This isn't actually how I think Naruto will end, but it is what I think may happen between the former members of Team 7.

By mixing truth into it, they had made their lie far stronger. - The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis.

Sasuke Uchiha waited patiently. It had been barely a week since his attack on Konoha, a diversionary attack that had been intended to buy time for Madara's final steps. Sasuke had undertaken that attack alone, equipped with his new Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Susanoo and of course, his usage of Amaterasu. Much to Sasuke's disappointment, the attack had failed, to a degree. Of course, he had managed to destroy a great part of the village, as well as cripple the Godaime Hokage Tsunade Senju. That he was particularly pleased about. Tsunade was the last living member of the Senju clan, although Madara claimed that Naruto of all people had a link to Hashirama Senju as well, through his mother. By now most people had figured out that Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage. That had not been much of a surprise to Sasuke in some respects, but the revelation that the Uchiha clan had been in favour of a specialised training regimen for the Jinchuuriki had been. That was ironic in the extreme.

However, the attack on Konoha had not killed the inhabitants, as Sasuke had hoped. In fact, most people had survived the attack. Yamato, the man who bore the blood of the Shodaime Hokage, had almost killed himself to create a replica of the Hidden Village, then Naruto had made thousands of transformed Shadow Clones to make it seem like the real thing. It had worked excellently, until Sasuke discovered the team that was coming to capture him. Led by Tsunade personally, Kakashi had been one of the members, as had a lot of the more powerful shinobi of Konoha. It had not been a pleasant battle, even for him who was seeking his revenge. The final result was Tsunade crippled, most of the team dead and Kakashi inflicting a serious wound on Sasuke. What was worse was that now Sasuke was aware that Naruto's destroyed Shadow Clones had sent their memories back to their creator, who now knew every single one of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan's techniques. Which meant everyone did. The overall objective had been achieved however, and Madara was only an hour away from becoming the Jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails, imperfect though it was, lacking the Eight-Tails and the full power of the Nine-Tails.

The other result that had come about, was that Tsunade had stepped down as Hokage, after giving her final orders. Under the direct command of Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuuga and the newly appointed Jonin Rock Lee, the Konoha 12 had been given the task of hunting down their former comrade and removing him from the equation, dead or alive. While Sasuke cared nothing for Konoha anymore, part of him did feel a twinge of regret at the thought of his former classmates coming to kill him, though the other part of him found it perfectly poetic. This was how it should have been at the beginning. Most of the Rookie 9 had been dispatched to try and reach him when he had gone after Itachi, but the full twelve would have been a much better idea. It was fitting. He had only a handful of reserves left, Zetsu mostly, and Team Taka had long since deserted him. They would not have been much use anyways, Especially not against the like of Lee, Neji or Naruto. He doubted even Zetsu could stand against the full might of the Konoha 12. Eight of them had killed Kakazu and Hidan, with Shikamaru Nara defeating the Immortal Hidan single-handedly. Naruto alone had defeated Pain, one of the most powerful of the Akatsuki and the bearer of the Rinnegan. Even Hinata Hyuuga, one of the weakest of their group, had managed to stand against the Deva Path of Pain and land a blow on him. All of them had been instrumental in the defence of Konoha during that time, and doubtless they had gotten stronger.

Battle had been joined, it appeared, as Sasuke was shaken from his reverie. They'd found him, not that it mattered anyways. All he had to do was hold for a brief amount of time and Madara would have succeeded. Konoha would be forever destroyed. Eventually, whoever got through would face him and Sasuke would destroy them. It was the perfect defence. Hold back the weaker members, and he'd face off against the stronger members one at a time. None would pass him. Not now and not ever.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

That voice startled him. Of all his former comrades, he didn't expect Sakura Haruno to be the first one to get to him. The kunoichi had changed from the day he'd last seen her, sobbing whilst holding her master, fear in her eyes as she looked at him. She now had a calm determination in the focus of her pale green eyes and in the set of her jaw. She didn't fear him now, nor was she in awe of him either, she was merely here to do a job. Somewhere inside his heart, Sasuke felt another twinge of regret at this, she had changed so much from the girl who had pleaded with him, tears in her eyes, not to leave the village. It was a moment of weakness, one he conquered quickly, but he knew that some part of him wished things had been different.

