A/N: So here it is the long awaited first chapter to my rewrite of The Pasts Future! Lots of stuff has changed particularly this chapter. I've added a certain song I'd like you guys to listen to as you read the last half of the chapter. Or if you have a song you like to listen to when you read something sad use that. It needs to be an emotional song to get the feel for what I'm writing. Now you don't have to but I found it adds a certain element of emotion as you read. Please enjoy and review! After this my A/N will be at the end of the chapters like normal.
As for the song, the YouTube link is: watch?v=wEWF2xh5E8s – and it should start playing when Sakura says she can't stop the chakra virus.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Naruto related. This is purely a hobby.
x-x
Chapter 1: Specters of the Past
The moment the front door to her house opened, Sakura Uchiha knew there was going to be trouble. She felt an uncomfortable shift in the atmosphere of her home as her husband, a former missing-nin named Sasuke, walked inside and sat across from her at the kitchen table, and braced herself for another round of fighting. Having known Sasuke since she they were children, Sakura was well accustomed to him being moody. Even on his best days, it was just who he was. Though in the years since his return to Konoha, he had mellowed out and grown more friendly, but each year, on this day, his behavior would become very unpleasant and she had to put up with the worst of it. She hated that Sasuke still felt this way, hated that she couldn't do anything to help him with his guilt and depression and that every time she tried, they ended up fighting.
Today marked the fourth anniversary of the Fourth Shinobi World War, a war which had lasted just three days but cost the lives of over sixty thousand ninja and samurai from all of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. However, that war had also ushered in the beginning of a new age for the continent. For the first time since the era of the Rikudō Sennin (Sage of Six Paths) ended roughly nine hundred years ago, the Five Great Shinobi Nations and the many lesser nations bordering them were at peace. The entire continent was experiencing a period of rapid technological growth, with the development of Konohagakure no Sato (the Village Hidden by Tree Leaves) standing out the most, as anyone walking through the streets of the old village could see the many skyscrapers being constructed on top of Hokage Mountain or indulge in the large shopping district which was always busy. The economy was flourishing in this time of peace.
All across the nations, there was widespread talk among both the shinobi and civilian populations about dissolving the current hidden village system and uniting the nations into one. The alliance between the Five Great Shinobi Nations had been forged in response to the threat of Akatsuki, a terrorist organization which had acquired the means to enslave and destroy the entire human race, but although the threat has ended, the alliance still remains and has only grown stronger. In the most recent Five Kage Summit, the military leaders of the hidden villages—Sixth Hokage Kakashi Hatake, Fifth Kakekage Gaara, Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī, Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, and Fourth Raikage A—entertained and addressed the discussions and debates which were happening across the continent. If popular opinion continued to support a deeper unity, it would only be a matter of time before the positions of Kage and Daimyō were dissolved and a new, experimental government was created to regulate the entire continent. The leaders of the future would no longer be chosen with the old traditions, but by the people directly. And none of the five Kage were opposed to the idea. Their world was changing so much, and they welcomed this change.
But as much as the world was changing, there were many ways in which it stayed the same. Sasuke was the main example of this in Sakura's life. Even though he'd been redeemed, he could still be very ruthless while he was carrying out a mission. About a year after the war ended and he was pardoned for his high crimes against the Shinobi Nations, he'd left the village on a long-term mission to seek out and deal with threats to the new peace, and to locate clues about the history of Princess Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and ensure she could never be reborn again. Another year later, Sasuke was forced to return to the village when one of those threats, a survivor of the Ōtsutsuki Clan named Toneri, attacked the Hyūga Clan and abducted Hinata Hyūga, then dislodged the moon from orbit. Sasuke had returned to Konoha with a badly wounded Hiashi in tow, and after saving the village from a large meteor, was sent through a portal which led directly to the moon's core. Sasuke's new mission from Kakashi was to stop Toneri from crashing the moon into the earth and rescue the former heiress of the Hyūga. It was only thanks to his Rinnegan, bestowed upon him by the Rikudō Sennin at the climax of the Fourth Shinobi World War, that he succeeded. Sakura had also been sent on the rescue mission, and she'd been forced to witness Sasuke run Toneri through with the Sword of Kusanagi after the last Uchiha overpowered the last Ōtsutsuki in a battle that nearly destroyed the moon. Seeing firsthand that this part of Sasuke hadn't changed since he started walking the road to redemption deeply disturbed Sakura.
After the Moon Crisis, Sasuke started opening up to Sakura more, albeit slowly, and only after Hinata, using her one chance to do so, pleaded with Sasuke. It still took several months before their relationship gained any sense of normalcy as Sasuke continued to struggle with his inner demons, and almost a full year before he knew for certain that he needed Sakura to stay in his life.
The wedding ceremony for Sasuke and Sakura last November was, by necessity small and attended only by a handful of people, namely Ino, Kakashi, Sasuke's former teammates Jūgo, Suigetsu and Karin, and Sakura's parents Kizashi and Mebuki. As for his proposal, Sasuke could never hear the end of Ino's displeasure after she witnessed it. All Sasuke had done was quietly put the engagement ring in Sakura's hand while she and Ino were working at Konoha Hospital. But at least he'd had the decency to blush as he walked away.
By no means was their marriage a happy one. It had started off that way, but after a few months it was marred by the specters of their past, just like everything else in their lives. And those specters were never more persistent than on this day.
"How was your day, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, attempting to maintain a pleasant tone as long as the situation would allow.
"Do you really need to ask that, Sakura?" Sasuke replied. After everything they had been through together, he at least tried to be his best around his wife. It was the least he could do for her.
"Of course I do. Especially today," Sakura added as she got up, leaned against Sasuke's chair and wrapped her arms around him.
Sasuke sighed and let himself revel in the small measure of comfort he was able to feel in his wife's embrace. "Why don't you tell me about your day, first?"
"Busy, but pretty good. Karui-san had to come in for a prenatal check up today. She and Chōji are expecting." Sakura frowned as soon as she finished speaking. Most of her friends from the former Konoha Eleven were building their own families now, but Sakura wasn't able to do the same yet, but not for lack of trying, at least on her end. She was adamant about helping Sasuke restart the Uchiha Clan, now that the honor of his clan had been restored, but Sasuke didn't feel like he was ready for that yet. He felt he carried the weight of too many sins, and did not want those sins to be passed down to the next generation. He did not want his future family to have to suffer like Naruto had suffered.
Sasuke suddenly felt sick. The very thought of his best friend and everything that had happened was a deadly poison for his tainted soul. Sakura saw her husband's expression change and had to force a smile, unable to do much else.
"You were thinking about Naruto just now," Sakura observed, caressing his cheek. It was not a question. Sasuke reluctantly nodded, eliciting a sigh from his wife. "Why don't we go out on a date? Try to take our minds off all this."
"I know what you're planning, Sakura. We've been over this several times now."
"Come on, Sasuke-kun, hear me out, okay? We really need a night out, for your sake. Let's get ourselves a nice dinner, then go to the new theater to catch a late night movie, and then maybe we'll do something else to relieve your stress. Between all of these long-term missions and political stuff Kakashi-sensei has you doing, you're overworked. You deserve a break." It was true, whenever Sasuke wasn't sent out to address a possible threat to the peace they fought so hard to attain, most of his days were spent advising the Five Kage and several Daimyō as they worked to dismantle the current hidden village system and replace it with something better. It was the realization of a revolution Sasuke had once planned, but in the way Naruto would have wanted.
