A/N: Well, folks, it's been a long road here, but this will be the final chapter of House of Glass. Though, it may not be the final time I write a fanfic set in this timeline.

Time for the Epilogue

Enjoy!

A bead of sweat trickled down Naruto's face as he awaited the action of his opponent. He was deep into a layered, strenuous war of attrition. His stress was visible on his face as his foe smirked and made his move. The outcome caused Naruto's eyes to widen.

"Checkmate" Shikamaru said smugly, gesturing to the chessboard in exaggerated fashion to emphasize his victory. The blonde groaned and leaned back in his chair.

"How can you be so good at this? That's the eighth time you've beaten me, and we haven't even eaten dinner yet" he grumbled dejectedly. Hinata, who sat to his left, giggled and gave his shoulder a patronizing squeeze.

"Keep on trying, Naruto-kun. Maybe you'll win this year" she joked. The Jinchuuriki sighed heavily and hung his head glumly.

"Even my own wife doesn't believe in me" he muttered. The Hyuga woman smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I trust you to win fist fights, complete paperwork, and maintain public peace. I do not, however, trust you to outwit a Nara" she said. Shikamaru chuckled and began to put away the chess pieces.

"That must be a tough pill to swallow, Naruto. You, the Hokage, are unable to beat the Kazekage's assistant in a simple game of chess" he laughed. Before Naruto could retort, another person emerged from the kitchen.

"And the Kazekage orders both of you to quit bullying Naruto. He's already had his dignity taken from him" Temari said as she set plates out around the table, one for each of them. After distributing the food-bearing dinnerware, she sat down next to Shikamaru. Hinata silently counted the number of plates on the table, frowning upon completing the process.

"Is Shikadai not eating with us? There are only four plates" she asked curiously. Shikamaru shook his head and took a bite of the steak on his plate.

"Nope. He's staying with his aunt and uncle for the night" he explained, looking quite satisfied as he chewed his food. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that? Does he not like steak or something?" he asked. Temari shook her head as well, glancing at Hinata as she did so.

"No, he likes steak just fine. He's not here because he's afraid of you, Hinata" she revealed. The Hyuga woman did a double take at the information being presented to her.

"What reason does he have to be afraid of me? I've only met him twice, and I wasn't antagonizing" she inquired. Shikamaru snickered and took a sip of his drink.

"It's because you told him to, and I quote, 'quit eating like a disease ridden hound'. Seems like a decent reason to me" he said. Hinata huffed and sampled her food as well.

"That was two years ago, and his table manners were atrocious. Elbows on the table, chewing with his mouth open, the works" she said. Temari sighed, a light smile on her face despite the indignation of her guest.

"Yeah, and he was also six years old. He's gotten a little better with his etiquette since then, but I think you terrified him out of learning. But oh well, water under the bridge at this point" she said. Naruto, opting to save his stubborn wife from digging her own metaphorical grave any deeper, decided to change the subject.

"You mentioned that he was staying with his aunt and uncle. Does that mean Kankuro finally found himself a wife?" he asked. Temari nodded and poked at the greens at the edge of her plate.

"Yup, a girl from Kumo. Her name is Izumi. A bit of an oddball, but very nice when you get right down to it" she explained. Hinata raised an eyebrow at one specific aspect of the Kazekage's description of Kankuro's wife.

"From Kumogakure? Even after all that's happened?" she asked skeptically. The fan wielder sipped her water and swatted away her husband's hand, which was straying towards her plate to snag a piece of meat.

"Given that all of that happened ten years ago now, I don't really mind her nationality. It's not like I didn't do anything to ensure the marriage wouldn't be an issue. I requested that she move to Suna, and she did it without resistance. The way I see it, this could be the start of the slow rebuilding process for the relationship between the Sand and Cloud" she said optimistically. Hinata smiled at the sentiment.

"That's a fine way to think of it. Perhaps I should convince Boruto to follow in Kankuro's footsteps when he's of marrying age" she said humorously. Naruto laughed out loud at his wife's remark.

"I think you should pull back on that plan. I visited his academy class about a month ago, and there's a girl who gives him glances constantly. Sumire, I think it was" he said. The Hyuga woman's grin widened at Naruto's words.

"Well, in that case, I'll wait and see" she conceded jokingly. At the mention of the Uzumaki family's children, Shikamaru perked up.

"Speaking of your kids, how old are they now?" he asked curiously. Naruto finished the last of his meat and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"Boruto's eight, same as Shikadai, and Himawari is three. We would have brought them with us, but Boruto has an exam to study for, and he would have gotten prickly if we had only brought Himawari" he said.

"They're being watched by my father right now" Hinata added. Shikamaru whistled and shook his head.

"Well, at least you know Boruto will be studying while you're out here" he said. The First Lady of Konoha smiled and sighed.

"Ever since he stepped down as head of the Hyuga, he's been making an effort to be a grandfather. He's still stern as the grave, but he's a good role model for them alongside Naruto-kun" she said. Temari collected the cleaned plates of the group and stacked them.

