Never Again: A Naruto Fanfiction

Epilogue

Blood covered his body as he stood over Sasuke's body, his eyes staring lifelessly down at the corpse in front of him as his arms hung loosely at his side. He turned towards the group and Sakura bit back a gasp as she saw just how empty his eyes were. 

Just how dead he truly looked. 

"Naruto," She heard Tsunade call out as the Hokage began rushing towards the blond, but was stopped as a barrier of sand halted her in her tracks. Tsunade glared furiously at Gaara. "What are you doing?" 

Gaara closed his eyes, his arm still outstretched as he thought of his next words and actions carefully. "I. . ." He paused. "I'm saving your village, Hokage-dono. Naruto Uzumaki is a triple S-Class missing ninja. The power he holds is incredible." He lowered his tone and opened his eyes. A small hole opened in the sand in front of Tsunade, and she could hear Gaara's voice whisper from it. "And I, nor him, can allow you to throw your village's safety away. Not after everything he's sacrificed." 

Tsunade looked at Gaara with pleading eyes, but his solid teal eyes were steel as he met her gaze unwaveringly. "Even if he was right about the threat of that man, he's still killed thousands of civilians and innocents. We, as Kage, have a duty to bring him down!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, making sure all of the shinobi in the vicinity heard his cry. 

With this act, nobody here could be considered an accomplice of Naruto Uzumaki. There could be no war if every village hunted him, what many would consider to be the root for much of the strife between the Hidden Villages. 

"Wait!" Sakura cried out, running forward. "He's still our friend!" 

"No I'm not," A sinister voice whispered behind Sakura's back. Sakura felt a chill run up her spine as she slowly turned around to see the hollow eyes of Naruto Uzumaki, his mismatched eyes staring straight into her soul. "The boy you hold all those memories with, the boy who chased you after school when you were a kid, that boy. . ." Naruto's eyes showed nothing. No hatred, no love, no annoyance, and no pleasure. Nothing. "Is dead."

"Naruto. . ." She whispered. This isn't how it was supposed to go. This isn't how it was supposed to go at all. They were supposed to come back to the village, him, Sayuri, her , and Obito! They were all supposed to come back and be a family again! Tears welled at the corner of her eyes as she looked into Naruto's Rinnegan and dull blue ones. "Please. . ." 

A soft, almost inaudible whisper came from Naruto's throat. "You have to let me go, Sakura-chan." It was soft, sincere, and most of all, it was Naruto. Speaking for what was perhaps the last time. 

"Oh Naruto," She sobbed as she sanked to her knees, clutching her chest as she began to sob uncontrollably. She heard his footsteps go away from her and she only cried harder, her throat tightening as she heard him speak from behind her, addressing the rest of the shinobi on the battlefield. 

"Tell others of what you saw here today. Tell others of what I can do, of what I'm willing to do, and how far I'm willing to go. If you try and find me. . ." The words hung in the air like wet clothes, staying there as Sakura could only hear silence. She rubbed the tears out of her eyes and looked up, but saw Naruto was gone. 

She looked around, but there was no sight of the bloodied blond anywhere. Sakura then heard a familiar, angry voice shout. "If that bastard thinks he's just going to run away after everything, he has another thing coming." Sayuri shouted to no one in particular as she darted away from the battlefield. "NAARRRRUUUUTTTOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Sakura could hear in the distance as she watched her other teammate disappear in the distance. 

Leaving her all alone.