AN: Sorry...

Death

I wish to feel.....

'I found myself turning. Tossing. Longing.

I am alone. Or am I truly that?

I hold no one close and fewer far.

Does any one know me? Truly know me?

I am so lonely. Please......

Please..............someone.........come and find me?'

-----

"Hey can you tell me why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do people have to die?"

He smiled gently at me, as he does to all the children.

"All things must come to an end at some point in time. Nothing lasts forever. And old must make way for the young."

The droplets falling on the heads of blacked clocked figures surrounded us.

"What if someone young wished to make room for someone old?"

Iruka sensei looked at me, a muddled expression. Something, suddenly, replaced that expression. The look that replaced it looked like he was horrified by my question.

"Wh-what do you mean to say by that Naruto?"

"I'm just wondering."

He looked at me, a look of genuine concern impeded in his eyes.

"I mean why does it have to be that way? What if the elder is needed more than that of the younger one? Does it still follow the same pattern? Old gives in to new?"

His eyes softened a bit as he seemed to think of a good answer.

"I don't think it would change."

Key word in that sentence: Think.

"I believe that in the passing of the old the young learn a grand lesson just as well as if they were living."

Believe. And lesson. Those two words burned in to my mind.

"So with someone's passing," I began "someone is taught something of it?"

Iruka seemed to miss the double meaning as a boy standing beside him burst in to tears, but Iruka being sharp answered in a detailed answer.

"Naruto when a person dies, they lose everything--past, present, and future," he told them. "Many die on missions, or in battle, or for a single reason, like Hayate. And those of us left behind, while we all have different goals and dreams, we are also connected. We all have something very important to us--parents, siblings, friends, lovers, the village as a home, an ideal. Our motives all revolve around people. We are all important. Those of us here, together, trust and help one another. As we grow, so do these bonds. They become stronger because we cherish these people as part of ourselves, and we, like Sandaime, will fight to the end to protect them."

'... ...'

"Th-then why do th-they g-go?" Konohamaru sobbed. "Wh-why do th-they l-leave u-us? D-don't th-they know i-it h-h-hurts?"

Iruka looked down at the boy carrinlgly and set his big hands on his shoulders.

"Yes, but those left behind feel the pain. That pain causes the memory of them to become imbeded in that person so that they, sometimes, are able to remember that person, and their beliefs longer and share them with others. It also, even though it may seem cruel, is a lesson, probably one of the hardest lesson's of life."

So with someone's passing people remembered them better?

Konohamaru burst in to tears again against Iruka's shirt. Iruka patted the boys back and his face read as if he thought he'd said something wrong.

'He had only been telling the truth.' Naruto thought to himself. 'Even if it is a hard truth of life...'

I turned away not wanting to pester Iruka with any more questions. I left him to take care of the black haired boy crying against his chest. He was saying what a big boy he was and brave and all that type of sh.....junk. I wasn't really paying attention. I had let my mind blank out and was watching the row of black figures walk up to the cascate and back down again.

'So why do young sometimes die as well? Why do people needed have to leave?'

----

Life in to death.

Old gives in to young.

Time undone.

Futures un-finished.

Left on Earth for none.

When will Earth turn back on it's axis?

When will time flow backwards?

And when will fate be determined by the person themselves?

----

"Don't get any stupid ideas Naruto."

The, strangely familiar, soft voice of my current sensei brought me out of my blank stare.

I turned to look at him. His one visible eye seemed to be trying to smile at me but failed and kept showing me nothing but concern. And pain. Lots of pain.

"The Hokage would be disappointed."

Stupid sensei I thought as I turned and faked a smile.

"Where the heck would I be getting stupid ideas Kakashi-sensei?" I put my hand against my bare forehead. "I'm ganna be the next Hokage!"

Kakashi and Iruka looked at me. Both their eyes set in to sad smiles. A hint of pride filtering through. The teary eyed raven haired looked up at me through his wiping away of the floods poring from his cheeks.

"You're ganna have to beat me first if you wanna become Hokage some day like the old man!" I pointed at myself with a fake eye to eye grin.

He managed a smile.

" N-nah! If y-you wa-wanna become Ho-hokage," he hiccuped "ya-yare gan-ganna haf ta go through m-me! (sniff)"

Iruka smiled at me as Konahamaru wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Y-you here that Naruto?" he said striking a fist out in front of himself "You're going to have to go through me first!"

I smiled, if it was fake even I myself didn't realize it at the moment.

"Okay Konahamaru. It's a race."

He looked up at me with aww. And then he smiled.

"You bet it is!" he told me, his stupid smile revealing a missing front tooth.

I turned away from him, determined now as I scanned back over the crowd of the black figures in front of me. I could feel Iruka's radiating feelings of parent hood, watching your child in a moment of matureness (sp?) for his age i guess. Kakashi seemed to be giving off the same kinda vibes.

Sauske and Sakura came up in between me and Kakashi sensei. I pretended not to notice as I continued to scan over everyone in front of us. I stood there pretending to look for someone for a very long time. Some people gave some speeches about the old man-sama, I didn't really pay attention to them though. After wards more people put white flowers on his casket.

I continued to scan around as the rain continued to fall on our heads. We stood there for a long time, a lot of people had left when Sauske and Sakura finally left Kakashi-san's side.

