Epilogue

(A few days later, Naruto is sitting near a tree in the village, thinking about Sasuke and Sakura.)

Flashback

(Naruto wakes up the next morning, after Sasuke forced him to leave the woods. He looks around for Sakura, but can't find her anywhere in the village. Finally, he runs into Kakashi.)

Naruto: Kakashi-sensei! Man, am I glad I found you. Have you seen Sakura and Sasuke?

Kakashi: No. I don't think they ever returned from the forest.

Naruto: What? Never returned?? I gotta go look for them!

(He dashes off to the woods. When he gets there, he searches for a long time without finding anything. Then he finally discovers them.)

Naruto: Sasuke, Sakura? Why are you two asleep on the-

(He touches Sakura, and she is cold.)

Naruto: …Sakura?

(He gently puts her on her back.)

Naruto: Sakura, no!

(He sees her blood-soaked shirt, and the bloody stake on the ground.)

Naruto: No, Sakura…!

(He turns Sasuke over, and finds the same hole in his chest.)

Naruto: Sasuke, not you, too! No!

(Kakashi appears behind Naruto. Naruto doesn't notice him. Naruto sinks to the ground, weeping.)

Naruto: Sakura…

(He kneels next to her. He lifts her gently, and kisses her cold, lifeless lips.)

Naruto: Sakura, Sasuke…

(Kakashi surveys the scene in horror.)

Kakashi thinking: Were Sasuke and Sakura…murdered? Or…did one of them do this?

(Naruto holds the stake.)

Naruto: …Maybe I should be with them…

(He closes his eyes. Kakashi speaks to him.)

Kakashi: No, Naruto. Don't do it.

Naruto: Huh?

(He turns around to see Kakashi.)

Naruto hides his tears: …How long have you been here, Kakashi-sensei?

Kakashi: Long enough.

(He looks at Sasuke and Sakura.)

Kakashi: …I'm sorry about this. You shouldn't have been the first one to discover it. I should have gone to looks for them last night.

Naruto sniffle: Sensei…how could they have died? Were they…murdered?

Kakashi: I don't know.

(He bends down to inspect them closer.)

Kakashi: Naruto, do you notice something…strange…about Sakura?

Naruto looks her over: …Uh, no. Not really.

Kakashi: She's smiling.

Naruto: She is?

(He sees that she is smiling.)

Kakashi: She wouldn't have smiled if she was about to be murdered.

Naruto: …You're not saying…

Kakashi: She may have…killed herself.

Naruto: But what about Sasuke?

Kakashi: ….

Naruto: Wait a minute. You don't think…?

Kakashi: Sakura might have killed Sasuke.

Naruto: No way! She'd never kill anybody! Especially not Sasuke!

Kakashi: Naruto, I'm just saying…it's possible.

(Kakashi notices something under where Naruto is standing.)

Kakashi: Naruto, what's that under you?

Naruto: Huh?

(Naruto takes a step back.)

Naruto: It looks like…writing!

(There are words on the ground, in a bloody scrawl. These are the words Sakura wrote. They read, "KILL ITACHI".)

Naruto: Itachi? What's that?

Kakashi: I…don't know.

Naruto: Who wrote that, anyway?

Kakashi: It's hard to tell. It's very messy.

Naruto: And blood-stained.

Kakashi: If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's Sakura's handwriting. It looks a little like her usual style.

Naruto: …What do those words mean? "Kill Itachi"? It doesn't make any sense!

Kakashi: It's probably best to remember them, though. If Sakura wrote them right before she died, then they must be important. They must mean something.

Present

(Naruto is wondering why Sakura would've killed Sasuke, and then herself. He begins to cry a little. As he cries to himself, he notices a tree nearby, one that he did not see before. It is a beautifully bloomed cherry blossom tree.)

Naruto: Huh? Sakura trees don't bloom at this time of year.

(He stands up, and goes over to the tree. As a breeze blows gently through its pink flowered branches, it sounds as if the tree is talking, whispering to him.)

Naruto: It…sounds like the tree is…nah. I'm just imagining it.

(Some of the cherry blossoms fall from the tree. They fall into Naruto's cupped hands. He digs a small hole in the earth with his hands. He drops the blossoms into it, and covers them with dirt. To his surprise, they sprout immediately. They form a small but beautiful pink flower.)

Naruto: Wow, what a pretty flower. Its petals are pink, like Sakura's hair, and the stem is green like her eyes…I'm gonna call this flower 'My Sakura'.

Timeskip

(Nearly every day, Naruto has come to see his Sakura. He waters it every time, and is careful not to step on it or anything. He loves it because it reminds him of his deceased love.)

(Kakashi walks by him.)

Kakashi: Naruto, what are you doing?

Naruto: …I'm just thinking.

Kakashi: Is everything alright?

Naruto: Yeah.

Kakashi: You're still upset about Sakura, huh?

Naruto: …I don't wanna talk about it.

Kakashi: …Okay.

(He continues on his way.)

(Naruto looks at his Sakura.)

Naruto: It's been two weeks, but…it still feels like you're here. …I'll never forget you.

(He gets up, and begins to walk away. As he does, he turns around for one more look.)

Naruto: And I won't forget Sasuke, either. I guess…we were like brothers.

(He leaves. But as he walks away, he doesn't see Sakura sitting up in the tree, watching him. She is with Sasuke, who is also watching Naruto. She calls out to him. Naruto turns around, startled. He can't see anything, though.)

Naruto to himself: Did I just hear…?

(He shakes his head.)

Naruto: No, it couldn't have been.

(He continues on.)

Naruto: Sakura isn't alive…but I believe in angels.

I can feel you far away,

Your hesitation matching mine.

Sadness left as the residue between uncompromising love

Between the blind seeking

The adoration of bright doorways

And sweet melodic voices.

I can feel you far away,

With your earthen eyes,

Catching the waves of unknown oceans.

Not born,

Harvesting the seeds of torn lullabies, in disguise,

Your grief matching mine,

Touching glasses toasting the totality of all time.

When lovers fought between the lines of red wine.

Pouring from the gashes left behind by the sweet petals

Of a misunderstood rose.