Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [3]

☾ 17 ☽

Toneri continued to rant to Tsukiko about everything, and Tsukiko remained silent, her thoughts trailing away from the room they were sitting in. She was starting to understand why Toneri had made her wear these Chakra-sucking bracelets. It all led to this plan of his.

Tsukiko had fought in the Fourth Shinobi World War. She had been a leading player in that war, for all the right and wrong reasons. She was an eye-witness to that excessive bloodshed.

The ones continuing this foolishness were none other than Tsukiko and the other shinobi of Earth. Yet at the same time, she felt that there were problems with this Toneri's way of thinking.

To destroy the world that Hagoromo created because it was evil and rebuild a world that is right – that sounded very ideal but it was also very cruel.

There must actually be countless phases and categories between good and evil. At times, right and wrong are debatable, and Tsukiko didn't even know which way was right and which way was wrong in the grand scheme of things.

But it was difficult when it came to the world of humans. Toneri's simple dualism was easy to understand, but it was too extreme. He had lived sheltered from the reality of humans.

"Why are you seeking Hinata then?" Tsukiko inquired. "And why haven't you released Hanabi?"

"I can't do that until I have unlocked the Tenseigan," Toneri replied. "And you have become my wife. Those two girls are the heirs to Hamura's main family and in order for me to ascend that position, they need to go. But if you, the elder sister's incarnation, were to marry me..."

Rather than turning it all down, Tsukiko decided to seek more information, "What gives you the idea that this is something that you have to do? All this marriage talk?"

"We are promised by fate," Toneri told her earnestly. "You and I are destined to be together according to a celestial decree from ancient times,"

"Who told you about this 'celestial decree from ancient times', then?" Tsukiko questionedd.

"My father," Toneri replied.

"Where is your father?" Tsukiko asked, knowing very well that she had not seen another living person in this castle but her, Toneri and Hanabi. "How does he know me?"

"He died a long time ago," Toneri answered. "He and I used to live together with all of these puppets working for our will. But I wanted human friends, and that is where I saw you..."

Toneri fondly remembered all those times that his father had taken him through the cave and visited the nearby village of Konohagakure. There, they spied on their distant blood relatives, the Hyuga Clan, and it was here where they found the Great Lady Kisshoten's incarnation.

"I saw you when you were younger," Toneri mused happily. "You were always by yourself, and you never played like a child... but I could see you were an Otsutsuki like myself. We were one and the same, but you are a Princess while I'm just a lowly branch member,"

"How... how did you see me if you couldn't use your eyes?" Tsukiko said, appalled to know that this person had spied on her as a kid. "When did you lose your eyes?"

"All members of the branch family members had to give up their eyes when they were born," Toneri said, not caring for the topic. "We could sense you – it's almost the same as seeing,"

"So, you just heard of an Otsutsuki on earth and decided upon some decree?" Tsukiko responded.

"You and I are fated together," Toneri told her, starting to get a bit worked up. "I wanted to bring you with myself all those times... no one on earth treated you like the way you deserved to be treated! But my father thought it would be better for you to live on earth.