A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

"Are you sure that is all that happened?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage. Everything in our report is accurate."

Sakura and her team were reporting back with Tsunade after the events of their last mission. All were lined up in front of Tsunade's desk while Sakura gave the details. Sakura was worried about Anki's involvement in the incident and hoped Tsunade would overlook it.

"What I don't understand is why they would kidnap Anki," Tsunade said, causing a small amount of fear to appear in Sakura's eyes. "If their target was the troupe's treasury, then why go through the trouble of infiltrating and kidnapping, unless the girl was—"

"She was the daughter of an important person to the troupe, not to mention she was in charge of the entire wardrobe department," Natsumi quickly stated. "I'm sure they would've paid any amount of money to see her returned."

"That is possible," Tsunade said, giving a quick glance at Sakura. She felt Sakura and Natsumi were hiding something important from her, but let the matter slip as she continued. "So, all enemies involved are now deceased."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Natsumi and I killed Konki, a missing-nin from Iwagakure, while Natsumi killed Hebiuso, a missing-nin from Kumogakure who was disguised as a mask-maker within the troupe. Before that, however, Hebiuso killed Mizuki, who was broken out of prison by the former for an unknown goal."

"Well, at least the problem was dealt with, and your team met the mission's parameters beautifully. I'd say your mission was a great success." After a small cheer from Hinajin and Natsumi, Tsunade said, "Why don't you all take the next few days off? I think you've earned it."

Before everyone left, Sakura turned to Tsunade. "My lady, if I may, there is something important that I need to discuss with you."

Natsumi turned and asked, "Mom, is everything all right?"

"Of course it is," Sakura said, smiling at her daughter. "I just need to go over a few things with Lady Tsunade. I'll be a while, though, so why don't you go to the Hot Springs to relax?"

"Thanks, Mom!" Natsumi hugged her mother tightly, then ran out the door for the Hot Springs.

As soon as Natsumi and her teammates left, Tsunade focused her attention on Sakura and asked, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, Milady, it's about Natsumi."

(Thirty Minutes Later)

Natsumi cheerfully walked into the lobby of the resort where the finest hot springs in Konohagakure were located. She had longed to bath in a luxurious hot spring, and her dream was about to come true.

As she walked up to the counter to pay for her time in the spring, she noticed a familiar person already at the front desk. She smiled and waved, saying, "Hey, Mrs. Hyuga!"

Hinata Hyuga turned around, blushed slightly and said, "Oh, hello, Natsumi. Are you here to relax after your mission?"

"Yeah. Mom's talking to Lady Tsunade about some secret mission details now and told me to take a dip here to unwind."

"Really? Well, would you mind joining me? I don't mind a little company."

"That's great! Thanks, Mrs. Hyuga!"

"Please, you can call me Hinata."

(10 minutes later)

"Aah, this is so good!" Natsumi sighed as she slid into the Hot Spring. "The hot springs back home are nothing compared to this."

Hinata chuckled and said, "I'm glad you enjoy this place so much, but surely the springs where you live aren't that bad."

"No, they're okay. The water's nice and all, but this place makes them seem like a kiddie pool."

"I see. Still, I'm sure there's something where you lived before that Konoha doesn't have. Is there anything about your old home that you miss?"

"Well, I do miss the restaurant I used to work in. I first got a job as a waitress a couple years ago and got to know everyone in town in only a few months. So many different stories and tall tales…I guess I miss talking with everyone."

"That's a great thing to miss. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure the stories you must have heard were interesting. But having people who you can laugh with and talk to about whatever troubles you might have…that's a very precious thing. Don't worry. I'm sure you can go back and have those kinds of talks again."

"Thanks, Hinata," Natsumi started to smile at Hinata's kind words. She remembered the usual customers at the restaurant who would go in and joke around with her just to brighten the mood.

Hinata saw Natsumi's contemplative expression and said, "You know, if you need someone to listen to for a while, I could tell you a little about my life for the last 14 years."

