This fic is in honour of William George Hobbs, who had lost his life, killed November 11, 1918 at 1:00 PM when the first World War had ended at 11:00PM. This is for Fredrick Walter Hayden Hobbs the second, who also fought in the war, when he was but 13, after lying about his age. This is for Anna Helene Froseler/Hobbs, who was a nurse in the World War. This is for Fredrick Walter Haden Hobbs the third, who had fought in World War II, and who had been stabbed, though survived. This is for William Reginald George Hobbs, my grandfather, who had fought in the military for a time after the war. This is for John Raymond Hobbs, who had fought in World War II. This is for Dennis Robert Henry Hobbs, who joined the army when he was 16 by forging his mothers signature, and ultimately was kicked out when his father found out, and who had tested out the H-bomb. This ones for my family, of the 42nd foot brigade, and of every man and woman who had lost their lives, or lost friends, in any war. This is for every man and woman, who has ever had to feel grief because they lost someone important to them in one of man's petty struggles, and pointless wars.
This one's for the solders.
Lest we forget.
 
And this note is for the assholes, who can't stand still for the minute they should during the moment of silence. This ones for the jerks who begin laughing during the moment where we bow our heads in respect for those who gave us their freedom. This is for those who can't stop laughing when a solder is giving their speech, and for the inconsiderate people who sew during the assembly: FUCK YOU!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Warnings: Character death, war, language. Slight OOCness. Slightly AU.
"We are the champions! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!! NO TIME FOR LOSERS 'CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS .......!! OF THE WORLD!!"
The older people in the room ignored the energetic blond on the table, while some of the teens began singing along meekly or laughed at him.
"Naruto," the listless voice stopped the blond in his tracks, and he looked down at the raven haired boy who was sitting on the table he had been dancing on.
"What is it Sasuke?" Naruto asked, squatting down in front of him, so they were eye-level with each other.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto blinked. "I'm celebrating our victory, what does it look like?"
"We're in the middle of a war. So we won one battle with no casualties, that doesn't mean we'll keep it up. You can celebrate if we win the war," Sasuke said, staring directly into Naruto's clear blue eyes. Naruto sighed and sat down heavily on his behind.
"You always ruin my fun Sasuke. And what do you mean, if? Of course we're going to win."
"What are you? A fortune teller? What makes you think we're going to win?"
"Well - I..." Naruto started, for once at a loss for words.
The mood in the room suddenly went oppressive, the air seemed to weigh a hundred times heavier.
"Way to go Sasuke," Naruto grumbled. "Now you got everyone upset."
Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Better then giving everyone false hope."
"Yeah, so now we're going to go into the next battle all sad and depressed, while if you would've just kept your big mouth shut, we would've been a lot more optimistic about it."
"Well, now we won't make careless mistakes, will we?" Sasuke shot back.
"Yeah, 'cause we'll think we're going to die."
"We would've died if we went into battle unprepared!"
Just as Naruto opened his mouth to retort, Sakura hit him over the head.
"Both of you shut up," she commanded, glaring at the both of them. "Really! You two are acting so immature."
Naruto and Sasuke both glared in different directions.
Sakura sighed. "Why do I even try?" then she walked away from them.
Naruto jumped off the table at the exact same moment Sasuke stood up and pushed his food, if it could be called that, away from him.
"I'm going to go train," the said in unison. Then glared at each other, before walked to different sides of the room.
Sasuke began doing one handed finger push-up's in his end of the room, while Naruto did hand-stand push-up's in his.
"Arg! As much as I love Sasuke-kun, he can be so immature when he's around Naruto," Sakura complained, flopping down in her seat beside Ino, Hinata and TenTen.
"Then why don't you just admit defeat and give Sasuke up to me?" Ino asked.
Sakura said nothing, simply glaring at Ino.
Hinata nodded, looking over to where Naruto was training, she blushed and turned away quickly when Naruto looked at her.
TenTen sighed. "This war... it's so... I don't know, but I don't feel like... why did this happen?" She asked.
The other girls looked at her. TenTen looked at then, as though she didn't know they were there, or that she was speaking aloud, or even that they were listening to her. "I mean, it's so stressful. Lee and Neji have been fighting a lot more then usual lately, and they've been training non-stop practically. Naruto and Sasuke have always fought a lot, I know, but Sasuke hardly ever replied to Naruto's taunts. The fighting or rivalry or whatever you want to call it is become two-sided now."
Sakura shook her head. "It was always two sided, though, you do have a point in the fact that Sasuke didn't really show his part in the rivalry."
Hinata nodded. "Kiba and Shino have been fighting a lot more too. The other day I had to stop Shino from sending his bugs at Kiba."
Ino nodded. "Shikamaru and Chouji have started fighting. It's really weird because I always thought that they were both too lazy to anyone other then who they had too. It's really getting on my nerves," Ino sighed, and began playing with her short blond hair. "It sucks being surrounded by guys."
Hinata, Sakura and TenTen all nodded in agreement.
