[They say orange is the brightest color]

"When your dreams all fail,
and the ones we hail
are the worst of all,
and the blood runs stale."

Demons; Imagine Dragons.

6:30pm

Naruto had lost many important people in his life, too many to count. He had cried, begged and screamed for them to live until all that was left was a bloody throat and an emptiness inside. But, as the blonde Kuubi vessel focused his hollow gaze to the unresponsive heart monitor, his own heart clenched painfully in protest whilst his head told him to remain passive.

Naruto was no longer the naive boy he once was.

The war had damaged his resilience, he knew too much. There was no room for wishful prayers and anguished pleas to the Gods. Naruto knew. He knew that Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast would never open his eyes again. He knew that the enthusiastic taijutsu expert would be reunited with his beloved teammate.

Amidst the chaos that was Rock Lee's operation room, Naruto recognized a distant wailing belonging to the remaining member of Team Guy. Realizing that the young women needed to grieve alone by the corpse, Naruto left the scene with his tight fists hard against his stiff frame.

No, Naruto was not naive. He knew that peace was too good to be true. He knew too much.

"Iwashi"

Iwashi Tatami appeared in a small cloud of smoke with his head bowed down respectfully before Naruto. His signature brown goatee and calculating eyes brought back a small comfort to Naruto, knowing that whilst he had lost most of his family, he still had some left that he could count on.

"Hokage?"

"Alert the allied countries; there is to be a meeting at 2200 hours. Make it quick, make it quiet. You, Raidō Namiashi and Genma Shiranui are to teleport each countries Kage to my safe headquarters in the Hokage Monument."

"Hai, anything else, Hokage?"

Naruto hesitated as his stomach let off a low rumble. With a sheepish grin he scratched the back of his head, "Hehe, uh, could you bring me back some of Teuchi's miso ramen?"

The Hokage's elite bodyguard huffed and glared slightly at Naruto before using shunshin to escape further meaningless orders.

9:00pm

As Naruto jumped from roof-top to roof-top, he leaped over three young children holding hands. They circled an invisible object energetically as they squealed and happily sung.

Ring-a-round the rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down.

Naruto smiled at their innocent playing and continued toward his destination. Before facing the Kage's of the four great nations Naruto needed confirmation, inspiration, and reassurance. He needed Kakashi.

The blue-eyed vessel stopped short of his former sensei's apartment window and peered in. Scrolls and thick textbooks littered the floor of the sharingan user's home, empty bowls of half eaten, unrecognizable food covered in bugs and rodents, emoty sake bottles - full sake bottles. Naruto cringed as he slid the window open.

'Kaka-sensei?"

Unsure, Naruto eased into the room and opened the bedroom door. Kakashi sat in on the floor of the living room with a familiar book in his lap. His exposed eye crinkled as he looked at the blonde in Kage robes.

"Well, well, well. A personal visit from the Hokage himself? I've got goose bumps"

The man's voice was deep and purposefully slow as it willed a reaction from the vessel. He noticed the serious glint behind the look of annoyance, however, and stood up with difficulty.

"What is it?"

Naruto's face hardened, "Rock Lee is dead. Tenten… she saw... they were Kumogakure."

Naruto's hands visibly shook with rage. He turned away from his pervy surrogate brother with something akin to disgust on his face.

"Now, Naruto – don't do anything rash. You – we – need to remain calm and level headed," Kakashi had his hand palm-ward to the boy, as if hushing a rabid wolf, "You need to not jump to conclusions-"

"-we made a deal! A promise that no more death would occur! They broke it, he killed my family-"

"-Naruto! Listen to me, you know - I know you know - that Killer Bee would never let the Raikage break the treaty. You're upset, you're grieving. You need logic for this. It could be someone with a grudge just trying to start a feud between two allies, it could be Oto for all we know."

"You don't understand."

Kakashi paused upon hearing the distraught voice of his pupil.

"For five years I've promised this village, all other villages, that I would bring peace to this world. That I would break and crumble and decay before I gave up on a life where there is no such thing as kill or be killed. A life where an eight year old doesn't know fifty different ways to kill someone.

For the first time in my life… I'm going to have to break a promise. I can't do this anymore. People are dying every day because I can't convince people to give up killing one another. Every day someone I know dies! I've lost so many people that I don't even remember who I had in the first place! Jiraiya was wrong to believe in me. I can't save a world that doesn't want to be saved."

Kakashi placed his hand on the shaking jinchūriki.

