A cool breeze brushed past him. His hair slightly ruffled but a soft smile rested on his face. His now heterochromatic eyes open wide as they explored every inch of his home from his position.
The village was setting up a festival, it had been about half a month since the war ended. While the festival was supposed to happen the day it ended, Naturally they had to clean up the mess made first.
Naruto was more glad that in the future the Festival held on his birthday was no longer about the day Kurama got sealed away but instead the Day the 4th Shinobi War ended. He could see everyone working hard to set up stalls, games, and more. He could even see a fireworks display getting set up.
A calming presence sag beside him on his right. With no words exchanged She handed a Bento Box.
"You spoil me, you know that?" Sasuke muttered. He opened the box to reveal Two Tomatoes and Three Onigiri.
"Oh? I feel it's a fair exchange. Food for the world's best Guard dog," She chuckled.
He chuckled with her knowing damn well how true it was. Hinata needed only to say the word and Sasuke would start the 5th Shinobi War for her. Not something he should be proud of but oh well. What made it worse was that Aside from Hinata, Naruto and Haku were the only ones who could likely stop him.
That is if they're not too busy helping him burn the world to the ground. Despite having the ability to punch someone to the Moon and further, Hinata had more protection than she would ever know what to do with.
"The food isn't payment my Hime, but is instead an addition." He added with a smile, he looked at her and felt any problem melt away. "I would do so for free, for you"
Hinata smiled before she flicked his head. The Uchiha flinched before he rubbed his head.
"Don't be cheesy Sasuke, it's not a good look on you,"
"Would you prefer me to be dramatic instead?" He chuckled. "Oh my hime! Without you in my life I fear I won't be able to live," he called out before falling onto Hinata laying on top of her pretending to be dead.
"Sasuke!" Hinata laughed, "get off me," She giggled.
"Can't, I'm dead. My Hime has rejected me so I'm dead." He replied.
"Don't make me throw you," She warned, though her smile told him she'd do no such thing.
"You'd throw a corpse hime? When did you become so cruel? What happened to the small, cute stuttering princess who hid behind me?" Sasuke asked. He gave a cheeky grin as he rolled over to look at her.
Hinata gave a bemused smile before jabbing her pointer finger into his side using a bit of Electricity and Chakra.
Sasuke yelped in shock and jumped up, before pouting at Hinata who was laughing hard.
"She grew up," She replied standing up.
Sasuke pulled her into a tight hug and rested his chin on her head. "And what a Beautiful Woman she turned into" He muttered.
Hinata hid her red face in his chest as she giggled at his words. The two stood in silence for a while, simply enjoying being near one another.
"I'm glad you're Home Sasuke, I missed you," She almost whispered.
"I missed you more." He replied. "More than you could imagine."
They were happy. Finally, the Village was at peace, the war was over, they could relax. Although Sasuke did feel like he was missing something, he would cross that bridge when he got to it. He was done with fighting for the future. He would fight for his present now, and that was his Hime.
"OOOOOIIIIIII!!!! TEEEMEEEE!!!!!"
Sasuke sighed. Hinata could feel the Uchiha practically slump onto her at the sound of their teammate. He released a heavy sigh before looking up to the source.
Naruto was sprinting up the hill towards them with Ino on his back. She was laughing so hard that tears fell from her eyes. Behind them they saw Tsunade chasing after them.
"GIRLFRIEND RACE!" Naruto shouted. "Looser deals with Granny Tsuna!"
"NARUTOOOO!!!" Tsunade shouted she had bright pink paint in her hair.
Sasuke chose not to question it. He grabbed Hinata who made herself comfortable on his back and jumped off the Kage mountain, Naruto and Into hot on their heels.
A large grin broke out on his face as he fell, Hinata cheered on their way down and burst into laughter with Ino.
"First to the gate?" Sasuke asked Naruto in free fall.
"Of course!" Naruto's grin was as large as usual.
