Chapter Text
The hallway outside the hospital room felt strangely bright.
Naruto stepped out into it slowly, flexing the fingers of his restored arm for what had to be the hundredth time that day. The movement still felt surreal. Not wrong—never wrong—but unfamiliar in a way he couldn’t fully explain. Like borrowing something that already belonged to him.
His own arm.
Both shoulders rolled experimentally beneath his jacket before a grin stretched across his face.
“Man,” he muttered to himself, clenching his fist. “This is awesome.”
No more awkwardly pinning things beneath his elbow. No more struggling to carry groceries. No more one-handed ramen disasters.
Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his forehead protector.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
Then, with exaggerated seriousness, he wrapped the cloth around his head and tied it himself for the first time in months.
The knot came out crooked.
Naruto frowned at his reflection in the hallway window.
“Huh?”
He untied it.
Tried again.
Still crooked.
“The hell…”
He adjusted the metal plate slightly, squinting at himself. It sat lower than usual. Too tight in one spot. Too loose in another.
Without meaning to, a thought drifted through his head.
Hinata ties it better.
Naruto blinked.
His hands paused against the cloth.
Now that he thought about it… she always pulled the knot just tight enough that it stayed secure without giving him a headache. And she somehow got the metal plate perfectly centered every single time too.
Weird.
Naruto tilted his head, fiddling with the fabric again.
How’d she even do that?
Before he could think about it any longer—
WHACK.
A medical file slammed into the back of his head.
“Ow—!”
Naruto spun around clutching his skull while Tsunade glared at him from the doorway, arms folded tightly beneath her chest.
“Idiot,” she snapped. “You’re barely discharged and you’re already standing around flexing in the hallway like a peacock.”
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “You didn’t have to hit me so hard!”
Tsunade pointed the file at him threateningly. “And listen carefully because I’m only saying this once.”
Naruto straightened instinctively.
“Do not overdo it.” She jabbed the file against his chest with every sentence.
“Do not go picking fights with your friends just because you’re excited to have two arms again.”
Jab. “And if anything feels wrong with the prosthetic or your chakra pathways, you come back immediately.”
Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching his cheek.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it, Granny.”
Her eye twitched.
“You little—”
But Naruto was already laughing, hopping backwards down the hallway.
“Thanks for fixing me up!” he shouted, flashing her a bright grin before turning and bolting toward the hospital exit at full speed.
The doors slid open just as a cool breeze swept through Konoha.
Naruto inhaled deeply.
For the first time in months, both of his arms swung naturally at his sides as he walked.
It felt good.
Really good.
He adjusted his forehead protector one more time.
The knot loosened almost immediately.
Naruto stared at it in annoyance.
“…Seriously, how does Hinata do it?”
The familiar red curtains of Ichiraku came into view and Naruto instantly brightened.
“Old man! Ayame!” he shouted before he even pushed aside the flap.
“Naruto?” Ayame laughed as he practically stumbled into the small ramen stand at full speed.
Teuchi looked up from behind the counter, his weathered face breaking into a grin the moment he spotted him. “So the hospital finally let you out, huh?”
Naruto slid onto his usual stool dramatically, stretching both arms out wide. “Yep! And check it out—” He wiggled the fingers on his restored arm proudly. “Good as new!”
Ayame leaned over the counter, inspecting it with interest. “Does it feel strange?”
“A little,” Naruto admitted. “But way better than having one arm.”
Teuchi chuckled warmly. “Then this calls for celebration.”
“You know it!” Naruto pointed eagerly at the menu though he already knew it by heart. “Two miso chashu bowls with extra pork!”
“Coming right up,” Teuchi replied automatically.
Then, while reaching for ingredients, he casually added—
“Hinata-chan running late today?”
Naruto froze.
Ayame blinked at him as his expression went blank.
“…Naruto?”
He stared at the empty stool beside him.
Two bowls.
He ordered two bowls.
Because lately, whether it was lunch after training, quiet evenings after missions, or those long visits where she patiently sat beside him helping him relearn basic things with one hand—
Hinata was just… there.
Sometimes talking softly. Sometimes laughing. Sometimes gently taking the chopsticks from him when he got frustrated and dropping noodles back into the bowl.
