Naruto The Last The Movie

Chapter 2.3

Once they got out of the genjutsu, Shikamaru's troop descended once again slowly into the darkness. Countless bubbles floated all around them. Looking at them closer, they realized there were two types of bubbles. Some were the bright bubbles in which Naruto and company had entered before: what they did was to draw memories from the past to the mind surface. If touched, they would be once again drawn inside a genjutsu. The others were similar to bubbles made of sand, which could be freely touched without anything happening
Naruto and everyone else kept descending, using the sand bubbles as steps to get some impulse, and avoiding touching the other type of bubbles.
- He has used a genjutsu to lock us up in a world of memories... It was a prison made of our toughts - Shikamaru explained while descending.
If the enemy had gotten to the point of setting a trap with a genjutsu, that could only meant they were going in the right direction. Confident that once the had gotten across the darkness, they would find something.
<<If all this has been just a genjutsu... Then, what was what I dreamed about Hinata? Are those my memories? No, I don't think so... Those are not normal memories... Is like if my thoughts had intertwined with my memories... Does that mean that Hinata is also...?>>
His face suddenly got all red. Naruto look at Hinata. She had jump, with a strong step over one of the sand bubbles. Everyone else followed, doing the same. Deep below, the surface of water could be seen.
- Hinata do yo see anything?
Encouraged by Shikamaru, Hinata tried to use her byakugan to see trough the water. Just as she tought, her vision was still distorted.
- The enemy can be waiting for us on the other side to ambush us. Let's go! All on guard!
Following the order given by Shikamaru, the group members dived one after another into the water. Nonetheless, Naruto still had doubts and remained on top of the sand bubble, restless. Hinata saw him and did not jump at the water either.
- Is something wrong Naruto?
- I... was thinking about what I dreamt inside that sphere, just a moment ago...
- Yes...
Naruto was silent for a moment, as he kept looking at Hinata.
- Bah... Nevermind... Sorry... Leave it... Let's go!
Afterwards, he throw himself from the sand bubble and disappeared into the water.
- Hinata was about to follow Naruto when, after taking some steps...
- Hinata...
The voice surprised her, and as she turned around, there was a men standing there. As a reflect, Hinata draw her kunai.
- I told you I would come back for you, and in the end, you have come to me... such happiness...
He was the main responsible in Hanabi's kidnapping. He was the enemy whom, with a kind face, tried to kidnapped her as well. It was Toneri.
- Where is Hanabi?
- Be calm... She is in my castle, sleeping peacefully.
- Give me Hanabi back!
- That would depend on your answer... Byakugan Princess.
- Byakugan Princess?
- Hinata... Let's get married!
- What? Married?

Naruto was swimming after Shikamaru and the rest, he turned to look back and realized Hinata was not following him. That place was enemy territory. He did not know if something had happened or not. Naruto decided to turn around and go back, and when he got his head out of the water surface, Hinata and Toneri were facing over a sand bubble.
<<Once again that guy...>>
Hinata had drawn her kunai. Even in such a dark place as that, it was easily seen how pale her face was.
- It is our destiny...! - Toneri said as he took one step closer to Hinata.
Naruto jumped from the water at full speed. Got between them, Hinata at his back.
- Hinata!
- Naruto!
- Don't you dare lay a hand over Hinata! Damn you... Gives us Hanabi back!
- Hum... You again? - said Toneri in a mocking tone.
- Damn you... your are pissing me off...
Filled with anger, he throw a hit. Toneri avoided it and, with a jump, he went towards the nearest sand bubble, but without going really fast. Seeing his movements, Naruto rushed to him, shortening the distance between them.
At being hit by Naruto, Toneri flew towards the stone walls that surrounded them. However, Naruto's hand remained with a strange feeling; the feeling of having hit an object, instead of a person. Toneri, after being thrown against the stone wall, got up in clumsy movements. His joints only moved in right angles... he was a puppet!
- You are just... a puppet!
In that moment, Toneri's broken mouth moved as if it were to speak.
- Naruto... your fits... will never... ever... reach me...
After giving the message, the puppet collapsed as if someone had cut the threads.
- Don't mock me! If you are so confident that I could not beat you, stop hiding behind a stupid puppet and fight me! - Naruto yelled to the darkness.

