A/N: Another war related one-shot from me. Requested and edited by Morgaine4.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own or claim ownership of any of the characters used in the story.

Grief

There was far too much blood.

Naruto's hands were stained red and trembling as he struggled to rip open the flak jacket of the woman in his arms. The thick material was soaked in her blood and her undershirt, once a pristine white, was even worse. He cursed venomously as his inspected the large gaping wound on her abdomen.

No. No. No.

He repeated the words aloud like a mantra, hardly aware that he was even doing so in his despair as he desperately pressed his hands on the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. Sakura's eyes were fluttering as she struggled to keep them open, her breathing fast and shallow. There was a fine sheen of sweat on her face and she was growing paler by the second from the blood loss.

"Heal yourself," Naruto begged. "Sakura-chan, you must heal yourself!"

He grabbed her hands, pressing them unsteadily against her wound as he willed them to start glowing with the soothing green light of her healing chakra.

But Sakura did nothing.

Instead, she opened her mouth, trying to speak. But as her lips started to form the words, she choked instead and to his horror, blood began trickling from her mouth.

"M-Medic," he whispered hoarsely before looking up.

"I need a medic," he bellowed.

But they were too far from the main battlefield. No one would hear his call and even if they somehow did, no one could reach them in time. The only people near them was his former teammate, lying unconscious several miles away because of Sakura's final punch and his own team, who were tending to their fallen leader. They had looked up at Naruto's cry but he looked away at once.

They could not help him.

No one could.

"N-Naruto."

The soft rasp of his name was faint but Naruto heard it and his attention immediately snapped back to the woman in his arms.

She was deadly pale now and perspiring profusely, and against the white of her skin, her blood stained lips looked even more gruesome.

"Don't speak," Naruto begged. "Please don't say anything, Sakura-chan. You're going to be okay. Help – help is on the way."

But Sakura weakly shook her head. Despite everything, her eyes were fully open now and filled with startling clarity. She lifted her hand, the movement slow and difficult and Naruto stilled as she reached out to him. Her touch was cool as her palm cupped his cheek and her fingers tangled in his short blond locks as she pulled him down towards her, till their breaths were mingling. Their eyes remained steadfastly locked on each other throughout.

"Naruto," she whispered again.

Her eyes were bright and filled with pain but there was fierceness in them that transfixed him. She didn't say anything and yet, in that painfully brief moment, a mutual understanding passed between them that required no words.

He didn't realise that he was crying until a few droplets splattered against Sakura's cheek. Her gaze softened and using her thumb, she reached out to wipe away the tears.

"Y-You're going to be okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto repeated shakily, the lump in his throat making his words short and jerky. "You'll be fine – I'm going to make sure that we make it through this. I won't let you die!"

He didn't know who he was trying to convince more, her or himself. But there was a hollow feeling at the pit of his stomach and his mind couldn't keep away the despair and hopelessness of their situation.

Liar, somewhere in the back of his mind whispered.

She's going to die and you can't do anything about it.

"W-We're going to make it through this," he continued loudly, drowning out the treacherous voice. "We'll survive this war and drag that bastard home. We're going to be Team Seven again, just like the old times. You'll surpass Baa-chan and become the greatest medic-nin and kunoichi ever. I'll become Hokage and the bastard will rebuild his clan. We – we still have so much to do. So you can't leave, right? Promise me that you won't leave. Please."

But Sakura didn't say anything.

Instead, her lips curved into a small smile. She pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. His eyes were wide when she pulled back and she let out a laugh, wincing at the pain she did so.

"Idiot," she sighed softly. "I won't leave you."

And then she drew in one last gasp of breath. Her eyes fluttered shut on the soft exhale, veiling her green orbs from him as her hand fell limply from cheek, leaving behind a bloody smear.

It felt like an eternity as he stared down at her unmoving figure.

"Liar," he whispered dully.

He could still taste her blood against his lips.

A part of his mind was telling him to get up, reminding him that the war was not done, that there were people who needed him, who were relying on him to guide them through.

But Naruto was tired.

The weariness seemed to seep into his very bones and he wanted nothing more but to remain there, to be left alone with Sakura, to be allowed to grief and do nothing else.

Despite that, his conscious refused to remain silent and it was screaming at him now.

One moment, Naruto thought numbly, staring down at Sakura, looking at her but not really seeing her.

Just give me one moment.

And then Minato and Kakashi were suddenly by his sides.

He did not see Kakashi staring at Sakura, pale and silent as though he was seeing a ghost. He barely noticed that Minato's face was grim and sombre until his father clasped a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned to look at him, unaware of the heart-breaking image he presented with the anguish in his eyes.

"Dad," Naruto said hollowly. "I – I tried to stop her but – but I failed. She wasn't supposed to die. Why did she have to die?"

Minato tightened his grip on his shoulder but could not answer.

Naruto scrunched his eyes shut as a look of agony crossed his face.

"Naruto," Minato said heavily. "I know that you're hurting. But the war isn't yet done. There will be time to grieve later. But you must get up now."

Why? Naruto wanted to ask but he remained silent and unmoving.

And then-

"What will you do now, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto stiffened.

He didn't need to turn around to know who was behind their group. With a jolt, he suddenly realised that he had now experienced exactly what Uchiha Obito had gone through. He bit back a bitter laugh as he recalled the harsh words he had given the man just hours before.