"Naruto… Jiraiya believed in you for a reason. I see that reason. This village see's that reason. The allied forces of the Fourth Shinobi War saw that reason. Give up on yourself if you want, it's your decision what the fate of this village is. But just know that we will never give up on you."

Naruto's face remained morbid. "I know that, Thanks Sensei."

Naruto was well aware everyone believed in him, the weight of everyone's expectations on his shoulders was heavy. He knew that, he knew many things - he knew too much.

Kakashi's mask hid the sad smile that he sent Naruto. His hand left the twenty-one year olds shoulder.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm starting a book club. I'm out one member too! What a coincidence that you're here ten minutes before it starts. You've read your Godfathers beautiful creation by now, yes?"

Naruto looked around the apartment suspiciously, wearing the expression to hide his own sad smile.

"Don't tell Sakura."

10:13pm

"You're late for your own God damn meeting. Brat."

The Tsuchikage – Kitsuchi – grumbled out his distaste for Naruto's tardy entrance into the dimply lit meeting room. Naruto waved an awkward greeting to the Iwagakure leader.

"Sorry, I – uh – was at my book club."

Gaara stood and greeted Naruto with a firm handshake and a slight amused upturn of his lips, "Naruto, your lack of punctuality is always refreshing in serious matters like these… my condolences for your loss. He was an extraordinary shinobi… a loyal friend."

Naruto returned the shake and added a solid pat on the back; his grin – though smaller than usual – still held the light that Gaara had always envied.

"Gaara! It so good to see you…. I've actually called this meeting in retaliation to his premature death."

Naruto eyed the Kumogakure – A – and his apparent disinterest of reality. His face held a seemingly permanent frown, his beady black eyes holding no acknowledgement to Naruto's declaration.

Frowning, Naruto ushered Gaara to the rounded table and sat beside an empty seat and the attractive Mizukage.

A shifted his empty gaze to the Uzumaki, an annoyed expression retiring the previous stolic one, "As important as it is to discuss why your ninja are within my boarders without permission, there are much more important things to discuss. As Hokage you need to put aside your emotions and focus on the survival of your people."

Naruto remained silent.

"Otogakura have begun to grow. Soon they will be powerful enough to challenge a village for power. I guarantee that it will be Konohagakure will be the first to burn. Do you not agree?"

Naruto rose from his seat and placed his palm on his head in frustration, "No more fighting. We all promised this, we all believe this-"

Kitsuchi cut him off, "Don't be a fool, Naruto! You cannot run a ninja village without the act of killing. Your village will perish into economic starvation – hundreds left jobless. What will you do then? What will we do? I refuse to let my people be poor street merchants when they have risked their lives and protected their village in battle! Mei, you are suffering mutiny due to this very fear within Kirigakure, am I right in assuming this?"

"Am I right in assuming you have spies in every village?"

Tension rose within the room as A, Gaara and Naruto shared shocked and accusing glances between each other. Naruto slowly sat back down on his chair.

"What's done is done, I do what I can for the safety of my people," Kitsuchi replied with a soothing voice.

Mei rose from her seat, "Ōnoki would never have betrayed our trust. He believed in Naruto's dream of a peaceful world. He would have found a way around the economic depression associated with such a dream. Your Daimyō expresses this same belief."

Mei paced the room as the others watched Kitsuchi with careful eyes. Gaara looked to Naruto.

"What was Lee doing in lightening?"

Mei stilled.

"I received a letter from Oto. They wished to meet and negotiate a trade of wheat for building materials such as wood. I knew that something wasn't right but I was so desperate for peace. Lee's team didn't make it. Lee ran all the way back to give me the information. He said it were Cloud ninja that attacked."

"My shinobi do not kill behind my back, your friend was mistaken."

Gaara spoke solemnly, "Oto is becoming a bigger problem than first perceived. Naruto, we need to defuse this problem before it gets bigger. Sound ninja posing as cloud ninja just to create a political dispute is unforgivable. They do not wish to start a war, they wish to make a statement. I know you are not stupid, Naruto. You need to understand our reasoning. We have more experience as leaders, this needs to be quick and silent. Death is inevitable."

Mei stood beside Naruto, "Death is irreversible!"

Naruto spared a glance at the sand kage, a betrayed look flashed across his face.

"You are my friend, my family, my brother. You are my daughter's godfather. You know I would never suggest this unless it was our only option. I'm not against you, I'm fighting for you and your village. I am sorry, Naruto."

