Toneri felt as though he had experienced an incredibly long dream.
In that dream, there was no interference from someone named Uzumaki Naruto. He successfully inherited his father's and clan's will, happily married the Hyūga Clan's princess, and had two adorable children named Ōtsutsuki Boruto and Ōtsutsuki Himawari. Though Boruto was a bit naughty, Toneri loved him dearly. The family of four lived happily in a new ninja world, full of warmth.
All that beauty felt like a dream, making Toneri reluctant to wake up.
Unfortunately, beautiful dreams could never become reality.
*CRACK!*
With a crisp cracking sound, Toneri's sweet dream shattered, and the Hamura mist that froze his time slowly cracked and broke apart…
"Hu—!"
Toneri awoke from the illusory Ryūgūjō dream, his real memories flooding back like a tidal wave.
Only then did he recall.
He was suddenly attacked by Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, sealed by his Ryūgū Box, and he was still on the moon.
(Where's Urashiki?)
(What about the ninja world?)
(Is Boruto okay?)
(Who broke my seal?)
Toneri had long lost his pair of Tenseigan, leaving him without sight, but this didn't hinder his powerful sensory abilities.
However, he sensed no one's aura or chakra around him.
Until a voice suddenly spoke.
"Ōtsutsuki Toneri, still not awake from your sweet dream?"
Lux's voice startled Toneri, making him realize that, unbeknownst to him, a figure was already beside him.
Toneri shivered, instantly on guard:
"Who are you?!!!"
"Is that how you treat the benefactor who broke your seal?"
"You broke my seal?"
"Of course."
"Are you also an Ōtsutsuki? Are you with that guy?"
Toneri grew even more cautious. The Hamura mist was too powerful; a mere touch had sealed and frozen him easily, leaving no chance to resist.
Such an attack, whether a technique or an item, was too strong and dangerous!
Thus, Toneri reasoned that only someone from Urashiki's clan could break this strange time-freezing seal.
"Don't worry, I'm not an Ōtsutsuki, nor am I part of Urashiki's group that sealed you."
Lux extended a hand, touching Toneri's forehead from a distance.
Toneri almost thought it was an attack and tried to dodge, but he couldn't evade in time.
*BUZZ!*
A small amount of pure Six Paths chakra was injected into Toneri's forehead, quickly working within his eye sockets.
Moments later.
Flesh grew, nerves reconnected, and retinas repaired… Toneri's eyes were fully restored.
The power of Six Paths was said to be unpredictable, essentially a higher-quality chakra encompassing all elements.
It not only drastically enhanced a ninja's power but also comprehensively stimulated a living being's potential and self-healing abilities.
Just as Six Paths Naruto used Six Paths power to restore Kakashi's eyes, with Six Paths power, regenerating severed limbs was a simple matter.
Soon, Toneri opened his eyes.
Light, unseen for over a decade, shone into his eyes again, making him, who had been blind for so long, feel slightly uncomfortable.
But this genuine light was far better than blindness!
Instantly, Toneri's heart surged with emotion.
"You…"
Toneri stared at Lux beside him, his eyes full of astonishment.
This sudden eye regeneration was a tangible kindness and blessing, drastically reducing Toneri's hostility.
Not only breaking his seal but also restoring his eyes—even if it were an enemy, they deserved gratitude and respect. Moreover, the absence of the Ōtsutsuki's distinctive horns on this person's head reassured Toneri slightly.
"So, still want to fight?" Lux smiled faintly.
The carrot had been given. If Toneri still wanted to cause trouble, Lux wouldn't mind giving him a big stick to wake him up.
"My apologies, I was presumptuous!"
"Thank you for your help, sir!"
Toneri immediately adjusted his posture, sincerely apologizing and expressing gratitude.
As the little prince of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon, born with a silver spoon, though he later faced many changes, his fundamental manners and etiquette never faded.
As long as they weren't enemies, he treated everyone with great courtesy and respect.
"Now that your eyes are restored, are you more rational?"
"And thank you for restoring my eyes. I will repay this kindness to the best of my ability. May I ask about your identity? Who are you, really?"
"Just call me Tenshou Sennin."