During his many sessions with the current leaders, offering them his counsel, Sasuke Uchiha had been repeatedly offered a position in the new government, several times even being offered one that would effectively give him more influence than the Kage or Daimyō had ever had. Each and every time, Sasuke turned down the offer, saying he was content to simply act as a mediator. No one would say it, but each time Sasuke rejected their offers, they were greatly relieved. Everyone knew the only reason Sasuke even received the offers was due to the blind faith Naruto had had in him. Otherwise they would have no reason to trust someone who was once one of Konoha's most infamous traitors.
Maybe Sakura was right, maybe he was pushing himself just a little bit too hard. Sasuke was just about to give in to her pestering until she added, "We could even ask Hinata if she—"
"That's enough, Sakura!" Sasuke yelled, roughly grabbing her hand. Sakura had gone way too far this time.
"Why are you being like this?" Sakura yelled back, her eyes becoming moist with tears. "You know I'm only trying to help!"
Sasuke sighed and pulled her into a hug. He had made her cry yet again, and loathed himself more for it. "I know, but you remember what today is, right? We can't do it, not today, and especially not with her."
"Why not? Why can't we learn to enjoy what we have? Why can't we build a family and give our children a better life without letting the past rule us?" Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she continued to question why Sasuke wouldn't let go. For the briefest moment, Sasuke was taken aback by her words. Yes, he truly hated being the cause of her sorrow, and sometimes he couldn't understand why she would still let herself be dragged down by his demons.
Sasuke let go of her and wiped the tears off her cheeks while giving her a stern look. "The Hyūga Clan would never allow it. Allowing Hinata to spend time with us, that is. You know as well as I do how much they hate me, how little regard they have for my immunity. Once I step within one hundred meters of either the complex or Hinata, they won't rest until they've chased me off the planet." The last part was a bit of an exaggeration, but the bottom line was, right after the war had ended, Hiashi had convinced Tsunade during her last days as Hokage to place a restraining order on the last Uchiha. The Hyūga Clan's hate for the Uchiha was still alive and well, and had only grown stronger since the war. As clan head, Hiashi could not guarantee that his kinsmen would not try to attack Sasuke if he were to approach Hinata, or any other Hyūga. He had made it clear that their clan would never forgive the atrocities for which Sasuke was responsible, directly or otherwise. Any interaction between the Uchiha and the Hyūga had the risk of turning into an altercation, which would end badly. Well, badly for the Hyūga, that is; Hiashi knew his clan would never be able to physically harm Sasuke, as the Uchiha had become the most powerful human alive. But this was a matter of honor for the Hyūga. Naruto's suffering from the actions of Sasuke had translated into Hinata's suffering, and they could not, and would not forgive that.
"And before you ask me why it has to be today, Sakura, why it can't be just the two of us going out on a date, take another look around," Sasuke continued after sitting back down, though his voice was still raised and his Sharingan and Rinnegan were now activated. He needed Sakura to understand the gravity of the situation. "How many of your friends do you see going out and enjoying themselves today? How would it look if we decided to ignore that? Sakura, I know you're trying to be positive about this, but our world just doesn't work that way. If we did what you're asking of me, it would look like we're dishonoring Naruto, not to mention Hinata."
"But aren't we already dishonoring Naruto by living in sorrow? Wouldn't Naruto want us to be happy?" Sakura argued.
"Of course he would." Sasuke sighed. "But I don't deserve to be happy. I would be truly heartless to accept happiness when the one person who deserves that happiness drowns in misery. Besides..." Sasuke let his voice trail off for a moment, appearing lost in thought. A single tear slid down his cheek. "Naruto was always good at wearing his emotions on his sleeves, and when he died, he was anything but happy..."
x-x
These days, Hinata mostly kept to herself, rarely venturing outside the Hyūga complex and when she did, it was only to visit the hospital or the Memorial Stone, though every now and then she felt a strange presence when she went to the latter destination. Ever since the war ended, she sunk into a deep depression and often suffered from nightmares. Tsunade had been forced to take her off the active ninja roster permanently and keep her under surveillance, fearing that she might try to take her own life.
Now a civilian, Hinata only had two roles to play. Well, three actually, since every now and then her former jōnin sensei, Kurenai Sarutobi, would visit her at the complex and ask her to babysit Mirai.
One of her roles at the complex was assisting her father with managing Hyūga affairs; she really only helped with the menial tasks such as paperwork, but it helped her try to maintain a stronger bond with him. The other was knitting. It didn't matter what else was going on; once she picked up the yarn and knitting pins, she couldn't stop until the item of clothing she was knitting was finished. This was her coping mechanism, how she let her mind wander away from the traumas she suffered.
The clothes Hinata knit were very popular among the villagers, especially during the winter months. The clothing stores the Hyūga Clan supported in Konoha always had the best business anywhere in the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Even though she was a civilian now, Hinata received a steady stream of income from the royalties she received for her knit clothes.
Everyone treated Hinata more kindly now than they once had, but she hated it. She hated that they were more careful around her, treating her delicately, as though she was as fragile as one of the many fine pieces of china in her family's kitchen. She hated that they thought she would be so easy to break.
'Everyone still thinks I'm weak,' Hinata thought while she focused on the red scarf she was close to finishing, one of many she had knit since Naruto's death, and like the others, it would eventually be left at the Memorial Stone the next time she visited. 'They just show it in a different way.' Though deep down, she knew her fellow clan members were just doing their best to help her, but that only made her feelings worse!
Or maybe she had just cut herself off from the rest of the world too completely to know the difference between true compassion and veiled contempt anymore?
Hinata sighed, feeling the aches in her lower back. Setting down the unfinished scarf and her knitting pins and yarn and placing them inside her purse, she brushed back a few locks of her midnight blue hair, which she'd cut short and kept that way for the past four years, and stood up from her chair and performed a few light stretches.
'Maybe I should take a short walk before I visit Naruto-kun.' Hinata picked up her purse and slid open the door to her bedroom chamber. She didn't make it three steps out before she was confronted.
"Onē-sama! Where are you going?" a voice asked. Hinata turned around to find her younger sister, Hanabi, standing straight and looking her in the eye. The years since the war had been much kinder for Hanabi than they had Hinata. Hanabi was now only a few centimeters shorter than her elder sister, and her brown hair stretched down to her lower back. Whereas Hinata became reclusive, Hanabi was more outgoing, and had bonded with the Konohamaru Corps and with most of Hinata's friends. Sometimes Hanabi would even help the young Sarutobi who saw Naruto as a big brother figure, and his teammates, with one of their pranks whenever they were in the mood.
"Hanabi," Hinata said plainly. "I just needed to take a walk."
"Does it have to be now, Onē-sama? It's getting late. Everyone will be worried." Hanabi did not like the way Hinata informed her that she was headed out. In their younger days, Hinata had been the overprotective one, sacrificing everything for her sister's sake, but now, their roles had reversed, and Hanabi had taken it upon herself to fill the role Neji once had as her protector.
When Hinata didn't respond, as she seemed to take offense to Hanabi reminding her of their worry, Hanabi added, "I'll join you. I need to get out of this place, too."
