'Thinking'

'Kyuubi_talking'

"Talking"

/Naruto Talking to Kyuubi/

"Jutsu's"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The plot idea is my own and the OC's as well.

Chapter 30

"Naruto."

The voice seemed so far away that it was barely heard. Seconds ticked by and they soon became minutes.

"Naruto." The voice said again. This time, the voice seemed a little closer than before. Still, there was no response. "Naruto, it's time to let her go. You-,"

A different voice cut the first one off before it could say anything else, "Temari, let him be. There's nothing you can do for him right now. Leaving him alone is what's best." The voice was masculine and calming at the same time. Unlike the other voice, this one was very close. Not just in distance, but how familiar it sounded. Almost like the voice had grounding.

"Then what should we do?" A third, feminine voice asked, having an emotion-filled voice.

A fourth voice, having the note of authority spoke, "We leave him be until he is ready. There is no point in trying to hurry a mourning man. As of right now, we have more important matters to attend to. First off, I need a full report of the village and need to see the damage I-,"

The voices were drowned out all of a sudden until there was nothing but a buzz of voices that could not be identified. However, one voice stood out against all of the others.

'Why? Why did I let this happen? I should have been there for her. It should have been me who got hit. Not her. Me. Not her. Why? Why her?'

No one could hear the voice other than him. Not because they were talking, but it was just one of those voices you hear inside your head. Some people would say your subconscious. Others would say it was you talking to yourself.

Almost as if it was in replay mode, the image of her falling to the ground and a pool of blood forming around her filled his head. The way her skin ashen as she grew weaker and the puddle became bigger. Her usual bright green eyes growing dimmer. Her hand going limp and falling out of his. Her chest stopping it's rhythm of up and down. The last breath she ever took. Her eyes never opening again.

No… no don't think about this. Not now, not ever. Don't give in to the pain… Don't think about her. Not the way you'll never see her smile again or hear her contagious laugh. Never again see the concentrated look she would give when learning something new and trying to master it. See her tear up when she would find dead animals alongside the road whenever they were traveling and wanting to stop to give it a proper burial. Never again… would he see anything. Never… Again.

"—and the West side needs to be rebuilt; it seems to have some pretty big damage done to it." A shinobi of the Leaf informed the Hokage. "And I've scanned the whole premises and there is no traces left of the enemy still alive in the village. They've all seemed to be gone… Except for the one." He didn't have to say who it was but just the simple eye movement explained all that was needed.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a certain Kazekage had the Leaf shinobi by the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air. A hostile aura surrounded him and when he spoke, venom heavily laced his words, "You should be thankful for what he did by not calling him the enemy but an ally. He didn't have to help your sorry ass but he did because he still has feelings for this village." He said, acting very out of character.

"Gaara, stop." A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the Sand shinobi's wrist still holding onto the Leaf shinobi. Everyone paused on what they did and watched the scene play out, surprised.

Gaara glanced away from the shinobi and turned to the man he called his brother. He wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly surprised to see the blonde up and even talking. His hand slacked and he released his temporary prisoner. The Leaf shinobi back away from the two, his eyes wide and he quickly glanced towards his Hokage. She gave him a slight glare and tilted her head a little to indicate he was to leave. Without hesitation, he was gone in seconds, leaving the group alone.

Before Naruto turned away, Gaara caught sight of the blonde. He didn't look away but embraced the change he saw. The way Naruto's posture slackened and how his back was slightly hunched over. The aura around him was one to not be messed with, from the dangerous vibe coming off of him to the complete opposite of sadness and a deep depression developing. In a way, it was almost like a little part of him died as well when Gaara caught sight of his eyes. What used to be beautifully blue eyes specked with red and with a light to them was now dull. That usual light that always glowed ever since he was a kid, one so full of life and energy, one that always brightened other peoples day, was no longer there. His eyes were lifeless and dead looking.

Gaara said nothing and once his hand was released, he used the same hand and laid it on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed. They locked eyes for a moment and an unsaid message passed between them. Naruto gave a slight nod and tore his gaze away before he walked over to where Temari and Kankuro stood, huddled only a few feet away from them. They watched their brother walk over and as soon as he got close enough, Temari flung her arms around Naruto's neck. Kankuro patted his back for support.

The Kazekage glanced away from his family and addressed the Hokage, "I have a favor to ask of you, Hokage, and it's one not easily asked."

Tsunade glanced away from her former shinobi and looked over to the red head. "What is it?" She asked and her ninja all watched curiously as well as the two Sand siblings. Naruto only looked off in the distance, lost in his own world.

Without breaking a sweat, Gaara calmly stated, "I wish for Sana to be buried here."

A couple of jaws dropped and it fell silent. Before anyone could break it, Naruto's head snapped up and he glared at his fellow family member. "What?"

Gaara stayed watching Tsunade. Instead of her giving her answer, Sakura spoke up and asked, "Why would you want her buried here? Not to be disrespectful, but this isn't her home. Wouldn't you want her to be buried back in the Sand where her friends and family could mourn her properly?"

"HOKAGE!"

Breaking the tense mood, three Leaf shinobi ran up to the group, their faces devastated with whatever sort of news they discovered. Before they could speak, let alone open their mouths, a different noise appeared and slightly limping towards the group was a heavily bleeding Sasuke. He was looking straight ahead with a grim expression. In his hand, his sword dripped with blood, but it was hard to tell whose it was with his whole arm bleeding as well. Blood almost seemed to cover him from head to foot.

He arrived to the group and instead of looking at his Hokage, he addressed the Kazekage with a slight bow of his head. In a thick voice, he said, "Orochimaru… Orochimaru is dead."

And not wasting one second, one of the three Leaf shinobi's that just showed up, said, "As well as both Elders."

XxxxX

Until next time!

Sorry it's short, but at least it's something. Mostly everything will be explained next chapter, whenever I decide to get that out.

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!