"Hmm? Shinho-kun? Am I dreaming?"
Hinata Hyuga opened her eyes in a daze.
"You are indeed dreaming."
A slight smile appeared on Shinho's face.
"So it really is a dream?"
Hinata tilted her head and mumbled. Her voice was different from usual, carrying a lazy tone.
"You know? in a dream, we can do anything we want."
Shinho sat on the edge of the bed, teasing her. Her current state was truly amusing.
Hinata froze for two seconds, then suddenly sat up.
The blanket slipped off the bed, revealing her sleepwear. True to her traditional style, her sleepwear was a standard, thin kimono.
Her silky long hair fell naturally over her shoulders, covering the full curve of her chest.
Hinata reached out her arms and wrapped them around his neck, rubbing her face against his with a happy expression.
Shinho couldn't help but chuckle. Indeed, this was very much Hinata, no matter if it was a dream or not, she wouldn't do anything too bold. But seeing her act so sweetly was adorable.
Shinho gently patted her back.
"Eh?"
Only then did Hinata realize something was off. How could a dream feel this real?
She looked up at his smiling face and suddenly came to her senses.
"You're awake now?"
Shinho pinched her cheek and asked.
"Mhm."
Hinata reflexively released her hold, her cheeks warming in embarrassment.
"I'll go make breakfast. You get changed and wash up."
Shinho gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed to the kitchen.
Hinata stared blankly at his disappearing figure.
Was this a preview of an earlymarried life? Her heart began to pound wildly, her face flushing like a peach, as if faint wisps of heat were escaping from her.
After a brief moment of dizzy daydreaming, she patted her cheeks and forced herself to regain some composure.
Taking a deep breath, Hinata changed clothes and stepped out of the bedroom.
Passing by the kitchen, she subconsciously glanced inside.
A faint delicious aroma drifted out.
She saw Shinho standing before a pot on the stove, and couldn't help but space out.
"What are you looking at?"
Shinho turned his head and asked with a smile.
Once again, Hinata's face turned red. She spun around and ran to the bathroom. It took quite a while before she finally calmed her swirling thoughts.
When Hinata returned to her senses, she noticed Shinho had already prepared hot water for her.
Her heart skipped a beat and started racing again. She smiled happily, picked up her toothbrush, and began her morning routine.
By the time she appeared in the living room, there were already two bowls of tonkotsu ramen on the table.
"Ittadakimasu!"
Hinata put her hands together, cheerfully announcing the start of the meal.
"After you finish this, I can cook more for you."
Shinho spoke softly.
Steam rose from the tonkotsu ramen.
Hinata stole a glance at him, a sudden thought of marriage appearing in her mind. Her body trembled slightly, and she quickly lowered her head to focus on the ramen.
"Eat slowly,"
Shinho said with a smile, "There's no rush for this mission."
"Alright."
Hinata answered, but the thought of that single word, marriage, kept stirring up waves of emotion inside her.
An hour later, their long breakfast finally ended.
"I'll wash the dishes!"
Hinata stood up and declared resolutely.
Given her traditional upbringing, she had always wanted to be a good, virtuous wife and mother.
But Shinho had made her feel threatened today.
If she did nothing, then she truly wouldn't be of any help at all.
"Alright."
Shinho felt that from her expression looked less like she was heading off to wash dishes, and more like she was about to challenge Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Hinata carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.
Shinho thought about following her but decided not to disturb her. He simply waited quietly on the sofa.
A few minutes later, Hinata took off her apron and reappeared.
"Let's go."
Shinho headed to the entryway to put on his shoes.
He turned to see Hinata bending at the waist. Under the pull of gravity, her shinobi forehead protector and the collar of her clothing looked as if they might slip down at any moment.
The last time he'd seen such a sight was with Tsunade.
"Sh–Shinho-kun."
Being stared at so intently made Hinata feel a bit embarrassed. As a kunoichi, she could tell exactly where his gaze had landed.
Without changing his expression, Shinho stepped out the door.
Hinata hurried to catch up.
"Our destination is a valley in the eastern region of the Land of Fire."
Shinho stopped in his tracks. "I'll fly us there."
With that, he moved in front of Hinata, bent down slightly, and scooped her into his arms. Her soft body instinctively pressed against his chest.
"Hold on tight," he reminded her. "I fly pretty fast."
Hinata's cheeks turned slightly red.
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. The familiar sensation made her feel lightheaded, but also filled her heart with happiness.
Golden light flashed as Shinho leapt into the air and shot off toward the east.
They had set off from the City of Fire, the metropolis of the Land of Fire, which was much closer to their destination than leaving from Konoha.
