The forest air was thick with tension and unspoken questions as Naruto Uzumaki stood among his comrades, his heart a whirlwind of past and present. Sakura Haruno's fists trembled at her sides, her emerald eyes clouded with confusion and a pang of loss she couldn't name. The Naruto she knew—brash, impulsive, always chasing her approval—was gone, replaced by this stranger who held Hinata with a tenderness that felt both foreign and unshakable. He's always liked me, Sakura thought, her chest tightening. So why… Hinata?
Naruto, oblivious to Sakura's turmoil, saw only Hinata. Her lavender eyes, wide with shock and vulnerability, anchored him to this moment. The joy of holding her again, alive and breathing, was a balm to the wounds of a future he'd left behind. He wanted to shout to the heavens, to proclaim her as his wife, his love, his everything. But the stunned faces of his team—Kakashi's raised eyebrow, Kiba's slack jaw, Shino's unreadable silence, Yamato's furrowed brow—reminded him to tread carefully. This was a different time, a different Naruto in their eyes.
Kakashi, ever the mediator, clapped his hands to break the awkward silence. "Alright, team, let's focus. Naruto's just… overly enthusiastic about the mission, right?" He shot Naruto a pointed look. "Sasuke's trail is getting cold. Kiba, keep tracking. Let's move."
Naruto snapped back to the present, his mission crystalizing. Sasuke. He had to save him, pull him back from Orochimaru's grasp before the darkness took root. But another name burned in his mind—Neji. The memory of Neji's sacrifice during the Fourth Great Ninja War, his quiet strength fading as he protected Naruto and Hinata, was a wound that never healed. He turned to Kakashi, urgency sharpening his voice. "Sensei, Neji's out on a mission with Might Guy's team, right?"
Kakashi blinked, surprised by the sudden shift. "Yeah, Guy's leading Team Three on a recon mission. Why?"
Naruto's face lit up, a grin breaking through his tears. "Yes!" he shouted, fist pumping the air. "He's alive!" The words carried a weight the others couldn't understand, a vow to rewrite a tragedy. Neji was alive in this time, and Naruto would ensure he stayed that way.
Hinata, watching Naruto's raw emotion, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, her hands trembling as she gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. Her touch was soft, hesitant, but it grounded him. Naruto's grin softened, and he clasped her hand, his voice steady despite the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Hinata. From now on, I swear I'll protect you. No one's hurting you again."
Hinata's breath hitched, her heart racing. The forced kiss had been shocking enough, but this—this was a confession, raw and unguarded. Her cheeks flushed, and she pulled away slightly, her shyness warring with the warmth spreading through her. Summoning her courage, she met his gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "Naruto-kun… you've always liked Sakura-chan. Why… why me? I'm not strong or special. I cry too much, I falter, I've gone astray so many times. What's there to protect?"
Her words, laced with self-doubt, struck Naruto like a kunai. He saw her as she was now—young, uncertain, unaware of the fierce warrior she'd become. But he also saw the Hinata of his future, the one who'd stood against Pain, confessing her love as she shielded him with her life. That moment, when she'd faced certain death for him, had changed everything. He'd been too blind then to see her heart, but not now.
Naruto's expression softened, a knowing smile curving his lips. "I know you, Hinata," he said, his voice warm with certainty. "You've always cried easily, always doubted yourself. You've wanted to give up, nearly lost your way. But you kept going, kept pushing forward, because you're stronger than you know."
Hinata's eyes widened, her breath catching as Naruto stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "You've been chasing me all this time, wanting to walk beside me, watching me from the shadows. You never gave up on me, even when I was too dumb to see it." His voice grew tender, each word a mirror of the confession she'd once made to him. "Thank you for loving me, Hinata. I love you, too—always have, even if I didn't know it then."
The words hit Hinata like a tidal wave, her heart shattering and reforming in the same breath. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but they were tears of joy, of disbelief that her quiet, unspoken love was returned. "Naruto-kun!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms, clinging to him as if he might vanish. The team stood frozen, their shock deepening. Even Akamaru tilted his head, letting out a soft whine.
Sakura's fists unclenched, her anger giving way to a hollow ache. She'd always known Naruto's feelings for her, had brushed them off while chasing Sasuke. But now, seeing him with Hinata, she felt a strange loss—not of love, but of something she couldn't define. He's changed, she thought, her heart heavy. He's not the Naruto I knew.
Kakashi coughed, his voice cutting through the charged silence. "Okay, lovebirds, save it for later. We've got a mission." He gestured to Kiba. "Lead the way."
Kiba, still flustered, nodded and whistled to Akamaru, who bounded ahead, nose to the ground. The team fell into formation, leaping through the dense forest, but Naruto's mind was racing. He held Hinata's hand as they ran, her shy smile fueling his resolve. I'm back to change everything, he thought. Sasuke, Neji, the Otsutsuki—I won't let the future repeat itself.
As they followed Sasuke's trail, Naruto's memories of the future guided him. He knew Orochimaru's lair was close, knew the dangers awaiting them. But he also knew Sasuke's heart—his pain, his anger, his need for vengeance. Naruto had failed him once, letting him slip away into darkness. Not this time.
"Hinata," Naruto whispered as they moved, his voice low so only she could hear. "I need you to trust me. Things are gonna get rough, but I'm not losing anyone again."
Hinata nodded, her Byakugan activating instinctively, scanning the forest ahead. "I trust you, Naruto-kun," she said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "I'll fight by your side."
Naruto's grin returned, fierce and determined. That's my Hinata. He turned his gaze forward, the weight of his mission settling into his bones. The ninja world was on the brink of chaos, but he carried the knowledge of a future lost—and the power to reshape it. Sasuke was the first step. Neji was next. And the Otsutsuki? They'd meet a Hokage ready to burn the stars to protect his home.
The forest blurred past, and Naruto Uzumaki ran toward his destiny, a spark of hope reignited in a world he'd sworn to save.