Sasuke attended Naruto's funeral, feeling odd. Ninja funerals were a lot different. Often there wasn't a body, or if there was, it was often mangled horribly. In the rare cases it wasn't, the body was often destroyed to protect clan secrets. The how and why of the person's death was often classified as well. As would be many details about their life. So memorial stones were set up, and the ninja's name was slowly carved into the stone, while the mourners simply watched in silence. There was often a crowd. Old and current team members, clan members, the Hokage, and of course friends and family.
Civilian funerals by comparison were, well odd. The body was the weirdest thing. Naruto's body was briefly seen in public, before being placed inside a coffin. That was disturbing to Sasuke, he kept expecting Naruto to fidget, look over to him and grin, or to leap up and tease him about caring. Sasuke tried to bring his emotions under control on reflex and felt a pang of sadness. I'll never have to do that again, he thought, blinking his eyes to prevent tears from forming.
To try and distract himself, Sasuke looked towards the other funeral goers. There was barely anyone there. The Hokage, whose mountain carving had more emotion on its face. A few classmates; Kiba, Shikamaru, and of course Hinata. She was acting unusually. Or perhaps it was to be expected. She was barely reacting at all to anything, as two of her attendants spoke mournfully to her. Iruka was there, sitting in a wheelchair, his body covered in bandages. And two civilians, an older man and his daughter. They were the only ones to actually speak. They went up and gave a little speech about how they would miss their best customer, his bright smile, and cheerful jokes. They talked about his pranks, and his strong desire for peace. They openly cried, and Sasuke could see how uncomfortable that made his fellow ninja.
There was one final call to give people a chance to come up and pay their respects. Hinata walked up, hesitated, and shook her head. An attendant put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and her head fell in sorrow. No one else even tried. They all went up to see Naruto one last time, and Sasuke frowned. Something was bothering him. Something was off. And he couldn't put his finger on it.
Naruto's corpse was placed in the coffin and they walked silently alongside it as they brought it to an abandoned estate.
"I had hope to one day give you the key to this place," the Hokage said. He made a hand sign, and a pit opened in the ground. Naruto's coffin was placed inside, and with another sign the body was buried. With that the mourners began to disperse. Sasuke stared at the grave for several minutes, as his spine itched with frustration. Something was wrong and it was driving Sasuke crazy. He started to walk back when he noticed Iruka resting in his wheelchair, not moving.
"Iruka?" Sasuke asked, walking up to him.
"Oh, Sasuke, how are you?" Iruka asked. "Sorry, that was a dumb question," he added, shaking his head and wincing. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you have a moment to talk?" Sasuke asked, formally.
"Sorta," Iruka sighed. "I need to get back to the hospital, but I'm too tired to keep going."
"I can take you there as we speak," Sasuke offered, going up to the back of the wheelchair and pushing Iruka along.
"Thank you," Iruka said. "So what did you want to talk about?"
"Naruto," Sasuke said, causing Iruka to stiffen. "There's something bothering me about his death."
"Of course there is," Iruka said, sighing. He took a deep breath and relaxed. "I understand, you likely have some strong feelings about the matter. What did you want to know?"
"How did he die?" Sasuke asked, bluntly.
"You ask for a lot. I'd rather not think about it too much," Iruka said, wincing.
"Sorry," Sasuke said, blandly.
"No, if this helps bring you peace, then I should take responsibility as your old teacher and push through my discomfort," Iruka said, frowning. "But I don't actually have that many details. By the time I had arrived, Naruto was already dead."
"I see. I will have to be satisfied with whatever you do know," Sasuke said.
"Alright," Iruka said, nodding. "From what we can tell, Mizuki tried to trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals. Naruto figured it out, and decided to confront and taunt Mizuki about it. I figured Mizuki lost his temper and stabbed Naruto in the stomach. By the time I arrived, Naruto had already bled out."
"He bled out?" Sasuke asked, keeping his voice steady.
"Yes," Iruka said, nodding, a confused look on his face.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, ignoring Iruka. Sasuke traveled the rest of the way in silence, ignoring Iruka's few attempts to talk. They eventually arrived at the hospital, where Iruka thanked Sasuke with an odd look on his face. Sasuke ignored that too, and headed home.
He bled out. From a single stab wound to the stomach. That can't be right. Even normal ninjas can survive that. And Naruto is anything but normal. Hell, I've done more damage to Naruto than a single stab wound. But he left a corpse behind, Sasuke thought as he walked. So he should be dead. There's no jutsu that can do that. No jutsu that I know of anyways, Sasuke admitted to himself. On the other hand, I suppose it's possible he died. If Mizuki was torturing him before hand, he'd heal from those injuries, and would keep healing. Until he couldn't anymore, Sasuke frowned. Wait! That night with Naruto, he was talking about leaving me alone. He said he was talking about us being assigned to different teams, but what if he wasn't? What if he was planning his death the whole time, and he was trying to say goodbye? That must be it! Naruto is alive! Sasuke thought, a small smile curling his lips.
/*/
Danzo knocked politely at the Hokage's office door, and waited to be called in. When he entered, the man was staring out his office window, clearly deep in thought. Danzo waited for a minute, and then cleared his throat to get Hiruzen's attention.
"Yes Danzo, what is it?" Hiruzen asked, focusing.
