Chapitre 24: PART 4.
Under their feet, they found only darkness. The underground tunnels seemed to narrow as they passed, and only on rare occasions did they catch a glimpse of any light, which turned out to be just the glow of the candle that Saturo carried.
The old man led the group, his candle illuminating the paths they were traveling. Behind him, Konoha's ninja remained vigilant, trying not to trip over the rocks that blended into the blackness of the ground.
The constant dripping of water seeping down the walls and stone ceiling echoed around them every time they stopped. Saturus muttered to himself from time to time, engrossed in the task of making sure they were following the right path.
They were located just below the king's palace, in the catacombs of passages and tunnels known only to the late first king and Saturus.
On his way, Saturus shared his gradual dismay at the letter he had received from Tsunade, lamenting that he had not learned earlier what was happening in his own residence.
Despite having sent all his servants to inform the other elders about what had happened, Saturo did not consult the opinion of the Konoha ninja and took them to the basement of his residence through a door hidden in the floor under his bed.
An icy chill ran down Sakura's spine. The silence that reigned between his companions and Kakashi-sensei expressed the same thing: disbelief and disturbance in the face of the unknown.
In Tsunade's letter, he set out the reasons why he considered the king's request a threat. However, it was ready to negotiate a solution that would not involve further loss of life, but would at the same time punish the person responsible for the deaths in Konoha territory.
Though Saturo's words hinted that Tsunade had been too condescending in the letter, Sakura sensed that her teacher had written every word with determination, determined to avoid unnecessary war.
Finally, Saturus stopped his step. They had descended for who knows how long, dodging steep passages and dodging dark alleys that seemed to lead to the abyss. With skill, Saturus led them to the only stone door, without exposing them to any traps.
"The first king always advised me exactly this in situations like this." Saturo began, as he extended the candlestick backwards. Kakashi received it without hesitation. "If something of this magnitude were to happen, we should call upon the help of the third Hokage."
The flame of the candle broke the silence among the ninjas.
"However, the current Hokage informed me in their letter about what happened." Saturo continued. "And he also showed a willingness to form an alliance with me."
"Grandma Tsunade..." Naruto muttered to himself, staring at the second king's back. "What are you going to do, Grandpa?"
The corridors, previously ignored, seemed to judge the old man with chilling sounds. Sakura tensed as she listened to them, aware that they could all feel the cold and perceive the tension that spread like mist before them. And Saturo was the focus of that tension.
"I'm going to do what I should have done many years ago." The old man announced with determination.
She stared at the stone door, and with anger and fear reflected in her face, she clasped her hands in front of her, interlacing her fingers. The sound of their clapping echoed through the dark corridors.
"It was I who discovered the Parchment. And yet it was I who was protected from him." He admitted with the words barely coming out of his throat. His garment stirred with the air summoned from his feet. "I shouldn't have ignored it. Now that the first king is gone, it's my turn to use the crown to get closer to him."
"Get closer?!"
Naruto muttered in surprise. Both Sakura and Sai clung to the ground to resist the invisible force that pushed them. Only Kakashi seemed to refuse to leave Saturo's back.
The old man nodded only once, but ferociously.
That was his answer to Uzumaki's question.
"I'm going to use my Covenant as King to get close to the forbidden Scroll!" Saturo announced with determination.
After his words, he performed a series of movements that the younger ones could not fully understand, but they did intuit his purpose. Saturo adopted hand poses typical of a Shinobi, then tilted his right arm to the left, in front of him, while raising his left hand upwards. Both hands closed, leaving only the index and middle fingers raised.
As he concluded the hand poses with that position, a tremor shook the ninjas in the hallway. A light began to shine under the stone door, and Saturo's garments were moved by the force of the Chakra released after decades.
The ninjas of Konoha watched in complete petrification as a repetitive sound emanated from the stone door.
It was only when Naruto peeked over to the side that he could see where the sound was coming from.
A spiral figure, similar to the symbol that Naruto had on his back, adorned the stone door. The pieces that made up the symbol opened one by one like a domino effect, increasing their rhythm until the swirling shape transformed into a round hollow.
When the process concluded, Saturo surprised the ninjas with a strong move. He took a small leap and, timing his arms precisely, pushed the air toward the stone door. To everyone's surprise, the door opened as far as the eye could see.
Only the dust floating in the air and the rumble of the stone echoing in the distance caught the attention of Naruto, Sakura, and Sai. Before Saturo turned to Kakashi and reached out to retrieve his chandelier.
The solemn face of Saturo, characteristic of Trozani but unknown to those of Konoha until that moment, was shown before them.
"Crossing this corridor, you will find all the forbidden writings and books, mostly objects." He warned coldly. "They are the only ones who have crossed with a king. What you will see are just legends to others. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Sakura opened her eyes wide, maintaining her composure. Naruto swallowed hard beside him.
