Chương 52: PART 5.
The small footprints were lost in the lush forest. Unless you were a Ninja with years of experience, it would be impossible to notice them. In The Outskirts of Konoha, following the guidelines of an adult wearing a Monkey mask, six children jumped on their feet to make the minimum noise, but without slowing down too much.
They had gone a long way, far enough away from Konoha, but not going extremely far. Ro, the only adult with them, beckoned them to hurry up in a dark area, protected by bushes and out of the moonlight.
The children passed him, and the Man stood there, looking at the towering walls of Konoha, suspiciously.
"R-Ro-san..."
A frightened little voice called out to him. It was Neon, whose face was barely visible thanks to the cloak that covered it, and because of its large size. The girl took a small step back.
"Where are we supposed to go now...? Ah...!"
"Be careful!"
At Ro's sudden cry, all the children cringed, thinking that a threat was coming, and lowered the hoods of their cloaks until their faces were completely covered.
When they looked up again, Ro was holding Neon by the back, preventing her from falling backwards. With the other hand, he pressed the hood of the cloak tightly over his head.
"I want you to listen to me carefully." He told them, with a firmness almost hesitant from the growing tension. "Do not uncover your face, and remain in the shade. It is not safe for any of you to be under the moon. Did you hear me?"
Eho's jaw dropped, having that as the only option to cope with the disbelief. Less than thirty minutes ago, Ro had entered the apartment where the children were hiding, alone, and smuggled them out of Konoha.
The pink-haired girl had wondered aloud about the whereabouts of Sumire and Himawari, who had accompanied her before the moon went mad.
But he didn't get the answers about Himawari, until he saw her in this dark area of the forest. Which frightened him to ask about Sumire's well-being.
Neon took her last restless breaths as Ro put her back together, kneeling her on the ground to remain more intact in the light. The other children did the same.
Except Himawari.
Ro was about to advise her to do the same, but the girl stood there, her head down.
"I'm sorry." She said.
His face wrinkled at the thought, and his cerulean eyes darkened with frustration.
"I'm so sorry... If I had known that everything would end like this..."
"Himawari-san?" Osuka, pulling down her own hood, stood up to do the same as with Himawari's. "Are you crazy?! Follow Ro-san's instructions and...!"
"It's my fault that all this happened!" Himawari's exclamation disturbed his Friends.
Harika, the girl who was the most protected from the light by her own clothes, made a sound of stupefaction. Himawari wiped away only the tears of frustration that threatened to escape him.
"They discovered us, and it was my fault. It's my fault, Sumire-san...!"
"How things ended has all been Hinoko's responsibility, not yours."
Ro's condescending voice made the children turn around. And Himawari, who had been left with his own scolding in the air, half looked up at the man, holding the hood of his cloak so that it would not fall.
The Anbu man had his mask on, so they couldn't see his expressions. But he lay standing, calm, half-lit by the filtering moonlight, protecting the children from being struck by it.
"He had a chance to invent something better, or to disable the Ninjas while I went to look for you." Ro explained. "I have the ability to suppress my Chakra, so I wouldn't be discovered. You are below the limit, so you are undetectable. She herself asked to speak to the Hokage, I heard it... he must have something in mind. Don't beat yourself up about it."
The silence did not overwhelm them, but they did give them the opportunity to see Himawari's reaction up close. Her friends, who were far from having an accurate context, watched her worriedly, while Yuina, the girl with the blue hair, gave small pats to the Uzumaki who was silently wiping her face.
"B-But those men..."
"What we do have to take into account is..." Ro spoke on top of Himawari, at the right moment, when her friends had observed her curiously at the mention of two male figures. Ro straightened up, and looked at them seriously from behind the mask. "They won't find us here, I'm suppressing my Chakra. You make as little noise as possible. We will be fine."
Harika, the only surviving Aburame of the Future, spoke from the ground.
"And Sumire-san? What's going to happen to her and Hinoko-san? Why did they get caught?"
As a continuous reaction, everyone exchanged glances from Harika to Ro. The man took one last look at the moon, before speaking.
"It doesn't matter if you're coming from the Scroll or one of the Portals." He said solemnly. "If you are younger than this time, the effects will be similar to each other; One of them being the moon."
"Is that punishment you mentioned, isn't it?" Himawari stepped forward, stepping forward. She was still a little affected by guilt. "You said to stay in the dark while you looked for the others, And..."
Himawari vividly remembered the two men of Akatsuki. His legs trembled, and his heart skipped a beat as he broke out in a cold sweat.
She had nearly died, had it not been for the two Anbu who befriended her. He swallowed hard, because of Ro's previous reaction, he assumed that the subject should not be mentioned in front of the others, and he addressed Ro with sweat on his forehead.