Natsumi looked up and said, "Really? You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

Natsumi found a comfortable sitting position and listened to Hinata as she began.

"I guess it's no secret to you now that I was madly in love with your past self." Natsumi and Hinata blushed at this comment, but Hinata continued. "I guess that's why I was so devastated when he died. Naruto meant the world to me, and I didn't feel like I could live get over the grief I was feeling. I even thought about joining him in the afterlife."

"That must have been awful."

"It was. Fortunately, there was one man who wouldn't let me be depressed for long: Kiba Inuzuka. He was good friends with Naruto and got me back on my feet by reminding me of how sad Naruto would be if he knew what I was thinking. Felling a little better, one thing led to another and eventually I married Kiba."

"That's nice. I bet he's been a good husband to you."

"He is. Ever since we started dating, he was always concerned with my well-being; especially when I became pregnant with our first child."

"Hinajin?"

"Yes. He was extremely careful with me, even when I told him I didn't need his help. When Hinajin was born, he did his best to make sure we were well taken care of, even when he was away on missions. He even set up a dog-summoning system to check up on us every other hour during long-term missions."

Picturing Hinata getting annoyed at the constant summoning dogs popping up when she was taking care of a baby Hinajin, Natsumi suppressed a chuckle and continued to listen to Hinata's story.

"He learned from Hinajin and lessened up when I was pregnant with Hibiki, my second child. She's in the Academy right now and it looks like she wants to be a medic-nin like your mother."

Taking a sigh, Hinata continued, "There are still times where I wonder what life would've been like if I had let Naruto know of my feelings sooner. If I had, however, I never would've had the joy of raising Hinajin and Hibiki with Kiba. They've really helped me grow up from the shy, timid girl I was."

"It sounds like you have a wonderful family, Hinata."

"Yes, and it's about to be even more wonderful."

Before she could ask what she meant, Natsumi saw Hinata place her hand gently over her stomach. Smiling widely, she said, "Congratulations, Hinata! How far along is it?"

"It's only about a month along. Kiba's been away on an A-rank mission and he hasn't sent one of his summoning dogs to check on me, so I haven't had a chance to tell him yet. I have a feeling it's going to be another boy."

"Cool! Have you thought of a name?"

Hinata smiled gently and said, "I think I'll name him Naruto."

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"I'm sure, Natsumi. Naruto's death affected me greatly, but now I know he's not really dead. Looking at you, I can definitely see his caring attitude. I think it's time I stopped longing for the past and look forward to an even brighter future."

Natsumi smiled and said, "I'm sure it'll be a future worth having."

(40 minutes later)

Natsumi walked into the apartment and saw her mother sitting at the table. "I'm back, Mom! The Hot Springs here are so relaxing; I definitely needed that after the last mission."

Sakura looked up at Natsumi and smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've got dinner in the oven right now, so it's going to be a while."

"That's okay. I can wait. I'll be in my room, so please call me when it's ready to eat."

As Natsumi walked over to her room, Sakura turned back in her chair and thought about what she and Tsunade had talked about.

(2 hours earlier)

"Natsumi? What about her?" Tsunade asked, wondering what Sakura had to say.

"Well, during some parts of the mission, Natsumi claimed to have visions."

"What kind of visions?" Tsunade said, now feeling a little uneasy.

"She claims Naruto was in all of them and that because of them, she knew what to do in the real world to complete the mission."

Tsunade thought about it a while, then said, "They all had Naruto?"

"That's what she claims. She also says she clearly saw Sasuke and a younger me. She said it was like she was actually there."

"Could it be…"

"What is it, Lady Tsunade?"

"Well, we know the base effects of the Rebirth jutsu you performed to bring Natsumi into the world. However, what if there's more? What if Naruto's memories were retained and lay waiting in Natsumi's subconscious to help her whenever she needed it?"

"Lady Tsunade, are you saying—"

"It's just a theory, of course, but maybe Naruto isn't dead at all. Maybe Naruto is alive in Natsumi's subconscious mind."