The two landed and took off towards the entrance. Hinata and Into cheering them on. Tsunade actually stood on top of the Kage mountain with a smile as she watched the two idiots sprint through the village.
"They're as Energetic as ever," a deep voice said. Tsunade's smile grew as she turned around.
"Yes well, best to let them get it out of their system," She replied.
"Without them being destructive that is," another voice added. "I see you've recovered,"
Jiraiya smirked and swung his arm around Orochimaru and pulled him close. Orochimaru rolled his eyes and pushed at the other not really wanting to be this close to him.
"Aren't you happy!?" Jiraiya asked.
"If it means you holding onto me like this, then no," He replied prying his arm off of him.
The three Sannin watched their students laugh and have fun with each other as if the war never happened. As if their whole lives had been filled with nothing but joy.
"I'm proud of them," Tsunade whispered.
"Comes with the job description no?" Jiraiya added.
"What would you know? What did you actually teach Naruto?" Orochimaru sighed.
"The best skill he could ever learn," he replied.
"Which is?"
"How to keep a girl,"
"Right, of course, Because you definitely have a girlfriend"
"Well... Uh... Tsuna's my girlfriend, right Tsuna?" Jiraiya said with a smile.
Tsunade huffed in amusement. "If you put a space between those two words, then yes" She replied.
Jiraiya fell to the ground dramatically, as if in pain.
"How hurtful!"
"Nice to have you back Jiraiya," Tsunade smiled.
"Glad to be back. Also glad you're not trying to kill us anymore Orochimaru," Jiraiya said.
"It varies from moment to moment," He replied.
The other two chuckled knowing he was joking. No the war was over and the Three Sannin were done fighting. They would leave the rest up to their students. Whether that was a good thing or not would be left up to the future to decide.
"So," Jiraiya said crossing his arms. "Who do you think is getting Married first?"
"If it isn't Sasuke I'd be very surprised," Orochimaru sighed.
"It had better be that Uchiha brat, I got a lot riding on him marrying first," Tsunade added.
"You made a bet on it?" Jiraiya smirked.
"Of course, all the Join are in on it. After all, it would be the first bet I've won," She chuckled.
"Speaking of..."
"Yes yes, you choose the place and time and I'll be there," Tsunade sighed before jumping off the mountain.
"About time you made a move. Your crush on her has been so painful to watch," Orochimaru said before also leaving.
Jiraiya grinned before taking his leave.
Elsewhere in the Village, Haku and Sai were heading towards Ichiraku's Ramen. Haku decided to get to know the final member of Team 7 and Sai was curious as to how Haku also became a part of the team.
"I was told that giving someone a nickname was something friends did. At least that's what Dickless told me," Sai said.
"They do, it's just usually a lot... Nicer. Then again I don't give anyone nicknames, so I can't judge," Haku replied. He wasn't about to be he one to tell him to stop calling Naruto Dickless.
"So then should I come up with a nickname for you also?" Sai asked.
Haku cringed as they entered the stall to get their lunch. "Just call me Haku like everyone else please," He replied. He would rather he didn't get an embarrassing nickname that Sasuke laughed at.
"Are you sure?" Sai asked following him. "I've even given Whipped a nickname,"
Haku froze at that and looked back. "Please..." He held in a laugh, "please tell me that you call Sasuke Whipped,"
Sai tilted his head slightly, "yes, Dickless said it was perfect was he wrong?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Haku replied as he burst into laughter. "Come on, let's eat, it's been years since I've had any."
They headed to the bar and took a seat. Haku could see Teuchi working hard in the back.
"Just a moment!" He called out.
A different figure came out instead, Haku froze solid. He felt as if he had just seen an angel.
"Hey Sai," She said, "back without Naruto I see, and... Haku? Right? It's been a while," Ayame chuckled. She pulled a pen out from behind her ear and grabbed her notepad.
