Deadline

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Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto.

Everyone knows Kishimoto does (right?).

I've merely borrowed a few characters from the wave-arc.

I know that there has been some fanfics already about Naruto saving Haku and all that,

but this vary entirely from those.

Just sayin'.

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Anyway, this one-shot was more or less a ''fun'' break from my other projects,

so if you feel like flaming it and telling me how badly written and pointless the plot is,

be my guest. I'm already aware of that fact. XD

I'd also like to apologize for any possible grammatical errors and typo's you may find.

I blame that on not being a native English speaker.

Well, now hop on to the story then.

...

It was a "heat of the moment-thing".
It wasn't really anything but that.
He didn't really think things through before he took action in his own hands.
Suppose facing the ice nin had somewhat changed his beliefs.
For whatever reason, he knew that he couldn't stand by and let the injustice prevail.
Suppose that's the reason he now was standing in front of his fairly new sensei awaiting his death.
Suppose that was the reason he'd rushed to his enemy's side once he'd noticed the chirping sounds that could only mean one thing.
It was too late for Kakashi to alter the course of his own kinjutsu creation when he saw one of his students rush forward

to protect Zabuza and his protége while using his body as a living shield from the raikiri.

Naruto didn't make a sound as Kakashi's right arm broke through his chest, right above his heart.
Blood formed and dripped from his mouth, descending his chin.
Naruto coughed silently while his body became numb.
He gazed upon his teacher's eye, wide open from shock,

and felt the arm that was still deeply buried in his chest slowly retract.
Seeing the sorrow and remorse in Kakashi's face felt strange and somewhat vivid.
He really felt out of place.

Kakashi cradled the numb and broken form of his youngest student, tears forming in his visible eye.
The mission wasn't supposed to end like this.
If anyone out of his team had to die, it should be him, not a twelve year old rookie genin straight out of the academy.
As usual, the gods wasn't fair.

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Haku couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The boy, the caring and oh so boisterous, he had somewhat befriended,

had taken the supposed lethal hit form him despite the fact that they were on opposite sides.
'Why would he do that for me?'

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Sasuke awoke with a grunt.
There wasn't a single part of his body spared of pain.
It felt as though his entire being was schorching.
It certainly could not be considered a pleasant sensation.
He vaguely could comprehend the fact that he was still among the living,

when he suddenly felt an even less pleasant feeling of being internally 'crushed'.
A certain pink haired banshee otherwise known as Haruno Sakura had apparently seen it fit to squeeze him into oblivion.
A snide remark, just on the tip of his tongue, was left wordless as he noticed the tears that cradled the banshee's round cheeks.
He sighed, and turned his face towards the site where he'd last seen Kakashi's battle against the missing nin.
He'd expected to see blood, lots of it actually, and he'd expected to see a dead body.
What he saw, however, was what he'd least expected to see.

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He felt as though everything was still, he had somehow,

for one of the first times in his rather short life, managed to receive everyone's attention.
The attention he'd craved and longed for, for as long as he could remember.
It was almost ironic that he had to end up in a dying state to get the attention, the acknowledge of his existence.

That someone did notice him, that someone was aware that he did live,

even if that in itself was to most people considered nothing more than a heinous crime.
It was a bittersweet feeling knowing that for people to acknowledge his being, he had to be dying.
He would be lying if he said that he didn't feel rather unloved, though he was still happy

knowing that there was at least two people back at home who most certainly would miss him.
And now he had gained Kakashi-sensei's love as well.
One more person to care. One more person who would give his life away in order to protect him.
One more person...

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It was in that contemplation, a certain orange light was put out.
It was in that same manner another hero's name was found on a memorial stone.
It was the marking of the end of the reign of shinobi heroes,

and the beginning of the ominous future for the elemental countries.
For without its light, only darkness awaits.

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The End