This deserves more reviews than it got. It brought tears to my eyes. Of course Naruto would be stupid, crazy and loving enough to die for Sasuke. *wibbles* Sometimes, Sasuke makes it so easy to hate him, and Naruto makes it everyone's second nature to love him. *sigh*

This was simply beautiful.

heartbreaking and beautiful. what i really liked about this oneshot was the pacing, oddly enough. there wasn't any rushing, and it wasn't suddenly i-hate-you-no-wait-i-love-you-please-don't-go. you developed it very realistically and that's what made it so poignant.

thank you for sharing!

hey Animeaddict6 kiss kiss

yeah i know how plot bunnys can be
i am having a problem with some of them right now!
one of the old ones met one of the new ones and things got realy awkward for a while with the custody claims and all that stuff...[throws dead fish at bunny]

any way great story it makes a lot of sense
but knowing sasuke he will go all contrary and waste his second chance on somthing stupid and get himself killed. on the other side naruto will be slapping himself

but great fic

two severed thumbs up

May the darkness Protect you and the light Bless you

your friend Belle M

I see what you're saying about the emotions not being felt. I think- not sure, but here's my guess- it's because most of what you wrote was their actions. Like, "'You're already bleeding to death,' Naruto answers softly." It shows the scene well, but doesn't go inside his head and emotions so much. But then, I've always had problems with the whole 'show don't tell' aspect of writing.

Now for the praises! There were some really beautiful sentences stuck in there. "Eyes wide, unblinking, shock so deep...", "...snarling the syllables like an ancient curse.", "His breath sounds like a wet balloon..." and others. Beautiful, beautiful.

That was really good but sad at the same time. "I would have liked to see you be ad ad, Sasuke,...It would have been ...nice..to be an uncle." That part really got to me. And the whole story seemed exactly how Naruto and Sasuke would act. I really wish I could write this good!!

'blackbirds and red moons'
so both of sasuke's brothers end up sacrificing themselves for his sake.
this one-shot was so profound, you had me in tears :(
naruto wanting to be an uncle of sasuke's child was a really beautiful thought too :)
have you considered a short sequel where sasuke returns to konoha but refuses to destroy as he was going to but just returning naruto's body? this one-shot seems too well... good, for lack of better word, to just be left?

Damn, I still had uses for that heart.

I just wanted to let you know I love the pace of the fic - there's no rushing into it and I like how we don't get what Naruto's going to do right from the beginning. The last lines are heart-breaking.

I don't see the contrived in the emotions, and I think I'm going to find me a nice fluffy fic about chocolate and sunflowers now.

Well, I certainly felt it ;_;

First off, I have to say that even though this entire fic tugged on my heartstrings when I came upon this:

'I would have liked to see you be a dad, Sasuke, It would have been... nice... to be an uncle.'

It wasn't a tug. It was a pulled-so-hard-it-rips-your-heart-out kinda thing D: Also, Naruto's final farewell to Sasuke was the foot that viciously stomps on the poor discarded heart.

I loved how Naruto could still crack jokes (mostly aimed at himself) even in this dire situation, it was just so Naruto-ish and it didn't really hit me until just now (because I'm an idiot, apparently.), but let's just say your summery resonates all the more with me. Naruto had already accomplished his dreams, and the fact that he sacrificed everything to make sure Sasuke fulfills all of his and maybe find some sort of peace and happiness along the way, just really got me.

When it seemed that the only feelings Sasuke had left for Naruto was hatred I was rather disheartened, so when his personality took a complete 180 when he figured out what Naruto was doing I couldn't help but feel some satisfaction. I always hoped that despite Sasuke's seemingly indifferent attitude towards Naruto, there would always a part that cared for him. Even if that part shows itself too late.

This was probably your intent, but those last promises Naruto managed to keep was mostly for Itachi's sake than Sakura's, right? Maybe it's because of the quotes you used, but it felt like Naruto shared a sort of kinship with Itachi. It's a odd thought, but it feels right and I'm really enjoying that thought. Now both of Sasuke's brothers have sacrificed themselves for his sake and I can only hope he won't squander this chance.

Finally, it seems that every 'good guy' in Naruto manages to die with a smile on their face and even though you didn't say, I'd like to think that Naruto is one of them. Let's just hope that Konoha respects his last wishes more than they did his father's and gives Sasuke one last chance.

it was so beautiful. It worked perfectly as a oneshot, but I beg to know more. :D

Contrived?

This is mind-blowingly good and I'm reviewing you because I enjoyed this -- very much so. You have this way with words; it's simple, but more than effective because you hit right there where it matters the most. I love, love your precision and writing style: it is really something. You also kept Naruto and Sasuke IC, so much it hurts.

Can't say more, but please don't think of this as contrived: it's a well-written and emotional piece. I'm nearly tempted to say that, if you want to see what contrived is, I'd direct you to my own writing. However, regardless of that, this is fantastic.

I felt it.

But on a different level...I was thinking ai love not familial love...until I saw the last word...

But it did tug on my heart strings.

'I would have liked to see you be a dad, Sasuke, Naruto wishes even as his heart stutters painful against his ribcage. It would have been…nice…to be an uncle."
I actually cried when I read this part.

That was great.

Nonono...not contrived. Gods...just reading that made me feel like crying. I am also anxious for more, and will have to say that there is NO WAY that is really a one-shot...Please? *puppydog eyes* At least a chapter on him getting back to Konoha with Naruto's body. I can almost *see* it.

At least consider it?!?