Denial.
"The funeral's tomorrow. Are you coming?" Sakura asks, watching her friend as he trains furiously.
He looks up, his hard eyes meeting hers. "What funeral?"
She sighs. "I hope I'll see you there. He would have wanted you to come." She looks at the ground sadly. This has been going on since Naruto heard the news.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I have to keep training." He turns away from her, and she leaves as silent tears slip down her cheeks.
Anger.
Kakashi watches as Naruto slams his fists into the tree repeatedly, screaming curses and blame at the world in general. It isn't until blood stains the bark and Naruto can no longer stand that the screaming stops.
"It was Tsunade's fault," he says from his slumped position at the base of the trunk. He is looking at Kakashi, but the older man knows he isn't talking to him. "She shouldn't have let him go. She knew how dangerous it was." Kakashi stays where he is, remaining silent and simply listening to his student's rant. "It was stupid Ero-sennin's fault. He knew he wasn't gonna survive. He shouldn't have gone… he knew he was gonna die…. It was Akatsuki's fault. All they do is kill, and they killed him." Several minutes pass in silence. Then, Naruto looks up at the sky and screams again. "It was my fault! I should have been with him. It was my fault!"
Kakashi bows his head, wincing inwardly as the sounds of Naruto's head striking the tree echo through the otherwise silent forest.
Bargaining.
"Please, I'll do anything. Just bring him back, please. Take me in his place, anything… anything… but don't take him away from me. I need him, Konoha needs him… I need him…."
Sai's head tilts to the side as he listens to his teammate's pleading. It makes no sense to him, to beg for the life of someone who is already dead.
"It's not fair! He didn't deserve to die, Pain does. He was good, he did so much good for the village…. Why take him and leave people like Pain alive? I deserve to die more than he did. At least, if I had died, the demon would have too. Please, you have to bring him back…."
Sai leaves, wondering what could make someone want to give their life for someone else.
Depression.
"Ino sent these flowers. She says she's sorry she hasn't been able to see you herself, but she's been really busy at the shop with her parents out of the village," Shikamaru says as he sets the small bouquet on the bench next to his friend. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," Naruto mumbles, not looking up from the dirt at his feet.
Shikamaru sighs. "Look, I'm here for you, Naruto. I know what you're going through; I went through the same thing when Asuma-sensei died. If you want to talk, I'll listen."
Naruto still doesn't move. "I'm fine."
Shikamaru stands, pain filling him at the sight of his friend in such a state. "Listen, if you change your mind, let me know."
Naruto looks up then, his eyes empty. "I'm fine," he says again, and neither of them believe it.
Acceptance.
Naruto sits with his back against Jiraiya's gravestone, staring up at the sky. He remains silent for a long time, trying to imagine that it is Jiraiya's back against his own, not a cold slab of stone that represents death.
Eventually, he speaks. "I miss you, Ero-sennin. You meant more to me than almost anybody else. You were like family… no, you were family. I loved you. You knew what I am, and you cared about me anyway. You spent more time with me than anyone else ever has…. You meant the world to me, and I'm going to miss you like hell."
He sighs. "But, I think I understand now. Why you went. I would have done the same thing. And I understand why Tsunade-baba let you go. I… I get it. And I'm gonna miss you, but I think I'll be okay."
He stands and looks back at the gravestone. A lone tear slips down his cheek. "Thank you, for everything you did for me and the village. I love you. Goodbye, Jiraiya-sama."