"Sasuke, if you leave now, it's over. Do you really think power is worth losing everyone, losing me? Is it worth it?!" Naruto shouted at his best friend.

Sasuke stood at the gates of Konoha, his back turned towards Naruto. He couldn't bear to look at him, not now, not when he was going to betray him. Deep down he knew what he was doing would send him down a dark path from which he could never return. He had to do it, for his clan.

"Naruto, you know I have to. You knew this would happen eventually, and you're an idiot if you didn't" Sasuke's words hit Naruto like ice cold water, waking him up to the reality that Sasuke had already made his decision.

Naruto's head dropped down, tears rushing from his eyes. He couldn't save his best friend from this dark fate, and if he looked into Sasuke's eyes, really looked into them, he would have defected with him.

"I'll give you a head start, just be safe. For me" Naruto whispered, knowing that if anyone told the Hokage of what he was doing he'd be punished.

Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto one last time, his heart sinking as he saw teardrops fall from Naruto's face and onto the ground. He had caused him so much pain, and he deserved better than that.

If he wanted to defeat Itachi, he had to let go of what mattered most to him, and that was the goofy, energetic ninja of Konoha: Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to say goodbye, instead, he ran as fast as he could, jumping into the trees until Naruto and Konoha were nothing more than a glimmer.

At Hokage Tower

Naruto could tell Tsunade was upset with what he had done, or rather, what she had believed he had done.

ANBU had reported to her that Naruto was the last person to see Sasuke and had done nothing to stop him.

Tsunade furrowed her brows, pinching the bridge of he nose as she tried to understand why Naruto did what he had done at the gates.

The lies spill out of him, like water from a broken dam, and he's crying as he continued to justify what he had done.

"Stop it Naruto."He shuts up instantly, sniffling"You know we have to tell the rest what happened," Tsunade sighed.

Naruto hung his head, nodding slowly. What had he done?

"Please get Sakura and Kakashi here!" Tsunade ordered, ANBU appearing at her command, bowing their heads before disappearing to gather the rest of team 7.

It wasn't long before Kakashi and Sakura burst through the door, the younger of the two clearly out of breath, but both were concerned.

"Tsunade what is this all about?" Kakashi asked, his usual Ichi Ichi book missing from his hands.

Sakura composed herself, her eyes darting around the room frantically. She's looking for Sasuke.

"Sasuke Uchiha has defected from the village," a small gasp came from Sakura", and he resisted the help of your teammate Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade's voice was cold, devoid of emotion, like a Hokage.

The air got heavier as the rest team 7 processed this.

"Naruto, what happened before he left?" Kakashi asked, concerned but not surprised.

Sakura stood next to her sensei, still in shock and disbelief.

"He told me he had to avenge his clan, and he would kill those precious to me if I tried to stop him. I let him go" Naruto could tell Sakura didn't want to believe, but it was something Sasuke would do.

Naruto's caught off guard when Sakura walks up to him, and he's half expecting her to punch him, yell at him for letting Sasuke walk away. She doesn't. Instead, her arms wrap around him, pulling him in for a hug.

"We will find him, and we will bring him back," Sakura said as she cried into Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto held his teammate, letting her use him, but he knew she'd rather have Sasuke here than him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Kakashi watching them, or rather, watching him.

He's suspicious.

2 Months Later

Team 7 crouched down, using the bushes as cover as they looked for their teammate, Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto was slowly begging to lose hope as they had been through more than a dozen of Orochimaru's hideouts and had yet to find Sasuke.

The team jumped as a familiar chakra washed over them.

"Sakura and Kakashi, I am going in," Naruto said. 

Both members of his team were about to tell him 'no', but he had already left. 

Sakura got up from the bushes, about to take off after Naruto, but Kakashi grabbed her wrist. He would not risk the safety of another team member for the sake of a rogue ninja.

Sakura sighed and prayed that the both of them would be alright.

Naruto found himself in a clearing with a waterfall falling between two men, who he had recognized as Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

Sasuke was there, he could feel it.

"I see you found me, Naruto" A voice called out from above him.

He looked at the carved Madara, spotting a figure on top of the head. Sasuke.

"Come back Sasuke and stop this nonsense. Sakura misses you, Kakashi misses you. I miss you. Don't you understand that? Do you understand the pain you put us through, what you put me through? Did you know there's a bounty for you, dead?" Naruto screamed, anger flowing throughout every vein in his body.

