Itsu No Hi Ni Mo

by OrenjiRabenda

After the rage of war, Naruto finds himself in a completely new territory which he must overcome to become Hokage! Doki doki... Whatever that means. He feels it! Follow the quirky story of Uzumaki Naruto as love blossoms! How long will it take for him to realize? How long is Hinata willing to wait? No Matter What The Day. Cannon-compliant NaruHina story! Blank period.

52. Chapter 50 : End

: end :

: the last

---

Hinata gasped in shock. What?

"What did you say?" She asked as she stood up in shock, her mind running wild.

Confused, he slowly looked down, afraid that he might've upset her, "Wh-What?"

"What did you just say" She firmly said, knowing what she heard, wondering if she truly heard him right.

"I-I said I was..." He nervously recalled "... Worried about Hanabi"

"N-No..."

Did he not mean it?

"I-I meant before that..." Hinata said, barely above a whisper, losing confidence.

Of course he didn't... Why would he?

Naruto suddenly recalled what he said. And his eyes widen.

Did he seriously give himself away just like that?! He could've at least been a little smooth with it!

He was freaking out. Was she upset because of it?!

Then, he decided that- "It's now or never"

Swallowing up his pride, he looked straight at her, "This time, I'm not leaving without telling you how I feel"

"Hinata" He called her attention, and she looked up.

Blue eyes met lavender.

She looked at him in shock. Was he truly gonna say it?

From the very bottom of his heart, he meant everything that he was gonna say.

Naruto looked straight into Hinata's eyes, and finally confessed "I said I love you, Hinata"

For a short moment. She felt free.

She was alive.

But-

The question she's been asking all this time...

"Why now?"

She could only stare at him with wide eyes.

"Why me?"

Naruto became nervous. He could see neither joy nor pity in her eyes. Instead...

Regret. Longing.

"Hinata?" He called out to her, taking a step forward.

But she stepped back.

And just as broke eye contact to stare at the ground, he suddenly felt a new presence.

Naruto turned and saw Toneri, slowly descending down on a platform from the sky. And judging by the stronger chakra than the puppets, he knew, "That's the real him!"

Feeling protective once more, he quickly hid Hinata behind him as he squared his shoulders, glaring at the unfamiliar man, "Toneri! Or are you just another puppet, coward?!"

"Silence"

Toneri's eyes slowly opened, and to Naruto's shock- He could recognize the patterns on the other's eyes. But from where?!

They glowed brightly in the night, an icy blue color emitting from it as he looked at the woman, "I came for Hinata's answer"

"Answer?!" Naruto growled.

"Hinata... Next time, the real me would come for you... And when that time comes... Tell me your answer"

"Hinata has nothing to say to you!" He yelled, stomping a foot down, "Now tell me where Hanabi i-"

Naruto was shocked when Hinata suddenly walked around him, head held low.

"Hinata?"

She didn't look at his eyes when she gave the scarf to him.

What?

Naruto was confused. Afraid.

"H-Hey!" He weakly called, not sure of what she's doing.

He watched her turn her back to him and walk ahead.

It started to feel hard to breathe.

He was afraid.

She was standing between him and the enemy once more.

Just like-

"Hinata! Just run! You can't win!"

He started to freeze up again.

Just like-

"Neji! Help! Get some medical ninjas! Please! He's fatally wounded!"

It was like reliving his nightmares.

He didn't even realize that he wasn't breathing as he watched her climb on the platform with the other man.

Only when he sharply inhaled in shock did he realize when she slowly turned to look at him one last time, and say "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun... But this is goodbye"

"Good bye, Naruto-kun"

Eversince that day, they swore never to say that word. She went missing for days after saying it.

Why not 'See you soon' like usual?

His heart broke into millions of pieces, especially when Toneri held out his arm and welcomed Hinata into a loving embrace.

He felt dizzy. He couldn't see. He couldn't think straight.

He wanted to scream.

But he could only watch the two, frozen, as they slowly ascended back up to the sky, leaving him.

"B-But Naruto-kun, I-I don't want to train for the Rasengan, I-I want to learn the Rotation"

"Oh no, I think you'd still remember. My birthdays are just exaggeratedly long tea ceremonies, the only thing to look forward to is the snow"

"My clan really likes you, Naruto-kun"

"You brought the rest of our friends along?"

"Um, Naruto-kun has been really kind to me, too"

After all of those... Was this really it?

"Naruto-kun... Were you crying?"

"HINATA!!!!"

No!

"I'm not gonna let this end this way!" Naruto screamed, pouring his heart out into chasing the two, "Hinata!!!"

He made clones to chase after them, pushing himself higher and higher.

He's trying to help himself to reach her. But he wasn't enough.

His tears kept flowing down his cheeks as he kept his eyes locked with her, her eyes screaming only one word, "Stop"

He cloned himself once more, pushing himself up higher, desperately holding his hand out, "Hinata! Please!"

Just a little closer!

She tore her gaze away from him and looked down instead, feeling nothing but pain from this show of affection.

Her fear only grew when suddenly, a puppet appeared on a bird and got between them, shooting Naruto down.

He tried to dodge. He tried to deflect.

He still failed.

He was lightheaded, falling from the sky, "Why do I keep failing?"

He hated himself.

But-

"In my eyes... You're a proud failure!"

He was caught by one of Sai's painted birds, "Don't stop now!"

Quickly regaining his desperation, he quickly knelt on the bird and formed a rasengan, a very strong urge to kill.

He can't get to Hinata, but- "I can get to that bastard!"

"Naruto, stop!" Sakura tried to stop him as she and the rest of the group fended off puppets, "Stop!!"

"Give Hinata back!!" Naruto screamed with the furious voice that a heartbroken man could muster.

Toneri glared directly back into his eyes and growled "Give her back? When she chose me? She came to me on her own free will!"

She did.

She did, didn't she?

"It was destined since antiquity" Toneri proudly claimed, holding the woman close to him, "Hinata and I shall get wed!"

Naruto's eyes widen. She agreed to this?

"Get wed?" He choked out.

She was a traditional woman after all. She'd accept marriages from powerful men. But-

This Hinata!

She's not like everyone else!

Right?

"Hinata! That's a lie, right?!" He asked, trying to to grasp on the little sparks of hope that everything said was a lie.

But-

By the way she reacted. Nothing was a lie.

"When I look at you, I get an intense feeling in my heart…"

"I-I'm not sure what you are feeling, b-but I can tell you, that the same weird feelings I've felt for you from years ago? I-It's still here, o-only... Only stronger..."

How about those? Were those a lie?

"Because... I love you... I always will"

Was that a lie?!

No...

Did...

Did she move on?

Naruto's heart was in so much pain.

Did he make her wait too long?

Did she lose hope on being with him long ago?

It was all his fault.

He was a failure.

Nothing but that.

He hated himself.

He lost her.

He didn't feel like doing anything. He felt dull. As if he lost all his colors.

Not even when Toneri shot a jutsu at him did he move.

"Just kill me already"

He just watched as the glowing projectile came at him in high speeds.

But when her voice scream at the other man "What are you doing?!"

"Kit, move!!!"

In one last surge of anger, he shoved the rasengan right to the orb. Toneri displeased Hinata, that was unacceptable.

But-

His eyes widen in shock as the light ate his jutsu.

Hinata's eyes widen in horror at it passed right through Naruto's body, and she felt him being depleted of chakra.

She was about to jump off the platform, but Toneri quickly grabbed her and depleted her of all her chakra once more, "I don't want to be in a petty fight here. I can't risk you getting hurt"

An entire explosion of Naruto's chakra destroyed an entire area, piercing right through the moon's surface.

In one last attempt to save the scarf in his fading consciousness, he tried to hide it in his chest as he was caught in the explosion, but he was far too weak, and it slowly burned away.

In their fading consciousnesses, they both watched each other as they quickly drifted apart. One floating away, the other falling down.

---

There was a cool breeze.

Naruto felt gentle blades of grass tickle the back of his neck as the rustles of leaves around him sung like a gentle lullaby.

He heard soft and rhythmic footsteps approaching him, but he decided to ignore them.

He still feels tired.

He felt the sunlight that was shining down on his face get blocked. He was enjoying the warmth.

With a groan, he reluctantly opened his eyes to snarl at the person disturbing him, but when he saw the person, he couldn't help but smile as his heart fluttered in his chest.

"A-Ah, I'm sorry..! D-Did I disturb you?"

With a small chuckle, Naruto shook his head dismissively as he smiled, "Nah, I wasn't even tired enough to sleep, Hinata"

Squatting down above his head, Hinata blushed as she looked down at him, finding that him surrounded by nature was rather adorable.

She nervously stood back up and sat down two feet away from him.

Naruto noticed this and pouted, she sat a little bit too far in his opinion.

Almost too eagerly, he sat up and jumped up to his feet, taking a small step towards her direction before sitting and laying back down, this time, resting his head on her lap.

Hinata gasped in surprise, her cheeks glowing a shade of red before relaxing.

A gentle gust of wind blew, the right sleeve of his top flew along, her scent reaching his nose.

She smelled like the lavender scent used on her clothes and the river that she might've ran along on her way home.

With curious eyes, he looked up at her and asked "What about you?"

"Eh?"

He sat up and looked at her, "Are you tired at all?"

She shyly looked away and said "O-Only a little, it was just a short patrol"

She fumbled with the sleeves of her jacket and continued "B-Besides, I-I didn't do much, s-so..."

He smiled brightly in understanding "You're shy, aren't ya?! Don't worry! You san sleep if you want! I don't mind!"

"Naruto-kun, it's early in the day, I can't possibly sleep" She defensively said, making him nod and reply "Yes you can! It's really early, some people are still asleep, dattebayo!"

She pouted and readjusted her sitting position, hugging her knees to hide her heavy blush, "I-It's embarassing..."

He couldn't help but laugh at her cute actions.

His eyes brightened up as an idea popped into his head, and with a cheery smile, he quickly turned his back to her and said "You can rest, dattebayo! I won't look!"

"N-Naruto-kun, it's okay, really" She insisted, but he didn't answer.

Silence fell upon them, and another relaxing blew across them.

Puffing out her cheeks, Hinata clenched the fabric of her jacket to feel the fast beats of her heart.

Suddenly, Naruto stiffened up when he felt weight gently resting on him, his cheeks strangely warm when he realized that it was her that rested on his back, her head pressed on his shoulder.

He could hear his heartbeats better than the rustling leaves and blowing winds.

His eyes were wide in disbelief, and he gulped nervously. Why was he so nervous?

He subconsciously grabbed his empty sleeve and held it in a tight grip, not knowing what to do.

"U-Um..." He barely was able to say, his voice croaking, but with the lack of response, he realized, "She's..."

Slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder, he confirmed, "Asleep"

He was fluttered. She was comfortable enough around him to actually sleep... Or she was just very sleepy... But he'd like to think that it was the first one.

He felt this overwhelming feeling again, the one that washes him over with a strange kind of joy.

"Hinata..."

His eyes soften as he gazed at her dark blue hair, his shoulders loosening up, and his hand letting go of the empty sleeve.

The wind gently whisped across them once more, her hair and his sleeve both dancing along the breeze.

She was not afraid to lean on him, even if he was broken, losing a piece, incomplete... She's sticking around...

Why?

