'I failed,' the boy thought, 'everyone put their trust in me, and I failed to fulfil my promise. Can you forgive me, Sakura-chan? I'm sorry, Sasuke. I failed all of you.'
The air around the boy was stained with blood. His blood, to be precise. He had set out to bring Uchiha Sasuke back to the village. The retrieval didn't go as planned, however, as every member of the team was in horrible shape, some even brushing with death due to unexpected encounters with Oto-nin. Uzumaki Naruto was in the worst condition, though. Despite the efforts of the medical team led by Senju Tsunade, the most famous medical ninja in the five great nations and Hokage of Konohagakure, he was slipping away.
"No! Naruto, stay with me!" Tsunade screamed. Her green haori was stained with his blood, as were her hands. She turned to the sage beside her, "Jiraiya, I need you to wake the Kyuubi up, now! Without its chakra and healing Naruto is done for."
Said man was doing his best to manipulate the seal on the boy's stomach, trying to wake the beast that was sealed within him thirteen years ago on the day of his birth. His efforts were in vain. "That's not going to happen, Tsunade. The beast is dormant and I can't reach it."
Tsunade felt fresh tears welling in her eyes, threatening to follow the same path as those before them. She was losing hope. The boy had saved her from her sorrow, took away her fears, and filled the void her little brother's death caused and was now lying in an ICU, barely clinging to life. She closed her eyes, praying to whatever gods were watching. 'Please, save Naruto. The brat doesn't deserve to die. Just get up, I need you. You were, are, the ray of hope this world needs. Please, just get up.'
Her prayers were answered by the sound of the EKG flat lining. "No! Get up! You can't die, not now!" More tears than she thought possible were descending her cheeks, falling on the young boy. Even the toad sage shed a few tears at the departure of his prized pupil.
"Tsunade…" He started. She was hard at work, trying desperately to start Naruto's heart, ignoring the man. "He's gone." He said, not even so sure himself. She shook her head, refusing to believe those words. "He's gone, Tsunade!" He shouted, grabbing her arms and pulling her into him, hugging her warmly.
"Let go of me!" She fought his embrace, beating his chest and sobbing, her eyes never leaving the boy she saw as a little brother, a son even. "He… he can't be dead…" She whispered weakly, relaxing into his arms. She fell to her knees, bringing Jiraiya with her and cried uncontrollably on the floor. "N-Naruto…"
"Time of death: 11:47 PM. Cause: Puncture wound through the chest." One of the more senior doctors said, taking control of the situation, not wanting the woman to have to pronounce him. The doctor left the room, a solemn look on his face as he relayed the events to the crowd waiting outside.
For a moment, the silence was unbearable, until one girl dropped to her knees and began sobbing herself. It was then that the weight of the situation finally fell on everybody. Uzumaki Naruto was dead.
Naruto awoke within his mindscape, a dark and damp sewer based landscape. He had found himself within the seal several times before, but the atmosphere was different this time. It wasn't desperate, but rather peaceful. He propped himself up to a sitting position, his lower body still partially below the water's surface.
He looked up to the gate at the other end of the room, the figure of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi, resting behind the bars. "Why am I here?" He asked, already fearing the answer. The fox opened one eye to look at him, visibly tired.
"We're dying, brat." It spoke. Those words reverberated through the boy's head as he scrambled for an answer, anything that would explain the situation. "I mistakenly gave you too much of my chakra and you lost control of the Rasengan. His Chidori went right through your chest." The fox continued, answering the silent question. His voice was distant and exhausted.
Naruto closed his eyes, a single tear falling from his face as he tried to come to terms with his impending death. "Did Sasuke at least come back to the village?" He asked weakly, paying almost no attention to the fox. It simply shook his head. "You were right, I guess." At that, the beast perked up its ear and stared at the boy intently.
"Right about what?"
"This whole thing. I was foolish to believe that I could bring him back. I tried to tell myself that he was still my friend, but…" He stopped and stared at his lap, unable to face reality head-on. Deciding to take his mind off of his ex-friend, he glanced up at the fox and asked, "What are you going to do?"
The fox closed his eye again, resting his head on his forearms. "I'll regenerate at some point. I'll be free but I'll probably miss you, brat." The boy chuckled humorlessly. "I hope you don't mind if I kill the Uchiha; I'm not a big fan of his eyes."
The last Uzumaki sighed. "At this point, I don't know if I have the will to argue against that, or even the energy." He sighed and laid back down, feeling the water rush around his body. "Kyuubi," he began, only to be interrupted by his prisoner.
"Kurama." Naruto looked up at him, wondering what he was saying. "My name is Kurama."
Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, "see you… in the next life…"
The world around him began to fade, leaving his senses numbing and darkening. He was almost fearful of the unknown of death, but he supposed he was ready for it. After all, what was he going to do about it?
"Yeah… I'll see you later."