I just need to stay home, do what I want with Godmother, and wait for news of their return.
"I…" Kirito gritted his teeth, then said, "Godmother, I must go!"
Hearing Kirito's words, Kushina looked at Kirito in disbelief. She hadn't expected that even her condition couldn't keep Kirito.
"Godmother, I have a feeling that if I don't go this time, not only will my sister-in-law be in danger, but Naruto-ge will also be in danger," Kirito said firmly.
"But if Naruto is in danger, what help can you be?" Kushina frowned, asking worriedly.
"I know my current strength is no help at all, but I believe there will always be a way I can help. Maybe precisely because my strength is low, the opponent won't take me seriously, and I can help Naruto-ge in some insignificant ways," Kirito insisted on his decision.
"You!"
Kushina lightly tapped Kirito's head. "Fine, since you insist on going, I can't stop you."
After a pause, Kushina suddenly looked up at Kirito and said, "You must promise me, you must come back safe and sound."
"Godmother, if I come back safe, will you give me…" Kirito flashed a mischievous smile.
"Get lost."
Seeing Kirito's annoying look, Kushina glared at him fiercely and said testily, "Once this Village is gone, there's no other shop. Don't even think about it!"
Chapter 33: You haven't eaten yet, I'll be fine.
By the time Kirito arrived at the Hokage office in the Hokage building, it was already crowded with people.
"Naruto-ge," Kirito called out.
"Kirito, you're just in time. I have something to tell you to do." Naruto turned around and looked at Kirito, saying, "After we leave, you'll help Shikamaru-ge and the others handle the Village's affairs."
Kushina knew Kirito's strength was too low and didn't want him to go, so how could Naruto not think of that?
"No! Naruto-ge, I want to go with you all," Kirito shook his head, his tone firm.
"Your strength is too low right now. If you go and encounter danger, what am I supposed to do?" Naruto shook his head, refuting him.
Among their group, the weakest was an elite Jonin. Kirito, a Chunin, really couldn't help at all and might even drag everyone down.
"Naruto-ge, don't worry, I definitely won't be a burden," Kirito quickly assured him.
"No, it's still too dangerous. I'm not at ease," Naruto shook his head, refusing once more.
"Kirito, don't get involved. Listen to Naruto," Sakura, who was nearby, also advised.
This time, she would also follow Naruto. Besides her, there were Kiba, Sai, and Shino Aburame.
Kiba, Sai, and Shino all had elite Jonin strength and were mainly responsible for reconnaissance, while Sakura had Kage-level strength and was responsible for healing.
"If you don't take me, I'll secretly follow you later," Kirito pouted, his attitude exceptionally resolute.
This left Naruto speechless. Seeing such a stubborn Kirito, he truly felt a bit helpless.
"You, really… sigh!" Naruto sighed.
"Naruto, just take him," At this moment, Shion, who was nearby, suddenly interjected, looking at Kirito and saying.
"Is that okay?" Naruto said with a frown.
"It's fine," Shion smiled.
"Alright, since Shion said so, Kirito, you can come with us," Naruto nodded, agreeing.
"Thank you, Naruto-ge," Kirito quickly thanked him.
"Alright everyone, check your equipment, see if there's anything else you need to take. After you're ready, prepare to depart," Naruto waved his hand, looking at everyone and saying.
Soon, everyone was ready, each fully armed.
"Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru, after I leave, the affairs of the Village are entrusted to you," Naruto, donning his Hokage cloak, looked at Kakashi and Shikamaru and said.
"Don't worry!" Kakashi nodded, then said, "But you all, you must be careful!"
"Mm!" Naruto nodded heavily, then looked at Sakura and the others, saying, "Depart!"
"Swish, swish, swish!"
At Naruto's command, the figures of the group disappeared from their original spot.
"Is Kirito really okay going with them?" Kakashi looked at their disappearing backs, then asked Shion.
"There won't be any problem," Shion nodded.
"Kirito, you must come back safe and sound!" Kushina stood by the window, watching them leave, and murmured.
Her beautiful eyes showed deep worry.
"Swish, swish, swish!" Sakura, carrying Kirito, moved through the forest, following behind Naruto and the others.
"Why did you insist on coming along this time?" Sakura quietly asked Kirito.
Kirito's speed certainly couldn't keep up with theirs, so Sakura had to carry him.
"I'm worried about you," Kirito naturally couldn't say he was worried about Hinata. It was better to say he was worried about Sakura to gain her favor.
"Why are you worried about me?" Sakura's heart pounded when she heard that.
"If you were just on Earth, I wouldn't be worried about you, but you're going to the Moon. I'm afraid you won't be able to come back and will be trapped up there. I want to be with you," Kirito said seriously.
"You!" Sakura's cheeks flushed upon hearing Kirito's words, and she was incredibly touched.
This time they were going to the Moon, and no one was entirely sure they could return safely. For her sake, Kirito, a Chunin, was accompanying her, risking life and death. How could she not be moved?
This was enough to prove that Kirito wasn't just playing around with her during this time, but truly liked her.
"You, you must stick close to me later. Don't run off, understand?" Sakura took a deep breath and solemnly instructed him.
"Don't worry, Sister Sakura, I won't be a burden to you all," Kirito nodded and said.
"If you encounter an enemy, hide and let me handle it. Don't try to be a hero, understand?" Sakura sternly instructed.
"Sister Sakura, are you worried about me?" Kirito looked at Sakura and asked.
Sakura's face flushed, but she still nodded lightly.
Seeing Sakura nod in admission, Kirito was overjoyed. He glanced at Naruto and the others ahead, then whispered, "Don't worry, Sister Sakura, you haven't eaten yet, so I won't be in any trouble."
