"Sasuke, I'd like to, but I really can't, I have to go, I shouldn't even be here." The blond-headed boy told the raven-haired boy as he began to walk away.
"Please, Naruto-kun, just stay a little longer," Sasuke pleaded as he grabbed the younger boy's hand, "I miss you, you were, no are, my best friend." Tears began welling up in Naruto's eyes.
"Let go of my hand, Sasuke, we go through this every time I come to see you," Naruto sobbed, "I have to get back to the village, I just wish you would come with me."
"I can't, Naruto, you know that, I'm hated there."
"No one hates you!"
"EVERYONE HATES ME!"
"No, they don't they miss you!"
"WHAT? Who misses me? Who could miss a monster that's done the things I've done, I deserve to die!"

*Smack*
A loud crack rang out through the night air as Naruto's hand connected with Sasuke's cheek.
"Don't EVER say things like that! You don't deserve to die" Naruto screamed.
"Yes, I do! I betrayed my village, helped launch an attack on it, I even tried to kill you...." Sasuke's voice trailed off at the end, as tears flowed freely down his flushed cheeks, not because of the slap, but because he had remembered how he had hurt his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I'm going," Naruto choked out, "I'm sorry, I'll visit you later if you won't come back with me."
"I wish I could, but you know what I've done, and most people aren't as forgiving as you."
"I'll miss you, Sasuke."
"Bye, Naruto-kun"
"Bye, Sasuke-kun"

Naruto, without another word, leaped into the trees and jumped away, leaving Sasuke, tearful, in the opening in the forest. Sasuke reached up and rubbed his red, stinging cheek.
"Naruto-kun....."

"So, what's our mission today, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto questioned.
"Nothing, I've got a mission myself, Jonin only, you understand."
"It's okay, I kinda had a rough night anyway."

As Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, Naruto climbed up on his roof, layed down on his back, and watched the puffy fluffs of white in the sky drift by.
"If only Shikamaru were here." Naruto thought with a chuckle, but then his thoughts turned a little more glum.
"If only Sasuke were here....." Naruto thought with a grimace. Tears started welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away, Sasuke was his best friend, and he had abandoned him. And with that last thought he drifted off to sleep.

"CHIGAW!!!!" A bird screeched from over head, waking Naruto from his peaceful slumber. He looked up at the bird and scowled, he knew that bird well, it was a summoning bird, his summoning bird to be exact.
"Darn bird, darn Granny Tsunade, dang it all." Naruto thought aloud as he stood and bound towards the hokage's office.

He practically busted the door of the hokage's office lobby down with anger towards her.
But seeing Sakura calmed him down.
"OI! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted with glee.
"Hey, Naruto-kun, I'd love to talk, but the hokage said to send you right up, no lolly-gagging around, I swear she's so strict sometimes," Sakura, the unusually pink-haired girl, with whom Naruto had been not-so-secretly infatuated with for years, said cheerfully, "you better hurry, it sounded quite urgent." Sakura picked up a stack of paper and headed towards the door. Naruto, on the other hand, started upstairs.

Naruto reached for the knob of Tsunade's office door, but before he got there, the door swung open and caught him right in the nose as a startled Shizune stepped out.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto, "Shizune said uneasily, "but get up, Tsunade's waiting."

Naruto picked himself up off of the floor and rubbed his red nose.
"Aww, Shizune, now I look like Rudolph, good job." He said complaining about the now glowing part of his face
Shizune couldn't help but giggle at Naruto's innocence.
"Heh, sorry, Naruto, but hurry on in, now."

Naruto started in the office.
"Hi, Tsunade-sama! Oi, Iruka-sensei,Kakashi-sensei! Hey, Kakashi, didn't you have a mission today?" Naruto blurted out, seemingly, all at once.

"Naruto, we need totalk to you about something of the up-most importance." Tsunade said.

"Oh no!" Naruto thought, " They don't know, do they, they can't know about me meeting with Sasuke, they just can't!"

