[One more time for those who missed it: After careful consideration, Naruto's son, formerly "Uzumaki Busekinin," has officially been renamed "Uzumaki Hitomi."]
It was late at night when Naruto finally returned home.
Kushina and her husband had already gone back to the moon.
Naiyuta and Himawari, aunt and niece, had drifted off together on a small bed after Hinata finished reading them a bedtime story.
Hinata waited in the living room. When Naruto came in alone, she asked softly, "Where's Hitomi?"
Naruto shrugged. "He wants in on the 'Grand Tournament.' Looks like he's dead set on winning, so I taught him Purple Lightning. He's been grinding away at training—probably won't come home for days."
Hinata's brows knit with concern. "Purple Lightning… Isn't that a little much for Hitomi?"
Naruto grinned, a hint of pride in his eyes. "Maybe. But I trust he can handle it. He's our kid, after all!"
Hinata nodded, then hesitated. "Is everyone in the Leaf okay?"
Naruto replied, "They're good. Back in the groove, finally."
Hinata let out a quiet breath. "That's a relief…"
But what really weighed on Hinata's mind was how the villagers saw Naruto now.
Ever since Isshiki's attack years ago, people's attitudes toward Naruto had shifted. Some felt that if he truly cared about the village, he should return after clearing his name and serve as a Leaf shinobi again. But Naruto had put down roots in the Hidden Rain—leaving wasn't as simple as packing up and walking away.
With time, the prejudice only deepened. To many in the Leaf, Naruto had become an "outsider," and every visit home came with its share of cold shoulders and snide remarks.
Hinata knew this. That's why, aside from holidays and family visits, she kept her distance from the Leaf.
Naruto understood what Hinata was thinking, so he never brought up the villagers' opinions or their lingering bias.
The living room glowed with warm, gentle light.
After a month apart, even old married couples felt that thrill of reunion—a little taste of honeymoon all over again.
Their eyes met, lingering and full of meaning. The air between them was charged.
Naruto headed straight for the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a bath."
Hinata called after him, "Wait, Naruto-kun…"
He paused. "You want to go first?"
A soft blush colored Hinata's cheeks. "Let's… go together."
And so, the two of them soaked in the bath, lost in each other, until well past midnight.
Naruto's house was spacious, with separate bath and toilet rooms.
Later that night, Himawari got up to use the bathroom. She noticed the light was still on and grumbled, "Dad, seriously… Leaves the light on after his bath every time."
She padded over, slid open the door, tiptoed in to switch off the light, yawned, and started back toward her room.
Passing by, she noticed Naruto and Hinata's bedroom door was wide open.
Himawari frowned. "Huh? Why are Mom and Dad sleeping with the door open?"
She peeked inside. The curtains hadn't been drawn, moonlight spilled in, and the bed was empty.
"Where'd they go? Out for a walk at this hour?"
Splash…!
Two sneaky heads surfaced in the bath—Naruto and Hinata!
Naruto whispered, "That was close! Totally forgot to lock the bathroom door—almost got caught by the kid!"
Hinata's voice trembled, "Naruto-kun, wh-what do we do?"
Naruto thought fast. "No choice. I'll use Flying Thunder God to get us straight back to our room."
Hinata grabbed his arm. "Wait! Let me check first!"
She activated her Byakugan, scanning through the walls. "No good—Himawari's in our room. If we go back now, that's even worse!"
Naruto sighed. "Guess we wait it out…"
Tap tap tap…
Himawari stomped through the living room, face scrunched in confusion. "This is so weird… Seriously weird…"
Just then, Naiyuta poked her head out of the bedroom. "Himawari, what are you doing up? Why aren't you in bed?"
Himawari rushed over. "Auntie, listen—I just went to 'pick flowers'" (her polite way of saying she used the bathroom), "and the light was on, but Mom and Dad aren't in their room. Isn't that strange? I think they might still be in the bathroom!"
Naruto and Hinata froze in the bath. "Eh???"
Himawari kept going. "Taking a bath this long—how much water are they using? They always lecture us about saving water, but when it's them, it's a different story! I'm gonna go give them a piece of my mind!"
She marched toward the bathroom.
Naruto and Hinata's hearts nearly stopped.
"Wait!!" Naiyuta called out, hurrying over and whispering something in Himawari's ear, cheeks flushed pink. "Listen, it's… um… adult stuff. Even if we know, we should just… let it be…"
Himawari's face turned red. She glanced at the bathroom door, then nodded. "Let's… go back…"
The two tiptoed back to their room.
Naruto let out a breath. "Aunties really do save the day…"
Whoosh!
He grabbed Hinata and, with a flash of Flying Thunder God, teleported them back to their room. He shut the door, locked it, and pulled the curtains closed.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the window. Inside, Naruto and Hinata gazed at each other, fingers intertwined.
"Round two… ready?"
"Mmm…"
"Naruto-kun, can I… be a little bolder tonight?"
"H-how bold?"
"I want to be… on top…"
…
Elsewhere—a barren, lifeless dimension. Not long ago, there'd been scattered traces of humanity here.
Then… Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrived.
Momoshiki scowled at the few tiny red pills in his palm. "Tch. These pathetic creatures—combine them all and you barely get this much 'medicine.'"
Kinshiki shrugged. "Can't help it. This is all that's left after a failed Divine Tree planting. Getting even this much is lucky."
Momoshiki pulled out the Celestial Compass. "Next stop. Hopefully someplace less disappointing."
Whoosh!
Just then, a white vortex spun open. A man with a high ponytail and a red fishing rod and basket appeared before them, dragging a barely conscious young man.
Momoshiki's eyes narrowed. "Urashiki, what do you want?"
Urashiki smiled slyly. "Just dropping by to pay my respects—and bringing a little gift."
"A gift?" Momoshiki's Byakugan flicked to the youth Urashiki was hauling.
Seeing the boy's clothes, he sneered. "Where'd you find this mongrel?"
Urashiki grinned. "He's from Kaguya's land, you know!"
"Oh?" Momoshiki and Kinshiki's gazes sharpened.
"You said… Kaguya's land?"
Urashiki nodded. "Yep. Name's Ōtsutsuki Toneri—a descendant of Kaguya's child. Crazy coincidence, right? I ran into him while patrolling…"
Momoshiki and Kinshiki eyed Urashiki warily.
"Anyway, I'm not much for extracting intel. I'll leave that to you two."
Urashiki paused, his tone loaded with meaning. "And… I haven't told anyone about this. Not even Lord Ryūshiki."
"So, do as you see fit, seniors. I'll take my leave…"
Whoosh!
He vanished into the white vortex, lips curling in a shadowy smile, leaving Momoshiki and Kinshiki with the unconscious Toneri—and a whole new set of questions.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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