"Doctor! Doctor!"

Doctor turned to nod at the young Cautus approaching him. "Amiya." He greeted. The Cautus approached him eagerly. "News?" She followed him as he took them to the direction of his office.

"Ah, yes! We have news that Yato and her squad is returning from their mission to Victoria!"

"Hn." Doctor hummed in agreement, satisfied. It had been some time, but he fully trusted the team to accomplish their duties. They were after all, one of the teams he trusted within Rhodes Island to do some surveillance work. "Good work."

Amiya nodded, her floppy ears waggling along. Her bright cerulean eyes shone happily up at him, before it faltered slightly as they walked. Greeting Fang with a nod, Doctor noticed her expression changing to a solemn tone. "Hn. Something wrong?"

The Cautus looked down hesitatingly.

He sighed, stopping her. If anything, he knew hesitancy to reveal an information of sorts would lead to it building up. After all, he had always enforced that one should speak their mind, regardless of what it was. It was what he did after all. Bluntness and speaking one's mind was better than just remaining secretive and hesitant. "Talk. You have something to say."

"It's… erm… Doctor?" Amiya blushed, turning away. "I just want to know if you… if you would have some time to spend with me…"

He looked down at her, waiting for her to continue.

"It's… it's been some time since we last were able to… I thought we could maybe just have some time together since it's been a while since we had time alone to ourselves…" Ah, that's what she meant; Doctor realized it as she looked up, her expectant eyes begging and pleading. He gestured to her to come towards him.

Amiya's eyes flickered up uncertainly before it brightened at his gesture. She took a few steps forward before she felt him reach up and poke her forehead gently, even as his voice was stiff and monotone, containing a hint of gentleness and affection contained within.

"Maybe next time, alright? I'm still busy."

Amiya blushed, her face frozen before she nodded. She saw a small smile slip on Doctor's rather emotionless and indifferent gaze for a brief second before it vanished and he nodded to her, shutting the door behind him.

The Cautus stared at the door for a moment, then smiled as she departed, her heart skipping a beat.

Doctor entered the office, starting his paperwork. Just minutes into it, Kal'stit entered abruptly. He glanced up at her, then down at his work, without skipping a beat.

"Ever heard of knocking, Kal'stit?" He was not here to start an argument with her, but often at times, they were opposed to each other in more ways than one, even if their goals had been similar in nature.

Kal'stit didn't drop her expression, and he was glad at least that out of most people who talked to him, she was one of the few who could stand up to him and argue against him. "We have a report." She dropped it on his desk without a greeting, before she was off once more. "Be sure to look it over."

Doctor sighed, nodding before he began to look it over.

Two figures lay bloodied and beaten, their bodies unable to move as they lay in a pool of their own crimson life force. The sun beat down on their mangled bodies,

"I… I tol you I woul beak evey… bone in yer body, you… you jackass." The owner had sunshine blonde hair, matching the same brightness in his eyes and personality despite the pain he was in, one eye swollen shut with a dark shade of black, and his voice did not enunciate every syllable properly, a result of his nose broken and rivulets of crimson seeping out of his nose.

The darker haired owner just smiled, spitting out a glob of blood that trickled down his chin. He choked out in a rasp. "Just shut up… you idiot."

The insult only brought back fond memories of their friendship, their childhood rivalry and youth, and the blonde didn't know why, but he exploded in laughter even despite the pain his body was in, despite all that he had went through, he laughed despite all the losses in his life.

The dark-haired man just stared up into the sun, smiling. Long had he been consumed by his desire for vengeance that when the light shone upon him, he was purged of his darkness and hate. The sun was a representation of the light he had long since vowed to push away. Both stared into the sun approaching, its rays lighting them up, thinking of their past.

He inclined his head over to the blonde man beside him, his best and closest friend. He opened his mouth to thank the man with him, to thank him for never giving up on him, to apologize for betraying him, to even apologize for everything he had done.

But that moment, his coal gaze widened for a moment. He feels something in his body failing, unable to pump his blood any further. Much of it was leaving him, leaving behind a pool that simply kept growing and growing. He could not stop it. Even if he could, he didn't have the energy nor the will to stop.

The blonde man didn't notice, still lost in his own success and happiness. He had finally done it. He had brought his best friend from the depths of darkness and despair and ended the war. They could all go home now. He couldn't have had it any other way.

"I'm sorry, Naruto… Tell Sakura I'm sorry too. Sorry for all I have done to her."

His gaze was remorseful and regretful, and Naruto scowled, his mouth ready to deliver… meaningful responses. That bastard should shut up! If he truly felt regret for what he done, then he should just work alongside them. Crying wasn't going to do anything about it! If he wanted to make it up to Sakura, even if he didn't love her in that romantic sense, then he should begin to bury his sins and build a new friendship starting from the ground up, by telling her everything and stop pushing her away!

