Chapter Nine: To Fly Back To The Moon


"Hinata-neesan! Hinata-neesan!" Kiyuri yelled.

"She wouldn't hear you…" Naruto said.

Naruto came in the cave where Kiyuri exactly was. It was rather lucky of him but he realized that it wasn't really as they were now trapped inside the cave. The avalanche had covered the mouth of the cave. It was heavily packed and they couldn't get out. The darkness inside the cave was immensely terrifying.

"This is my fault…" Kiyuri blamed herself then she turned to Naruto.

Naruto was silent. He just stood there with Hinata on his back. He didn't mind her weight but he felt heavy inside.

Kiyuri then sat down and cried.

"Stop that." Naruto said. "We're going to get out of here. For ramen's sake Kiyuri, you're not a child anymore. Now get up and we'll start going deeper inside this cave. There must be some way out of here."

Kiyuri then got up and nodded at him. "I've actually got to exploring awhile ago but only a few meters from here… I just got back here in this exact spot when I heard a rumbling sound. Then I saw you."

"Okay… So what did you see?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know ummm…. I think there was something glowing… I don't know for sure." Kiyuri then sniffed.

"Let's just go now and see." Naruto began to walk. He held Kiyuri's hand, who led him through the insides of the cave as he cannot see in the dark.


Hinata was in the darkness and saw her life in front of her. Actually it was only that part of her life when things turned and something came from hurt, pain and breaking.

I followed. I wasn't supposed to that but I did. In a way all this was my fault. I just blamed him.

It was a nice summer day when I saw him at the outskirts of the village with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei. I heard they were retrieving Sasuke. Now you might be surprised that Kakashi-sensei, a sensible and somewhat responsible man was with this "mission" and believe me I was, too. He actually was the one who started this. He claimed that Sasuke showed himself to him at the training grounds and said something like "one last time". He thought that it might be some kind of sign that Sasuke might want to go back to the good old times with his Team 7.

I began to feel afraid, afraid that Naruto might be hurt, that he might come back here in the village half-dead like the last time. I didn't want that to happen again. I decided to follow him, whatever the costs are.

This mission of Team 7 wasn't what you call official. And I tagging along was certainly below that.

I followed them for days I, not knowing where I was and them not knowing that I was behind them.

They stopped in a clearing. Kakashi-sensei said that they should stay here for awhile as he will go and check some things before they continue in traveling some more. I stayed with Naruto and Sakura.

Kakashi-sensei didn't come back at once. Sakura was nervous and Naruto was comforting her. Then the ground shook. Something big was coming. Then Kakashi-sensei suddenly appeared before them. He was injured badly and told them to run away. But they didn't.

Then a Sound ninja came, he was enormous. With him was Sasuke.

They began to attack after a moment of talking.

Naruto said to Sakura that she and Kakashi-sensei leave now and he'll handle it alone.

Sakura agreed Kakashi-sensei was loosing a lot of blood. Although he didn't like the idea, Sakura made him go with her.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and pleaded him to come back. Of course he didn't say yes, he just smirked at him and said that he wanted to test his new found techniques with him.

Much of the battle that happened between them was a blur to me. I never did anything there though, I just watched like the enormous Sound ninja. Then Sasuke fell down when Naruto punched him with a rasengan. Naruto then backed up to the tree where I hid. Then the enormous Sound ninja threw a rock at him and he dodged. The tree broke down, my hiding place has fallen and I jumped towards another tree.

Sasuke's head tilted. He sensed me. He went towards me at a very fast speed. I didn't know what to do for a kunai was directed at my neck.

Naruto was stunned and he called out my name.

I cursed myself inside my head. I was angry at myself and I was afraid. Sasuke can kill me anytime.

They exchanged words which I forget by now. But somehow it was like this. Sasuke demanded that Naruto join Sound, and if he didn't obey them they would kill me.

Naruto didn't speak. He was too angry, too exhausted.

Sasuke then jumped to another branch dragging me along. He said that he has several minutes to think about it. If Naruto had decided he should follow him to the cliff with the blue boulder. Jiro, the name of the former unknown sound ninja, would guide him to the whereabouts of this place.

Sasuke then flew there, literally. I looked at him and he was different so much different. This wasn't the Sasuke that were friends with Naruto before…

We reached the meeting place. Sasuke tied me in ropes to the blue boulder. I tried to escape. I used my juken and managed to hit him in the abdomen but he didn't move. He just looked furious. His eyes were burning. Sasuke punched me hard in the abdomen, it hurt. Blood came out of my mouth by I didn't faint, I shouldn't. This was all too much shameful. I looked at him with resentment and he turned his back and laughed in an evil way. And then he took a dagger and slashed my right thigh.

Moments later they came, Naruto. Then Naruto was about to say something but Sasuke said that he had captured Sakura and Kakashi-sensei and they were now in the base. Naruto grinded his teeth in frustration, then said okay. I yelled at him and said no.

Naruto then looked at me sympathetically and said sorry but then he attacked Sasuke with a rasengan. Then Jiro neared at me and he lifted the boulder that I was tied to. He then was in the act of throwing me to the cliff. Sasuke went away and he said that the deal was off. Jiro then threw me to the cliff. I started to panic, Naruto caught up with me and rode on the boulder and he managed to get a kunai and untied the ropes. I was free and he jumped. He managed to get a hold of plant that grew on the rock but he forgot me and I fell through. I landed on the broken rocks. I didn't manage to jump or do anything because the gash on my right thigh was deeper than I thought. He screamed my name and said sorry. I looked up at him. Hold on there, he said.

