Chapter 33
Wedding Crashers
The rest of the group exits the pool. Sakura looks into the pool and expects Hinata and Joshu to pop out, but nobody comes out of the pool.
"What are they doing? Should we go after them?" asked Sakura.
Before anyone can respond, a giant crab walks out of the passage.
"Is that a giant crab?" asked Naruto.
"It must be the guardian of this place," said Haku.
The crab launches water out of its mouth at the group. The group jumps up and dodges the stream of water.
"Don't worry about this guy. I got him. Planetary Rasengan!" said Naruto.
Naruto charges a planetary rasengan and slams it into the giant crab, obliterating it.
"I thought that a guardian would be stronger than that. This was too easy," said Sakura.
"This could have been a diversion to prevent us from getting to Joshu and Hinata," said Haku.
"But why?" asked Naruto.
"We will have to find out," said Haku.
Hinata jumps on top of the yellow spheres. She continues to jump until Toneri appears in front of her. She gets in a fighting stance.
"Hinata, I didn't come here to fight," said Toneri.
"Why are you here then?" asked Hinata.
"Let's get married," said Toneri.
"Why would I ever marry you? Tell me where Hanabi is," said Hinata.
A black screen surrounds Hinata and Toneri. On the screen, Hanabi lies on her bed. The real Toneri walks next to her bed.
"Hanabi!" exclaimed Hinata.
"Don't worry. She's fine, but I have extracted her Byakugan," said Toneri.
"Why would you do that?" asked Hinata.
"I did it because of Hamura Otsutsuki's celestial decree," said Toneri.
"Who's Hamura Otsutsuki?" asked Hinata.
"Hamura was the founder of the shinobi of the moon. He was the little brother to the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. The Hyuga clan had inherited the blood of Hamura. The husk of the Ten Tails's body became the Gedo Statue. Hamura swore to stop the Ten Tails from terrorizing Earth. He decided to take the Gedo Statue to the moon to guard it. Hagoromo created the shinobi of Earth. Hamura feared that the shinobi society that his brother created would mean destruction for the Earth. After he died, he left us with his mission to destroy the Earth. Hamura was correct. For a millenia, the shinobi of Earth have used chakra to fight and destroy each other instead of protecting the planet. My clan has noticed this. Hagoromo's shinobi society has failed. I will destroy that planet. When this Byakugan combines with my eyes, I will achieve the Tenseigan and mold the Earth into my own image and create the perfect society," said Toneri.
"I don't believe a word of this. I will save Hanabi and stop you," said Hinata.
"How can you save your sister if you don't know where she is?" asked Toneri.
The black screen disappears.
"I will come back for you," said Toneri.
Joshu jumps on top of the yellow spheres. He sees Toneri speaking to Hinata and jumps to the sphere to confront him.
"Get away from her!" exclaimed Joshu.
Joshu charges at Toneri and tries to kick him, but Toneri dodges. Joshu tries to punch Toneri, but he dodges again causing Joshu to jump onto a rock. Joshu jumps in the air and he and Toneri exchange punches and kicks. Toneri and Joshu jump onto a rock and continue to exchange punches and kicks. Joshu grabs a cone-shaped rock and swings around it and kicks Toneri. He punches Toneri in the face and his face cracks. He flies into the wall and causes it to crack. Hinata jumps down and lands next to Joshu. Toneri slowly gets back up.
"You're not the real Toneri. You're just like Kankuro's puppets," said Joshu.
"You are correct. This isn't my real body. Hinata, next time that I come, tell me your answer," said Toneri.
"Shut up already," said Joshu.
Joshu tries to punch Toneri, but the puppet drops to the ground.
"You will never touch me, you filth," said Toneri.
"I'll show you filth," said Joshu.
Joshu smashes the pieces of the puppet with his feet.
"Let's go," said Joshu.
Joshu and Hinata jump on top of the yellow spheres. They regroup with the rest of the group.
"What took you guys so long?" asked Sakura.
"We had to fight a Toneri puppet," said Joshu.
"You always put Hinata in danger," said Sakura.
"I don't try to. Hinata, I'll protect you. I swear," said Joshu.
Hinata blushes.
"Thank you," said Hinata.
