Naruto: The Last Fuinjutsu Master

83: A Peaceful Place

Arc: The Uzumaki Clan

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto, please support the original work.

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"Yeah, if near-death experiences are as beautiful as roses," Zabuza scoffed.

Naruto frowned, though he didn't comment as Hinata just smiled at Zabuza's remark. They both understood that it was a sensitive topic and it was no use in bringing it up now.

The beach was as white as a piece of blank paper. The sand was fine like snow and was pure white, untouched like a piece of marble waiting to be unearthed. Seeing the stunning beauty of the Land of Whirlpools once again, Naruto's lips straightened in hesitation.

'Should I...?'

.

.

.

'Yeah, let's do it. It's good for them to relax after such stressful events,' Naruto thought as he took out five scrolls from his storage scroll. "Unseal," Naruto muttered as he unrolled all five scrolls on the ground.

POOF!

"Ah?"

With five puffs of smoke, five children with red hair appeared on the beach. The five looked around in confusion when they saw the haven around them.

"Woah..." One by one, they all exclaimed with wide-open mouths. If a fly was around, it'd dive straight into their mouths. Naruto watched as their eyes twinkled in delight.

'It reminds me of the stars at night. Bright and innocent, but I wonder how long it'd last,' Naruto thought. 'I... want to protect that innocence... even if only for a moment. I want to let them live their childhood in peace, away from the filth of the world.'

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Naruto said to the five. Before he knew it, a gentle and genuine smile formed on his face. "Yeah! It's very pretty!" The five chorused with beaming smiles. The sight of them made Naruto chuckle as he rubbed their heads.

Hinata smiled softly as she watched Naruto interact with the children. 'It's my first time seeing Naruto-kun smiling so gently and honestly,' she thought when her smile suddenly tensed. She held out her hand and placed them on her chest.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

While feeling her rapid heartbeat, Hinata felt her eyes sting and her vision turn blurry for a moment. 'What...' Hinata chuckled as she closed and opened her eyes. 'I feel kind of jealous... This is ridiculous,' Hinata smiled bitterly.

'Naruto-kun never smiled like that at me.'

Naruto would care for her and treat her gently, but Hinata had never once felt that Naruto's smile was honest until now. At first, she thought that it was how Naruto normally smiled, but she was proven wrong today.

'What am I thinking?' Hinata chuckled to herself. 'Naruto-kun loves me, that's certain.'

Although this was her first time seeing Naruto smile so purely, she knew that Naruto's love for her was real. She was a ninja. After staying with Naruto for a long time, she'd detect if Naruto's love and affection were fake.

'Keep it together, Hinata. Patience. Have patience!'

Hinata shook her head as she approached Naruto and the children with a gentle smile.

"What should we do now?" She asked. In a split second, Naruto's eyes turned serious as he chewed on Hinata's words. A moment later, he spoke again while handing the five kids to Hinata.

"Firstly, we will explore the village ruins and map them out. After doing so, we will select a suitable location to build a few buildings. Slowly, we'll clean the ruins of Uzushiogakure and revive it," Naruto explained.