"Sakura. I didn't expect you to be my first opponent."

She sniffed in derision, as if it was something he should have understood. "The others are occupied with your advance guard. As a member of your former team, I requested, and was granted, the opportunity to go first."

Sasuke laughed without humour. "Do you honestly believe that you can possibly beat me, Sakura. You can't bring yourself to harm me, you never could."

The earth under his feet shattered, throwing him backwards into the air. Sasuke flipped, landing in a crouch, one hand gripping his katana, eyes wide and his normal Sharingan flaring. Again he was shocked as Sakura straightened up, her eyes still showing that calm and her facial features still composed.

"Surprised?" she asked.

"It will pass quickly." Sasuke bit back.

"I have thrown emotion out the window Sasuke. I'm going to do my utmost to kill you now."

Sasuke didn't say anything, he couldn't. This change was unfathomable.

Sakura allowed a small hint of her anger to seep into her next sentence. "You shouldn't have attacked my master Sasuke. You have no idea what I'll do to you for that."

Sasuke ignited his Chidori, shooting the spear of lightning at his former comrade in arms. Sakura barely moved, instead jabbing an extendable metal fan into the ground in front of her. The lightning based attack struck the copper fan, blocking the lightning and conducting it safely into the ground. Behind it, Sakura lifted one of the massive rocks her first strike had shaken loose and hurled it at him. Sasuke dodged, only to find Sakura closing on him, kunai in hand. Sasuke went for his katana, but the kunoichi threw the kunai, revealing the explosive tag on it. Eyes wide, the missing-nin threw himself out of the way. Exploding, the kunai threw up a massive cloud of dust and grit.

"I see that you're going all out Sakura. I respect that. You've gotten stronger too, so I will also use my full power. This will be over in a moment."

Sasuke shot out of the dust, and slammed his katana into Sakura's ribcage, feeling the blade slide easily between the third and fourth ribs. Blood poured out of the pink haired fighters mouth in a flood as her eyes widened. Only for her to disappear in a cloud of smoke. A battle cry from above alerted him to the danger just in time for Sasuke to avoid a chakra infused punch to where he was standing. Sakura straightened up from the crater where he had been and smiled slightly.

"Call that a little tip from Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."

As the Konoha kunoichi pulled her fan free of the ground, Sasuke had to admit he was impressed. She was much stronger than he had initially given her credit. A pang of desire ran through him at the sight of her fierce determination. During their childhood, he had come to have a degree of affection for his female teammate that might have developed into something, but he had left her behind to protect both his former comrades from the hardships he would need to endure to defeat Itachi. Naturally, it had not gone as originally planned, but Sakura was still an attractive woman. Why was it that only those women who really wanted to kill you were the most attractive. Sasuke mused that it had something to do with the passion they displayed.

"Impressive." He said.

"I already told you Sasuke, I'm going to kill you."

Sasuke activated his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. "Then, if you are going all out, I will do you the courtesy of also going all out. Prepare."

Sakura immediately lowered her eyes. Sasuke smiled, she knew about Tsukuyomi then. He raced at her with all the speed her could muster. He swung. Sakura leaned to the left, so his initial strike passed her. Then her forearm came up to block his backhanded swing at the elbow. She dropped to a crouch and swept for his feet. Sasuke jumped immediately, before using a shunshin to appear behind her, aiming for her back. Sakura, however, had been prepared for such a move, rolling forward to retake her stance.

"You're watching my body movements, not my eyes. Impressive reaction time Sakura. You've definitely gotten faster. But it won't be enough to defeat me."

Sakura smiled again. "I thought not. But that is your problem Sasuke, isn't it."

"What?"

"Kakashi-sensei mentioned it years ago. You cannot acknowledge a stronger opponent, and obsess over anyone you consider to be stronger than you."