"Ahh, you lovebirds are so cute together," said Haku.
Hinata and Joshu blush.
"Lovebirds? No, we're just friends," said Hinata.
"Nothing more, nothing less," said Joshu.
"They remind me of us," said Naruto.
"But we were way less awkward," said Haku.
"Yeah," said Naruto.
"We should get going. I'm getting a little uncomfortable with all of this love talk," said Sakura.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," said Joshu.
The group jumps through the opening in the ceiling. They look up and see an island floating in the sky.
"Why is an island floating in the sky?" asked Naruto.
"The surface of the ocean must be warped," said Joshu.
They look up at the sun.
"How is there sunlight underground?" asked Sakura.
"It must be artificial," said Haku.
"Let's keep moving. Our questions will most likely be answered later," said Joshu.
Joshu activates his susanoo and the group flies into the air. The group flies in the air for hours. After a day of flying, the group sets up camp in the forest. After everyone's asleep, Hinata grabs her bag and leaves the camp. She sits on a stump in the middle of the forest. He pulls the scarf out of her bag and starts to knit. Unbeknownst to her, Joshu is watching her from behind a tree.
"That's father's old scarf. I can't believe she remembers the day that I lost that scarf," said Joshu.
Joshu disappears before Hinata returns to the camp. The night passes slowly. The group wakes up early in the morning. The group hops back into Joshu's susanoo and flies back into the air. After a couple hours of flying, Hinata spots an abandoned village.
"Down there," said Hinata.
"That village must be centuries old. Let's check it out," said Joshu.
Joshu lands his susanoo inside the village.
"Let's split up. Joshu, search with Hinata. Sakura, Haku, and I will search the other parts of the village," said Naruto.
"That's good with me," said Joshu.
The two teams run in opposite directions. After a few minutes of searching, Hinata and Joshu enter an old house.
"You check downstairs. I will check upstairs," said Joshu.
"Ok," said Hinata.
Joshu enters a room and starts to explore it. He is about to enter another room until he hears Hinata's scream. He runs downstairs and sees Hinata on the ground getting a cobweb off of her face. Joshu kneels down in front of her.
"Are you ok?" asked Joshu.
"I'm fine. I just ran into a cobweb," said Hinata.
"You have the Byakugan and you still ran into a cobweb. You can be so spacey sometimes. Let me help," said Joshu.
Joshu starts to take the cobweb out of Hinata's hair. After a few minutes of hair cleansing, they dive deeper into the building. Joshu steps a little too far and falls down the stairs.
"Joshu!" exclaimed Hinata.
Hinata runs down the stairs. Joshu slowly gets back up.
"I'm fine. My back just hurts," said Joshu.
"Let me help," said Hinata.
Joshu and Hinata move to the center of the room. Hinata lifts up Joshu's shirt and places ointment on his bruises.
"Thank you Hinata," said Joshu.
"No problem," said Hinata.
"I wanted to talk to you about my dream. It was about you and me. I went down memory lane and learned some pretty interesting stuff. Why didn't you tell me that you loved me during the Kyūbinokitsune no shi festival? I looked like a fool when I tried to kiss you," said Joshu.
"I was too shy. I'm sorry," said Hinata.
"Don't be. I shouldn't have forced you to dance with me," said Joshu.
"What about we try again?" asked Hinata.
"Sure," said Joshu.
Joshu turns around. The faces of Joshu and Hinata get closer. They are about to kiss until Sakura appears in the window.
"I'm sorry about interrupting you two, but we have to get moving," said Sakura.
Disappointed, Hinata and Joshu get up and walk out of the building. The group moves into the forest and sets up camp. Just like the night before, Hinata leaves the camp. Instead of knitting in the middle of the forest, she decides to knit next to the river. The fireflies keep her company. She doesn't notice Joshu watching her from behind a tree. After a few minutes, Joshu reveals himself.
"That scarf was my father's. It's very kind of you to fix it up," said Joshu.
"Joshu, I didn't want you to see it yet. I'm really bad at keeping secrets," said Hinata.
"Don't worry about it. Your gift is still important to me," said Joshu.
Hinata starts to blush.
"I will pay you back when we get Hanabi back," said Joshu.