He looked at her in an adoring gaze when he realized one thing that made him consciously interested and very curious about her, "I have but one arm, but she never considered me incomplete"

Even as days pass by, seasons change, and events happen, she was still around.

She always was.

Days, it took days for him to realize that she wasn't the one prolonging their moments together, but he was the one who was practically begging for it not to end.

He couldn't help but wonder, "How come I wasn't friends with her back in the Academy? How did I ever see her as dark and gloomy?"

"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Hinata greeted with a sweet smile as he ran up to her, "I didn't realize you were coming"

"I didn't expect you to be here either" Naruto admitted with an excited smile, "Not that I mind! Hokage training would be super fun if you're around!"

"Oh, I don't think I'm sticking around for that" She apologetically said, "Hokage-sama mentioned that I'd be having a mandatory and special training with Shizune-san today"

"Aw, that sucks, I got my hopes up real high" He said with a heavy sigh, "Only for it to crash and catch on fire within seconds"

"Naruto-kun is so silly" She giggled, "I-I could come and see you if I have time... I-If you don't mind, that is"

He quickly perked up at the sound of her laughter, and returned to hyper from her suggestion, "Hell yeah! You'll get to see me prepare to be the next Hokage!"

She giggled at his antics, so warm and welcoming.

"How did I ever see you as dark and gloomy..." He thought as he looked at her in adoration, "When you light up everything everywhere you go?"

Her smile.

Her voice.

Her nature.

Everything about her makes him feel... In awe.

Since when?

He was always intrigued by her. She was always strange to him. Unique, unlike any other.

He was discovering everything now.

"Since when did I love you?"

She was laughing merrily at his joke, reacting accordingly to his stories.

He felt the strongest pride everytime she smiles so genuinely because of him, knowing that only he could make her laugh and smile so often.

He loves her.

"Hinata!"

"Naruto-kun? Weren't you on a mission?"

"Yep! Just got back, I decided to drop by to see what you're up to!"

"O-Oh, um, that's so sweet of you"

"And look! I happened to come across this flower, and I thought you'd like it!"

"That's so thoughtful of you, thank you"

"Yep! That's me! Thoughtful-kun Naruto-kun!"

"I-Indeed"

Naruto loves her.

"Let's go hang out somewhere"

"S-Sure, where?"

"Anywhere, really"

"That sounds nice"

"Yeah?"

"Mhm!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Naruto loves Hinata.

"N-Naruto-kun... I-I have something to tell you"

"Eh? What is it?"

"I, um... I think... I-I feel..."

"Yeah?"

"... Nevermind! N-Now is too sudden, really"

"Are you sure? It seemed like you had something in mind, though"

"It's embarassing though... Not now"

"Don't worry, I'll wait for as long as you want, dattebayo!"

So much. So so much.

He would do anything for a smile from her.

"Naruto-kun, you should really stop asking Kiba-kun about jumping into volcanoes for a flower that I was curious about..."

"You know about that?!"

"Please don't think about searching for it, it's very dangerous... Plus, I-I don't even know if it really exists"

"Hinata"

"Yes?"

"It doesn't matter if it's dangerous or what-not, I'll do anything and everything"

"Y-You really shouldn't, i-it's okay..."

"You jumped between me and Death more than once, Hinata"

"I-It's okay, you don't owe me"

"I just want to make you happy"

That's all he wants.

Everything else comes second.

"She's happy without you"

How is it so easy for her to slip away from him?

"She doesn't need you"

How many times has she walked in front of him and almost lost her?

How many times did he manage to do nothing about it?

How far away is she?

"You're no one to her!"

He could feel immense pain in his heart, his biggest fear consuming him, his insecurities overwhelming him.

Hinata left him for Toneri.

"She was never with you, you just pestered her!"

She was so happy eversince she kept her distance.

She was always so uncomfortable around him!

"You're less than a fly to her!"

It was getting hard to breathe.

It felt as if the empty world around him kept spinning, faster and faster.

Naruto stood in the middle of a dark and meaningless world, where everything was suffocating him.

"She never thought of you as anyone, and it never changed!"

He was hyperventilating, tears continuously falling from his cheeks.

It was suffocating. It was drowning him!

"She hates you!"

He dropped to his knees, his hands gripping his hair tightly.

He was screaming.

"She looks at you with so much distaste!"

"Stop it!!!"

"You make her uncomfortable!"

"PLEASE!!!"

"She doesn't need you!"

"SHUT UP!!!"

"She's happy without you!!!"

"Shut up!" He screamed as he clawed his hair, curling up into a fragile ball as he floated in the empty space, "Shut up!!! Shut up!!! Shut up!!!"

"HINATA DOESN'T LOVE YOU!"

His eyes shot open wide, and he froze completely.

Slowly, his grip loosened and his arms fell limply.

He floated in the empty void, limp and dull, no emotion in his eyes.

He was silent.

He was broken.

He was nothing.

It was just eerie silence and a broken man.

Naruto's eyes held no fire, no emotion.

His eyes slowly closed as he stared at nothing.

He didn't feel like he was suffocating.

He didn't feel like drowning.

He felt nothing.

He was nothing. He was just a man.

He felt nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Suddenly...

His eyes shot open when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

He sharply turned and saw- "Mom!"

"Naruto! My baby!!!" Kushina happily cheered as they both happily hugged each other, "We're together!!!"

"As a family"

Naruto excitedly looked up and saw Minato walk up to them and join in on the hug.

The family's joyous laughter filled the bright and welcoming world, embracing them.

"Oh look at you, sweety!" Kushina cooed as she pulled back to study her son, "You're so much more grown up since the last time I saw you, dattebane!"

"You look like a man!" Minato chuckled as he patted his son's head, "Taller than me"

"Yep! I drank lots of milk and tons of fish!" Naruto proudly claimed.

"But..."

Kushina looked at her husband curiously as he looked at their son, "Naruto... Why are you here?"

The red head gasped in realization and looked at Naruto, "What... Happened?"

Naruto raised a brow in confusion, still too elated at the sight of both his parents, "What do you mean? What-..."

When it processed to him, he realized.

"I'm..." He said as he looked at his only existing hand, Kushina quickly cut him off and said "Well, not yet"

"You still look..." Minato carefully worded out, "... Incomplete"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, unsure how to think or feel.

"Well, you don't see us with gaping holes, do you?" Kushina weakly joked as she tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear, "And you look beaten up and missing an arm"

"What happened?" Minato asked, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, "There's still time"

"Well-" "It's a long story" "-I don't want to talk about it"

Naruto felt pain, feeling all the negative emotions swirling up in him again, all hidden behind a sad smile that he had the strength to pull up because of the presence of his parents.

"That's how I got here, huh?" He thought as he slowly looked down in shame, "I'm such a loser..."

"You're still here, so that's good news, dattebane!" Kushina hopefully cheered, "Looking at how hurt you look, it must mean that someone's healing your body and keeping you alive!"

Naruto frowned heavily, "I don't want to live anymo-"

Suddenly, he was slapped hard across the face.

He stumbled back in surprise, but was caught when Kushina held him by his collar and screamed "How dare you say that!!"

Naruto looked at his mom in shock.

"What do you mean by that, huh?!" Kushina screamed, "I didn't raise you to say that!"

"You never raised me, dattebayo!" Naruto snapped back, earning him another slap.

"Whatever the hell happened, huh?!" Kushina pressed agressively as he shook her son, "What happened before you got here?! Why are you so weak?!"

Minato could only stand and watch, not knowing what to do.

Naruto looked down intensely, unwillingly recalling all the events before.

It was burning him inside, nothing but suffering.

He lost everything.

Kushina saw her son slowly break down, tears uncontrollably flowing.

"She left me"

Minato and Kushina both felt their hearts break for their son.

Naruto slowly slipped away from his mother's grip, falling his knees, banging his head once on the floor.

Then he spoke. He cried it out.

Who she was. How he met her. How he grew to care so much. How he realized he loved her. And how it all ended.

He was suffering.

Kushina's eyes soften when she sees that Naruto's wounds were starting to disappear by the second.

"Do you... Want to go back?" She asked, understanding every answer.

Naruto, keeping his head bowed down, silently said "... Not really..."

Minato held his hand out to his son with an understanding smile, "It's okay, you did well"

Naruto looked at his hand in shock, "... You're... Okay with..."

The older man sighed and said "I mean... It's your choice, son..."

"If you're really ready to rest, it's okay" Kushina said.

Naruto pondered. Is he ready to go?

He slowly raised his hand to reach for his father.

"I'll finally be with my parents and Jiraiya..."

He smiled back at his parents as Minato helped him up, their hands clasped together in firm grips.

"I can finally say 'thank you' to everyone who lost their lives for me..."

"Yeah..!" He chuckled, feeling a tad bit excited, "Let's go!"

"I can be with everyone I lost again!"

Kushina laughed in joy as she grabbed his other hand, "We're together now, dattebane!"

"Yes" Minato said with a nod, a smile also on his face.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered as they all took one step forward together, "Let's-"

"Without Hinata though?"

He felt his heart ache unbearably, and he froze midstep.

"Hinata..." He said, eyes wide and shaking, "I-I..."

Kushina and Minato smiled at each other so bittersweetly, then to Naruto.

They understood what was gonna happen.

"She doesn't love you anymore!"

"But, I-I can't..."

"She left you!"

"I-I don't want to leave her..."

"She's happy somewhere else!"

"I can't stand the though of being apart from her"

"SHE DOESN'T NEED YOU!"

"I won't go without her!" Naruto yelled as he took steps back, slipping away from his parents... "I-I can't possibly leave her!"

He slowly felt the sting of his wounds returning and his right arm ghosting away.

"I love her too much!"

Kushina walked up to him and hugged him tight, a long embrace knowing she won't be able to hug him for a long time, "Who is it?"

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, suddenly all too afraid to die, "I love Hinata! I can't die yet!"

Minato came up to them and joined the hug, wiping away his son's tears.

Naruto was still shaking in his place, "I don't want to die yet!"

"Naruto..." Kushina whispered.

"Hinata!"

If he goes... He'll never get the chance to see her smile again.

"Hinata!"

"It's too early for you to sleep... Wake up"

---

"Hinata!"

Shikamaru and Sai both jumped in surprise as Naruto suddenly shot up from his sleep.

Shikamaru looked at his palm warrily, the clock dangerously close to the end, then closed it tightly.

"Three days asleep, that's all you mutter" He thought as he stood up and walked up to the blonde, "And that's the first thing you say when you wake up too?"

Sai noted the lost look on his friend's face, "Did all that shut-eye mess up your brain even more?"

"... Where's Hinata?"

Shikamaru's lips formed into a thin line, "Of course"

"She's in the artificial sun" He said bluntly, "After her kidnap, we managed to track down Toneri's hideout, must be where he's holding Hinata hostage too"

Then Naruto remembered the situation, what happened. With a heavy heart, he lied back down and turned his back to his friends.

Shikamaru's eyes soften, Naruto was disheartened... As if the happy facade he's been putting up for months finally broke.

What could have happened to turn him like this?

"Did something happen between you and Hinata?" He asked.

Only love can break a man this bad, right?

"Nothing, really"

Even when not facing him, Shikamaru could tell it was a lie.

Even Sai could tell it was a terrible and blatant lie, so, in an attempt to lighten the mood, he said "You kept calling out her name..! 'Hinata! Hinata!'! ... Along with some pretty embarassing stuff"

Shikamaru gave Sai a nudge, the blonde wasn't having the teasing.