Sasuke didn't bother denying it. There was no point. Instead he shunshined forward again. Sakura didn't bother to run, merely dodging and extending one arm. Sasuke fell forward, managing to turn it into a roll as she sprayed grit into his eyes. Rubbing furiously with one arm, Sasuke had to shunshin back out of reach. Just as he cleared his eyes, a massive rock shot at him.

"Chidori Eiso!"

The blade punched through the rock, shooting forward. However, Sakura was already out of reach.

"Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu!"

Sasuke inhaled, then blasted the gigantic fireball at Sakura, who had already responded by punching forward into the side of the crater she had created, causing a rock wall to form protecting her.

"I see," Sasuke noted, "it's not just reaction time. You are actually following my hand movements and determining what I'm going to use as a result."

"I've been training long and hard for this Sasuke."

"Why?"

Sakura paused, though her attention never wavered. "I suppose it's got to do with Naruto."

Sasuke ground his teeth in anger. "Everyone always fusses over that loser dumbass."

"Both you and I have put him through incredible agony Sasuke." Sakura's voice was sharp and clipped. "That's why I've come to destroy you, even at the cost of my own life." She paused. "Preferably at the cost of my own life."

Sasuke actually laughed properly. "So you finally noticed that the idiot was entranced by you. That's rich. Now you get hit by a wave of guilt and you want to absolve that by taking care of his greatest problem."

"No! I was the one who asked him to bring you back Sasuke. He made that promise because of me, and he's gone through hell for it. His Way of the Ninja is one of forgiveness, and he will not attempt to kill you if at all possible, or at least, he will try to make it so that there will be no revenge out of the act. I don't want him to bear that burden, not now, not ever."

Sasuke looked at her curiously. "Do you love him?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Sakura's response was just as quiet. "I don't know. I already do to some degree. He is my closest friend, more like a brother than anything else, but I don't know if I love him the way you're implying. I don't know if he would reciprocate anymore either."

"That'd be a first."

"I don't deserve him even if he did. He's been nominated for the Rokudaime Hokage."

Sasuke was at a loss for words. "So, the dumbass has finally come close to achieving his dream."

Sakura glared at him. "He already achieved his true goal after he defeated Pain and saved the village. Everyone loves him, and everyone despises you, Sasuke. The truth has come out about you both. That's why I cannot let you taint him."

Sakura reached down to her booted calves, still with her eyes on him, and reached inside.

"After you left, as part of my tutelage under Master, she had me wear weights to increase my natural strength. Gai-sensei and Lee-senpai have also had an effect on my outlook Sasuke. I may not have the Sharingan like you, but I am a natural quick study with master chakra control. I have my own way of picking things up."

Then she removed the weights on her shins, then on her elbows, then the one from around her waist.

"Ready?"

Sasuke moved sideways like lightning, as Sakura blurred into perspective beside him, smashing the ground with another of her powerful swings. Her backhand in his direction actually created a shockwave of air that threw Sasuke backwards even further.

"Katon: Gokya-…"

Sakura jabbed at his larynx, cutting off the tenketsu there and preventing him from speaking further.

"Call that a little gift from Hinata. She taught me that."

Sasuke crashed to the ground, taken more by surprise than anything else. In a rage he launched a flurry of shuriken and kunai at Sakura. Again she surprised him by dodging them expertly.

"Sasuke, if Sasori of the Red Sands couldn't beat me with his One Hundred Puppets, how do you think you can fare with only twenty or so projectiles."

Sakura jabbed the air with her left arm again. The resulting displaced air shot by Sasuke as he began to use some more of his movement techniques. Sakura blurred into motion, shooting forward with incredible speed. Sasuke opened up with Amaterasu.

Sakura vanished. At first, Sasuske assumed it was a shunshin, but he barely had time to react as she appeared besides him. Using Chidori Nagashi, Sasuke expected it to protect him, but Sakura simply stabbed her copper fan into the ground in front of him, redirecting the flow, before punching at him. He was lucky she still felt the sting, or the blow would have crushed his ribcage.

Finally able to talk again, Sasuke asked. "You've been preparing for this?"

"Yes." Sakura was adamant. "I've been picking up skills from everyone Sasuke, everything in preparation for this moment. Ever since that day in the Land of Iron."

