Upon learning the truth—that everything had been orchestrated by Konoha's upper echelon—Sasuke was thankful he'd already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. Otherwise, the shock alone might have triggered it again.
His first instinct was to take revenge on those high-ranking officials.
But then it hit him—
They were already dead, all taken care of… by Naruto.
Danzo, the Third Hokage, Koharu, Homura…
All those behind the scenes were long gone.
"Naruto… Was the reason you targeted them… was it for me?"
Sasuke looked at him with a deeply conflicted gaze.
"Huh?" Naruto got chills from that look.
He hadn't expected Sasuke to make that kind of assumption.
But… it wasn't entirely wrong.
Those he eliminated were, indeed, Sasuke's enemies too.
Even Tobi.
His enemies were gone.
And the older brother he had built his whole hatred upon…
was actually the one who loved and protected him the most.
Sasuke suddenly felt… lost.
Like a fist slamming into cotton—no resistance, no target, no meaning.
His entire reason for living—revenge—had collapsed.
Still, he made a decision.
He would go find Itachi, and ask him everything face to face.
Just as he was about to leave, Naruto called out.
"Before you go looking for Itachi, drop by the Sound Village.
Tell Orochimaru that I sent you."
Sasuke paused and turned back, confused.
"Why would I go see Orochimaru?"
Just thinking of that snake-like face made the curse mark on his neck tingle.
Naruto gave a knowing smile.
"You'll understand when you get there."
Sasuke frowned but chose to trust him in the end.
As he walked off, Naruto muttered to himself:
"One vs Seven…
You're such a brocon… I wonder if you'll become a siscon next."
After Sasuke left, Naruto went to find Hinata and Ino.
More than a year had passed, and both girls had matured—
In both looks and… figure.
Hinata, who no longer restricted her eating, had indeed filled out—exactly where it mattered.
She wore a form-fitting purple shinobi outfit, surprisingly flattering with her gentle temperament.
Ino, with her long blonde hair, had grown taller and more energetic.
Though she wasn't as voluptuous as Hinata, her radiant smile made her equally charming.
The three of them walked side by side through the village streets.
Neither girl had expected Naruto to invite them out—
especially together.
"Naruto-kun… your eyes… they look different now."
Hinata was the first to speak, curiosity sparkling in her gaze.
She couldn't help it.
The moment she looked into Naruto's deep sky-blue eyes, she felt like she was falling into them.
Even her Byakugan was reacting with a faint warmth.
There was both a sense of bloodline resonance and an irresistible urge to draw near.
Since Hinata brought it up, Naruto didn't hide it.
"You're right. My eyes are different now."
"Have you heard of the Uchiha clan's evolution of the Three Tomoe Sharingan—
something called the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Hinata nodded.
"Father mentioned it once. But when he did, he seemed… disappointed."
"He said that the Byakugan… just couldn't compare to it."
Naruto wasn't surprised that Hiashi Hyuga would feel that way.
The debate between Sharingan and Byakugan had existed for generations.
Now that the Mangekyō existed, it was natural for Hiashi to feel like the Byakugan had fallen behind.
Naruto gently brushed a wind-blown strand of hair from Hinata's face and smiled.
"Actually, the Byakugan has a higher evolution too."
Those words made Hinata freeze mid-step in shock.
"The Byakugan can evolve? But… no one in the clan has ever said anything about that."
If anyone else had said that, Hinata wouldn't have believed it.
But if it was Naruto—then it had to be true.
They eventually arrived at a quiet park bench.
Hinata looked around—the same park where she and Naruto had first met.
Where Naruto had stepped in and saved her from those three bullies.
A soft smile curved her lips at the memory.
Then Naruto's voice drew her back:
"Hinata, look into my eyes."
"Huh?"
She turned instinctively—and suddenly found Naruto's face right in front of hers.
So close…
One more inch and they would've kissed.
Her face turned bright red in an instant.
But remembering what he said, she forced herself to look into those blue eyes.
Naruto released a wisp of Tenseigan-origin chakra into her Byakugan.
Just a fragment—less than one ten-thousandth of his full power.
But even that much was equivalent to Mangekyō-level chakra.
As it entered her, her Byakugan began to change.
In normal state, her pupils remained pale.
"Hinata, activate your Byakugan."
She nodded and did as told—
Her eyes shifted into a glowing pale blue.
Hinata was stunned.
The power flowing through her eyes now was hundreds of times stronger than before.
This tiny gift from Naruto had instantly elevated her to Kage-level.
But instead of joy, Hinata turned to Naruto, concern written all over her face.
"Naruto… will this hurt you?"
Naruto smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
Only then did Hinata relax.
Compared to gaining strength, she cared far more about Naruto's well-being.
On the other side, Ino was watching all this with a twinge of envy.
If only the Yamanaka clan had a dōjutsu too…
But then she remembered the mental ninjutsu Naruto had taught her—
She managed to balance it out in her mind.
Just then, Ino frowned and looked off toward a nearby street corner.
Using her strong spiritual perception, she sensed someone spying on them.
"Naruto, I think we're being followed.
I just felt someone peeking at us from over there."
She figured Naruto must've noticed it too.
He nodded with amusement.
"Good instincts. You're right."
Being praised by Naruto made Ino beam.
"Should I go drag them out?
I'd like to see which pervert is creeping on us."
Naruto chuckled and shook his head.
"Not a pervert.
A girl—so technically, a creepette."
"A girl?"
Ino was shocked.
She hadn't expected that.
"Yep.
And not just any girl—
an old friend of yours."
"Old friend?"
Now Ino was even more curious.