Then a dog came, it was Pakkun, Kakashi-sensei's summon. Pakkun told him that Sakura and Kakashi-sensei desperately needed help and he must follow him right away.

I called out at him and said that I'll stay there and wait for him. But he looked worried and was about to go to me but I said no, I wasn't really hurt. He must first save his teammates.

But on the contrary I was, badly. I just lied. So I said to him that he must come back for me.

He looked at me with a smile, reassuringly and said that he will.

He promised me that he will come back for me.


Naruto and Kiyuri neared to where the glowing light was. It was getting brighter and brighter and soon they found themselves in a very large room that was full of flowers growing from the ground. The flowers were the ones glowing and they saw a lady picking them gingerly. There were lanterns inside it but they were destroyed by time. There was a little altar at the far side of the large room that had a sculpture of a woman holding a crescent moon, wearing a kimono designed with intricate stars. The other hand of the sculpture was broken.

"This was a sanctuary decades ago. People came here to worship the gods of the moon and the stars." Kasumi said then she picked up a flower that was glowing. "This is the crystille flower. It was used as an offering for them."

"Neesan! H-How did you get here?" Kiyuri asked her sister, her eyes wide.

"There was an entrance to here at the foot of the mountain. I went in to avoid the avalanche." Kasumi said. "Don't worry the opening wasn't closed by snow. I did a jutsu to control the snow and to avoid being trapped from the inside."

"Oh yeah snow-controlling, I forgot I can also do that…" Kiyuri said it with hints of embarrassment. "I panic, too easily. I shouldn't have really."

"What happened to you people?" Kasumi asked.

"It's a long story." Naruto said. "Kasumi she knows."

Kasumi had this look on her face that was about to burst. But she stayed calm and smiled. "We better go back so that I can tend to this patient of mine." She looked at Hinata. "She's going to be the first one to take the medicine."

"Let's just hope it works." Kiyuri said to her sister.

"Of course it will. Father is already starting with some of the chemicals and herbs at home, we just lacked the nightshroom and crystille. Did you get the nightshroom by the way?"

"Hinata has it in her pocket." Naruto said.

"Daddy's here!" Kiyuri exclaimed.

Kasumi nodded. "Let's go."


Naruto never came back. Night passed and I lay there. I didn't move. I couldn't. My ribs were shattered. My right thigh was bleeding. My abdomen hurt like crazy. Simply put my body was crushed. I should've died already, I really should have. But the strange thing is that I wasn't.

I cried… I thought that he would be back, he promised. He promised…

I then realized that I should just stand up for myself. I couldn't hold on to that anymore. I gathered all the charka left in my body and began to heal myself. It was a gift I acquired from my mother and I hid it most of the time. But at that moment I used it and I can feel her watching over me. I looked up at the moon. It was funny since my mother's name is Tsukiko. Tsuki meaning moon. My mother is the child of the moon. I smiled. I can feel my legs again and my ribs weren't so broken.

Then I heard footsteps. I managed to stand up ever so slowly and took my fighting stance. I saw two shadowy figures standing in the dark. Bandits. Then they looked at me and started to attack me. Though I cured myself, I still was weak and couldn't move much. The other one who was slightly rounder than the other kicked me I went flying towards a tree, headfirst. I could not remember anything after that.


Finally they arrived at the house as the shy sun was just rising. Shigure welcomed them warmly.

Naruto then laid Hinata on the futon in the guest room.

"Thanks for helping her." Kasumi said. "You can go now."

Naruto nodded.

Kiyuri looked at him puzzled as he walked away and head to the other guest room.

Then they handed the herbs to their father.

After some time which was exactly one hour and a half, Shigure went in holding a syringe. Kasumi was the only person there. Kiyuri had gone off to cook breakfast. He injected the vaccine into Hinata's arm.

"She'll feel fine after a few hours." Shigure said. "Now we have to go to Konoha. Tsunade sent us a message and several people died already. We have to get there fast."

"I'm sorry father I can't go with you." Kasumi declared.

"Why not?"

"I have to take care of my patient, make sure she's alright." Kasumi answered.

Shigure, her father smiled at her. "Okay. Send me a message if she is already fine."

Kasumi nodded.


That afternoon Shigure, Kiyuri and Naruto arrived in Konoha. The travel to Konoha was quicker now that the sun had shone its face on Yubikiri Island.

As they arrived there Kiyuri and her father went immediately to the hospital where Shizune was waiting. She wondered where Naruto and Hinata were.

Naruto was at his home and then went straight to bed, in actuality he lay down in the floor of his small room. He hadn't had sleep in almost two days.

Hinata stayed in Yubikiri she was still unconscious, Kasumi checked Hinata's temperature and it was normal again.

She sent a message to her father.

"She's okay now…" Kasumi smiled weakly. She was relieved.


A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Anyway this is the final chapter

I'm just kidding! It's not but we're closer to that now. I'm actually pretty energetic about writing today.

Also note that the name of Hinata's mother is really not Tsukiko. I don't know her name so I made it up.

Amano Tsukiko's songs have inspired me to do this fanfic, that's why I named Hinata's 'mother' after her in this story.

So thanks for those who read. Special thanks to those who have reviewed.

I'll see you soon…