"Pfft!" Sakura lightly chided.
While chatting, the group stopped at the entrance of a cave.
"This is it. According to Shion's information, this should be the passage to the Moon," Sai said, pointing to the cave ahead.
"Mm!" Naruto nodded and instructed, "You all investigate the situation inside this cave."
Sai, Kiba, and Shino exchanged glances, then each used their Ninjutsu to investigate the situation inside the cave.
"No abnormalities detected," Sai and Shino said simultaneously.
"I smell a faint scent of Hinata in this cave. It seems that person left from here with Hinata," Kiba also said.
"Good!" Naruto nodded, then looked at Kirito and said, "Stick close to Sakura, and absolutely do not wander off."
"I know, don't worry, Naruto-ge," Kirito nodded.
"Let's go," Naruto led the way into the cave.
Then, everyone followed him into the cave.
The cave wasn't very large, only wide enough for four people to walk side by side.
As Naruto walked, his eyes scanned and observed the surroundings.
Before long, Naruto arrived at a spacious area where a massive formation was present.
"This must be the teleportation array," Naruto said to himself, his gaze fixed on the formation.
"Let's all stand on it together," Naruto said to the group.
Everyone nodded, then stood together on the formation, activating it.
"Buzz~"
The formation glowed with a faint white light, enveloping the group. Gradually, the white light became dazzling, and Naruto and the others instantly vanished from their original spot.
When Naruto and the others opened their eyes, they were already in another world.
"Is this the Moon?" Naruto murmured, then said, "Sai, you all investigate."
"Sai?" Naruto didn't hear a response and called out again, then turned around. When he saw that no one was around, he was stunned.
"Damn it! It's a random teleportation!" Naruto's expression changed. If it was a random teleportation, then Kirito might also be alone.
Chapter 34: Finding Hinata
In a grand palace on the far side of the Moon, a young girl was confined to a room. This was Hinata, who had been captured!
Hinata sat on the bed with her knees hugged, her head buried between her knees, lost in thought.
"My bride, why are you so downcast? Is being my bride really so difficult?" Ōtsutsuki Toneri walked slowly, dressed in a magnificent robe.
Hinata seemed not to hear Toneri speaking, remaining silent.
"Heh heh, my foolish girl, your expression tells me you're thinking that someone will come to save you, right?" Ōtsutsuki Toneri walked up to Hinata, grabbed her arm, and said.
"Let go!!!" Hinata glared coldly at Ōtsutsuki Toneri, growling softly.
"Heh heh, how stubborn you are," Ōtsutsuki Toneri shook his head and said, "Stop struggling, because you can't escape. No one can come to save you."
"Even if I die, I won't marry you," Hinata bit her silver teeth and said fiercely.
A smile played on Ōtsutsuki Toneri's lips: "What a stubborn girl. I have plenty of time, I'm not in a hurry. I can slowly wait for you to fall in love with me. I believe one day, I will win you over, my bride."
Hinata ignored Ōtsutsuki Toneri, simply closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.
Seeing Hinata in this state, Ōtsutsuki Toneri shook his head, turned, and left the room.
At the same time, Kirito was teleported to the Moon.
He opened his eyes and found himself inside a building. Naruto and Sakura were nowhere in sight.
"Random teleportation?" Kirito frowned. Random teleportation might not pose much threat to others, but for him, it was quite dangerous. He was just a small Chunin.
Moreover, he didn't know where Hinata was, and he didn't have Sai's detective abilities. Finding Hinata would be incredibly difficult.
"However…" Kirito looked around and murmured, "Could this be the building where my sister-in-law is held?"
Besides Toneri living here on the Moon, could there be anyone else? Of course, it could also be other buildings constructed by Toneri.
After a moment of thought, Kirito decided to search the area.
Kirito stealthily explored, discovering many Ōtsutsuki puppets patrolling.
"It seems this really is Toneri's location." With so many Ōtsutsuki puppets, Kirito couldn't think of anywhere else that would require so many Ōtsutsuki puppets to guard, other than the place where Hinata was held.
Kirito moved cautiously, not daring to alarm the puppets. He quietly circled to the center of the building complex, and in a secluded corner, waited for the patrolling puppets to leave.
Soon after, two teams of patrolling puppets departed.
Kirito quickly jumped onto a wall, crouching, carefully listening to the surrounding movements, and at the same time observing the patrol routes of these puppets.
"They are likely patrolling the northeast area. If nothing unexpected happens, my sister-in-law should be held there," Kirito secretly analyzed.
Kirito memorized the patrol patterns of the puppet teams and quickly moved to the very edge of the area. He held his breath, listening intently to the surrounding movements.
Finally, after seeing a team of puppets patrol past, Kirito immediately jumped down from the wall.
Kirito quickly rushed to a corner of the northeast area, waiting for a new team of puppets to patrol past.
After several attempts, finally, after the fifth puppet patrol ended, Kirito successfully saw the room where Hinata was held.
"Swish!" Kirito excitedly leaped into the room.
"Who?!" Hinata felt someone intrude into the room and suddenly lifted her head.
"Kirito?!" When she clearly saw the person who entered, Hinata showed excitement and threw herself into Kirito's arms.
Toneri had been telling her these past few days that this was the Moon, that she couldn't go back, and that she should obediently submit to him.
Although Hinata ignored Toneri, it still had a considerable psychological impact on her.
Therefore, upon seeing Kirito, Hinata reacted so excitedly, throwing herself into his arms.
"Sister-in-law," Kirito put his arm around Hinata's shoulders, gently stroking her hair, and said, "Are you alright?"
Hinata's body was soft, like a ball of cotton, boneless and very comfortable to hold. Moreover, Hinata's body also exuded a faint, delicate fragrance.