"No, no, Hanabi!" Hinata objected, shaking her head violently. "Please don't trouble yourself. I'll be fine."
But Hanabi stood firm on the issue. "Onē-sama, I must insist—"
"I'll be fine!" Hinata yelled vehemently, and then ran off, stunning Hanabi with her abrupt departure.
"Onē-sama, wait! Onē-sama?" Hanabi tried calling, but there was no response. "Dammit!" she cursed, punching the wall to her right. She was also more willing to show her emotions than the other Hyūga in her clan, including her own sister. The closer she tried to get to Hinata, the further Hinata pushed herself away. Hinata wouldn't open up, wouldn't tell anyone what troubled her even though everyone already knew. She kept everything bottled up inside. Neither Hanabi, nor anyone else in their clan aside from Hiashi, had seen Hinata grieve over the loss of Naruto, who was Hinata's personal hero and the savior of the Hyūga Clan long before he became the hero of the shinobi world.
Although sometimes, Hanabi would hear Hinata's wailing pierce through the walls of the complex at the darkest hours of the night, and when it happened, her room was always sealed shut, just like her heart seemed to be.
'Is there anything I can do to help you, Onē-sama? Is there anything you'll let me do to help?' Hanabi had not been on the battlefield; she had been too young to be enlisted in the war. But she had overheard the entire story from Sakura, and despaired that Hinata was too far lost in her pain...
x-x
(Four years ago)
Naruto and Sasuke had lost all sense of time, keeping only their sense of urgency, in this alternate dimension. The pair lunged at their foe, the most dangerous adversary they had ever faced in their seventeen years of life, but to no avail. The fight was rigged against them like never before. Not once had they imagined when the war started that they would have to fight against the progenitor of chakra, the corrupted Rabbit Goddess herself—Princess Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, to save the entire human race from extinction.
While they knew it had not even been an hour before they were imparted with the truth, it felt like an eternity since Naruto and Sasuke learned from the ascended, time-wandering spirit of Kaguya's oldest son, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki aka the Sage of Six Paths, that the critical events of the past millennium—including the blood feud between the descendants of Hagoromo, the corruption of Akatsuki, and the Fourth Shinobi World War—had all been manipulated by the artificial human called Black Zetsu, with the singular purpose of facilitating the rebirth of Kaguya.
Though there were many setbacks and twists in Black Zetsu's plan, the homunculus born of Kaguya's will ultimately succeeded in his objective. Madara managed to capture and subdue all nine of the bijū (tailed beasts), recreating the Jūbi (Ten-Tails). He then cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, trapping everyone on the planet inside the roots of the Shinjū (God Tree) through the Divine Deep Forest Emergence and locking them away in an endless genjutsu that would only stop once the victims had been drained of all their chakra and life force and mutated into an army of White Zetsu. Only the members of Team Seven: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi—along with Obito, who was possessed by Black Zetsu, and the reanimated former Hokages of Konoha, who were immune to the Infinite Tsukuyomi since they had no life force—escaped the deadly red light reflected off the moon. And then, just when Madara began gloating, claiming that he had turned hell into heaven and saved the world from itself, Black Zetsu stabbed Madara in the back, allowing Kaguya to overpower him and finally manifest herself.
After that, Kaguya warped them all into another dimension, one covered in lava, leaving only the zombiefied Hokages behind in their world. Shortly after they were warped out of this dimension and into one comprised of mountain glaciers, Obito finally died from the side effects of using the Gedō Art of Rinne Rebirth, which Black Zetsu had forced him to use to resurrect Madara; however, Obito managed to transfer all of his chakra to Kakashi, allowing his former friend temporary access to both of his Mangekyō Sharingan and all of his visual powers. But even with this parting gift, the battle to seal away Kaguya was extremely one-sided in her favor.
The worst part of it all was knowing that if Madara had retained control, their chances of victory would be even worse than they are currently.
"Damn it!" Sasuke yelled. "She keeps changing the dimensions or slipping through a portal each time we get close!"
"Geez, this is actually getting really annoying!" Naruto yelled, feeling even more frustrated than Sasuke as one of his Truthseeker Orbs blocked an All-Killing Ash Bone launched from the palm of Kaguya's left hand, negating the deadly Kekkei Mōra ninjutsu which, had it hit, would have rapidly corroded his body until it was reduced to mere ashes in the wind. "Why can't these cowards fight us face-to-face?"
"You were still getting your ass kicked even when they chose to fight you the way you wanted," the Uchiha quipped. Naruto was about to deliver a comeback, but then Sasuke detected Kaguya emerging from another rift she opened with Yomotsu Hirasaka, with another All-Killing Ash Bone sprouting from her hand ready to impale the Uzumaki from behind. Sasuke slammed Naruto face-first into the sand (they were currently fighting inside a desert dimension) just in time to push him out of the attack's way. Kaguya then swiped the bone at Sasuke, but his Perfect Susanoo blocked the hit, and pushed the Rabbit Goddess back by launching an arrow imbued with Inferno Style: Flame Control.
"What's the big idea, Sasuke?" Naruto shouted, coughing sand out of his mouth as he pushed himself back to his feet.
"I just saved your life, dumbass!"
"Both of you, stop bickering!" Sakura yelled at them. "If you can't get your acts together just this once, everyone will die!"
"What the hell are we supposed to do, Sakura-chan?" Naruto snapped at her. "Nothing we've tried is working! Not even my Sexy Reverse Harem Jutsu or Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken stopped her long enough for us to seal her, y'know!"
"It looks like we only have one option to trap Kaguya and seal her away," Kakashi cut in, having used the time his students were arguing amongst themselves to formulate a plan. "I'm going to attempt to synchronize my Sharingan to Kaguya's dimension hopping, so we'll all arrive in the same dimension as her when she teleports. Our window of opportunity will only stay open for a few seconds. Sakura, you and I will provide the distraction and force Kaguya to jump. Once she does, and I connect us to her new dimension with Kamui, Naruto and Sasuke will take the chance to seal her before she can react.
"This is our final mission, Team Seven. Get ready to move out."
Kaguya charged in again. This time, when the Rabbit Goddess fired off a salvo of All-Killing Ash Bones, Kakashi took himself out of phase with Kamui while his former students scattered in three separate directions; Naruto and Sasuke readying themselves for the final blow while Sakura and Kakashi launched the pincer attack that would keep Kaguya distracted. As Kaguya moved closer, Kakashi manifested his Perfect Susanoo, which used Lightning Blade, driving her back. At the same time, Sakura appeared behind Kaguya and struck her with a Righteous Fist Thrust, sending the Rabbit Goddess directly into Kakashi's attack.
Kaguya had no choice but to use Yomotsu Hirasaka.
"Naruto, Sasuke, now!" Kakashi called out. Within a single moment, Team Seven spiraled out of sight and reappeared inside the core dimension, just moments before Kaguya reemerged. The Rabbit Goddess had no time to react this time. As soon as she left the rift, the two transmigrants slammed their hands into her sides.
