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Remnants of Konoha by Allos

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Story notes: I originaly wote this when all listen characters were well and alive. And one who had died since, and I had already put in my story, I left. That's why dead people are alive in this story.
Chapter notes: Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This is a one shot I've had rolling around my brain for a while now. It's meant to invoke feeling, although I'm not sure how well I did. Please R+R.
Sasuke looked out from the wooded hill to see a city he hadn't seen in a long, long time. Konoha, the village he had promised that he could never return too, now the only place he could go. At first glance, everything seemed the same, but then he saw that a fifth head had been added to the Hokage monument. Sasuke smirked. "Haven't made it yet, have you Naruto?" He walked down the hill towards the main gate. When he reached it, the guards took one look at him and were dumbfounded. Sasuke reminded himself that he was an outcast and a criminal here. Remembering that, he wondered what had become of his old forehead protector. He decided to go straight to Tsunade before any ANBU attacked him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The voice was calm, but Sasuke could hear hatred in it. He turned to face Hatake Kakashi, the man who had taught him Chidori. "Hello Kakashi." The jounin wasn't even reading his infamous book. his full attention was centered on Sasuke. "Answer the question." Sasuke wasn't sure why Kakashi was showing so much hate towards him, but he assumed it had to do with things that had happened because he left. "I came to talk to the Fifth Hokage. My reason for living is over, so I can come back home now." Kakashi glared at him. "You think it's that easy, huh?" He started walking towards the Hokage's office. "Come on, I've been sent to escort you."

**The Hokage's office**

Kakashi opened the door to let Sasuke walk into the office, then closed it without following him in. Tsunade was sitting in her chair, facing the window. They were the only two in the room. For a long time neither of them spoke. They just stood there, uncomfortably aware of each other, but not wanting to begin the conversation. In the end, Tsunade was the first to speak.

"You've got a lot of guts coming back here after what you did to Konoha. I could kill you right here and no one would say I hadn't done the right thing." Sasuke knew she was right, but he made his argument. "I know that I've done terrible things, but that's why I'm here. I've come to repent for my sins." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "Repent for your sins? You don't even know what they are. You have no idea what's happened to Konoha because you left." Sasuke felt a pang of guilt, a feeling he had been having a lot since he defeated Itachi. "Tell me. Tell me what has happened since I left." Tsunade frowned, questioning his motives. "Please." Sasuke had never used that word before, at least, not with any meaning attached. It seemed enough to convince Tsunade. “You’re going to regret asking, but I’ll tell you.”

“For a while after you left, everything kept going on. Missions went on, people kept living. After two and a half years of training with Jiraiya, Naruto returned to Konoha in preparation to look for you. When he first found you and Orochimaru, he fought, but lost. Naruto kept training as hard as he could, trying to gain the strength to defeat you and bring you back here. As we both know, he failed repeatedly. Orochimaru got so confident in your ability to defeat him, he didn’t take your body once the three years were up. He knew that what was driving you – the need to kill your brother – was the best way to make your body stronger. You know this much already.”

Sasuke nodded.

“Now, where to start? About then is when everything went to hell for Konoha. As you may be aware, The Fire country and the Water country went to war. I sent the rookie teams out on relatively easy missions, but even then there were complications. The ninjas in your year were some of the most amazing talent to come out of Konoha in years. Especially your team. Each one of you had the power to surpass the sannin you trained under. Now all that is gone.” Tsunade muttered the last part to herself.

“What do you mean gone?” Sasuke asked. Tsunade sighed. “You finally killed your brother, you no longer have the desire to get stronger. Sakura lost most of her motivation when Naruto… And with you back, she won’t try any more at all. As for Naruto himself…” Sasuke breathed hard with anticipation. “What happened to Naruto? He didn’t die?” Tsunade could feel tears building up in her eyes. Thinking of Naruto now was so painful. “No, everything Naruto came up against he could beat. Everything but you, that is, and that was the most important thing to him. I suppose technically he did surpass Jiraiya. He’s probably the most powerful ninja in the world right now, not that it matters.” There was an impossibly long pause, that seemed to stretch for an eternity. Sasuke wanted so badly for Tsunade to hurry up, but he didn’t dare interrupt the story.

