Shino stood above Hidan's still-twitching form, his kikaichū devouring the last of the ritual symbols. The madman who had caused so much pain was now stripped of his power, a prisoner in a living hell of insects.
He should've felt victorious.
Instead, a voice pierced his focus. A voice he hadn't expected to hear like this in a long time.
"Hello, Shino. Sorry I took so long."
He turned.
Hinata descended like an angel of memory, Oni's garb still clinging to her form but without the mask. Her face—her true face—was visible now, sorrow reflected in her silver eyes.
"Your mask… Oni… Danzo-sama…" he began, his voice shaking.
Her hand touched his cheek, gentle and warm.
"I didn't see it until I lived it. I had to feel it to understand," she said softly.
Something cracked inside him.
Tears fell before he knew why.
Around her, countless silver threads shimmered in the light. Some of them passed into him, yet they brought no pain—only warmth, like the embrace of a long-lost sister.
"I won't wear masks anymore. I won't go by any other name. You are Shino Aburame. My teammate. My friend. What happened—it wasn't you. And I forgive you."
The threads reached deep inside him, to a place he hadn't known existed. They nurtured something small and silent. And it began to grow.
Behind his glasses, his eyes opened wide. The world shifted—threads of silver now connected everything.
Hinata's presence was a balm to his soul.
"I killed… I lied… I betrayed…" he whispered. "I wasn't myself. But I couldn't stop."
She pulled him into an embrace, firm and kind. He wept, surrendering to the truth.
In the background, distant cries echoed. But none of it mattered.
"It's time for you to rest too," she said.
And then, all he felt was warmth.
<<<< o >>>>
Kiba had been fighting Kakuzu for what felt like an eternity. His dual-headed werewolf form had reached new heights, refined through rigorous training and the harmony between his Wind Breath and Akamaru's Fire Breath. Yet even with that edge, the monster refused to die. Kakuzu's strength and speed were unnatural, and his elemental Jutsu came in a relentless cascade.
Every time they scored a hit, when they didn't redirect it, they resisted it, but received it and when that happened only Kakuzu's flesh regenerated again, the only face that continuously broke down and reassembled itself was that of Kakuzu himself... damn immortal monster... Our chakra was nearly drained, our stamina fraying. The battlefield was scorched and torn, with trees ablaze and smoke choking the air.
Then she descended.
Hinata fell from the sky like judgment incarnate. She floated down, gravity defied, silver threads trailing around her like divine silk. The battlefield paused. Even Kakuzu hesitated, sensing something otherworldly.
"Kakuzu of Takigakure," she declared, her voice cutting through the wind like steel. "Your time in this world has ended."
"I know you… you were swallowed by the Shinigami. And now you fly on stolen winds. Your heart might fetch a high price," Kakuzu growled, his black threads twitching and shifting.
Hinata's hand blurred.
"Goodbye, Kakuzu."
A flash of silver.
Kiba blinked.
Kakuzu began to scream. His form unraveled, not in blood, but in a storm of paper petals. A moment later, what remained was a pale corpse wrapped in paper tags—three stolen hearts exposed like cursed trophies.
Hinata turned to him, eyes shining.
"Sorry for the delay, Kiba-kun. Shino will need us both. Come."
His form reverted, fur receding, and he climbed atop Akamaru again. Without hesitation, they followed Hinata through the smoldering ruins of Konoha. She floated beside him effortlessly, moved by the will of her silver threads. From time to time, her strands weaved through the rubble, lifting debris to free those trapped beneath. Miraculously, no one was critically injured—thanks to the vigilant presence of Tsunade's Katsuyu clones, whose chakra pulses had stabilized the wounded.
When they arrived, he saw it—an Edo Tensei corpse wrapped in insects, shredded and defeated. Another Hinata, cradling Shino's unconscious form.
"He needs us both," said the Hinata who had led him here—and she vanished like mist.
