Capítulo 23: PART 3.
Both women were watching the campfire, absorbed in the dance of the flames that made the branches sparkle, each with a metal cup in her hand. Despite the heat they radiated, they ignored the burning sensation in their hands.
The steam from the old woman's coffee rose delicately, caressing her face as it mixed with the smoke from the campfire that dispersed into the night.
Temporarily, Mirai found refuge in the warmth and comfort of the moment, though something disturbed her tranquility.
The bag with the small, shiny stones lay on the ground next to Mirai, as a constant reminder of the uncertainty surrounding her situation.
Despite the impulse to grab the old woman by the shoulders and demand explanations, Mirai remained calm, aware that she was completely unaware of what the future held. He chose to stay out of it and not cause any scandal. It was not convenient for others to listen to what they were saying.
"You..."
"How old are you?"
The crackle of the campfire echoed as Mirai emerged from her imperturbability.
"Fifteen... Fifteen and a half." The young woman replied doubtfully, her voice barely a whisper in the night.
"Umu. You're younger than I thought. The old lady took a long sip of her coffee after saying it."
Witnessing this gesture, Mirai hesitated as to whether she should do the same. Despite the importance of the moment, he did not want to open himself up to another dangerous scenario by trusting himself too much. He swallowed hard to comfort his throat as he watched the old woman serenely catch her breath.
"I..." the black-haired woman began to say. "I have a lot of questions... to do to you."
"In your position, it's normal for you to have them." The woman answered. "I even think you're taking a long time to make them."
" So—"
"But first of all, there's something I'd like to ask you. Above all things."
The Sarutobi sank back into the middle of his shoulders, pursing her lips to force herself to remain silent.
The old woman's tone was heavy, quite strong compared to the one used previously. His presence was calm, but equally serious and with a decision as transparent as the barely visible fog.
There was no need to ask what the woman's doubt was, and she waited a little uneasily for the old woman's question.
"How did you get here?" The shadows of the fire were painted on the woman's face. "You and those boys... How do you know who I am?"
"This..."
Mirai's hands trembled, holding the metal cup. Seeing the coffee trembling under his eyes, he remembered for moments what he experienced in Konoha.
Blood.
The tears.
The farewells.
The secrets.
He couldn't even remember it well, such was the magnitude of everything that had unfolded before his eyes. He could only feel the desire to get away, to escape the screams for help. The only thing he saw now were the faces of the last people he had seen: his master and Tanaka-san.
"U-One person. It was a superior who told me about you." Mirai murmured, her voice trembling.
"A superior...?" The woman asked on the other side of the fire. "Another ninja like you?"
"Yes, he handed me some things and instructed me to come with my squad to this location. Beyond that... I don't know anything."
"I see." The woman's statement sounded like an attempt to calm the younger woman's discomfort.
Receiving some comfort, even if it was as vague as a single statement, was enough for Mirai. He had endured the sun, endured hunger for fear of spending more food than necessary. And above all, this woman seemed to know more than Mirai herself. So she could feel a little calmer right now.
"Squad..." Mirai murmured, as she meekly watched the old woman. The latter was focused on scrutinizing the shadows at the end of the corridor, trying to discern what was hidden beneath them.
Mirai's reaction to this action was not one of surprise or inner disorder. He allowed the woman to investigate with her eyes as much as she wanted, hoping to get some clear answer about her situation.
The old woman's face twitched silently, pondering to herself before turning to the teenage girl. Although his eyelids were closed by wrinkles, it was evident that he was watching.
"I saw the bandanas. It would be naïve to ask if you are ninjas from some village." The old woman commented, more to herself than to Mirai.
Mirai was speechless, taking in the old lady's words, which seemed to be directed more towards her own reflection.
"We're ninjas from Konoha." Mirai finally replied, her anxiety reflecting in her eyes. "Konoha: The village hidden among the leaves."
"The name doesn't matter if they will be hidden in the end." The woman let go, showing a strong grip on her hands, perhaps holding back the urge to make a gesture. "A hidden village... It makes sense then for you to know who I am."
