In Konoha Village, though reconstruction work has begun, it’s impossible to restore the village to its pre-destruction state in such a short ti. Most of Konoha’s residents currently live in makeshift shacks and tents hastily set up.
At this mont, in front of one such temporary tent, two figures unexpectedly et.
"Hinata?"
"Sakura, h-hello!"
"You’re here to see Naruto too?"
"Y-yes, I-I’m a bit worried about him..." Hinata answers honestly, her face instantly flushing.
Though still a bit stamring, Hinata is clearly far more open than before. After all, she confessed and proved her feelings during Pain’s invasion.
Naruto owes Nagato a great deal for that invaluable help!
Without Hinata’s courage to protect him as a catalyst, the two might not have truly ended up together.
Too many love stories in the ninja world remain unfulfilled.
"Sorry, he’s been making you worry..."
Sakura takes the initiative to apologize on Naruto’s behalf. Though it’s not entirely appropriate to speak for him, this failure to bring back Sasuke clearly weighs heavily on her too.
"N-no, we should be the ones apologizing. Before, Kiba and the others d-didn’t, didn’t an to bla Naruto. It’s j-just..." Hinata hurries to explain.
A few days ago, when Naruto returned, he t and talked with friends from Konoha’s Team Twelve once.
First, to explain the Five Kage Summit situation, and second, to discuss next steps.
However, that conversation wasn’t pleasant.
Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, and most others expressed dissatisfaction with Naruto’s actions.
On one hand, Naruto reiterated that he’d handle the Sasuke issue alone, worrying his friends that he’d do sothing reckless.
On the other, regarding Sasuke’s betrayal of Konoha and even killing Danzo, most grew increasingly hostile; their feelings for Sasuke weren’t as deep as Naruto’s, so they also feared Sasuke would further harm Naruto and the village.
Thus, their conversation included harsh words and dissatisfaction toward Sasuke.
This led to the talk with Naruto ending unhappily.
Naruto knows everyone cares about him and the village, but many things can’t be resolved by simple right or wrong.
As a result, these past few days, Naruto has grown more withdrawn, often hiding alone in his tent to train or daydream.
This has made Hinata and Sakura increasingly worried, instinctively wanting to visit Naruto more often to comfort him.
"I understand. Shikamaru and the others have good hearts, I know."
"It’s the Sasuke issue. Naruto’s really struggling with it, he..." After experiencing various wars, Sakura has grown a lot, no longer the airheaded girl obsessed with crushes.
Caught between Naruto and Sasuke this ti, she deeply understands Naruto’s pain.
Unfortunately, there’s little she can do. She can’t kill Sasuke in Naruto’s place; even if she had the chance, she’s unsure if she could bring herself to do such a cruel act!
As Sakura and Hinata talk, inside the tent, Naruto, sensing their chakra auras, steps out.
"Hinata, Sakura, you’re here? What’s up?"
"Naruto-kun..."
"Naruto, you okay?"
Naruto flashes a wide grin, scratching his head:
"What’s wrong with ? I’m totally fine!"
"What about Sasuke..."
"Ugh, you don’t need to worry! I’ll handle it myself. This is between and Sasuke. And I won’t let him hurt the village again."
Naruto smiles brightly to reassure them, hiding the pain and pressure in his heart.
But not letting his friends suffer and using optimism to overco all difficulties is his conviction!
Growl~
Naruto’s stomach rumbles.
"Naruto-kun, you haven’t eaten breakfast? I-if you don’t mind, w-would you like to eat with ?" Hinata musters the courage to invite him.
"Sure! Wait, I think I don’t have any money..."
"It’s okay, I have money, I can..."
Seeing the two almost succeed, Sakura, for so reason, feels a bit annoyed.
At the sa ti, recalling her purpose for finding Naruto, she quickly interrupts:
"No need! Kakashi-sensei seems to have sothing to discuss with Naruto. I’ll take him first, and I’ll buy him sothing to eat on the way..."
As she speaks, Sakura grabs Naruto’s arm and drags him off.
"Eh? Naruto-kun!"
"I’ll be right back!" Naruto waves goodbye to Hinata.
"Sakura, slow down! By the way, what does Kakashi-sensei want with ?"
"Didn’t you say these past few days you’ve been dreaming about a weird old grandpa? Kakashi-sensei told Kazekage Gaara, who’s had experience with nightmares, that he might be able to help you. So he asked to bring you to him."
Naruto nods in understanding: "Oh, got it!"
"Right! I rember, last night that old grandpa said sothing about a monster called the Juubi awakening, and I need to deal with it?"
"Juubi? Is that another Bijuu?"
"Probably? I’m not sure. But this shouldn’t just be a dream. Kurama seems to know that grandpa. I need to tell Kakashi-sensei this info later."
"Kurama?"
"That’s the Kyubi’s real na. I just found out too."
"Bijuu have nas?"
"Of course! They all have their own nas. Honestly, I didn’t expect the Kyubi’s na to be so la. Hahaha..."
Sakura shakes her head, not understanding why Naruto’s so amused.
To them, Bijuu represent terror and brutality, symbolizing only hatred and death.
Like the tis Naruto lost control of the Kyubi’s chakra before, each instance sent chills and bone-deep terror through people, making Sakura tremble in fear.
For a monster like that, what’s the point of knowing its na?
"Sakura, where’s Kakashi-sensei?"
"At the temporary Hokage building..."
"What’s he doing there?"
"I’m not sure, but it seems they’re discussing the new Hokage candidate. Clearly, Tsunade-sama’s still alive, so how could they..."
"It’s fine. Granny Tsunade will definitely wake up!"
"Yeah! She will. And I heard Kakashi-sensei might be the new Hokage candidate..."
"Huh? Really? My dad was Hokage, and now Kakashi-sensei’s gonna be Hokage? Then I..."
Naruto’s spirit surges, his boundless desire to beco Hokage reigniting.
"What’d you say?"
"I said..."
At that mont, a shrill, piercing whistle suddenly rings out, echoing through the ruins of Konoha Village, sending shivers through everyone’s hearts and freezing them in place.
Everyone knows this is the alarm sounded by the ninja guards outside the village.
It ans an enemy is attacking Konoha Village!
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