That was all until his entire world came crashing down at him when he spoke.

"I don't think I'm going to make it."

Naruto froze. It was one ending he never wanted to, refuse to look at. "Whare yer talkin bout?! Shut yer mouth, you dickhead!" He spat out blood and spit. "If yeh keep talkin abou dying and shit, I'll break yer fuckin jaw!"

"Naruto…"

"Yer such a pansy ass fuckhead! I swear I gonna break yer face!"

"Naruto-"

"Shut up, ya hear me! Yer not gonna die!" Naruto's voice grew more desperate and angry in his struggle to not accept what was to come, yet he was denying what shinobi were trained to do after all, and that was to die at any moment in their career.

"Ya won die, ya hear me?! I won't let ya die!"

Naruto continued to scream in denial, scream and shout at how he was going to live, that Sakura was going to be here anytime soon and he would receive medical treatment, that if they just release the Infinite Tsukuyomi that befell them, they would be able to get him to Tsunade. He was being still naive and foolish in his approach.

"Naruto, shut up!" When he didn't, Sasuke exerted a tremendous amount of effort to simply silence his naive and foolish friend. "You idiot! Stop!"

The hacking yell silenced him, but it was enough. Sasuke continued, "You… you can't stop it, Naruto. Have you forgotten our lessons about shinobi?" He coughed. "We both know they won't arrive in time."

He inclined his head to his friend, who was now on the verge of crying. "Don't blame yourself, dumbass. I forced it up to this point in my beliefs. We know… we know what I've done was too severe and unforgivable this time. Even if I lived, I… the rest of the world will curse my name or I'll be executed for what I've done if not imprisoned for life." He wouldn't be able to blame them. What he had done was far too severe, and with his power, they would rather destroy his eyes and burn him to ash than let him run free. The Uchiha Clan had been cursed, cursed since Indra. "This is the only way to stop it. If I lived then…" Hate would inevitably run free once more, with or without his clan, but at least without the Uchiha, it would be more manageable.

"I…" Naruto could no longer hold himself back, and he sobbed, tears mixing with the blood on his face and snot dripping down. He broke down instantly. "Whare' am I supposed to do without ya?! I can't let ya die! I have to save ya!"

Out of all that happened, this could not be it! He refused to let it happen like this! Naruto wanted to punch his best friend, to scream for help that he knew would never arrive. But it was just them now. Sakura and Kakashi would not arrive in time.

Sasuke smiled, speaking only three words that meant everything.

"You already have."

Naruto could only stare at him, tears and snot dribbling down his face. In any other case, Sasuke would have mocked how ugly Naruto was when he cried, but now, Sasuke did not. His best friend truly cared for him, and he deserved better.

Sasuke's breathing grew shallow as his body flared in pain, and he coughed, spitting out blood. "Sasuke!"

His time was growing more and more limited and Sasuke knew he had to make it quick. His voice grew more quiet, and he knew he was fading fast. "I'm… not going to make it. Take… eyes out and transplant into… into Kakashi's." He thought of his mentor. "He'll release world from it, and…" His body violently trembled and spasmed in a shudder. "Become Hokage, Naruto… I already acknowledged you and believed in you." He felt his body beginning to shut down. "Can… I ask… final favor?"

Naruto didn't need to answer, he was already waiting to fulfill his best friend's final wishes.

"Bury my body… next to Itachi and… my parents. I want… to be next to them…" His eyes shut for a moment, but he forced his last words to be what his last wishes were before he passed, forcing them one final moment to look at his closest friend. "You already know… I feel more threats… than Kaguya… Give… eyes to Kakashi… He'll… know what… what to do…"

Naruto sobbed, promising as snot and tears dribbled down his face. "I-I promise, Sasuke! I promise I'll be the best damn Hokage for ya! I promise you I'll never let'cha down! B-believe…" He cried openly, uncaring of what Sasuke saw him as, blubbering like a child. "Believe it!"

Sasuke attempted to chuckle, but instead, he felt his eyes begin to close. He thought of all the wrong he did, a bitter feeling but one that he deserved to be punished for.

Itachi… Mother… Father… I'm joining you now… Forgive me, brother. I couldn't even fulfill your last wishes right.

I wish... I wish I had a chance to...

Naruto grinned even as he cried, and he swore he heard Sasuke said, "Thank you, Naruto." He then heard a shout, and looked up, hearing Sakura and Kakashi. He whipped his head, painful as it was to do so, because he swore that prick partially dislocated his jaw as well. "S-sasuke! Sakura an' Kakashi here! You be saved! Sakura's here!"

Sasuke did not respond, his eyes were shut. Naruto stared at him. "Sasuke… Wake up, ya bastard! She's an Kakashi here! Stop sleepin an' wake up already, ya dick! Don't ignore me!"

"Do ya hear me?! I'll clobber ya!"

