja. But just as Naruto's eyes met its crimson red iris in the reflection, he felt a tinge of sorrow. The flak jacket will be stowed away and left as moth food soon enough. After this day, he'll wear the Uchiha crest on his back; forced to distinguish himself on the battlefield by another name.

It felt wrong. He will soon be acknowledged by his peers, they'll see his red eyes soar by with the great red and white fan of the Uchiha emblazed across his back. They'll cheer his name and praise him, the hard-fought glory he sought his entire life will be his. Only he didn't earn it. And now Naruto worried all he'll really see in himself was a pretender flaunting stolen valor.

Naruto quickly shook his head. He shouldn't think like that: it's not his day, its Sasuke's.

After some time, a foot-soldier walked up, his headband bore the slashed kanji for Fire. He reported himself as a lieutenant ordered by the Lady Tsunade to escort him to the Fire Temple and then to the Land of Wind. It seemed Tsunade wanted to make sure Naruto didn't get any ideas of fighting today.

Before Naruto spoke, however, he took a good look at the foot soldier with his Sharingan. The foot-soldier wore a dark blue kimono with a striped apron tied around his waist. The soldier held a simple bolt-action rifle in one hand while two swords were holstered by his hip.

As they spoke, Naruto realized he's never really interacted with the troops on the frontline. They usually kept to themselves, not out of fear or hatred of their ninja counterparts, but only because there was no need to interact. If they were lucky, they'd briefly speak with a jonin in the battlefield to help coordinate the battle.

With his Sharingan, Naruto read the weariness in the soldier's eyes. He was tired. And though he appeared clean in his uniform, Naruto noticed the grime and dirt collecting at the bore of his rifle and the threading on his swords' hilts fray and the blades rust. Naruto noted it all in a brief second just as the foot-soldier said, "My Lord, the caravan is ready to depart,"

Naruto's eyes broke contact, shocked. The sudden respect wasn't expected, not so soon. Naruto ordered, "Ready a horse, I'll visit the Fire Temple,"

Once the horse was saddled, Naruto rode with the last of the rebel foot-soldiers. The officers on horseback, the lower-ranks running and guiding ox-drawn wagons full of ammunition, camping gear, and provisions.

The rebel base was a flattened field. What buildings they couldn't pack away they simply left empty. It felt like a ghost town, even though just yesterday it felt strangely like home. As they left the campsite, the patrol walked beside a great, wide plain that bellowed smoke and reeked of death—No Man's Land.

Naruto could see the oncoming loyalist armies, many harassed and slowed down by rebel Leaf ninja flinging kunai and shuriken. He could see Shikamaru and Tenten set traps for the loyalist armies just ahead, Choji used his expansion jutsu to uproot trees and dig up barriers and ditches. Ino used her mind control jutsu to confuse the enemies, while Neji and Rock Lee felled waves of helpless loyalist foot-soldiers. And at the rear, Kiba and Shino directed the teams, using their acute sensory jutsu to sense incoming enemies.

Naruto wished he could join, his Sharingan pulsating as it sensed the combined chakra of the Konoha 11. But he tore his crimson eyes away from the battle and trotted forward on his horse. In front, he noticed a family of refugees. An elderly couple carrying a crying infant girl begged the rebel foot-soldiers for help: their grandson was pinned underneath an exhausted horse and they were too weak to move the animal.

But the advancing rebel soldiers knew only one thing: retreat. And they raced past the poor refugees. Once Naruto's patrol approached, however, he stopped his horse. His patrol grumbled, anxious to leave the advancing front line of the enemy. But Naruto flashed his Sharingan as a warning, and they immediately fell silent.

Naruto briefly looked at the elderly couple, frightened to see such menacing eyes. But he paid no attention to them, and proceeded to grip the belly of the horse which pinned their grandchild. Naruto didn't know if he had any strength just now. He was, after all, in a hospital bed some hours ago. But after some exertion, he lifted the horse's body high enough for the boy to scramble out from underneath.

The boy ran to his grandparents, seemingly unharmed. As Naruto approached, his red eyes frightened the boy. The boy jealously guarded the two elders and his sister. With his Sharingan, Naruto could see the boy's story, he could see all the refugees' story. Naruto noted the dirt and mud in his finger nails, the callous hands and blistered feet, the spicy smell of radishes lingering about his skin and clothing—his family were farmers. His eyes watered, bits of ash lodged in his eyelids as soot clung to strands of hair—his home burned down, his parents were inside. He held out his hands wide, huffing scared but angry—he hated the men in their uniforms, those that swore to protect but left them to perish.

Naruto gave them his horse, picking up the two elders and saddling them comfortably on it. Then he handed the reins to the boy. He ordered the patrol to walk at the boy's pace, a snail's pace if need be, and protect them until they've reached the border.

The lower-ranks grumbled, they were tired of giving their lives for others. But the lieutenant promptly smacked them with the sheath of his sword, apologized to Naruto and ordered his men forward with the family. The elderly woman shakily thanked Naruto, "I'm glad you were here and not fighting out there,"

Naruto will walk the rest of the way to the Fire Temple. It would be another few kilometers, but luckily it rested along the same road to the border. The Fire Temple sat upon a forested hill, it was largely untouched by the conflict. In its courtyard were the elderly, sick, and wounded that could not make the treacherous journey up the mountains of the Land of Fire.

The monks provided as much as they could, but it was still not enough. The abandoned took one look at his armband and quickly averted their gaze. Any men in any uniform terrified them, as if their very presence was a bad omen. Death follows the soldiers wherever they go: famine, pestilence, and war at their side. Naruto wished he could comfort them, but one cloak wouldn't cover them all.

