28: Epilogue: Future only they remember

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over Konoha. The village bustled with life, unchanged by the battles they had fought, the timelines they had rewritten.

Naruto stood atop Hokage Rock, hands in his pockets, gazing down at the village that no longer remembered him. His name had been erased, his past rewritten—but he was here. He still existed.

And so did Sasuke.

"You really don't regret it?" Sasuke's voice came from behind him.

Naruto turned his head slightly, offering a small, lopsided grin. "Tch. You ask that like you don't already know the answer."

Sasuke exhaled, stepping up beside him. His Rinnegan, now dormant, reflected the last light of the day. The weight of all they had been through sat between them—unsaid, but understood.

Naruto stretched, letting out a sigh. "So… what now?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, then muttered, "You tell me, Hokage-who-never-was."

Naruto snorted. "Still got a village to protect. Even if they don't know it."

A breeze swept through, rustling their cloaks.

Sasuke glanced at him—watching the way the wind tousled his golden hair, the easy way he smiled despite everything.

"I suppose I'll be sticking around, then."

Naruto turned to him fully, eyebrows raised. "What, you're not gonna run off on another lone-wolf journey?"

Sasuke met his gaze, steady and unwavering. "Not this time."

Something unspoken passed between them.

Naruto's chest felt tight—warm—in a way he still didn't fully understand.

But he didn't need to.

With Sasuke standing beside him, he wasn't alone.

And maybe… just maybe… that was enough.

As the stars flickered to life above them, the two stood side by side, staring into the future—together.

The End.