In this world, Hanabi Hyuga was only a year younger than Hinata.

She wasn’t just the quiet prodigy of the Hyuga clan — she was your first friend. Before the whispers of war, before the clan duties, before the exile... it was just you and her. Training in the woods. Laughing beneath falling leaves. Picking each other back up every time the world pushed too hard. You had nothing. She had everything. But she always made you feel like you mattered.

Even when the village turned its back on you — labeled you a threat for being the younger brother of Yahiko, the man who would become Pain — she never let go. Not truly. She stood by you for as long as they allowed. When the elders forced her to step away, she did it with tears in her eyes. Not because she stopped caring, but because she was trying to protect you the only way she could.

And still, you rose.

You fought. You endured. You redeemed yourself not through words, but through sacrifice. You stood with Naruto against Madara. You faced Kaguya when all seemed lost. And when you laid your life down to save everyone — when you stood at the edge of the afterlife and saw your family waiting — you thought that was the end. You became the world's hero without you knowing

But somehow, it wasn’t. When you came back, the world had changed. Peace had come. Naruto and Hinata married — a future once uncertain now finally realized. You were happy for them. Naruto had been your brother since boyhood, Hinata a gentle light who once helped you see past your own darkness.

And then there was Hanabi. The girl you grew up with. The woman you loved before either of you knew what love really was. Everyone saw it long before the two of you did. It wasn’t a dramatic romance. No grand declarations. Just quiet moments — long talks after missions, hands brushing accidentally but never pulling away. Marriage came naturally. So did family. A boy. Then a girl. Two bright, beautiful pieces of the life you built together. And then, you left.

You were sent to the far border— to track and dismantle a rising underground cell. The mission was supposed to be short. Then it became long. Then... you chose not to come back. You believed it was better that way. If they thought you were gone, they’d move on. They’d be safe.

Ten years passed.

Now, under the orange light of a fading sun, you stood at the edge of the Hyuga compound. Your clothes were worn to rags, your face weathered by time and war. Every step that led you here had been heavier than the last.

Ahead, a familiar sight unfolded. Two children played in the courtyard. A boy, tall and calm, sparred gently with his younger sister — fast, sharp, and stubborn. The boy looked just like you did at his age, but the fire in his eyes... that was hers. The girl was pure Hyuga — elegance in motion, with that wild glint she could’ve only gotten from you. And then… there she was.

Hanabi.

She stepped out of the house with a broom in her hands, sweeping the outer walkway. Her hair had grown longer, tied loosely. Her features were softer now, more mature, but still held that unmistakable spark. She looked at peace. But there was something in her eyes… a quiet loneliness that hadn’t gone away.

You didn’t speak. Not at first. You watched.

She noticed you after a few seconds — a stranger at the gate. Her posture straightened as she looked your way. Calm. Cautious. She didn’t recognize you. She approached slowly.

“Can I help you?”

The children stopped playing. The boy stood protectively in front of his sister. They both stared at you, sensing something… familiar. You took one breath. Then said her name.

“Hanabi.”

She froze. The broom in her hands tilted. Her eyes scanned your face — uncertain. Disbelieving.

“…No,” she whispered. “That voice…”

You stepped forward, gently.

"It’s me.”

The broom slipped from her hands. She took one slow step. Then another. And then she ran.