Mirai hesitated at the old lady's conclusion.
Mirai felt the weight of her silence as she struggled with the urge to ask more questions. He knew that every word could deflect the only source of information before him.
The adults in his village had been acting strangely in the weeks leading up to the attack. Even before that, Mirai had felt the discomfort of not knowing certain things that seemed to be known to those outside of her circle.
She didn't remember when she started thinking like that, but she was sure that only the woman in front of her could answer those questions.
"Excuse me... Could you tell me who exactly you are?" Mirai asked, fixing her gaze on the old woman's hands before returning her to her eyes. "The person who told me about you... He told me to hand over this bag to you and made it clear that no one but you could see its contents. Could you also explain to me what these things contain inside it?"
In the silence that filled the space between them, Mirai and the old woman looked at each other without breaking the visual connection. Both seemed to hesitate, undecided about who would take the first step in addressing the issue that had brought them together. There was so much to say, but none were ready to start.
Finally, the old lady looked away and set the metal cup down near the campfire, allowing the heat to warm it up again.
"I once had a name. Sometimes it was just a letter or a nickname. I had so many stamps that I can't remember any that considered my real name." Her words rang out with melancholy, and Mirai was intrigued by the woman's tone.
The old woman seemed to lose herself in her own thoughts as she looked to her forehead, as if seeking to find answers in her own skin.
"A name... I can't answer that. But I can answer your other question." He finally told him.
The flames of the campfire lit up Mirai's face as she focused on the woman's words. The small bag lay beside him, reminding him of the importance of what was about to be revealed.
"I'm a vagabond, traveling from one place to another without a home or land to claim. When I said that this place was my territory, I meant that I am staying here temporarily." The old woman clarified, as she leaned back a little closer to the campfire.
"Are you living in the desert? Single?" Mirai asked, with a worried expression.
The old woman's countenance darkened slightly.
"Because individuals like that man can have knowledge about things like the ones you have there." He pointed to the bag that lay next to Mirai, referring to the previous attackers. Then, he turned his attention back to the cup of coffee. "It doesn't matter how much time has gone by without attracting attention. Once you say something, there will always be something or someone who will keep that information alive. Those things never go away, unlike us elders."
"Are you talking about the contents of that bag? Those shiny stones?" Mirai asked, impatiently.
The old woman shook her head.
"They are not stones." He corrected calmly." Those things that shine are "Spheres"."
Mirai licked her lips, processing the information.
"Those spheres are evidence of what's happening to you, because they only appear when the scroll is opened."
The old woman's index finger rose slightly, pointing vaguely towards Mirai. The gesture aroused a trace of curiosity in the young woman, who watched carefully. It seemed like an impulsive but conscious movement, stopped by a part of the old woman who was not sure if she wanted to continue with her story.
A hesitant determination was reflected in the Sarutobi's gaze as she pursed her lips, holding back. Even so, he couldn't help but ask his question.
"The parchment...?"
The fear in his voice was evident. He was afraid to utter those words too explicitly, aware that they might lead to perdition.
How do you tell someone that they don't belong to this time and that they need help?
It wasn't as simple as asking for directions to turn back or asking for directions to back.
However, the absence of details in this conversation had already become a barrier that limited the current knowledge that both shared. They knew what was happening and understood each other's questions and answers without needing to dig deeper into it, no matter how crucial it was.
For this reason, the old woman put her glass aside to avoid burns and continued with her explanation.
"There is only one scroll capable of achieving that. Its function is reduced to taking you back to the past of the world, through the blood and memories of it." Explained the woman with white hair, mostly covered by a fine beige cloth that served as a cape. "It could be the immediate past or even a few days ago. But the price you have to pay for the scroll to work increases as you order more."
"What do you mean by "the more you ask"?" The black-haired woman asked, remembering her conversation with Tanaka-san. "I still can't fully understand it, but I heard something about the memories and the sacrifices."