"That thing that appeared on my face." She repeated Hidan's words, which had been, 'What the fuck does that girl have on her face?!" while pointing outrageously at her, though Himawari had no idea what she was talking about.
"You mean the crescent moon, yes." Ro said, while the children looked at him with dark mystery. "It didn't appear to you because you locked yourselves up before everything happened, very well done."
He congratulated them, although they were so uneasy that they were not satisfied.
"That crescent moon that appears on your foreheads, is the Symbol that the moon of YOUR time placed before coming. To make a long story short, it is what calls you Children Younger than the Time. Only all young people under sixteen years of age will have it."
"Why?!" Osuka hugged herself, while Neon touched her own forehead next to her. "We already have a lot of problems... Why...?"
"I also don't know the details." He clarifies. "I only know, in short, that the Moon marks them to make sure that they will not cause disturbances in the past. You don't have to worry about that."
The children of the Ninja Academy relaxed in their seats on the floor, and Eho still continued with her fearful questions while Yuina elbowed him, pouting in protest. However, Himawari was still unhappy.
She had seen how Sumire had affected her, from the shadows, carried by Ro. If the Anbu hadn't mentioned that, it was clear that he didn't want to overwhelm them all by listing more limitations. That caused a tremendous void in his chest.
Remain hidden, while Sumire is trapped in a hell that only she could see. Himawari swallowed hard as she remembered Sumire's moans, lying there, with no one to help her.
Even more so knowing that, in front of her, was the legendary Kakashi of the Sharingan, who would later be known as the quietest Hokage of all. The Kakashi Himawari knew, wouldn't let someone like Sumire writhe in pain in the midst of Ninjas pointing their guns at him.
Was it really like that? Was this their new reality?
Were the new rules like that for them? Was coming from the future really bad?
Could he no longer trust anyone he wanted...?
Kakashi-san didn't look like he did before, he didn't even give the others the order to move away. That only consumed Himawari with more worry.
He had begun to suspect Sumire in the first place, knowing that she was hiding great things from him. After all, here was Ro, blatantly commenting on things that Himawari knew had more depth, just to keep his friends calm.
And although she wouldn't shower them with questions and nightmares, she believed that Sumire and Hinoko were giving their all, even risking their lives, in there; While they were here... ready to flee at any moment.
And that blackened his eyes. He watched secretly, just moving his eyes, his little surroundings.
Cloaks so that the light does not hit them, dark places in the forest, Ro-san with the ability to hide the Chakra.
Everything was ready, if the opportunity to flee was seen... and leave behind those that remained.
"Something bad is going to happen."
Himawari's inanimate voice took them all by surprise. She felt Ro's piercing gaze above her, but she didn't care anymore.
Living in lies was the best thing for his friends' mental health, but it was also counterproductive if he wanted to keep them alive, and Hinoko and Sumire were in that lot.
"Something bad will happen if we stay under the moon. That's why you called it 'Punishment'."
She turned to Ro, his shoulders slumped and his eyes on the ground. Sumire's screams rang out in disorder in her head, while her friends watched her with gloomy mystery.
"We have to stay in the dark, and that's why the crescent moon didn't appear to the others. Just Sumire-san and me."
"Himawari-chan..." Yuina, the blue-haired girl, murmurs. "W-What would be the bad thing that would happen?"
Next to a nervous Yuina, there was an almost blue Eho. The brown boy hid his mouth behind his torn scarf, with the shadows on his face thanks to the cloak. He would get closer to Yuina to get more protection.
But before panic set in, Ro had no choice but to respond. But before that, Himawari felt a gaze directly towards her, so she looked away and made her not notice. The masked man spoke in a more pleasant tone.
"They would be unable to move. That does not suit us, and they would fall asleep." All the children sighed, both for relief and for unknown. "But it's not something you need to worry about. "With me here, I'll cover them before they start blinking."
"I understand... then Sumire-san fell asleep."
Ro glanced at Himawari, as she looked at Neon carefully. The girl with glasses was ignorant of the dangerous situation, and had breathed a sigh of relief.
"B-But she's still in danger... What if Konoha doesn't see her as someone good?! What if something happens to Sumire-san...?!"
"Hinoko must have something planned." Ro interrupts.
There was a silence, which raised the whistle of the cold breeze in the small dark corner of the forest. Himawari, with her bright blue eyes, watched the Anbu, who was also peeking at her. Both seemed to have a battle of glances in front of the noses of the other ignorant children, who were staggering from the cold.
Himawari was the only one of them who had been left standing, staring at Ro without blinking once.
