A/N: Greetings mortals. Not a lot to say, just a few things I want to touch base on.

Everything up to the Land of Waves Arc is the same as canon. Sasuke dies from Haku's attacks instead of using the magical device called *plot armor*.

There's a lot of 'butterfly effect' stuff happening so just know that this story will be very different from canon.

That's all I got. Enjoy your Naruto fanfiction, ya nerd.

Chapter 1: Prologue

"He's still out there," Sasuke groaned, "Itachi…" The needles that Haku shot in his back would have been fatal to anyone, but Sasuke was a pure-blooded Uchiha. His clan was known for the exceptional strength and endurance that comes with their kekkei genkai, yet his body oozed out enough blood to create a puddle underneath him.

"Sasuke, you're going to be alright. Just hang on!" Naruto was holding onto him with all of his strength. He could feel his cold breath and weak heartbeat. The two had only been together for a few weeks, and they'd already been through so much. They were starting to become more than just teammates; they were becoming friends.

"Don't give up on your dream, Naruto," Sasuke mumbled. His eyes were slowly closing, and his body was becoming pale. "I don't have much time left."

"Don't talk like that!" Naruto yelled. "Are you seriously thinking about giving up after all of this? After all the training we've endured! Have you forgotten why you became a ninja?"

Sasuke let out a cough full of blood. "I haven't…" Sasuke muttered, "but I won't be able to continue as a ninja." The mist in the air made it hard to see, but his tears were just barely visible.

"Naruto…" Sasuke paused. He pressed his bloody hand against Naruto's chest. "I want you to have my sharingan."

Naruto had tears streaming down his face. "No...You're going to make it back home," He whispered, "You'll make it back…"

"There's no one else I can trust with this. You've always been willing to do anything for your dream, and you're only getting stronger. You can be a fool, but one thing is for sure..." Sasuke whispered, "You will be Hokage."

Sasuke let out a deep breath, and his body became cold. His face was completely pale, and there was no more heartbeat. Sasuke had died saving him. Naruto loomed over his body. Feeling guilty and angry at the loss of his teammate, he screamed at the top of his lungs. Then everything turned red.

So they've returned to the village, Hiruzen thought. We'll need an autopsy report on Sasuke Uchiha right away. He flipped through Team Seven's files, stopping on Sasuke's for longer than the rest. "It's truly a shame," he muttered to himself. "He was so young."

A knock on the door interrupted him. Kakashi Hatake opened it. His one visible eye was bloodshot, possibly from exhaustion or possibly from sadness.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Kakashi," the Hokage consoled. "I know you made a point to have him on your squad."

Kakashi stayed silent for a few moments. He looked out the window, down to the floor, and up at the ceiling until he faced the Hokage again. "Before he died," he finally said, "he told Naruto to take his sharingan."

A shocked look stayed on Hiruzen's face for a few seconds. "Why Naruto specifically?" he asked. "They've only been training together for a few weeks, and he's only a genin. Wouldn't it be wiser to give the kekkei genkai to someone more experienced?"

"You're forgetting the amount of chakra it takes to use and maintain such an eye," Kakashi answered. "Even I struggle to wield the sharingan as a jonin, but Naruto has more chakra than any ninja in the Leaf." He left out the obvious reason for the boy's chakra stores.

"I suppose you're right," Hiruzen mused, "although we'll only be able to give him one. If he were to take both of Sasuke's eyes, he wouldn't be able to see. Just like you, he won't be able to deactivate them, and not even his chakra can take that constant strain."

"Yes, that's true," Kakashi said. "Although, I've spoken with Jiraiya, and we might have a solution."

"A sealing jutsu," Jiraiya announced as he walked in, appearing from the shadows. Hiruzen blinked, not surprised at his pupil's lack of greeting or the fact he had been listening in on their conversation. "If we somehow put a sealing jutsu on his eyes, we might be able to create a switch for him to turn it on or off."

"Good to see you, Jiraiya," Hiruzen greeted. "May I ask why you've come home from your mission so early?"

"Everyone is talking about that dead Uchiha kid, so I thought I should stop by to pay my respects," he replied, "but when Kakashi told me that Naruto Uzumaki would be getting the sharingan, I thought it would be best to stay awhile."

"Well, nothing is set in stone," Hiruzen grumbled. "Naruto might not even want the sharingan."

"How could we let a kekkei genkai like that go to waste?" Jiraiya rebutted. "He was the last Uchiha in the Leaf. Using his eyes may be our last chance to have another sharingan user in the village."

No surprise, he's as stubborn as ever, the Hokage thought to himself. "A seal on the eyes is a good idea in theory." Hiruzen stood up from his chair. "Has it ever been put into practice? How do we know for sure that this will work?"

"We don't," Jiraiya replied, "but Naruto would be the only reasonable person to try it on because of his sheer amount of chakra. Aside from the sharingan itself, he'd have to power the seal as well. It might even push his stores to their limit."

"I suppose you have a point," Hiruzen admitted. "Where is Sasuke Uchiha now?"

"At the morgue." Kakashi paused for a few moments before continuing, "We've spoken about it, and Jiraiya and I are going to take Naruto out of the village to train him. As the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, sharingan user, and son of the Fourth, he has a lot on his plate. With proper training, he could become a very powerful ninja and a great asset to the village."

More silence entered the room while Hiruzen mulled over their proposals. Eventually, he answered, "If you think that is what's best for him, then I have no right to argue with you."

"We plan to leave after the funeral," Jiraiya added.

"How long will you be gone?" Hiruzen asked.

"We'll be back before you know it!" Jiraiya replied with a smile. "Don't worry the kid's in good hands." Somehow, that did not put the Third Hokage at ease.

So yeah, I'm going to try and update consistently, but apologies if I don't. Thanks for reading!