Kakashi was the only one able to break the icy silence, given that Sai was even more distant than Sakura and Naruto.
"We won't reveal anything we see in your library." Kakashi replied, straightening up to emphasize his words. "But as for the parchment—"
"I trust you'll handle it discreetly." Since it's something that disturbed your village, it would be inconvenient for me to deny you at least seeing it.
"I appreciate your understanding."
Not responding to Kakashi's nod, Saturo stepped into the enclosed stone corridor. It wasn't until he was far enough away from the door that Naruto hesitantly walked through, looking Sakura in the eye before doing so.
They continued to follow Saturo for about ten minutes. During that time, the long corridor gradually lit up. The darkness beneath their feet took on a dull purple hue, allowing them to discern something rather than complete blackness. It was an opaque violet, steeped in mystery.
After a while of walking, Naruto found himself immersed in an almost fantastic setting. The feeling of calm and stillness seeped into his ears, signaling the scant activity in that sacred place.
The room was as vast as Naruto's house all the way to Hokage Tower. It was filled with shelves of different sizes, and the ceiling was decorated with a starry sky. Various objects hung from it, such as a strange figure made of metal tubes with four wheels and seats, as well as bright planets revolving around it with a slowness that invited contemplation of their beauty.
The floor was spotlessly clean, reflecting even the iris of Naruto's eyes and the disheveled strands of his hair. As he walked past ten different types of mirrors in a raised display case, Naruto stopped to inspect them more closely and noticed something strange.
In the first mirror, which he had seen in profile, he was reflecting himself with his eyes a darker color than usual. Specifically, he had black eyes.
Then, in the next mirror that he examined with greater curiosity, he saw himself with strands of flaming red hair.
Seeing his reflection without the characteristic blonde hair, Naruto was momentarily speechless. Instinctively, he covered his mouth so as not to attract the attention of others. He stared at the mirror again, this time moving to get different angles of his red-haired reflection.
He experienced a mixture of fascination and curiosity, letting out small sounds of amazement as he saw himself reflected in the mirrors.
In the third mirror, he looked taller.
In the fourth, lower.
In the fifth, more attractive.
In the sixth, he saw himself as a child.
On the seventh, she saw him exactly the same, but with a dark and elegant robe over his clothes, holding a thin wooden wand.
Watching himself like this, with his robe fluttering behind him, he couldn't help but puff out his chest proudly.
He marveled at what he saw. Were those mirrors a window into different versions of himself? Or did they show something more specific?
I was curious to know what the remaining mirrors would reveal.
Suddenly, he was interrupted by Sakura's whispering voice calling his name. The shock made him hold back a scream in the middle of the sepulchral silence. Sakura looked at him with gritted teeth, motioning for him to calm down.
Naruto understood that it was not the time to play. If she continued to act recklessly, Sakura would probably get even angrier. He restrained himself, aware that the place seemed too sacred to disturb with a uproar.
Following his survival instinct and under Sakura's gaze, Naruto quickened his pace to catch up with the group. The sound of his sandals echoed off the polished floor as he moved quickly.
Once next to Sakura, he noticed that she was looking back, which made him feel a chill run down his spine. Sakura finally became interested in what she saw, diverting her attention to what had previously amazed Naruto.
However, just as he noticed Sakura's disconnection from the surroundings, Saturo's voice woke them both up at the same time.
Determined not to miss anything important, they rushed to catch up with the rest of the group. Saturo led them through the vast library, where dust hung in the air, tarnishing the polished floor and blurring the starry night on the ceiling.
"It's been a long time since I was here..." Saturo commented, attracting Kakashi's attention as the young men watched their surroundings attentively.
"Even for you?" Sakura asked, breaking her silence and approaching Saturo cautiously. "How did he manage to bring these things without others noticing? You said that only you knew about the existence of this library."
"Hm, that? See..."
Saturo's voice seemed to waver, hinting that there was something more behind that apparent confidence.
"What I have forbidden is not compared to the restrictions of the first King." Saturo confessed. "They are just writings that go unnoticed by the world. They are texts that I have supervised and I have been able to eliminate from everyone's sight with my own words."
Sakura turned pale.
"Are you saying that... Dangerous things are created here every day?" He asked incredulously.
Sakura's concern resonated in the group. When Saturo glanced sideways at the young Kunoichi, all eyes fell on him. It was unsettling to think that destructive abilities were in the hands of strangers, posing a possible threat to the future.
"I wouldn't say every day." Saturo replied calmly, without stopping in his walk or turning to see the ninjas that were following him. "I carefully evaluate all people who write techniques. Only those that I consider highly dangerous are hidden."
"And how does it do it without the author noticing?" Naruto asked.
