Sometimes, life doesn't pan out like you want it to. You gain some, you lose some, but life will never be up to how you wanted it to be. You will never live the life you wanted to live.
That's something you'll only realize in your last moments, when you're taking your dying breath and hoping to live longer because you realize there's so much more you want to do.
Naruto was dying, he might already be dead, and Madara was winning the war. In moments like these, when hope was dead, it was time for someone to birth new hope.
You decided you would birth hope, even if it was just a little bit.
"I'm going to use it" you say, and your team 8 looks at you shocked. Hinata has tears in her eyes, Shino is just baffled. And Kiba looks…
"What do you mean?" Kiba swallows, looking at you with sad eyes, "You're going to use what?"
"Eien no umi" You say slowly, your gaze focused on your feet. Eternal Ocean, your clan's forbidden jutsu. A jutsu where as soon as it's activated, it does a great deal of damage. However, every jutsu comes with it's weaknesses, especially if it's forbidden.
"You'll die if you use that" Hinata says, her voice shaking as she plays nervously with her thumbs.
"Why are you using it now?" Shino asks, he seems just as shocked as Hinata.
"There's no reason for you to use it, there has to be another way" Kiba doesn't hesitate to speak his mind, but his voice is so shaky as he speaks.
"There isn't another way-"
"There's always another way!" Kiba yells out you, and you jerk back a little shocked. He's trembling, his fists are clenched so tight they're pale. His bottom lip is shaking, and you almost stop yourself from looking into his eyes.
There's tears glazed over his warm, brown eyes. They're wide open, refusing to blink, refusing to miss any moments. He's sad, he's heartbroken, and it makes your heart break to see him so sad.
It reminds you of the first and last time you ever saw him cry. When you were both 7, and he was frustrated over something his mom said. You were both in the forest on the east side of the village, in your usual play area.
"Stupid Mom" He sniffled, wiping his snot and tears all over his arm.
"I don't think you should call her stupid" You say, and he just glares at you.
"She is being stupid right now though, she nags so much," He starts to cry a bit more, and all your 7 year old self can do if scoot closer and hug him, "I hate her" he cries into your shoulder, and you just pat his back while telling him it will be okay soon.
"It's ok, it'll be ok later on too, I promise" You comfort Kiba, and it was ok later on, just like you promised him.
Now, here Kiba is 9 years later, tears in his eyes as he looks angrily at you.
You walk up to him and place your hands on his cheeks, guiding his head forward. You press his forehead against yours, looking so deeply into his eyes.
"I want to be hope" You say, a sad smile settling on your face, "I've always wanted to be hope, and now it's my time"
"No it's not" his voice is hoarse, cracking a little bit as he holds in the tears.
"I want you to promise me a few things, Ok, Kiba? So listen up" He silently nods, "I need to you survive this war"
"I promise." His voice is weak.
"I need you to go to my house, tell my mother and little brother that I'm so sorry and that I'll love them forever"
"I promise."
"I need you to then walk away from that house, leave everything about me you've ever loved at my doorstep. Leave it all behind"
"N-no I can't-"
"I'm not finished yet," Kiba shuts his mouth, keeping his gaze on your eyes, on your face, on you, "I need you to forget about me. Go find someone else, love her just as dearly as you loved me. Make new memories, do new things. Get married, have kids, do whatever you want to do with love. Just don't ever look back at me, keep looking forward" You have tears in your eyes, and you feel your voice start to crack.
He softly says your name, it runs off his tongue like butter, so smoothly. But it's also rough, sharp like a knife and rough like concrete.
"I don't want you to regret loving me, I don't want to be the reason you can't love after this"
"You won't be" His voice is so hoarse, so broken up.
"I know how you are, Kiba" Tears start falling down your cheeks, dripping onto the broken up ground beneath the two of you.
"I-" his eyes are scared, they look terrified. His skin is pale and he looks like he's going to be sick.
"Kiba." you whisper.
"What?" he whispers back.
"I love you so much, Kiba" He holds his breath, too terrified that he'll break right in front of you.
You grab his face a little harder, then you pull him closer and get the last taste of his lips that you'll ever get.
He hesitated to kiss you back at first, you can feel his bottom lip shaking against you. Then he grips your arms, and kisses you back like a starved wolf.
You had always been together since you were kids, every moment of your life had been spent with Kiba. When you learned new jutsu, got into the academy, got in trouble together… then later on when you spent your free time together, hung out all the time in and outside of missions, when Shino got you guys to confess to each other when you were 12.
Kiba was part of your whole being, part of who you were. How could you let him go so easily?
You told him to go fall in love with someone else, to get married and have kids and do something with his life.
The thought makes your heart flutter. Imagine that: children that resemble both you and Kiba running around. Raising children together, teaching them your clan's salt water style and his clan's dog style. Being a family… Being together forever, what a life that would be.
You break the kiss, and you can feel how wet your cheeks are. You're crying already, and your voice hurts so bad.
"I'm starting now" You say, your voice feels so hoarse, so painful.
You start to weave the signs for the jutsu. Hare. Ox. Boar.
Hinata is crying, and Shino is comforting her on the side. Kiba is speechless, as if he still believes you're in his arms.
Bird. Horse. Dog. Your chakra starts to swirl inside of you, and you start to feel your sweat lift off of your skin.
Serpent. Dragon. Your skin starts to glow green, like the scales of a water dragon. Your body starts turning into water, drop by drop as it floats around you. You look up, and Kiba's crying. Tears are running down his face, and you so badly want to run up to him and to wipe them all away.
His body is shaking, his lips and hands are trembling, and you see him start to sob. He looks you in the eye hopelessly, and you give him a smile as tears run down your face.
"It's ok, it'll be ok later on too. I promise" You say, and the water around you begins to violently circle your body, like a tornado. You feel the rest of your body turn to water, and the last thing you hear before you know you've died is Kiba.
Kiba cries out your name, so heartbroken and so defeated. And you want to cry his name back, but you can't.
I'm sorry, Kiba… I wish we could've been forever.