As Tsunade walked past her face was set in a blank expression and she said only two words.

"I'm Sorry."

At the sound of those two words Hinata broke down. There on the side of the road she cried as though the light of the sun had been denied her. In a way…. It had.

---------

There was a celebration at the news that the Uchiha had been returned, a great party that had lasted a full night, and well into the next morning. That had been almost a week ago however. Tsunade lay with her head down on her desk. Tomorrow was Ototo Naruto's funeral. Funeral… the very thought sickened her. Shortly after returning she had placed a minor Jutsu over the body. The Jutsu froze the state of any non-living object. Unfortunately it could only hold for so long, and then it dissolved. All she had really done was bought herself some time to cope with her loss. She wasn't the only one coping at the moment either. She knew that Hyuuga Hinata hadn't been seen outside her room since she broke down on the road. It was as though she had given up on life. Sasuke…. That utter BASTARD Sasuke. Oddly, he was the one it affected the most. He had withdrawn, totally. He had lost the will to live. The few times he had roused himself he had spent staring at Naruto's body. The jacket he had picked up… Ototo's jacket. He'd never taken it off. It was as though he thought that Naruto couldn't die without re-claiming his coat.

Tsunade sighed. It was going to be another long night.

----------

Across town a certain white-eyed girl had just awoken. She had been having such marvelous dreams. She had dreamed that Naruto-kun had walked up to her at the Chuuin trials and had asked her out. He had taken her in his arms, kissed her tenderly and then…. She had woken up, Woken to the hell that she called her life. She called it hell, because Naruto-kun would never do that, he was dead. This thought alone set her to weeping. He was dead, and his funeral was to be tomorrow. Hinata didn't really feel like living anymore. Several times she had considered ending the agony, the excruciating hell she thought of as 'being awake'. But something had always stopped her. Nothing physical, she had several instruments in her room that could easily end the pain for her, but she needed a closure. Tomorrow… yes, tomorrow after the funeral. She'd decide then.

Hinata closed her eyes again. It was going to be another long night.

----------

On the opposite side of town a raven-haired young man paced his room. There was only one thought going through his mind.

Just like Itachi, I'm just like Itachi, except he didn't kill his brother. He had more honor than I… I'm just like Itachi.

This litany had probably repeated it's self for the thousandth time when he heard the sounds of revelry in the streets. It snapped him out of his stupor long enough to think for a moment...

A celebration? For what?

"You there!"

The drunken man looked up. Obviously confused

"What's going on?"

"Haven't you heard kid? That damn demon kid is finally gone! We can go and spit on his grave by the day after tomorrow!"

Of course. Thought Sasuke those few idiots have been celebrating since I returned. Naruto… Why? Why didn't you move? Your eyes… You were being honest, you laid your soul bare to me, and what did I do? I killed you… I'm just like Itachi.

With that last thought Sasuke went back to pacing and thinking the same thoughts he had for the last few days.

----------

Near the center of town another pair of young Kunoichi were discussing the events of the last week.

"Ino, I don't know why but I think I still like Sasuke."

Ino gave her friend a sympathetic look

"He's either turned me away or ignored me every time I've gone to visit him and yet… I can't help but feel that regardless of what he did to Naruto-kun…. I can't hate him Ino. I can't hate him but I can't forgive him either!"

Ino sighed

"Listen Sakura, if that… If Sasuke hadn't killed him, we could watch and see how Naruto acted toward him… as it is.

She sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I just don't know what to think. I'm afraid that I really can't help you Sakura. I…I just can't get past my hatred for him right now."

Both of the girls thought back… it had been one hell of a fight.

---Three day Previous---

"Don't you DARE call him that!"

Kunai flew thick through the air as Sakura unleashed barrage after Barrage.

"Still hung up on your Precious Sasuke? Get Over him Sakura! He KILLED Naruto! His TEAMMATE! FOR NO REASON! I thought that big forehead of yours was good for something, I see that I was mistaken"

Ino dodged, and threw across a Genjutsu that Sakura dispelled easily.

"What about you Ino? Suddenly he means nothing to you?"

Sakura back flipped up into a tree and prepared do perform an exhaustingly long set of seals.

"Sasuke? That utter MORON hasn't meant anything to me for YEARS! I only continued to chase him because I had nothing better to do."

"But… But… He had a GOOD REASON; He MUST have had a good reason. It… It's Sasuke-kun…. He wouldn't… he… he couldn't… I... Ino… I'm... oh god Ino. I don't know what to do."

---End Flashback---

That was pretty much all they had said on the subject, after Sakura had cried for a while they had avoided the subject, until last night anyway. Last night there had been a gathering of the gennin, what remained of them anyway.

---Last night---

Tsunade had been visiting Neji, he was the only person who hadn't made a full recovery yet, when the rest of the troupe (the rookie nine plus Gai's team that is) minus Hinata, and Sasuke had stopped by to say hello. It had been a bit awkward. In fact ten-ten had been the first to speak up.

"Has anyone seen Naruto? I know that Sasuke is under house arrest, and Hinata is ill, but I haven't seen Naruto around. To be honest I kind of miss his smile."

Shortly afterward almost everyone else had voiced their wonder as well. Even Kiba and Lee had spoken up wondering why Naruto hadn't been by to challenge them to a sparring match lately. The response they had gotten was not the one they expected. Tsunade had simply started crying. She had run out of the room leaving behind only two people who knew the truth, Ino and Sakura. After taking one look at Sakura's face Ino had started explaining. She told what she had managed to find out about the fight, and the happenings thereafter. Surprisingly it had been Neji who had spoken up first.

"I've been hearing sound of celebration below, I was wondering what the party was about."

"But that can't be it." Said ten-ten "there is no reason for celebration if Naruto's dead, why if this was known there would be a day of mourning. Not celebration."

"I AGREE," shouted Lee "NARUTO'S SPIRIT OF BURNING YOUTH WOULD SURELY BE MISSED!"

Everyone flinched, but no-body spoke for long moments. Then…

"Who killed him?"

The voice that spoke up was the second surprise of the evening, it was Shikamaru. It was at this point that Sakura started crying again.

"I see" said Shikamaru in a cold voice "Sasuke."

Everyone but Ino turned to look at Sakura. All she could do was nod.

---Flashback ends---

It had not turned out well; almost everybody had been frozen in place until Shikamaru had announced that the traitor had better stay clear of him and then stalked out. Chouji had been only a few steps behind adding that no-body who would kill a comrade should be allowed to wander free. Ever.

The rest of the group walked out of the hospital in a state of shock. All of them had felt the same way when they heard the news. Disbelief, anger, pain, betrayal. The worst part was the feeling that the world had grown just a little bit darker; as though the sun had hidden it's self behind a cloud. Even the weather had seemed to be in mourning, for it had rained lightly almost non-stop since that fateful day, such a short time ago.