"Uh... Yeah..." Haku whispered, he couldn't breathe... Is this what Sasuke felt like all the time?
"Hey you ok?" Ayame said waving her hand Infront of his face.
"...yeah..." He repeated.
"Hmm... Maybe I should nickname you Freeze," Sai muttered.
"That's not nice Sai," She scolded.
"I'm fine..." Haku whispered. His face burned a bright red as he looked down toward the table. "I was... I was just wondering.. if .. if you would be willing to attend the festival... With... Me?" He asked, though his voice became less confident with every word.
That wouldn't stop him however, he had learnt from Sasuke. He would shoot his shot, as a Ninja life was far to short not to. Besides, Haku was 18 now and if Sasuke can do it how hard can it really be?
Ayame paused at his question. She smiled when she caught his eyes as Haku burned an even brighter red. Her cheeks flushed a little also as she chuckled. "Hmmm... One moment," She said before turning around. "Dad! Do you think you'll be alright on your own this festival?" She called out.
Teuchi poked his head round the front with a confused look on his face. When he saw his daughter blushing and Haku even moreso he gave a warm smile.
"I'll be alright, go have fun," He replied.
"Wel you heard him," she said looking back at Haku who had the most love struck face anyone had ever seen on him. "I'll meet you tonight," She said patting his cheek before she walked off to the back. "Also, Two Miso Ramen right? It's on the house"
When she turned around to go help Teuchi, Haku breathed... Finally. He slumped into his seat with the larged award winning smile.
"Yes," He whispered.
Sai was leaning on the table as he watched the whole interaction. "Hmmm... Maybe Sasuke isn't the only one I should cal Whipped," He mumbled.
Speaking of, Sasuke and Naruto sped past the shop With Hinata and Ino on their backs.
"Don't kick up dirt Dobe! That's Cheating!" Sasuke shouted.
"Sounds to me like your being a sore loser Teme!" Naruto Laughed.
"On you want to talk about Sore loosers huh? Ok then, hang on tight Hime!" Sasuke called out before teleporting to the gate.
"Eh!? TEME NO JUTSU'S THAT'S CHEATING!!!!!!" Naruto boomed as he picked up the pace to get to where the winners were.
The village grew a little more quiet after that. The pink haired Kunoichi who was sitting tied up in the lowest levels of the T&I building had a small smile on her face.
Inoichi had searched through her memories after she told them her situation. While Inner herself was no more, the crimes she committed still stuck around. It wasn't like Sakura helped in the war to make her sentence shorter.
The knowledge however that Sakura wasn't in control of her actions did lighten her sentence a lot. It caused a large debate, one where Hinata of all people had the final say.
When everyone looked to the Hyuga hime for her opinion on the whole situation she simply looked Sakura in the eyes. "I forgive you" those three words caused the Pinkette to break down into tears. She didn't deserve her forgiveness, she knew that. But hearing hose words made all the difference.
Sasuke didn't say anything to her. His eyes showed nothing of how he felt, there was no anger or resentment, nor was there sympathy or forgiveness. He simply felt nothing so he said nothing. He didn't really care if she attoned for her sins or if she got executed. He knew everyone he loved could defend themselves, so she no longer mattered.
Or at least... That's what she thought untill as he left he spoke. It was low and barely heard but she caught it. "If Hime forgives you... I do too. But... You only get that once,"
She took it to heart. She only got his forgiveness once. Once was all she would need, she would never go anywhere near that path again. She was after all in control now.
At he Village Gate, Sasuke could be seen with a smile on his face. He was spinning Hinata around while laughing as she kept lightly slapping his arms.
"Put me down!" She laughed.
"Never! You're all mine Hime!" He cheered.
"Oi! You cheated!" Naruto called out.
"Sounds to me like your being a Sore loser," Sasuke replied.
Naruto grit his teeth at that and pouted to Ino who stood next to him. "Ino, he cheated!" He complained
Ino sighed, "you never established rules," she replied.
