"Are you happy Sasuke?" Karin looked up at him. Her back was broken and her breathing was becoming irregular. She could not save herself with her innate ability to heal. She had used up the last of her strength to save him.

"Sasuke… are you happy?"

He had seen a lot of death and he knew she was near the end. He took her hand and spoke softly to her. "Yes Karin, I am happy, thanks to you and to the others." If a lie was what she wanted to hear he would give it to her.

She smiled. "I'm… glad." With that her last breath left her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Are you happy Sasuke?

Happy? How long had it been since he'd been truly happy? Years, it had been years since he'd truly felt joy. Thinking on it for a second he remembered a quiet meal with him, the dobe, Sakura, and sensei all sitting down to some ramen. It was nothing special, just a meal with his team, but that was the last time he could remember truly being happy. All the things that he'd expected to bring him satisfaction never did. He'd seen Itachi die. He'd proven himself by defeating and killing Naruto. He'd avenged him family by destroying Konoha and annihilating the leaf ninja. And now he'd gained his last revenge by killing Madara who had betrayed him.

He'd accomplished everything he'd set out to. He had proven himself the strongest ninja and in doing so proven the legacy of the Uchiha clan. He'd destroyed all his rivals and killed every last person who had every betrayed him or his clan.

He'd attained every goal. He'd triumphed, completely and utterly.

And all it had cost him was everything.

He'd lost his family long ago. He'd abandoned his village and later laid it to fiery waste. The friends he'd made as a boy were dead, many at his own hands. Including his best friend and the only girl he might have really loved.

Even the team he'd created for himself was gone. Juugo and Suigetsu died during the assault on Leaf. Karin had died protecting and healing him as he battled with Madara.

He was now completely and totally alone. He did not have a single person he could trust. And while Konoha, Orochimaru, and Akatsuki were all gone he'd made blood enemies of the four remaining great villages. None of them would ever forgive him or let him live in peace. Even offering to restart the Uchiha clan in one of them was useless.

After all of his betrayals no one trusted him anymore.

He'd given up his dream of reestablishing his clan, even in secret. Without a great village's protection his children would be murdered or kidnapped the moment their sharingan's activated. The sad truth was that even though he was the most powerful ninja alive he could only survive by hiding himself and his abilities. If he wanted to live he would have to lead a quiet life somewhere out of the way.

He buried Karin in an unmarked grave and began to walk away. He wasn't sure where he was headed. He didn't suppose it really mattered now. He had nothing; he didn't even have a dream or a goal anymore.

But at least he'd gotten his vengeance.