Ch. 981The pool!

Hinata confirmed that the discovered clothing belonged to Hanabi, and the search party followed her trail to a glowing pool leading through an underground passage. Shikamaru organized a cautious rescue team, which entered the passage while the others stayed behind as guards and backup.

  • Hinata identified Hanabi's hair ribbon and jacket scrap, confirming that the searchers had found her belongings.
  • The teams found more of Hanabi's torn clothing and followed the trail to a deep, excavated cave beneath a waterfall.
  • Hōmon and Hinata used their Byakugan to confirm that the cave's glowing pool concealed a passage with chakra inside.
  • Shikamaru assigned a first team to enter and ordered the remaining ninja to guard the cave, prepare as backup, and alert Konoha if the team was lost.
  • Kiba persuaded Shikamaru to include him so he could track Hanabi by scent, and Naruto led the eight-person team into the pool.

Ch. 982Illusion!

Naruto and his companions swam through a glowing pool whose bubbles trapped them in genjutsu, and Naruto’s illusion helped him recognize Hinata’s feelings. They reached a cavern and encountered a mountain-sized summoned crab, with Naruto preparing to strike its vulnerable underside.

  • Naruto fell into an illusion of Konoha and, with Kurama choosing not to wake him, came to understand Hinata’s love for him.
  • A surge of chakra freed Naruto and the others from the genjutsu, and Shikamaru warned them to avoid the bubbles as they continued through the pools.
  • The group entered another pool, where a huge summoned crab appeared and Shikamaru identified its bubbles as the source of the genjutsu.
  • Naruto struck the crab’s shell with a Rasengan, and Rock Lee broke one of its legs with a kick.
  • Shikamaru identified the crab’s joints, eyes, and abdominal-shell gap as weak points, while Naruto readied himself to attack its underside.

Ch. 983Otsutsuki Toneri!

Naruto and Rock Lee defeated the giant crab guarding the passage, and the team emerged onto the moon. Otsutsuki Toneri introduced himself and declared his intention to destroy the Shinobi World and remake it.

  • Naruto flipped the giant crab over, and Rock Lee used the Leaf Great Whirlwind to crush its exposed underside and kill it.
  • Shikamaru led the team through the narrowing underwater passage until they reached a vast cavern and found a concealed exit.
  • Naruto felt awkward around Hinata after the genjutsu had shown him memories centered on her.
  • The eight shinobi emerged onto a cliff and realized they were standing on the moon beneath an artificial sun.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri appeared before them, identified himself, and announced that he would destroy the Shinobi World and create a new world.

Ch. 984Toneri's declaration!

Otsutsuki Toneri confronted Naruto Uzumaki and the others, declaring that he would destroy the Shinobi World and create a new one. He revealed that Hanabi Hyuga was alive, then asked Hinata Hyuga to marry him, leaving the group stunned.

  • Otsutsuki Toneri told Naruto Uzumaki and the others that he intended to destroy the Shinobi World and create a new one.
  • Shikamaru Nara noticed Toneri kept watching Hinata Hyuga and signaled the group to take formation.
  • Toneri told Hinata that he had met her years earlier and confirmed that Hanabi Hyuga was alive and in his care.
  • Hinata assumed a Gentle Fist stance and asked Toneri what he wanted.
  • Toneri explained his connection to Hamura Otsutsuki and proposed that Hinata marry him, shocking Naruto, Rock Lee, Tenten, and the others.

Ch. 985Puppet Toneri!

Hinata rejected Toneri’s marriage proposal and demanded that he return Hanabi, while Naruto discovered that Toneri was a puppet. Naruto destroyed the puppet as Toneri’s swarm of puppets attacked the group.

  • Hinata rejected Toneri, saying he had hurt her family and abducted Hanabi, and revealed that she already liked someone.
  • Naruto attacked Toneri, but realized from the cracked, bloodless face that he was fighting a puppet.
  • The puppet revealed that Toneri’s real body was occupied with something more important and summoned a swarm of attacking puppets.
  • Shikamaru assigned the group defensive roles as Naruto charged the puppet again.
  • Naruto battered the puppet’s joints and chest until he destroyed it, while the battle continued around them.

Ch. 986Clearing out the puppets

Naruto and the others destroyed more than sixty puppets sent by Otsutsuki Toneri, with Naruto taking down most of them. Shikamaru concluded that Toneri could control the puppets remotely, though the group still did not know how he did it.