"Six Paths Sealing Jutsu: Planetary Devastation!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted. Kaguya felt herself grow heavy, very heavy, and found she was unable to move. Then, pieces of the ground began breaking off from underneath Team Seven and started attaching themselves to the Rabbit Goddess, whose body reacted violently to the ultimate fūinjutsu (sealing technique). She degenerated into her Ten-Tails form, and then changed again into the Gedō Statue, as the rapidly forming moon ascended and continued pulling the core dimension apart.
Before they could witness the completion of the most powerful sealing spell, the four members of Team Seven felt themselves shift through limbo, and then they noticed that they had been returned to their own dimension.
x-x
"Did we do it?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted, wearing a big grin. "Good riddance to that bitch! Man, I thought that was gonna last forever!"
"The tone you just used in reference to my mother is rather disconcerting," a hollow voice cut in. Team Seven turned around to find that Hagoromo was still present, and that behind him were the spirits of all of the deceased Kage of every hidden village; they had to be the reason they were able to escape from Kaguya's dimension. "Make no mistake, she deserved what you were sent to do to her. I am simply concerned about you, my child."
Naruto's voice turned somber as he replied, "She was different from everyone else I've fought, Rikudō-ojii-sama. During that fight, I could tell she wasn't human at all. She wasn't like a mom was supposed to be. She was totally heartless. There wasn't any way to make her change, y'know?"
"Yes, I know. But for reasons even I cannot explain, I am still troubled."
"W-wait...you're the Rikudō Sennin?" Kakashi asked, flabbergasted. Hagoromo and a few of the deceased Kages just gave him a look that said he should have already known. "I-I see. Only you could have pulled off something like this."
"In any case, congratulations are in order for the four of you," Hagoromo continued. "Through your combined efforts as a team, you were able to seal my mother away and save the entire world." Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were all quick to deny the praise, but Sasuke said that they should just accept it. Reluctantly, they agreed. After all, it's not every day that a being regarded by the ninja world as a god sings your praises.
After a while, they remembered that everyone was still trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and Sasuke asked the Sage how they were supposed to free everyone. "Breaking the spell is simple, Sasuke," Hagoromo instructed. "You and Naruto just need to make the Seal of Reconciliation, and the genjutsu will be undone. Everyone will be freed from the lie Madara created." Sasuke thought that was a little less complex than he had imagined, but it did not matter. He waited for a few minutes as Naruto and his father, Minato Namikaze, left for a final conversation before the revived spirits of the dead Kage were sent back to the Pure World. Then Sasuke's left hand united with Naruto's right, and a pulse was sent through the roots of the Shinjū. All across the world, cocoons began falling from the roots, and the victims began climbing out. However, it soon became clear that the releasing of the ultimate genjutsu did not work on everyone.
"Naruto, we have a problem," Sasuke said, observing the failure to release all of the victims.
"What now, punk? Don't tell me you still wanna fight after all that?" Naruto said, getting defensive.
"Shut up, loser! Even if I still wanted to fight you, it wouldn't settle anything, not right now anyway. Both of us are almost out of chakra. No, we have a bigger issue that has to be dealt with first."
"Well hurry up and tell me, I wanna go home and eat a nice big bowl of ramen."
Sasuke shook his head. "Will you stop thinking about ramen for just one second? Not everyone is waking up from the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
That caught Naruto's attention and he instantly became serious. "What?! Are you serious?!"
Hagoromo thought a moment before commenting, "Strange. It seems there are some variables that still need to be resolved and accounted."
"It's true, Naruto. At least fifty people on this battlefield are still sleeping," Sakura said as her eyes darted around to confirm Sasuke's observations.
"Well, are our friends awake, at least?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, and it appears that using some of your leftover chakra is helping to wake up the others, but it may take a little longer."
"That's good, but what I'd like to know, Rikudō-ojii-sama, is—"
"Naruto!" a voice yelled before he could finish. With that the Sage gave Naruto a nod and vanished, but his last words did not go unheard by Team Seven.
"I know you will figure it out."
"For God's sake, what now?" Naruto asked, annoyed by the interruption.
Shino, Kiba, and the rest of the Konoha Eleven ran up to him, panting heavily, and to Naruto it looked like they were upset when it should be a time for celebration. "What's up, guys? Can you make it quick though? I'm sure Bā-chan has some lame job for me to do and—" Naruto's voice stopped when he noticed someone was missing from their number. "Guys...where's Hinata?" he asked, frowning.
Ino stepped forward and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Naruto, that's why we need you. It's Hinata…she won't wake up!"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean she won't wake up?!" he yelled.
"It's exactly like Ino-san said. Hinata-san cannot awaken, or rather, she refuses to awaken," Shino said.
"What's that supposed to mean, Shino? You guys probably just ran out of my chakra! Here I'll wake her up," Naruto said while grinning.
"You idiot!" Kiba growled, and tried to punch Naruto in the face.
"What now, Kiba?" Naruto yelled, catching Kiba's punch and pushing him aside.
"Between the seven of us, we had enough chakra to break at least ten people out of the genjutsu, but we ended up using all of it on Hinata and she still won't wake up!"
Naruto stopped and asked shakily, "Are you serious?" But he did not wait for an answer; he ran in the direction they had came from until he reached the spot where Hinata's cocoon lay motionless on the ground. Sure enough, she was still encased in the wrapping of the tree. The only way Naruto could tell it was her was because of Kurama's ability to sense emotions.
"Okay, Hinata, wakey wakey!" Naruto said. Although he was low on chakra, he applied what should have been enough to force anyone awake from this genjutsu, but instead, the moment he touched the cocoon like case he was blown back as if it had repelled him. "What the hell?" he asked, rubbing his now aching backside.
"Yeah, it did that to Kiba too when he tried tearing those wrappings apart," Shikamaru said. He and the others had caught up at this point and were all looking at Naruto. "Those cocoons are way more trouble than they're worth."
"God damn it!" Naruto yelled, punching the ground with enough force to open up a fissure, forcing some of the others to jump away. Most of them were stunned to see Naruto get so angry, even though all of them, with the exception of Sasuke, had seen how he'd lost control and nearly set the Kyūbi no Yōko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox) free when he saw Pain stab Hinata during the Akatsuki's attack on Konoha ten months ago. "Alright, fine, let's see it take a Rasengan!" he then yelled as he turned back to face the cocoon. But Sasuke grabbed his right arm before he could begin forming the destructive sphere.
"Are you insane?" Sasuke hissed.
"You could possibly injure Hinata or yourself if you do that!" Sakura yelled, punching Naruto in the head.
"Ow!" Naruto whined. Then he rubbed his head and asked, "Fine, Sakura-chan, you got any bright ideas? Actually I'd like to know why she won't wake up in the first place and what was with that thing attacking me like that."
"I believe I said that Hinata-san is either unable, or unwilling to wake up," Shino commented. "Personally, I think the latter is more likely."
Naruto frowned, trying to hold back his anger. "So you're telling me the reason Hinata isn't waking up is because she doesn't want to wake up? Get real, Shino! What could a dream possibly give her that she doesn't have?"
"You would be surprised…"
"Never mind! I'll just jump inside her dream and wake her up that way!" Naruto said.
"How do you plan on entering another person's dream?" Shikamaru asked.