"Our sources tell us," Tsunade started, "that you, have been meeting with a certain rogue ninja. One Uchiha Sasuke, is this true?"
"I was trying to-"
"IS THIS TRUE?!?"
"Yes, but I had to, he's my best friend"
"You realize this is treason?"
"No, I was trying to bring him back to the village!"
"Alone? Yea, right, it's treason, and the punishment for treason, is, as you know, death.
"No, I swear, I wasn't-"
"It's too late for that, but there is one way to escape this punishment."
"How, I'll do anything."
"One mission, you must go on one mission, but, trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds."
"Wha..what is it?"
"You must-"

"To escape death as a punishment for treason, you must hunt down and KILL Sauske Uchicha." Tsunade said sternly.
"But I can't he's-"
"I'm sorry, Naruto but it's not your choice, kill, Sasue and bring his body back here as proof, or die yourself." Tsunade's voice was stern, harsh, unmoving, yet sympathetic.
"Naruto, it's for the best," Kakashi said, choking back his own sobs, "he was my former stdent, but, now he's a renegade, a menace."
"NO! He's my best friend, and still is your student. why do you want him dead?"
"He WAS your best friend, he WAS my student, but he left and even led an attack on Konoha, for God's sake Naruto, he tried to kill you!"
"He's changed! Ever since I killed Orochimaru, he's changed!"
"Well," Tsunade cut in, "it doesn't matter, you have to do this, or die."
"But-"
"Those ar your only options, Naruto."
"Well..." was all thar Naruto couldmuster to say before he turned and ran out of Tsunade's office.

All three of them knew where he was going, he was off to do the hardest thing in his life.

Naruto kicked down the front door of the Hokage's office lobby, and stormed outside, he had nver been more angery or sad in his life.
"This....is....this just...it's....IT"S NOT FAIR!!!" Naruto'svoice roars through the air, tears cascading down his cheeks, as afternoon turns to dusk. People in the village stared at Naruto as he walke through the village, cryin and demolishhig anything in direct view. He came to the gates of the village and stopped.

"Should I really do this?" He questioned himself and the deed he as ordered to commit. But then images of all of his frieds flashed into his mind, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, hell, even Neji, he couldn't leave them behind, not for some rogue ninja, even if said rogue ninja was his best friend.

Naruto started to run towards the clearing in the forest where he would meet Sasuke. Sasuke heard him coming and dropped out of the trees.

"Naruto-kun, I missed you," Sasuke yelled in excitement,"I have geat news, just great."
"There's no time, Sasuke!"
"Naruto? Whats wrong?"
"I...I...I CAN'T SEE YOU ANYMORE!"
"Wh...what?"
Sasuke's very soul fell apart at hearing those words. He's lost his best friend, his only friend.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but it's for both our goods."
"But, I need to-"
"No, buts, Sasuke, I have to do this."
"At least tell me why!"
"I can't be near you, Tsunade will find out, and she' kill you, I can't live with that, knowing I cause my best friend's death"
Naruto's emotions were ripping in half after saying that, not only was Sasuke's death going to be his fault, but it would be on his hands.

"I don't care if they kill nem you're my only friend, without you I have nothing, no friends, and no family, my damned brother made sure of that!"
"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I can't stay anymore."
"I understand,Naruto, it's for both of us.

Naruto walked over to Sasuke, and extended his hand. But Sasuke threw his arms around Naruto instead.

"I'm going to miss you, Naruto-kun, but even tough I'll never see you again, you'll always be my best friend."

"You'll always be mine too, Sasuke." Naruto cried as he returned the hug. His mind raced about what he'd been ordered to do. His hand fell from Sasuke's back, to his own leg. He quietly opened his Kunai cas and thumbed a metal knife inside. He gripped the handle and raised it to his side.

"Good night, Sasuke." Naruto whispered to low for Sasuke to understand.

"What?"

Naruto kissed Sasuke on the cheek before he plunged his Kunai into Sasuke's ribs.

Blck metal peirced pale skin as the razor sharp knife dug deeper into Naruto's best friend. Blood poold from Sasuke's side onto Naruto's hand and down his arm. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak only to have barely a gasp come out. Tears sreamed down Naruto's face as he held his best friend, dying, in his arms.

Naruto sank to the ground holding Sasuke in his lap and arms, kunai, not even vible outside the skin of Sasuke's side.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke, I love you so much.

"I love you to, Naruto, and it's okay, it's not your fault. I.....deserve.....this.." The last words drug out in a whisper, and Sasuke was gone.