Yo! Sorry for the holdup, thanks for being patient you guys :)

Enjoy!


Flashback

"Damnit!" Tsunade roared angrily, "It's almost been a week, seven whole days that he's been missing...I want every single team deployed to get him back - now!"

Shikaku Nara stood before her calmly, seemingly unaffected by this temper tantrum. "Hokage-sama, our best tracking teams have found traces of Naruto's chakra and blood already. Unless we have more evidence leading us to a solid location, there's no way we can send a majority of our shinobi out like that - it's reckless and it leaves Konoha vulnerable."

"I don't care. I can protect the entire village myself, don't forget that I am one of the Densetsu no Sannin!" The slug princess spit out, her eyes red from not sleeping while her face was haggard and pale.

"Please listen to me Hokage-sama," the spiky haired man said in a strained voice, "we have been arguing about this for half an hour now. Tracking units 1 through 6 have all been searching for Naruto nonstop, if we-"

The door was thrown open, and an Inuzuka jonin burst through in a frenzy, holding a manila folder to her chest. "We have a lead!"

It was all Tsunade needed to hear as she took the file before slumping in her chair, a relieved expression finding its way on her face. "Get me the available tracking teams as well as Team 7. Go!"

As the jonin sped away, Shikaku sighed in relief - his own kid, Shikamaru, had grown to be close friends with the boisterous blonde, and it was difficult to watch his child be so serious and quiet.

"Shikaku," the Godaime Hokage said as she rummaged through several papers, "go get some rest. I know you've been working day and night with the intel division...let me handle the rest of this."

The Nara nodded gratefully before leaving her office, and when she was alone, Tsunade couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her eyes. She had a gut feeling that Naruto had already been left for dead, but those thoughts left as soon as they came - no matter what, she would have to pray and hope he was ok.

Ten minutes later, her door was thrown open yet again, a massive group of people barging in recklessly. "Tsunade-sama," Kakashi panted, "is it true? Did they find him?"

Behind him was Sakura and Sai, who were both almost run over by Akamaru, the rest of Team 8 following closely behind him. Hinata was nearly knocked over by Gai and Lee before Neji intercepted, shoving them both away from his cousin as a red-faced Tenten stood to the side. Right behind them was a surprisingly alert Shikamaru, and he swerved through all the rookies as Ino and Choji walked in after him, both exhausted after sprinting to the Hokage tower.

The slug princess had been watching the ruckus with barely constrained annoyance, her eyebrow twitching before she stood up and slammed her desk. "Be quiet!" the blonde yelled as the room quieted, "Other than Team 8, I don't ever remember any of you being a tracking team. Someone had better explain themselves...now!"

"Is it true?" the Nara asked seriously, "Did they find Naruto?"

Tsunade sighed heavily, her hand massaging her temples. "Yes, I just got the report saying they have a location. You will all have to wait patiently, I'm sending a small group over and-"

"I volunteer Team 10," Shikamaru interrupted, "we compliment the tracking team really well. I can form strategies, Choji can use his size to rip down any barricades, and Ino can use her mind transfer techniques to gather information."

"Team 9 is the best option! Neji's Byakugan can help find Naruto-kun faster, and with mine and Gai sensei's youthful Taijutsu skills, we'll get him back in no time!" Lee shouted, and Tenten gave him a death glare as she realized he omitted her from his reasoning.

"No," the Hokage said firmly, "I've already decided who's going - Team 8 is heading out regardless, and I only need one more squad to accompany them. Team 7 is Naruto's team, it's only right for them to go get him back."

The spiky haired boy was about to retort, but Ino slapped her hand over his mouth, shooting him a glare as he quieted down. Gai held his student back, coaxing him to stop struggling with promises of more rigorous training.

Tsunade rolled her eyes before turning to Kakashi, whose eyes were alight with relief after hearing about his student. "Where should we get the details for this mission?" he muttered quietly, "Is he in place similar to where Kazekage-sama was taken?"

"I'll brief the retrieval squad as soon as everyone else leaves the office - I understand you all care about Naruto, and the sooner we get him back, the better. We...we need to hope that the extraction process isn't completed, so just sit tight and wait for my next orders. Understood?" The blonde waved Team 9 and 10 out of her office, and as soon as the door closed, her eyes landed on Hinata.

The poor girl was barely eating and sleeping after she heard the news about her boyfriend, and she was beside herself with worry. Neji had done his best to calm the Hyuuga heiress down, but it didn't do much as she had been adamant to spend every waking minute searching for Naruto.

Hinata looked back at the Hokage with watery eyes, wanting to smack her orange loving idiot around for scaring her so badly. Everyone believed that the jinchuriki was still alive - they refused to think otherwise.