  • Tokuma Hyuga and Hōmon Hyuga used Rotation while Hinata Hyuga, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, and Shikamaru Nara fought the puppets.
  • Naruto destroyed more than fifty puppets with taijutsu, allowing the group to defeat the attack without exhausting their chakra.
  • Shikamaru examined the puppet wreckage and said it matched remains found at the outpost, confirming Otsutsuki Toneri was behind the attack on Hyuga Hiashi.
  • Tokuma recognized that Naruto's strength had prevented the group from being overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers.
  • Hinata and the other Byakugan users reported that they had seen no chakra threads controlling the puppets.
  • Shikamaru concluded that Toneri had controlled the puppets remotely through an unknown ability.

Ch. 987Discussion and speculation!

After defeating a group of puppets, the team discussed Otsutsuki Toneri’s plan to use Hanabi’s Byakugan and resolved to stop him and rescue her. They set out across the sea toward the islands, with Naruto tasked with protecting Hinata.

  • Kiba and Akamaru confirmed that no enemies remained nearby, and the team discussed Toneri’s ability to control puppets from a distance.
  • Naruto reassured Hinata that they would rescue Hanabi, and Hinata agreed that they would save her together.
  • Shikamaru speculated that Toneri planned to use Hanabi’s Byakugan in a scheme resembling the Eye of the Moon Plan, while Hinata resolved to stop him and rescue her sister.
  • Shikamaru proposed crossing the sea to search the islands for clues and warned Naruto to protect Hinata from Toneri.
  • The team checked their equipment and set off across the sea.

Ch. 988Splitting into teams!

Shikamaru’s party reached the landmass and searched its vast forest, but Toneri’s puppets avoided engaging them. Concerned that their search was taking too long, Shikamaru decided to split the group into three teams; he assigned the first two before the chapter ended.

  • Shikamaru, Naruto Uzumaki, and the others crossed the sea without encountering enemies and reached land.
  • Hōmon Hyuga spotted puppets hidden in the forest, but they retreated rather than attack, so Shikamaru ordered the group to continue toward their goal.
  • After a day of searching, Shikamaru concluded they had covered less than a tenth of the vast landmass and said they needed to expand their search.
  • Shikamaru proposed splitting the party into three teams, each with a Byakugan user for reconnaissance.
  • Shikamaru assigned Rock Lee, Tenten, and Tokuma Hyuga to the first team, then placed himself, Kiba, and Hōmon on the second team to search and track.

Ch. 989Begin!

Shikamaru organized the search for Hanabi and Toneri into three teams, setting strict rules for communication and support. At daybreak, the teams split up to search, with Rock Lee, Tenten, and Tokuma carefully scanning their assigned route.

  • Shikamaru assigned Naruto and Hinata to the third team and explained that every team had to check in every two hours and wait for support before confronting a target.
  • Shikamaru warned that Toneri was at least Kage Level and likely stronger than expected, and the group discussed why he had withdrawn his puppets after they landed.
  • Shikamaru concluded that Toneri's reluctance to fight gave them a chance to find his lair before he was ready, and the group agreed to set out at daybreak.
  • The three teams departed along separate routes after Shikamaru marked their paths on the map.
  • Rock Lee rushed ahead on his team's route, but Tenten called him back so they could search the forest thoroughly while Tokuma scanned with his Byakugan.

Ch. 990A call!

Shikamaru’s teams searched the forest for the moon’s hidden Hyuga population and clues about Hanabi, but found no people and little useful information. After reuniting near the mist-shrouded city, Hinata reported that her Byakugan could not see through the mist and that something at the city’s center seemed to call to her.

  • Shikamaru led Kiba and Hōmon southeast while Naruto and Hinata searched north, and neither group found any humans among the watching puppets.
  • Naruto warned Hinata that Toneri might target her again, rejected her idea of pretending to go with him, and vowed not to let Toneri get away with harming her family.
  • The three groups exchanged all-clear signals during their search, and Naruto and Hinata finished scouting first without approaching the city.
  • The teams reunited near the city and reported that they had found no useful clues in the forest.
  • Hinata told the others that her Byakugan could not penetrate the mist around the vast, seemingly abandoned city, and that something in its center felt as if it were calling to her.

Ch. 991The city!

Shikamaru led the group into the abandoned city after Hinata sensed a call from within it, but their search found no signs of life or danger. Naruto and Hinata reunited with the others in the city center, still without any clues about the mysterious call or Hanabi’s whereabouts.