One particularly embarrassing time she’d fed him outright while he sulked about not being able to hold the bowl steady.
Naruto suddenly remembered how warm his face got that day.
“She’s better at this than you,” Kurama had laughed mercilessly while Hinata calmly held the ramen for him like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Naruto swallowed.
“Oh.”
Teuchi and Ayame exchanged a look.
“She’s not with you?” Ayame asked carefully.
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck with his restored hand, laughing awkwardly. “Nah, I just— I ordered without thinking, I guess.”
But even as he said it, something about that felt… strange.
Because he hadn’t been thinking.
Somewhere along the way, Naruto had simply gotten used to Hinata sitting beside him.
Used to glancing toward the door expecting her soft “Naruto-kun.” Used to her warming her hands on tea while listening to him ramble. Used to nudging his bowl closer to her so they could share pieces of pork when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.
The empty stool beside him suddenly looked weird.
Naruto frowned at it.
“Huh.”
Ayame smiled knowingly, though she hid it behind her hand. “Should we only make one bowl then?”
Naruto looked at the extra pair of chopsticks already placed beside him.
For some reason, the idea of removing it bothered him.
“…No,” he said quickly. “I mean— make both.”
Teuchi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Naruto crossed his arms on the counter, staring straight ahead while steam rose warmly around him.
Weird.
Really weird.
Why did this place suddenly feel quieter without her here?
Naruto balanced on the edge of a rooftop, stretching both arms behind his head as Sai walked beside him.
“I’m telling you, Sai, having two arms again makes everything easier,” Naruto declared proudly. “I can finally do proper hand signs without looking like an idiot.”
Sai glanced at him calmly. “You still look somewhat idiotic.”
Naruto sputtered. “Hey!”
Before he could retaliate, two familiar chakra signatures approached from the street below.
“Ino! Sakura-chan!” Naruto called, hopping down from the rooftop with Sai following behind him more gracefully.
The two kunoichi looked up.
“Perfect timing,” Ino announced immediately, pointing at both men accusingly. “Cancel whatever dumb plans you two have tonight.”
Naruto blinked. “Eh?”
“We’re all going to barbecue tonight,” Ino continued firmly. “No excuses. We haven’t had a proper get together in forever because everybody’s constantly disappearing for missions or training.”
Sakura nodded in agreement. “For once, try acting like normal nineteen year olds.”
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “I am normal.”
All three of them stared at him.
Naruto scowled.
“So who’s going?” he asked.
Ino began counting off on her fingers. “I confirmed with Choji and Shikamaru already, asked Tenten to drag Lee there, Sakura’s obviously coming, Sai now apparently exists socially, and I told Kiba, Shino, and Hinata this morning.”
Naruto perked up immediately.
“Hinata too?”
A pause.
A very specific pause.
Ino slowly lowered her hand while Sakura’s eyes narrowed knowingly.
Because Naruto did this every single time now.
Every gathering. Every outing. Every festival.
First question, Is Hinata coming?
Naruto blinked at the sudden silence. “What?”
Sakura crossed her arms. “You know you always check if Hinata’s coming before you agree to anything?”
Naruto frowned like this was a ridiculous accusation.
“Because she’s fun to hang out with.”
Ino made a strangled sound.
Sai looked thoughtful. “That explanation does not eliminate suspicion.”
“What suspicion?!” Naruto demanded.
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose while Ino fought desperately not to laugh.
“She’s coming,” Ino confirmed finally. “Relax.”
And just like that Naruto visibly brightened.
His shoulders loosened. His grin returned instantly.
The strange tension that had been absentmindedly hanging around him all afternoon vanished.
“Alright then!” Naruto exclaimed, grabbing Sai by the sleeve suddenly. “C’mon! We gotta hurry if we wanna train before tonight!”
Sai stumbled slightly as Naruto began dragging him down the street at full speed.
“You are unusually motivated,” Sai observed.
“See ya later!” Naruto shouted over his shoulder, waving wildly with his restored arm. “Don’t start eating without me!”
Then he disappeared around the corner with Sai in tow.
Silence settled between the two women for a moment.
