I don't own Naruto. I was listening to the song, Regret Message then this came to mind. Enjoy...


It has been 5 years.

5 years since Sasuke left the Leaf. 4 years since he joined Orochimaru. 3 years since he killed Orochimaru and Itachi. 2 years since he was hunted down by the Hidden Villages. And the last year was undecided for the young Uchiha.

Running away from every single one who hunted him down, he found his place in Orochimaru's abandoned hideout, by the shore.

He still lived with Taka who consisted with Suigetsu of the Mist, Karin and Jugo. The team was contented with what they had, it was alright. Sasuke had cut off every single with the villages, including the Leaf. Ever since that, he was isolated and forgotten from the Ninja world.

Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of the sea, a letter clutched in his hand. Suigetsu rose a brow. "Sasuke, what is in that thing anyway?" He asked.

Sasuke handed him the piece of paper.

"A message from the Leaf."

Suigetsu unfolded the paper and read out the words that were written in that note.

Sasuke Uchiha,

You are needed at the Leaf, urgently. The Leaf is under a terrible condition due to one of Orochimaru's experiments. We need you and your team in the village, ASAP. We are begging you, please return to the Leaf. If you will return, your name in the Bingo book shall be erased and all your crimes will be forgiven. If you don't wish to return to the Leaf, never return.

Tsunade Senju, the 5th Hokage of the Leaf.

Suigetsu let out a laugh. "This is bull."

"Hn, I received this letter a week ago." He said taking the letter back.

"Say, Sasuke, isn't that the village where your old team used to be?" Suigetsu asked, taking a sip out of his cup.

"Yes."

"That explains everything." Suigetsu answered.

News of the Leaf losing it's glory spread throughout the land but hadn't rang in Sasuke's ears. Nothing had changed in Sasuke's timeline. Nothing had alerted him about what was happening in the outside world.

That was until he decided to return a year after the letter was sent.

Taka had decided to stop by Suna to alert the Kazekage about their arrival to the Leaf. The guards outside the gates looked tired and restless, it was as if they were sick or were never fed. They had let the rouge ninjas pass, their minds knowing who it was.

Sasuke's mind went into shock as he saw the town. The village was empty, houses were abandoned, it was all deserted. The team's jaw dropped as they saw through the hospital's window. Skeletons, corpses, bodies lay in their beds and on the floors. The windows were broken and the door was barricaded.

"Oh my kami, what happened here...?" Karin said slowly, the feeling of heartbreak washing over her.

Sasuke began marching towards the Kage's house, the sound of voices and human beings acting as a trail. Sasuke knocked on the door.

"I said, get away-..." The blonde woman stopped in the middle of her command. Her eyes widened as she recognized the person in front of her. "Temari, what is it?"

A familiar red head narrowed his eyes at the raven haired boy. "Sasuke Uchiha, what a... pleasant surprise. Do come in."

Sasuke's mind scattered everywhere as confusion settles in.

He's the enemy, why would they let him into their home?

"Take a seat." The 4 rouges ninjas took a seat on the couch, the Kage taking a chair and sitting in front of them.

"Kazekage-"

"I'm no longer Kazekage." Gaara answered, sorrow and pain in his eyes. "Long time no see, Sasuke." Their heads turned to a familiar Nara, a cigarette in his mouth. "Shikamaru."

Karin spoke up. "Sir, what happened to this village? Why was the hospital in ruins? What happened to your title as Kage?" She asked in a serious tone. The red head sighed.

"I can't be Kage if I have no one to protect or if the village is gone. Everyone one else had either died or had fled to the Hidden Mist Village." Shikamaru then stepped into the conversation.

"Go to the Hidden Leaf, all your answers lie there." Gaara nodded in agreement. "We were just going to flee to the Hidden Mist, we should go now before we die here."

Sasuke's eyes landed on the stairs, the puppet master was walking down the stairs with his sister supporting him. His arm was lost, replaced with a puppet arm and the war paint that he camouflaged himself with was smeared all over his face. "Let's go."

The 3 former Sand nin disappeared and Shikamaru was left. "Go to the Leaf, then you'll understand." Shikamaru was then gone in a flash. Sasuke got up and left the Sabaku residence, abandoning what was left of the Sand village.

"Sasuke-kun, what do you think does this have to do with the Leaf?" Karin asked.

"Probably it's something that had attacked the Leaf and whatever attacked the Leaf had attacked Sand as well." Jugo answered for the Uchiha. Sasuke had that letter in his hand, crumpled and torn. He began to pick up the pace and run towards the Leaf's direction. "Let's go."

Naruto, Sakura, what is happening?!

A day had passed, their speed rivaling the Anbu's, beating the record of the number of hours that it took to get to the Leaf from the Sand. Sasuke nearly gasped as he saw what had become of the Leaf in the past months.

The wall was destroyed, the buildings were knocked down and the whole village was in ruins. Taka's eyes widened as they saw a decaying corpse lying by the gates. Sasuke trembled as he recognized who he was, Kotetsu and Genma by his side, laying beside gates, their eyes closed.

Sasuke avoided all the ruins in his way and he gasped as he saw light from the Kage Tower which was still standing. He ran to the tower, not stopping to breath as he climbed the stairs. The door slammed open, Sasuke felt relief finally come.

It was Kiba Inuzaka, and his teammate, Hinata Hyuuga. "It's about time you came, Sasuke." Sasuke trembled as he walked to Kiba. "Kiba, what happened here?!" He screamed. Kiba frowned. "Come, I'll tell you. I suppose you want to see Naruto, right?" The Uchiha nodded. Hinata grabbed Kiba's hand. "Be careful."

