The war only lasted a couple days, but many lives were lost, and those that remain are changed forever.
As the Infinite Tsukuyomi was released, the remaining members of the Shinobi Alliance awoke from their dream-like prisons. Most were relieved to be back in the real world, others were just happy to still be alive. Not everybody had that privilege.
Hinata Hyuuga stirred as her reality changed, and she began to understand what had happened. They had initially lost the war, she was sure of it. And somehow here she was, alive and in the real world. She didn't know how, but she knew that Naruto and Sasuke had saved them all. She looked around and found Team 7 a bit of ways away from her, watching as everyone was freed. "Naruto... thank you." Hinata smiled as she saw her lifetime crush, still alive and breathing, and realized it wasn't too late. Her dream may still become a reality.
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi watched as everyone seemed to come back to life. There was something odd about being the only conscious people on the planet.
"We did it, we won!" Sakura exclaimed with tears in her eyes as her comrades awoke before her.
"Uh, so, what do we do now?" Naruto asked, truly unsure of the answer. Would they simply pack up their things and head home? After Pain's assault on the village, they hardly had a home to go back to. With everything that happened, Naruto couldn't even begin to process their next move.
Kakashi said, "It's a long journey back to Konoha. As soon as everyone has had time to heal and recover, I suppose we'll begin rebuilding the village. It'll never be the same, but it'll always be our home. For now, Naruto and Sasuke, you two take it easy. Your chakra reserves were nearly absolute zero when we found you. I'm sure we'll have tents set up soon once everyone gets on their feet. I imagine we'll all be needing our rest after today."
With that, Kakashi and Sakura rushed down to the battlefield to help tend to the wounded and begin setting up camps. Naruto and Sasuke slowly made their way down, being careful not to over exert themselves. Even walking was painful for them, although not as much as their arms which were were still in agony, even after being regenerated by Sakura's healing jutsu.
Naruto noticed that Sasuke had been rather quiet, even for him. They had just saved the world, and Sasuke was expressionless as ever. "Ya know, when we get back home, we-"
"I'm not staying." Sasuke interjected.
"W-what!? What do you mean? After all this, you're just gonna leave again!?" Naruto exclaimed.
"Naruto, you've made me realize my mistakes, and I can't thank you enough for that," Sasuke said. "But I have too much to process. In the end, my entire clan is dead. My brother is dead. The villagers probably view me as a terrorist, and they have every reason to believe that. I did horrible things, and intended on doing worse. You helped me realize my errors, but you can't help me correct them. I'll hang around long enough to help people recover, and then I'm leaving. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but it'll probably be a while. I'm not disappearing forever, I just need time."
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, and at the same time, he understood completely. "Fuck... I hate it, but I understand. I guess it's not my place to tell how how to deal with your feelings. I'm just glad you came to your senses." Naruto was glad to have Sasuke back on the good side of things, even if he needed time away from everyone. He knew his friend would return when he was ready.
"Thank you for understanding, Naruto. Remember, even if I'm not around, I'll still be here for you, as you have always been for me." Sasuke said and smiled at his friend. Naruto decided not to point out his smile, for he was sure it would disappear just as fast.
Naruto decided a little tough love was due. It had been too long since he had gotten to mess with Sasuke. "Oh yeah? And what about Sakura? You gonna 'be there' for her too?" Naruto asked with a sly grin on his face.
Surely enough, Sasuke's smile disappeared into his normal, expressionless face. "I would worry less about my 'romantic' situation and worry more about yours."
"Mine? Ha! That's a quick conversation, in fact, it might already be over."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks. "Wait, you still haven't figured it out yet?" he asked. "I mean, I know you're dense, but I figured even you would have come to your senses by now. Shame."
"Okay, just what the hell are you talking about? I don't have a 'romantic situation'. If you're talking about my feelings for Sakura, I've been over her for a long time. It was more of a childish crush. She's all yours." Naruto laughed as Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. This was the closest he had ever seen Sasuke to being flustered, if he could even call it that.
"That's not what I was talking about, idiot." Sasuke began walking again, as if the conversation at hand no longer interested him.
Naruto was truly confused now. "Well? You gonna elaborate or just leave me hanging?"
Sasuke sighed. "I've already said too much... I guess I could tell you. Hell, seems like somebody has to." Sasuke stopped again. "Naruto, there's a girl in Konoha that has feelings for you, and has for a long time. I won't tell you who it is. You need to discover that for yourself. But she's out there, you just need to open your eyes and quit being such a dobe." Sasuke began walking again.
Naruto couldn't muster another word. What he had just heard had left him speechless. Naruto never imagined a girl having feelings for him, especially for a "long time". Without him even knowing???
"Come on, let's get down to everyone. Your 'secret admirer' is waiting for you." Sasuke teased.
Naruto didn't have the first clue about who this could've been, but now he was determined to find out. He hadn't thought about it much, given the frequency of recent events, but he knew he wanted love. He just never thought he deserved it.
Meanwhile, Hinata watched from below as Naruto and Sasuke made their way down to everyone. Slowly, anxiety set in as the love of her life got closer and closer to her. In the heat of battle, her confidence had grown impenetrable. She could look and talk to Naruto without stuttering or even blushing, because she knew she might die the next minute anyway. But now that she was sure they would both be fine, she grew redder and redder with every step Naruto took toward her.
She almost wished she was back in her dream world, where she stood effortlessly by Naruto's side.
Even in her anxious state, Hinata told herself that she wouldn't waste time anymore. She wouldn't hide anymore. She wanted Naruto's heart, and she wanted him to want hers. It wasn't going to be easy, but Hinata swore to herself that she would have him, and he would have her. She would make her feelings known. She would make light of this... awakening.