"Oh, that's easy! Ino, come here for a second…"
x-x
After a bit of protest and a very complex explanation, Ino used her clan jutsu on Naruto and he found himself back in Konoha, or rather, Hinata's dreamworld version of Konoha. In this dream, it was springtime. The temperature felt just right and the leaves appeared to be sparkling in the sunlight as the breeze they drifted in sounded like it was gently laughing.
"So this is Hinata's dream? Man, oh man. I'll have to admit she paints a better picture than the real thing. Even all the litter is gone!" Naruto then slapped himself after blurting all of that out; he couldn't let himself admire the dream lest he end up not wanting to leave either. He had to find Hinata and fast.
He walked around the village, meeting familiar faces and friends, but never stopped to talk, but he noticed several of the guys gave him a thumbs up as he ran along, and Kiba and Shino's dream forms glared at him as if he stole something from them. "Well that was weird. What did Hinata make them think I did?" he asked himself as he found his way to the park, which was surprisingly empty for such a nice day. He decided to cut through the grass to get to the Hyūga compound faster, as that's where he thought he would find Hinata, but before he could keep moving, he saw her running up to him.
"Naruto-kun!" she called.
Naruto was at least happy to see her smiling and began to call back, "Hey, Hinata! Listen we need to—" But he never finished. Hinata tackled him and gripped him in a bear hug, laughing and giggling like a school girl. But what surprised him the most was when she looked him in the eyes and kissed him full on the lips. Naruto's eyes popped out of their sockets from the unexpected display of affection and for a moment, he forgot why he had come here.
Hinata ended the kiss and purred into his jacket, but after a while she noticed Naruto hadn't said anything to her. "Naruto-kun, is everything alright?" she asked.
Naruto stood up and helped Hinata up as well, then answered, "Yeah! I'm fine! But listen, we need to get out of here. This place isn't real, Hinata. You're still inside that genjutsu Madara used! Nothing here is real and if you stay you'll die and get turned into a Zetsu!"
"Wait, what, Naruto-kun?!" Hinata said.
"Come on, Hinata! I have a mind link with Ino and when I give her the word she'll pull us out, but we need to be touching." Naruto was stunned when Hinata removed herself from his contact and turned to see her shaking her head with her eyes closed. "What the hell are you doing, Hinata? We need to go right now!"
Hinata hid her face from him and said, almost too quietly for him to hear, "I...I don't want to."
Naruto was getting annoyed. Who the heck would want to turn into a Zetsu for a dream? "Hinata, stop playing around! We need to leave! Come on!"
"I said I don't want to!" Hinata nearly screamed the words this time, and Naruto was bewildered at the force of her voice. Bewildered, and extremely angry. Naruto had never thought he would be angry at Hinata, but she was acting so strange and now was not the time for her to act like that.
"Hinata, this isn't a game, y'know! Nothing here is real and you'll die if you stay! What could you possibly want to stay here for?!" he yelled. There was a flicker of orange and suddenly Naruto saw what looked like a clone of himself holding Hinata close and stroking her hair.
"What do I have here that could make me want to stay, you ask?" Hinata said. She looked at Naruto with the saddest smile he had ever seen adorning a girl's face and answered, "It's because...you love me here, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto felt like Sakura had just smacked him upside the head again, only with one hundred times the normal force. It suddenly started to make sense; the reason her face often turned red when he was around her, the reason she had always been kind to him and never said a bad word about him, everything. "Hinata, I…" he began to say, but he felt a sudden pain in his chest and looked down to find a jet black kunai was protruding from his chest, flickering in and out of existence. Too late, Naruto knew someone had tried to kill him in the real world.
Hinata's scream was silent as she forced herself out of the dream Naruto's arms and towards the real Naruto, ending the dream.
x-x
Ino's scream as the mind link was abruptly severed, on the other hand, could be heard for almost a full kilometer, alerting everyone else to the presence of the intruder. The Yamanaka heiress collapsed to her knees, gripping her head from the recoil of the link breaking so violently.
"H-how the hell did you...get out of Kaguya's dimension?" Naruto struggled to say while coughing up blood. "I know I sealed your sorry ass inside that moon!"
"As if that could stop me from fulfilling my purpose," Black Zetsu sneered. "I don't care if it takes another one thousand years. Mother will be reborn!"
Before anyone could arrive in time to respond, the homunculus vanished into the earth, and Naruto collapsed.
x-x
Naruto woke up a few minutes later and found he had difficulty breathing. His head was laying on something soft and there were shouts coming from all around, searching for Black Zetsu.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked. He tried to stand up, but felt sharp pain course through his body, and was forced back down.
"Don't move, you moron! You were stabbed and the tip was poisoned." Naruto looked to see who had spoken and saw Sakura over him deep in concentration, generating a green aura around his chest as she tried to repair the wound.
"Oh...well you can fix it, right Sakura-chan?" But then he remembered, "Oh wait, what about Hinata?! Where is she?" Naruto said hoarsely and tried moving again.
"I said don't move!" Sakura growled. "Hinata's fine. She's right behind you."
Naruto forced himself to move just enough to realize that the soft object his head was laying on was, in fact, Hinata's lap. "Oh thank goodness," Naruto said in relief. "I thought you were going to stay in that dream forever."
Hinata was smiling at him, but Naruto knew at once it was her sad smile. "Of course not, Naruto-kun. I can't be selfish like that. You needed me, so I came back."
Naruto grinned, but then coughed up more blood. "Hey...I know this is a bad time, what with a hole in my chest and all, but why was your dream about me, Hinata?" Aside from the coughing fits, Naruto's voice sounded like it always did, happy and carefree, but Sakura and Hinata knew it was growing weaker fast. Hinata was in a fit of tears now. Naruto hated seeing her cry; he never wanted her to be sad.
"Naruto-kun...my dream was about you because...because my greatest desire was to be with you. To hold you, to laugh with you...to love you."
Naruto had heard Hinata's confession of love before, back when he had been pinned down by Pain, but he had subconsciously blocked it out because he couldn't understand why she would say that. Why was it that he could only try to understand her words now, when he was at death's door? Was it because no one had shown him what it was like to be loved until he finally met his mother, Kushina, while he trained to control Kurama's power? Or had he simply convinced himself during his lonely childhood that he was incapable of being loved? He'd craved acknowledgment his entire life, but genuine love? Maybe that was why he had chased after Sakura for so long; he was jealous of the affection she showed Sasuke and had wanted to feel that so much, however he realized now he had been searching in the wrong place. "Hey, don't cry Hinata. I'll be fine, Sakura-chan will heal me up in no time…" but his strength was fading and his voice became inaudible.
"Sakura-san, please, you have to help him!" Hinata cried.
"I'm trying! He's lost a lot of blood and he hasn't had a chance to recover from the constant battles! On top of everything, I've never seen this kind of poison before so I don't know what to do!"
"I think I know why," the Kyūbi no Yōko, Kurama said over the telepathic link it shared with its partner.
"Oh not now, Kurama! Can't you see I'm trying to impress a girl here?" Naruto said aloud.
"There isn't anything you can do for him, Sakura," another voice said. Naruto would have scowled at its owner if he wasn't too busy dying.
"Oh great, it's the bastard." Naruto coughed again as Sasuke came into view. "Actually this is perfect, did you know Hinata likes me and not you, Sasuke?" he bragged with all the bravado he could muster.
