He would remember that year well. Very well.
Sound and Konoha had been fighting the whole year. Small battles, big battles, captures, ambushes, and assassinations.
Death. Blood. Pain. Screams.
The numbers killed in battle rose with every climax, the stone memorial was filling. His fingers traced over the names he knew who has been fighting the Sound. Who had died fighting the Sound.
Choji Akimichi, Asuma Sarutobi
They had been the first two, a cold battle in the middle of frosty March. The information had been wrong, intentionally or not was left unanswered. Outnumbered greatly they had died taking down their enemies. Their bodies were found half frozen.
They had kept the enemy from slaughtering a make shift hospital near by. They had saved many lives.
Shikamaru had locked himself in a room. Ino hadn't talked.
Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha
He didn't really know why Sasuke had been included on the list, but he found it fitting he was listed next to the team who had tried so hard to bring him back. Who had died trying to bring him back. It was on the dawn of a spring day when the broken team had met. Kakashi was the first one down, run through by his own prized student. Half of Naruto's side had been a bloody mess, hit with chidori by Sasuke. Naruto had taken out Sasuke's arm. Sasuke's internal organs had been smashed by Sakura, her neck had been run through at the same time. The four bodies were found several feet apart from each other, and had been brought back together.
They had taken out Orochimaru's soon to be vessel. They had put together their broken team.
Neji Hyuga, Tenten, Rock Lee
Team Gai's students, the strongest of the teams, had been set of on a mission during the blazing summer heat, and hadn't returned alive. Only later did the remaining shinobi find out it had been a suicidal mission. Team Gai hadn't ever known. Their bodies had been found in a clearing, Neji and Tenten's hands touching, Lee at their side. Bodies of the enemies surrounded them, steel weapons protruding from their flesh. Lee had opened up the eighth gate, Neji's lower body had been crushed, and Tenten had lost too much blood. Their target, Kabuto, lay at their feet.
They had taken out one of the Sound's leaders, the right hand man. They had made the Sound weaker considerably.
Gai took on more and more S class missions.
Hinata Hyuga, Kurenai Yuhi
They had died sometime in the fall, nobody could be sure. Returning from a mission they had been ambushed by the Sound, captured by the Sound, and tortured by the Sound. Sometime after they had been expected to return from the mission their bodies had shown up at the gate. Mutilated and filthy, pain had been etched on their stiff faces.
They hadn't given away any of Konoha's secrets. They had kept the rest of them safe.
Kiba had howled and destroyed a large part of the forest.
He swallowed hard. They had only been buried two days ago, and he wondered who would be next. Whose name would be he carved next in the never ending list?
His eyes looked up at the names of the previous fallen shinobi, the characters were becoming faded and hard to read. Who remembered them? Who remembered how they had died, what their favorite food was, and where they had lived? Did anybody?
They were like fading memories, they were replaced and forgotten. Would people forget about his friends? Would they remember the ninja would had gone through so much to save them? To protect them? Would they forget the people who had gone on missions where the costs of failure would have added up to the villagers' lives?
Would they remember his name when it was added? How about his few remaining friends when they were added?
Probably not. So instead he would keep visiting here, and he would keep remembering his friends, and mentors. He would keep bringing up their memories so they wouldn't fade away as well. Be forgotten as well.
Glancing up at the sky he sighed and stood, picking up the mask beside him and securing it to his face. He had a mission with Kiba and Gai today. They still had a war to win after all.
They still had missions. Missions where they might have to give their lives to protect the village they served, and succeed. Just like all of his friends had.
He couldn't help but wonder as he walked towards the gates if one of their names were going to be added to the stone this time.
They all died as heroes. They all died and joined their friends. They all died doing something that was important to them.
It didn't seem so bad.
A/N: My first attempt at a death fic/ war fic. Really crappy right? Give me reviews and tell me what I did wrong to make them better please! I couldn't help but add that little bit of Tenten/ Neji in there ).