Sakura was holding the lavender eyed beauty's hand comfortingly, knowing how hard it must have been for the girl to not know whether the love of her life was alive or not. The pink haired medic had felt so ashamed of herself because she thought Hinata would blame her, but the timid girl had never blamed her for what happened.

Tsunade gave the six - well, seven including the ninken - man squad a rundown of where the location was supposedly at, the general consensus being that Akamaru and Kiba would continue looking for any telling scents while Shino would use his kikaichu to search for any chakra signatures. Hinata would be using her Byakugan to see if she could find Naruto from within any structures while Team 7 would be protecting and backing them up.

"I want you all to go right away," informed the Sannin, "there's no time to waste!"

"Hai!" they answered determinedly as they left, saluting their leader before heading off to find their friend.


"He's got to be in there!"

After hours of running and searching, Akamaru and Kiba had both found a solid trail that led them to a massive cave. A boulder covered the entrance, and there were a few seals slapped onto it that prevented Hinata from using her Byakugan to look inside.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked hurriedly, "Shino, is his chakra signature here?"

The stoic Aburame held his hand out, a swarm of bugs returning into his sleeve as he nodded. "Yes. My kikaichu are never wrong, Naruto was here."

Sai had tried sending his ink rats through the cracks that were visible, but nothing he did was working. "I can't get anything through there, we need to get rid of this rock if we want to get inside."

"Well then," Sakura growled as she cracked her knuckles, "what're we waiting for?" She walked up to the boulder, cocking her fist back before smashing it into smithereens, causing the ground to rumble and dust to obscure their vision.

It was fairly dark inside the cave, but the pink haired medic didn't care as she stepped through the rubble, her eyes desperately searching for her blonde teammate. The team of seven clambered into the cave, which was fairly larger than the one Gaara had been taken to, and they slowly made their way inside as their eyes adjusted to the light. Akamaru and Kiba had paled, the stench of blood hitting their sensitive noses full force, and it didn't help that it smelled like Naruto.

When they reached the middle of the chamber, they found him.

Naruto was laying atop a jagged rock, his hair messy and speckled with red as his eyes remained closed. The jinchuriki was gaunt, his body still and unmoving as dried blood almost entirely covered him. His jumpsuit appeared to be dark brown, the color unrecognizable compared to its normal orange hue. His hands were laying by his side, both sporting two holes that went right through his palms as his legs and stomach carried the same wounds. Dried tear tracks stained his face, indicating that he had been crying quite a bit, and more blood stained the corner of his mouth.

"No," Sakura murmured, running towards the blonde as panic clawed its way up her throat, "no, no...come on, this isn't funny."

Kneeling by his side, she immediately began using her medical jutsu, hands glowing green and eyes widening in disbelief as she felt his heart no longer beating. Hinata had rushed by the pink haired kunoichi immediately, her hands trembling as she lifted Naruto's head in her lap.

"N-Naruto-kun," she whispered shakily, "w-wake up. It's me...p-please, wake up."

Kiba couldn't move from where he stood, his eyes displaying the horror of seeing his childhood friend in such a gruesome state. Akamaru whined as he nudged his partner gently, yelping in surprise as the Inuzuka abruptly fell to his knees.

Both Sai and Shino had turned away, refusing to see the truth that lay in front of their eyes. Kakashi had staggered forward lethargically, his legs barely holding him up as he kneeled next to his student, checking for any sign of a pulse.

In a daze, Sakura had been doing all she could she could to save him. She put every ounce of her chakra into healing Naruto, but nothing seemed to be working. Tears streamed down her face as she furiously carried out all the procedures she knew, doing everything in her power to hopelessly believe that her teammate was still alive.

It was all too much for Hinata. She choked on her tears, and the Hyuuga heiress threw her head onto his chest in a desperate attempt to hear his heartbeat. Her throat felt impossibly tight, and the dark haired girl was sobbing painfully, clutching Naruto like he was her lifeline.

"Stop," Kakashi whispered to the medic, "he's gone. You need to stop."

Sakura looked at her sensei blankly, trying to shove his arms away as he held her hands firmly. "Kakashi sensei," she growled angrily, "I'm trying to save Naruto, let me go."

The copy ninja felt a wave of sorrow hit him, and with all the strength he could possess, he dragged his student up even as she struggled against him. With his arms around her shoulders, he let the pink haired kunoichi punch him again and again, relishing in the pain as he accepted his punishment for failing so miserably. Sakura had finally given up, her body unable to handle the stress as she cried into Kakashi's vest, guilt weighing heavily on her heart.

Surprisingly, it was Sai who had approached Hinata, and he gently lifted Naruto's body away from her as she protested, reaching out for him again. In a swift motion, he sealed the blonde's body in a scroll before chopping the back of her neck, catching the Hyuuga heiress as she collapsed.

