He had warned Kurama in advance not to repair the damage to his body.
For this moment, Naruto had even sealed away his Wood Release and Uzumaki bloodline long beforehand.
All so he could cough up blood and die at this very moment.
Feeling his life force rapidly slipping away, Naruto found his eyelids unbearably heavy.
Before losing consciousness, Naruto finally told Sasuke what he had kept buried in his heart for years.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I love you."
With those words, Naruto went limp and began to collapse.
Only then did Sasuke snap out of his daze.
He instinctively caught Naruto in his arms. Even now, he refused to believe any of this was real.
"This isn't real. No... it has to be a dream."
Sasuke murmured, trying to numb himself.
But when he slowly withdrew his right hand from Naruto's pierced heart, he discovered that the blood on it was warm.
"No, this isn't real. It's all fake..."
"Aaah!!!!"
Sasuke's mind went utterly blank. Once he reacted, he instinctively pressed both hands over the gruesome wound through Naruto's heart.
"There has to be a way to save you. Naruto, stop messing around... wake up. I'll go back with you. I..."
Sasuke spoke softly and urgently, but how could his two small hands plug the terrible wounds through Naruto's chest and back?
Scalding blood kept gushing from Naruto's heart.
"Ah... stop. Just stop!!!"
Sasuke tried everything he could to stop the blood from pouring out, but it was all futile.
"Stop bleeding! Please..."
Just then.
A light rain began falling from the sky. Water struck Naruto's face, indistinguishable from tears.
"Naruto, please don't die. Don't leave me... I love you too!!"
"Narutooo!!!"
Holding Naruto, Sasuke tilted his head back and sobbed helplessly.
Then he placed a finger beneath Naruto's