Naruto blinked at that. He then dramatically fell to his knees and hugged Ino around her waist. "INOOO!!! You're supposed to be on my side!!!" He cried out.
Ino merely shook her head with a smile as she pet his head. "Come on moron, let's get some Ramen, that'll cheer you up," she said.
Almost instantly Naruto jumped up and grabbed her hand. "yeah! You're right! See ya around Cheater," Naruto called out while laughing.
"Bye Loser!" Sasuke chuckled before he looked back to Hinata. "Now I do believe I was about to ask you to be my girlfriend,"
Hinata giggled, "I think hat race gave that away,"
"Well... Lover doesn't really describe how much I love you..." He started. "Hina, I would go as far as to call you my soulmate... I... I can't live without you, but you've seen that,"
By this point the festival was in full swing. They could see al kinds of couples, friends and more. They saw Asuma walking with Kurenai very happy. They could see Kiba and Shino laughing together, Kakashi and Gai having some competition, even Jiraiya and Tsunade laughing together.
The village really was at peace. Sasuke was visibly confused though when he saw Haku giving flowers to Ayame, but smiled when Tenten won Neji a stuffed Eagle toy. His smile grew bigger when he saw Naruto hand Ino a Red Tulip as Ino tucked a Daffodil behind his ear.
"I have..." Hinata finally replied.
Sasuke looked over at her. The fireworks lit off right as he did. He got to witness every beautiful colour reflect in her eyes. He melted at the sight, he really was weak for her.
"And... I love you too Sasuke," she added.
Sasuke's heart leapt for joy. He could feel every possible emotion run through him at that moment. He slowly leaned forward, and rested his head on hers... "may I?" He whispered.
Hinata gave him that smile that made him want to conquer all 5 Nation's just for her. "You may,"
With another loud explosion from the fireworks, they kissed.
Loud cheers were heard as soon as they did, causing hem to look up. They saw all their friends and family. Everyone they saved, From Itachi to Asuma, Neji, Jiraiya, and everyone else were all cheering for them.
"About time!" Naruto cheered.
"Look after my cousin, or I kill you," Neji added with a smirk. His own curse seal noticeably missing as Sasuke had finished his project not long after he war ended.
"Man, watching you dance around eachother has been such a drag," Shikamaru sighed only to get his ear tugged by Temari.
"Don't ruin the moment!" She said.
"I'm happy for you Sasuke," Gaara said with a smile.
"And to think, I got to watch the whole thing," Kakashi added with a closed eye smile.
"Pay up Tsunade, I told you they'd kiss tonight," Jiraiya smirked.
Tsunade handed the man a small pouch. "A bet I'm glad I lost to be honest," she smiled.
"Proud of you Sasuke," Haku called out as Ayame leaned into his arms.
Everyone was here.
Sasuke didn't notice the tear that fell. He never had this last time... All this love... All this support. It was his own fault, but... Life had been so lonely.
Not anymore, not this time. He had so many friends, so much family, this was his happy ending.
"I love you Hime," he whispered once more.
Hinata pulled him into a tight hug where he could hide his tears like she knew he would want to. Rubbing his back she gave him a soft kiss to the temple.
"And I love you Sasuke,"
______________________________________
WERE DOOOOOOOOONE!!!!!!
WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
I wanna thank EVERYONE who has stuck by me during this very bumpy ride.
I had so much fun writing this and your comments made everything worth it.
Thank you for the feedback, I will be going through to Edit this story now that it is finished.
I'm so happy this project is my freaking baby, and watching it grow and watching the fanbase for this grow has been nothing but a pleasure.
There will be a Third story so don't worry this isn't the end of Hinata and Sasuke's love story but I will be taking a break.
Thank you all, honestly for all the support, for never giving up on me, for all of the 'please continues!' And 'next chapters please!' I have truly never been happier.
As usual, Hope you all enjoyed.
Ja ne!