"It's alright, Hinata." He said, caressing her cheek. Hinata nodded.


Kiba led Taka through a series of ruins and corpses that were lying around.

"A year and a half ago, Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto had dropped an experiment in the leaf. It was a dog who looked like as if it had rabies. Tsunade-sama took the experiment in and examined it, realizing it was dangerous to whoever who had contact with it.

Shizune had come in contact with the dog and was soon diagnosed with an illness, her chakra had been cut off and she began to grow weaker and weaker each day.

Tsunade thought she had it all under control until more experiments were dropped off and each one was stronger than the other.

Soon, half the population was infected in 6 months,"

Sasuke's eyes widened, the letter in his hand...

"Tsunade had send a letter to you, hoping you will help," Kiba glared at Sasuke. "But you never came. We had to quarantine the village until we killed every single one of those experiments. Then people began dying, and the sickness had mutated, even the strongest were infected. The strongest were not killed but had to suffer the painful effects, those who were infected had to suffer insanity, hallucinations and sudden pains to the chest," Karin gasped in shock.

"Then the Leaf was attacked by more of Kabuto's experiments, dead shinobi and more. It was hard, we had to fight them off while we had to save everyone else. Then slowly, Konoha's squad started dying," Kiba gave out a chuckle, frightening everyone else.

"I can remember until it was just me, Hinata, Naruto and Sakura left of the squad. Naruto and I were fighting off those monsters and Sakura and Hinata were healing everyone else but it was hopeless."

They came to a stop, Kiba sighed. "We're here."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"No... You're lying."

Thousands or corpses were lying on the grounds of the Forest of death. I wouldn't say forest, the trees were gone, it was just a plain land with corpses wrapped with cloth on the ground with signs for their names. At the end of the area, was a shrine, similar to Nagato's resting place.

"We couldn't bury thousands of people, we had to leave them up here." Kiba said in a sad voice. Sasuke's eyes were beginning to water but it wasn't the breaking point.

"We'll stay behind, we don't want to look at this." Jugo told the 2 men, walking back to the Konoha Ruins. Sasuke nodded and followed Kiba. Familiar faces, Lee, Ino, Neji, everyone he knew was there. It then came to realization.

Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki were dead.

As they came to the shrine, Sasuke would've fell on his knees and stopped right there but he wanted to see them, what was left of the 2 deceased members of Team 7?

Sasuke's heart finally shattered as the bodies of Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki were laid on a table, their bodies wrapped in cloth. The cloth had a dragon design, one was pink like the cherry blossoms and the other was an orange red dragon, flames begin blown out of it's mouth.

"I'll leave you to this, I'll be waiting outside."

Sasuke trembled as he walked near the bodies. He reached out for the cloths and unraveled them till he could see their faces.

Tears streamed down his face as he saw their peaceful faces, they looked so happy, even in death.

Above them was a stone, words perfectly carved into the stone, a message.

Naruto Uzumaki Sakura Haruno

Both were very powerful and invincible shinobi

One wanted to be Hokage, One wanted to find their missing half

Both were very different

Both wanted someone back

They'd do anything for that someone

No matter how selfish that request is

They'll do it

Loving leaders, children and teammate

Rest in Peace

"Sa-Sakura... Naruto..." Sasuke took Sakura's body and hugged it tight, panicking.

"Hey, you 2 are just playing with me! Testing to see if I'd come back! It worked, I know this was all your plan, dobe. You 2 can wake up!" He caressed Sakura's cheek.

"What about you Sakura? I thought you love me..." He went to Naruto's body and shook it. "No... YOU'RE LYING!" Sasuke cried into his sleeve, wishing that this was all one prank. His team never did respond.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."


Sasuke stood in front of the shore, watching a bottle flow away.

"Sasuke-kun! Come here!"

Naruto and Sakura ran to the river, dragging Sasuke with them. Sakura laid a piece of paper and pen on a flat rock.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"It's a thing that my mom showed me when I was young. You write your wishes in a bottle, set it afloat and your wish will come true!" Sakura said, writing her wish down on the piece of paper.

Naruto wrote his wish too. "Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Suit yourself!"

The bottle was thrown into the river, floating to the sea.

"Sakura, what did you wish for?"

"I wished that we'd stick together and I'll marry Sasuke-kun when I'm older!" She said, her fantasies spoiling her.

"I wished that I am gonna be Hokage and marry you Sakura-chan! And I'll also beat Sasuke!"

Sasuke smirked. "Wanna test that?"

"Bring it on, teme!"

Sasuke sighed and smiled. "I wish that I'll see you 2 once again, and we'll never separate."

The bottle went afloat, setting sail towards the sunset.

Tears began to drop, he began to frown and soon, he began crying.

"You 2... have always granted my wish, I was just too selfish to see that my wish was granted.

I was a spoiled avenger who didn't see who was there. If only I never left the village, if only I never ignored your cries for help. If only I was with you 2, you'd be alive. I can never fix my mistakes.

I always caused problems like in those missions and in the Chunin Exams.

I finally found what I wanted the most.

It's you guys."


Kakashi smiled, Kiba had finished telling him the story of Sasuke's return. Kakashi's smile began to fade away. Kiba sighed and smiled.

Sasuke is home.


Flow along, little wish, and please don't take too long,
To take away my tears and all my regret,
"If we're ever reborn, I hope in my next life..."


I'm not crying, YAS.

How was it?