The Feral World of Shinobi

The Death of Great Men

You'd never seen Sans in black before. Not decked out in it, anyway. You assumed there was a similar custom in his society of monsters. It was your first time seeing him in a suit as well. You stood by your father's and technical mother/Sensei for the ceremony, any comfort that was given to the grieving team seemed to fall on deaf ears. You at least got to talk to your longtime friend again. "Heh, it's been forever, wish we didn't have to chat on such depressing terms." Naruto nodded his agreement. "I know. He really helped me out, ya know? I can't even imagine how Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji must feel right now..."Naruto couldn't imagine losing Iruka Sensei, Kakashi Sensei, Pervy Sage, or even Captain Yamato. You certainly didn't want to lose your parents either, though... your eyes flickered to Sans. It was a reality you were still trying to face. "I have the slightest idea..." You mumbled quietly. Naruto blinked at you, frowning. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You ok?" You shook your head. "Now's not the time or the place. We will catch up though." You promised your old friend. "Oh definitely!" Naruto agreed.

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"were you close to him?" Sans regarded you with curiosity as you both headed homeward. "Now, I've never really talked to him. He was the Third Hokage's son though, and a good man as far as I've heard. He lived up to the Will of Fire." Sans gave you a confused expression. "the will of fire?" Oh right, he didn't know. "The basic meaning, love is the key to peace. They say all the greatest shinobi believed in the Will of Fire, using it to guide them through the greatest hardships in Konoha's history." Sans hummed. "love is the key to peace... i like that. i'm assuming it's the good sort of love?" It took you a moment to remember LeVel Of VoilencE. "I don't know. I think it's mostly up to interpretation. Some people would kill for love." You replied honestly. "what is your interpretation of the will of fire?" You hummed thoughtfully. "I think we could all get along, if we would just try. It would put me out of a job, but it would be worth it." You replied with a shrug. "heh. sounds good to me. i agree with that." Sans gave a wave before he disappeared.

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Sans wasn't feeling up to doing much of anything which left you worried that he would be next. Naruto was already back to training and your other father was on mission with Team Ten. You really missed Gaara. It had been a hot minute since you'd last been with him and your soul was longing. You wished you had enough magic to take a shortcut to Suna and be with him for awhile, as you had been that month a few years back. Stars how your soul longed for your soulmate. He was busy though, far from you and you had to find another way to occupy your time and vent your worries. You turned your head slowly to home where you knew Hizuki Sensei was. Hello new mother, time to parent. You popped in right in front of her, making her jump and growl. "[Y/N]-" You gave her an apologetic whimper. "Heh, sorry... I was just hoping we could... I don't know... talk? Mom to child or something like that?" Hizuki blinked rapidly. "Sure? What's on your mind, [Y/N]?" She was happy, as she guided you to the other room.

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It was another funeral at Konahagure, and it wasn't Sans as you'd feared. It was Naruto's Sensei, the Legendary Sanin Jiraiya. He was killed in action by one of the Akatsuki. It had left Naruto being distant, and pushing everyone, yourself included, away. You weren't going to let him be alone though, hell no. He may have been busy, but he was still your best friend and you weren't going to let him suffer alone. "Hey Naru..." The blonde sighed mournfully, lowering his head further. "I'm really not in the mood to talk... sorry..." You sat down beside him. "I know. I'm not here to talk, I'm here to support." You replied simply. Naruto seemed to realize what you meant after a minute, wrapping his arms around you as he cried. You just let him, rubbing his back gently. "I've got you, my friend, I'm here. I won't leave you alone." You murmured. Hopefully with time and patience and tear filled hugs like the one, he would be at least somewhat back to himself. It hurt to see him hurt. He was a part of your Konaha family.

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It became your personal mission to be there for Naruto until he ended up leaving to do something called Sage training. You knew very little of the arts, but if Naruto was up to that task, that was good. He was accepting Jiraiya's untimely end. "morning kiddo." Speaking of. "Hey dad. Doing a bit better today?"
"don't hurt as much as yesterday." Sans lowered himself painfully into the bench. "Woah, hey, are you sure?" You helped him down into the spot as he nodded. "sick of being cooped up. wanted to be out in this nice whether with my kid. good memories to cherish, heh." You... could understand that. You were still worried though. It couldn't be long now at all, his condition was only worsening. Some days he seemed fine, but no matter what or where, you could tell he was still in pain. Some days, you wished it would just end so he didn't have to feel this anymore. "And I will cherish them. I promise..." You replied tearfully. Sans smiled sadly and wiped them away. "it's still not time yet, don't worry."