Naruto placed his defeated head on the stone table, "I'll send my best ANBU and request two shinobi from each village to aid them to identify possible spies allying with sound. Infiltration is the goal. They will only attack if being attacked. Ill gather Intel before our next course of action."

"Your action," A spoke with indifference.

Mei responded with a glare toward the one armed man, "OUR action."

Naruto rubbed his head with his index fingers. His father had said that the Raikage would be a tight-ass. Naruto already knew that. Before his father had been returned to the afterlife precluding the war, he had said he believed in him. That he knew Naruto would succeed and that when he did he would be so proud. Would his father be proud of his progress to a peaceful world right this second? Would Jiraiya be proud? He knew the answer. He knew too much.

"Now that we have settled the major threat of our existence," Kitsuchi spoke in an almost bored tone, "and now that my placing of stone spies has been revealed, I suppose I should inform you to keep a close eye on the ever-so-trustworthy Hyūga clan."

Naruto's eyes slit red and the Kyūbi growled dangerously within the confines of its vessel.

"Neji Hyūga sacrificed his life to save mine. His cousin is the closest thing I have to a sister. Tread carefully."

Kitsuchi paused before speaking calming.

"I'm not suggesting anything. You have the resources, do your own dirty work – maybe use those ANBU of yours for purposes other than ordering ramen. I'm only implying that you should make note of their future involvement with other clans – a betrothal perhaps." He stood, "Heed my advice Naruto, I know you aren't as stupid as you appear. I best be going. Good luck."

11:45pm

Naruto looked at the bruised sky, clouds covering the usually bright stars and moon. Up ahead he saw a recognizable pink-haired women sitting on his porch, her head shaking slowly and sweet murmurs of nothingness floating on her breath - nothing is real.

"Sakura-chan?"

Her eyes remained unfocused even as she turned her head to the voice. Naruto sighed. She'd relapsed again.

After every death, every healing - she would break. Naruto summed it down to losing every person she had tried to save since the Fourth War. Watching her mentor, teacher, Hokage and mother-figure get decapitated by the Jūbi caused the delicate thread in her pretty head to snap. Reality and insanity blurred. No longer could she be a shinobi or a medical ninja.

She tried to possess the insanity and tame it – for a long time Naruto believed she had. But no matter how hard the girl tried, she would end up killing every critical patient she received. Not because she meant to but because she couldn't control her relapses. She would be threading the delicate heart muscles of a patient and snap both the thread in her head and the patient's spine. The hospital had banned her appearance.

On the clearer days, the ones that Naruto hardly ever sees her in, she would cry and beg for him to kill her. She would apologize over and over again until she forgot why she was crying and screaming in the first place – she would laugh when that happened.

Naruto was the only one who could bring her back, the only one to stop the screaming. Just when he thought he recognized the spark in her eyes it would dull down and she would scream again. Naruto knew she would never get better. He knew she would never forgive him for keeping her alive. He knew he couldn't kill her. He knew he would never leave her side. He knew too much.

He pulled the pink girl into his arms and kissed her neck.

"I didn't mean to kill him, I didn't mean it! I – I thought I could save him – they kept trying to take me away but I showed them, I did Naruto. I stitched him up real good. I… I forgot to pump the blood out of his lungs though and… I… he… Lee drowned on his own blood."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he silently begged her to stop talking.

She laughed at the moon, and Naruto grabbed her hand to rubbed slow circles on her palm.

"You hate me?"

Naruto hesitate.

"I know you know I wouldn't be here if I did."

Sakura giggled and swung their linked arms high into the air, "you know too much."

As they rounded the corner of the well-lit street, Tenten's bloody and beaten body lay a few meters before the two – three Otogakure ninja dead beside her feet.

12:00am

He closes his eyes as he hears Sakura scream.

"No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed"

Authors Note:

I value constructive criticism, without it i don't improve; I'd love to return the favor, just let me know!

If you enjoyed Chapter One: Orange of They All Fall Down, please alert and/or favorite it so you are able to be noticed when i put up Chapter Two: Pink. Thank you and long live Kakashi!

Chapter Two Teaser: [They say pink is a washed-out red]

The scream continues, arching higher in pitch.

Sakura sinks to the ground and almost laughs when she realizes it's hers - the scream is hers. She hugs the blood covered head tightly - she shouldn't laugh – and finally does laugh so hard that she can no longer see the world.

Only the funny looking body that was still twitching a few meters from her quaking form.