"That's the crucial part." The old woman admitted calmly. He paused before turning his gaze to Mirai. "You told me you're fifteen, but that doesn't guarantee that exactly fifteen years have passed from this moment to your birth. Do you have any idea how much time might have elapsed?"
"..."
Mirai recalled her arrival at the new sunset.
Before that, he had witnessed a cataclysm, in front of a scroll adorned with infinite inscriptions and people who tirelessly repeated the sacrifice they were making.
After that terrifying scenario, he opened his eyes in the same place where he had fainted: a secluded hill of Konoha, which he had desperately reached running along with the other ninjas who had managed to survive.
It was on that hill that he noticed not only the absence of the most experienced ninja, but also the stone sculptures that adorned the village rebuilt from ashes and blood.
Konoha was intact. It was in perfect condition now, when just a moment before it had been reduced to rubble.
And also...
Mirai squeezed her glass tightly and recounted without reservation or fear what she had heard from the Anbu.
He spoke about his father's death, the rule of the current Hokage; both of which, according to what was known, should have occurred shortly before his birth.
The grandmother nodded, understanding the young woman's concern. They both were silent for a moment, reflecting on what they had just discussed.
"So, sixteen years old... That's a long time, considering I expected that, should this happen, it would have been about four years, or even less. I never imagined that someone would be able to sacrifice a lifetime just to open the scroll."
Mirai listened intently, feeling the comforting warmth of the campfire beside her.
"You say you come from that village... Konoha, right?" Mirai nodded as the woman watched the flames as she spoke. "It was a long time ago, but a hidden village knew of our existence."
"Konoha... Did you know the parchment?"
Mirai's voice was barely heard, avoiding disturbing the silence of the closed place.
"As far as I know, no." The old woman replied. "That scroll was really dangerous. Just returning for a week claimed many lives. That's why they banned it, and as far as I know now, someone is in charge of its protection."
"Does anyone guard the parchment?"
"Exactly."
"And about what you said before..." Mirai caught the woman's attention. "You said "Ours." Does it mean that you are not the only one who knows about it, besides the keeper of the scroll?"
"..."
The Sarutobi moved uncomfortably in her place.
Had he touched on a delicate subject? Perhaps it was a mistake to ask that question?
It wasn't just a list of doubts; It was as if he had opened a floodgate that let in a torrent of questions and worries, filling even the darkest corners of the room.
And Mirai was overwhelmed by the immensity of it all. She didn't know how to dodge the questions, or if there were topics that the old woman preferred not to address.
The last thing he wanted was to alert a potential enemy when that stranger was his only source of information and possibly help. How much did that old woman really know?
Mirai shrank in her seat, mustering up the courage to change the subject, but the old lady was already in the middle of her tale.
"There are certain things that young people like you shouldn't know. If you, being someone from the future, don't know certain details, then it means that your village kept its ninjas away from certain information, even in situations as disastrous as yours."
Grandma shook her head when she saw Mirai's sad expression.
"However, from these questions I can extract some details that may be useful to you." The woman added, adjusting the fabric that covered her hair as if it were a simple excuse to buy time.
Then, he stroked the ends of the cloth that fell over his shoulders as he continued talking.
"I still have my reservations about it. But what intrigues me most is the reason."
"The reason?"
"Exactly. The reason behind opening the parchment." The woman straightened up determinedly. "That scroll is so dangerous that even its destruction could unleash chaos in multiple ways and in different places. I find it difficult to believe that such an extraordinarily dangerous object has been entrusted to a village with considerable military power."
"That...!"
Mirai was startled by her own surprise. As if a sudden light had illuminated her, she looked at the ground, mentally reviewing her memories carefully. The expression on her face, full of fear and nervousness, made the old woman understand that she was close to discovering the reason she was looking for so much.
"Our village... It seems to have faced threats much earlier than I know so far, coming from outside forces." Sarutobi fixed her eyes on the woman in front of her. "I don't know how to explain it in words, but there are multiple reasons why our village resorted to this practice. There may be many, but I only know part of the story."