"As a matter of fact, loser, I did," Sasuke replied. "You were the only one who never noticed. But I'm afraid I have bad news." Sasuke turned away, trying in vain to hide his tears from the others. "Naruto, why must you always be such an idiot!" he yelled.
"What is it, Sasuke-san? What's wrong with Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked desperately. In response, Sasuke threw an empty vial at Sakura, making the pink-haired medic gasp.
"This is…"
"It's not exactly a poison, Sakura. The liquid the kunai was coated with contains a chakra virus. Normally, Naruto would shrug it off because he heals so fast, but with his own reserves and the Kyūbi—"
"Kurama," Naruto corrected.
"As I was saying, with both of their chakra reserves being depleted there's no question that he'll..." Sasuke couldn't finish, but he didn't need to. He dropped to his knees, facing away from the others as his own tears continued to flow incessantly.
"Sakura-san, please, you can't let him die!" Hinata begged, crying harder than ever.
"I've done everything I can, Hinata!" Sakura cried, unable to stop her own tears from falling. "His wound is closed, but I can't stop the virus!"
Naruto looked up at the crying girl and was filled with sadness over how stupid he had been. "Hey, I'll be okay, Hinata, please don't cry." But they all knew he was lying to himself. However, no one dared call him out on that lie.
"Naruto-kun, you can't die! I need you! I love you!" Hinata cried while cradling his head. They were soon surrounded by their friends but no one had anything to say, too lost in their own grief as the Hero of Konoha, no, the Savior of this World, came ever closer to his final passing out of the world he saved.
Naruto had realized as soon as the kunai pierced his chest that he was going to die, and had accepted it. He still had too many regrets, the biggest being not being able to become Hokage, but he had achieved the original goal which once fueled his determination. Everyone in Konoha now acknowledged and accepted Naruto. All of his friends, which he'd fought so hard to win over were safe, and Sasuke was back on their side, fulfilling the promise he had made to Sakura-chan over four years ago. He shouldn't have needed to know anything more. But something still didn't feel right. He still felt Hinata's pain, a pain which was far too much like his own for him to understand why she felt it; sure, he understood the grief from losing someone close to you, but...
"Guys...can I get a minute alone with Hinata?" Naruto asked.
"I can't do that," Sakura replied, shaking her head hard enough to fling away the tears still cascading down her cheeks. "I still have to do something to—"
"Please," he interrupted her, his voice still growing weaker as he donned the strongest mask he could, still trying to offer some form of comfort to his friends. All of the other surviving members of the Konoha Eleven walked away without objections; they would honor his last request, no matter how difficult it was to leave him. Sakura still refused at first; she still looked like she needed to say something important, but she couldn't get the words out. It took Sasuke looking her in the eyes and resting a hand on her shoulder to convince her to leave. He gave one last look to Naruto, and for a brief moment, his Sharingan flashed and the pattern morphed into its Eternal Mangekyō form.
And then he finally walked away with Sakura, leaving Naruto alone with Hinata in his last moments.
Now that they were alone, Hinata tenderly stroked and petted Naruto's hair. The wonderful sensations of her gentle caresses were agonizing for Naruto, who was only now starting to figure out that this was all he'd truly wanted. Hinata's seemingly endless tears only made it even more painful for him. Naruto struggled to reach towards Hinata's face and wipe her tears away.
"Crying really doesn't suit you, y'know," he said.
"Stop it!" Hinata snapped, making Naruto flinch. He didn't understand why she was angry all of a sudden. "Just stop it, Naruto-kun. Stop acting like it's all okay! Just be selfish, for once in your life!"
"Hinata..." a stunned Naruto tried to say.
Hinata wouldn't allow him to protest: "For once in your life, you need to say that it's not fair. You have always been like this, Naruto-kun, always putting everyone else above yourself. That's why everyone admires you, Naruto-kun...but it isn't admirable to keep doing it, not now! Just for once, say you want to live because you deserve it! It's your right!"
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "This isn't about me, is it Hinata?" he asked. Hinata shook her head and let more tears fall onto his face. "It's...was it that dream?"
'Why doesn't he understand?' Hinata internally cried out. 'How bad was his life if he still doesn't understand? Naruto-kun, just how badly were you starved of love?' "You...you can't do this to me, Naruto-kun," she objected. "It hurts...it hurts seeing you like this...and I don't mean your stab wound or the virus. I mean...oh, for heaven's sake, Naruto-kun! Why can't you see how much I love you?" she finally snapped, trembling and wailing.
'What does she mean by that?' Naruto wondered as his life force kept fading. Until he had gone to the Falls of Truth for his final training to control Kurama's power and met the chakra imprint of his mother, he had not been able to recognize any kind of love. But even now, he was still confused. He was still blind to his own feelings and couldn't make the distinction; was she talking about that kind of love, or was it something like his love of ramen? No, that wasn't right...
Hinata felt like cursing the world. Even now, Naruto still was struggling to figure out his own feelings, and not only could she not save him, she still had to fight to reach him with her love. "From the moment I first met you, Naruto-kun, I was destined to fall in love with you and only you. Do you understand what I mean?"
Recognition finally flashed through Naruto's eyes. Yes, he did understand now, and was learning that on some level he had always known what that feeling was, even if he couldn't understand it then. "Hinata, I...I didn't..."
"Don't say it's your fault, Naruto-kun," Hinata objected, her crying slowing down to sniffling. "I should have explained it long ago. It's my fault for not being there sooner."
All the memories of the times he and Hinata spent together raced though Naruto's mind and he was seeing them in a new light. He'd first thought of her as dark, gloomy and completely weird, but realized after they bonded just how gentle and kind she was. Hinata had always been friendly towards him, and had supported him through several of his worst moments in life, but that alone didn't explain how he felt. Whenever Naruto had been around Hinata since that fateful August day four years ago, he had felt a certain happiness, an intense feeling in his heart. But the feeling was so completely alien that he could not even begin to understand what it was or why it was there.
As Naruto's blind spot vanished, he started shaking violently and hacking up more blood; if anything was truly killing him now, it was not the mortal wound to his chest or the virus coursing through his veins, but realizing how big of an idiot he had been to not see Hinata's feelings. Hinata pulled him up, pressing his back to her chest and managed to stabilize him with her touch, but it wouldn't be much longer now before he succumbed.
"Hinata," Naruto whispered, gripping her hand in his, "please don't cry...I don't like it when you cry..."
"I'll stop crying when you decide to live, damn it!" Hinata wailed. "Please live, Naruto-kun! Live for me, live for your friends, but live for yourself too! You can't die, not now! I need you to live! I love you too much to let you die!"
The two fell silent for a few long moments as Hinata poured out all her grief and held Naruto's limp body tightly. She knew she couldn't stop the virus, but she had to try something! If he needed her life force, she would gladly give it all so he could stay alive. Naruto tried to keep his grip on Hinata, but his strength had almost completely left him. He only had enough to try, for just a few seconds, to return the love she needed him to feel.
"Hinata..." Naruto said, his voice almost inaudible.
"Yes, Naruto-kun?"
"Could you say what you just said again?" Naruto pleaded with Hinata. "I just want to hear it again, cause I feel like falling asleep, y'know."