Their attention was all averted when they heard yelling.
"You don't know what you're talking about Iruka!" Kakashi yelled.
"I know a lot more then you do!" Iruka retorted. "And you're plan isn't going to work!"
Kakashi let out a curt laugh. "And that's why you're only a Chunnin while I'm a Jounnin?"
Iruka glared. "I've been teaching battle tactics for years now, and I'm pretty sure I know when a plan is going to fail miserably, and that's exactly what yours is going to do."
Kakashi glared with his one eye. "You know what? No one's had the heart to tell you this, but YOU'RE A LOUSY TEACHER!!"
One thing Kakashi didn't see coming, was Iruka's fist, until it was already connected with his face.
Kakashi fell to the ground, but quickly got up and lunged at Kakashi. Surprisingly, the first one to jump into the fray to break the two teachers up, was Naruto.
"What the hell is going on?" Naruto yelled. "You guys are acting like children."
"Yeah, and you're the expert on acting like a child, aren't you Naruto?" Sasuke asked coldly, walking up to the three males.
"You're the same age as me Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
"Sure don't act that way, do you dobe?" Sasuke retorted.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!"
Sasuke seemed to not hear Naruto, as he looked at Iruka coldly. "Don't you know not to fight with your superiores?"
Naruto looked from Iruka to Kakashi, then glared at Sasuke. "What makes you think the Kakashi-sensei is right?"
Sasuke smirked. "Because, he's stronger, smarted, and just plan better."
Naruto glared at him. "And you're just a moron!"
"You know Kakashi-sensei's right."
"Iruka-sensei!"
"Kakashi-sensei!"
"Iruka!"
"Kakashi!"
"Iru -" Naruto was cut off.
"You don't even know what the two of them are fighting about!" Sakura screamed, jumping in-between the quelling males.
"It doesn't matter," Naruto said, glaring at Sasuke over Sakura's shoulder, "Iruka-sensei is right."
"Kakashi!"
"Iruka!"
"Kakashi!"
Both of them were promptly whacked over the head. "You both shut up!! If you can't agree then don't talk to each other! And stop being so damned immature!" And with those final words, Sakura stomped off to sit with the girls once again.
"Come on Naruto," Iruka said, placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go do something constructive."
Naruto nodded, and allowed himself to be led away by Iruka. Kakashi and Sasuke glared after then, before turning on their heels and walking away.
"What are we going to do Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, looking at his former teacher.
Iruka shrugged. "I guess we can go scout around for enemies," he said. When Naruto nodded, the both of them walked out the door.
Sakura and Hinata watched them leave, slightly confused.
"Where do you think their going Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked.
Sakura shrugged. "No clue. You don't think they were that mad about the fight, do you?" she asked.
Hinata looked at the now closed door again, then looked over at Kakashi and Sasuke, who were sparring, apparently unaware of the two males who had just left. "Maybe," she said simply, then the two girls joined in the conversation with the other two.
Sasuke barely saw, out of the corner of his eye, Naruto and Iruka leaving the building together.
What are they doing? He thought. It's a little dangerous for just the two of them to go out there...
He was shaken from his thoughts when Kakashi's fist connected with his face, an attack he could've easily blocked.
"Let them go," Kakashi whispered, "I'm sure they know what they're doing. Besides, if you don't pay attention to me, you're going to be nothing but a bloody pulp by the end of the night."
Sasuke nodded, and managed to punch Kakashi in the gut when he wasn't expecting it.
Naruto and Iruka walked along the ground, the leaves crunching silently beneath their feet.
Naruto shivered involuntarily. "Damn, it's cold out," he muttered, rubbing his arms.
Iruka nodded. "Winters coming..."
Naruto looked up at his solemn face. "Iruka-sensei... why are we fighting?" He asked.
"Because... it's human nature. It's ninja nature. To fight, to kill. To get more then we already have, to take what's not theirs, even if it's a life. There's a man, and he wants everyone whose different from him to die. He's already in control of the Sand Village, the Sound Village, the Stone Village, the Cloud Village, Mist Village and most of the Grass Village. We are outnumbered nearly five to three. But we know he's wrong. And that's why we fight Naruto. For what's right."
Naruto sighed. "That's not what I meant," he said simply, and Iruka looked at him curiously. "I mean, why must we fight amongst ourselves? We're in the middle of the war, and we're spending more time bickering with each other then fighting the war."
Iruka looked at him, curious. Naruto was one of the people who was fighting the most.
And though, that's what he was thinking, Naruto was thinking differently. He had always acted like that to Sasuke, and Sasuke always ignored him. It pissed him off sometimes, but that was the way it was suppose to be. But now that Sasuke was well... not ignoring him anymore, it sent chills down Naruto's spine. Made a sort of, foreboding air in their relationship. And Naruto didn't like it. Not at all, especially not in this war.
Before Iruka could say anything about Naruto's comment, however, 4 shirunken landed at his feet.