"When did he step down? I know you lead the Hyuga now, but how long has that been the case?" she asked. Hinata leaned back in her chair and stretched.

"He passed the torch to me just after Himawari was born three years ago. I was originally to succeed him on my eighteenth birthday, but I was able to push it back until I was twenty-five. Not that I didn't want the position, I did, but Naruto-kun needed assistance with his political campaign" she explained. Shikamaru studied the pair across from him.

"I kind of forgot that you've been Hokage for seven years now, Naruto. You're only twenty-eight, too. That's gotta be a record for the youngest Kage in Konoha's history" he said. The blonde grinned.

"Yup, it is. I beat my old man out by one year. He was twenty-two" he said proudly. The whole group smiled at his enthusiasm. Hinata and Temari then disappeared into the kitchen with the used plates.

When they returned, they brought cake.

Naruto and Shikamaru both sighed with satisfaction as they sat on a bench outside the Kazekage Estate. They had finished eating cake roughly five minutes previously, and they had no room left in them for more sustenance. As they sat, Shikamaru stared up at the now-present moon.

"You know, the more I look at it, the more I realize how perfectly things worked out for me. Things happened in such a specific order. If any of it had changed, I wouldn't be here right now" he pondered, almost more to himself than Naruto. The Hokage nodded in agreement.

"I think that's the case for most of our situations, but yours definitely more than others" he said. The shadow user stroked his goatee absently.

"I still feel a little bad about leaving the Nara clan without an heir, but that issue has been solved. A cousin of mine took that honor. But man, all of the things that lead me here were so...unusual. I was kidnapped by my now-wife, held hostage in what's now my home, and then your wife almost killed Temari. Then, I came back a few months after all of that. The rest is history" he said. Naruto smiled at his former teammate.

"The Uzumaki's are winning the family rivalry right now, I guess. Hinata whipped Temari badly. Then again, you school me in chess every time we play, so maybe we're even" he said jovially. Shikamaru chuckled.

"When our kids are old enough, maybe the Chunin Exams will be where this 'rivalry' is finally settled" he joked. They both laughed at the notion. The Hokage glanced back at the Kazekage Estate, where Hinata and Temari still resided.

"We married broadly similar women, if you think about it. Stubborn, opinionated, strong, but lovable in their own ways" he commented. The shadow user shook his head.

"On the surface, maybe, but Temari is a hell of a lot rougher around the edges. That's what I love about her though. She brings me some much needed chaos. As for Hinata, her rigidness is born more from herself than her environment. Temari is who she is by virtue of the hell she lived in. The same can't be said for Hinata" he corrected. Naruto considered the assessment for a moment.

"That's true, but I'd argue that the environment did have a lot to do with how Hinata turned out initially. She was pampered early, and she was talented. Her...other issues are definitely something that she's always had, but they've become much, much less problematic with time. She's a wonderful wife and mother" he said. Shikamaru took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it a few times.

"I don't doubt it. She's definitely more likeable than she used to be. By a huge margin" he said. The blonde laughed again.

"For sure. I mean, I wouldn't have married her if she hadn't improved a ton over time" he said. The pair then lapsed into silence, the discussion of the past bringing back a variety of mixed memories for both. After nearly five full minutes of thoughtful quietness, Naruto spoke again.

"It really is surreal that I fought Gaara fifteen years ago. It's still so fresh in my mind. I can still smell the blood, hear his voice, feel my heart pounding in my ears, all of it. So much has happened since that day, but the memory is still so vivid" he said in a tone of conflicted emotion. The Kazekage's assistant sighed.

"It's the same for me, but for different things. I didn't fight Gaara, but I remember how I felt staring down into that abyss after you'd beaten him. Relief, exhaustion, even...a little bit of grief. That mix of emotions will never leave me completely. I think that was the moment that I became an adult, honestly. I realized the world wasn't black and white. There are grey areas, especially pertaining to people" he said tiredly. The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"What was grey about Gaara? He's a pretty straightforward one to judge" he asked skeptically. Shikamaru leaned back on the bench and shifted his feet a bit.

"He was definitely on the darker side of grey, but he wasn't senselessly evil. He had his childish innocence thrashed out of him at a young age, and he was put through the wringer. Life was never happy for him. Not for a single moment. He came out a psychopath on the other end, but he still held onto a shred of who he could have been" he explained solemnly. Naruto chewed his lip.

"You seem to know quite a bit about him. It makes sense, I suppose. You were locked in a house with him for over three weeks" he commented. The shadow user nodded.

"I know more than I'd like to, but, one piece of information regarding him is actually very interesting. It surprised the hell out of me when I found out" he replied. The Hokage furrowed his eyebrows.

"That information being?" he pressed, his interest piqued. Shikamaru turned to look at his old friend for the first time since their exit from the Kazekage Estate.