"Tenshou… Sennin?"
Toneri's heart trembled. Those who could bear the title of Sennin were no ordinary beings.
Coupled with the Six Paths chakra just injected into his body, its quality was even purer than the Ten-Tails'.
Toneri was almost certain the other party was at least a god-level existence like his ancestor, Lord Hagoromo, which made him even more respectful.
"Enough about my identity—you'll know in time. For now, don't you want to know how long you've been sealed? And what's happened during that time?"
"How long have I been sealed? How's Boruto? Is he okay?…"
"Tch, immediately concerned about Boruto? I thought Boruto was your son."
Lux teased slightly.
"No, no! Boruto and I just have a good relationship, and the future of the ninja world rests on him…"
Toneri hurriedly explained. He and Hinata were purely platonic.
His affection for Boruto was purely admiration for the child and an understanding of his importance, much like Jiraiya's sincere regard for the child of prophecy.
But after several interactions, Toneri did feel a bit of paternal affection, almost treating Boruto as an adopted son.
"Don't worry, Boruto is still safe for now."
"Good!"
"But that might not last."
"Huh?"
"Haven't you noticed something strange about the moon?"
Lux's hint startled Toneri, who immediately shifted his attention to the entire moon.
Only then did he realize the moon seemed caught in an extremely powerful gravitational field, gradually accelerating toward Earth!
Toneri was shocked, looking up toward the gravitational pull.
Soon, he spotted Ōtsutsuki Kaguya in the distance.
Toneri's sensory abilities couldn't reach thousands of kilometers, but with his restored Byakugan, he could faintly see several figures.
"That?!!!"
"My ancestor? The Rabbit Goddess? Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!!!"
"And Uchiha Sasuke?!!!"
"Who's fighting Sasuke? So strong!"
"Wait… horned head, that person's also an Ōtsutsuki? An enemy?!!!"
Toneri's heart trembled with fear.
He knew Kaguya, of course, and Sasuke too. But Isshiki was completely unknown to him. Sasuke was surely allied with Naruto, so Isshiki, fighting him, must be an enemy!
Toneri adjusted his stance.
"You still recognize Sasuke, so it seems your memories weren't altered by Omnipotence."
Lux had a purpose in breaking Toneri's seal, also testing whether Toneri, with Ōtsutsuki blood, was immune to Omnipotence's memory modification.
After all, Toneri's bloodline purity was so high that even Urashiki considered him a half-kin.
And now, it seemed Toneri's Ōtsutsuki genes were indeed pure enough, at least several times higher than the Earth's Hyūga Clan, making him immune to Omnipotence's influence.
"Omnipotence? Memory modification? What's that?"
Toneri was utterly confused, having barely heard of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's Shinjutsu.
Lux was too lazy to explain in detail. With a single nine-tomoe Rinne-Sharingan genjutsu, he conveyed most of the current information and situation to Toneri.
Over ten seconds later.
Toneri absorbed and mostly understood the current situation, his heart growing increasingly shocked.
"Ōtsutsuki Urashiki is dead?"
"There was also an Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki team that came? But they lost to Boruto and the others?"
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki! He's been hiding in the ninja world for thousands of years, and we didn't notice?"
"Omnipotence? Even more terrifying than Infinite Tsukuyomi? Directly altering the memories and perceptions of everyone worldwide?"
"Hinata's dead too!!!"
"Damn Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!"
"Wait, he also broke Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's seal?"
"Now they're controlling the entire moon to crash into Earth? To destroy the whole ninja world? Sasuke's stopping them?"
This barrage of shocking information left Toneri dazed, almost unable to process it.
But he quickly made a decision:
"No, we must stop Kaguya and the others. The moon absolutely cannot crash into Earth! Otherwise, the entire ninja world will be destroyed!"
As he spoke, Toneri prepared to act.
But the next second, he froze in place.
Because he realized he couldn't get through at all.
Without his Tenseigan, he couldn't fly!
Even if he could, covering thousands of kilometers would take too long, and by then, it would be too late.
Moreover, Toneri noticed that in less than a minute, the moon would accelerate past the critical limit, entering a death orbit toward Earth.
He had no time at all!
