The morning had just broken. The blue sky, completely clear, hinted at a sunny day. From my window, where I had spent the entire night gazing at the sky and more precisely, at that moon hiding a great danger I hadn't stopped thinking about my arrival in the past. I still couldn't understand how I had ended up here, and especially at this precise moment in time. Was this the result of all my years of research in my laboratory ? I had wanted to bring Sasuke and Naruto back to life, but maybe to do that, I needed to break the curse of the rival brothers.
In my memories, Indra was Asura's older brother and was considered a genius. He should have been Hagoromo's successor, but the latter chose Asura to take over. Indra, unable to bear being sidelined by his less talented brother, clashed with him. And thus were born the Uchiha and Senju clans two brotherly clans destined to tear each other apart. I had to break this chain at its source. To do that, I needed to stop the brothers from coming into conflict.
But how ? I didn't know them well enough to have any influence… Asura… Asura was the one I was closest to here. I felt he could be the one to give me the information I was looking for.
"Oh look ! It's the lady with pink hair !" said a little boy to another as they saw me through the window from outside.
"Wow ! Do you think she's an angel ? She's really beautiful !" said the second, blushing.
What's gotten into them ? Have they never seen this color before ? I thought as I touched my long hair.
"Oh, Miss Sakura, you're already awake !" asked a maid who had just entered my room.
"It's you, Megumi ! Is something wrong ?" I asked her.
Megumi was one of the many servants in the house. She was in charge of looking after me, and since my arrival, we had grown close.
"Master Hagoromo would like to see you," she said with a smile.
"Hagoromo ?"
"Yes, the master of the house, remember? I told you about him."
At last… I had been wondering when I would finally get to see him. He might be able to help me understand why I was here.
"Miss ?" Megumi asked.
"Oh… sorry… let's go !" I said quickly.
As I left my room and walked down the path to meet Hagoromo, I crossed paths with many people, servants, apprentices and all of them stared at me as if I were strange. Could they feel my chakra ?
"Master Hagoromo, Miss Sakura is here," Megumi said before a gigantic door.
"Let her in !" said a firm and confident voice.
The large door opened, allowing me to enter the enormous room alone. Looking around, I noticed that only a few chairs and a sofa were present. Everything was very simple, in stark contrast to the majestic size of the room.
"Sakura, is that right ?" said a man who had just appeared.
My body began to tremble his chakra was no joke… just like the first time I had met him in the future.
Hagoromo had a unique appearance. His skin was pale, and he had two horns on top of his head. His eyes were none other than two Rinnegan. As I continued to look at him, he sat down and stared at me in return, a smile forming on his lips.
"They weren't lying besides your beautiful hair, you have special eyes !" he said warmly.
"Special eyes ? I'm not the one who has the Rinnegan !" I said confidently.
"So you know about the Rinnegan ? Interesting…" he said thoughtfully.
I looked at him again. He was different from the first time. It was during the Great Shinobi War that he appeared just before Kaguya's arrival. That was when he told us the story of chakra, of his sons, and the tragic destiny of Naruto and Sasuke…
"Where are you from, young lady ?" he asked seriously.
What could I say to that ? Should I tell him I came from the future ?
"Speak ! You are safe here. I am Hagoromo, I am responsible for this village. No one will harm you as long as I am here," he said seriously.
"I know that…" I said softly.
"You know ?" he asked, intrigued by my response.
"I know who you are, and I know that you know I'm not just an ordinary woman."
"Indeed, I can feel your chakra. You seem to know how to use it."
"I come from a place where we use chakra to fight."
"Chakra is not meant for fighting, it is a spiritual quest above all."
"That's probably what you thought when you gave chakra to humans, but humans are born to fight and to take what they want," I replied, clenching my fists.
"That's what you believe ?"
"Yes…"
"Yet your heart says otherwise."
I looked at him, shocked. But where was my mind? He could read people's history. There was no point in hiding who I really was from him.
"I am a kunoichi from the future! I blurted out, still looking at him."
"A kunoichi from the future? What are you doing in the past ?"
"I don't know... I don't know how I ended up here. I thought you might have an idea. I asked, fragilely."
"Let me first see your story."
Without realizing it, his pupils lit up, and my memories spilled out as if I were reading a book on fast-forward.
"Hm... I see. You've suffered a lot... but you're fighting the wrong battle! he said with a very serious look."