" What is it? Did that previous superior reveal it to you?"
"Exactly!" He nodded. "Y-you'll see! My superior mentioned a person who had an external connection with a family, a clan, something like that... People Konoha didn't trust, but who turned to save us from catastrophe. I don't know the exact details of why they decided to resort to this."
"Do you think they might have been the ones who entrusted them with the parchment?"
"I'm not sure..." the young Sarutobi hesitated. "B-but I don't see any other possibility. My superior told me that... even they were not on our side. Apparently, they are only aligned with those with whom they made a pact. We are just something that adults left to ensure that the promise would not be broken, or something like that."
"Oh...?"
The old woman showed her surprise in her frown, which was almost completely raised as she raised her eyebrows and opened her eyes.
Mirai slumped her shoulders, remembering Tanaka-san's departure with pain in her chest.
"It seems that Hokage-sama knew that they would try something, and they made them swear not to kill us." Mirai explained. "They agreed to sacrifice themselves to send them to fulfill what that family of summoners demanded, which was to survive the cataclysm that their own people had unleashed. In return, they left us alive."
"I understand..." the woman replied. "That's why you've gone so far back in time. Nothing was left of your home."
The old woman remained silent, her gaze lost in the distance as she watched Mirai sink into her seat, confronted once again with the harsh reality. For her, things would no longer be simple from now on.
But for the woman who jealously guarded her dark secrets, it was also a disaster. An evil that they would soon approach to face one by one, taking them underground so that a couple of people would gain the power to be trapped in perpetual solitude in a ghost world.
Mirai took a quick look at the place where the other children were resting.
The young woman's statement had raised quite a concern.
"There is no use in complaining." The old woman's firm but soft voice reached her ears. "I know it hurts. We have all lost something, whether it is something so small that it seemed insignificant but was actually vital to our existence. It can be a toy, a flower, a pet, a friend or just a dream. By losing what sustained us, we lose the pillar of our identity. But very few people manage to find another pillar, or discover a replacement that will raise them back to the height of what they were before."
Mirai raised her face, her eyes full of tears, trying to understand the woman's intertwined words.
She had been a student of Nara Shikamaru, a man known for his wisdom and his ability to express himself clearly and precisely, even in seemingly disconnected contexts. Mirai had been educated and graduated in that same discipline, so she understood his message perfectly.
It didn't take him long to understand what the old woman meant, whom he now saw simply as a lonely woman who didn't seem to care so much about age.
His presence was like a flash of light. A déjà vu that had visited her to remind her why she was still alive.
"When a pillar breaks, you can't just replace it with a wooden stick." The woman explained. "But there are many things that can come together to form a new pillar. Even if that new pillar is stronger than the old one, it could lift you even higher." The old woman's eyes, nameless, but full of experience, reflected the weight of what she had lost. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
Mirai did not answer; it was not necessary.
"You've lost everything." The woman reminded him. "But you've also lost the "Everything" that held you up before. Now that you are on the ground, isn't it time to look for another pillar, young Kunoichi?"
"... Another pillar..."
"Yes."
The woman's statement was calm and sincere. He got up from the ground gracefully, and with the same calmness in his voice, he approached the bag that Mirai had next to him.
He took it in his hands, leaving Mirai silent, expectant.
" When the seal is made, several things happen." He began. "Portals are opened that transport objects and people without care; Only those marked with a seal on the back of their necks can survive, albeit with some limitations. But that doesn't guarantee they'll arrive here without injuries."
"My superior mentioned something similar to me." Mirai replied. "I didn't see any marks on the neck of others, nor on that of my superior."
"That's because they brought you through parchment." The old woman reported. In the palm of her left hand, lay four glowing spheres, which Mirai stared at with some fascination. "These spheres are like the crumbs of the existence of your time. Your world lies in these spheres."
"Is everyone in there?!"
The old woman nodded.