"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to save my sister? Why do you want me to be strong? I'm just a nervous embarrassment to the Hyuga clan," said Hinata.
"You're not an embarrassment to the Hyuga clan. You're strong and independent. I may have trained you, but you were always strong. I just pushed you across the finish line. But to answer your question, I care about you because I love you," said Joshu.
"What did you say?" asked Hinata.
Hinata stands up.
"I told you that I love you," said Joshu.
Hinata looks down.
"What's wrong? I thought that you loved me," said Joshu.
Toneri appears on a floating platform.
"She doesn't love you because she loves me," said Toneri.
"Damn you Toneri. Why are you here?" said Joshu.
"I'm here to pick up my bride," said Toneri.
"You have nothing to say to her," said Joshu.
Joshu looks at Hinata.
"I'll deal with him," said Joshu.
Joshu disappears and reappears behind Toneri. He grabs Toneri's shoulder.
"Let's talk," said Joshu.
Joshu and Toneri disappear.
"I have to warn the others," said Hinata.
Hinata runs off to warn the others. Joshu and Toneri appear in the center of the forest.
"How dare you touch me. Trash shouldn't touch royalty," said Toneri.
"I won't let you take Hinata," said Joshu.
"You can't stop me. I'm on the verge of acquiring the Tenseigan. You can't win," said Toneri.
Joshu doesn't respond. Toneri tries to antagonize Joshu some more, but Joshu vanishes. Joshu appears behind Toneri and slices him where his spine is, paralyzing him.
"How is he so fast?" thought Toneri.
Toneri falls to the ground.
"Tell me where Hanabi is or I slice your head off," said Joshu.
"I can't be defeated. I will fulfill Hamura's celestial decree," said Toneri.
"You are a fool. Hamura didn't want to destroy the Earth. He wanted to protect it," said Joshu.
"How do you know that? You're not even an Otsutsuki," said Toneri.
Joshu transforms into his Sage of Six Paths transformation, but without the chakra from Raitoninguhōku. His skin turns grey. A jagged horn forms on his forehead. He activates his Rinnesharingan. His hair turns grey. His eyes turn grey.
"There's no way that you're an Otsutsuki. Otsutsuki can't transform into humans," said Toneri.
"I'm not fully Otsutsuki. I'm the reincarnation of Hagoromo. Hagoromo was tired of his sons fighting each other so he decided to create a child that had the same power and potential as him. That was how I was created. That's how I was born with the Sharingan. That's why I'm more powerful than you. That's why I know a lot about Hamura," said Joshu.
"Why should I just take your word? You could be lying to me," said Toneri.
"I guess you should talk to the man himself," said Joshu.
Joshua places his hand on Toneri's forehead. Toneri's eyes close and he wakes up in a dark place. He looks around and sees a grey-skinned old man standing in front of him. He gets up.
"Who are you?" asked Toneri.
"I'm Hamura Otsutsuki. I'm surprised that someone that is part of my clan doesn't know who I am," said Hamura.
"Why are you here?" asked Toneri.
"You say that you're fulfilling my celestial decree, but you're not. I didn't want you guys to destroy the Earth," said Hamura.
"Your celestial decree was to destroy the Earth if Hagoromo was unable to bring peace to it. I'm just doing what you told me to do" said Toneri.
"But look at the Earth now Toneri," said Hamura.
Hamura walks to the right side of Toneri. Large screens appear from the ground and surround them. On one screen, a shinobi from the Leaf Village helps a shinobi from the Mist Village get medical attention. On another, a man and a woman help each other farm. On another, shinobi are protecting their village from bandits.
"Can't you see Toneri? Hagoromo has brought peace to the world. My celestial decree doesn't need to be fulfilled," said Hamura.
"I didn't see all this. I wouldn't have done this if I knew the state of the planet," said Toneri.
"You don't need the Tenseigan to destroy the planet or your "Byakugan Princess". All you need to do is lead the side branch and mind your own business. Joshu will be able to protect the planet and continue this era of peace," said Hamura.
"Thank you for enlightening me ancestor. I won't let you down," said Toneri.
Hamura places his hand on Toneri's forehead. Toneri wakes up in the real world.