A tension spread in Anbu's expression, behind his mask. He saw something in the girl's eyes, which he could not decipher.
I knew he was lying for the sake of his friends, but there was something else. An almost gloomy darkness in them, and Ro was almost absorbed in the eyes of little Uzumaki, who saw him from the shadows of her hood. His eyes were like two light bulbs in the middle of the darkness.
And suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder firmly. Ro's reaction to grabbing his Kunai said it all: He didn't expect it.
Had Himawari unintentionally distracted him? Or had He fallen asleep consciously? Whatever it was, he was now going to attack that person hiding behind him.
The children screamed, and before Ro could stagnate his Kunai on his opponent's neck, the sound of a loud slap echoed throughout the forest.
(~~~)
A sepulchral silence settled after the ash-haired ninja's explanation. Those present in the interrogation room looked at Inoichi in amazement. Kakashi, however, seemed the least surprised, his brow furrowed slightly in his only visible eye.
The Hokage had a strange grimace of pain. Deep down, although I was looking for an explanation for the portals, I hoped that the whole issue of the future would be just a story taken out of context. Inoichi's confirmation proved Saturo right, who had sent him words of encouragement through Kakashi.
Ibiki's voice was filled with skepticism. "Are you completely sure of what you're saying?" You?
"Our Anbus have methods to avoid interrogations like this. Nor could it have been so easy to read his memories." Shizune defended, ignoring Tsunade's trembling shoulders. "He could have lied... Check again."
"It is useless to question a review made by Inoichi-san himself." Kakashi replied, silencing Shizune's complaints. Even Tsunade glanced at him sideways. The former Anbu was looking seriously at the downcast Anbu in her seat. "Let's stop denying the truth."
Shizune stifled a groan.
"Do you have any idea what you're saying, Kakashi-sa...?!"
"Shizune, shut your mouth!"
Tsunade's firm and outrageous cry silenced them all. The black-haired woman behind her stumbled at the order, her words half-exclaimed. All eyes were directed to the Hokage, who was thinking to herself, while biting her lower lip helplessly.
"Inoichi." Tsunade called, a little calmer, but without looking at him. "Tell me what you just said."
The Yamanaka made an affirmative sound and, putting aside the previous discomfort, continued with the revelation he had found in Soku's memories.
"I saw in your memories a place strangely similar to Konoha." He said, barely believing it himself as he said it. "But, at the same time, different. This girl looked like she was doing her duty like any Anbu and, in fact, it seemed that she was seeing the memories of another Anbu."
Inoichi's eyes darted to Shizune, who stood his ground behind the Hokage.
"Even if she had given me permission to enter her head, it doesn't seem like there was any defense in her." He clarified. "His defenses were nil, like those of an inexperienced civilian."
His eyes turned to Soku, who listened in silence. Inoichi grimaced.
"But his memories were not those of a civilian." He said heavily, looking firmly at the Hokage. "The woman we have here is an Anbu of a Konoha of the future, one that, it seems, no longer exists."
Tsunade looked at Soku, the Anbu strapped in front of her, with a serious, thoughtful expression. The internal conflict was evident in his eyes.
Having to accept the possibility of a future Konoha, destroyed and barely recognizable, was an enormous weight. The evidence presented by Inoichi was irrefutable, and Tsunade knew she had no choice but to accept it, as incredible as it seemed.
"Inoichi." Tsunade said in a firm voice. "Even if it is true, we have not solved the main question: How is it possible that someone from a supposed future is here? Didn't you see anything?"
Inoichi replied with a tone of mild disappointment:
"I couldn't see the memories at will. They came alone and in disorder."
Everyone instantly glanced at Soku, who shifted in his restraints, looking up from behind the mask. Hunched over, she spoke in a resigned tone, but without losing the formality in her words as she addressed the Hokage.
"To travel to the past, we use a forbidden artifact. However, you won't be able to find a clear memory of that in my mind. As part of the pact, everyone who participated agreed not to mention or detail anything about the process. Thus, even if I remember it, no outside observer, whether from the past or from the future I knew, can obtain that information from our memories."
Kakashi, his tone confident and his hands in his pockets, stared at her.
"I see that you don't let the clamp out." Kakashi said, with a slight disdain in his voice. "Aren't you going to tell us what you supposedly found in Hokage Tower? How did you carry out this technique of the Forbidden Artifact? Why did they come here?"
Soku stood there, glaring at Kakashi from behind his mask. The white-haired man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, while the rest of the team digested the information.