"But..! I got to see your mushy side!" Sai continued with a hint of laughter, "It's great research material for me!"

"Sai" Shikamaru said in a scolding tone.

Naruto sat up and moved to in front of the campfire in an attempt to get rid of the cold feeling inside.

"You gotta talk, Naruto" Shikamaru said, genuine concern in his voice, "Why are you like this?"

Naruto took a moment to decide whether to tell them or not.

He really needed someone to talk to.

"I..."

It hurts...

"I confessed to Hinata"

"Confessed?" Shikamaru asked in confusion, "Confessed what? What did you do?"

"Confess... Like the love proclamation?" Sai asked.

Naruto's nod took both of them by surprise.

"I didn't expect him to realize so soon..!" Shikamaru thought with a growing smile on his face, happy for his friends, but frowned when he realized "But why is he moping around then?"

"And then she rejected me"

That was much more surprising to them.

"What?!"

"N-Not the opposite?" Shikamaru asked, the most confused he has ever been in a while.

Whether he likes to admit it or not, Shikamaru has been one of the people who got to witness the budding relationship between the two the most.

He saw them at their best and their weakest, persevering for each other, helplessly and unknowingly pining for each other for years.

But...

When they are in a life or death situation, with a potential of it being the last few days of Earth... Naruto, the one Hinata has been admiring for so long, finally confesses to her...

And she rejects him?

He doesn't understand...

"No... I was completely rejected"

"I don't understand..." The Nara thought, "Why?"

He shook his head. Now isn't the time to deal with personal problems!

He glanced at the clock in his hand and hissed to himself. They have to move fast, but they can't do it without the mopey and heartbroken guy.

"That aside," Shikamaru said with a heavy sigh, "You better suck it up for now, we have a mission"

"Mission?" Naruto thought as he weakly got back up, only to crawl back into the makeshift bed, "Yeah right... Like it matters"

"Hello? The mission?" Shikamaru pushed, "Got water in your ears?"

"Fuck you... Leave me alone..."

"Look!" The Nara growled, "Is it really that hard to see the girl who rejected you?! She's in danger, you fucker! Are you that lame?! Get up your sorry ass, because she's not the only kidnapped! Her sister is, too! Are you really just gonna give up that easily?!"

"Never give up... That's what you taught me, Naruto-kun..!"

"I-I know that..! I'm not giving up!" Naruto yelled out instinctively, "Like I'd ever-..."

"What? Yes I am!"

"I am?"

"Yes! I give up!"

"I give up..."

His eyes held nothing but pain and confliction.

He was way too damaged to put up any walls. He was exposed.

He wanted to cower under the black judgemental eyes... He wanted to... But he's far too numb for that.

"You're not giving up," Shikamaru said with furrowed eyebrows, "But you're not willing to do anything?"

"I give up!" Naruto hissed, "Why can't I say that out loud?!"

The Nara's eyes sharpened in judgement, "Stop being a child for once, Naruto! Take this seriously! This isn't a game!"

"Believe me, please, when I tell you, that, yes, I treat some serious matters as a game sometimes- most of the time. B-But you, n-never did I consider you a game, I always take you seriously, I-I.. I... I wanna be careful so that I won't lose you..."

But he did.

He lost her.

Did he ever have her?

He looked down, no motivation at all, "Hanabi is one thing..."

Shikamaru raised a brow.

"... But it's not like Hinata was taken against her will..." Naruto said, pain present in his breaking voice, "... She went to Toneri completely on her own"

What was going on?

"What is she thinking?!" Shikamaru thought, "Hinata... You have some explaining to do!"

"Toneri..." His name was venom to him, "He... He said that she was going to be his... His bride..."

Sai have read countless stories about love. He knew it was painful for someone to lose their special other to someone else.

He didn't picture it to be this bad.

"The scarf that she knit for me..." He choked out, his eyes watering from the thought, "It burned... It burned up right in front of me... I-I couldn't even hold on to it..!"

Shikamaru felt the pain his friend was going through, even though he can't relate.

His pain was too much, it was overflowing.

"It slipped away... Turned to ashes..." Naruto recalled, almost reliving his trauma, "Why is it like that-ttebayo? Why did it feel like my bond with Hinata was destroyed along with it? Why..?! Why does it hurt so much?!"

Only the blonde's occasional sobs echoed the cave along with the crackling of the campfire's flames.

Shikamaru didn't know what to do.

This wasn't a matter of the mind.

This was a matter of the heart.

He doesn't know... He doesn't know...

"Wow"

Shikamaru looked at Sai in shock, hearing an awful lot amusement in his voice.

"Naruto is a very strong shinobi" Sai chuckled, "Very strong even the most gruesome of pain in battle... But with a broken heart, he's so weak... You're surprisingly worthless!"

"I am worthless"

"Sai!" Shikamaru growled.

But then...

"Commit suicide, that's the fastest way. She hates you, no point of trying to turn it around, just kill yourself already"

He sighed because of the only idea in his head.

"Sai! What the hell are you doing, moron?!"

"U-Using reverse psychology?"

"SHANARO!!! Reverse psychology doesn't work that way!!!"

This worked before, so it better work again now!

"You fuckin' Team 7 always causes us trouble, goddammit!!"

"You fuckin' loser" Shikamaru said with all the intent to tick off the man, "Causing and calling in trouble every now and then, that's who you are, asshole"

It was Sai's turn to look at Shikamaru in shock.

"If you're giving up on your girl, then might as well give up everything else, ey?! Being Hokage? The lives of other people? The entire fuckin' Earth!"

He saw Naruto flinch. He smirked, he knew he was hitting a nerve or two.

"Fine! Give it all up!" He continued, "That's not the Naruto I knew, but whatever! Whatever, right?! You're a loser who gives up! Definitely not Hinata's type of person!"

At the slip of her name, Naruto sharply turned with a deadly glare. But he's not done yet, not until the other gets up.

"Pathetic! Shameful! Absurd!" Shikamaru put his hands on his waist, bracing himself of what might happen next, "You're weak... No wonder she left you"

"That's it!"

In a blink of an eye, Shikamaru gulped heavily as he was suddenly taken by the collar and off of his feet.

He looked down at Naruto in fear, those blue eyes glaring at him with fury.

"What did you fucking say, huh, Shikamaru?!" Naruto yelled in the voice of anger that only a broken man could muster, "Are you trying to pick a fight?!"

"Bingo"

Pushing aside his instinctual fear, Shikamaru glared back down and yelled "Fine! Go as low as to beat me up! Let your personal life affect this!"

Naruto raised a fist to beat him up, only to stop when the other continued, "But you are a shinobi!"

"Because in the end of the day, I am a kunoichi"

He froze up.

"Swallow up all your personal problems for now and focus on the mission!"

"My ninja life and my personal life are different!"

"Man up, Naruto! Your life isn't the only one in the line here!"

"I thought you, of all people, would know"

It was silent for a good few seconds.

Sai could only watch from his spot with wide eyes, not knowing what to do and how to react.

He thinks he's nervous. Curious? Afraid? He's not really sure.

Shikamaru then reached the ground again, internally sighing in relief as he looked at the ashamed man before him, "I can't believe that worked"

He looked at the blonde.

But he knows that they don't stand a chance yet. Not when Naruto was like this.

"Naruto"

The Uzumaki flinched at his name.

"I need to show you something"

---

Otsutsuki Hamura.

Tenseigan.

Misinterpretations.

A grudge carried from a lifetime to another.

It was all a bit too much for Hinata to handle on her own.

Her pale lavender eyes carefully watched as her fingers and knitting needles weaved together threads of silky red scarf.

Across from her table, Toneri stared at her in utter awe.

He couldn't believe that she was really there with him.

Years, his father has promised him her and someone to love and be with. And, just like as destiny told them, there they were, together at last.

Hinata could not bare to look up and look at him in the eyes... Her sister's eyes, those of which he wore as his own in order to gain the prowess of the Tenseigan.

He asked her to make him a scarf.

She was making a scarf. Not for him.

---

Sakura smiled as she turned her head to the sulking blonde.

"That's the stupidest story I have ever heard" She said, "If I weren't so tired, I would've punched you to the sun myself"

Three days straight, she's been transferring her chakra to him to keep him alive. She collapsed a few hours before he woke up.

"... 'Women are as fickle as the autumn weather'... I heard that from my mom..." Sakura said, bitter memories returning to her, "That... That is where I genuinely think my mother is wrong"

"What are you so mad about? I just told you I like you instead of Sasuke-kun"

"That is not true..." The pinkette said.

She closed her eyes and hummed at some memories she had. Loud proclamations of love, screamed at the top of his lungs.

She understood why it suddenly stopped. When someone finally gave him the attention he wanted, he no longer felt competitive.

"I remember it grossly too clearly" She giggled, "I remember when we were kids..."

He was silent.

She could tell that he doesn't catch what she was saying.

"Wow... I gotta say," She said as she looked at him with a smile, "I never thought you'd confess your love first, Naruto..."

He suddenly looked at her with wide eyes.

"You two were running all around the village, helplessly oggling over each other" She giggled, "I thought she'd accidentally slip and confess any time since she knew her feelings... But here you are. It was the other way around, huh?"

"C..." He confusedly muttered, "Confess? Her? She... She doesn't like me that way..."

"Because I love you"

It hurts him. Knowing he was too late.

"Not anymore..."

Poor guy. She sighed, "It seems so long ago now..."

She always thought of those memories to be the worst and most annoying ones... But now... They were just funny. Amusing. They were kids, afterall.

"But do you remember when you said that you loved me?" She tried to say in a teasing tone, but her tiredness didn't allow her, so she simply continued, "I wonder if I'm right... If you only said that because I love Sasuke-kun... And you simply didn't want to lose to him"

This sat wrong with Naruto.

Was she saying that he only thinks that he loves Hinata because Toneri was around?

He hated it! It felt off in every way!

He knows he loves her...

Seeing the look Naruto had, Sakura smiled. She knew she was right.

"But it's real this time, isn't it?" She giggled, "This is amazing... Hinata is a great person... Honestly..! She's almost too good for you!"

"Yeah"

She was. Naruto knew this long before.

From her social status to her personality. He knew he couldn't approach her because of those before.

It made him so happy that she was kind enough to let him in her life.

He always instinctively protected her from the very start... She's simply too good.

So beautiful.

"... But..." It hurts him to say it, but he kept telling it to everyone in an attempt to make himself numb to it, "Hinata left me... She went off to be with Toneri"

"You really are an idiot!" She hissed, "From that story that you told me, too ridiculous not to be true, it's obvious she has a reason that she just couldn't reveal to you!"

She turned to look up at the ceiling, "She loved you for the longest time, Naruto... I don't think she'd change her mind as you claim her to have done"

She closed her eyes, "Women are as fickle as the autumn weather... What bullshit... I believe that when a girl falls in love, and it's true love... Her feelings won't change that easily... Honestly, they can't change... I understand just how she feels..."

"A reason that she just couldn't reveal..." He hopefully thought, his hands tightly holding to each other, "A reason... A reas-"

Then, suddenly, he remembered...

"Naruto-kun... About Toneri's puppet..."

Was that it?

"He told me-"

Was she trying to tell him?