"Tenshou Sennin-sama, can you send me there?"
Toneri immediately sought Lux's help. The other party could appear on the moon and wield Six Paths chakra, so perhaps they had some space-time ability to send him directly to the battlefield.
"I can."
"Then please help me. Afterward, I'm willing to pay any price!"
"No."
Lux bluntly refused.
"You broke my seal now, so you must need something from me, right? Whatever you need, I'll do my best to fulfill it. I only hope you can help me, help the ninja world…"
Toneri wasn't foolish. He suspected Lux needed something from him, which is why he dared to ask.
After all, he had no other options.
"You're mistaken."
"I do need you, but not now."
"As for now, even if I sent you there, it would be useless."
"Do you have the ability to fight Ōtsutsuki Isshiki? Do you have the power to intervene in a battle of that level?"
Lux's counter-questions silenced Toneri.
True!
In a battle of that level, he'd only die pointlessly.
If he still had his Tenseigan, he might compete slightly with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Six Paths Sasuke.
But now, he didn't.
With his current super-Kage-level combat power, even touching the "rear" of a quasi-Six Paths level was tough. If he dared intervene, Isshiki would likely crush him into paste in one encounter.
Toneri still understood the principle of "eating within one's means."
"I understand, but I can't just stand by and watch this happen!"
"Boruto's still on Earth. If the moon falls, he won't survive either!"
"I can't…"
Toneri understood the logic, but he couldn't accept Boruto facing mortal danger while he just stood there watching.
Especially since Hinata was already dead—he should protect Boruto well!
Hmm?
Boruto seems to have a father too?
Forget it, that's not important…
"Don't get too emotional. With me here, the ninja world won't be destroyed."
Lux spoke soothingly.
Since he was here, the moon couldn't possibly crash into Earth.
He was still waiting for Parallel World 7 to complete its unification and achieve the main mission.
How could he let an Earth-Moon collision destroy the entire ninja world?
Lux could tolerate Isshiki and Kaguya causing more chaos, putting a bit more pressure on Sasuke, and accelerating unification progress.
In fact, thanks to Sasuke and the others' efforts in recent days, Parallel World 7's unification progress had surged dramatically.
This greatly satisfied Lux.
Moreover, Isshiki and Kaguya's performance in Parallel World 7 made Lux glad he didn't choose to support them.
Indeed, to Isshiki and other Ōtsutsuki, humans were mere ants.
Let alone unifying the world and maintaining peace, they might, on a whim, kill all humans without hesitation, destroying the entire ninja world. Such unstable factors weren't what Lux needed.
In comparison, Sasuke was nearly a perfect support target.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After receiving Tenshou Sennin's assurance and promise, Toneri felt slightly reassured.
Though he wasn't sure whether to fully trust the other party, compared to his own helplessness, this at least gave him some hope.
*SWOOSH!*
Toneri also saw Six Paths Sasuke in the distance charging Indra's Arrow, its brilliant light and astonishing power shocking him even from afar.
"That's Indra's Arrow? Incredible power!"
"There's a chance! As long as it hits…"
Toneri was excited, sensing that Sasuke's Six Paths arrow was stronger than his own Tenseigan's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
If it hit Kaguya, it would surely injure her severely.
"Wait, that Ōtsutsuki Isshiki…"
"He's really going to take this attack head-on?"
"Isn't he afraid of dying? Is he insane?"
"Damn, if he blocks it for Kaguya, it'll be trouble!"
Toneri saw Isshiki's choice. The enemy was indeed following Black Zetsu's venomous plan, proactively positioning himself behind Kaguya, preparing to take Sasuke's arrow for her!
But as Toneri was shocked, something even more astonishing happened.
He suddenly noticed that the tip of Sasuke's Six Paths arrow, originally aimed at Kaguya, slightly shifted!
*SWOOSH!*
The radiant Indra's Arrow shot out fiercely!
But under Isshiki's stunned gaze, the arrow passed by him and Kaguya from the side.
With terrifying power capable of shattering heaven and earth, like an aurora piercing the dark night, it shot toward the moon, toward Toneri and the others!
Toneri: o(ﾟДﾟ)っ?!!!