The heart of the matter

Chapter 8

Please read and review! And remember not everything is as it seems. Thanks Liz

PS. You might want to look up the song Smiling down on you by Pillar and give it a listen while reading this chapter.

Tsunade stood beside Naruto's bedside, knowing that the end for him would be coming soon. She refused to leave him alone knowing he had already spent much of his life being alone. She wished deep down that there was something she could do. It bothered her that someone could get inside the village and poison Naruto without anyone knowing about it. She wondered if there was someone here in Konoha that had been willing to help. After all Nine tails was still pretty well hated. Sighing, Tsunade reached out and brushed Naruto's sweaty hair out of his eyes. She hated watching the struggle for Naruto's next breath, she almost wished the end would hurry up and come on so that Naruto's suffering would be over.

"It's not fair is it?" a voice asked from the doorway, Tsunade looked over her shoulder and seen Kakashi standing there.

"What's not fair?" she asked, struggling past the lump in her throat. She felt like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

"Watching him struggle until he draws his last breath. One never likes to see the ones they love suffer so much." Kakashi said, entering the room and joining Tsunade beside Naruto's bed. "I never imagined that this would be the way Naruto's life ended. I always thought he would either die an old man or he would go out in a blaze of glory. I never once imagined that someone would poison him."

"He's had to suffer so much in life, why not expect him to suffer in death too?" Tsunade asked bitterly "Why should the unloved orphan have an easy death. Nothing about his life has been easy?"

"A fact that any one of us would give an arm or a leg to change." Kakashi replied knowing how much Tsunade was hurting. "But you have to remember he will be so much better off when the end does come. I imagine Minato-sensei and Kushina will be waiting for him with open arms. It will be best to send him to them with as much love as we can possibly give."

"You're right of course." Tsuande agreed "I can almost see the smile on his face now as he is greeted by his parents." it hurt Tsunade's heart to imagine it but at the same time it brought a pained smile to her face. Knowing that Naruto would be greeted by the parents that he had never known, she could see him now. His bright blue eyes shining with tears and joy as he greets his parents for the first time. There would be no sign of pain, only joy knowing that he would never again be separated from the ones who loved him most. She could almost feel the peace that Naruto would feel once he let go.

"He deserved a much better life." Kakashi said "but he done well with what he had. He made his teammates respect him and he was working on gaining the villager's respect. In time he would have earned it."

"It's okay to let go now, Naruto" Tsunade said softly. She knew that if Sasuke and Sakura had been there he would have tried to keep fighting. He wouldn't have wanted them to watch him struggle in his final moments. "I promise you, you will never leave our thoughts or memories. You will be remembered as the hero you truly are." Tsunade swallowed hard. How come saying goodbye to someone you loved was so hard? Tsunade should be overjoyed that Naruto was finally getting some peace, instead her heart was shattering with the pain that Naruto would never be there to bug about giving him a higher ranked mission, or begging her to eat ramen with him. This boy had wormed his way into her heart, by his unwillingness to give up no matter how difficult the situation. His willingness to work hard to protect even those that hated him. Naruto had always been special, it was a shame that the villagers had never given him a chance to prove himself. They missed out on knowing an amazing young man. Tsuande imagined that he would have made an amazing Hokage if he had been given the chance to continue growing and learning.

"Naruto's will of fire will always live on in those that his life touched." Kakashi said "there will never come a time when Naruto will be forgotten. Sakura and Sasuke will make sure of that." Kakashi hated that this was happening, no one should ever have to die before their time was up. He wished that Naruto had lived long enough to see his dreams come true, but Kakashi had the feeling that getting to meet his parents would make up for the time that Naruto would miss here. Kakashi had always known that Naruto had longed for his family. Kakashi would often catch him watching other families with a sad look in his eyes. Kakashi had always longed to make it better but he hadn't been sure how. Now he wished he had adopted the kid, he could have given Naruto the family that he longed for. If Kakashi had done that than maybe they wouldn't be here right now, after all no one wanted to mess with The Copy Nin. Kakashi swallowed hard as he watched Naruto's hard pants for air slow down. Reaching out Kakashi grabbed Naruto's left hand and Tsunade grabbed Naruto's right. They would send him out of this world knowing that he wasn't alone. For once in his life when it mattered the most Naruto wouldn't be alone.

It took twenty minutes for Naruto to draw his last breath, Tsunade and Kakashi could only watch as Naruto breathed in and slowly released it, they knew after that last moment Naruto wouldn't take another breath. His struggle for love and happiness was finally over.