Saruto | The Celestial War (Part 2)

Chapter 43: Because You Are My Friend

"Sasuke..." I softly spoke out of shock.

His eyes locked onto mine as he stood in front of me. My eyes lingered to the chest to which his hands held the white receiver. It had struck right through his heart. As he tried to swallow he began to choke up blood. I watched in shock as the blood began to drip from his lips. Suddenly he winced in pain as the white chakra poisoning began to spread from his wound. He began to lose his balance and stumbled toward the ground. Immediately I darted close to him and grabbed his right arm pulling him close to my chest. I could tell he was in pain so I lowered both of us to the ground. Using my right arm I sat him up and looked down at his chest. More and more blood began to pour out of his mouth and the white chakra burned into his flesh at a slow rate.

"Why?" I spoke as my eyes began to water.

The receptor was supposed to hit me and not him. My anger began to fade as he winced once more in pain. I then adjusted his posture to make him more comfortable.

"Because," he looked up to me and smiled, " you are my friend."

My eyes widened and the tears began to fall down my face. I still didn't understand. So many times we had both cheated death. Faced so many enemies and prevailed against them all.

Together.

Why now? He still had a life to live. Why him? Why not me? I still needed him.

My thoughts poisoned reality. I began to forget about the war, everything. I couldn't believe it. It was too soon. I began to remember the early days of the academy. The day we found out we were on the same team. Ha, we sure hated that day. I remember our first mission in the Land of Waves with Kakashi and Sakura. That was the first time we had really begun to understand each other. Things happened that pulled us apart and pitted us against each other. But he came back. He always came back. Like how in the Final Valley, we saved the Five Shinobi Nations together that day. When he told me that Sakura was pregnant. Boy, he sure had looked mortified. But I knew him as someone that no one else could see. Someone with compassion and a strong sense of loyalty. He had really come so far. His time shouldn't be up.

He was my brother.

"Naruto..." Sasuke snapped out of my trance.

My tears were growing stale from the dry wind of the battlefield. I could feel it filling my hair. Looking down at him, he probably thought I was pitiful to show such a face.

"You still have something to fight for," he reminded me.

"But how?" I said in a defeated tone.

I had lost so many people in my lifetime. You'd think I would grow to be used to it. But everytime. It still hurts. Everytime, it hurts more than the last. First, it was Lord Third, Jiraiya, then my mother, then it was Neji, then it was my father, then Kurama, then Hiashi, then Boruto, then Sakura, and now...

"Naruto," Sasuke coughed, "you are the Seventh Hokage. If anyone could save us, it would be you. So, with every ounce of power you have left..."

My eyes shot towards him as his next words came as a disbelief to me. Sasuke knew the risk and the amount of power this would grant me. It would be fatal. But he knew that I would take it without question.

"Take my eye and Boruto-," he said, reaching up to his face.

I watched as his fingers lingered over his eyes. I shedded a single tear and I nodded. Looking down at my lap, I could not bear to see him in any more pain.

My expression flinched as he winced before quickly ripping them out of his sockets. I could tell as I peered out of the corner of my eye that he was being swift and gentle. Lifting my head to face him, it pained me to see his lifeless eyes. He had truly seen the world for the last time.

Soon he closed them and smiled. He reached his hand out to mine and placed them gently in my palm. As I stared at the Sharingan. I felt the guilt of my past. And then I remembered Sarada. He was all she had. She had lost both her husband and mother. Without him...

"I know," Sasuke spoke out in response to my thoughts.

He knew exactly what I was thinking.

"She will not be alone, she is strong," he smiled, " Remember, we are not leaving this world unprotected. It has people like him."

I watched as he instinctively turned his head towards the cliffs almost a thousand meters away. As I stared into the distance of the pink sky, I saw standing on the top of the cliffs down at us. Saruto. His lone figure stood by itself looking down on the battlefield. His face was sad and burdened. I could tell he knew what came next.

"He is our legacy, Naruto," Sasuke spoke with confidence, "and because of him we know that our will of fire will never go out."

I turned my gaze back towards Sasuke who landed in my arms.

"You're right," I responded confidently, "and she will be the next Hokage."

Sasuke smiled, he was probably proud of the fact the first Uchiha to be Hokage was her. He probably began to remember every moment he had with her. Every cherished word. His smile became soft and tears of both water and blood began to stream softly down his face.

My heart dropped. As I clenched his hand hard.

"Naruto, just promise me one thing," he said as his face formed into a serious grimace.

"Promise that you will tell Sarada..." he said with his words echoing into my eyes.

They were soft whispers as he clinged on to life to give me his last words. As he pulled away, I smiled at him.

He began to smile as his life began to slip away. The white chakra poison was now taking full effect as it had reached his neck.

"I will see my brother again," he seemed to get excited, it was subtle but there, "and my parents, my clan, Boruto. And... Sakura."

I was no longer sad but happy for him.

"Sasuke..."

He smiled and laughed, "Loser."

Soon his smile began to fade away and his grip on my hand loosened. He was free. As his hand slipped from my grasp, gasped as his arm limped and then fell on the ground by his side.

I clenched my eyes close and then mumbled under my breath, "Wait for me, my friend."

I then began to rise to my feet as I gently set him sitting up against a rock. His eyelids were closed and his head slumped over. He seemed at peace. I was almost jealous. Years of fighting and finally at peace. Giving him one last look, I remember the best moment we had ever had together.