"Where you had to be saved, yet again."

"Exactly."

Sakura looked him in the eyes as she said this. And that was it.

"Tsukuyomi."

Sakura immediately stiffened.

"A nice try Sakura," Sasuke stood and began walking forward towards her, "but you must have known it was futile."

Sakura suddenly blinked and collapsed, breathing heavily.

"That's impossible."

"Not if you've got an Inner, Sasuke. I can drive a member of the Yamanaka clan out of my mind, thanks to my Inner. It's the reason I'm good at genjutsu."

Sakura looked up, smiling. This time however, it was a smile of sorrow and regret. "You shouldn't have left Sasuke. I can break any genjutsu under the sun. I had Kurenai-sensei, Ino, her father and Master all put me under genjutsu's as often as possible. Even your brother wouldn't be able to put me under a genjutsu."

Sasuke screamed at that, racing forward, his blade coming down, before Sakura did her vanishing trick again, before reappearing right next to him and speaking indirectly to him.

"You've never seen Lee open the Celestial Gates, so this comparison will make no sense. But when I use my Chakra Doraibu no Jutsu, I'm as fast as third Gates Lee. It's only for a short distance though, so I call it, the Chakra Dash. The point is, you cannot catch me."

Then she was gone again.

Sasuke lost his temper. A massive amount of chakra poured out of him, solidifying into the terrifying form of Susanoo.

"This is overkill, Sakura, but I am going to grind you into dust and scatter you to the four winds."

Susanoo struck. Struck a log, as Kawarimi no Jutsu came into effect. Sasuke noted Sakura coming in from the side, aiming for Susanoo. She was too close for him to turn quick enough, which resulted in her slamming a chakra enhanced fist into the side of armoured giant. Turning, Sakura used the Chakra Dash to close the distance and swung a haymaker at Sasuke's head.

Only for it to pass through. Sakura jumped back out of reach.

"Izanagi, I presume. I've seen it used before by Madara Uchiha."

"Correct. This is the perfect defence Sakura. You cannot hit me while it is activated."

Sakura Dashed right in front of him and used and open palm thrust. As expected, it passed right through him. What Sasuke did not expect, however, was for Sakura to follow through with a second palm strike to his face. That one connected.

"As I thought," she muttered, as the Uchiha clan member went down, "you've not perfected it like Madara has."

Sakura looked at him, his eyes wide and wild, his face bruised, his jaw broken, his clothing torn and dirty, and his hair dishevelled. Something inside her broke.

"Oh Sasuke-kun! Why did you leave? You could have stayed and achieved your goals anyway."

She Dashed the short distance separating them and stabbed at him with a kunai. It hit him right in the heart.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. To be honest, I have to admit I'm still fond of you. I really wish things could have been different, but I'm glad, in a sense, that it was me that killed you. It would have destroyed Naruto. If you can, forgive me."

"I would, but that would be lying."

From behind, the Sword of Kusanagi stabbed through her chest. Stunned, Sakura could only drop to her knees. Looking down at the blade, absently her mind noticed it had passed through her torso right underneath the brachia, piercing her oesophagus. It was a hit that would be eventually fatal.

"I'm shocked Sakura. After all, didn't Itachi use this technique against you when you were chasing Sasori and Deidara? Didn't Pain use something similar during his invasion? Only this time I gave over 70% of my chakra, instead of fifteen."

Behind her stood Sasuke, unharmed but tired looking. He continued. "Madara thought it wise for me to use this technique if I was fighting someone I knew. I have to admit, you made me work hard. Had I actually been here, you might have won, but it turned out to be a wise caution. Maybe next time Sakura. Call me sentimental, but I won't kill you now. Should your friends survive, then you will be spared, but if not, then you'll die. Besides, your injuries will draw them to me quicker."

Darkness fell, and Sakura felt tears pour out of her eyes. With her last thought, she noted the arrival of a certain chakra signature.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned, getting a good look at the newcomer.

"Hello Naruto. It would appear that we have come face to face for our final battle, across the dead body of our former comrade."

"You killed Sakura-chan. Teme!"