"Senpai," the pale boy whispered, "we need to report back to Hokage-sama."

It took them a while to all move out, and the ex-Root nin had made three ink birds so they could get back to Konoha before they all lost their minds. Sakura had been holding onto Hinata securely while Shino hauled Kiba off the ground as Akamaru helped. Nobody spoke a word as they made their way back to the village, and each shinobi was dealing with their grief in very different ways.

There was still a huge amount of shock that hadn't been processed yet, and it hadn't fully hit them as they couldn't wrap their minds around Naruto being dead. He was so happy and joyful, there was no way the sunny blonde was gone forever...right?

As they reached the gates, Izumo and Kotetsu were ignored yet again as the retrieval team made their way to the Hokage tower. Hinata had been woken up, but she hadn't said a word as she and Sakura clutched each other for support. The walk to Tsunade's office was longer than usual, possibly because they knew that the news was going to make the Sannin blow a gasket.

Shizune greeted them with a smile, but it immediately fell as she saw the grim expression on the silver haired jonin's face. Without hesitation, she led him inside, taking in the rest of the squad's appearances and noting that something was definitely wrong.

The slug princess had been talking to Shikamaru before her door opened, and her eyes began darkening as Team 7 and 8 filed inside...with no Naruto. Sai wordlessly took a scroll out of his pocket, placing it on the desk before stepping back, an eerie silence filling the room as nobody dared to speak.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Tsunade, "Where is Naruto?"

"His body is in the scroll." Kakashi cleared his throat as he looked down to his feet, sloppily recounting what had happened when they entered the cave.

For the second time in his life, the Nara was unable to think straight as a rush of emotions welled up within him. First Asuma had been taken away, and now it was one of his closest friends...this was Naruto Uzumaki, the loud and annoying kid who screamed about his dream of becoming the Hokage while simultaneously making a name for himself to prove that he had the strength to overcome the obstacles set before him.

The Godaime Hokage had been trembling uncontrollably, and she immediately shoved everything off her desk before unsealing Naruto's body. She wordlessly began molding medical chakra to her hands as she scanned his body, her eyes becoming more watery as she assessed the damage that had been done. His body was broken, and it was clear he had suffered through so much pain before dying.

Even though there were so many people around her, she hugged his corpse tightly, holding back tears as she cradled his head to her chest. "You're all dismissed," Tsunade choked out, "leave my office now."

The silver haired jonin nodded, briefly looking over the condition of his squad and Shikamaru as they left without a word. As soon as the room was cleared, Shizune locked the door before grabbing her master gently, tears falling down her own face as she tried her best to be strong for the both of them. The brunette's self restraint was threatening to break as she saw her little brother's lifeless body, appalled at the injuries he had sustained.

"Stop it," the Hokage cried, "let me...go. I...I have to save him."

And just like that, Tsunade's fragile heart broke all over again.


The funeral had been a somber affair.

Naruto's death had devastated his close friends, who were unable to come to terms with this insurmountable loss. Suna had been actively helping with the search of the blonde, so when Gaara received a letter telling him about what transpired, the Kazekage rushed to Konoha to see if it was true.

He didn't take it very well.

The redhead had been so angry with himself that his sand was jerking around rapidly, forming a massive wave that nearly buried the entire Hokage tower. Tsunade had barely been able to knock him out, and when Gaara woke up, he refused to speak to anyone.

Ayame and Teuchi had been closed down for a few days before reopening with a new menu item named after their favorite customer, who had seen Ichiraku's as a safe place. The father-daughter duo were left with broken hearts when the news had come to them, but rather than shut down their business, they decided to honor Naruto and his parents by keeping their store open.

Konohamaru hadn't left his room, opting to stay holed up in his house to mourn his beloved older brother. Moegi and Udon had tried to talk to him, but he hadn't left the Sarutobi compound until the funeral, and by that point, words were unnecessary. The determined expression on Konohamaru's face was more than enough to let his friends know that he was going to do everything in his power to uphold his brother's legacy.

It hadn't rained when the memorial service was occurring. In fact, it was a beautiful and sunny day, which was oddly reflective of the blonde shinobi they were mourning. The Hokage had made sure his body rested right next to his parents, but his heritage was kept a secret to a majority of the populace. Though this was a standard ceremony, people from all over the Elemental Nations had come to pay their respects to the boy who had helped them on his missions.

Tazuna was not happy when he stumbled into Konoha, the stench of alcohol that came off of him so strong that people held their nose when he arrived. Inari and Tsunami were too upset to say anything, and the trio from the Land of Waves had practically collapsed after seeing Naruto's casket.