The water surface appeared in sight of Shikamaru and everyone that had followed him through the water. When the three of them reached the surface and got their heads out of the water, they found themselves inside a limestone cave, exactly like the one when they had jumped at the beginning. All three got out of the water and stood back to back, scanning the surroundings.
- What is this place?
The ground was covered by countless small bubbles of light and sand. That should be the place where the bubbles were made.
- And Naruto?
- During part of the way, I saw him behind me...
- I have a bad feeling. Is like we're being watch...
They had the feeling that there was somebody in front of them, in the darkness, two big eyes shined.
- Get ready!
Shikamaru draw his kunai and prepared to fight. What appeared in front of them was a gigantic and monstrous crab.
- A crab!?
As if being made of stone, large and sharpen spikes came out of his shell. The right claw was ten times bigger than the left, it looked like it could slice a giant tree with a single cut in a blink. On top of that, there were also the bubbles. The crab went towards the three members of the group, throwing bubbles everywhere, as it moved.
- Break up!
At Shikamaru's order, the members moved apart, avoiding the first attack of the crab.
- Careful with the bubbles! We could get caught up in a genjutsu!
There was no doubt that this time the enemy was a "ninja who knew how to use the bubbles"
<<Maybe this is the creature that makes the bubbles>>
As Shikamaru mumbled his inside feelings, Sai opened his parchment and made the ink run above it.
- Ninpo Choju Giga!
Three beast, three lions, ran to the crab's abdomen, after becoming alive; but then, one after another, were sliced by the crab claw.
- Fuijin, God of Wind! Raijin, God of Thunder!
This time, two Gods statues appeared and fought with the crab, power against power. The two gods figures grabbed the crab by its legs and throw it upwards. The giant body of the crab crashed against the ceiling, opening a big hole, through which the light entered. Realizing he could now made shadows, Shikamaru formed a seal.
- Kage Nui no Jutsu!
The shadows wrapped around the crab several times, that way avoiding it would move.
- Sakura!
- Shannaro!
Concentrating all her superhuman power in her fist, Sakura jumped towards the crab.

All three, Shikamaru, Sai and Sakura, were looking at the remainings of the monstrous crab, now defeated.
- It has been pretty impressive, right?
- I say yes...
The two men had just found out their fear towards Sakura's superhuman power. In that same instant, Naruto and Hinata finally reached the others, jumping from the water.
- Well you took your time, Naruto!
- Don't say that... So you know I was fighting with our enemy!
- What kind of a guy was he?
- Well it was... just a puppet.
Naruto told them about what had happened in a low voice.
- A puppet?
- Yes... Said that the real Toneri was stronger. Therefore I could have never managed to hit him... It's clear that he is a bad looser!
- Is that all!
- Yes, that is all.
There was still a lot of unknown information, yet Shikamaru tried to processed anyway. A tremendously strong enemy, capable of managing puppets and bubbles, who had kidnapped Hanabi and has tried to kidnap Hinata...
<<There might be a reason why, somehow, he needs the members of the Hyūga clan to be alive? If he wants the Hyuga's, it's because he wants their byakugan... Could he want them to search for something...?>>
Then, why did the enemy only used puppets and holograms? Toneri was reading their every move. Although it would be far more interesting to send them something more powerful than puppets and crabs.
- Maybe the enemy is low in numbers and needs to use puppets in order to fight?
- Maybe there was a reason that kept Toneri from moving from where he was...
Those were the speculations that Sakura and Sai arrived at.
- It's possible... Although maybe both of them are possible... - Shikamaru answered, deep in thoughts.
*
In a room in the castle, countless dolls hang from the walls. In the fireplace, where a man was sitting by, a red fire blazed and illuminated him... It was Tonery.
He had his eyes securely bandaged. A man was next to him, kneeling, he was pretty big and half of his face was covered in bandages. He was the men who Naruto had supposedly defeated in the Hidden Leaf Village.
- Let's leave Hinata alone until I am ready to go and find her... Don't lay a hand on any of them for now. Not even that Naruto.
At the order given by Toneri, the big men made a reverence and disappeared.
- Uuuugh!
For a second, Toneri grabbed the bandages covering his eyes and got up. Shaking his shoulders with pain.
- Ha, ha, ha... her eyes are moving again... It's wonderful. Her byakugan is extremely pure - he mumbled with a smile on his face, then he sat once again in his chair.