The two walked up to the old man-sama's casket. They gently set there red flowers down and then turned back.

Sakura paused. Glancing at me before going off to catch up with her parents.

Sauske stood there staring at me for a much longer time. I, I continued to look at the casket behind him.

He started walking towards me. He put his hand on my shoulder and glanced over at me before he walked off, disapearing in to the rain.

I stayed, staring at the over flowing casket. I don't know for how long but I remember after some time Iruka getting up.

He stood, adjusting a sleeping Konohamaru in his arms.

"Will I see you later Naruto?"

"Yeah..."

I felt Iruka's hand on my shoulder. His eyes on me, a squeeze, said somthing, and then he was gone.

I stood there for a nother long period, of cold, drenching, staring.

Kakashi, me and the people who would lower the old man-sama's casket in to the ground were now the only ones left.

I finally moved. The first stepps were dificult for my legs had numbed. Soon enough they were warmed and by then I stood before the old man-sama's casket.

I looked at all the red roses around him. I glanced at his picture on the table before him, then I looked over the brown wood of his casket and lastly at the stone carving of his face in the mountain above the village.

I pulled out a white rose from the protection of my pocket and watched as its pettles became pelted by the drops of the rain. I stroked its pettles and looked at its whiteness against the blured view of the red flowers.

Iruka had told me to bring a red flower. I couldn't help it. I'd seen the white one on my way over. Something about it just reminded me of the old man. It had been standing strong, alone, in the rain, surrounded by the color I was suppose to be bringing.

I stroked all sides of the flower as I thought on all the qualities it reminded me of in old man-sama.

'Taller then the rest,' he stroked along the rose's green trunk. 'Thicker then them, sheltering the smaller flowers and grass. Showing strength,' he pulled a pettle back, with out breaking it. 'Age,' he gently let it go 'a protector,' he slowly brought the flower to the edge of the casket 'full of knowledge,' his fingers began to slip gently from underneath it. 'And knowing how to be a friend.'

I looked up and watched the rain drops falling. I heard the light 'tink' as the flower touched another one in the casket. Knowing the pettles were touching anothers i gently let the stem go. I sroked the stem once again, the feel of the red pettles brushing the sides of my finger as it went down the stem.

I slowly looked back down and this time, I looked to the top of the casket. Farthest from me.

I saw old man-sama's face undearneath his hat. It looked cold. Dead. Drained. But somehow, somehow he also looked to be at peace.

"When people die," I asked as I stared at the fragil looking old man, that was old man-sama. "are they at peace?"

The area was silent, the only noise was that of the rain. And soon after the noise of the men moving to burry him. Shutting him in his casket forever, putting him in to the depths of the Earth forever.

They soon began to cover the casket with dirt. How long the whole process took, I don't remember. It seemed to only take them seconds. Were they in such a hurry to get out of the rain that they would burry him in such a hurry?

The dirt was flung on the casket, scratching at the sides, making sickening splatting noises.

I almost grabbed one of the man's shovels and began shoveling for them. But when I went to move I found I couldn't. I found myself frozen to the spot I was and to watch them throw dirt on his casket as if it were nothing.

They were soon done. They had soon left. A tomb stone now where he had been, in his casket. Looking so at peace.

'Here lies the Third Hokage, Sandaime Sarutobi. May the memory of his bravery live on forever.'

I read the stone over and over. It seemed to be too simple to explain for the grea man who lay beneath the dirt under the stone.

"That's a hard question to answer."

Half dazed still I looked up.

"Kakashi-sensei..." I hadn't been expecting him to still be there.

"When one dies..." he paused. His hands were in his pockets, his clothes were drenched and sticking to him, his hair almost completely flattened over his face now and his stance was straiter and sterner then his usual slouch. "... well. I couldn't tell you what happens to a person when they die." he looked at me, taht familiar crinkle of a smile in his one barely visible eye. "I'm not dead yet."

I stared at him.

He sighed and brought one of his hands back to rub the back of his head.

"How about I let you know the answer to that once I've bit the dust kay?"

I continued to stare.

"Unless you bite the dust first, kay?"

He tussled my hair.

"But just remember," he warned as he began to walk off. "If you die before I do, you'll never had made it to Hokage."

I watched him as he disappeared in to the poring rain.

I couldn't help but smile.

'Silly Kakashi-san.' I thought as I stared up at the rain again, this time with a determined little smile. 'Of course I'll make it to be a Hokage.' I looked over at the carved faces in the mountain side, looking over the village. 'Then I'll be right up there with old man-sama, and be able to watch and protect all those hear. Make sure none of them have to suffer.' I then looked back to the tomb stomb, i felt my eyes pain but then I couldn't help but smile.

I bowed before slowly turning away and walking off in to the rain.

'Just like old man-sama.'

------

AN: I h-a-t-e c-o-m-p-u-t-e-r-s!!!! It seems whenever I go to write something it has to get rid of half of it at least several times before it will let me save it and it will actually save!!!!!!!!!! #&*$%!^ computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get so on my train of thought that i forget what i had written before hand. #&*$%!^ Computer!!! I'm ganna go cry in a corner now.

I OFFICIALLY FSK$#%*(#*(%* HATE THEM!!!!!

AN: Was tempted to call this: What's in a death? But that's for a different story... sorry!!! My computer just started working... stup*d thing.