“Naruto worked himself to exhaustion everyday. He trained hard, learned new techniques from everyone around him, and created his own powerful jutsu. Eventually he stopped going on missions that didn’t involve finding you. He just kept training. By the time we learned where you and Orochimaru were going to be next, he wouldn’t even go on that mission. He claimed he didn’t have time, that he needed to get stronger so that he could bring you back. Naruto went crazy trying to gain power. Naruto went crazy trying to bring you back. His fall from sanity destroyed his friends, and confirmed what many people thought long ago, that he should have been killed to kill the Kyuubi.” Sasuke bawled his hand into a fist. “Those bastards!” he whispered. Tsunade glared at him, then flung her desk at him hard. Sasuke didn’t have time to dodge, and barely managed to block. The desk shattered on his arm. He hadn’t taken any real damage, but the point had been made. “Don’t you dare insult them. It’s your fault it happened. You are the only one to blame for Naruto’s condition.” Sasuke simply stared. He knew she was right. “Naruto’s still here in Konoha, you know. He lives in the old Uchiha complex. He never comes out of there. Supposedly he’s still training, but I stopped checking in on him a while back. Sakura and Kakashi even stopped visiting him about a year ago. I can understand why, too. He ignores anyone who talks to him, and if you try to touch him, he attacks you. He put Kakashi in the hospital for a month. Only one person visits Naruto anymore.”

Sasuke looked up in surprise. “Who’s that?”

“Hinata. You might remember her from the Chunnin Exam. She’s madly in love with him. When Naruto lost it, I thought she had too. For weeks she never even came out of her room. When her family finally insisted that I came in, I found her nearly dead from lack of food. Pictures of Naruto were everywhere. On the wall, on the floor, on the bed, everywhere. Some where photos, some were drawings, some were paintings, but they were all of Naruto. I took her to the hospital, and after a few days she was back in good physical health. It took a few more months to bring her mental stability back. The doctors thought she still wasn’t all there, but I recognized the symptoms of a broken heart. Hinata still went on missions with her team for a while, even after the war broke out. But, then one mission went terribly wrong. They had been sent to destroy a vital communications post. Somehow the enemy knew they were coming. Kurenai gave her team enough time to get away, and she even managed to blow up the communications post. But Hinata, Shino and Kiba didn’t get far before the enemy caught up with them. The official report reads that Kiba was killed in action, but Hinata told me what really happened. Those three managed to defeat most of their pursuers; the enemy had underestimated them. But one was too strong for them to handle. He had incapacitated Shino, and was talking gleefully about how he was going to kill Kiba, then rape Hinata and kill her too. Kiba went wild. He used a suicide attack to kill the enemy. Hinata managed to get both Shino and Kiba’s body back here to Konoha. It was a feat of endurance Gai or Lee would have been proud of.”

Sasuke was reminded of the evil promises he himself had given while under the command of Orochimaru, although he had never had to carry them out. Fear was a good motivator.

“The funeral service was well attended. Kiba was the kind of guy who made good friends with people quickly. His clan was going to put Akamaru into retirement, but Hinata asked if she could keep him. They allowed it. I haven’t seen Hinata without Akamaru since. She quit going on missions after that, spending most of her time visiting Naruto, and the rest of it caring for Akamaru.”

Sasuke was hesitant to ask, but finally he did. “What does she do when she visits him?”

Tsunade sighed. “I asked her the same thing once. She said she just sits there and watches him in whatever he does. She cleans up his room, brings him food, usually ramen, and talks to him. Of course he never acknowledges her, but she is adamant in telling me that Naruto is calmer when she is there. I personally don’t think so, but I don’t tell her that. The last member of that team, Shino, is still alive and well. He’s a special jounin now, and he goes on A-rank missions mostly. He’s got an excellent mission record. After what happened to his team, he put his all into being a fantastic ninja, and he is. He still visits Hinata, as well as Kiba’s grave and the Hero’s Stone where Kurenai’s name is engraved. People say he could be the sixth Hokage someday.”

Sasuke looked at Tsunade, appalled at hearing that Naruto had lost his chance to be Hokage and that one of his friends was going to take it instead, but he was mostly appalled at himself, because he knew that he was the cause of the situation.

