Atop the great bird, Naruto sat cross-legged on its head.
After a long silence, he smacked his lips, then looked down at his clothes with a conflicted expression.
Konan leaned closer. "What's wrong, little brother? Is it uncomfortable sitting up there?"
Nagato said, "If the wind bothers you, you can sit behind me. My transmitter blocks most of it—there's no wind noise back here."
Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just think… this outfit needs a change. The Akatsuki robe is too recognizable!"
Konan nodded slightly. It was true—the Akatsuki had been active in the shinobi world for so long, and their reputation for hunting Tailed Beasts had long turned their image into a symbol of infamy.
"So, what do you have in mind, Naruto?" Konan asked, crouching a bit closer.
Naruto thought for a moment, eyes on the open sky ahead, then grinned. "Well, our group's called ten, right? When you look up at the sky, what do you see? Blue skies, white clouds, the starry night—that's ten!"
"Black looks cool, sure, but it's too dark and ominous. So, I've decided—let's dye these robes sky blue and white! That'll be the new uniform of ten, and it'll symbolize the light of the future we're trying to protect!"
Nagato murmured softly, "The light of the future… Yahiko said the same thing when he founded Akatsuki."
A hint of wistfulness flickered across Konan's face.
Naruto's mouth twitched. Seriously? Are you two trying to jinx me already?
Still, the fact that Nagato could now remember Yahiko with calm emotion instead of pain was a good sign.
Under the influence of Kotoamatsukami, the madness that once drove him had been subdued.
Now, following Naruto, he was rediscovering the hope and purpose he once had beside Yahiko—the desire to chase the light.
Naruto planned that once Orochimaru was revived, he would discuss his new resurrection project with him.
After all, Danzō's body held so many Sharingan; and now that Naruto understood the process of evolving the Sharingan into the Rinnegan, all he needed was a capable scientist to put it into practice.
Having set his next goals, Naruto activated the Flying Thunder God once more, jumping out of the Land of Fire and reappearing at one of his marked points within the Land of Iron.
He had already captured Anko. Next, he needed to find Jūgo.
In his past life, Sasuke had mentioned that Orochimaru's cursed seal drew its power from Jūgo, though modified afterward.
That didn't matter—the source was still him.
And since Sasuke himself had confirmed it through experimentation, Naruto had no doubts it would work.
That night, under the dazzling galaxy of stars, Naruto remained seated on the bird's head, maintaining Sage Mode to extend his sensory range.
Suddenly, he felt a surge—the chakra signature of one of his Flying Thunder God markers had begun to resonate violently.
Naruto opened his eyes and sighed.
Hinata…
Ever since that day when he had taken Danzō's arm and eye before leaving, Hinata had waited for him all evening at Ichiraku Ramen. When he never showed, she had gone home and desperately poured chakra into the Flying Thunder God mark he'd left on her, trying to summon him—just for an explanation.
But Naruto never appeared.
And thinking of how she must have looked that night, waiting, hurt, confused—he simply hadn't known what to say to her.
Now the Flying Thunder God marker flared again, the chakra signature growing stronger.
That foolish girl was still pouring chakra into it with everything she had.
"This is reckless…" Naruto muttered softly.
He stood up. "Brother Nagato, Sister Konan—I need to go somewhere. I won't be long."
And with that, he vanished in a flash of light.
Konoha.
Naruto appeared quietly within the village, scanning his surroundings to ensure there was no danger.
He formed a hand seal, leaving a shadow clone nearby to gather natural energy, then dropped from the trees.
Hinata was sitting not far away, perched on a fallen log.
This place—hidden within Konoha's forest—was where Naruto had secretly trained since childhood.
Her attention was fixed entirely on the Flying Thunder God mark on her arm, head bowed, continuously pouring chakra into it. She hadn't even noticed the man standing behind her.
Naruto stepped forward gently and took her hand.
"That's enough, Hinata," he said softly.
Her entire body trembled. Slowly, her gaze lifted—first to the familiar sandals, then higher, until her eyes finally met his.
Under the moonlight, tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks.
"...Why did you lie to me?"
That single question struck Naruto's heart like a hammer, stopping him cold where he stood.
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