The warriors breathed out in relief. They were happy or cried over their losses they've had.
"Finally this nightmare found an end.", the Hokage said to the other Kage.
"Fortunately.", was the only answer they gave to that.
The Uzumaki and his friend Sasuke were exhausted from the last battle with Kaguya. But a later Sasuke went away with Sakura. Naruto already could imagine what the Uchiha wanted to do with her. /He has a lot to make up./, Naruto knowingly thought. All of a sudden he was surrounded by a lot of people he didn't know. They asked him a lot of questions or were just complimenting him how strong he was. He found this attention a little bit to much. Now he knew how Sasuke was feeling in the past.
The Uzumaki could escape from the people. Suddenly someone known to him threw himself around his neck and held him so tightly that he couldn't manage to escape anymore. For a little moment he was petrified. But right after that he instantly knew who that person was that was embracing him so desperately.
"When I saw how your heart went with each beat slowlier I thought that you-", she whispered into his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin. /She saw it?!/, he asked surprised himself in his mind. She saw how he was losing the ground on earth under his feet. He for sure could imagine what was going on in her at that moment. Slowly he wrapped his armes around her petite body, which was shivering a little bit.
"Thank god, that you're alright.", she whispered relieved. She couldn't stop shivering. She thought that she was still dreaming and she was scared that if she woke up, that he for real won't be there anymore.
Naruto could swear that he felt some tears over his skin on the neck. That's why he tightened the embrace and burried his face into her hair, where he still could smell the scent of the lily under the dust and bood.
"How can I die when I know that I'm needed." Naruto said and remembered the moment, where he felt that she was calling for him. "I heard you… that you were calling for me. I was worried."
The Hyûga princess stoped shivering and burried her face deeper into his neck. "Really?", she mumbled in disbelief.
"Of course I did! I wanted to go to you, but Sasuke stopped me. But if he hadn't done that, I would have been affected from that Gen-jutsu, too." Naruto explained.
"I was so scared, that you wouldn't be there anymore. I don't know what I would have done, if that was true."
He played with her long hair to calm her and also stroked her back, where he noticed, that she wasn't wearing her Chûnin-west anymore, whatever the reason was. He felt a lot more emotions through that intense embrace than he ever thought he would. Most of all he felt the love and care she had for him. It was so overwhelming, but it made him very happy. He felt how scared she was to lose him and how relieved she was to see him being alright.
"Everything's alright now. The nightmare is over.", he tried to cheer her up and distract her from the thought of him dying. They stode there for a while until Hinata looked up to him with pink cheeks on her face. Naruto looked at her a little bewildered and could only think that she looked adorable at that moment.
"You should know that I won't let go for a while."
Naruto grinned. "It's fine.", he said amused. He could imagine why she wanted to do that. Who would like to let go of the person that means a lot you, after seeing him dying. He placed a hand into her neck and losened the embrace a little bit, to have a better view of her face. With a little bit of soft violence he forced her to look at him directly into his eyes. He softly kissed her forehead and said: "'Cause I don't want to let go as well, ya know." Hinata's eyes widened, but she promptly burried her face back into his chest out of embarrassment.
"What do we have here?", someone known to those two asked playfully. They both looked infront of them and saw some of their friends that were grinning to their ears. Hinata burried her face back into his chest, again out of embarrassment.
"Was about damn time, don't ya think so?", Ino said.
"What?!", Naruto asked confussed.
"You're more stupid than you look like, Naruto.", Kiba commented.
"What?! You all already knew about that?!", Naruto asked surprised.
"Of course! It was so obviouse what that girl felt for you, that almost everyone knew about it, except you!", Ino answered.
"It doesn't matter anymore if he knew it back then or not. He knows it now and that's enough." Hinata defended the Uzumaki when she let go of the hug. She also didn't want the conversation to get more deeper, since she was embarrassed enough in her opinion.
"Don't hurt her. Otherwise you will regret that you've done that.", Shino warned his friend.
"I don't plan on doing that, ya know.", Naruto said and gave the Hyûga a gentle smile, which she also returned with a little smile on her lips.
"Come on, let's go home.", Naruto said. Everyone agreed with him and went ahead.
The Uzumaki turned to Hinata and gently took her hand into his. For some seconds they just looked into each other eyes and smiled at each other. Hand in Hand they went to the same direction like their friends.