Emperor of Mankind (Naruto X Marvel )

Naruto approached the graveyard, the soft rustle of his steps barely audible against the cool night air. The dim light from nearby streetlamps bathed the area in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows across the graves. As his eyes fell on the figure sitting by Sasuke's grave, his heart tightened. Sakura was there, alone, her back turned to him, her posture rigid with grief. She seemed to be speaking to the grave, her voice low and filled with sadness, but she stopped abruptly when she heard him approach.

They hadn't met since yesterday—since she had performed the operation to give him Sasuke's eyes. The weight of the situation lingered in the space between them, an unspoken tension that neither of them had fully addressed. As Naruto came into her line of sight, Sakura's gaze faltered. It was hard for her to look him in the eyes now, knowing that the eyes staring back at her were not his—they were Sasuke's.

"Sakura, you should go home now," Naruto's voice was gentle, but there was an underlying concern. "You've been sitting here the whole day."

Sakura's eyes didn't leave the grave. Her voice was soft but steady, though the mask she had been holding up for so long cracked slightly, revealing the raw pain she carried inside. "Naruto, I'm fine. I just... I just want to catch up with him, you know? I never got to talk to him. He never gave me a chance to. Not really."

Her words stung, the weight of them sinking into Naruto's chest like a stone. He could see the way she smiled, but it was a fragile, brittle thing that didn't reach her eyes. He didn't know what to say, how to make her pain stop. He didn't have any answers, no solutions. He just knew that he couldn't leave her like this.

Without saying another word, Naruto lowered himself onto the ground beside her, sitting cross-legged. His presence was all he could offer, hoping it would ease the burden she carried. But he could see the ache in her eyes, the sorrow that had consumed her.

"You already know Sasuke was terrible at showing his feelings," Naruto said softly, trying to break the heavy silence.

Sakura's smile faltered, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Yeah, I know... but I wonder what he thought of me. Did he still see me as a failure? I spent so long trying to get him to see me, to understand me. I shared my journey with him... but he can't respond anymore. And now, I'll never know. What happened, Naruto? Why did it happen? Weren't we fighting together? Didn't we win the war together? Why did you kill him?"

Her voice cracked with the weight of her pain, the words tumbling out like a flood she had been holding back for too long. She gripped his shirt tightly, as if searching for some sort of answer that would make sense of it all. Her tears fell freely now, each drop a reflection of the anguish she could no longer suppress.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the full weight of her questions. He could feel the anger, the confusion, the betrayal in her words. But there was nothing he could say that would make it all right. Nothing that would erase the truth of what had happened.

"It happened because I was too weak," Naruto's voice was thick with regret. "He sacrificed himself for the good of the world."

Sakura shook her head, refusing to accept it. "No, Naruto. Tell me the truth. Why? What happened? Why did you do it?"

Naruto swallowed hard, his throat tight as he spoke the truth. "I'm not lying. Sasuke had two choices—one was to kill me, the other was to sacrifice himself. And since he couldn't bring himself to kill me, he chose to sacrifice himself. He thought that we could never work together because we saw the world too differently. He didn't want our conflict to destroy everything. So, he believed that by sacrificing himself, he could change me. He wanted me to lead the world down the right path." Naruto's voice cracked slightly as he recounted Sasuke's words. It was still hard to believe that his best friend had made such a choice.

Sakura's tears intensified as she listened, her body trembling with emotion. "Why do you two continue on such a path?" she cried, her voice breaking. "We're not even twenty, and you're talking about goals so grand that not even the adults talk about them. Why couldn't our life have been normal? Why couldn't you two just become normal? I tried so hard, Naruto... but I could never be on the same stage as you two. It doesn't even seem possible anymore. Why couldn't you two work together?"

Her words were filled with a raw, unfiltered frustration that Naruto couldn't ignore. He understood the confusion, the disillusionment that had taken root in her heart. She had never signed up for a life like this, a life of constant conflict, impossible goals, and impossible choices. And now, as the dust settled, she was left alone, wondering why the world had forced them all into such roles at such a young age.