"As it turns out, there was more to him using me as bait to lure you out here than just his desire to fight and kill you" he said. Naruto's eyes widened at the revelation. He quickly motioned for the Nara to continue.

"I found an old journal of his awhile back, and I decided to flip through it. What I found out was that, for a long while before he met you, he was aware of the Akatsuki's existence. Through his father, if I had to guess. He was keyed in on what they wanted to accomplish and how. He didn't approve of them. He considered their plans 'too destructive' if you can believe that" Shikamaru elaborated. When his friend still appeared confused, the shadow user sighed once more.

"He only took interest in you because you were a Jinchuuriki, but not for the reason you think. He probably did feel some level of excitement for fighting you, but what he was really trying to do was make sure one or both of you died. Since you're both Jinchuuriki, your deaths would mark the elimination of either Shukaku or the fox. He thwarted the Akatsuki, and he'll never get credit for it" he concluded. The Hokage took a stretch of time to process what was being revealed to him, eventually regaining his composure after much inner debate.

"The Akatsuki still showed up, but they were a hell of a lot less deliberate in their goals than I thought they would be, and we got rid of them because of it. I guess that explains why. In a way, Gaara saved the world. What a thought that is" he mused. Shikamaru smirked.

"I think that honor belongs to you, buddy. You were the one who killed him. He came within inches of taking you with him, but you still won" he said, slapping his former teammate on the back. Naruto smiled and stood up from the bench.

"I never like to think that way unless it's concrete. My kids are still my greatest accomplishment. Well, that and marrying the Head of the Hyuga clan. Gaara can have that recognition. He came up with the plan, and he brought everything together. I still hate his guts, but I'll give him credit where credit's due" he said. The shadow user followed suit and stood.

The pair of shinobi then made their way inside to rejoin their wives.

Hinata smiled as her husband lumbered into their guest bedroom. He was clearly tired, but also appeared to be in quite good spirits. After removing his sandals and coat, he crawled into bed next to her and sighed contentedly.

"Man, even their guest rooms are high quality. For a relatively average village economically, they don't spare any expenses when it comes to luxury" he said as he made himself comfortable. The head of the Hyuga clan nodded in agreement and latched onto one of his arms, using it as an anchor to pull herself closer to him with.

"Yes, this room is very nice. I still prefer our bedroom, but I'm more than a little biased" she said. Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"So do I. No place like home, as they say. Even so, I wish we could visit them more than once per year. It feels like I could afford to, because I can just leave a horde of clones to do my work while I'm away, but Temari definitely can't take much time off. It was great to talk to Shikamaru again, though. Still undriven, but definitely the smartest guy I know" he said. Hinata smiled and thought back to her extended conversation with Temari.

"Temari-san and I have our differences, but I like her just fine. A very candid, down to earth woman. Quite a disciplinarian as a mother as well" she said. The blonde rubbed his stomach.

"Yeah, and a good cook. I'm surprised by that part, honestly. Shikamaru used to say that she was awful in the kitchen" he said. Hinata pursed her lips and scratched the back of her head.

"I may have helped her a little" she admitted. The Jinchuuriki smiled at his wife and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"That explains why the cake tasted familiar. Also, I'm glad you're growing your hair out. It looks nice on you" he said. Hinata, much like she used to as a child and teenager, turned a light shade of pink.

"Well, I figured that since I changed the standard regarding female hair length in the Hyuga clan, I should reflect the change" she said. Her hair now reached the middle of her back, much unlike her short haircut from her days as a genin.

"Like I told you all those years ago, you're really pretty in a regal way. Even more so now that you don't have a boy's haircut" Naruto joked. His wife groaned and buried her face in a pillow.

"Why must you tease me like that?" she asked, clearly embarrassed by the comment. The Hokage laughed and hugged her back into himself.

"Just some payback for your comments at dinner" he said. Hinata sighed and tucked her head underneath his chin.

"You're hopeless" she muttered. The blonde ran a hand through her hair and closed his eyes to begin his submission to unconsciousness.

"And you still married me" he countered. Hinata responded by creating a bit of space between them, only to collapse it once again with a kiss on the lips. After a few moments, she removed her mouth from his and traced the whiskers on his cheeks.

"Yes, and I don't regret it. Loving you was the smartest decision I ever made"

A/N: And so ends my little tale. I decided to clear some things up about Gaara's motives in this chapter, so for those of you wondering, there you go.

I decided to end the story where it began, with Naruto and Hinata. I love this pairing to death, and I wanted to give it my own spin to spice things up. This story isn't perfect, and I did a lot of things that many of you disliked, but I hope my mistakes didn't ruin it for you.

As for what's next, I have another project to finish up. Once that's done, this fic WILL be getting a continuation of sorts. Not a full sequel, just a single-conflict story about one of the things alluded to in this epilogue.

Now please, If you read this Epilogue, I IMPLORE you to leave a review. Just tell me what you thought, and how you feel about this story.

Farewell, my readers. Thank you for the support. I'll see you in…

...House of Glass: Interlude