"If you look closely, you'll note she's not dead yet, though it will be soon. She killed an Avatar, not the real me. I can assure you had it been the real me, I would be dead as well."

Naruto glared at his former friend. Sasuke noted something new.

"I've never seen you wear that coat before."

Naruto suddenly smiled, a malevolent smile, one that actually caused the Uchiha to shudder. "I've done it, Sasuke. I'm the Rokudaime Hokage. Meaning I pass judgement on you." He glanced at Sakura's prone body. "You shouldn't have hurt Sakura-chan, teme."

Sasuke laughed. "What better way to bring you pain then to kill the one you love."

"Sasuke, you're an idiot." Naruto fixed him with a fierce stare. "I was planning to take you alive, plead your case, have you spared. What's more, you killed the one person who could have stood by me in that trial, who could have argued for you. Damn it Sasuke, she still loved you."

"I have no need of any affection from Konoha."

"Are you still on about that? You want to know the first thing I did when I was made Hokage? I checked up on the records of the Massacre. Madara lied to you!"

Sasuke gestured wildly. "No, I know Konoha, I know the kind of people they are. Look at what they did to you! Do you think they are kind people? When they are pushed, they are brutal and callous. There were children in that clan, Naruto, children. Itachi was just a child himself. And they forced him to do it." Sasuke pointed at the Jinchuuriki. "And you, you are a fool who believes in letting them live for that? You sicken me with your disregard for their treatment of you. Even if you took moderate vengeance, it would be righteous anger, just as mine is. I have a right to my revenge."

"Itachi was under no orders from the Hokage, or even the village council!"

"Prove that!"

Naruto spoke slowly and clearly. "I have scrolls that show that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime, a man we both respected, was doing his utmost to calm the Uchiha clan. Even now, he mentioned that he believed they were being influenced by an outside source. Danzo and the civilian elders were pushing for a crackdown with ANBU operatives, Danzo urging for a purge. Sarutobi-jiji refused. From scrolls we recovered from the Root HQ it is evident that Danzo had meetings with both Itachi and Madara." Naruto looked Sasuke in the eye. "It might shock you to learn this, but my father and yours were allies. They weren't friends, but your father supported mine when he was Hokage. He also pushed for me to be put into a specialized training regimen because he'd heard about Bee-senpai and Yugito Nii in the Hidden Village in the Clouds. To your father I was supposed to be a person of great importance to the village, not a weapon, nor a tool, but a top-secret soldier. I don't like how it sounds, but it would have been something sane."

Naruto paused. "Tsunade baa-chan and Sarutobi-jiji both thought that Madara had begun influencing the Uchiha because of this stance. Madara wanted me dead, Danzo wanted a weapon. They compromised by Madara promising Danzo he could have the Sharingan of the dead, and Danzo agreeing to bring about a purge. They both wanted the Uchiha out of the way. Itachi knew that Madara was pushing for the Uchiha to rebel, which had more to do with the fact that your father and the Village Council had been clashing over several matters to do with policing efforts and the freedom of the ANBU, as well as Orochimaru and the threat he posed. Itachi went to tell Madara to back off, but Madara had already gotten a good number of them under his influence including Shisui Uchiha. Madara sent Shisui to kill Itachi. Sarutobi-jiji never found this out, because the ANBU that Itachi reported to was a Root."

"Itachi believed that matters were getting out of hand, particularly with the death of Shisui, who was well respected. You know he got into scuffles with the other members of the clan over Shisui's death. The Uchiha were looking for revenge for that death. Sarutobi-jiji actually told Itachi to leave the matter alone, but either Madara or Danzo said something to him, and Itachi acted, believing that he had no choice. When I see how you turned out, the only way he could have done it properly, would have been to openly accuse Madara."

