The three of them stood around the cold metal table looking silently at the body. Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shizune simply stood there; united in their grief. Finally Tsunade moved to the table. Gently reaching down she pulled back his hitai-ite. Leaning down she kissed the forehead of the boy she had begun to think of as a son.
"Good bye my sweet Naruto. I am proud of you and I love you." She stood up again and wiped her tears away. When she saw Shizune moving to remove the necklace she held out her hand. "No, it's his. It goes with him."
Shizune looked at her and spoke carefully. "But Lady Tsunade, it is the Shodai's necklace, your grandfather's legacy."
"I know what it is. It's a curse and I won't let it claim anyone else. I gave it to Naruto and I will not take it back." Shizune nodded, she really had no heart to argue. Tsunade's eyes left the boy's peaceful face and settled on the wound. "Who did this Kakashi?"
"Sasuke," he said quietly.
Shizune gasped and Tsunade looked at him in hurt and shock. "Sasuke did this to his own teammate?"
Kakashi nodded. "The others had all become involved in individual battles and so he was left alone to try and stop Sasuke. I sensed a battle using a tremendous amount of chakra. But by the time I could reach it all that was left was Naruto and this." He held out a battered hitai-ite with a deep scratch running through it. "Pakkun confirms it is definitely Sasuke's and that wound was inflicted by chidori."
Tsunade flashed him a look of anger. "Your signature move."
Kakashi nodded sadly. "I instructed Sasuke how to use it for the Chunin exams."
"Why did you instruct him in an assassination technique?"
He looked down in shame. "I came to the conclusion that it was the only way he could defeat Gaara. Guy questioned it and when he did I brushed it off, but he was right. I never should have taught it to him. This is my fault."
But she shook her head. "No, while I agree you should never have taught him that technique, I am the only one to blame. I should never have ordered this mission."
Kakashi looked up at her. "Hokage-sama you are not to blame. You did what had to be done. This is part of what it means to be shinobi."
She looked at him. "Keep those words in mind the next time you wish to blame yourself." She took a deep breath. "Kakashi, I want you to bring Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Shikaku, Inoichi, and yourself to my office for a meeting in one hour." She gave him a stern look. "And if you are one minute late Kakashi I will put you in a cell, no more of your foolish tardiness."
He nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He left to fulfill the order.
She turned to Shizune. "Contact all members of the Council and inform them I am calling an emergency meeting in my office in one hour."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." She looked at her with sympathy. "Are you all right?"
"No, not even close, but I'll manage." Shizune nodded and left. Leaving Tsunade alone with Naruto. She looked at the brave boy. In her mind's eyes she saw Nawaki and Dan. She nodded to herself, yes let the necklace stay with him, she could at least give him that. No, there was still one more thing she could do. "I am so sorry you never got to fulfill your dream Naruto. I know you would have been a fear greater Hokage than I will ever be. But you're a hero; you lived your whole life being hated for something that wasn't your fault. You bore that and you never let it break your spirit. I know what it is to suffer pain and loss and I know I could never have been as strong. You are a hero of Konohagakure, and I swear to you that I will make them all acknowledge that even if it takes my last breath."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Are they here or not?!" Sakura asked angrily.
The nurse behind the desk stood up frowned down at her. "Lower your voice, this is a hospital."
"I'm sorry." She was frustrated; no one would give her a straight answer. "Look all I want to know is if Naruto and Sasuke have returned."
The nurse sat back down but continued to frown at the pink haired girl. "I am sorry but I cannot release any information."
"Why not?" She ground out. "Look I already know that the rest of the team has returned. My friend has gone to see Chouji and I know that Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba are all back as well. I just want to know about my teammates."
But the nurse shook her head. "I am sorry, but we are not releasing any information at this time. I am sorry."
Something about the way the nurse had just said that made her heart skip a beat and made her stomach sink. "Can't you tell me anything? Just tell me if they're all right!"
"Sakura! Stop taking your frustration out on that poor nurse."
She turned to see Kakashi walk out into the lobby. "Kakashi! What's happened? Are Naruto and Sasuke-kun alright?"
He looked at her sadly and Sakura began to feel very afraid. "Meet me on the roof." He disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves before she could ask anything more. With her heart pounding she ran to the stairwell.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Hinata."
The girl stopped and looked over in the direction she had been called from. There was a very worn looking Shikamaru and a blonde sand ninja she remembered from the exams standing right beside him. Hinata was a bit surprised to see the girl; she didn't remember her name, with what looked like a comforting hand on his shoulder. She thought his eyes looked very red and as he came over to her it was obvious he was in misery. "Shikamaru are you alright?"
He nodded, "I'm fine."
"I brought these flowers for Neji. A nurse told me he is out of surgery but that I won't be able to see him for awhile."
He nodded again. "I know. And I am very glad he is going to be all right. Chouji was also seriously hurt but he's going to be fine too, and so will Kiba."
"What about Naruto?" She saw him flinch and the girl gave her a look of the deepest sorrow. Hinata suddenly felt very cold and very frightened. "Is Naruto-kun all right?"
Shikamaru slowly shook his head. He knew how Hinata felt about him, everyone did except for the object of her affections. He wanted more anything to be anywhere else, but he had been team leader. He was the one responsible and he owed it to both Naruto and to her to be the one to tell her. "Hinata, I am so very sorry, he is gone."
"Gone?" She said in a hollow voice.
Shikamaru looked into her lavender eyes. "He died on the mission, I am so sorry Hinata."
She didn't notice when the flowers slipped from her hand, or when she collapsed to her knees. "Naruto…" she began to sob and both Shikamaru and the girl put their arms around her to try and console her. "No, no he can't be…Naruto. Naruto I love you, I love you…" She began to cry too hard to say anything more.
XXXXXXXXXX
"You're lying!!" Sakura screamed at him. "Naruto… Sasuke he…" She shook her head. "It's a damn lie!!" She began beating his chest as hard as she could. Kakashi didn't try to stop her. If this was what she needed to deal with her grief then she could take it all out on him. She punched him and hit him for a few minutes. Then she gave up and fell forward into his chest. She began to sob into his vest. "Kakashi-sensei, please tell me it's a lie!" She looked up at him pleading. "Tell me it's all some sort of sick joke and that Naruto is alive and well."
He put his arms around her, trying his best to comfort her. "I'm sorry Sakura, I would give my own life to make it true, but I'm afraid Naruto is gone."
"Why?!" she wailed and pressed her crying face into his chest. "Why would Sasuke do that?! They were friends! They were friends!"
Kakashi suspected he knew the answer to that, and it sickened him. Sasuke had followed in his brother's footsteps and killed his best friend in order to acquire greater power. But that wasn't what Sakura needed to hear right now. "I don't know Sakura." She just continued to cry. He wanted to stay and help her through this. He knew what it was to lose a teammate and how it could tear your soul. She at least was lucky in one respect, she hadn't had to see it and the blood wasn't on her hands. "Sakura I'm very sorry, but I have a mission from the Hokage and I have to go. I should already have gone, but I couldn't let you find this out from someone else.
She tried to smile. "I understand, 'even in the face of loss the mission must be completed.' That's the fourth rule; please complete your Kakashi I understand. I'll be fine."
"I will come see you as soon as I can Sakura, that is a promise."
She nodded. Kakashi tried to give her a last smile from beneath his mask. He was gone.
Sakura was all alone. With her tears still falling she moved shakily towards the stairs. She needed to find Ino; she needed someone to be with.