Kiba stepped forward, heart pounding, and knelt beside the Hinata who cradled Shino, his eyes fixed on her with awe and worry.
Hinata looked up at Kiba, her expression grave. "I have something serious to tell you… before Shino wakes up," she said, her voice trembling. "It's something that happened to me… and to him too. I don't know for how long... but he's going to need us—for a while."
Kiba felt his stomach twist. The sorrow in Hinata's eyes wasn't just sadness—it was the pain of someone who had been deeply hurt, someone who had carried too much alone. Anger welled inside him. Whoever had done this to them would pay. He clenched his fists silently as he knelt beside them, placing a hand on Shino's shoulder.
<<<< o >>>>
From atop the battlefield, everything felt eerily quiet for a single heartbeat. When I arrived, the first place I went was Sasuke's side. His spark was nearly extinguished… the threads of death were coiling around him, whispering of the end.
I descended beside him. In the distance, I could feel Naruto beginning his pursuit of Pain, more and more tails erupting behind him in raw, feral chakra.
The remnants of the Asura Path twitched nearby—I obliterated it without hesitation. A single silver thread, sharpened by intent and speed, was enough to reduce it to nothing.
Then I turned all my focus to Sasuke.
I could feel it—the gentle pulse of Katsuyu's healing chakra working desperately to keep him alive. Tsunade's energy echoed faintly through her summon. But I felt something else within me now… something new. My vitality, transformed. A flame that had the potential to sustain Kaito in the living world without Shinsei's lingering life force. If I could anchor someone like Kaito, then why not Sasuke? not to maintain but to ignite to nourish.
I gathered my yang energy—my life force—and gave it form through my blood. A silver thread of pure vitality extended from my hand and touched Sasuke. In that moment, I could feel the lines of death around him begin to retreat. I could touch them. Move them. Expel them.
My spark joined his, nourishing the flame of his life. Soon, Katsuyu's efforts began to take root. His condition stabilized, breath by breath. I remained there, weaving my power into him for minutes that felt like hours.
A twitch of Sasuke's fingers was all it took to know we'd succeeded... that's when I disconnected my strings from him.
When I finally stood, Katsuyu whispered to me, "Thank you… Naruto is fighting Deva Path. It's not going well."
I nodded. "Don't worry. He won't be alone."
Leaving Sasuke in her care, I vanished—like a ghost.
When I arrived at Naruto's side, the sky was already split by the gravitas of Pain's Chibaku Tensei. The monstrous sphere of debris hovered, imprisoning Naruto as the Kyuubi's tails lashed outward, nearing their ninth manifestation. The Deva Path loomed, mad with purpose.
I stepped beside him. "You know this won't work."
Pain turned, voice sharp. "Who are you? Leave now if you wish to live."
"I am Hinata Gin. But you may also know me as the Silver Lady. And truly, Nagato… I'm disappointed. You believe this half-formed technique could contain Naruto?"
His eyes widened. "You—how—? You… of all people… defy inevitability?"
Before he could finish, he turned toward the heavens. The colossal sphere began to unravel as the Kyuubi's form slipped through the cracks. The Chibaku Tensei lost cohesion. It wasn't enough. The power sustaining it was crumbling.
Naruto, now cloaked in Sage Mode, leapt down stone by stone, landing with solid determination.
Beside the Deva Path, I sighed.
"I'm tired of speaking to puppets," I muttered.
My threads surged—piercing the chakra control binding the Deva Path. With a snap, the link severed.
The body collapsed.
I was really tired of puppets.
Naruto stared, stunned.
"Hinata?… " He barely recognized me... my eyes shining silver, no seal on my forehead and with the revealing oni clothes... it took a great effort to maintain grace and answer him naturally.
"Hello, Naruto-kun. It's been a while since we've seen each other's faces. Good news Sasuke is alive. What do you say… shall we go visit Nagato? I know exactly where he's waiting—and this time, he'll have to listen." she said with a faint smile.