I have never written any Naruto fanfics but I *have* been reading a whole bunch! So, I've decided to give my own little contribution: Naruto POVs.

Basic Premise: Each short will focus on one character & will show how different the story could have unfolded.

Depending on where you're up to in the series I should warn that there will be SPOILERS. Although there aren't obvious spoilers in this story, it would probably make more sense if you read the manga [seeing how a LOT more has happened since the latest episode of the anime].

Enjoy and please Review! I -need- to get better!

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Sakura [Bizarre Love Triangle]

I walked up to the monument. Taking a deep breath, my eyes scanned over the stone searching for his name. It's the same each time. Whenever I finally see his name I remember how much he used to annoy me but that was a long time ago.

"Naruto...."

He never reached his goal. I keep dreaming that I will be able to fulfill his dream for him and to become Hokage but it seems impossible.

I knelt down and looked for the other name. Uchiha Sasuke. I lifted my hand and traced the name. I bit my lip and felt my eyes close.

"Sasuke!!" I yelled as laced my fingers through my hair and pulled. My body shook as I let my heart open up for the first time. Why couldn't I stop him? He had never felt the same for me as I did for him but in my naive mind I had dreamed that he secretly cared. Where I had failed to make him stay, Naruto succeeded in bring him home. I took it as a sign.

"Sakura."

I turned around to see Kakashi. He asked that we meet here and he was early. These were the only times the man ever arrived early. But as he comes here for his own reasons, so do I.

I wiped my eyes and put on a smile, "Kakashi-sensei."

He walked up next to me and placed his arm around my shoulder, "It's ok to cry but you shouldn't be so angry. They each fulfilled their self-imposed purpose in their lives."

I shoved his arm away roughly and turned to look at him. Tears were flowing freely and for all my selfish reasons I hated the man standing there. He was wrong! "Naruto never became Hokage! The only thing he managed to get was his name on this!" I said pointing to the monument.

"You have to accept that they are gone and they chose their own path."

My vision began to get blurred. Why had they chosen their own deaths? Naruto would never give up on his dreams and yet...

"Sakura, Naruto died protecting the people he held closest to his heart. You know as well as I do that the title of Hokage meant nothing to him. It was what came along with the title that he had sought after so desperately. He has that now. Konoha will always remember him and the sacrifices he made in his life; his birth and death saved us all."

"I just wanted him to stay." I said meekly. Sometimes your heart has a hard time letting go. The truth always hurts more than the deceptive lies you invent for yourself. Naruto had made the ultimate sacrifice. For me.

The last time I was here, Kakashi had handed me a scroll. Words weren't necessary as I had been expecting this since the news of Naruto's death. I had not known what to expect from his words, but it tore me apart. It wasn't the long rant I had expected but just a few simple words. 'I will protect the ones I love. Especially you. Perhaps, only you."

I did not want to believe the meaning behind those words. It seemed Naruto had grown up without me noticing. He always surprised me; or was it me who had underestimated him all along? I hated myself then and there for realizing that I had never acknowledged Naruto for who he really was. Selflessly, he gave his life in order to stop the Kyubi from unleashing it's full power on the village once again.

"But what about Sasuke?"

"There is something about him that you would never to able to understand Sakura. You have had the most normal and comfortable life up until you became a ninja but Sasuke, he had that all taken from him by Itachi. It is only now that you have begun to feel the pain he had lived with all along. Even now you could not possible feel the guilt and the burden that had fallen on him that night."

What he said was nothing I did not understand but understanding something so alien and unfamiliar can be hard. I don't think I will ever be able to comprehend the feelings and the emotions that would drive Sasuke to take his own life.

"But! Why? There must have been another way." I was beginning to drown in my own tears.

Kakashi shrugged, "You probably know better than I do."

He was right, I was the only person there that witnessed it and still lived. Sasuke had sealed his own death when he used an Uchiha forbidden jutsu on Itachi. It was too fast for me to understand what was happening but once I saw Sasuke light up in flames, they were already gone. I had cried out to him, but once again I could do nothing to stop him. In the back of my mind, I can't help but think: what if Naruto had been there instead of me? Maybe then, Sasuke would have found another way out.

"Sensei, how do you continue living when the ones you love have all been taken from you? When it hurts this bad, how do u go on living? Why... why not just.... join them?" It felt weak but I couldn't help but think of the easy escape from the pain.

He smiled at me and said, "I fight that urge everyday." With that, Kakashi was gone.

I had always loved Sasuke, but that was selfish of me. One day, I will become Hokage for you Naruto.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author's Note: Ehhh.. it didn't quite come out the way I had wanted it to. It's a bit short for my liking.. but what do you guys think? Anything I should change??? Expand on??