"But that wouldn't have worked, would it. No one knew Madara was still alive. Even the Uchiha clan wouldn't have known about him. Why would they? Madara himself admits his own clan left him when he tried to get them to fight the Senju. Their feelings would not have changed with time. Madara was a danger to them as well as to Konoha. Itachi knew this, so he took the only course he had open to him. Destroy the Uchiha, prevent a Civil War, prevent Madara from achieving his goal, save your life in the process. Danzo would have taken you for Root, he was obsessed with the Sharingan. I know for a fact he's gone after other clans as well, the Hyuuga's in particular, preying on the Branch house's hatred. As a matter of fact, with his colouring, I'm pretty certain that Sai is the child of an Uchiha, though probably an outside marriage as he doesn't have the Sharingan. But killing the clan was not Sarutobi-jiji's intention, nor was it the Village council's. Believe it or not, while they are a pain in the ass, the Elders are not evil incarnate, just ridiculously conservative. Elder Chiyo of Suna was the same."

"There you have the truth Sasuke."

Sasuke stood silent for a minute.

"You're lying." He finally said in a small voice.

"When have I ever lied to you Sasuke. Danzo's name was struck from the records of Hokage's after these secrets were discovered. I was appointed Rokudaime, despite the fact that even a temporary Hokage is counted. This is the truth, whether you believe it or not."

"It doesn't matter anyway."

"It does Sasuke. It would have been the difference between judgement and mercy for you."

"Itachi still died for my sake."

"Itachi died for nothing Sasuke, if this is how you show your gratitude towards your brother."

Sasuke's killing intent spiked again. "Don't you dare talk about him that way!"

"It's a fact Sasuke." Naruto's voice hardened. "Who benefitted most out of this entire set up? Danzo and Madara. Madara alone as a matter of fact, because he knew that the first person you'd go for would be Danzo. Even with all those Sharingan's he'd stolen, he was no match for you."

"So why did Sarutobi declare Itachi a missing-nin? Explain that if you like defending the old fool!"

Naruto finally got angry. "What's he supposed to do? Itachi murdered an entire clan, then fled the village. He had express orders not to get involved. Sure, Itachi's heart was in the right place, and he did save a lot of lives, but he'd still killed all those people Sasuke. Itachi knew this, and so do you. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make. When this is done, I intend to strike his name off the bounty list as a missing-nin, but he still perpetrated the crime, even if it was in defence of the greater good."

A few silent tears rolled down the Uchiha's face.

"I don't care if that's the truth, I don't care if my family and yours were on good terms, I don't care if Madara is just using me. Take your woman and go, leave me in peace. I'm not going back."

"She was never my woman, Sasuke. In fact, lately I'm not sure if I love her that way any more."

Sasuke glared at him. Naruto had the conscience to look guilty at least. "I am going to save her, that's true Sasuke. Ino's nearby still, so is Hinata-chan, both of them have some skill with medical jutsu. But the truth of that matter is that Sakura still holds onto the idea that you'll come home, or at the very least that she can die with you. I never had a chance with her, I know that now. Besides, there's one who's always stood by me, although I had to be on the verge of capture to realise it."

Naruto moved so fast past Sasuke that the Uchiha prodigy couldn't even follow it with his full power Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto had not been lying about his new boost in power. Ruefully he recalled Sakura's words to him.

"She said I ought to have stayed, that I could have achieved my goals from the Village. Madara himself says you're more powerful than I now."

Naruto knealt by Sakura, sending up a signal flare as he did so. "I'm probably more powerful than anyone, even Killer Bee-senpai, right now. Do you think I beat Pain by chance?"

"I had thought that."

"I benefitted from being taught by people who respected me Sasuke. You should have done the same, rather than being taught by people who saw you as a tool."

"It's my path to tread."

"It is now." Naruto looked at the missing-nin. "Sasuke, if you leave now, leave the Elemental countries, fade into oblivion, then I'll let you go, but if you choose to stand in my way, then I will destroy you. I have to stop Madara."

"And I have been tasked with stopping you."

Both of them looked at one another. This was it. Sasuke surprised him, however, by turning away.

"I'm not leaving, I can't. I chose this path, and I have to follow it to the bitter end now. Goodbye Naruto. I can honestly say that I've hated you for being what I'm not. You can follow me, but I'd rather you stay here like the good hero you are. Follow if you want, but I'd advise not doing that for a short while."

Then he was gone.