"Judging by the stupid look on your face, I bet you're piecing things together" Sakura giggled, giddy for her friends.

"She..." He excitedly said, placing a hand on his head as a large smile formed on his face, his eyes becoming watery at the feeling of spark of hope, "She tried to tell me something..!"

He knew that look on Hinata's face. It was serious! She was about to give him vital information!

Then he slapped his forehead, "How can I be this stupid?!"

"Eh? Aren't you-" "Of course!" Naruto excitedly laughed as he pieced everything together, "She was using Toneri to find Hanabi! Why else?!"

Sakura's eyes widen, "Oh shit! You're right!"

"Hinata would never turn on her team!" "You're right!" "Where else would Hanabi be?!" "Right!"

Naruto hopefully looked at Sakura, the slightest glimmer of life in it, an unsure smile on his face, "A-And... And she technically didn't say anything to reject me... R-Right?"

Sakura smiled at him, reassuring him, "Right"

Meanwhile, Sai looked at Shikamaru in confusion.

The Nara had his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide, "Of course! How come I didn't think of that?!"

"Shikamaru?" Sai asked, "Are you having a seizure?"

Shikamaru proudly looked up with a smirk, "Mister future Hokage figured it out"

---

"Any second now..." Hinata thought as she knitted the scarf.

And just like she expected, Toneri suddenly groaned in pain, caressing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked, "It looks to be hurting more everytime"

"I'm fine..." He said, trying to push back the pain as much as he could.

He stood up and walked away, "I'm going to my room and rest... I'm looking forward to see the scarf when it's finished"

She nodded silently, keeping her attention on knitting.

She waited half a minute after he left the room before she stopped.

It was time.

She left the scarf safely on a table near Hanabi's bed, leaving her a kiss on the forehead before she left.

She quietly opened the window and crawled out, closing it behind her before leaping down, travelling via jumping from roof to roof.

There was a floating rock, much more important than the rest. It was the formation floating at the center of a crescent moon shaped rock base. Directly bellow the castle.

She knows the Tenseigan was in there. It was the only place she could not see.

At her arrival, she clicked her tongue. It only seems like a cluster of rocks.

But upon a glance of her well trained eyes, she spotted a hole in the ground with levels that looks to be carved out by humans.

She quickly ran down the stairs with no second thoughts, and she had to pay no mind when the stone stairs was soon a gold path.

The golden path then separates into different paths, curving and twisting around a large eyeball, twenty diameters from her measuring, floating at the center.

She connected to the path she took and ran on it, not minding the curves and twists.

She jumped to the next path, one surrounding the eye like a ring.

She looked directly ahead of her, staring straight into the glowing eye, "This is the Tenseigan..."

Back in the crypt, the main family's puppet showed her what this weapon could do in a series of illusions, as if tossing her back in time.

Hamura was there, too. He gifted her a portion of his chakra to be able to destroy it.

It was a terrifying weapon.

And from her memory of it, it seemed to have grown larger. It was still glowing since it was active, moving the moon she presumes.

She glared at it and took a stance to destroy it.

"I will stop the moon!"

As she gathered as much chakra as she could in her hand, she suddenly sensed enemies.

She sharply turned and saw puppets flooding in, surrounding her.

She hissed.

She wasn't used to the new amount of chakra, it took her too long to muster it all into one shot.

As fast as wind, the puppets all swooped down on her.

Activating her Byakūgan, she read the flow of their chakras and dodged and attacked accordingly, delivering devastating blows one puppet at a time.

She knows how to use the size and weight of her body to its full potential, ducking around and slipping in, tossing herself gracefully in the air and maneuvering all of her movements to be useful and tactical.

Not a single step was wasted.

She had trained with Naruto and his clones, she knows how to fight multiple at once. One man at a time.

She easily broke each puppet with one blow each, and just as one was left standing, she was about to strike it with her palm when-

"What?!"

She suddenly had zero control over her body. Suddenly she was weightless.

She was pulled all the way back, and her wrist was caught in a painful grip.

She yelped at the hand, and she glared up at the man controlling her.

"Toneri!"

Toneri looked down at her, annoyed and furious.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in an icy tone, "What were you planning?"

"You're in the wrong! Hamura-san entrusted me with the true celestial decree back in the tombs of the Otsutsuki main family!" Hinata quickly yelled, "Your ancestors have misunderstood the decree and are twisting his teachings!"

He was furious.

Years ago, when it was only he and his father was left, they visited the Hyūga on Earth frequently, hiding from the sight of the Byakūgan and gathering chakra to their forehead to see despite having already sacrificed their eyes.

They were most fond of a little girl with the purest of chakra and most powerful of eyes.

She had a delightful laughter as she plays in the clan's garden.

Hinata was such an innocent child, filled with beauty to the brim.

Little Toneri was most interested in her, especially because his father promised that they would be married in the future.

His father talked to her grandfather and made a deal.

A wife.

Someone to love him...

Hinata was such a beautiful girl.

He watched her train in her compound. How he hated her older cousin for hurting her so much.

He couldn't express how happy he was when he visited again and found out he was finally dead.

Hinata was such a beautiful woman.

He was in awe when he saw her again. He was pleased when he saw her in her room, humming as she knitted a beautiful red scarf.

He wanted a scarf from her...

She was almost an adult. They were to be married soon, so he excitedly requested audience with her grandfather one last time to express his gratitude.

He was happy to have met her father instead. Hiashi came to him, he thought he was there to meet his future son-in-law.

But no...

Hiashi was a traitor instead.

He tried to break the deal and kill him.

What a feeble old man he was.

Not only was he as strong as he claimed to be, but he was also not smart enough to see that his daughter and him were meant to be.

She came to him before her birthday, so flattering.

She accepted his invite to live in his palace.

But...

"You..." Toneri looked at her in disdain, "Betrayed me"

Hinata was as stupid as her father. She betrayed him.

Toneri felt nothing but anger.

He marched across the castle, she was restrained behind him as he controlled her body to float close behind.

She kept screaming and babbling nonsense. None that he could hear over his fury.

She was tainted!

Earth tainted her beauty!

"That man..." Toneri thought, the face of a certain blonde shinobi in his head, "He tainted her!!"

He once used a heart-reflecting bubble on her, and one man was constantly on her worried mind.

Was he always in her mind?!

He furiously opened the door to Hanabi's room, with the intent of killing the little girl in front of her older sister, but, the sight of the red scarf angered him more.

"Was she thinking about him when she made that?!"

He recalled seeing her giving the blonde man the scarf she first made before she left.

He knew it.

He grabbed the scarf and glared at her, "You were making this for him and not for me HAVEN'T YOU?!?!"

Hinata felt her heart break as her hard work broke into pieces from Toneri's jutsu, "No!!"

Toneri was filled with anger.

The woman was a dirty traitor!

He glared at her and made a jutsu orb in his hand, "I'll make sure you'll never betray me again! Ever!!!"

Hinata felt painful chakra enter her chest, and suddenly, she lost vision and any sorts of senses. She felt like a puppet.

---

Morning. It was morning.

Naruto zipped up his jacket and wore his headband.

He was a man on a mission, and he was the most determined he has ever been.

"I fought wars before"

He left everything but his weapons behind. It was time to fight, and he's not backing down.

"But so far, this is the one that matters to me the most"

His eyes squinted as he finally saw the opening of the cave that they were camping in.

The sunny place was a distance away, and he confidently marched to reach it.

"Hinata…"

The warmth of the sun greeted him the moment he stepped out of the shadows, calling out to him for adventure.

"This big idiot finally understands…"

He looked at the palm of his hand, the one he used to hold the scarf until it disappeared.

"The real meaning of the scarf you gave to me when you went with Toneri…"

He raised it to his chest as he closed his eyes, feeling the beating of his heart as he took deep breaths in and out.

"I know now, from the scarf you painstakingly knitted and took so long to finish, that your love can't be unravelled so easily…"

With one strong huff of air out, he opened his eyes and looked up at the sun.

"Wait for me…"

He raised his hand and reached to the sun, the thrumming of his heart strong in his chest.

"This whole time, you always loved me for the way I am…"

He's so far away from the sun, but it doesn't matter.

"Now, as a man, there's something I must tell you… Hinata, I swear I will save you!"

He will get to the sun. No matter what.

---

Her lips were painted with ruby red paint, black sashes were wrapped around her, both bringing stark contrast to her pale skin.

Marionettes danced around Hinata as they dressed her up, as careful as they could be, as if dressing a porcelain doll.

Despite all of this happening around her, she had no idea of anything.

Gongs were continuously ringing all across the castle, signifying the beginning of the ceremony.

The doors behind her opened, and walked in was Toneri.

He smiled in pride and in awe.

He took a step aside and gestured her to the hall, "My bride... Let us walk to the palanquin"

With no protests, she walked gracefully out, walking beside the man whom calls himself her groom.

---

"Don't stop for anything, dattebayo!!!"

Four ink birds flew directly to the artificial sun, carrying all four of the team members on their backs.

Naruto felt a strong rush of adrenaline as he saw puppets rushing out on their own birds, alerted of their arrival.

"I'll break through the barrier!" He formed a Rasenshuriken with the intention to destroy, and as he was about to throw it, Shikamaru yelled "Let them come out!"

They flew closer and closer, and at the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw a hole opening the barrier and comes flooding out the enemies in greater speed as them.

"Do it now, Naruto!!"

"Right!" With precision, he threw the orb of chakra at the enemies, destroying each and every one of the ones that were even close.

He heard Shikamaru call out to them, and he saw him controlling one puppet and opening an entrance for them.

Just as they entered and reached the air above a strange looking castle, chakra orbs started getting shot at them from machines.

The team skillfully dodged around the anti-aircrafts, with only Sakura's ride being a casualty.

"Entering enemy base!"

Shikamaru and Sai landed on the courtyard and immediately got rained down by explosive chakra orb.

"SHANARO!!!"

From above, Sakura jumped down from the bird and started to destroy the left side of the machines while a Rasenshuriken took care of the right.

Shikamaru and Sai reached a hall, ducking away from the sheer destruction behind them.

Just as it was cleared out, Shikamaru looked at the clock on his palm, only to cover it up with a glove with a groan of irritations, "Mendokusē!"

Naruto quickly ran passed them and yelled "Get up! Don't stop!"

The three quickly followed behind him as he rushed into the castle, clearing out enemies that dared to face them.

They got to another courtyard where they could finally hear gongs.

It infuriated Naruto. He can tell the gongs were for a ceremony.

"Where's Hanabi?!" Shikamaru asked, knowing fully well that Naruto was planning to get to Hinata first.

Briefly activating his Sage Mode, Naruto immediately spotted chakra that was different from puppets and separated from two others, "She's in the tower up there!"

"Sakura! Sai! You two go rescue Hanabi!"

"Roger!"

The group separated into teams of two.

Shikamaru groaned when he realized that heavier puppets were around the area they took and was much more heavily guarded.

He was weaving through hand seals when suddenly, Naruto started punching his way through, not missing a beat and only leaving a path of broken puppets behind him.

He was not slowing down at all.

Shikamaru could only stare at Naruto's back in awe.

No longer could he see any trace of the brokenhearted man in the cave, unwilling to move with zero motivation.

Naruto was in his best shape, to rescue Hinata, he was at his strongest.

The gongs suddenly stopped, making Naruto groan, "Why did it stop?!"