  • Hinata said she could still sense something calling to her, while the others could not, so Shikamaru decided the group would enter the city and investigate.
  • The eight shinobi reached the mist-covered city and found that the mist weakened the Hyuga Byakugan, though it did not prevent them from searching.
  • Inside the city, Hinata’s sense of being called disappeared, and the group’s sensory checks found no enemies, puppets, people, or chakra.
  • Shikamaru split the group into three teams to search the city and arrange to meet in the center.
  • Naruto and Hinata searched together, found no clues, and grew closer as they traveled through increasingly well-preserved but deserted buildings.
  • Naruto and Hinata arrived at the meeting point, where Tenten complained that they had taken so long.

Ch. 992Tenseigan!

Naruto and his allies discovered an underground cemetery after Hinata was drawn to a hidden passage, where a dying man showed her visions of Hamura Otsutsuki’s descendants and announced that the Tenseigan had awakened. Elsewhere, Toneri’s Tenseigan continued to stabilize as his power grew.

  • Naruto and the others searched the central district and found ancient pictographs warning that the Moon’s Fist would destroy humanity if people strayed from their path.
  • Tokuma Hyuga translated the inscription, and the group realized Toneri intended to destroy the Shinobi World.
  • Hinata heard a call near the shrine, and a hidden passage opened beneath the group.
  • Naruto and his allies entered an underground cemetery, where a man recognized Hinata as the Princess of the Byakugan and showed her visions of Hamura Otsutsuki’s descendants fighting.
  • The man collapsed into ash after saying the Tenseigan had awakened and asking the group to stop it, while Hinata lost consciousness.
  • Toneri opened his newly awakened Tenseigan and sensed that its power was still stabilizing and growing.

Ch. 993Meteor shower!

Toneri used the Tenseigan to tear fragments from the moon and form a ring of debris around Earth, then sent the first meteors plunging toward the planet. The meteor shower struck villages across the world, while Konoha’s leaders watched and worried about Naruto and the others still on the moon.

  • Toneri tested the Tenseigan’s power, then activated a secret technique that cracked the moon and sent fragments into orbit around Earth.
  • Toneri commanded the fragments to descend, launching a meteor shower toward the planet.
  • Burūi ordered Kumogakure to take shelter as meteors struck nearby and ninja tried to intercept them.
  • Gaara used sand to defend Sunagakure, though the sheer number of meteors overwhelmed its defenses.
  • Shihōin Naraku, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, and Shikaku Nara watched the attack from Konoha and discussed the mission group still on the moon.

Ch. 994Intimidation!

Shihōin Naraku rose above Konoha and used a massive beam attack to destroy the incoming meteor shower and the ring of lunar fragments around Earth. He left a huge crater on the Moon as a warning to Otsutsuki Toneri.

  • Shihōin Naraku walked into the sky and rose two thousand meters above Konoha to keep his attack from harming the village.
  • Naraku fired a Kamehameha that vaporized the falling lunar fragments while Konoha's villagers and ninja watched in awe.
  • Naraku swept his beam across the ring of fragments around Earth, destroying it completely.
  • Naraku's beam continued to the Moon and carved a huge crater into its surface as a warning to Otsutsuki Toneri.

Ch. 995Toneri's surprise attack!

After Shihōin Naraku’s attack blasted a vast crater into the moon and destroyed Toneri’s meteor ring, Toneri abandoned his immediate plan to destroy the Shinobi World and chose to attack Naruto and his companions instead. Naruto’s group investigated the moonwide tremors, then found Toneri confronting them in the city.

  • Otsutsuki Toneri saw the enormous crater caused by Shihōin Naraku’s attack and realized Naraku had destroyed the meteor ring he had planned to use against the Shinobi World.
  • Toneri decided to wait for the Tenseigan to fully awaken and target Naruto and his companions in the meantime.
  • Naruto, Rock Lee, Kiba, Tenten, Hinata, Shikamaru, and the others woke as violent tremors shook the moon and searched the city for their source.
  • The group found no signs of nearby damage and concluded the tremors had come from far away, possibly outside the moon.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri appeared atop a building and threatened Naruto and his companions for entering the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s territory.

Ch. 996Naruto and Toneri

Naruto and Toneri fought across the city while Shikamaru and the others battled Toneri’s Puppets. Toneri diverted to seize Hinata, but Naruto intercepted him and resumed their clash.