“And that’s what happened to team Kurenai. Now, team Asuma. Both Chouji and Shikamaru were part of the original group sent to bring you back when the sound ninjas took you. They had their own reasons for being strong, but they both supported Naruto as much as they in his quest. When they found out about him, they were both shocked and saddened. Shikamaru kept leading missions for a while, but he could never succeed at them. Eventually it got so bad that he lost half his team because of sloppiness. He finally accepted that he was no longer a good leader. He left Konoha. There were too many painful memories for him here. He went to see Naruto before he left, and played a game of chess with him.”

Sasuke nearly lumped into the air. “I thought you said that he ignored everyone?!”

Tsunade nodded sadly. “Shikamaru translated the type of attack Naruto was practicing into a move for Naruto. Naruto lost miserably. After that Shikamaru’s teammates got an occasional postcard from him as he wandered the land, doing odd jobs. Eventually he settled down in the hidden Sand village, and married Temari. He’s one of their shinobi now. His friends go visit him sometimes, but he never comes back here. When the war broke out, he supported the Kazekage’s orders to support Konoha.”

“Ino and Chouji got married too, to everyone’s surprise. He even thinned out a bit for her. I’ve got to admit, he looked pretty good. All the girls were jealous of Ino for a while. Eventually they both became jounin, and went on missions with Asuma. One day, though, they got too careless. Asuma had been knocked unconscious, and the enemy was going for a lethal attack on Ino. Chouji jumped in the way, taking the hit instead of letting the woman he loved die. Ino drove the man crazy, and he killed himself within minutes. Chouji nearly died that day. They got him back here, and I was able to save his life, but his days as a shinobi are over. Ino goes on the occasional easy mission, but mostly stays home and keeps Chouji company. He gets so nervous when she goes out on missions now, because he’s can’t protect her anymore. It’s a sad thing to see.”

Sasuke couldn’t imagine what he would do if he was told he couldn’t be a ninja anymore. He decided that the old him would have killed himself, but the new him could probably go on.

“Asuma is still going on missions as well. He goes on every mission Ino goes on, and promises Chouji that he will protect her with his life. It does seem to ease Chouji’s worries, if only a little.”

Tsunade stopped to take a few long breaths. Sasuke could tell that this next part was going to be hard on her.

“Team Gai stayed together even after all his student achieved the rank of jounin. They worked so well together, and they were all masters of combat. Those four on the battlefield were worth twenty or thirty normal jounin. Often times they won battles when they were greatly out numbered. And in the woods of their home country, they became known as the “Wraiths of Konoha” to our enemies. Gai and Lee were legends of their own. They look so alike that when they attacked together, their enemies thought that it was just one incredibly fast ninja. They called this Lee/Gai figment the “Green Ghost of Konoha” Of course, Gai and Lee loved it. Things were going well for that group. They became the closest of friends from spend months in the field at a time. Lee even proposed to Tenten at one point. She was completely taken by surprise of course, and asked for time to think about it. She never got to answer him, though.”

Sasuke winced and braced himself for what he knew was the sad part of the story.

“They became so infamous that the Water country hired a group of assassins to take them out. They ambushed team Gai when they were on their way back to Konoha. They were powerful Ninja who specialized in defeating taijutsu-type ninja, greatly reducing the ability of all the members of team Gai. One of the ninja targeted Tenten with an instant death jutsu, but Lee pushed her out of the way and was hit instead. When Gai saw Lee dead, he became enraged. He opened all eight chakra gates and quickly defeated their opponents. His last words were, ‘Lee, taken in the springtime of your youth, you should have lived so much longer.’”

Again Tsunade stopped to take a breath, and calm her nerves.

“They were buried together, and both their names are on the Hero’s Stone. They would have wanted that. Tenten and Neji are still doing missions, always together. Most people say that they should get married, but they won’t do it, because they feel that it would dishonor Lee’s memory. So they keep doing missions together, loving each other, but not being able to show that love.”

Sasuke glanced back at the door. “What about Kakashi?” Tsunade sigh again.

“After Naruto went crazy, Sakura barely put any effort into anything. He was the only chance we had at bringing you back, and with him gone, you were gone as well. Kakashi blames you for destroying both of their lives. As do many of Naruto and Sakura’s friends. You won’t find many people here who don’t want to see you dead.”

Sasuke lowered his gaze to the floor. He had let all his old friends down. He had taken the support, care, and love they had given him, and in return had ruined their lives. He had destroyed them all. “What… What about Sakura?” Tsunade shook her head. “You should ask her.”

