Epilogue: Inochi

'I promise I will find a cure for you'

"We come here not only to mark the celebration of victory .. A victory we have sacrified for so much, immolated to its establishment hefty sums and loved ones, we come here to celebrate life .. To celebrate love, the foundation upon which every state is kept together, unified and prosperous, as a great man once told me"

He wasn't lying long ago when he said he was working with Kyuubi on a cure, but somethings were out of his hands

'You have to help me, all those years you must have come across something'

'I am merely an instrument of death .. Not death itself .. I cannot stand head to head against it'

"We come here today to mark the inaugration of Uchiha's medical research unit for immune disorders , founded as a collaboration between Konoha's heath institute and Military research unit, headed by Sakura Haruno and Karin Uzumaki respectively .."

The crowd applauded

"and funded by both Konoha's local state cabinet and generous contributions from The Hyuuga clan dedicated to the memories of Sasuke uchiha, Itach uchiha & Neji Hyuuga, rest their souls"

"How is he holding up?" Sai asked

"As good as a man who lost half of himself and retained the other half" Shikamaru replied "If Neji's death shattered him in half then Sasuke's loss destroyed him"

Shikamaru could list all those times he would find Naruto talking to himself, imagining Sasuke is there... Those times his eyes would wistfully stray, travel distance after distance in search of the mere silhouette of his friend! The ti

mes Naruto would be talking to him with Sasuke's name is on the tip of his tongue, before he'd realise it is him not Sasuke and then quietly concedes

"It will offer service and council for the entire unified Hidden lands" the Subete no kage finalised.

Naruto .. The allkage, kage of the newly formed, tentative unified hidden lands

Kakashi has retired ... Becoming a recluse right after he heard of Sasuke's demise, passing on his duties to his disciple and Diligent student Naruto who only ever continued to prove his worth.

He never sees anyone or interacts with anybody but a very few.

He barely leaves his house, in fact his attendance today could be considered among one of the rare occurences

He doesn't train anyone, except occasionally Tama or Inochi.

"And Hinata? Did she give her word to Gaara's offering?"

'I know you will say that I am crazy, but I can't shake off the feeling that oneday he is coming back, I can't stop waiting for him, even when I know he isnot coming, he is never coming' She told Shikamaru

'Besides, Tama, Inochi, the clan and now Hanabi's upcoming wedding .. They are taking up all of my time'

Hiashi has stepped down from clan's headmanship, appointing Hinata in his place .. Hanabi has renounced the clan and settled for marrying Konohamaru, after all it was Hinata who awakened Tenseigan making her more powerful, more candid.

She could find other ways to prove herself.

"Hinata is done at least for the time being. I just wish Gaara would understand that and stop pestering me"

'She is an empty husk of who she used to be, just like Tenten and Tama .. She is simply functioning, not living, if it wasn't for Inochi ..'

Shikamaru's eyes travelled to where the boy was.. Inochi... life ... Inochi Uchiha ..

And as Shikamaru's eyes met his almost ethereal ones, the boy smiled brightly and he couldn't but smile back

He was beautiful .. The five year old boy ,close to his own child's age with lush black hair and dark grey eyes that can suck you in, mesmerise you by their beauty.

He was as cute and pleasant as Tama was before the war.

The two boys stood side by side

Tama, now a boy of ten years old, a hardened boy weilding both Byakugan and Sharingan, carrying the weight and the faint scar of a war .. The upcoming Hyuuga heir who grew up so prematurely ...

A boy who barely smiles, the Jinchuuriki of the lobotomised Gyuuki.

He no longer lets his brown hair flow, he crops it in a short cut, a very short cut that almost makes him look bald.

"It is better this way" He would gruffly reply

Apparently, he wants so hard not to flaunt his looks ... He has come to fear his own beauty

'Maybe someday, he will heal'

"Tama-kun, can you tell me about my father?"

The boy smiled at his little brother, a rare display of emotion coming out of him

"Haven't your mother, Hinata-sama and Naruto-san told you enough?"

"yes" he squealed "But I want to hear more from you"

"Ok, maybe after we train and I teach you all those awesome jutsus he had taught me"

The boy remembered the time when he would ask his aunt the very same questions long ago ... The time when Sasuke would teach him exactly the same things he teaches Inochi

"Tama-Kun, do you ever want to be an all kage?"

"Maybe, Do you?"

"I don't know as well, maybe someday I can become one, if I am a strong enough Shinobi"

It is springtime in Konoha where everything would blossom

Konoha's winds are becoming considerably kinder than they used to be.