Then Ino snorted.
Sakura laughed immediately afterward.
“Oh my god,” Ino groaned, covering her face. “He’s so obvious.”
Sakura shook her head helplessly. “Remember last month?”
Ino burst out laughing fully now.
The memory came back instantly.
“Hinata can’t make it tonight,” Kiba had said casually.
And Naruto—
His entire mood had dropped without him even realizing it.
He had tried to play it off.
“Ah… okay. I might train instead then.”
Meanwhile everybody else at the table had stared at him in disbelief.
“He genuinely has no idea,” Sakura muttered fondly.
“None,” Ino agreed. “And Hinata’s even worse.”
Sakura smiled softly, watching the direction Naruto had disappeared in.
“Hopefully,” she sighed, “he figures it out soon.”
Ino laughed.
“Before somebody has to physically hit him over the head with it.”
The cemetery was quieter than usual.
Not empty—Konoha never really was—but the wind moved differently here. Slower. Like it knew not to disturb anything that mattered.
Naruto stood in front of Neji’s grave with both hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched against nothing in particular.
He didn’t sit down right away.
That was new.
Usually he’d just drop into place beside the stone like he was picking up an old conversation mid-sentence. But today he hesitated, eyes lingering on the name carved into the stone longer than usual.
“Hey… Neji.”
His voice came out lighter than he expected. Almost casual.
A pause followed. The kind that should’ve felt uncomfortable—but didn’t.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, shifting his weight.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.”
He huffed a small laugh at himself, like he was already annoyed at where this was going.
“Not in a sad way,” he added quickly. Then, after a beat, “Well—still kinda sad. But… I dunno.”
His gaze drifted upward for a second, toward the pale sky between branches.
Then back down.
The silence didn’t feel empty. It felt like it was listening.
Naruto exhaled.
“I think…” he started, then paused, like the words didn’t want to line up properly in his mouth. “I think I never really said thanks properly.”
That made him stop entirely.
He frowned slightly, as if that sentence surprised even him.
Naruto lowered himself to sit on the grass at last. His posture loosened, but his expression didn’t.
He looked at the grave again.
Not really seeing stone anymore.
Just thinking.
“I mean…” he continued slowly, rubbing the back of his neck again out of habit. “I did say it. Back then. Kind of. But it was… loud. You know? War loud. Everything was just—”
He gestured vaguely, searching for the word.
“—a mess.”
A small, almost embarrassed smile tugged at his mouth.
“I don’t think you got the proper version.”
He let that hang for a moment.
“So… yeah. Thanks.”
Naruto’s eyes softened slightly, though he still didn’t fully understand why his chest felt heavier than usual.
“I don’t really know how to put it into words,” he admitted. “But… if you hadn’t done what you did… a lot of things would’ve been different.”
He tapped his fingers against his knee absentmindedly.
“Hinata too.”
That name came out naturally.
Like it had been waiting there the whole time.
Naruto didn’t notice the way his expression changed when he said it—how his focus sharpened for a fraction of a second before softening again.
“She’s…” he hesitated, then shrugged faintly, like he was trying not to make it sound like too much. “She’s been around a lot lately.”
A pause.
Then, more certain, “Actually, she’s been there a lot for a while now.”
He tilted his head slightly, thinking.
“I don’t think I really noticed it at first. Or maybe I did, but I just… didn’t think about it.”
His brows knitted a little, like he was mildly annoyed at himself.
“That sounds like me, huh.”
A quiet breath of laughter escaped him.
Then he went still again.
“…Anyway.”
Naruto looked back at the grave, his voice softening.
“Thanks for her.”
The words landed strangely after they left his mouth.
Like they meant more than what he thought he meant.
Naruto blinked once, as if trying to catch the shape of that sentence in the air.
Then he scratched his cheek, looking mildly confused at himself.
“Not like—” he added quickly, as if correcting something invisible. “I mean… you know what I mean.”
He didn’t explain it further.
Instead, he sat there for a while longer, letting the wind pass through the trees, his thoughts quieter now but not fully settled.
And for the first time since he arrived, he didn’t feel like he was finishing a visit.
Just… continuing something.