"Banning something only sparks more interest." The King explained. "That's why I'm borrowing the writings with the excuse of doing more research. Then, I return to the author false texts that I have written myself."
"That's it—" Sakura gasped, surprised. "Do your subjects really believe you?"
Saturo looked over his shoulder at the teenager before answering honestly.
"I teach them techniques that will enrich Trozani and benefit others. I prefer that they be the ones who propagate the good rather than the authors of the evil."
After a few more minutes of walking, Saturo finally found what he was looking for. He placed his candlestick on a shelf that appeared to be a desk intended for the king and went to the center of the library.
He wanted to have his hands free when he found it, to avoid any accidents that could damage the scroll. Destroying it now would cause a second cataclysm.
"Where's that parchment you talked about so much? I don't see it anywhere." Naruto asked, whose voice echoed throughout the silent library.
In the absence of an answer, not even a reprimand from Sakura, Naruto swallowed hard and tried to keep his composure. The atmosphere became tense, although no one was doing anything.
Saturo in front of him, he observed a small structure that barely reached his abdomen. It appeared to be a source of drinking water, with the image of Trozani's flag under the crystal clear water.
Saturo frowned slightly. Was he making the right choice? How much would bringing the much-mentioned parchment to light help?
He had sworn neutrality on behalf of his brother. He would not be influenced by money, friendships, feelings, or personal desires.
He had to make decisions based solely on what was best for his people, to ensure that everyone lived equally, even when he had all the resources to stand out among the other villages.
That's why he was there, showing the ninjas of Konoha that the danger was real.
He closed his eyes for a moment as he closed his fists again in determination.
"To be honest, I would prefer to take the secret of this room to my grave. But I cannot allow innocent people to face danger because of the mistakes of my people."
"It's my fault that the parchment exists. And it's probably my fault that it opens up in a few years, too. Therefore, it is my duty to share this valuable information with the world, even if it endangers my life and honor."
"Kai!"
Saturo's order echoed throughout the library. The water from the small pond began to drain through hidden holes, while the surface with the illustration of his people's flag rose to the height of Saturo's chest.
The ninjas of Konoha watched silently. Naruto couldn't express it in simple words. The mixture of disturbance and anger at recent injustices was reflected in his eyes. Because the cause of all that was right in front of them.
The surface of the pond opened outwards in two parts, like the doors of a small chest. Kakashi and his team backed down from whatever might come up, but Naruto didn't.
Saturo slumped his shoulders and seemed reluctant to approach to see inside. When he finally did, and his hands cleared the small hiding place, Kakashi knew he had found what he was looking for.
Saturo, the second King of Trozani, turned calmly, but with an expression of embarrassment at the slowness of his actions. He first looked down at the ground before directing his gaze toward Kakashi, reaching out to show what he was holding in his palm.
Incredulity filled everyone's faces as they approached to see the small object that Saturo displayed.
"Following the will of the first King, I entrust the fate of this matter to Konoha." Saturo spoke solemnly, his white eyebrows furrowed. "Here and now, the Forbidden Scroll."
A tense silence spread through the library.
Everyone looked at the tiny scroll. It was really tiny.
It was the size of a large screw or nail, but it was a scroll in itself. And in it, you could make out small characters that said "Sealed".
Naruto was the first to break the silence.
"What?! That...? Is that the Forbidden scroll?!" He exclaimed with confusion, shared by his companions and his Sensei. "It's so small! Shino's bugs are bigger!"
While Naruto expressed his bewilderment, the others did not lose sight of Saturo.
With just two fingers, the second King tossed the small scroll upwards. And just as it reached a certain height, a cloud of smoke erupted without warning.
The smoke dissipated in front of Naruto's eyes, who tried to use one of his arms as a fan to push him away. Hearing Sakura's gasp, Naruto found the reason for Kakashi-sensei's concern.
On one side of Saturo, there was a scroll almost as tall as him, reaching up to his shoulder height, and the scroll was as wide as the scroll that Naruto had stolen in his childhood, the one in which he learned the Jutsu that defined him.
"What... What just happened...?" Naruto could barely articulate his questions. He had seen a sacred scroll emerge from another that was not much larger than a flea compared to this one.
Was it possible? Was there a small scroll capable of sealing objects?
How many forbidden things did Saturus have in his possession?
"That parchment... It's huge!" He heard Sakura exclaim. He turned to Kakashi-sensei, watching his eyes darken. The words did not come out of his mouth.
"It has all the appearance of being a forbidden scroll." Sai added beside him.
Kakashi advanced a few steps, only to take a closer look at the scroll.
Saturo would prevent the scroll from falling off, placing his hand just above the edge of the scroll.
The white-haired man examined the unusual object with his eyes. Having no control over her thoughts, the conversation with Saturo began to play out in her mind.