Before Naruto could respond, Sakura's grief erupted. She collapsed into herself, the emotional dam finally breaking, her sobs wracking her body. She reached out, grabbing hold of him, clinging to him as if he were the only anchor she had left in the world. In that moment, Naruto could feel the depth of her pain, the weight of everything she had lost—and he knew he couldn't fix it. He couldn't bring Sasuke back. He couldn't undo the past. But he could hold her.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, trying to calm the storm of emotions that raged within her. "Sakura, we couldn't work together because Sasuke believed in a path that didn't leave room for mercy. He wanted to kill every person who had committed a crime, or who could commit one in the future," Naruto explained softly, his voice thick with emotion. "That's the world he saw, and he thought it was the only way to fix things. But I couldn't follow him down that path. I couldn't let him destroy everything we fought for."

The night air was thick with sorrow, and the weight of Sakura's grief pressed heavily against Naruto's chest. He could feel the tension in her body, the tremors that rippled through her as she clung to him, as if she was desperately seeking something—anything—to make sense of the overwhelming loss.

Sakura pulled back slightly, her face twisted in confusion and pain, her eyes red from crying. "Tell me, Naruto," her voice cracked, "Was he going to kill me? Was he going to kill me, too?"

Naruto's heart wrenched at the question. He looked into her eyes, seeing the desperation, the need for closure, for understanding. He knew there was no easy way to answer her, but he couldn't lie to her, not now.

"I don't know, Sakura," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "The only thing I know is that Sasuke planned to kill all the Kage and anyone who stood in his way." He paused, looking down at her as he gently held her in his arms, feeling the weight of her sorrow. "I'm sorry, but he never mentioned you. He never said anything about you. He was too focused on his own path, just like I was. He was trying to find his way, and... he chose the path of sacrifice. Like his brother, he believed that sacrifice was the only way forward."

Sakura's body shuddered as she processed his words, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. Her hands clenched at his shirt as her mind raced, trying to make sense of everything. But it was too much. It was all too much.

Naruto felt the sting of her pain as she trembled against him. "What did he think of us?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as though she was afraid of the answer.

"He thought of us as family," Naruto replied, his voice steady but filled with sorrow. "He didn't hate us. He just... couldn't find his place in this world. He thought he had to be alone to make things right. But he never hated us."

Sakura's hands gripped his shirt tighter as she searched his face for any trace of doubt. Her eyes were wide, pleading. "You aren't lying, are you?"

Naruto shook his head firmly. "No. It's the truth, Sakura. Sasuke didn't want to hurt us. He just... believed he had to do what he did."

The words hung heavy in the air between them, but they offered no comfort. Sakura's tears flowed freely, her sobs echoing in the quiet of the night. She could barely contain the whirlwind of emotions that tore at her from the inside. She shook her head, as though trying to reject everything she had just heard.

"It's so unfair," she cried, her voice cracking. "Why couldn't someone have taken care of him? Why did they let him live alone for all those years? Why did they let him fall so far?"

Naruto stayed silent, his heart aching for her. There were no answers to her questions, no way to make the pain stop. All he could do was hold her, offering what little comfort he could. He didn't know why Sasuke had chosen the path he did. He didn't know why things had turned out the way they had. But he did know that the world wasn't fair, and that no one—least of all Sakura—deserved to feel this way.

She cried until her sobs turned into quiet whimpers, until the weight of exhaustion finally overtook her. Slowly, as if the fight had drained out of her, Sakura's body relaxed against him, and her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep in his arms, her tears soaking into his shirt, her heart still heavy with grief.

Naruto gently shifted her in his arms, careful not to wake her. He knew she needed rest, but the pain in his chest remained. He carried her back to her house, the weight of her sadness pressing on his heart. As he walked through the streets, the night felt colder, the darkness deeper. His mind kept replaying their conversation, the crushing finality of Sasuke's choices, and the hollow space that now existed where their bond had once been.

He reached her door and carefully laid her down inside. He covered her with a blanket, making sure she was comfortable, and stood there for a moment, watching her sleep. Her face was peaceful now, but Naruto knew that the storm inside her wasn't over. It wouldn't be for a long time.

Sakura had lost so much. And so had he.

He turned away, stepping back into the night, knowing that there was nothing more he could do for her right now. But he wouldn't leave her alone. He couldn't. He had to be there for her, just as he had always been there for Sasuke. He promised himself that no matter how painful the road ahead was, he would never leave her side.

With one last look at the house, Naruto walked away, the weight of his own heartache pressing on him, but with a resolve stronger than ever. They would both have to heal in their own time, but together, they would find a way forward.