"The wrong battle ?"
"Yes, your friends are dead. Their destiny was to die, to sacrifice their lives to end this curse. There's nothing more you can do than watch."
"You're wrong ! If I manage to prevent your sons from fighting, then I can save them..."
"YOU CANNOT ! he said, raising his voice."
I lowered my head, my eyes stung before they released many tears. I clenched my hands tightly until drops of blood began to fall.
"Are you going to stop me from acting ? I asked, still with my head down."
"No. If it is your destiny to try, then I can do nothing. But if you ever decide to take a life, I won't stand idly by ! he said sternly."
"Why ? Your sons are responsible for future wars. Millions of people will lose their lives. Your teachings will become weapons to kill people... why don't you do anything ?! I asked, angry."
"I cannot change the fate of people. What must happen, the suffering you've been through, is something necessary. Through that suffering, you became stronger. You were able to save thousands of people. Your destiny is not to save your friends, but to save others."
"It's unfair! You have the power to intervene, to prevent what you've seen in the future, yet you let your eldest son fall into hatred and create a rift between your two children."
"You are right. It's not fair, but Sakura, justice is not what governs this world! It is each person's will that shapes this world."
"Then why let destiny destroy the will of others ?"
"Because will is part of destiny. You are still too affected by your past to understand that will and destiny are not two separate entities. They are one and the same. Your destiny was to come to the past, but you don't know how you got here, do you ?"
"That's true..."
"It was your will that brought you here. Your final prayers for love and peace, your love for your two friends, created a will so strong that it activated your destiny. But if you think your destiny is to change the future of my sons, you are mistaken. If their destiny is to fight each other, then even your greatest will can do nothing."
"Then why am I here? If my will to change the fate of my friends is not part of my destiny, what is it ?"
"Only time will tell."
"I don't understand..."
"You will understand later."
With those final words, Hagoromo disappeared, leaving me in a state where anger, sadness, fear, and confusion were all mixed together. I couldn't grasp Hagoromo's words. My will brought me here, but it was because my destiny was tied to my will ? Aaaah, I really didn't understand anything anymore.
"Miss Sakura ? said Megumi, who had just entered the room. Master Hagoromo told me your meeting was over."
"You saw Hagoromo ? I asked, surprised."
"No, he sent me a message through thought, she said with a big smile."
Of course, nothing was impossible for Hagoromo, son of Kaguya.
***
My meeting with Hagoromo had affected me more than I thought. I couldn't understand how a father could let his two sons kill each other. He had seen through my memories the future, the story of his sons, the same story that caused him to appear during the great ninja war. So why didn't he want to prevent it? And what was my role in all of this? If I couldn't change the future of his sons, why was I here? I would have preferred to die and be by the side of my two comrades than to find myself in a doomed past...
"Miss Sakura ? asked Megumi, worried."
"Yes ?"
"Are you alright ?"
"Pardon?"
"Since your meeting with Master Hagoromo, you seem sad."
"Let's just say I was reminded of how useless I am..." I said with a bitter smile.
"What do you mean ? Master Hagoromo says you come from the heavens !"
"The heavens ? Me ?" I replied in confusion.
"Yes, your pink hair, your green eyes, your porcelain skin... you must be a goddess," she said admiringly.
"Huh ?"
Where had I landed ? Was this really the past or some kind of insane world ?
"You know, you're the first person we've seen with such physical features. Master Hagoromo also says you know how to control chakra."
Damn... I had wanted to hide my abilities, but it seems it's too late now...
"May I ask what you're capable of ? Or is that too impolite ?" Megumi asked timidly.
"I... I... healing I can heal wounds and cure diseases."
"Oh really ? You truly are a goddess! Praise the heavens !" she said, bowing deeply.
Maybe this goddess role wasn't such a bad idea. I didn't have to fully seal my chakra-I could use it without it being a problem. It was a perfect cover, even if it felt ridiculous to me.
"Megumi, I'd like to go for a walk. Can you come with me and show me your village ?"
"Of course, oh great goddess!" she said while bowing.
"Uh... just call me Sakura, please. And no need to bow," I said, embarrassed.
"How could I dare show disrespect to your holiness!" she said, still bowing before me.
"Please, rise," I asked warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Very well, Miss Sakura," she said, blushing.
"That's much better, Megumi," I replied with a smile.