  • Naruto and Toneri exchanged rapid attacks as Rock Lee, Tenten, and the others fought off the Puppets surrounding them.
  • Toneri wounded Naruto and tried to absorb his chakra, but Naruto revealed that he had used a Shadow Clone and recovered from the injury.
  • Toneri boasted of the Tenseigan’s power and prepared to attack Naruto again.
  • An explosion caught Hinata in the fighting, and Toneri moved to grab her.
  • Naruto intercepted Toneri, vowed to protect Hinata, and clashed with him again as Hinata retreated.

Ch. 997Leaving willingly!

Naruto fought Toneri, but Toneri absorbed his chakra and unleashed an explosion that devastated the moon’s surface, leaving Naruto gravely injured. Hinata agreed to leave with Toneri to spare her companions, and Toneri flew away with her while the others were unable to stop them.

  • Naruto’s Rasenshuriken failed to overcome Toneri’s green sphere, and Toneri attacked from behind and drained Naruto’s chakra.
  • Toneri’s enlarged sphere exploded, blasting through the moon’s surface and destroying nearly half the city.
  • Shikamaru, Kiba, Rock Lee, Tenten, Hinata, Tokuma, and Hōmon survived the blast, while Naruto lay badly injured beside the crater.
  • Toneri prepared to kill Naruto, but Hinata offered to go with him if he spared her companions.
  • Toneri accepted Hinata’s offer, and she willingly joined him on a puppet bird as it flew away.

Ch. 998Calling for reinforcements!

After Toneri abducted Hinata and defeated Rock Lee and Naruto, Shikamaru assessed the team’s injuries and the strength of their enemy. The team chose to stay and rescue Hinata and Hanabi, but Shikamaru concluded they needed reinforcements and a medical ninja.

  • Rock Lee opened the Sixth Gate and pursued Toneri, but Toneri blasted him into the rubble and flew away with Hinata.
  • Hōmon Hyuga treated Naruto, Rock Lee, and the others, explaining that Naruto had exhausted his chakra while Rock Lee had serious injuries.
  • Shikamaru judged that the injured team could not challenge Toneri yet, but declared he would stay rather than abandon Hinata and Hanabi; Kiba and the others agreed.
  • Shikamaru deduced that Toneri’s lair was inside the Artificial Sun and proposed sending someone back to call for reinforcements.

Ch. 999Keep the news under wraps!

Shikamaru sent Kiba and Tokuma back to Earth to report on Toneri and request elite reinforcements. In Konoha, Naraku and the officials reviewed the meteor shower’s damage and decided to conceal the Moon People’s connection to the Hyuga Clan by blaming the Ōtsutsuki Clan, before Naraku asked Tsunade about Akame.

  • Shikamaru chose Kiba and Tokuma to return to Earth with intelligence about their condition, Toneri, and his puppets, and to request reinforcements including Sakura.
  • Kiba, Tokuma, and Akamaru set out through the passage toward Earth while Shikamaru and Hōmon cautioned them to avoid fights.
  • Naraku reported that the meteor shower had caused heavy losses across the major nations, with Iwagakure and Kumogakure suffering especially badly while Konoha was largely spared.
  • Shikaku advised concealing the Moon People’s connection to the Hyuga Clan, and Naraku suggested blaming the Ōtsutsuki Clan for the events.
  • Naraku asked Tsunade whether Akame had returned, surprising her with how quickly he had learned about it.

Ch. 1000Arriving at the same time!

Naraku sent Akame, Sakura Haruno, and Sai to reinforce Naruto’s group on the moon, while Kiba and Tokuma returned through the passage to report the crisis. The support team arrived at the passage exit just as Kiba and Tokuma emerged, and Sakura assessed the exhausted pair.

  • Naraku decided to send Akame, Sakura Haruno, and Sai to support Naruto’s group, and Tsunade approved the plan.
  • Sakura, Sai, and Akame set out on Sai’s ink-drawn birds toward the passage to the moon.
  • Kiba and Tokuma raced back through the passage, worried about Naruto’s unconsciousness, Rock Lee’s injuries, and Hinata’s abduction.
  • Kiba and Tokuma emerged from the passage and were escorted toward the surface by two Konoha Ninja.
  • Sai’s birds landed beside the passage exit, and Sakura, Sai, and Akame arrived as Kiba and Tokuma returned.
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