Hinata tried to put on a happy face for Naruto, so he could feel her love the way she had meant him to feel. But even Naruto knew, even without the tears still falling onto him, that her gentle smile was forced. "Of course...I'll say it as much as you like." She took a deep breath and said it again: "I love you, Naruto-kun." Her words filled Naruto with joy and longing.
"More. I want...to hear it more. Please, Hinata...please just keep going..."
Never in her life had Hinata heard a sound that was more bittersweet than Naruto's begging her to show him her love. It was painful on a completely new level, and she felt like all the kunai that had ever been forged and manufactured were now stabbing her in the heart all at once. "Naruto-kun, I love you. I love you so much," she whispered through a fresh wave of tears.
Naruto smiled weakly; it was his true smile, but it was a more heartbreaking smile than ever. He tried to say something to Hinata, so she'd keep sending him her love, but his voice left him and his vision grew dark.
"No!" Hinata screamed. "Stay with me, Naruto-kun! Please stay with me!" she wailed out, activating her Byakugan and covering her palms with chakra, using all of her limited medical knowledge to force Naruto to return to her. "You can't leave me! Not like this!"
Naruto wanted to stay, he really did, but he knew he couldn't. He reached out and channeled the last vestiges of his strength from anywhere he could find it and stopped Hinata from trying to sustain him any longer. What happened after that was something no one that close to death should have been able to do. As the sun finally rose over the battlefield, Naruto willed himself to move with a strength that was clearly supernatural in origin, lifting himself up just enough to meet Hinata's face...
And he kissed her...
It was a kiss that was supposed to liberate Hinata. It was a kiss that tried to convey Naruto's most sincere apologies and finally show her that he felt the same way about her. It was the most beautiful, and most traumatic, moment in Hinata's life. Both her tears and Naruto's glistened in those first rays of sunlight which marked what they believed was the climax of their tragedy as the two star-crossed lovers poured all their feelings into the first and last kiss they would ever share. And neither of them wanted this moment to end, because they both knew that once it did, death would separate them forever.
But the moment did end. Naruto's lips broke away from hers and he used the absolute last bit of strength he had to whisper a single message into Hinata's ear.
"Hinata...thank you...for loving me."
And then he fell to the ground, never to rise again.
x-x
Hinata's wailing echoed throughout the battlefield as she pulled Naruto back into her arms, trying in vain to bring him back. Sakura and Sasuke rushed back to her, dreading what they knew they would find. The former pressed her fingers to Naruto's neck and tried to hold her composure as she looked at Hinata.
"Hinata, Naruto is—"
"Don't say it!" Hinata said harshly. Sakura zipped her lips as Hinata continued, "Please don't say it, Sakura-san, I already know…" Everyone was drowning in their own sorrow over the loss of their dear friend but it paled in comparison to Hinata's. She had been the first to believe in him, and he in her, so how could they possibly know what they were supposed to do to comfort her now that he was gone? Hinata just sat there, a broken shell of herself stroking Naruto's spiky hair, repeating over and over how she loved him despite knowing her words could not reach him.
"If it's any consolation, we caught the bastard that did this, Hinata," Sasuke said, finally regaining some semblance of composure. "Black Zetsu may have managed to escape from Kaguya's dimension, but he's not going anywhere now. We also found the eldritch abomination that pulled the homunculus out of that dimension," he added, reaching under his gray shirt to reveal a dead Ten-Tails Mini Clone that had somehow survived even after Kaguya's sealing and tossed it towards her feet. "Kakashi should be bringing Zetsu here at any moment."
Hinata said nothing and continued what she was doing as if she had not heard. But the silence of gloom turned to rage very quickly as Kiba came up to Sasuke and punched him, yelling "Get away from Hinata, you cursed sick son of a bitch!"
"Kiba-kun, calm down!" Shino yelled as he restrained him.
It was at that moment Kakashi and Hiashi arrived. Having heard Hinata was one of those who had not awakened from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the clan head had insisted on coming along. "What is going on here?" he asked.
"Calm yourself, Hyūga-sama," Kakashi responded. "Sakura, what's Naruto's condition?" When no one answered Kakashi, he said it a bit louder, "I said, what is Naruto's condition?"
"I'll tell you! Naruto is dead! That's right, I said it, Naruto's gone!" Kiba shouted, breaking free from Shino's grip. He turned to Sasuke and threw a punch at the Uchiha's face, which was blocked effortlessly. "And it's all your fault!" he screamed, attempting to attack Sasuke, who was only defending and not fighting back. "If he hadn't been so obsessed with bringing a traitor like you back, everything would be different!"
"I didn't kill Naruto!" Sasuke argued, slamming Kiba onto the ground with an elbow to his back.
"But you were going to, so what's the difference?!" Kiba coughed up a bit of dirt as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Not only that, your twisted mind actually led you to think we, his friends, would let you become Hokage?!" Kiba would have attacked again, but Shino pinned him down once more.
Hiashi looked at Naruto and saw his unmoving body, and, to both his relief and displeasure, his daughter kneeling besides him ignoring everything around her, too lost in her despair. "Is this true, Hatake-san?" he asked.
"No. It was this...thing who dealt the blow, but are you sure Naruto is dead?" Kakashi asked everyone. Their silence gave him all the answer he needed. "I see…" He turned to face Black Zetsu and glowered at the homunculus, his face filled with fury. "I consider myself a hard man to piss off, but right now…" he kicked the prisoner in his gut and punched his face for good measure, "my boiling point is lower than I ever thought possible! I will exact retribution, scum!"
Everyone then started to argue over who was next and who would get to deal the finishing blow to the bastard who robbed them of their comrade. Shouts of "I'll tear his head off!" and "I'll rip him limb from limb!" quickly filled the air. Even Shikamaru said, "I actually feel like killing you would not be a drag."
Hiashi was also angry at the boy's death, but what caused him ever more anger was seeing how broken his daughter looked. 'Right as she was becoming the daughter I should have raised,' he thought. Kiba was still struggling to attack Sasuke again and Hiashi came up and put his hands on the young Inuzuka's shoulders, "Control yourself, Inuzuka-san. I am very angry as well." He gave Sasuke a hateful look as he went on, "Allow me to take care of this blasted Uchiha." Then addressing Sasuke he said, "I am well aware of the power you now possess, Uchiha, but frankly, I don't give a damn." Some of the other observers did a double take; they knew Hiashi had to be pissed if he was using profanities. "If it were within my power to do so, I would kill you right here and now. However, I still have my clan and now my daughter who I pray is not broken beyond repair to think about. When I return to the village, rest assured that I shall never let you anywhere near my home or family, provided that you ever see the light of day again, that is." But everyone became silent once more as Hinata slowly stood up after leaving Naruto to Sakura.
"Hinata?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.
"Hinata, do not walk any closer to that filth! He does not deserve your compassion," Hiashi commanded, but she ignored him.
"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura yelled. Bad move; Hiashi activated his Byakugan and glared at her.
"Do not think that you are not at fault either, Haruno-san. You were the one Uzumaki-san always chased after," he spat. "If you hadn't led him on, hadn't encouraged him to pursue the Uchiha for your petty infatuation, perhaps my plan to bring Uzumaki-san and Hinata together would have worked." That last asinine statement earned several raised eyebrows and several more looks of shock, and enraged Sakura. But it wasn't Sakura who physically struck the Hyūga patriarch.