Somehow, he now understood exactly why the older man had chosen the path he did.

But then he remembered the look in Sakura's eyes as she lay dying and suddenly, his mind cleared and focused. He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

They were still waiting for him to answer - all of them were.

Very carefully, he gently laid Sakura's body on the ground. He took his time as he brushed the stray stands of hair out of her face and using his sleeve, he wiped away the blood from her mouth before leaning back to look at her once more. A hint of her last smile still remained and her expression was peaceful, as though she was only simply asleep. His heart clenched painfully in his chest.

He couldn't bear to look at her anymore and he finally spun around to face the Uchiha, who stood a short distance away, watching him impassively.

If Naruto had turned away just a few seconds later, he would have seen that Sakura started to stir and that the diamond-shaped seal on her forehead glowed as thick black tendrils slowly extended from the small mark and patterned around Sakura's face. He would have seen her bring her arms up weakly and clasp her hands together to form a hand seal. But Naruto's attention was already drawn away and he did not hear the faint sound her action produced even as it caught Kakashi's attention.

"S-Sakura?"

Naruto and Minato did not hear Kakashi's stunned whisper, nor did they notice as his teacher helped steady her shaky arms, watching with wonder as her wound slowly began to heal before his eyes, the flesh knitting itself back together and colour slowly began to return to the pink-haired woman's face.

Her eyes slowly opened.

"Naruto," Kakashi called urgently but Obito had begun speaking again at the same time and Kakashi's call was lost.

"You and I are truly alike," Obito continued. "It's uncanny. We shared the same dream. We both had a difficult teammate who was both a friend and a rival. Now, we have even lost the one we loved the most because of that friend. She was precious to you, was she not?"

He caught the flinch at his words and smiled bitterly.

"Would you still refuse me now if I offered you what I did before?" he asked, watching him intently. "A world without war and conflict, where everyone you love and lost would be alive again. She would be alive."

"I refuse," Naruto replied coolly, his expression as though carved out of stone.

Obito did not seem surprised by his answer though his eyes narrowed nevertheless.

"And why not?" he pressed. "You, and everyone else, would never need to feel pain again – especially the pain of losing the ones you love. You could have anything you wanted. I could even make you Hokage. And yet, you still resist. Don't you want to see her alive again?"

There was genuine curiosity in his eyes.

He wants to feel justified in the path he chose, Naruto realised immediately. For a second, he almost forgot his own grief and pain as he felt an intense surge of pity for the man before him.

I could have gone down his path.

I still could.

"I do want to see everyone I've lost," Naruto admitted quietly. Minato shifted beside him, and he placed a hand warningly on his arm. Naruto ignored it. "I want to see my parents – both my parents – again. I want Pervy Sage and Neji back, as well as everyone who lost their lives in this war."

He bowed his head momentarily.

"And I want Sakura-chan back," he said, looking back up, his fists clenched tightly. "I want her to stand by my side again. I want to see her laugh, to see her smile. I just want to see her whole and happy and content. And I want to tell her how much I love her. Yet another regret for me."

He gave a sharp laugh at that.

"But I still won't do it," he continued fiercely. "I won't give in and I won't go back on my word because-"

"Because it's your ninja way?" Obito interrupted mockingly.

"-Because that's what Sakura-chan would want me to do," Naruto finished, smiling grimly.

For the first time, Obito lost control and a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

"You're a fool, Uzumaki Naruto," he spat. "If you had truly loved her, you would do whatever it takes to see her again."

"No, Obito," Naruto contradicted quietly. "It's because I love her that I won't do it. I love her too much to dishonour her like that, to betray who she was and everything she fought for, just for a mere illusion of her."

Obito looked stricken.

He said no more and Naruto turned away to face his father again. Minato gazed at Obito for a moment longer, his face grave, before he looked at his son.

"The battles are all nearly done," Minato informed him quietly. It's almost time."

Naruto nodded resolutely, pushing his grief to the back of his mind as he focused.

Fighting he could do. Fighting would help him forget the pain, even if for just a little while. His heart felt heavy but he looked to where his other teammate still lay unconscious and began to take a step towards his direction.

"I have to go-"

"Naruto."

He stopped short.

It can't be.

Minato was already turning at the sound of the soft but achingly familiar voice. Yet, Naruto stood rooted to the spot, unable to move even as his instincts screamed at him to turn around.

He was afraid.

It's an illusion, he told himself firmly. You'll turn around and Sakura-chan will still be lying on the ground. She's dead.

But then Minato laid a hand on his arm and the smile on his face was all the encouragement he needed for his doubts to vanish. His heart pounding, he slowly pivoted on his heel…

…and felt his breath catch in his throat.

She was watching him solemnly.

But she looked fine. Her eyes were bright and alert and the colour was back in her lips and cheeks as though she hadn't been dying in his arms mere moments before, though her blood soaked front told otherwise.

Never breaking eye-contact, he took a step toward her, then another and another and then he was standing right in front of her. He ached to reach out to her, to touch her, to assure himself that she was well and truly alive. But still, he hesitated.

Suddenly, she spoke.

"I told you that I won't leave you," she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Idiot."

She smiled at him then, and it didn't matter to him that she was bloodied and grimy, her hair in disarray or that her lips were trembling from holding back her tears.

The sight of her standing there alive and with a smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

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