Chiriku, the head monk of the temple and Asuma's comrade, greeted Naruto. He didn't seem afraid of Naruto at all. And his cold politeness meant he didn't really believe Naruto to be a true Uchiha. First of many that'll question his name.

They walked silently through the empty halls, the poor were not allowed inside except during the cold, windy nights. Chiriku took Naruto down a flight of stairs, deep under the temple into the catacombs. Naruto looked around the cramped crypts, urns filled with cremated remains rested on shelves. Upon the urns, the names of its contents were painted across. Chiriku explained that Sasuke's urn did not carry his own name—instead they used the kaimyo, his 'death' name. He said it was for Sasuke's own protection, so no tomb raiders would seek the Uchiha (Chiriku almost said 'last Uchiha' but held his tongue out of respect) nor will the ninja of the Hidden Leaf waste time desecrating all of the other honored shinobi urns just to reach Sasuke's if they snuck in. Naruto remained silent, the surroundings were cramp and dark. The only light came from Chiriku's lantern.

Some ways down, Chiriku pointed to a brown, ceramic urn resting among the others. Naruto blinked, it was smaller than he imagined. It could fit in the palm of his hand even. Chiriku whispered the kaimyo—Oshin Daigen—which roughly translated to "Broad Heart, Great Eyes". Naruto thought it was a fitting name.

The monk advised Naruto to never repeat the name. There may be hundreds of thousands of urns, but just uttering one syllable will endanger the remains. Naruto agreed, and then asked Chiriku to leave. The monk bowed in respect, placing a lit lantern on the stone-cobbled floor and left. Once Naruto could no longer hear the monk's footsteps, he took a moment to look at the urn. He didn't really know what to do, if he were at the funeral service among all the others he'd mourn with them and do what they did. But here, alone, there was no one watching.

He decided to speak to the urn, voicing his thoughts will lead him to where he needed to go.

Naruto whispered, as if worried the other urns could hear him, "When I heard you died, I cried. I ran off to where you fell, and screamed. I screamed more than I thought I could, and then I screamed some more. I didn't say anything exactly and I wasn't yelling at anyone really. I just screamed to the sky, thinking, 'it's big and empty up there, there is room for you to take my pain,'

"And that pain wasn't that you were dead, but that you can't hear me anymore. Because that was what you always did, you heard me. It may have been something stupid or meaningless, but you did what others would not do: be there with me, and just listen.

"But now, I have to be the listener. I have to take a step back, and watch others. They need me to be a leader, they're begging me to be. And I find myself dreading that day. Where I must send more men to their deaths, and watch with these eyes as they fall to the ground… just like with you.

"It was my first mission to lead, I was so proud. I wanted to run into that ninja. That we'd kill him and parade around the camp with his head on a stick. But there weren't any parades or any songs of praise, instead I brought nothing but grief with me. And I didn't stop, I couldn't stand there and be with you when you left. I thought if I removed you from my sight you'll somehow get better. If I didn't see you bleed with my own eyes, than you never bled at all. But you still bled out, and my own eyes will never see anything again.

"I don't think I want you to forgive me. Not because I think I did nothing wrong, but because there's nothing I can offer to make it better… You didn't have to help me. You didn't have to give me the title and respect I craved for as a child or give me the power to bring respect. But you did it anyway. And it wasn't for those reasons that I wear your eyes, it was that I might live through this war and live through it well. But right here, right now, I don't ask for power or glory or acknowledgment,"

Naruto backed away from the urn, and knelt on his knees. He looked up to the urn, "I won't pound my chest and wail in front of crowds. I won't declare my undying love for you to prove it to others. I won't even bother to say, 'You were my brother and I will honor your memory'.

"Instead, I will hang my head low," Naruto bowed, so that his head touched the cold, stony floor, "and ask you—am I worthy?"

Naruto remained still, as if waiting somehow to hear Sasuke's answer. It must've been a few hours that Naruto kept his stance, but he refused to move even an inch. Even as the cannons thundered close by and the ground started shook as dusty urns rattled on their shelves.

Chiriku shuffled in and whispered to Naruto, "all your comrades have left, you're the last rebel in the homeland. Please, you must leave,"

Naruto raised his head, looking up with his eyes gazing upon Sasuke's remains. Chiriku was stunned. The tomoe of his crimson eyes had merged, and a pinwheel of red twirled in place. Naruto's eyes had changed. And though his face seemed lost and wanting, his eyes held the answer he's been waiting for.

Chiriku fell to the stony floor, keeping himself prostate in front of him. Naruto, taken aback, asked, "What have I done to deserve this?"

And Chiriku said, hanging his head low, "the Mangekyou Sharingan. The rarest dojutsu in all the Land of Fire, even to the Uchiha themselves, and you have it. I didn't think I'd see it in this lifetime—you must truly be an Uchiha to have awakened it,"

Naruto blinked confused, he looked around. His eyes felt changed, but strangely felt familiar. As if he finally saw through his own eyes. Chiriku appealed to him, "Lord Uchiha, please you must leave the Land of Fire,"

The Uchiha looked up to his comrade's urn: would it be okay to leave like this?

"Please, the rebellion needs your strength," Chiriku begged, "Don't perish here, not now,"

Naruto rose, and Chiriku guided him to a secret tunnel. Naruto left the catacombs of the Fire Temple and dashed for the mountains of the Land of Wind. He will return, whether it was tomorrow or the next decade. And with the rebels help, the Uchiha will retake Konohagakure.