**Konoha Hospital**

Tsunade had to take Sasuke to the hospital and explain the situation to the attendant nurse. Before she left, she turned to Sasuke. “Sasuke, I hate you very much, and I don’t think anything short of a miracle will change that. But this is your home, so I won’t keep you out. Naruto would have wanted us to accept you, so we will.” With that, she turned and left the hospital. The nurse toke Sasuke down to a room where Sakura was tending to a patient. Just as he got there, she came out. The nurse left them alone.

“Sasuke-kun…” Sasuke hadn’t heard those words for a long time. And coming from Sakura, they were like a slap in the face. “Sakura.” They stood their staring at each other for the longest time, then Sakura ran up and hugged Sasuke. “Sasuke, I’m so glad that you’re back. I… I think that you’re the only one.” Sasuke pushed her away so he could see her face. “I’m the only one?” Sakura nodded. “You’re the only one who can save Naruto.”

**Uchiha complex**

Sasuke and Sakura walked up to the door, and Sakura knocked on it. For a moment Sasuke wondered who she thought was going to answer it, but then Hinata opened the door. Akamaru, who was big enough to ride now, trotted up along side her. Sasuke could clearly see where the tears had been running down her face. “Sakura-chan and… Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough to destroy Naruto-kun’s life?! Get out!” Hinata began pushing Sasuke away from the door, but Sakura stopped her. “No, Hinata! That’s not it. I brought him here to try to help Naruto.” Akamaru whined slightly. “Are you really here to help Naruto-kun?” Hinata asked. Sasuke nodded, unable to say anything. Hinata looked like she still didn’t like the idea, but let the through anyways. “Come on, he’s in the courtyard, training.” They both followed Hinata, who seemed to know her way around the place as if she had lived there her whole life. Sasuke glanced at the walls, but no longer saw visions of horror and death. Now he only saw the walls. He was haunted no longer.

They came around the corner and there, punching the air rapidly, was Naruto. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks, his hair was an absolute mess, and his clothes were in rags. Sasuke realized that Hinata must have been trying to keep his appearance up, maybe while he was sleeping. This was a very dangerous thing to do, if Tsunade had told the truth about Naruto attacking anyone who touched him. “Naruto-kun, Sasuke’s here to see you.” Naruto didn’t seem to notice, he continued punching the air, throwing in a kick every now and then. Sasuke noticed that he couldn’t follow Naruto’s movements at all without the Sharingen. Tsunade had been right about Naruto’s power. Hinata turned to Sakura and Sasuke with a hurt look on her face. “He’s never going to acknowledge you, Hinata,” Sakura said, “You need to accept that and move on.” Hinata glared fiercely at her. “Like you did? If I stop taking care of Naruto-kun, no one else will take my place. He’ll starve himself to death before he comes out of here.” Sakura sighed. “Well, maybe it would be better to end it. Are we really doing him any favors by keeping him alive?” Hinata pointed her hand at Sakura and said angrily, “I will never give up on Naruto-kun. Never. That’s what he taught me.” Sasuke put a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “It’s ok Hinata. I think you’re doing the right thing. I’m going to go see if I can talk to him now.” Hinata nodded. Both she and Sakura watched silently as Sasuke walked slowly up to Naruto. When he entered Naruto’s line of sight, Naruto stopped moving. For a long time Sasuke wasn’t sure what was going on, but the fact that Naruto was reacting to him at all seemed like a good sign. His hopes were rising. “…Sasuke?” Naruto walked forward slowly, and then put his hand on Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke took Naruto’s hand with both of his. “I’m here Naruto. I’m right here. You can stop training now. I promise that I won’t ever leave again.” Sasuke stared into Naruto’s blank eyes, searching for some flicker of recognition. Then he saw it. “Don’t worry, Sasuke,” Naruto said, “I’ll definitely save you and bring you back to Konoha!” Naruto flashed his ‘never give up’ smile at Sasuke. Then he turned and began kicking and punching at the air again. Behind him, Sasuke heard a sob. He turned to see Sakura crying hard, her hands up to her face before she ran out of the courtyard. The tear stains on Hinata’s cheeks were shining again too. Sasuke could feel his own eyes begin to water, but he refused to allow tears to come out. Tsunade had been right. Without Naruto, Konoha had fallen apart.
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