"Dammit!" He hissed.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru called out, trying to run as fast as he could to catch up to Naruto, but he was far too fast, "Mendokusē..."

"That Naruto..." He thought as he lost sight of him, "He's fired up"

---

Toneri and Hinata exited the palanquin as they reached outside of the chapel.

Toneri got down first and offered his hand to her to help her down, but frowned when he saw her face, "This is our long awaited wedding. Look happier"

She automatically smiled, looking mechanical with no emotions behind it.

The two of them entered the chapel where priests were lined up to greet them as they walked down the hall towards the altar.

The official made a single hand seal, then the floor below Toneri and Hinata started glowing as the crest of the Otsutsuki clan formed bellow them.

As per Otsutsuki clan tradition, the official placed a small piece of bread in Toneri's mouth to feed to Hinata.

Toneri leaned in to feed the bread to her, and just as the bread came close-

"HINATA!!!"

The doors burst open as Naruto came running in.

"... That guy again..." Toneri groaned as he glared back at the man.

Naruto, as dense as he was, knew exactly what was going on. He knows this was a wedding judging from how everything looked. If he was a minute later, he would've been too late.

He was enraged at the sight. He knew how Hinata felt, at least for Toneri.

Seeing the woman he loves standing in front of an altar with another man made him the angriest he has ever been.

"I'm sure he's forcing Hinata into this!"

He growled at the pale colored man.

"I'll be the one to stand beside Hinata, not Toneri!"

"Fuckin' bastard! Stay away from her!!" Naruto yelled as he rushed up the altar and threw a punch at Toneri.

He won't even bother trying to talk to this guy.

Just before his fist met with Toneri's face, a priest swooped in and caught his punch.

The priest stretched out a glowing bubble and stretched it as a sword to attack Naruto.

Being caught off guard, the blonde jumped back as the priest attacked him.

All the other priests started to attack him as well, all holding swords of their own.

A longer blade than the kunai, Naruto was not used to this.

"Naruto, I have only one thing to say to you" Toneri said as he pulled Hinata by the wrist, "Your fists will never touch me!"

After saying his throwaway line, he retreated into a secret room behind the altar.

"Come back here, coward!" Naruto yelled in anger, no matter how many he has taken down, more and more comes in.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru groaned when he saw Naruto trying to get through multiple puppets at once.

"Where's Hinata?!" Shikamaru asked, "Why'd you stop?!"

"I'm stuck-ttebayo!" Naruto yelled back, clearly frustrated, "Toneri took her back there!"

Suddenly, all the puppets surrounding Naruto stopped.

He looked down and saw that they were all in Shikamaru's shadow.

The Nara nodded at the Uzumaki and said "Leave all of this to me"

The blonde nodded at him gratefully, "Thanks!"

Without wasting another second, he jumped over the heads of the puppets and ran to the passageway that Toneri used to run.

The official raised one hand cockily as a warning for Naruto to stop, but he couldn't care less, "Move"

The official couldn't even react as Naruto ran passed him, the light speed punch too fast for him to even comprehend before he died.

---

Sakura and Sai raced up a series of stairs up the tower on ink lions, but as they reached the very top, they saw a bunch of identical looking girls.

They hesitated for a moment, "Little girls?"

All of the girls stood in a column with mechanical smiles before their jaws dropped and revealed sharp blades as their teeth, their laughter coming out of them as they all lunged at both of the ninjas.

"Holy-!!" Sakura took stance and growled "One at a time!"

---

As he went deeper and deeper in, Naruto couldn't help feeling creeped out by the area.

The walls reeked of chakra, and every turn seems to be the same path that he's been running down on.

He was running purely on instinct. He knows where Hinata was. He always does.

As he reached finally reached the room where Toneri and Hinata stopped, he immediately registered what was in there.

In bubbles, one male and female of each animal on Earth floated in the room. Toneri and Hinata must be the humans.

"HINATA!!!"

Toneri hissed and sharply turned, "You pesky bastard"

"Give Hinata back!!!" Naruto screamed as he ran to attack Toneri.

"Surely, he won't hurt Hinata" The Otsutsuki smirked, "Fine, you want her back? Then have her"

He raised a hand, and just like commanded, Hinata quickly lunged ahead and attacked Naruto.

The blonde was taken by surprise.

He raised an arm to block her attack and braced himself for the painful chakra point shut down, only to feel nothing but her brute strength from the attack.

Thankfully, Hinata had weak upper body strength, it didn't hurt him enough to affect his fighting.

She was aggressively attacking him, rather slowly, pushing him back more and more.

"She's fighting differently" He noted, "Hinata! It's me! Naruto! Stop it!"

Usually, Hinata would try to keep her enemy stuck in one place, she would try to move around them, attack only the most vital parts, and use open spaces to her advantage.

But this time, she was fighting recklessly, attacking every open targets, pushing him back, and staying on the ground.

"Hinata!"

"What do you think of my wife's combat skills?" Toneri laughed, seeing that Naruto was struggling to fight.

What's gotten into her?!

Naruto's eyes widen when he saw her eyes.

They were blank and void of emotions.

Not even a glimpse of determination, anger, nor boredom. Nothing.

"Please!"

Why was she acting as if she's someone else?!

"Tell me what's wrong!"

Then, that's when he felt it.

Her chakra...

She was sad... Lonely... Lost...

She doesn't know what was going on.

"He's controlling her!" Naruto scowled in realization, finally feeling where her chakra seemed to be off, "Hinata!"

He's got to admit, she was fighting in a different style, and she wasn't showing any openings, as if someone else was looking at the fight for her.

For a brief moment, he looked at Toneri, he was intently watching their fight.

He knew it.

"There's no way Hinata would turn on her friends, dattebayo!" He thought as he took one last step backward, "I knew Hinata would never leave me! Dammit!"

He grabbed her right wrist with his right hand as he radiated his right enough for the cells to spread out enough for it to phase through.

He could feel her suffering and loneliness... He wants to save her!

"Be a little more patient..." He just hopes it won't hurt, "It will be over soon!"

His right hand phased through her chest, and he immediately felt a cluster of chakra, a bubble, stuck to her heart.

Without hesitation, he grabbed and pulled it out of her body, and as he touched the orb of chakra, it started flickering and weakening, and he could see glimpses of her memories with every flicker.

He saw a red scarf burst into pieces before her.

He saw moments before she lost senses, when she was hung on a wall next to decorative puppets.

His heart broke in a completely different way, anger consuming him as he finally got the bubble out of her body.

She dropped harmlessly with him carefully catching her unconscious body.

Naruto glared at the bubble that he held in his right hand, hearing a muffled version of her screaming for reconsideration and understanding.

Why must people treat her so horribly?

She did nothing but to be kind!

He glared at Toneri with pure hatred as he destroyed the bubble, "How dare you treat Hinata like one of your play dolls!"

Toneri only tisked and smirked cockily. Naruto wanted to jump and tear the other man into pieces, but he didn't want to move and potentially hurt Hinata.

"She took her time to convince you! She understood your situation before she acted!" He kept screaming, trying to get the other to feel shame and regret, "She treated you so kind! Why would you hurt her like that?! Hinata didn't deserve that, dattebayo!!"

"She's from Earth, afterall..." Toneri chuckled, "So she's just as tainted"

Then, he raised his hand to their direction, "But she's mine, Hinata is mine... So I'll take her back now"

It was as if his other half was being ripped away from him once again.

Hinata's body started to levitate away from Naruto, and he tried to keep his grip on her, but he had to let go when it was getting too strong with her most probably getting hurt already.

"Hinata!" He cried out as he quickly got to his feet, trying to run after her.

As he was just inches away from them, as Hinata finally got in Toneri's arm, the Otsutsuki quickly raised his hand towards Naruto once more, sending him back into a wall with an extremely powerful burst of chakra.

"Down with you!" Toneri growled as he used more chakra.

"Ack!!!"

Naruto kept sinking further and further into the wall as the attack kept getting more and more powerful.

He was being crushed at this point, "Hi- ack!!! HINATA!!!"

At the sound of her name, Hinata started to force herself to consciousness, feeling extreme amounts of chakra around her.

"HINATA!!!"

"Na..." Toneri tisked as he realized that she was waking up, "Naruto... kun..."

At the sound of destruction, she quickly snapped out of her daze, and she realized that she was in Toneri's grasp.

He sweetly smiled at her and stopped his jutsu on Naruto to make a new bubble, "Hinata, it's too soon for you to wake up"

"What?!"

At the sight of the bubble, she quickly froze up at the memory of when she last saw a bubble like that.

When she was stuck.

When she was nothing but a doll.

In a moment of pure luck, Toneri's eyes started pulsating again, much stronger and more painful than the other ones, making him tumble down in pain, almost clawing his eyes out.

Hinata quickly snapped out of it, and the moment she realized that they were in the rebirth chamber, she immediately knew what could have happened.

As Toneri screamed out in pain, Hinata looked at him in worry, he was too much in pain, "What should I do?!"

"Th-This is it!!!" Toneri screamed through his pain, laughing maniacally, "The final pulsation before the Tenseigan!!!"

Realizing what it meant, Hinata quickly picked up the skirt of her gown to flee the scene.

As she turned on her heel, she quickly saw an unmistakable man, "Naruto-kun!"

At the sound of her voice calling out his name, Naruto groaned out of his lightheadedness and mustered up enough strength to pull himself out of the wall.

Hinata gasped when she saw how he looked. He had taken a proportional amount of damage. But... He wasn't backing down.

As Naruto escaped the wall, he desperately looked into her eyes. And, at last, she was looking back.

Hinata was with him.

"You're back..." He choked out, an overwhelming happiness taking over his heart for the first time in months.

She started to tear up, thinking about what he must've went through, "Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry!"

"You're too selfless" He smiled at her endearingly as he stepped forward and wiped away her tears, "No, I'm sorry..."

It was so good to finally touch her again.

It was so good to be in his touch again.

Hinata turned face to his palm as she took deep breaths to hold herself together for now.

They can deal with this later, but for now-

"We've got to go" Hinata said as she took steps back.

Her kunoichi face was on. He understood that they'll have to continue later.

"Let's deal with that guy first" Naruto said though he was confused at why the foe was in a deep state of pain.

He took out a kunai from his sleeve and prepared to slit Toneri's throat, but Hinata quickly grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him as she ran.

"There's no time, Naruto-kun!" She said as she lead the way, "Toneri can't move now, it's the perfect time to destroy the Tenseigan!"

With no hesitation, he followed her, "Eh? Tenseigan? What's that?"

"The reincarnation eye will destroy mankind"

"EHHH?!?! That Tenseigan?!" Naruto asked, "From the old text?!"

---

Sakura gasped when they finally saw Hanabi.

The little girl was laid on the bed, wraps around her eyes.

"Hanabi!" She gasped after realizing that her eyes were gauged out, "Who would do such a thing?"

"She's just a child..." Sai said as he picked her up gently.

Sakura surveyed the area.

There was no signs of struggle. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the mess of red threads scattered on the floor.

She knew what could've happened in there.

With pity, she picked up a shred of red woven cloth, "Hinata..."

---

"So if we destroy this... The moon will stop?"

If Naruto was still that stupid little brat he was, he would've ran around the giant deadly weapon in awe and opt to touch it in curiosity despite warnings.

