The battlefield still shimmered with the fading glow of Hinata's Final Eclipse.
In the observation cube, suspended high above the scarred steppe, a long, stunned silence reigned. Dust floated gently in the air, reflecting silver and gold tones beneath the soft sunlight over Yumegakure.
Then Kiba broke the silence.
"THAT WAS INSANE!" he shouted, clutching the railing with wide eyes. "Did you see that cut? SHE SLASHED reality like it was a scroll!"
Shino, standing at his side, adjusted his glasses with a slow nod. "Her World of Intent reached a level I've never expected. She anticipated Naruto's erratic movements. It was as if she saw the future. Combined with her Mirage Breath... she turned the battlefield into her own mental landscape."
Kurenai placed a gentle hand over her heart. "Hinata..." Her voice trembled with pride and emotion. "She's no longer the girl who once whispered her doubts. Every step she's taken has brought her to these heights."
Sasuke remained silent for a long time, arms crossed, gaze fixed on Naruto holding Hinata in his arms. "They climbed... together," he murmured at last.
Minato, standing nearby with Kushina, turned his head slightly. "You saw it too?"
Sasuke nodded. "They both raised the level of the fight slowly. Each of them found an opponent they hadn't expected—the goal wasn't victory. They both reached their limits... and evolved beyond them."
"He's always done that," Kushina whispered with a smile. "Lifts everyone around him—even if he has to get beaten to do it."
From one corner, Jiraiya let out a soft whistle. "If that girl ever wrote a book, it'd outsell mine."
"One of your books was banned in five countries," Tsunade muttered beside him.
Jiraiya grinned. "Exactly."
Meanwhile, Kuro—still half-curled and watching with one drowsy eye—let out a deep sigh. "Puppies these days. Turning into gods and collapsing into each other's arms like it's a stage play. Dramatic."
The serpent coiled beside her chuckled. "And yet... you didn't look away."
"Shut up," Kuro grunted without malice. "I was just making sure she didn't explode."
Michel's voice resonated gently within the cube, not as a form, but as a breeze brushing through the minds of everyone present.
"She has surpassed every lesson I ever gave her. Not with force... but with grace."
Minato closed his eyes for a moment. "And Naruto... he let go of the promise. He didn't protect her—he fought her. As an equal."
Kurenai smiled. "They both kept the promise. Just not in the way we expected."
In a slightly distant corner of the cube, Hiashi Hyuga stood with his usual rigid posture, though his Byakugan-active eyes couldn't hide the emotion beneath. "I have no words... to describe what I just witnessed." Beside him, a serene and gentle woman held his hand... For a moment he looked into her eyes and saw wonder, love and pride for her little girl. His mind took him back to the moment of wonder that happened a few days ago.
It was during a quiet moment—shortly after Hinata had helped Naruto and Sasuke reunite with their families—that she, still composed and at peace, guided Hiashi and Hanabi to one of Yumegakure's Silver Nodes. There, surrounded by a reverent silence, she raised her hand toward the silver sky, her silver threads reaching out toward the rift between Yumegakure and the Pure Lands. Her lips moved in a barely audible whisper, but her will echoed clearly through the entire dimension:
Yume no Fukkatsu—Dream Rebirth!
A gentle mist of silver and gold descended upon the clearing. At its center, a figure began to take shape—a woman with delicate features, soft white eyes, and the serene grace of a noble beloved by all whose spirits she had once touched. She wore the ceremonial robes of a Hyūga matriarch, though her presence radiated warmth rather than severity.
Hiashi recognized her instantly. "…Hima?"
She turned her face toward him, confusion flashing briefly across her features—then emotion surged forth like a river bursting through a dam. "Hiashi… is it really…?"
He didn't wait another second. With a long step, he crossed the space between them and pulled her into a fierce embrace. A gesture held back for years finally broke free. Hiashi, the cold-eyed, stern-hearted man, clung to his wife as if afraid the dream would unravel in his arms.
Hima trembled in his hold, but then turned her gaze and saw the two young women watching in silence, tears spilling from their eyes.
"It can't be… Hinata? Hanabi…?"
Both nodded, unable to speak. And in an instant, the three of them embraced, a family once torn apart by death, now reunited by a miracle.
Hiashi, who had held back tears his entire life, could no longer resist. His head bowed, and the tears fell freely. For the first time, he allowed himself to be simply a man… a husband, a father… and a soul made whole once more.
Hanabi, beside her father and mother, remained silent for a moment before nodding with a mix of awe and pride. "I feel like I watched a goddess fight today. But... she's still Hinata. That part never changes."
Takama, arms crossed, observed silently with a faint smile. "What you all saw today wasn't just power. It was pure will. The will to protect without dominating. To uplift without crushing. To fight without hatred. She's not just our daughter. I believe she's the heir to a new era."
Hiashi exhaled deeply. "I'm so glad you could be here to see this." He said gently to his wife Hima at his side.
Hima just smiled and wiped away a tear, "It's a miracle, being able to see you three like this..."
Takama just crossed his arms and puffed out his chest in pride. "She's that kind of person... the one who's capable of making miracles a reality."
The cube remained suspended, serene, floating above a battlefield now void of conflict—but brimming with a new kind of energy. Not the destructive force of clashing chakra, but the reverence that follows the divine.
Below, Naruto still held Hinata as she slowly began to stir.
And above, the world watched.
<<<< o >>>>
The air felt lighter now—almost reverent—as the echoes of the battle faded. In a quiet corner of the node, far from the murmurs and the watching crowd, Naruto and Hinata walked slowly side by side. His arm was still bandaged, and she held a cloth to the corner of her lips, where a line of silver blood had long since dried.
Naruto was the first to break the silence.
"I'm going to miss Kurama..." he said with a sad smile, gazing up at Yumegakure's silver sky. "After all that fighting, we finally understood each other. We weren't just a Jinchūriki and a Bijū anymore... we were partners."
Hinata glanced at him, her expression softening.
"With a bit of luck... neither he nor his brothers will ever have to live imprisoned again," she replied, her gentleness a striking contrast to the harshness of what lay ahead.
Naruto let out a short, somewhat nostalgic laugh.
"If it weren't for his help, I probably wouldn't have pushed you to use... whatever it was you used at the end."
Hinata lowered her gaze for a moment, thoughtful, then looked up and met his eyes with quiet resolve.
"I believe even without his help... you'll show Madara that times have changed. And this time, no one will bear the weight alone."
Naruto took a deep breath and, after a moment of silence, added with a voice full of gratitude:
"Thank you, Hinata... for what you did for my parents. I always wanted to know them better since that time... when the seal broke and I saw my father. Now I got to speak to them—both of them—and that's something I'll treasure forever."
Then his eyes shifted toward the distance, as if searching for a memory still fresh. "I saw Hiashi wasn't alone. That woman… Was that your mother? How was it for you?"
Hinata smiled with a mix of melancholy and relief. "Yes... it was Hima. My mother. It felt... strange at first. I didn't remember her voice so clearly, or how her embrace felt. But now, I got to speak with her—not from memory, but in the present. And I was there for Hanabi too. I saw Hiashi cry, Naruto. I swear, I thought that was humanly impossible."
Naruto let out a soft, sincere chuckle. "I would've cried too if I were him!"
Hinata laughed lightly with him, but her smile faded slightly as she continued.
"Now that I have so much to protect, I'm afraid of failing... but I know I can't afford to. Luckily, you and Sasuke are here to help me."
Naruto nodded firmly, a spark of promise gleaming in his eyes.
They continued walking in silence, but the understanding between them was clear: what lay ahead would not be easy—but they wouldn't face it alone.