"How was your discussion with him?" asked Joshu.
Toneri gets up.
"I've learned many things that I was too blind to see. I'm sorry," said Toneri.
"Don't worry about it. Now that you know the truth, I doubt that you will want to destroy the planet," said Joshu.
"No, I don't," said Toneri.
"Now that you're a good guy, take me to Hanabi," said Joshu.
"Ok," said Toneri.
Toneri grabs Joshu's shoulder and the teleport into Toneri's castle. Joshu walks over to the bed.
"What's wrong with her eyes?" asked Joshu.
"I took them to get the Tenseigan," said Toneri.
"Don't worry Hanabi. I'll be back with help," said Joshu.
Joshu and Toneri teleport back to the forest. The rest of the group stands before them.
"Sakura, I need you," said Joshu.
"What do you need?" asked Sakura.
"I need you to transfer his eyes into Hanabi's eye sockets," said Joshu.
"Ok. Let's go," said Sakura.
"Let me go too," said Hinata.
"Ok," said Joshu.
Joshu, Sakura, Hinata, and Toneri teleport to his castle.
"He really did take out her eyes. This will take me a little while so you two should probably leave," said Sakura.
Hinata and Joshu walk out of the room. They walk into another room. The room has a balcony and they walk onto it.
"You were going to marry him to get Hanabi back weren't you?" said Joshu.
"Yeah," said Hinata.
"Sacrificing yourself for others is very honorable," said Joshu.
"I know, but I still feel bad," said Hinata.
"You feel bad because you hurt my feelings. To be honest, I wouldn't be mad. I don't let my personal feelings get in the way of the mission in hand," said Joshu.
"I have something for you, but you already know what it is," said Hinata.
Hinata pulls the scarf out of her bag. She gives it to Joshu.
"I love it. Father's going to be elated that I have his scarf. Thank you very much," said Joshu.
Hinata starts to blush.
"You're welcome," said Hinata.
Joshu wraps the scarf around his neck.
"You told me that you loved me and it made me so happy, but something's telling me that you were lying to make me feel better," said Hinata.
"Let me show you what I mean," said Joshu.
Joshu grabs Hinata's waist and moves Hinata closer to him. Their faces get closer and their lips attach. They share a long passionate kiss under the moonlight. After a few minutes, their lips unattach.
"Your love really is true," said Hinata.
"You know that I would never lie to you," said Joshu.
"I should go wait for Hanabi," said Hinata.
"Yeah, I'll go and update the rest of the team," said Joshu.
Sakura works hard throughout the night. Hinata sleeps in the bed next to her sister. She is awoken by a slap to her face.
"Who was that?" asked Hinata.
Hinata slowly opens her eyes and sees her sister on top of her.
"Hanabi, you're awake," said Hinata.
"Of course I am dummy. Why wouldn't I?" said Hanabi.
Hinata sits up and hugs her sister.
"Chill sis. Thank you for saving me and all, but you don't have to suffocate me," said Hanabi.
Hanabi and Hinata hear a knock on the door.
"Come in," said Hinata.
Haku, Joshu, Naruto, and Sakura walk into the room.
"I see that we are almost done with the mission," said Haku.
Hanabi gets off of Hinata. Hinata gets out of the bed.
"Let's go," said Joshu.
The group walks out of the room. They see Toneri in the hallway. Everyone gets in a fighting stance except for Joshu.
"I did not come to fight. I apologize. I was delusional and I didn't follow Hamura's will correctly. I will leave your planet alone as long as you leave the moon alone," said Toneri.
"Sure. We were leaving anyway," said Joshu.
"Visit Earth anytime you please, but don't try to destroy it," said Hinata.
"Ok," said Toneri.
The eyeless Toneri turns around and walks away. The team teleports to the Hidden Leaf Village.
"I will tell Kakashi sensei that we succeeded in our mission," said Naruto.
Hinata and Joshu now move their hands closer to each other'. Their hands latch on to the other and they look at each other.
"We weren't able to train together for a couple days so let's make up for missed time," said Joshu.
"Yeah, let's go," said Hinata.
The new couple runs to the training field.
"I knew she liked him," said Hanabi.