Three months had passed since Thanatos's death. Over those three months, Naruto had come to terms with Anko's death somewhat, but he still visited the Memorial Monument every day to remember the happy times they had shared.
Naruto stared silently at Anko's name on the Memorial Monument for a long time. As he stood there in a daze, a light rain began to fall from the overcast sky. Only then did he notice and look up, but an umbrella suddenly blocked his view.
Naruto turned to see Hinata holding an umbrella. "You shouldn't stand in the rain. What if you get sick? I'm sure Anko wouldn't want that, either." She gave him a gentle smile.
Naruto looked at Hinata and said, "I'm sorry, Hinata. I..."
Before he could finish, Hinata smiled gently. "Naruto-kun, you don't have to explain anything to me."
Moved, Naruto nodded. "I understand. I've made you worry all this time. I've finally thought things through, too. Life doesn't always go the way we want. I used to demand too much, always thinking I could change everything. But now I understand that plenty of things won't turn out the way you want just because you wish for it. The price of learning that was just a little too high. Heh." He let out a bitter laugh.
Hinata's heart ached for him. "Naruto-kun, you did everything you could. Maybe Anko isn't actually dead?"
Naruto looked at Hinata in surprise, a glimmer of hope instantly appearing in his eyes. Seeing his gaze, Hinata realized he had misunderstood. "Naruto-kun, have you ever considered that although Anko died in this world, she might have come back to life in another time and space?"
Naruto looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Hinata replied, "Just like me. You know I'm not the Hinata from