The tension in the air thinned, like a taut string suddenly cut.
From her place on the terrace, Hinata Gin felt it—Orochimaru's malevolent pressure receding, the monstrous clash above the village finally dwindling. The storm that had engulfed Konoha was breaking apart, leaving silence in its wake.
Takama Gin approached, bloodstained but steady, his spiritual flame flickering with exhaustion but not dimmed. Kuro wagged her tail faintly but stayed close to Hinata, her watchful gaze never wavering.
Takama knelt beside Hinata, his hand resting gently atop her head.
"It's over," he said, voice rough but kind. "You did well."
Hinata, still seated, simply nodded. Tears pricked her eyes, not from fear or sorrow—but from the enormity of it all. She had witnessed more than most could bear. And she had endured.
<<<< o >>>>
That night, Hinata awoke in silence.
She left the room quietly, with Kuro rising to follow—until Hinata gently motioned for her to stay. In the dimness of the Hyūga compound, she moved through corridors and gardens unseen. She knew where she was going: a section of the family sanctuary where the stones and offerings to deceased clan members remained. It wasn't heavily supervised—only patrolled at night by an old guard.
When she arrived, she saw him: a retired chūnin, gray-haired and hunched, leaning against a stone pillar. She vaguely remembered him from her childhood. He had never spoken to her. Like so many others, he had always avoided her.
He saw her approach and said nothing. His eyes were cold—not hostile, but without warmth.
Hinata bowed her head. "Just a moment."
The guard didn't reply. But he didn't move to stop her either.
Hinata knelt in front of the stone where her mother's name was etched among other ancestors. She reached into her robe and took out a small white ribbon, placing it carefully on the stone.
"I'm sorry you never got to see us grow... me, or Hanabi," she murmured. "I'm leaving—but not because I'm afraid. I'm doing this to change. To stop bowing my head."
A soft breeze swept through the shrine. Hinata closed her eyes.
In the Silver World, Michel appeared briefly through the mist.
"Only those who face the void can fill it with their own light."
When she opened her eyes, the wind had settled. The guard was still there, unmoving. As she walked past him to leave, she paused briefly at his side.
"Thank you."
He gave a subtle nod.
<<<< o >>>>
The funeral was held three days later.
Hinata stood among the rows of shinobi and civilians, Kuro by her side, Takama a silent sentinel nearby.
Black banners fluttered heavily in the humid air. The scent of incense and burned wood clung to everything. Before the great memorial stone, countless names were being etched—names of those who had fallen defending their home.
At the center of the ceremony stood a massive shrine to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Hinata could not see the faces around her, but she felt the grief emanating like heat waves: sorrow, respect, guilt. So many lives, so many bonds broken.
Yet in the sorrow, she felt something else too—hope. The stubborn will to rebuild.
As the final rites were spoken, Hinata sensed the departing souls lifting gently into the beyond, untethered by pain. No shinigami collected them now. They rose freely, called by honor and memory.
She pressed her hand lightly over her heart, whispering a silent farewell.
<<<< o >>>>
Later that afternoon, in a quiet garden near the outskirts of the village, Hinata met with her team.
Kurenai Yuhi knelt before her, resting a hand lightly on Hinata's shoulder.
"You're strong," Kurenai said simply. "Stronger than most realize."
Beside her stood Shino Aburame, silent but radiating quiet support, and Kiba Inuzuka, fidgeting but clearly fighting to keep his composure.
"We heard..." Kiba said, kicking a rock awkwardly. "That you're going away."
Hinata bowed her head slightly. "Takama-sama is taking me to the Land of Iron. To... to train."
Kuro pressed her head into Hinata's side protectively.
"We'll miss you," Shino said, voice barely above a whisper.
"Write to us," Kiba added quickly. "Or we'll come drag you back."
Hinata smiled—a real, small smile. "I will write. Often."
The awkward silence that followed was warm in its own way.
As they said their goodbyes, Kiba mentioned casually, "Oh, and Naruto... he left too. With Jiraiya-sama. Some super important mission or something."
Hinata's breath caught. Naruto—gone? Off to some great adventure?
Yet instead of sadness, she felt a strange surge of determination.
"Be safe," she whispered into the breeze.
<<<< o >>>>
That night, under cover of darkness, Takama met with Danzō Shimura.
The two men stood alone in a shadowed courtyard, no guards, no witnesses.
Danzō's face was as unreadable as ever.
"I regret," Danzō said, offering a scroll and a sealed box, "that duty kept me from the battle."
Takama accepted both without comment. His instincts screamed deception, but he kept his face neutral. He knew this game.
Opening the box revealed the body of a young man—Takama's son.
Evidence accompanying the box pointed toward Takigakure operatives.
Takama's fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. His soul flared painfully in Hinata's distant awareness.
But he did not cry.
He bowed stiffly. "Thank you for your service."
And turned away, carrying his burden alone.
<<<< o >>>>
Days later, under a slate-gray sky, a small caravan rolled out of Konoha's northern gate.
Takama walked at the front, his hand resting lightly on Hinata's shoulder as she rode atop a small wagon.
Kuro trotted faithfully beside them, ears pricked, ever watchful.
Hinata kept her face calm as they moved farther from the only home she had ever known. But when the gates of Konoha vanished behind a hill, she turned in her seat and looked back.
Tears blurred her vision—not of weakness, but of memory, of all the dreams and battles she left behind.
"I'll come back," she whispered fiercely. "I promise."
She would return.
Not as the helpless girl who had once stumbled through the Academy's halls.
But as someone strong enough to protect what she loved.
The road stretched ahead, wide and unknown.
And Hinata Gin, daughter of no clan, spirit-walker, survivor of war, took her first step into a new future.