GRATITUDE
A last 'Thank You'. Involves character death.
This was his fate. Crimson liquid gushed out of his body, sucking out his vital force.
Not that it mattered now.
His body lay motionless on the barren land, once where the proud village of Konoha stood. Flames had engulfed the entire village, just like he pictured before attacking it.
Once Sharingan-holding eyes were now dull onyx, still flooded with blood. He was crying tears of blood.
The Hidden Leaf now lay hidden in its own ashes, lost forever. This was its fate. And to bring it down was his fate. And he carried the task flawlessly, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
The Uchiha bloodline was the pride of his eyes, the precision in his vision. The same vision now lay blurred and pained by the war, by his own actions. He lay on the ground as his body started going numb.
Numb from the blood loss.
Numb from the pain.
Numb from his emotions.
Numb from his sufferings.
Sasuke never had a chance to live his life, so the end was not something he feared. He was dead a long while ago.
His long-life goal was completed. Itachi was dead and the village who caused him sufferings was now dead too.
He remembered his mother's and his father's face from his past. The once cheerful faces drained off their color and bloody splatters covered their bodies. The scene from his nightmares flashed for the last time before his eyes.
He remembered his brother's face. The Crimson Mangekyo eyes bored into his, capturing him into his Tsukiyomi, showing him the entire massacre repeatedly.
He remembered the Konoha from his memories. His village. The village where he spend his happy as well as his tragic childhood. The village who taught him the basics of becoming a ninja. The village who ordered the merciless slaughtering of his entire clan. The village who gave him a brother like Naruto, a friend like Sakura and a mentor like Kakashi. The only people whom he considered close to him.
His eyes were still pouring red, rendering his vision blur away. He blinked away the blood and looked around him. The battleground disclosed before his eyes. Several bodies lay dead on the equally dead ground. The bloody corpses of the Leaf and the Sound Shinobi were scattered all over the place. Looking around, his eyes caught a peculiar color.
Pink.
Pink hair mixed with mud and blood spread over the kunoichi's form who lay lifeless on the field. Her stomach lay ripped open, all her guts and organs spilled out of her body. Sakura.
Sasuke watched the disgusting corpse of his teammate. His friend.
"Why won't you ever tell me anything?"
"Am I supposed to just stand by and watch you tear yourself apart?"
Her words echoed his mind as he looked at her again. The girl who constantly annoyed him, yet cared about him in the way nobody ever did. She held a special place in his heart he didn't realize until now. She was a good friend.
Blood still poured from his wounds, his body still aching to its core. Turning his head with great difficulty, he spotted another familiar color.
Orange.
Naruto's once bright face was devoid of any color or emotion as his dead body lay over the ground. Sasuke looked at him. His best friend, His brother.
"You are the first bond I ever had."
"Sasuke, I promise. I will bring you back to the Leaf!"
The Uchiha remembered his words and his never-ending grit and determination. The blond boy was similar to him in many ways and yet, always found a way to be happy about life. He was the hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja with a big smile and even a bigger heart. He was the brother Sasuke never had.
Sasuke tried to move his head but his muscles gave away. His vision faded into black as the pain became unbearable. His breaths became ragged as he neared his last ones. This was his end. This was his fate.
As he sighed contently at his finished goal, he mumbled his last words before letting out his last breath.
Thank You.