He jumped backwards, immediately alert. Why did he forget that if he was going out to scout for enemies, he should stay hidden, and not talk. Of course, he hadn't really expected to run into enemies so soon.
They weren't that far from the building where the retaliating ninja's were. The Leaf ninjas, the Rain ninja's and the remaining Grass ninjas. In fact... if Iruka were to turn around he would bet money one the fact that he could still see it.
Naruto seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Iruka.
"Go back and warn everyone, I'll hold these clowns off with my Kage Bushin no Jutsu," he whispered lowly.
Although Iruka was reluctant to leave Naruto here, alone, with the ninja's of unknown strength, he had no choice but to comply. He took off running towards the building.
"Coward," one of the ninja's whispered, his voice echoing throughout the treetops. "Leaving a child here, while he goes and runs off for safety."
"Shut up!!!" Naruto snapped, then let free his clones, each radiating with a strong chakra.
About 5 ninja's dropped down from the trees. "Aww, the ickle ninja can clone himself, isn't that cute?" one of them smirked.
"Enough talk!" Naruto barked, and five of the clones charged at the ninja's. the other ninja's were caught off guard when solid fists connected with them.
"Solid clones?" The mocking one gasped. This seemed like the cue for dozens more ninja's to jump down after him. The Naruto's spun around, looking at them all with avid alertness.
And then, knowing there was no other choice, he exploded with chakra. The chakra of the nine tailed fox.
None of the enemy ninja's seemed to know exactly what the chakra Naruto was dipping into was, they charged that the clones, only to quickly have kunai's digging through their skin, into their hearts, their throats, their heads, and sometimes gutting them, their intestines falling to the ground, making sickening noises.
By the time the people had excited the cabin, the fight was practically done. Naruto stabbed one more through the heart, and, they were all gone.
His remaining clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, and he walked up to the group of ninja's, red eyes flashing. The adults who had felt the nine-tails chakra before stood shaking, unable to control any motion to attack, or to flee.
He walked straight up to Sasuke, who was scared of his chakra also, although he didn't know why. He couldn't move as the bloodied Naruto stood on his tiptoes, and looked directly into Sasuke's eyes, red eyes glaring.
"Sasuke," he acknowledged.
Sasuke nodded, unsure on how to address him. This wasn't Naruto... this didn't feel like Naruto.
"Sorry for fighting with you," Naruto said, and Sasuke was taken aback. "And I'm more sorry for making you argue back, like a child, that's not like you at all...."
And, with those final words, he fell forward, into Sasuke's arms. Sasuke fell to his knees under the added weight.
He took Naruto's wrist in his hand, placed his head over his chest. "He -... he's not breathing... he has no pulse," he proclaimed after a few moments.
Sakura gasped, Hinata tried to keep her tears hidden.
"How... how did he die? He... I don't think he has any wounds," Shikamaru said, kneeling beside Naruto.
"He does," Sasuke confirmed. "Just nothing serious enough to kill him." He looked up at Iruka and Kakashi, questioning them, challenging them to answer.
Both were silent, looking at the still boy in Sasuke's arms. It was Sakura who answered him.
"The human body can only stand to have so much chakra running through it. Naruto strained himself. He strained himself to protect us," silent tears fell from her eyes, "and now he's dead."
It was one of the adults from the Leaf Village who broke the silence. "Alright. We need to plan our next route of attack. This time, no arguing," this statement he directed at Kakashi and Iruka.
"Aren't you going to add his name to the list of casualties so we can add his name onto the memorial," Sakura demanded.
One of the women for the Leaf Village scoffed. "Why should he? All in all, he's done more damage then good."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke snapped at all of them. "He probably just saved all of us!"
Iruka sighed, and rubbed the scar on the bridge of his nose. He faced all of the teenagers and children, all of Naruto's classmates. "Naruto... he... the demon fox is sealed within him."
This seemed to freeze everyone who didn't already know. The ninja's from other villages, the youngsters of the Leaf Village.
Sasuke was the first one to speak up. "That doesn't mean you can just forget about him! He gave up his life, he gave up his dream for you people, and you can't even add his name to a damn stone tablet?"
His demands went unheard to all but four sets of ears. And to all but five people, he remained forgotten.
The winners of the war were indeed the Leaf Village and their allies. But, when Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kakashi and Iruka died, Naruto's name was no more.
He became forgotten, the only legends of him were the horrible boy who was indeed the demon fox who had killed so many.
A nameless, punk of a kid, who killed thousands when he got upset.
Not one legend about the boy who would've been Hokage, the boy who just wanted his village to acknowledge him, the boy who had given up his dream, and his life, to save those who so despised him.
The boy who was all alone in his pain.
~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you all liked it. I spent a lot of time on it, though it's not all that good T-T... I felt so rushed, sorta, because I was having like 5 or 6 convo's while I wrote this. NEWAYS, I hope you all read and review anyway.
And if you even know a little bit about Yu-Gi-Oh do you think you could read my Remembrance Day fic in that fandom called "Rembrance."