The scroll in front of him, with the kanji of the "Seal", was like a time bomb. Though he had a hard time believing it, Kakashi had seen more than enough evidence that matched Saturo's stories to accept that possibility with a nod.
With his eyelids narrowed, Kakashi watched Saturo.
"Is this the scroll that activates the "Rewind Jutsu"?" He asked.
The teenagers looked at their sensei in amazement.
"Rewind Jutsu?" Naruto muttered. "Hey... Kakashi-sensei, what is he..."
His question was interrupted by the king himself, who drew Sakura and Sai's gazes towards him.
"We don't have time. We must hurry if we do not want another cataclysm to occur."
"¿... Other...?" Sakura murmured.
"This scroll... It has a seal that only the king can release. Once undone, anyone can open it if the seal is not reactivated." Saturo explained. It seemed that Kakashi understood her story best, as if she were deciphering her words. "The king of Trozani of the future allowed the forbidden scroll to be opened. As a result, when activated, the portals opened."
The hairy woman listened to the monologue with petrification. Beside him, Naruto and Sai were frowning.
Saturo turned his attention away from the teenagers and focused more on Hatake. His long beard moved as he whispered words, afraid of being overheard by anyone else, even underground, aware of what had happened to the scroll in an unknown future.
Kakashi felt the following words as more personal:
"If the portals opened in your village, it's because your village is involved with the scroll, Kakashi-dono. You can't waste any more time here; You need to hurry up and inform your Hokage about everything you've seen and heard here regarding the scroll."
"What are you implying...?" Kakashi opened his eyes. "Konoha... can be involved?"
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, can you explain to me what's going on?" Naruto asked, ignored by all his companions.
Everyone was equally confused, and only Saturo and Kakashi had a clear idea of the true danger of the situation.
After pondering for a moment, Kakashi looked at Saturo seriously.
"Can you take care of everything here?"
"Of course, that's my duty." The second king answered.
Kakashi turned to his squad.
"We are heading to Konoha. Hide your Chakra as best you can and stay discreet." Kakashi ordered, ready to communicate the situation to his impatient ninjas.
"You don't have to do that." Saturo intervened, stopping Kakashi's movement. The young ninjas, barely comprehending the situation, looked at the second King in surprise. "There are many underground exits designed for emergencies. They can come out here without being seen by anyone but me."
Kakashi accepted the proposal with a nod, but before he could move to communicate the new route to his team, Saturo stopped him again.
"Before you go, let me give you this." Saturo said.
Another smoke bomb exploded and dissipated within a few seconds. Once again, Saturus held the small scroll in the palm of his hand. The ninjas watched intently as Saturo extended the object to Kakashi, who received it with surprise.
"I want you to take it. You will be safer in Konoha than here." Saturo said.
"Really? This scroll... it's quite dangerous." Kakashi replied, showing concern.
"You don't understand, Kakashi-dono. Even if it falls into the wrong hands there, no one else will be able to open it without having made a pact with the seal that closes it." Saturo reported calmly. "No one but some King of Trozani or the Third Hokage."
The mention of the Third made Konoha's ninja pale in comparison, especially Kakashi, who had already heard from Saturo that the First King and the Third had a strange friendship.
"Grandpa... Did you know about parchment?"
Naruto barely had time to say anything when Saturo took Kakashi's hands and forced him to accept the small scroll.
Saturo's eyes penetrated Kakashi's, conveying fear and a sense of helplessness that the Hatake could feel deeply.
Saturus felt responsible for the scroll, and with the knowledge of the uncertain future, he no longer trusted himself to protect it. Both understood it without the need for words.
Saturo's drooping eyelids, a sign of the possible indifferent appeal of his youth, landed on Kakashi.
"If the scroll and I are separated, it will be safe." Saturo murmured, his words barely coming out of his mouth. Sweat beaded his forehead. "Only the blood of the First King or the Third Hokage can open it; And My blood can only be used on a very specific occasion. The Parchment will be far from me, who was granted special permission in the Urgent case of destruction; And the Third is dead."
Kakashi heard every word of Saturo and felt a knot in his stomach. The scroll had two keys.
One would be far from the Parchment.
And the other was dead.
(~~~)
Beneath the deserts of the Land of Wind, darkness enveloped the face of a wise old woman.
He watched as his masked subordinates welcomed the young woman, inviting her to eat around the underground campfire. A tiny tremor ran through his hand, clinging to the candlestick. Everyone seemed immersed in an alien atmosphere, while the teenager smiled shyly and settled into her seat.
The old woman struggled to keep her composure, hiding her uneasiness. His teeth chattered, and sweat ran down his face.
The name "Sarutobi Mirai" resounded over and over again in his mind.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone