Capítulo 5: 5-Believe
Yasaka stared at Shiguro, noticing his tired expression as he removed the talisman from his chest. "What's wrong, Yasaka?" Shiguro asked, slowly sitting up in bed.
"You know why I'm here," Yasaka stated with determination. Shiguro nodded, his gaze tired but understanding. "Yes, Yasaka, I'm just asking you to trust me," Shiguro said softly, his eyes drifting toward a corner of the room.
"I trust you, Shiguro, but the problem is that Naruto. I don't like him," Yasaka declared, her tone full of frustration. Shiguro sighed, preparing to respond, but Yasaka cut him off more forcefully. "No, you listen, Shiguro. We have no way of trusting him. He's a stranger; we know nothing about his past, yet you're entrusting him with your dream—and Mom's," Yasaka continued, her anger growing.
"And I don't understand why. I don't understand why you trust him more than me. I don't understand why you hide me, presenting me as your daughter. Do you think I'm not enough?" Yasaka stared at him intently, her eyes filled with a mix of pain and frustration.
Shiguro held her gaze, responding with patience and affection. "Yasaka, I trust him because I can see his emotions and his eyes. He's someone who carries guilt, someone who is regretful and doesn't know what to do," he explained, pausing to let his words sink in. "I can feel that he's a noble person, even if his goal of uniting our faction seems driven more by regret. It's an empty desire," Shiguro continued, his voice soft and understanding.
With a gentle gesture, Shiguro stood up and walked over to a curtain in the room. He pulled it down with a swift motion, revealing an image from when they were children. In the photo, both were smiling, though Yasaka's smile was much wider. Behind them, a woman who looked very much like Yasaka but with brighter hair watched over them with a tender expression.
"This is my dream and our mother's," Shiguro said, smiling with nostalgia. Yasaka looked at the image, her emotions mixed. "But why believe in him?" she asked, still uncertain.
"Because if I don't believe now, when will I have to believe, Yasaka?" Shiguro replied, his tone full of conviction and hope. "We all want to escape the past that haunts us or to be a better person than we were, but very few make the effort to improve." Shiguro looked at the image of their mother again. "We can't live in the past, claiming that things are impossible without trying. Even if everyone denies and doesn't believe, the only thing you can do is swim against the current." Shiguro gave Yasaka a loving smile and then kissed her forehead. "Our mother's dream was for a better place for us, and I want that," Shiguro said, reclining back again.
"A place where you can be happy, a place where new generations can be free, not thinking about war, doing what they love. I want to see that world, and I want to see it with you." With that, Shiguro finally drifted back to sleep while Yasaka watched her brother.
...
Naruto walked through the village, enjoying the sight of children playing, adults working, and people enjoying their free time. The vibrant atmosphere and the positive energy of the place made him smile. With a renewed sense of motivation, he headed towards the area that Shiguro had assigned to him.
The land was a small barren plain, with not a single tree in sight. Although it was desolate, Naruto was not discouraged. It was the perfect canvas to build something meaningful. Placing his hands on the ground, he began to work. Before him, a wooden structure emerged, taking the shape of a temple. Around the temple, several trees appeared, bringing life to the previously arid space.
With a wave of his hand and using his Earth Release, Naruto created ten statues, each representing a bijū. In the center of the temple, he formed the Uzumaki symbol on the back wall. Then, by stamping his foot on the ground, he caused the earth to sink, generating water from the air and creating a small pond. He also built a small sand courtyard and, finally, made several graves on the land.
Naruto spent the rest of the afternoon inscribing names on the graves. Some were decorated with statues: two had toad statues, others with dog statues or clan symbols. The final grave, supported by a stone statue of a frog, bore the name "Jiraiya." Naruto took out three books from his clothing: one orange, one red, and one blue, and placed them around the frog statue. Finally, he took out a last book with a simpler cover titled "The Tale of an Absolutely Daring Shinobi," and placed it on the frog's head.
Naruto lay down on a bed made of wood and leaves. As he drifted off to sleep, he began to see images from his battle with Kaguya, replaying the intense moments and memories of that fight.
Kurama watched Naruto's creation with a mix of weariness and resignation. "Back to the routine," thought the great fox, with a sigh that seemed to echo in the shared mental space. He recalled well the days of Naruto in the Elemental Nations, where he spent much of his time training and dedicating himself to every grave and memory he had built.
....
Naruto got up from the bed, stretching as he walked toward the small room he had converted into an improvised bathroom. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and with a sigh, began washing his hair, letting the cold water clear away the last traces of sleep. When he finished, he looked in the mirror, evaluating whether the face he saw reflected the leader he wanted to become. However, his stomach growled, distracting him from his thoughts.
"Well, time for breakfast," he murmured to himself, drying his face with a towel.
His first impulse was to summon some fresh fruits as he usually did, using his chakra to shape the nature around him. But today, for some reason, he felt like he wanted something different, something more substantial. So he decided to take a walk through the village and find a shop that sold something interesting.
The village was calm, with the usual bustle of people starting their day. Naruto walked through the cobblestone streets, observing the villagers who were already busy with their daily tasks. Soon, he found a small shop with a fish symbol at the entrance, which made him think they might have something fresh for his breakfast.