"Naruto, you know why I left. You know I had to kill Itachi, and I did. I now possess the same eyes as my brother"Naruto could see his Sharingan, it unnerved him" but I will not return to the village. I have not yet avenged my clan, not until I destroy Konoha" Sasuke jumped down from Madara's head, landing on the water, causing waves to ripple.

"What could Konoha have possibly done to make you want to turn against it? I don't even care anymore Sasuke, I just want you back. The you that I love, I want that Sasuke back!" Naruto pleaded, tears stinging his eyes.

"I will return to Konoha, but only if you are dead!" His words felt like a thousand bee stings and ten thousand knives cutting him.

Sasuke charged at his best friend, his Chidori chirping as it formed in his left hand. with Chidori forming in his left hand. 

Naruto stared at Sasuke, unable to believe that he could actually drive that Chidori through his body. He wasn't stopping.

Naruto twisted his body, dodging the Chidori, jumping back as to put distance between him and Sasuke.

"Stop this Sasuke. Why can't you return with me alive, at your side?" Naruto asked, searching for the Uchiha who had seemed to vanish.

Behind him!

Naruto turned just in time to see Sasuke charging just past him, another Chidori in his left hand, and this time his Sharingan was activated.

He had truly intended on killing him.

"No, Naruto! If you knew what Konoha did my brother, to my clan to me, you wouldn't try to stop me" Sasuke's Sharingan evolved, spinning violently in his eyes, forming a foreign pattern. 

Naruto jumped back more until his back was against the waterfall. He was running out of options.

Naruto formed the sign for a Shadow Clone, a cloud of smoke appearing before all that was left was another Naruto forming the Rasengan in his right hand.

Sasuke just smirked at Naruto, his pupils turning yellow while the whites of his eyes became a dark grey. His hair and skin changed color as the cursed seal of heaven spread over half of his body.

This wasn't the man Naruto loved.

When the clone disappeared, Naruto charged at Sasuke, the Rasengan spinning within the palm of his hand.

Sasuke charged towards him as well, forming another Chidori, and hopefully the last.

They clashed in the middle of the lake, Naruto's right hand brushing past Sasuke's left arm. He missed

"Sasuke, always making things difficult. I will bring you back even if I die doing so" Naruto looked down, Sasuke's arm passing just to the right of his heart. 

Naruto had only one card left up his sleeve. He slowed down his breathing, focusing on the natural energy that surrounded him.

He had mastered Sage Mode training with Jiraiya within the time that Sasuke had left, but he never wanted to use it against Sasuke.

His eyes changed from their usual light blue to yellow with a black horizontal line.

"I see you have learned a new trick, but it's still not enough" Sasuke stated as he removed his arm from naruto's chest, watching as he slumped down to his knees.

"I love you Sasuke, please don't do this. Don't leave me for the darkness" Naruto begged, his arm reaching up to touch Sasuke.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, his Sharingan falling on the hole he had created when he drove his Chidori through Naruto. He's healing quickly.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his collar, bringing him so that his lips were inches from his own, and kissed him.

"I love you, Sasu-" Naruto was cut off as a sword pierced through him, puncturing his lungs.

Blood spilled out from Naruto's, dripping down Sasuke's face. Tears filled Naruto's eyes as he felt his body slowly start to shut down on him.

He wanted to be angry at Sasuke, but he couldn't find it in himself to hate him, not now, not ever.

Naruto could see tears in Sasuke's eyes, but he never let go of him.

"I'm so sorry, but you know I have to do this," Sasuke held Naruto in his arms, afraid to let him go. broke out into tears.

Naruto weakly smiled, his right hand reaching up to touch Sasuke's cheek.

"Please don't do this, for me," Naruto pleaded one last time, smiling at Sasuke.

Naruto can feel himself getting more and more tired, his eyes are drooping shut. Sasuke is shaking him, trying to keep him conscious, but it's not working.

He dies, in Sasuke's arms, a smile on his face.

"Stay awake, please, that's all I ask" Sasuke shook Naruto, hoping that he would jolt up with a goofy smile, but he doesn't.

Sasuke kisses him. Nothing happens. He kisses him again. Nothing happens.

Why isn't he waking up?

"I'm sorry it was you" Sasuke whispered, finally letting go of Naruto's body, watching as he turned over, face down in the water.

The grief passes and all that is left is emptiness like he's never known before.