Naruto : The ultimate Troublemaker

Three years later.

The village of Konoha was unrecognizable. After the ravages of war, its buildings had been rebuilt, its streets bustling anew, and its inhabitants breathed a contagious joy. Lanterns floated in the air, children ran and laughed, and the central square was packed with villagers celebrating the inauguration of Kushina Uzumaki as the new Hokage.

At the top of the Hokage tower, Shikaku Nara, the outgoing leader, stood tall, dressed in his official attire. By his side, Kushina displayed a confident smile, her vibrant red hair catching the sunlight. In the crowd, two figures stood out: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, observing the ceremony silently.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "Can you believe it? We made it. After all that, we're still standing."

Sasuke crossed his arms, a thin smile touching his lips. "It's so like you to see the glass half full. But don't let your guard down, Naruto. Things are never as simple as they seem."

Naruto chuckled softly. "Yeah, I know. But today, let's enjoy it, okay? Even you, the brooding one, deserve a little happiness."

Behind them, Sakura Haruno, now Sakura Uchiha, joined the conversation, a radiant smile on her face. "Sasuke, try to smile for once. It's a celebration, after all."

Sasuke averted his eyes, but Naruto noticed a hint of embarrassment in them. "You're done for, Sasuke. You're married now. She'll be giving you orders for the rest of your life."

Sakura, hands on her hips, retorted: "Watch it, Naruto. Hanabi might just have the same fate in store for you."

Naruto, a little embarrassed, burst out laughing. "You've got a point there." He cast a glance at Hanabi Hyūga, who was chatting with Tenten a little further away, her gentle smile lighting up her face.

As the crowd applauded Shikaku's speech, a hooded figure slipped between the villagers, its step heavy, its murmurs disturbing.

"I don't understand..." The voice was low, but filled with intense pain. "How can they be happy when Shikai sacrificed himself? How can they... forget him?"

The murmurs intensified as the figure stopped at the center of the crowd, its eyes scanning each happy face, each carefree laugh.

"Shikai gave his life for them... and they're celebrating?"

At that very moment, Shikaku finished his speech, handing the official Hokage hat to Kushina. The villagers burst into acclamations, their voices resonating throughout Konoha. And the figure melted into the crowd, disappearing. She thought she was undetectable. She was, but not for the new chief of Konoha's intelligence section.

...

The forest surrounding Konoha was shrouded in a heavy silence, barely disturbed by the rustling of leaves under Hinata's stealthy footsteps. The wind caressed her face, but her gaze was hard, her thoughts drowned in a sullen hatred. She had seen their smiling faces, these people she had once called comrades. She had seen them celebrate while he, the one she loved and admired above all else, was no more.

"They don't deserve to live," she murmured, a dark resolve forming in her pale eyes. "They all must pay."

As she leaped from tree to tree, her Byakugan activated to ensure she wasn't being followed, a cold and detached voice sounded behind her.

"So it was you. I knew that chakra was familiar."

Hinata stopped abruptly, turning to face the intruder. "Ino Yamanaka," she said with contempt, revealing her face. "What do you want? Why are you chasing me?"

Ino, still imposing despite the passing years, stood calmly on a nearby branch. She wore a black eye patch that concealed Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, a relic she had inherited from her sensei and mastered.

"You've been gone from the village for years," Ino replied in a neutral tone. "Some thought you had deserted, others that you were dead. Now I find you here, lurking like a shadow."

Hinata looked away with disdain. "It's none of your business. Go back to the village."

But before she could leave, a cold blade pressed against her throat. Ino was faster than she had anticipated.

"I'm not here to fight," Ino stated, her tone still calm but firm. "Konoha's security is on high alert. Your behavior is suspicious, and I can't let you act like this."

Hinata burst out laughing, a bitter and joyless laugh. "High alert, you say? If that were true, they wouldn't be over there, celebrating as if nothing had happened. He's dead, and you..."

Ino furrowed her brows, a glimmer of understanding crossing her gaze. "You're talking about... Shikai-sensei, aren't you?"

At the mention of that name, Hinata clenched her fists, her teeth grinding under the tension.

"You were close to him too," Ino continued softly, lowering her blade slightly.

"Close?! " Hinata screamed, the pain in her voice turning into rage. "He sacrificed himself for this village, and you've already forgotten him! You're celebrating while he's rotting in a grave. Where is your honor? Where is your respect?"

Ino backed away cautiously, but Hinata took advantage of that moment to disarm her opponent with a swift and precise movement. Ino, not wasting a second, leaped back and drew her tantō.

"Listen to me, Hinata," she said, regaining her calm. "I understand your pain. But you have to move on. That's what he would have wanted, not this senseless revenge."

Hinata spat out her words. "Move on? So that's what you've done? You've just turned the page?"

For Hinata, there was no turning back. She had to go to the moon and bring back the Ōtsutsuki army and Toneri.