As he entered, Naruto checked his pockets and realized he didn't have any local currency. "Well, I'll put it on Shiguro's tab," he thought with a hint of boredom.
When he exited the store, Naruto was carrying a bag with fresh fish but couldn't shake off a sense of boredom. As he walked back to his temple, a group of children ran past him, laughing and playing carefree. Naruto glanced at them, intending to continue on his way. However, something caught his attention.
A little farther from the group was a girl who wasn't participating in the games. She had red hair, and something about her reminded him of his mother, Kushina—a memory from their one meeting that he would never forget. Naruto continued walking but, after a few steps, he stopped and sighed. Something was urging him to turn back.
He walked back to where the girl was. Now that he observed her closely, he noticed that, besides the red hair, the girl had pale skin and a bandage covering her eyes. She seemed so alone, as if she were in her own world, separated from the rest.
"Hey, little girl," Naruto called out, his voice gentle yet tinged with boredom. The girl turned toward the direction of his voice, though it was clear she couldn't see him. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked, trying to understand why she was so isolated from the others.
The girl nodded slowly, but her vacant expression and the blindfold covering her eyes told a different story. "And your parents? Where are they?" Naruto continued, already knowing what the answer might be.
"I don't have any," the girl replied in a soft voice, barely a whisper that Naruto had to strain to hear.
Naruto felt a pang in his heart. He understood better than anyone what it meant to be without parents, that sense of emptiness that never fully goes away. "I see," he murmured, unsure of what to say. But then, an idea sprang to mind, something that might at least make her day a little better. "Would you like to eat?"
The girl's face lit up at the offer, as if the mere fact that someone cared about her was something she had never experienced before. "Yes, please," she responded, her voice a bit stronger this time.
Naruto took her to his temple, a place he had built with his own hands—or rather, with his chakra. As the girl sat in a simple wooden chair, Naruto began preparing a salmon sashimi with the ingredients he had bought from the store. He worked in silence, focused on making something she could truly enjoy.
Finally, he served the dish in front of the girl. "Here you go," he said, watching as her small hands reached for the plate with care. Naruto sat across from her, observing as she began to eat.
Naruto watched Shiara as she finished eating, the silence soon becoming uncomfortable. He decided to break it with a question that had been on his mind since he first met her.
"Tell me, Shiara, why do you cover your eyes?" Naruto asked, his tone curious as he looked at the girl. Shiria looked down, her voice trembling slightly. "My eyes are horrible."
Naruto frowned, not quite understanding. "Awful? Why do you say that?"
"Just... they are," Shiria replied, curling up in her seat.
Naruto nodded slowly, realizing he wasn't going to get a clear explanation. "What's your name, child?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Shiria," she replied softly. "Alright, Shiria. Do you know any games?" Naruto asked, his tone light and friendly. He wanted to distract her from her negative thoughts.
Shiria nodded, and soon they were both engrossed in various improvised games. Naruto was surprised to find that, despite her lack of vision, Shiria had a remarkable sense of her surroundings.
As they played, Shiria began to ask questions. "Do you believe in gods?"
"Yes," Naruto replied with a weary smile.
Shiria laughed softly. "And what do you think of them?"
"That depends," Naruto said, shrugging. "Depending on the god, some annoy me more than others."
Shiria fell silent for a moment before asking a question that seemed more sincere. "Are you strong?"
"Stronger than the gods," Naruto said with a teasing laugh.
Shiria smiled, and Naruto watched as her expression softened. However, his curiosity about Shiria's eyes didn't wane. There was something about them that he couldn't stop thinking about.
As night fell, Naruto felt it was the right time to investigate a bit more. "Shiria, come here," he called, his tone serious.
Shiria approached quickly, her curiosity evident. "What's wrong, sir?"
Naruto stood behind her and activated his Byakugan. Through his eyes, he saw an unusual energy around Shiria's eyes, similar to that of the demon Velefor he had previously defeated, but this energy didn't seem natural. It appeared to be something implanted.
Naruto activated his Sage of the Six Paths mode and placed his hand on Shiria's head. After a yellow glow, he withdrew his hand and spoke to her, "Remove the bandage from your eyes."
"Now," Naruto said with more force. Shiria, who seemed ready to argue, fell silent but still didn't remove the bandage, making Naruto sigh. "You don't need to show me; just take it off and look at yourself in the water."
After Naruto's words, Shiria quickly removed the bandage and ran to the pond to see her reflection.
What Shiria saw were violet eyes, completely different from how they were before. She was speechless, on the verge of tears. But then she remembered the man who had helped her and felt the urge to thank him. When Shiria turned around to express her gratitude to Naruto, she found that he was no longer there.
However, Shiria lifted her head and, under the moonlight, saw a figure with ten tails, golden eyes, and horns resembling rabbit ears. The figure, after being seen, quickly vanished.
After that, Shiria ran towards the village, undoubtedly eager to talk about her experience. Meanwhile, at the temple, Naruto watched the girl run away and let out a sigh. "Come out of your hiding place," Naruto said, his tone tired, as Yasaka's figure appeared behind him.
"Seems like you're not so bad after all," Yasaka said, watching the girl run off. Naruto merely grunted in response.
.....
Well, that's all for now. These are just introductory chapters, but I promise that the action will come soon. Thank you very much for the support.
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