Naruto looked around his apartment with a fond smile. He had never moved out of this apartment, even when he could afford a nicer one. This place had sentimental value to him. It was given to him by the kind old Third Hokage; it really was one of the few things Naruto had left to remember the old man by. He had to admit that he much rather preferred dying here, his one bastion against the hells of his childhood than in Sakura's room.

He walked into his bedroom and looked at the sheets. His bed was still unmade from when he woke up yesterday. His bed looked normal. His bed looked like everything was ok, and that he still lived here. That he was still well on his way to becoming Hokage... But his bed was deceptive, because the life that his bed showed was no longer within his reach. He walked to his bed and pulled out the kunai he kept stashed underneath his mattress.

With a rueful smile Naruto walked back out into his kitchen. He decided to have one last cup of ramen before he ended the hell that was his life. Instant ramen was no Ichiraku's, but he couldn't risk going out in public again. If Ino knew of his new status there was no telling who else she told. As far as Naruto knew, the entire village knew he was now Sakura's slave and would stop and question him.

Naruto boiled the water and waited for the ramen to cool. His eyes caught the old picture of Team 7 that he had never let go. He and Sasuke were glaring at each other, while Sakura and Kakashi were smiling. It was a good picture. He could see the happiness in his and Sasuke's eyes even though they were glaring at each other. He missed those days. He missed when he was happy and optimistic without a care in the world.

With a sad sigh Naruto began eating his ramen. As he ate, he contemplated how he was going to kill himself. Ninja training told him that slitting his throat was the most efficient way, but that just didn't seem appropriate.

As he slurped down more delicious noodles, Naruto decided that he was going to stab himself in the heart. That was the appropriate way to go. That way he would be able to see if there was still anything left in there right before he died. Naruto slurped up the last of the noodles and took a deep breath.

"This is it..." Naruto whispered. "Goodbye everyone..."

Naruto plunged the kunai into his heart and gritted his teeth in pain. It hurt, it hurt so bad, but he grinned anyways. His life was finally over. He could be reunited with all the people that actually cared about him again. The third Hokage, Jiraiya, his mother, his father...

A grinning Naruto embraced the darkness that was consuming his vision and he fell backwards out of his chair.

I'm free... Was Naruto's final plan