The moonlight bathed Konoha in a serene, ethereal glow, casting long shadows over the village that Naruto had sworn to protect. He stood atop the Hokage Monument, the weight of his thoughts pressing heavily on his shoulders. The usual vibrant energy that filled him felt distant tonight, replaced by a profound sense of isolation. The quiet hum of the village below seemed almost mocking in its tranquility. It was as if the world had moved on, leaving him to wrestle with his own demons in silence.

"Are you afraid of facing your demons? How cowardly, Naruto," a mocking voice echoed in his mind, the familiar, sneering tone creeping into his thoughts. His sleep-deprived mind conjured the image of a figure standing next to him, shrouded in shadow. The voice was hauntingly familiar, a twisted version of himself, reminding him of all his insecurities.

Naruto's breath caught, his chest tightening as the figure continued to taunt him. "I am not afraid of anything," he muttered through clenched teeth, but even to himself, the words sounded weak.

"Then, why don't you drop your sage mode?" The voice smirked, pressing on his vulnerability. "Cat got your tongue, did I hit a sore point? You know I'm right, you're afraid. Scared that they'll kill you in your sleep? Hahaha!"

Naruto clenched his fists, a mixture of anger and fear boiling beneath the surface. He didn't need this. He didn't need these cruel, delusional voices reminding him of everything he was too afraid to confront. He had faced impossible odds before, and he could do it again. But this was different. The weight of all the loss, the responsibility, and the nightmares that haunted him—he didn't know how to carry it all. It was suffocating.

"Naruto, what are you doing alone?"

The voice came unexpectedly, breaking through his haze of self-doubt. He turned sharply to see Kakashi standing behind him, his face calm yet concerned. Kakashi's presence grounded him, pulling him out of the spiral of dark thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Just thinking about things, what about you?" Naruto replied, his voice hoarse from the exhaustion that had settled deep within him. He tried to sound casual, but Kakashi saw through it immediately.

"I'm here to make sure you get some rest," Kakashi said gently. "I know you haven't slept once since the battle, so there's no denying it."

Naruto sighed, his shoulders slumping. He didn't have the energy to argue. "I see, grandma has been watching over me with that magic ball," he muttered, referring to Tsunade's watchful eye through her use of the crystal ball.

Kakashi gave him a stern but kind look. "Naruto, not sleeping will only make it worse. Follow me and sleep. I'll be there for you while you rest."

Naruto hesitated. He could feel the weight of his fatigue, but there was something else holding him back—something deeper than mere exhaustion. The nightmares, the ghosts of his past, and the fear that still gripped him. He couldn't let his guard down, not now. Not when there were still so many threats to face. And worse, the haunting fear that someone might try to take him down while he was vulnerable.

Kakashi, sensing the deeper turmoil in Naruto's eyes, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know it's hard, but rest is necessary. You've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders for so long. But you're not alone, Naruto. Not anymore."

Naruto met his teacher's gaze, feeling the sincerity in his words. He had always seen Kakashi as a mentor, but now, he felt something more—a bond akin to that of family. Kakashi had been through his own battles, had seen loss and pain, and yet he was here, offering his guidance when Naruto needed it the most.

"I will follow your lead, teacher," Naruto said softly, his voice filled with quiet resolve. "Please, teach me how to handle these problems, these eyes." He glanced down at his hands, the weight of the power he had acquired settling heavy on him. He had never asked for this, but it was a tool he needed. Without it, he couldn't hope to face the challenges ahead, especially with threats like Kaguya looming.

Kakashi nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "After you've rested and achieved a calm mindset, we'll start training again," he promised, his voice filled with unwavering support. Kakashi's heart swelled with pride and a quiet joy at the thought of being able to help Naruto. To him, Naruto was not just a student—he was a little brother, someone he cared for deeply. It had always been his desire to protect and guide Naruto, but circumstances had never allowed him to do so fully.

But now, even though the situation was far from ideal, Kakashi knew that his role was more important than ever. He had to help Naruto navigate this journey, help him find peace amid the chaos. Otherwise, Naruto would face a lonely, isolated existence, burdened by the weight of the world and no one to understand the true depth of his pain.

And Kakashi would not allow that. Not while he still had the strength to stand by his side.

"Come on," Kakashi said, his voice warm but firm. "Let's get you some rest. Tomorrow is another day, and we'll face it together."

With that, Naruto allowed himself to follow, his body aching and his mind still spinning. But for the first time in a long while, he felt a flicker of hope—hope that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to carry this burden alone.