"Naruto… stop…" It was Kurama but Naruto refused to see it. Refused to see his best friend die because he had at last saved him from his hatred and both saved the world and it couldn't end like this. He refused to see it.

"No! He can't be! He just can't!" Naruto screamed and shouted at Sasuke to wake up.

"Naruto! Stop! He's… he's gone." Kurama never liked the Uchiha but he knew and seen death for centuries, and he knew what death looked like that he could easily distinguish it. " The Uchiha's gone. You can sense his chakra… Nothing's left."

Naruto refused it. "Shut up, Kurama! He… he… Wake up, ya bastard! Wake up!" He screamed even as Sakura and Kakashi finally arrived.

But Sasuke didn't wake.

Naruto trembled, and his voice turned into one of pleading and begging. Then, he wailed. Naruto had lost his parents, lost his mentor in the form of Jiraiya, lost many friends in the war, and saw death and destruction, but he cried, only cried and wailed uncontrollably as he lost his best friend. Nothing would ever compare to what he had lost at this moment. It hurt far worse than ever he had in his entire life.

Sakura arrived, healing his wounds, and even as Naruto could properly enunciate now, he was not in a speaking mood.

"Shut up!"

Never had Sakura and Kakashi seen Naruto mad and furious before. Never had they seen him more angry than he had in his life. A glint of red was in Naruto's eyes before it shone back to its cerulean blue, washed with grief, sorrow, and rage.

"He had been manipulated his entire life! Sasuke only wanted to destroy the Leaf because of what it did to the Uchiha and Itachi!" He understood him now after so long at not understanding Sasuke for years. "He may have not been right in his methods, but Sasuke deserved a chance at happiness after Konoha took it away! It was the same damn place…" Naruto realized it. "It was the same damn place that the Old Man forced me to grow up without telling me about my fucking parents and left the villagers to hate me for something I didn't even understand! He allowed both me and Sasuke to suffer!" Never would he blame Kakashi for not telling him of his father, nor the issues of the village on him, but the Hokages? Sasuke had been right. Even his own father partially caused the mess of the shinobi system. Nagato had been right about Konoha and what it had done to his home.

This, Naruto swore to not just become Hokage, to just gain the validation of his home, but to change it for the better. He swore, not just for Sasuke, but for all those that suffered.

This, Naruto swore, as he made the Rat sign, and gently, reverently picked up Sasuke's body and headed back to the battlefield along with his comrades, to a world he resolved to fix.

Sasuke found himself floating through, his soul no longer anchored towards a body. He knew for what he did he would likely go to hell, but just for one time, he prayed that he would be able to meet Itachi and his parents.

So Sasuke waited, but he did not see them. Everything was darkness. There was no light. Perhaps the devil deemed his sins too great and decided to send him to hell without any form or way to reunite with them, even if it was only temporary.

Yet so sooner than later, he heard voices and explosions. Was this an image of the Fourth Shinobi War? No. It was less… less violent than this. Sasuke could tell the difference between what was here and what had been the war. The shinobi wars had constant fighting and battle, it was far more chaotic, accompanied by sounds of battle. This... it was not as violent. Significantly less so.

…tor!

Hurry up!

Get to… safety! Find shelter!

Sasuke heard voices, faint and weak. It did not make sense to him. He had passed. So was this? Sasuke wanted to move, the shinobi part of him demanded to know what was going on, but he was frozen unable to move or even scarcely lift a finger. He did not know, and he could not even move, despite all that he shouted at himself to, his body could not respond to his thoughts.

Wasn't he supposed to be dead? He had been ready… ready to face his parents and Itachi once more. But he did not see them.

"Doctor… doctor!"

Then, harsh rays of light pierced through his vision. Sasuke felt his head swell with pain, throbbing as if it was going to burst, and it was all he could do to not scream, for he tried to ignore it…

Then, at last, the pain was gone, yet his body felt weak as he stood. It felt far weaker than even when he exhausted himself at his fights with Itachi or Naruto. It was so weak that he felt his legs nearly stumble over, having no control over them, and a feminine voice cried out, unfamiliar to him, supporting him.

"Doctor! No! Don't stand up too quickly!"

Shining aquamarine eyes not unlike Naruto, but a youthful feminine face completely unfamiliar to him, was etched in terror and pain and relief as she supported his movements, indicating she was a child. Her arms were wrapped around him tightly, refusing to let him go, and he could tell that she was concerned for him, deeply so.

"Doctor! I'm so glad! I'm so glad you're alright! Please don't scare me…" She whimpered as tears leaked from her face, soaking his… jacket? "Please don't scare me like that… that again."

What the-?!

Sasuke turned, lost, confused, and even bewildered, as he looked down at the girl hugging him… Was that a pair of bunny ears on her head? Then, he turned to look at the faces, none of which he recognized, looking at him with the same expressions of shock and concern.

Silence fell upon them.