"Yes"

If Hinata was still that cowardly little baby she was, she would've taken steps back and hide behind whoever was near and cower in fear, opting to stay away from danger.

"Alright, I'll destroy it with my Rasengan, dattebayo!"

But they weren't childish and naive anymore. They're smart and brave.

"No! There's a seal on it, so if people outside Hamura's bloodline touches it, their chakra would get extracted"

Naruto looked at Hinata in shock, "Then... How? Don't tell me we're gonna need that bastard..."

Hinata shook her head and simply got into stance, gathering up all the chakra she still had left from all the draining inflicted on her.

"That's right!" The blonde thought in realization, feeling a burst of pride and awe, "The Hyūga were from the Sage of Six Path's brother! Hinata can do this!"

She hissed as she finally gathered all she could, "This is nowhere near what I was given... But this will have to do! This is all I have left!"

Hinata leaped into the air as purple chakra enveloped both her hands, "Gentle Step: Twin Lions Surging Shot!"

With one big and powerful shot, the Tenseigan suddenly fluctuated as purple electricity surged around it.

Hinata landed on her feet, feeling on edge. They watched the orb as electricity flowed around it for a couple of seconds.

The Tenseigan flickered, it's light momentarily dimming then returning...

The pulsations weakened each time...

Then it went silent...

It was silent for too long.

She knew it.

"I can't destroy it!" Hinata cried out.

Toneri suppressed her chakra the first night they met, and she kept travelling on the mission with capped chakra.

She received Hamura's chakra, but that, too, was suppressed by Toneri when he took control over her body.

From the moment she woke up, she had no time to regenerate enough chakra.

She was only ounces of chakra too short... The Tenseigan pulsated!

But still...

"I-I'm not enough..."

Naruto looked at Hinata. She was beating herself up. He didn't like that...

"N-Naruto-kun... What should we do?"

She was panicking.

He wants to be the one to reassure her.

And be the one, he shall be.

Hinata felt his hand take hers, and she looked up at him in shock.

"Look..." He said, "I'm not smart like Shikamaru, so I can't come up with a sure plan... But..."

He smiled at her confidently and said "I'm sure about a couple of things! One is that I'm great at jutsus! Two is that you are, too!"

He held her hand securely in his and gave it a loving squeeze, "If neither of us are enough, then luckily, three is that I'm sure about us, dattebayo!"

Hinata's eyes widen in realization, "I don't have enough chakra, but I'm the only one who could touch it... Naruto-kun can't touch it, but he has more than enough to destroy this!"

"Hinata, infuse me with your chakra!" The blonde confidently said, "If you do that, then we might be able to break this thing!"

They are opposites in multiple of ways. That's why, together, they are complete!

"Okay!" Hinata answered with an equally determined smile, returning the squeeze of his hand.

In dreary times, when one of them is not enough, the other would always come to the rescue and bring new light to the situation.

Besides... Just as Hinata was the one always there for Naruto, Naruto was the one always there for Hinata.

And in the face of what seems to be impossible, just like before, they'll stare it in the eye with confidence, hand in hand.

This time, it was Hinata who transferred chakra.

With no room to doubt, Naruto confidently looked ahead, determined to do it with her, "Ready?!"

"Yes!" She wholeheartedly answered.

His orange chakra and her purple chakra both enveloped them, creating a beautiful chaos of colors between them where they meet.

As if they did it before, as if it was second nature to them to work as one, in unison, they jumped high up in the air.

They yelled out their battle cries as they put as much chakra as they could into one attack.

They breathed as one. They moved as one. They thought as one. They yelled as one. Perfect unison, perfect for their unison attack.

Between their joined hands, an orange rasengan formed and a purple chakra lion head formed, combined into one powerful jutsu.

And together, they hit the Tenseigan with much force than before.

Just as they landed on their feet, the Tenseigan started pulsating and flickering incomparable from the previous one.

Each flicker turned more erratic and unstable, electricity won't stop travelling around it, and it started deforming.

Then, after five seconds of silence, Hamura's Tenseigan burst into a big explosion.

Naruto quickly shielded Hinata by turning his back to the explosion.

It was more of an explosion of light than it was of force. It didn't even blow them back, to their surprise.

Hinata gasped loudly, and once Naruto's eyes finally adjusted from the flash, he, too, was in shock.

Around them floated multiple objects unmistakable to both of them.

The eyes similar to those she grew up looking at. The eyes similar to the ones he grew to love.

"The Tenseigan..." Naruto was dumbfounded, "Was a cluster of Byakūgan?"

---

Call him lazy, but it's working.

Shikamaru laughed at his own resolve to being outnumbered by puppets, which is to use those puppets as his own with his shadows and make them fight each other instead.

Suddenly, a whole team of puppets closed in on him from above.

He groaned, realizing he can't catch them in his shadows, so he'd have to release each and every one in his jutsu and fight all of them manually.

"Mendokusē!"

And just in time as he released his technique, every puppets started to drop like marionettes when their strings are cut, "What?"

Shikamaru looked around as the light from outside also started dimming down, "Well, surely that ain't me who did that..."

He scratched the back of his head as he walked out with the aid of the light from the small fire of a lighter.

---

"Hanabi!"

Sai and Sakura both turned as Naruto and Hinata rushed to them, quickly passing Shikamaru as he dragged his feet oit of the chapel.

Unconscious in Sai's arms, Hanabi was curled up with a fresh wrap around her head.

"Hinata!" Sakura sighed in relief, "You've got some serious explaining to do"

Rushing to Hanabi's side, Hinata ran her own quick check up on her sister before smiling at her comrades who came to rescue her and her sister, "Thank goodness you guys finally saved her... Thank you all so much"

Naruto smiled at her softly and said "We would do anything for you, Hinata. It was no problem at all-"

"Ah-ah-ah, just for you, lover boy" Shikamaru cut him off as he looked at Hinata with crossed arms, "But for us, you've got some serious explaining to do"

Hinata gasped in realization and quickly bowed down, "I'm really sorry! I-I-"

"Not now, obviously" Shikamaru sighed as he rubbed his forehead, completely ignoring Hinata as she looked at him with big and watery puppy eyes and Naruto as he glared at him with deadly daggers.

"Our main objective was to save Hanabi" Sai said, unsure of what's next, "But we're also entrusted to stop the moon... How?"

"Oh! Don't worry about that-ttebayo!" Naruto quickly cheered, "Hinata and I dealt with the moon! It should be not moving by now!"

"What?!" Shikamaru quickly removed his glove, then laughed in amusement, looking at the duo after the unmoving clock, "Well, I don't know how you two dorks did it... But I got to say, I never doubted you guys"

Naruto and Hinata happily looked at each other from the approval they got.

Usually, Shikamaru was the one to call them out on their shenanigans in trainings and missions. It was his first time actually complimenting them in their work together.

"We destroyed the Tenseigan with a new jutsu!" Naruto excitedly explained, Hinata ecstatically nodded and said "It started to... The-the... The light started flickering like lightbulbs... Then it went l-like bwooosh"

Sakura almost laugh at Hinata's little hand gesture and sound effect accompanied by her soft voice, "Bwoosh?"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded, "It was one of the weirdest and unexpected things we've ever seen, dattebayo"

"Well!" Shikamaru yawned as he crossed his arms behind his head, "Great job, everyone! Seems like both missions are accomplished"

"Wait" Sakura said as she dug in her obi pouch, she carefully took out a scrap of woven cloth from it and handed to Hinata, "This is yours, right?"

Naruto's eyes widen in recognition, "That's... The scarf that Toneri tore up"

Hinata looked down at the former scarf sadly, before looking up at him in confusion, "H-How did you know that?"

"I, um... I saw glimpses of your memories when I pulled out that jutsu from your body..." He quietly said, feeling as if he somehow invaded her privacy, "S... Sorry..."

"It's okay..."

Sakura smiled. She knew better than to intervene, but maybe they needed a little push, "You were gonna give it to Naruto, right?"

"I-I..."

Hinata looked at the broken scarf before nodding painfully.

She wanted to give him something beautiful, tell him how she feels with it... But she failed both times... Both got ruined because she-

"Did you really knit that for me?"

She faced him shamefully, suddenly self-conscious, "Ye-yeah..."

At last, all the weight in Naruto's chest has been lifted after months, and he felt more and more happy by the second, "Will you give it to me?"

In shock, she looked up at him with red cheeks, "B-But it's in shreds, a-and I..."

"I don't care" He said, excited and overjoyed as he smiled at her reassuringly, "I mean, I want it"

She felt overwhelmed as she stared at him in shock, feeling her heart flutter and the butterflies in her stomach fly wildly.

The man she loves wanted her broken gift.

And he seemed so eager and excited about it, there was no mistaking in his eyes that he was overflowing with those emotions.

She felt shy, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she brushed away the dirt on the scarf with her gloved hand, folding it neatly.

Naruto, instead of chuckling at her antics like usual, only watched in pure awe at her cuteness, fidgetting around with the scarf, trying to make it as presentable as possible for him.

His heart was full.

He held out hid hand to show that he truly wants to accept the gift, making her blush even more.

Ever so carefully, she placed the scrap of scarf on his hand, feeling as if her heart was about to escape her chest, refusing to make eye contact with him thinking she might die.

Naruto looked at the scrap of scarf so endearingly, holding it with care as he caressed it gently, putting it close to his heart.

He felt the happiest he has ever been.

He looked at her with loving eyes and smiled at her affectionately.

"Thank you..."

Hinata looked up to try and steal a glance of him, only to freeze and stare in shock at his loving gaze on her.

"I'll treasure it forever"

And for the first time, she knowingly smiled back at him affectionately, tears brimming her eyes.

Suddenly, Shikamaru gasped, catching everyone's attention.

Sakura growled and raised her fist, "You ruined the mome-!!"

"Why did it start moving again?" Shikamaru asked in shock, staring at his palm.

They all frantically looked around. The artificial sun was still out, and there was no signs of puppets moving. But the moon was moving again... How?

Suddenly, the ground trembled strongly, almost knocking them all off balance.

"What was that?!" Sakura yelled as she continued to frantically look around.

And then, a large stone hand grabbed at the roof of the castle, and came peering at them was a giant stone statue, and to their surprise, it was moving.

"Another guardian?!" Shikamaru asked.

As it finally got up to it's full height, it threw its hand at the team to grab them.

Naruto was the very first to react, his reflexes kicking in, and the first thing he did was take Hinata in his arms and flee.

The others followed suit, narrowly escaping disaster.

The giant hand sunk into the ground from it's strength effortlessly.

Naruto and Hinata were up the highest, and they got to see it fully.

Judging from how shaky Hinata was in his arms, Naruto knew she was afraid of it.

He glared at it with malice, it was threatening Hinata and his friends!

The statue turned it's head to look at them, to look at Hinata.

It was the last straw.

Naruto transformed into his Kyūbi chakra mode, then calling upon his companion.

"KURAMAAAAA!!!!"

Hinata closed her eyes and held onto Naruto tight as Kurama responded to his call, being summoned right bellow them.

The two of them watched as Kurama grabbed the statue and tossing it on the castle, destroying the structures around them in the process.

Sai's ink bird finally came and caught them just as their hang time ended.

They flew high up in the sky with the group and spectated the giants fight.

"Where did that come from?!" Sai asked.

They were all worried as the fight suddenly became one sided, with Kurama being on the losing side.