People had been laying white roses on his coffin, which was dark orange to commemorate the jinchuriki's unnatural love for the color. One by one, people began leaving the scene, their thoughts full of the cheerful child who was no longer with them.

Hinata couldn't leave. She stood by his grave for hours, shaking off Neji and anyone who tried to take her back home, opting to be with her lover and say her last goodbyes. None of the rookies were able to stay for long, their emotions awry as they felt the loss of their comrade.

The Rookie 9 had grown up together - they had gone to the Academy, laughed, played, talked, and shared their goals with one another, so seeing one of the people who stood by your side for so long die was not easy to accept. It was even harder knowing that this was Naruto Uzumaki, the only person who could light up an entire room with his infectious smile and make you laugh with his outrageous sense of humor.

He was a natural leader. The blonde never knew just how impactful his charisma and charm was, especially since Shikamaru himself admitted that he gravitated toward his friend when it came to making important decisions. There was just something about Naruto that made it easy to follow him, and the people who cared about him most would never question what he said even if he lead them to their deaths.

Kakashi had stood lifelessly at the memorial stone that bore countless Konoha shinobi, his eyes reading the new name that graced the smooth surface with teary eyes. It was too much for him - his father, Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina, and now Naruto...he had failed his teammates as well as his genin team. He blamed himself for many things: Sasuke had defected because he hadn't paid attention to the obvious signs before him, which made Sakura and Naruto suffer the consequences.

The silver haired jonin didn't stir even as he felt a familiar presence beside him, and he didn't say anything as the pink haired medic stood right next to him.

"Sensei," she whispered, "how can I ever make up for this?"

Kakashi closed his eyes, smiling ruefully under his mask. "You don't. There's nothing to make up for Sakura, you didn't fail Naruto - he wouldn't want you to think that way."

"But I did. It was my fault that he was taken...if I was stronger, I could've stopped it, but I was weak," the kunoichi said brokenly, her hands clenching into fists as her lips trembled.

"You know...I blamed myself when lost both my teammates and my sensei," he began, "which was not a good thing to do. I joined ANBU, threw myself into the training, became a cold person...and in the end, I still felt just as empty as before. Nothing can make up for losing the people you love, so I told myself that the only choice for me was to bear the burden of failing them by becoming a better shinobi. Don't make the mistakes I did...Naruto wouldn't want you to change like I did."

Sakura sighed heavily, her eyes bleary from crying so much over the past few days. "I was always mean to him. He showed me so much kindness and I threw it back in his face by rejecting and cursing him in the worst possible ways. Not only that, I was a useless teammate and a fangirl who craved for Sasuke's attention even though he didn't think twice about me. Naruto was the one who saved me in the chunnin exams, he made that stupid promise because I selfishly asked him to without thinking twice about how it affected him. How can I ever forgive myself for hurting him?"

"You don't." Kakashi turned to look at her for the first time, his singular eye displaying a variety of emotions. "You have to cope with it, fight it, and accept what you've done because there's nothing you can do to change the past. Moving forward, we need to honor him by fulfilling his dreams and goals, ones that his father, mother, and Jiraiya-sama believed with their whole hearts."

The pink haired medic nodded her head sluggishly, giving him a thankful nod before side hugging her sensei, who smiled at her warmly. Sakura was glad that Kakashi and her had a father-daughter relationship, and it was nice to know that there was someone who was still there to support her and give her advice when she needed it the most.

Back in the Hokage tower, Tsunade was drinking herself away into oblivion, not at all bothered by the fact that Gaara was sitting in front of her. He wasn't a drinker, but after everything that happened, even he needed to let loose a little bit. Both of them were heavily intoxicated after a short while, with the redhead simply passing out while the blonde continue downing one bottle of sake after another.

"Tsunade-sama, are you-"

Shizune entered the office, not at all surprised to see her master drunk. Rather than reprimand the Hokage, she walked over to the busty woman and took the liquor away, ignoring the protests with practiced ease.

"G-Give it...back," the slug princess slurred, "I'm not done yet!"

The brunette shook her head, adjusting the Kazekage so that he wasn't falling out of his chair. "Tsunade-sama...please, you need to focus. Naruto-kun wouldn't want you to be acting this way-"

"I don't care!" Tsunade roared in a drunken stupor, "He's g-gone! Nawaki, Dan, Naruto, Jiraiya...everyone is gone! T-There's nothing left for me anymore, everyone I care about dies...w-what am I going to do?"

The Sannin began sobbing, fat tears rolling down her petite face as Shizune looked at her with watery eyes, unable to bear seeing her master in such a vulnerable state. She walked over to the blonde, holding her in her arms as both women let out their emotions, both knowing that war was around the corner.

And with that, the day came to an end, everyone feeling miserable and unhappy with the unexpected loss that weighed heavily on their hearts.


Review!