"Because from what I've been hearing from you in the last hour, you don't give me any good feelings." Kakashi said, giving him a suspicious look. "It seems that you are dragging this out longer than necessary, telling us the half-truth. I don't doubt what Inoichi-san extracted from you, but your lack of explicit answers and the extensive vocabulary you use only makes me think you're trying to buy time."
A flurry of sensations ran through Tsunade's column. He wouldn't tremble in front of a girl he could beat with a kick, nor would he worry about the confidential information he could handle about Konoha, as he could defeat her right here.
But the existence of another subject left her in the air, and even more so when she saw that, apparently, Kakashi was aware of it.
He held back his anger at that and gave the white-haired man a strong look, who did not react. Instead, while those present watched him unknowingly, Kakashi spoke peacefully.
"In the forest, just as Akatsuki's partner arrived. I thought I felt more presences than yours." He said, not leaving aside how he noticed Soku. Kakashi's gaze changed into one of discomfort. "That man... Kakuzu, I was about to kill one of my companions, and you prevented that from happening."
"What are you talking about, Kakashi-san?" Shizune asked, eager to know more.
Shikamaru was about to be slit or suffocated by one of Asuma's assassins. Kakashi reported, catching Tsunade a little off guard.
She had been given a report, but she was so busy thinking about the Anbu who claimed to know things about the portals that she didn't have time to pay attention to it.
"She incapacitated Kakuzu with an ability that, in my eyes, is completely new and unknown; I don't remember seeing any like it in any of my fights."
While Inoichi maintained a circumspect gaze, Ibiki questioned about the details, and Inoichi stepped forward, without scandal and with the calm that characterized him.
"Yes, I remember seeing something like that in this woman's memories." Inoichi said, recapitulating. "A type of orange light comes out of his fingertips and knocks his enemy out of action. To the naked eye, it appears to be some kind of electric shock that stuns the nerves."
Tsunade took in the information, his mind working quickly to understand the implications of what he had heard.
"Like a kind of paralyzing?" Tsunade asked.
Inoichi was about to open his mouth to relate what he had seen in the mixed memories, but Soku stepped forward.
"I can shoot at any target in sight. My Chakra beam will follow it, even if it escapes my vision; he will not stop chasing him until he finds the goal." Soku explained, his voice firm but somewhat tense. "Mortality depends on how much damage you want to inflict. In the case of that man..."
His last words were muttered, but clear enough. It was as if Soku wanted to be heard by everyone in the room, including the Anbus, but couldn't do so for some reason. Kakashi didn't take his eyes off her.
"I threw my Chakra beam at him with enough force to disable his right limb for a couple of hours." He continued. "I didn't hurt him enough; In a day or two, you'll regain full mobility in your arm. It was an electric shock, albeit an indulgent reaction on my part."
Kakashi sharpened his hearing and pulled his hands out of his pockets, taking the revelations more seriously. He knew that the life of Shikamaru, one of a close friend's old students, was at stake.
Although he was not one to be ruled by emotions, the idea that anyone could let Shikamaru die was unacceptable to him. But he was not surprised; That was the life of ninjas, and he was not just any ninja.
The fifth Hokage crossed her arms, adjusting her posture. With a warning look from Ibiki, she positioned herself just a few steps away from Soku, almost touching the other's shoes.
"Why did you do that? Why stay in Konoha without giving any warning, if your situation was so risky?" Tsunade asked, forcing Soku to look up more. "And you, partner? Is it the same one Inoichi described a few minutes ago? Why didn't he show up with you when you went to help the child? Answer extensively and in detail!"
A small gasp was heard behind the cat mask. Inoichi, the Yamanaka responsible for his investigation, might be the one with the answers, but he didn't. All the memories that had shot into his eyes like flashing lights were simply memories without order and with a lack of context.
He gladly conceded everything he saw, but none of that answered Tsunade's questions.
Remaining absorbed, Soku's voice came inanimately out of her mouth. Tsunade could see the mask facing her, but she didn't feel any conscious presence behind her.
"My partner... secrecy... why I held back with Akatsuki... the girl—" Soku listed Tsunade's unknowns, one by one, in a soulless voice. Mentions of her own actions baffled Tsunade herself. "The portals, the leak of information against them... Everything has a reason, and I can tell you everything. You, more than anyone else in this room, should know everything."
The Anbus who watched from the roof did not avoid poking their heads a little more. Soku straightened his back and countenance. Behind the mask, his gaze darkened.
"It will be a pleasure to tell you everything... from the beginning."
Kakashi could only feel a slight déjà vu and Saturo's voice echoing in his head.
The silence in the room was almost palpable. Everyone present watched Soku expectantly, as the tension thickened into a dense fog. Their previous words had left a promise hanging in the air, a promise to reveal everything they knew.