The statue head-butted Kurama over the edge of the floating island, both giants falling off, and with the surface of the artificial sun gone, they fell countless meters, and to both of their dismay, fell through the gaping hole that Naruto's chakra made through the moon's surface.

"Kurama!!!" Naruto yelled in shock.

Suddenly, Hinata gasped and pointed at a direction, "Over there!"

"It's Toneri!" Shikamaru alerted.

Naruto looked at where Hinata was pointing, and there indeed was Toneri on an eagle beast, flying at them in full speed.

"Ahahaha!!! I don't need Hamura's Tenseigan anymore!" Toneri claimed as he entered Tenseigan chakra mode, "All I need are these eyes, and with them, I will destroy the Earth! Naruto!! I'll bring your precious world to an end!!!"

Toneri formed the beads of chakra into a ring and shot a strong blast of a directed tornado of chakra, "Silver Wheel: Rebirth Explosion!!!"

The powerful blast of chakra hit the team directly, sending all except for Naruto and Hinata flying back.

The two tried to withstand the blast, but the ink bird wasn't strong enough, disappearing beneath their feet.

Before being separated, Naruto quickly grabbed hold of Hinata's hand, staying together as they were thrown out to the surface of the moon.

They fell with little to no grace, Naruto wrapping his arms around Hinata as they harshly rolled, making sure that she's hurt as little as possible.

He got up to his feet, shaking off the numbness of his body, panicking when he realized that he accidentally let her go from the rough landing.

To his relief, she was only a few feet away, already recovering.

"Hinata!" He called out to her as he ran to her, "Are you okay?!"

She stood and regained her balance, smiling at him, "Y-Yeah! I'm-"

Boulders fell from above, and they both barely dodged it, a screen of dust now surrounding them.

The sudden realization that they were separated made Naruto panic, so he quickly ran back to where she was blindly, then, the sound of her scream echoed around him.

"Hinata!"

He made a weak wind style to clear up the area from the dust, finding out she wasn't anywhere near from where she was.

A shadow overhead caught his attention, and he was enraged at what he saw.

Hinata was held up by her hair as Toneri floated above him, smiling maniacally at her as he turned a truth seeking orb into a man sized bird cage.

Without second thought, he threw her harshly into the cage, trapping her in, "Watch from there as I finish him!"

"You bastard!!!" Naruto yelled in fury, about to leap up to attack his foe, but a whole barrage of boulders suddenly came raining down on him, one catching him.

"Naruto-kun!!!" Hinata screamed as she grabbed the bars.

From the shroud of dust, a bright orange light emitted, and out came a Rasenshuriken flying directly towards Toneri.

Toneri narrowly dodged the attack, then blocking the blades of the jutsu with a shield made from one of his orbs.

He glared down at the man as the smoke cleared up.

Both their eyes glowing in power and fury.

"This time, I'll fight you myself!!!" Toneri growled before his eyes glowed.

With speed greater than light, the two engaged in a brutal battle, sending each other in all directions, destroying everything in their wake.

"Why won't you believe Hinata?!?! She's telling the truth!!!"

"I've always been right, and I've thought it through over and over for so long!!! I can't possibly be wrong in any reality!!!"

Flaming orange clashed with icy blue in speeds only a skilled Sharingan could truly comprehend.

Years, Toneri had prepared for years to punish the shinobi of the Earth because of their hatred and abuse. He had watched the planet from afar, alone for so long. He was entrusted with the decree!!

And years, Naruto has been a witness of the hatred on Earth, but he worked hard to change the world and save it. He lives there, and he knows its beauty despite of going through its darkest of parts. He will protect his home!!

Both young men knew the pain and loneliness of being an orphan, learning about the cruelty of the world in the hard way... But they had different views in life... They had different beliefs that they built for themselves!

"The world created by the sage of six paths is a failure!!!" Toneri claimed as they distanced from each other, forming a jutsu in his hand, "I'll destroy the Earth and you!!!"

Naruto glared back at him and formed a rasengan in his hand, rushing to attack the Otsutsuki, "No way am I gonna let you destroy my home!!!"

The two jutsus clashed, sending both of them flying backwards from the explosion they caused.

Hanging on mid-air, Naruto took no time to keep putting pressure on Toneri and went for him again.

He was quickly sent back down to the surface when he was forced to dodge a glowing orb sent at him at high speeds.

Naruto kept dodging and deflecting bubbles that Toneri sent from above.

Calmly thinking it through, Toneri connected the orbs and stretched it into a giant blade of chakra, swinging it directly down Naruto's direction.

Seeing the momentary pause, Naruto jumped to try and attack him, but-

"Naruto-kun, no!!!"

As if in slow motion, Hinata saw with her own eyes as Naruto was caught in the giant blade of light that cut through ths surface of the moon effortlessly.

"Golden Wheel: Rebirth Explosion!!!"

---

"Where's Naruto and Hinata?!" Shikamaru asked as he and Sai flew down with ink birds to meet up with Sakura.

Sakura shook her head before asking "How about Hanabi? Did she get hurt?"

"I kept her safe" Sai said as he showed her that he was carrying the girl.

Suddenly, they all felt the hair on the back of their necks stand, and they felt a strong wave of chakra.

They all turned, and they saw a falling blade of light, then barely dodging as it cut through the moon.

Sakura held on to Shikamaru's shoulders as they flew up on the same ink bird, watching the destruction the blade caused, cutting the moon completely in half.

"Wh-..." She stuttered out in shock, "What was that...?"

Then, a strange looking white object flew overhead, heading towards the source slowly.

Shikamaru groaned and looked at where it was heading, "Only one way to find out"

---

Hinata's eyes were wide and shock, her heart breaking in millions of pieces.

She just watched Naruto get caught in a powerful jutsu, and she couldn't do anything.

Tears fell from her eyes as she stared in disbelief, falling to her knees as her hands lost their grip on the bars.

She doesn't know how to think.

She felt completely lost. As if she was stuck in the dark again.

"It's over" Toneri said as he floated beside her cage.

No way.

No way.

"No way!!!"

"NARUTO-KUN!!!!" Hinata screamed as she desperately tried to shake the cage, "NARUTO-KUN!!! GET UP!!!"

There was nothing but smoke where he formerly was.

"He's not gone!!!"

"NARUTO-KUN!!!" She desperately cried out, the loudest she has ever screamed in her life, "DON'T GIVE UP!!! YOU NEVER GIVE UP!!!"

"Hinata, stop it" Toneri growled as he faced her, "You're acting like an animal. It's over"

"NARUTO-KUN!!!"

Toneri grabbed her by the hair through the cage and shook her, "IT'S OVER!!!"

Just as he formed another bubble to control her, suddenly, Toneri felt surrounded.

"IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL I SAY IT IS!!!"

The surface of the moon rumbled, and out of the split came flying out hundreds of Naruto in Kyūbi mode, all glaring directly at Toneri.

Toneri let go of Hinata and prepared to fight once more, pushing her cage away to a distance to keep her out of range.

From all directions, multiple clones of Naruto came to attack him.

Not even aiming, Toneri stretched his orbs and used it to shoot bullets of chakra in all directions.

Realizing that he can't destroy all of them, he surrounded himself with a solid shield.

"That's it!!!" Naruto yelled as they all formed rasengans in their hands, "Rasengan Barrage!!!"

They all made contact with the dome, and the rasengans expanded and exploded into a massive chakra nuke.

From inside the dome, Toneri took in a deep breath and out, shaking at the thought of being caught in the attack.

But, Naruto made his personal favorite sneak attack, the very same one he did to Neji in the past.

Naruto came out from underground and punched Toneri with a powerful uppercut, and not stopping there, he sent a rasengan straight to his face.

The sheer force of the rasengan sent Toneri flying back meters away even though he blocked it with his arms.

Toneri felt his heart beating fast, he knew he was on the losing side.

He glared at the smoke as it cleared up, Naruto stood in the middle of the only not broken ground from all the explosions that he caused.

"I have to kill him!" Toneri thought as he made another jutsu, "Now!!!"

"It's futile!" He screamed in anger, "Just give up!!!"

"I WILL DESTROY THE EARTH NO MATTER WHAT!!!"

Naruto recognized the jutsu that Toneri was making, he quickly gave Hinata a glance, and this time, he knew what to do.

"Like I'd ever give up!"

For her, he'll make anything possible.

He took the shred of scarf in his hand from his pocket and gently caressed it for a moment, before he glared at Toneri, remembering what he did to it.

"It takes a very long time to knit a scarf, dattebayo!" Naruto yelled, "She made it from stitch to stitch!"

He could remember her knitting back in the forest. He remembered her knitting back in the temple. He remembered her knitting before he confessed.

Toneri screamed at him in fury and dropped the blade on him again.

"You wasted her effort! I'll take you down with my own hands!!!" Naruto's chakra focuses only in his left hand and he used it to block the jutsu, splitting it as he ran towards Toneri, "The stronger the feelings that you want to express, the longer it takes to knit!!!"

She knitted for so long, the first scarf was so long from the time and effort she put into it, "And you just destroyed it!!!"

As Naruto closed in the gap in no time, he parried away Toneri's hand and quickly moved all his chakra to his right fist, holding the scarf tightly in it, "That's why I won't let it end as easy as that!!!"

"With the very thing that you destroyed," Naruto put as much strength and chakra he could into that one punch, "I'll end you!!!"

The moon's surface sunk in deeply around Naruto's feet where he braced excess impact, the strength of the attack overwhelming.

With just one punch, Toneri was sent through walls and mounds of the moon's surface, breaking through the ground, and breaking anything in his path for miles, a punch that could put Tsunade to shame.

Naruto quickly turned on his heel and ran towards Hinata.

Her cage started to disappear, indicating Toneri's defeat.

"Hinata!"

"Naruto-kun!"

They quickly ran up to each other.

As they met eyes, Naruto could clearly recall a moment similar to this.

"Oh my gosh, Naruto-kun, y-your-!"

"Are you hurt?"

"N-No"

"Let me see you, let me see you"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried as she stopped a couple of steps away from him, "Y-You were caught in the attack a-and I-"

"Are you hurt?" Naruto asked as he took a step closer, inspecting her for injuries, "He didn't hurt you too much, did he?"

"H-He didn't, no" She reassured, "I'm fine"

"No bruises? No wounds? Did'ya fracture anything?"

"O-Only a few bruises. Naruto-kun, y-your arm..."

"No, no! It's fine, dattebayo! It's just an arm"

"B-But"

"Hey, hey..! Listen, it's okay, Hinata, it's okay, I'm okay..."

She choked back a sob before she jumped to hug him, crying on his shoulder, "I-I thought you were gone..."

He smiled and hugged her back, burying his face in her hair, "I would never leave you... Never"

She grabbed his jacket tighter and said, "P-Please never do..."

He nodded, holding her tighter, "I promise... And I never go back on my word, dattebayo"

"Believe me, okay? Do I look like I'm lying?"

"N-No... B-But you look terrible"

"Nah, I'm a handsome rapscallion"

"I-Indeed..."

She hesitantly pulled away, wiping her tears, then looking him the eye and said "He took Hanabi's eyes..."

Naruto nodded and glared at Toneri's direction, "Let's get them back"

The two rushed towards Toneri's direction where he was stuck in a rock, deeply sunk into it.