"It's a saying, but it's practically what's left of the timeline. It's as if you were getting off the train you were on to take another one in the opposite direction. What differentiates you from the people on that new train, who go to the place you came from?"
"Eh..." Sarutobi grimaced at the new tangle of words. "I don't know... It can be many things."
The old woman nodded again.
"These spheres are the wreckage of your train. If you put them together, you can rebuild it... Do you understand?"
"..."
It took Mirai a few seconds to grasp what the old woman was trying to tell her. Why refuse clarity? Why not say things at once? That was part of what led them to the cataclysm. Obviously, I wasn't going to say everything I thought when I understood what was being talked about.
However, even so, it took him a while to catch the information.
When a loud click echoed in his head as he opened his eyes enormously, he jumped up. The difference in height between the old woman and her was minimal; the old woman was not much taller than Sarada.
"Is there a solution...?!! Can everything go back to the way it was before...?!! With those...!!"
With almost practiced speed, the woman hid the bag to grasp the Sarutobi's arm firmly. The act caused a tremor in the younger woman's being, who quickly realized the mistake she had made.
He covered his mouth with both hands, thus showing the fingerless gloves that his hands wore. Mirai slowly looked over her shoulder at the sleeping children.
He was able to breathe calmly as he did not perceive any consciousness.
The old woman frowned in protest.
"It's not that easy, hyperactive brat." The scolding disturbed Mirai for a moment. He did not have time to receive the change in attitude well, when the old woman put the small bag in front of his face while whispering. "What is here is not even 1% of everything. You won't even be able to find that 1% on your own!"
"Such a small percentage...?!" The one with the red eyes gasped, despair peeking out of her eyes, and hardened her fingers to get even. "How much is it?! How many are there?! Where are they?! I swear...!, If you give me more details, I will be able to get them..."
The woman's eyes narrowed, as if she could see past Mirai. Then a sigh followed.
Mirai's spirits and predicament were stopped as quickly as they arrived. Now she was still and silent, waiting for the old woman to drop a bomb that might reveal the impossibility of fulfilling the duty she had set for herself.
If there was an opportunity, she would take it. However, if the nameless old lady had anything to say to her, Mirai would listen mutely for hours if necessary.
"That you have reached this country without any problem is because your entire timeline vanished. You understand? All! The eldest repeated." Then, he turned around to walk and explain his reasons for stopping her. "Konoha could not have been the cause of all this problem. It's impossible. At the very least, the hidden villages must have collaborated to spread all this to such an extent that it was easy for them to cross these paths."
"What are you talking about?" What do you mean by that...?"
The old woman's index finger rose to the side of her head.
"One of the disadvantages of parchment is that, if it works, the people being transported are not free to go as far as they want. In your case, if Konoha really was the only one to carry out the summoning, then you shouldn't have made it this far. A barrier in the same village would have prevented you."
"So, if that had happened, it would have been easier to find those spheres?"
The woman held her chin.
"Probably. Even if you had to search for years, even under houses, you could have made it."
"And now?" Mirai asked on the verge of despair. "What's stopping me from finding them now?"
"Nothing prevents you." The old woman confessed to him. "But it would take you a lifetime to get all the spheres. You might even never find them."
"That... It can't be that difficult!"
"Don't you hear what I'm trying to tell you?" He felt a rumble in his chest. It was their hopes being destroyed like a mountain of helpless cardboard letters.
The collapse of his emotion was noticeable in his current expression: He slowly declined, piece by piece, at the same time that he refused to resign himself.
On the other hand, the old woman approached her again, but with more hurried steps. He was pounding his worn-out sandals on the floor, frowning. Although he didn't speak loudly, his tone was firm, with the whisper as a disguise.
Mirai was taller, but she still tensed up as the old lady came over to look at her from below.
"If you, someone of the "After", can walk freely through the desert, it is because the desert of the after also made a pact for you to stay alive. That is—"
"The Sand Village also made a pact with the scroll..." the Sarutobi observed. After this, she herself realized his words. "Those men...! They seemed to know who we were! And not only that! They also seemed to be looking for someone else..."
