The village of Kura was a small one compared to Konoha. The infrastructure was old-fashioned, which, to me, clearly reflected its distant era. Most of the villagers were farmers, while the rest were Hagoromo's apprentices. We had already been exploring this little village for over an hour, and Megumi kept telling me various anecdotes as we wandered through the streets. She told me how she ended up becoming one of Hagoromo's servants, that he had found her begging for food in the streets. He had off...
"Tell me, Megumi, do you know Hagoromo's sons well ?"
"Indra and Asura ? Yes, we practically grew up together," she said with a warm smile.
"What are they like ?" I asked curiously.
"Very different..." she said with a sad look.
"Very different ? How so ?"
"When they were little, Indra and Asura were very close. Indra loved his brother more than anything, and Asura followed Indra everywhere. They were inseparable. But Indra was a genius, and the stronger he became, the more his..." she said, stopping suddenly.
"What? Why did you stop ?"
"I... I don't know if I should continue..." she said, confused.
"What are you afraid of ? I won't say anything," I told her with a smile.
"It's not that, but... it's quite sad, and it might upset you more than anything."
"Don't worry, just tell me what happened."
"Alright... um... as Indra became stronger, he distanced himself from Hagoromo's teachings and, at the same time, from his brother. He became very strict and... he is feared by the villagers... But he used to be such a loving boy !" she said, trying to convince me.
"I see..."
That's what I had sensed when I saw him fight his opponents. Love seemed to have vanished from his eyes. Damn Zetsu! Just like you destroyed Sasuke's heart...
"Miss Sakura, we should head back. The sun is setting."
"You're right, let's go back."
The walk back was marked by a heavy silence. Megumi seemed very sad after talking about the Otsutsuki brothers. Was she close to those boys ?
As we approached Hagoromo's estate, a commotion caught my attention. My steps instinctively followed the noise, and as I got closer, I could distinguish cries and sobs. I narrowed my eyes, what was happening ?
"Please ! Call Master Hagoromo ! My son is hurt..." sobbed a man holding a small child in his arms.
My attention shifted to the child. He was unconscious in his father's arms. His skin was losing color as he bled out.
"Master Hagoromo isn't here," said a worried-looking servant.
"WHAT ?! But my son... he's going to..."
"Megumi, take this child to the nearest room !" I said firmly.
"Pardon ?"
"Quick ! He's losing too much blood !"
"Sir, follow me !" said Megumi, quickly executing my order.
The father didn't ask questions and followed Megumi, who led us into a room.
"Lay the child on the bed !" I ordered.
He gently placed his son on the bed and looked at me, confused.
"Don't worry ! I know how to heal wounds," I said warmly to reassure the father.
"REALLY ?!" the father gasped, surprised and half-relieved.
"Megumi, get a basin of warm water and another with cold water. I want warm towels. Ask the other servants for help."
"Yes, Miss Sakura !" she said before leaving the room.
I approached the boy. His heart was beating faintly, and his breathing was labored. Tearing his shirt, I saw he had a deep wound in his chest, likely caused by an arrow. A few centimeters more and it would have hit the aorta—he would have died.
I began molding my chakra and used my chakra scalpel to check for internal damage.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL MY SON !!" the father screamed.
"Sakura ?..." said a voice that had just entered the room.
Asura had just walked in and looked shocked to see me using chakra.
"What are you... doing ?" he said, still in disbelief.
"It looks like he was injured by an arrow, causing a deep hole in his chest. I need to open him up to check for internal injuries," I said while scanning for possible damage.
"Internal injuries ?" said Asura, still in shock.
"YOU'RE KILLING MY SON !! CALL MASTER HAGOROMO !!" the father shouted again.
"Asura, trust me !" I said, turning to him with a serious look.
Asura clenched his fist, seemingly unsure of what to do.
"Remove the father from the room," said another person coldly who had just entered.
I didn't need to turn around to know who that deep and icy voice belonged to. It was Indra.
As the father was forcibly escorted out of the room, I felt the presence of the Sharingan behind me.
"Big brother..." said Asura, perplexed.
"She knows what she's doing," Indra said simply.
After repairing the internal injuries and stopping the bleeding, I finally closed the wound using my chakra. The child was starting to regain color, he was out of danger.
"Megumi, here's a list of herbs for an anemia remedy. Give it to his father for the boy's recovery."
"Yes, Miss Sakura," she replied admiringly.
"You don't need me anymore. The boy is safe now. So I'll..."
"Who are you ?" asked Indra, his Sharingan still active.
"I'm a healer."
"A healer with perfect chakra control ?" he asked, puzzled.
"I dedicated my life to mastering chakra to save lives," I said flatly.
At that moment, Indra gave a disdainful smirk. He reminded me so much of Sasuke when darkness had consumed him and he tried to kill me.
"You can discuss this with your father. I'm leaving," I said angrily.
It was all his fault. If he had been stronger, if he had realized Zetsu was manipulating him, if he had trusted his family more... Then Sasuke wouldn't have had such a tragic fate... Why ? Why did I have to live in an era with the ones responsible for all the pain ? I hated him. I despised him with all my being. But then why... was I still crying ?
"Sakura ! Wait !" said Asura, catching up to me in the hallway.
I didn't turn around. I couldn't face him in that state. And to think I was thinking about love when I was about to die... Now here I was, feeling hatred.
"...I'm sorry," he said simply.
He's sorry ? But for what ?
"I doubted you. I didn't know you could use chakra or that you were a healer. I'm sorry," he repeated.
"Why..." I whispered.
"What ?"
"Why are you apologizing ?" I asked into the void.
"Because I wronged you. You asked me to trust you, and instead, I doubted you. You were incredible, Sakura! You radiated strength, calm, and warmth in every medical gesture you made. It was impressive."
He seemed sincere. Just like Naruto, who always encouraged me, Asura did the same. Naruto didn't deserve what happened either. Because of that cursed promise I asked him to keep, he went after Sasuke into the darkness... until he lost his life. But even in his final moments, he still had that warm smile. Naruto was the light of the village, the one who guided everyone, including me.
"Thank you... Asura," I said, turning slightly.