He was weak and defeated, repeatedly murmuring "Just one punch... You got me with one punch..."

At the sight of her walking up to him, he quickly yelled "Save me, Hinata!!! We still have time to end this!!!"

But she wasn't having any of it, for those eyes begging for her mercy weren't his, "I'm taking Hanabi's eyes now"

"N-No! Wait! St-stop! NO!!!!!"

Toneri's cries echoed around the area, no one coming to help him.

Naruto took out a sealing scroll from one of his pouches and opened it, helping Hinata with sealing Hanabi's eyes in it to keep it safe for the meantime.

He took a couple of steps towards the now eyeless Toneri, frowning down at him, "It's over now, Toneri... You better listen now, and we might just spare you"

"... Spare... Me?"

Naruto and Hinata looked at Toneri with confused looks as he started laughing maniacally, "SPARE ME?!?! It's not even over yet!!!"

Then, a white object attached itself on him, then another, then another.

Naruto and Hinata took a step back, not knowing what was happening, "What's that?!"

As more and more white objects attached to him, Toneri became stronger and stronger, being able to pull himself out of the rock effortlessly and standing on the rock.

Hinata gasped and pointed out "H-He's using the eyes! He's absorbing their chakra!"

Naruto turned his Kyūbi mode back on and got in front of Hinata to shield her from whatever is to come.

Toneri started getting enveloped with countless eyeballs that he and his ancestors all sacrificed before. He was turning to a monster.

"With these eyes... WITH THESE EYES I'LL END EVERYTHING!!! PUPPET REBIRTH!!!"

"Naruto! Hinata!"

Shikamaru and the rest finally arrived, then looked at Toneri in shock as he stood on the other side of the split of the moon.

Naruto put his hand out to warn his friends to stay back.

"Toneri! Please stop!!!" Hinata pleaded, wanting to stop him from hurting himself any further, "You don't have to keep following your ancestors' misguided teachings! We can help you!"

"Silence!!!" Toneri yelled back at her, not sparing a moment to listen, "I, the final member of the Otsutsuki clan, must carry out Hamura's decree!!!"

He lifted a giant sphere of chakra over his head.

"Toneri, please stop!" Hinata continued to plead, Naruto took a step forward and yelled "Hey, stop it already!!!'

"The world of the sage of six paths has fallen into darkness!!! I shall destroy it with the light of justice!!!"

Just as Naruto was about to charge up a rasenshuriken to finish Toneri off, the giant statue suddenly came crashing down from inside the moon and hitting Toneri directly.

Toneri was knocked up into the air, and as he went higher and higher, direct rays of sunlight finally hit him after he went passed the Earth's shadow.

The Byakūgan all over his body suddenly started to deform and let off smoke.

Hinata gasped in horror, and Shikamaru quickly explained "Mendokusē... His jutsu is absorbing energy from the sun, and he's going over his own chakra limit..."

Naruto wanted him dead. He wanted him dead eversince he met him.

He hated his guts.

But...

"If this goes on, then..."

Shikamaru, Sai, and Sakura all watched as Toneri drifted off further, waiting for their enemy's death.

"Toneri!!" Hinata called out, pity and worry in her eyes, "This was not his fault!"

Naruto took a quick glance at Hinata, and seeing her reaction to this, he knew that they were both thinking the same thing...

"No matter how much he had sinned..."

"Naruto-kun!"

"He was taught to do this... He had no choice!"

Naruto jumped up and reached for Toneri.

"He's still human! He's one of us!!!"

---

"When the time comes... Will you do it?"

"Of course, Otou-san! That's what Okaa-chan and the others wanted, right?!"

"Yes, we all do..."

"Great! Then I'll do it especially for you, then!"

"Even when I'm not with you anymore?"

"W-What?"

"Promise me, Toneri... If I don't make it until that time... Promise me that when I die, go to Earth... You can forget about the Otsutsuki clan's cause and the decree... Look for comrades, find friends, live for your own sake... Humans mustn't live alone"

---

"What I did... Was inhumane"

After decades of planning to carry out the decree... It all turns out to be worthless...

"So... You weren't lying..."

After showing Toneri the crypt, Hinata and Naruto told him everything.

"Of course she wasn't, idiot!" Naruto barked as he lead the way, glaring at Toneri as they walked through the bubble chamber, "Did you honestly think Hinata would lie about something like that?"

Toneri bowed his head in shame, making Sakura punch Naruto's shoulder and say "Cut him some slack, will'ya?"

"Don't worry" Sai said as he walked beside Toneri, "He was also like that to me when I was new"

Hanabi, who was walking close behind Naruto, held on to Hinata's arm tight as she glared at Toneri, "Yyyyeah, I don't like him, keep him away from me"

"She, too, will warm up to you soon" Sai said.

Shikamaru yawned and said "Alright, no funny business, okay? If you're nice, maybe they'll let you off. The spring is right around the corner"

"Don't worry, Toneri-san" Hinata said with a sweet smile, looking at Naruto as she said "I'll help you as much as I can, maybe Naruto-kun will, too!"

"Well, if Hinata says so, then maybe I will!" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulder before turning his head to glare at Toneri again, "You hear that, Toneri? I'll be helpin' you ou- eh? Toneri?"

The entire team turned around and saw Toneri standing still, and they all stopped to face him.

"Toneri-san?" Hinata asked as she walked up to him, a couple of feet away when she stopped.

"I have caused you enough trouble, Hinata-san..." Toneri said.

Naruto stood close behind Hinata and said "Hey, look, we can put the past behind us if you're not comfortable, I don't like you that much, but I really want to help a fellow orphan"

Toneri shook his head, "All is fine... I just made up my mind"

Naruto took steps forward with Hinata by his side, "Believe me when I say Earth is a peaceful place now. Everyone is understanding... Hinata and I? We can talk to anyone to keep you safe and treated well"

"Toneri, I'm certain everyone on Earth would welcome you" Hinata said, "Please come home with us"

He looked at her through his forehead one last time and smiled, then, he turned around and said "If that is so, then I will remain on the moon and atone to my crimes"

He started walking away.

"Toneri!" Naruto tried to call out one last time, "You really don't have to, dattebayo!"

But he made up his mind already, and Hinata understood that.

"One day!" She said, full of hope, "Please come to Earth!"

This offer made him stop, and turn his head their direction, "Hinata-san... You are the most beautiful and pure woman on Earth"

Then he made one promise to her, one that he would make sure to keep, "I vow the moon will never approach Earth... Never again"

And, with that, he finally left.

---

She knows she should be happy and all... But...

Naruto noticed as Hinata quickly stopped at the first floating ball of dirt.

"Hinata?" He asked as he joined her on it, "Is something wrong?"

"I-It's... It's nothi-" "Nope! I'm not taking that as an answer anymore!" Naruto proudly claimed as he smiled brightly at her, "From now on, I want you to know that I want to know absolutely everything about you, Hinata!"

She should be fluttered, but-

It was still bothering her...

She might as well come clean.

"That scarf..." She finally asked, "Who is it from?"

It's been bothering her since she first saw it.

Naruto was confused for a short moment before he realized what she was talking about.

Come to think of it, he still haven't told anyone who it was from!

"Oh! You mean this?" He asked as he took it out of his bag, "My late mom made it for me! It was kept in Hiruzen's shed for some reason"

"L-Late mom?!" She gasped before she hid her face in her hands, "Oh, I'm so embarassed...! How silly of me..."

He suddenly felt elated, then he smirked and asked "Were... Were you jealous?!"

"Hey, onee-sama!!"

The two turned and saw Hanabi impatiently tapping her foot, spinning her favorite kunai around her finger, "How long are you two gonna keep flirting around? Forget it! I'm going!"

"Hurry up!" Shikamaru said before he followed Hanabi along with the others, "This space is about to collapse!"

The two looked ahead, seeing the space with countless of bubbles, reflecting their memories.

They saw their own memories in the bubbles, but they chose to remember the ones they had together.

Naruto smiled as he looked at Hinata's awe to the beautiful bubbles.

"Come on"

She turned and saw him offering his hand, "Let's get back to Earth"

She happily nodded and held and accepted his hand, "Yeah..!"

They let their intertwined hands rest at their sides before they smiled happily ahead.

"Hinata!"

Hinata looked at Naruto, he was smiling the brightest she has ever seen.

"Zutto issho!"

"Hai!"

And, together, they finally made their way through the passage full of memories.

---

"You live in a big house like this, and here you are, outside, crying? Me, I don't have anyone, but I never cry! Never!"

---

"Hey, Hinata... Do you remember in Iruka-sensei's class a long time ago..."

---

"Hinata, I won't let them touch you, dattebayo! And then I'll show you! I'll keep them away! I'll become stronger than them, too!"

---

"When we were asked to write down the name of the person we would like to spend the last day on Earth with?"

---

"It's not gonna happen, anyway! No way is Earth coming to an end, dattebayo!"

---

"I couldn't write down anyone's name... I didn't know my parents, and I didn't have any friends..."

---

"I was feeling uncharacteristically depressed, but... Now I feel great!"

---

"But now! I know exactly who I would write! There's no doubt, whatsoever!"

---

"It's great to work with you, Naruto-kun"

"Yeah!"

---

"It's you, Hinata. I want to be with you"

---

"It's all thanks to you always standing by my side, Hinata!"

---

"Forever and ever, until I die"

---

"I'm afraid to lose you, Hinata... Please... I-I don't want that arm if it means I won't have a reason to be around you..."

---

"I want to be with you, Hinata"

---

"Hey, Hinata! Come on! Let's grab some ramen together!"

---

Hinata was speechless, tears falling from her eyes at his proclamation.

Naruto carried her in his arms as they travelled through the passage of memories.

It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

As they were nearing the exit spring, Naruto made one request, "Hinata, hold on to me"

"O-Okay..." She complied, confused of the request, wrapping her arms around his neck, looking down at the disintegrating passage bellow them.

He smiled, "Don't let go of me, alright?"

After all these years? After everything they've went through together?

"Okay" She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder, completely trusting him with her everything, "I would never, ever, let go"

Her very words lifted all of his fears and worries away, and he finally felt free.

He formed a rasengan and used it to boost them directly up, sending them through the spring with no trouble.

"Onee-sama!"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled after the water splashed at them, "You're gonna crash into the ceiling!"

"Like I'd stop there!" Naruto laughed as he aimed the rasengan at the roof of the cave, cleanly blasting them through.

And, from the outskirts of Konoha over the snowy woodlands, came bursting from a field of snow after a tremor were the two who saved their home from the moon.

Naruto, with Hinata in his arms, flew higher and higher into the night sky.

As they reached the peak of their flight, they both looked into each other's eyes, and it was as if time slowed down just for them.

They were finally back in their own little world, where only they mattered.

So, high up in the sky, with the giant moon behind them and everyone bellow as their witness, the two silhouettes drew closer and closer to each other.

Those eyes that they yearned to look at... They both hope to keep those eyes on them, with love and affection always present.

From now on, they knew, there was nothing in the world that would tear them apart anymore.

No matter how hard things get, no matter the hardships that is yet to come, and no matter what the day.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Hinata..."

It was natural. It was magical.

They felt it, it was magnetic, it was meant to be.

They closed their eyes and gravitated towards each other.

And, without a worry in the world, Naruto and Hinata finally had their first kiss.

"Hinata...

Thank you"

-end