"That explains things." The nameless woman alleged. "They knew about you, but they didn't know how to get rid of you."
"Get rid of us?"
"Think about it a little." The old woman asked. "You fainted from the Chakra drainage. But we don't know if the real cause was another, therefore, we also don't know if your classmates fainted for the same reason. They didn't drain their chakra, did they? Whoever told them about you, didn't tell them how to get rid of them. Maybe because they didn't know... or they could not."
"Can it be... That this family has begun to act?" Mirai moved closer to his face, putting her hands on his own chest. "My superior told me things, but looking back on it, I can only ramble. I don't feel... that they're telling me things the right way."
"Umu. Your detachment from stories is understandable." The old woman spoke to him. "Even you didn't seem so attached to what you were telling me. You were thinking things out all your way, weren't you?"
"..."
"You do well to ramble. It's never wrong to overthink things or find other perspectives."
The youngest stroked her hands.
The rubbing of their fingers against each other served as a consolation in the face of confusion and chatter. Although what was being talked about was important, I still didn't have enough information to act at the time.
The big old woman took her by the shoulder, and given the difference in height, Mirai had to bend down a little so that their faces could get closer so that she could hear what the woman had to say to her.
Mirai lifted her shoulders as if they were a shield against the painful truth.
"There is a possibility that ninjas from your time will be left alive." The woman finally said, revealing what was going around in her mind. Mirai opened her eyes. "However, you must not let your guard down. Your superior sent you to me for a reason."
"...huh?"
Mirai drew a blank.
In her state of silence, the woman ignored his reaction and headed towards the nearest wall. When he was close enough, he gently brought his palm to the stone wall and stood static for a moment. His eyes glared at the wall, as if it had a life of its own.
"Well, it seems that everything is quiet outside." He heard the old woman say. Then he looked over his shoulder at her, holding the bag of glowing spheres in the hollow of his hand. "Even though we're all underground, I separated you from my subordinates to give you a more private welcome. Now... It seems that we are fine. I don't need to talk to you bluntly anymore."
The teenager swallowed heavily and then nodded once.
Holding back the trembling of her nerves, Mirai gathered the courage to ask hesitantly.
"Do you think... that there are ninjas from the country of my time nearby?"
"I'm afraid the answer is no." The answer fell on Mirai like a bucket of cold water. "When I sent my subordinates to look for their belongings, they stopped feeling presences around. The desert was more than desert."
"I see..."
Mirai's shoulders sank.
There was a minute of absolute silence, during which Mirai stood still, holding the itch in her eyes. It was useless to cry now. To regret, when it was too late... it was no longer an option.
Although a part of her wanted to do it, because she couldn't do it before because of the children.
He listened to the old woman take a breath before giving her a few words without looking at her face.
"Are you going to look for a new pillar, yes or no?"
Mirai opened her eyes to the ground, and then looked at the old lady with her back turned.
"They saved you by leading you to me, someone who knows how to take care of you." He said. "However, whether to fight or not to fight is your decision."
The alluring scenery, the comforting truth that lurked behind heroic words, caressed Mirai's ears, waiting so long to hear them.
It was true. Adults sought to protect her, first and foremost. Although she was very competent in her work; Although she led the Hokage's bodyguards as captain: She was still seen as a child to be protected by adults.
Just as the Shinobi children were children in his eyes.
But what the old woman revealed brought back some of the stolen sparkle from her eyes.
I had the option to decide.
Deciding whether to live as a refugee from time, waiting for an unsatisfactory ending; Or fight, investigate and die trying.
The latter was hidden beneath the ashes of personal dreams and the beloved loves of adults, to prevent it from launching itself mindlessly and not acting from the obligatory point of view of a Shinobi. Mirai was the pillar of the adults of her time, just as were the children who were saved.
With some wonder, she sensed a growing determination in the serious countenance of the old woman who was now looking at her.
"And tell me, young lady. What's your name?"
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