An hour later, they arrived. Had it not been for taking Hinata into consideration, Shinho could have traveled even faster. After all, he was now a Rank Six Gu Immortal. At full speed, the journey would've only taken a minute or two.
He landed and released Hinata from his arms. He did feel a slight pang of regret at losing that soft "cushion."
Looking up, Shinho gazed into the depths of the valley. The Anbu had previously investigated this area, so he already knew the way.
"Follow me."
He led Hinata down into the valley.
Before long, they found a cave entrance.
Walking in, they first encountered darkness, then suddenly a faint light illuminated their surroundings. Ahead lay an underground lake. Its waters shimmered, making it impossible to see through clearly.
It was a very peculiar sight.
"So it's a space-time ninjutsu?"
Shinho took one look at it and spoke.
With his current level of power, seeing through its essence was easy.
Of course, to call it ninjutsu was somewhat inaccurate, it was actually more of a formation or an array. He recalled from reports that the water was filled with countless bubbles; once touched, one would be trapped in a genjutsu.
A gentle wave of his hand, and dense primeval essence formed a protective shield around them.
Holding Hinata's hand, he stepped directly into the lake.
"It's so beautiful," Hinata couldn't help but comment.
Within the water, countless sparkling bubbles glimmered.
It was truly a wondrous sight. Passing through an underwater passage and emerging from the other side, they found themselves on the moon.
Shinho took a breath of air. It felt exactly the same as in the Shinobi World; it wasn't a vacuum?
Right at that moment, a whistling sound broke the stillness. From a distant palace came a row of humanoid puppets rushing straight at them.
They've noticed us already?
Shinho gave it some thought but wasn't too surprised. In the original story, Toneri Otsutsuki could even spy on the Shinobi World through the power of the Tenseigan.
All of a sudden, the surrounding temperature plummeted. Shinho turned his head reflexively.
A thin layer of ice had appeared on Hinata's skin, rapidly spreading until it covered her entire body.
Her hair turned an icy blue and began to flow in the wind, she had become a snow fairy.
She remembered Shinho telling her the day before that she would be the one handling the puppets on the moon.
Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu!
Hinata stepped forward, placing herself protectively in front of Shinho.
A mass of ice, shaped somewhat like a bird, became a streak of blue light and crashed into the puppet in the middle.
Upon impact, ice crystals rapidly enveloped it, freezing it in place.
The remaining puppets paid no mind to their comrade's plight and continued their charge with fierce momentum, whipping up gusts of wind.
Flying Snow Gu!
With a wave of her hand, Hinata lowered the temperature even further. In the blink of an eye, large flakes of snow began to swirl about.
The puppets' forward sprint slowed bit by bit, as though they were trudging through something that halted their advance.
With a mere thought, Hinata directed the storm of snow around her to surge forward, flowing around the puppets like water.
The next second, the puppets were all frozen solid, thick ice coating their surfaces. But the storm did not stop there. The freezing current, carrying the power to halt anything in its path, pressed onward.
Shinho raised his brows slightly. Even more puppets poured out from the palace, as though they were endless.
They were all powered and created by the Tenseigan. The Otsutsuki clan had been amassing forces here for a thousand years, destroying them all at once would not be easy.
"Be careful," Shinho said. A flash of golden light flared around him, and he vanished, reappearing inside the palace.
He turned his gaze toward the nearby Giant Tenseigan. Entirely golden, with intricate patterns within, it resembled a gemstone more than an eye.
"Shinho Aburame," Toneri Otsutsuki said flatly, "So the Hyuga clan still knew of that passage?"
He stood before the Tenseigan in long robes, his eyes closed. The massive chakra around him swirled, as if at any second it would burst into a storm of lightning.
"Seems you've been watching the Shinobi World for quite some time," Shinho said with a light chuckle.
"Naturally." Toneri Otsutsuki lifted his hand. "Your arrival saves me the trouble of paying the Hyuga clan a visit."
"What exactly do you intend to do?" Shinho asked casually.
"Kill you, destroy the Shinobi World, and then marry Hinata Hyuga," Toneri Otsutsuki replied emotionlessly. "There's no longer any need for the Shinobi World to exist."
A green glow appeared.
From the palm of Toneri's right hand shot a rapidly forming green sphere.
In the original story, this green sphere was no small matter, it could devour an enemy's ninjutsu and drain their chakra.
Shinho suspected it to be a manifestation of Yin–Yang Release.
The green orb, carrying a terrifying wave of energy, sped straight toward him.
join my patreon for the completed story: patreon.com/HyppoTL