"We need to speak about what will happen now that the Jinchuuriki is dead," Danzo said, bluntly.
"Danzo my old friend, can you not leave an old man even a single day to grieve?" Hiruzen asked, sighing.
"Not when that old man is the Hokage," Danzo said, calmly. "With the Jinchuuriki dead, the village is vulnerable. We need to take action now."
"We are less vulnerable than you think. Nobody outside the village knows Naruto as the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and most people in the village didn't realize what it meant to be the jinchuuriki," Hiruzen said. "Sadly," he added, under his breath.
"Perhaps. But this is the year we are hosting the genin exams. The other ninja villages will take this opportunity to spy upon us, and there is always a chance that they will discover that we no longer have a jinchuuriki," Danzo said.
"I suppose there is no harm in being prepared," Hiruzen said, nodding once. "I shall recall Jiraiya. He shall act as a safeguard to keep the other villages from realizing our loss. Besides, he needs to be told," Hiruzen sighed again. Danzo nodded.
"You seem to be taking this loss hard. I've seen you lose entire ninja teams and not get so melancholy," Danzo observed, frowning.
"This failure is much more personal. Minato's only child, the child he trusted to me, was killed. And not just killed, but killed by a traitor. A traitor I had teaching our children. A traitor who is, despite our best efforts, still at large," Hiruzen said, practically growling by the time he finished speaking.
"That is a problem, but I'm confident that Mizuki will be tracked down soon enough. And he was a teacher because he was too incompetent to be an active ninja. I'm not too worried about him. On a different subject, I am surprised that you didn't make the Jinchuuriki an honorary ninja. Despite his failures, he was loyal to the village and did, technically, die in service of it," Danzo said, scratching at the bandages on his face.
"I would've," Hiruzen admitted, calming down. "But Naruto hated the idea of being a ninja. He hated violence, and didn't want to hurt anyone. I bet that's how that bastard Mizuki managed to stab him," Hiruzen said, his anger returning.
"Well we will know for sure once we catch up with him," Danzo said.
/*/
The quiet bustle that characterized the Hyuuga household was suddenly cut by a loud scream. Hanabi looked up from her studies, and carefully put her brush down on the table. Her hand trembled, spilling ink on the wood surface of the table. She frowned, and gently dabbed it up with her fingertips. Standing she followed the running members of the Branch Family, trying to ignore the growing dread in her stomach as her ears caught faint sounds of people weeping. She unconsciously grabbed her hand, her fingers running across the ring her older sister had given her, as she approached Hinata's room. She walked through the open door, and paused in shock and horror. Hanging from a noose was the body of her beloved older sister.
Hanabi froze, staring blankly at the scene in front of her. Several men were arguing, as one of Hinata's female attendants was collapsed on the floor, weeping. There was a note lying on a nearby table. More and more members of the branch family were showing up, gawking at the sight. Something in Hanabi snapped at their reaction.
"Enough!" she yelled, her voice frozen. "Stop gawking like a bunch of common peasants, and get my sister down from there!" Several branch members leaped to obey her, never mind her being a quarter of their age. Once they had followed her command, she ordered them all to leave the room, telling them to inform her father what had happened when he returned home. Finally, she was left in peace, Hinata's corpse lying on the ground. And finally she allowed herself to break down sobbing. She cried for what felt like hours. When she finished, tears and snot were dripping down her face, and all she felt like doing was curling in a ball, and doing nothing until her father came home.
"At the very least, I'll cry in my own room," Hanabi muttered to herself as she stood, wiping her face clean with a sleeve. Her gaze fell upon the note, still sitting on the table. She picked it up, and unfolded it, beginning to read.
My dearest younger sister, it began. Hanabi's tears returned, and she had to pause for a few minutes to let herself finish crying. She wiped her eyes clear with her stained shirt sleeve and tried again.
My dearest younger sister;
I am sorry to be leaving you like this. I truly am. But I can't live without Naruto, and I've decided to follow him. It will be a long time until we meet again, but know that we will meet again one day, and on that day I hope that you will have fulfilled your promise to me, and that I'll be able to fulfill my promise to you.
Your loving older sister,
Hinata
Hanabi trembled with rage and sorrow. She yanked the ring from her finger and threw it across the room with an inarticulate shout of rage.
"How can you be my loving older sister if you're dead?!" Hanabi screamed. She glared at Hinata's corpse. "What is that promise worth to you if you won't be here to see it through? You aren't even wearing your ring!" Hanabi gasped when she realized what she just said. She activated her byakugan and searched the room closely. The only ring she could find was the one she had just thrown. She ran back to the note and reread it.
"Left, not dead, saying we will meet again. And asking me to fulfill my promise," Hanabi muttered to herself. "She's not dead," she gasped. "She created a body double somehow." Hanabi retrieved her ring, placing it back on her finger. "And when she finally comes home, I swear I'll be the best clan leader she'll have ever seen!" Hanabi vowed, destroying the note so that no one else would ever read it.
Author's Notes: So a couple people have already seen through Naruto's trick, but no one is pursuing him yet.
Danzo is less of a jerk right now, because I feel like he actually respects Hiruzen. Also I feel like he's one of the people who don't actually hate Naruto. But as a ninja, he views Naruto as nothing more than a weapon, so it's not like he provides any positive interaction either.