Taste
For the first time in his short life, Uzumaki Naruto tasted bitter despair. Even as his body sped towards his opponent, and a palm-sized tornado of chakra whirled on his hand, Naruto believed wholeheartedly that, in the end, everything would be alright. Even as their opposing energies collided, creating a supernova under the thundering waterfall at the Valley of the End, he believed he could bring Uchiha Sasuke back. When they collided, he had re-absorbed the chakra within the rasengan as his fingernails scraped against Sasuke's hitaite, wanting only to prove Sasuke wrong. He, Uzumaki Naruto would be able to put a scratch on his rival's forehead. In the end, Naruto had pulled his punch, had not wanted to hurt his friend. And in his heart of hearts, Naruto believed that even at the very end, Sasuke, his friend, his rival, his most important person, would wake up and come home.
But when the chidori hit his chest, the sizzling chakra eating into his body and the raucous sound of a thousand birds deafening him, Naruto feared the worst. The physical pain was nothing compared to the ache deep within. The world darkened around him, his eyes dimmed, the hope and belief that fueled his existence leaking away into the dark. But in that instant before a blinding light poured over the two of them, he looked into Sasuke's eyes; looked beyond the monstrous form his best friend had taken thanks to Orochimaru's curse.
In that eternal moment, with Sasuke's hand pressed deep within his chest, hope once again blazed with a dazzling intensity. In that small stretch of time between two heartbeats, they stared into each other's eyes, and came to a complete understanding.
Like two children, they eyed each other shyly, knowing that here stood the one person who would understand without words, the one person who could comfort and provide warmth, the one person with whom they could hold hands and stand against the terror of isolation. Naruto, with open hearted generosity, held out a hand to his most important person. This time, Sasuke, with no hesitation, reached out to accept. The smile that bloomed on the dark haired boy's face rivaled the sun.
Then the world exploded around them.
Even as his body flew back to impact against solid rock, Naruto could still feel those small, gentle fingers wrapped trustingly around his. As darkness rolled over him, the memory of the touch of those frail fingers wrapped trustingly around his own, was fuel for that bright fire that burned deep within. Even as pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him, he could taste the sweetness of hope over the salt of his tears.