Sasuke lay on the floor of the chamber, Madara's ritual in ruins, his plans foiled, if only temporarily. Dimly, Sasuke was aware of a yellow blur as Naruto charged in looking like the hero he was meant to be. As the battle began, Sasuke allowed his mind to think back to happier times.

His time with Team Taka, short though it had been, had been familiar and reassuring. His time as a member of Team 7 had been perhaps the best time of his life.

Being told he was loved by Sakura. It had meant a lot to him, never before had a girl come out and directly said she loved him like that, truly loved him for being himself. Not for his looks, or his skills. And that she would go with him to the ends of the Earth. It had touched him in a way that nothing else had since or previously.

Being taught the Chidori by Kakashi had been a proud moment. Kakashi had sacrificed his time with his other students to focus on Sasuke, something which had earned him several reprimands from Tsunade and Sarutobi. Jiraiya had also questioned him about it. But Kakashi had stuck to his choices, taken Sasuke's failures as a man should, with responsibility, even after Sasuke's defection. That Kakashi had put that faith in Sasuke had made the Uchiha proud.

His rivalry with Naruto. The blonde would never know how close to the mark he had been when he said that Sasuke was like a brother to him. Sasuke had begun to feel the same way before they'd parted ways.

He remembered the first time his father had called him his son. His father had been proud of him that day, for learning the family jutsu in less than a week.

Being carried on Itachi's shoulders.

The best memories, were ones where he belonged. Naruto would defeat Madara, his plan would fail, but it was true. Sasuke had to fall, so that peace could rise. Finally, his family, his brother, his home would be avenged, but not by him, and not out of vengeance. Naruto could be the man to save the world. Sasuke Uchiha needed to fade, the Uchiha needed to fade. To allow the sun to shine, the moon has to step down. Sasuke could feel his life blood slowly ebbing away. Sakura would live, he would die. Kakashi would be freed, he would be taken away. Naruto would have his victory, he would lose.

As death began to take him, Sasuke wondered if perhaps that was how it had always needed to be.

I hope I haven't made anyone too OOC. In particular Sasuke. However, I do predict that Sasuke will most likely die at the end of Naruto. Now, I think he'll die in the manner I've described above, and it is quite possible that Sakura will die as well. Not out of hatred for the character, because I like Sakura, but because it might be necessary to drive Naruto to the point where he goes all out against Madara (or Sasuke.)

As for his conversation with Sasuke regarding the truth of the Uchiha Massacre, I actually believe this to be the case. No one benefitted from the Massacre except Madara and Danzo. I also believe that Sai had one parent Uchiha for the reasons I've stated above. However, I have no idea why the Uchiha would start rebelling, but I really doubt it had to do with the Senju clan. Considering a Sarutobi was in charge at the time. Madara practically told Sasuke he set them up.

Itachi did have Konoha's best interests in that case, but he still perpetrated a Massacre. Bearing in mind Hiruzen's character, and the fact that Madara admitted the Sandaime was trying to prevent any violence, I believe that Itachi acted either alone, or on the orders of Danzo. I seriously doubt that Hiruzen had a hand in it. Yes I know about the Hyuuga incident with Hizashi, but in that instance it had to do with another Village he had no influence over.

In short, Sasuke was a right tool for buying what Madara threw at him.

On a seperate note, Kakashi had a very good reason to ask Ebisu to train Naruto. Sakura was out of the Chuunin Exams at that point and Sasuke was matched up with Gaara. He needed an edge. As for Naruto, Kakashi likely chose Ebisu to teach Naruto chakra control. If there was one particular point that Naruto lacked, all throughout the first series, it was decent chakra control. One of the reasons that Naruto was so good at Kage Bunshin was that he could create dozens in a second without really trying. However, trying to create even one normally was nearly impossible for him. As for why it wasn't Jiraiya teaching him from the get go, Kakashi and Jiraiya had already agreed with Hiruzen that Kakashi would train Naruto first after they got out of the Academy, then Jiraiya would make him his apprentice once Naruto had gotten experience.

In any case, I just wanted to throw my theory on the ending out there. If you like it, let me know. If you find faults with it, please point them out and we can discuss. In either case, I hope you enjoyed.