That blow came from Hinata, in the form of a palm thrust that knocked her father onto the ground and forced his dōjutsu to deactivate. Every human watching the scene was stunned, disbelieving that Hinata would actually attack Hiashi.
"That is enough, Otō-sama," Hinata coldly said. Hiashi shook his head and dusted himself off as stood up, seemingly unaffected by his eldest daughter's assault.
"Hinata, considering everything I have put you through I know I am the last person who has the right to say this, but I swear I am acting in your best interests."
Hinata ignored him and looked at Sasuke in the eye. For a moment, the last Uchiha saw the tiniest bit of hate in those lavender crystals and knew that Hinata did harbor just a little bit of resentment towards him as well, though she was too kind to ever say it aloud. Then she turned to face Black Zetsu and said, "You killed him…"
Black Zetsu gave her an evil grin. "What of it? Humans die all the time, it is part of the natural cycle. If you want my opinion, you should have remained inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi; at least that way you would have died happy. Or had you convinced yourself that you could have your fairy-tale ending in the real world? Foolish mortal. There's no such thing as happy endings in this brokenworld. It's high time you accepted that truth and gave in to your despair."
The air turned cold and Hinata's hands lit up like fire, her hair was blowing madly in the wind. "Gentle Step: Twin Lion Surge," she whispered, launching herself at Zetsu and beginning to beat him like a rag doll, her tears flowing freely as her grief and rage surfaced. "Sixteen Palms!" Her attacks increased in speed and intensity, but Zetsu was just laughing, deriving a twisted satisfaction from her assault, which fueled her hate even more. "Thirty-Two Palms!" The wind was rushing past them so fast now that everyone had to brace themselves. As Hinata's assault intensified, Sakura fell to her knees and watched as her dear friend surrendered to hate. It was almost like the time Naruto had gone berserk against Pain...
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Hinata…" she said with tears in her eyes. With a final cry of despair, Hinata shouted at the top of her lungs and the fire in her hands made the lions grow to abnormal heights. "One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!" The ground shattered beneath her as the last blow smashed into Zetsu, making a crater almost as large as the ones caused by the meteor impacts from earlier. Believing it finished, Hinata fell to her knees and said, "He is gone now, Naruto-kun, the person who took you from me is gone now."
"Don't be so sure," Black Zetsu laughed maniacally as he climbed out of the crater. Hinata looked behind her and saw the artificial life form was still very much alive. "You can't kill me, foolish girl. You're too weak."
Hinata's face twisted in a hate that was stronger than even Sasuke had once felt. How dare this subhuman scum call her weak after taking away the person who always praised her strength! How dare he mock her when he was at her mercy! "Fine. If I can't kill you…" her hands were raised once more, but the blue fire around them was as pillars trying to pierce the sky, "I'll just rip you apart until there's nothing left of you!"
Kakashi knew Hinata was pushing herself way past her limits and was chakra deprived as much as anyone. Should she exert any more strain on her body, there would be nothing left of her to save. "Hiashi-sama, you need to stop her before she attacks again!" he yelled.
"Why should I?" the Hyūga patriarch asked, grinning at the sight of his daughter's fury. "Hinata is showing that trash what it means to anger a Hyūga."
"Open your eyes, you insufferable asshole! Your daughter is about to kill herself to take that trash down! Are you going to stand by and let that happen?!" Hiashi, who had not reactivated his Byakugan since his daughter attacked him, did not realize the physical and emotional Hinata was going through, so of course he did not understand. Thankfully, Kiba did after being on Team Eight with her for so long. Kiba freed himself from Shino's grip and ran to Hinata, saying he would take care of Sasuke later, then flung his arms around her.
"Hinata, stop, please stop," Kiba begged.
"Let me go, Kiba-kun!" Hinata screamed, struggling against Kiba's grip. "I have to avenge Naruto-kun!"
"Not if it means you dying as well! Think, Hinata! Would Naruto want you to die?!" he said, forcing her back onto her knees. Shino came up to her as well and knelt beside her, and added, "Hinata-san, no one can ever replace Naruto, nor can the pain of his loss ever go away, but please don't take yourself away from us as well."
"Why do you care, Shino-kun? I don't want to live anymore...there's nothing left to live for..."
Shino put his hands on hers even though the flames still glowed, and he took off his sunglasses before looking at his female teammate. "I know it seems that way right now, Hinata, after all you knew Naruto better than anyone. You were the first to accept him, and the only one to show him the love he lacked. However, we cannot allow you to die. I know it does not count for much and our feelings are not the same, but…" Shino, who had never cried before was now letting his tears flow as well, and his dark eyes met lavender as he said, "we love you, Hinata. Does that count for anything? You still have your teammates, you still have your family, and you still have an entire village that loves you. So I know I am being selfish, but don't you think we deserve to keep you in our lives?" Hinata's hands went out and she began crying loudly, her anguish could be heard and felt throughout the battlefield. Shino and Kiba hugged her tightly, not letting anyone see the broken comrades' face as they tried their hardest to calm her.
Black Zetsu frowned at the attempt to comfort the broken woman. "Mortals are so easy to break. All this talk of love is utter nonsense. Love is useless. It only weakens you. This weakness of your species will only lead to your downfall."
"Maybe so," a voice said behind him. Black Zetsu and several of the Shinobi Alliance soldiers turned to see Chōjūrō, along with a team of fūinjutsu specialists, behind him. Chōjūrō, the only other person there who had attempted to kill this variety of Zetsu, learned that it was unfortunately immortal, which left only one way to deal with the threat it posed. "But if that day comes, you won't be around to see it." Black Zetsu was frozen in fear and howling in rage as the sealing team approached. One thousand years of careful manipulation were about to end, but this time there was no contingency plan. This time, there was no escape from the inevitable.
"No...Noooooooooooooo!"
x-x
From a distance, Hagoromo observed as Kakashi and Shikamaru issued orders to seek and destroy any remaining Ten-Tails Mini Clones that were still alive, while a medic team separated Naruto's corpse from Hinata. They realized that if one had survived and assimilated the ability to access Kaguya's dimension, no attempt to seal Black Zetsu away could possibly work as long as any spawn of Kaguya still lived.
Hagoromo had not anticipated that his mother would go this far to ensure she reigned supreme over the world she called "her precious nursery" once more. He had not foreseen that she would have engineered this many countermeasures against him, both in her last moments and in the moments leading to her rebirth. And the results of this catastrophe placed a heavy burden on his transcended spirit and on the time stream itself. The death of Naruto, the reincarnation of his younger son Asura, was a disaster that knocked the world out of balance. Naruto was not only the transmigrant of Asura's lineage, he was the Child of Prophecy. But prophecy had been thoroughly corrupted by his mother's will. With Naruto dead, Asura's bloodline was extinct, and the reincarnation cycle was broken. The world would continue to spiral downward until the weight of its people's hate triggered a total collapse. And if anyone figured out how to revive Kaguya again in the future, there would be no way to stop her from destroying what was left.
This was not how the events of this war should have played out.
Before Hagoromo faded into the wind once more, he took a last glance at the Hyūga girl who had lost her most precious person. Perhaps one day, the heiress of his brother Hamura's bloodline would take the chance they needed to set things right. He would just have to wait until that day arrives.