Soku inhaled deeply, as if trying to muster all his strength for what was coming. The staring gazes of Tsunade, Kakashi, Shizune, Ibiki, and Inoichi did not leave her, waiting for her answers.
"Before I begin, there's something I need to know." Soku said, breaking the silence in a firm voice, though with a tinge of doubt. "How do you know about parchment?"
Tsunade frowned, showing mild irritation at Soku's audacity to pose a question in the middle of his own interrogation. His tone was stern and authoritative when he responded.
"Here, the questions are asked by me. You have no right to anything."
Soku seemed to struggle internally, as if considering a defiant retort, but he finally bit his tongue. His eyes flashed with a spark of frustration before nodding in resignation.
"Okay." He reluctantly agreed. "I'll tell you everything Inoichi-san saw in my memories."
Inoichi, who had been watching silently, nodded slightly, his eyes reflecting the same seriousness as his posture. Everyone's attention became even more intense, if that was possible.
"To begin with." Soku continued, his voice now more controlled. "Since Inoichi-san saw it, I came here along with some survivors through a portal. It was a portal that had to be opened with great effort on the part of third parties. We took advantage of all the disorder that was in the village... And we mixed."
Kakashi, with his characteristic air of calm and mystery, bowed his head slightly, his visible eye narrowing in interest.
"A portal?" He repeated, as if he were trying the word.
"Yes." Soku said. "And I must clarify that it is practically impossible to get out alive from one that opens at random. It's like a deadly crusher fan. If you don't have precise control, it will tear you apart."
A murmur of doubt and curiosity ran through those present. Ibiki, always imposing and analytical, leaned forward, his eyes piercing Soku for any hint of a lie.
"What kind of effort is required to open one of these portals?" He asked in a deep voice.
Soku looked him straight in the eye, without hesitation.
"The type of endeavor that involves advanced space and time manipulation skills. There have to be people holding the Portal, while others come in. In my village, this was done as a last resort when our situation became desperate."
Tsunade's expression changed, her eyes flashing with a mixture of understanding and concern.
"What threatened your village to the point of taking such an extreme measure?" He questioned, his tone was harsh, but there was a hint of compassion.
As Soku prepared to respond, Kakashi couldn't help but momentarily drift his thoughts to King Saturo, whose trepidation about the possibility of the scroll falling into the wrong hands had been evident.
His mind was conflicted, trying to reconcile what he was hearing with what he knew.
"The man who told us about the Scroll was extremely concerned about the misuse of the scroll." Kakashi said, addressing Soku with a piercing gaze. "Is this what happened in your village? Did you decide to use it despite the risks?"
Soku took a moment before answering, muttering something inaudible to herself. Finally, he looked up and answered in a muffled voice.
"It was a decision made by our Hokage. It was out of my control."
"Who's your Hokage?" Tsunade asked, squinting suspiciously.
Soku shook his head slowly.
"There's no point in telling you now. Our future no longer exists. My mission here is to do the opposite of what led us to destruction."
The silence that followed his words was dense, each person in the room processing the magnitude of what he had just said. The tension could be cut with a Kunai. Kakashi, ever the discerning observer, leaned forward slightly.
"As far as we know, it was you who opened the scroll and set off the cataclysm." He said calmly, his eyes fixed on Soku, studying his every reaction.
Soku looked at him, his eyes reflecting deep pain and unwavering resolve.
"Our people fell into despair, Kakashi-san. We were lost and clinging to one last hope. If we hadn't used the scroll, our enemies would have, and the result would have been even more devastating."
The room fell silent, each of those present grappling with the implications of their words. The tension, far from dissipating, increased with each revelation, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats, waiting for what would come next.
Tsunade frowned, her gaze reflecting both surprise and distrust.
"Did your Hokage decide to open the scroll?" He repeated insistently, his voice charged with authority.
Soku kept his gaze fixed on Tsunade, but did not respond immediately. Finally, he said in a resigned tone.
"As I mentioned, our future no longer exists. To tell you who our Hokage or our Enemy was, makes no sense, because my mission here is to prevent that very fate. My goal is to do the opposite of what led us to destruction."
Kakashi, with his characteristic air of calm and analysis, intervened.
"Then, according to you, what caused the catastrophe was the opening of the parchment." He said, his tone was soft but full of an underlying tension. "I knew someone who protected it and was convinced that its use would only bring the death of millions."
Soku looked at Kakashi, and for an instant, his expression softened behind the Mask, revealing the weight of his burden.
"My people clung to a desperate hope." He replied in a muffled voice. "We were lost and thought that the parchment could be our salvation. It was an alternative that was discussed many times, and all nations agreed."
Shizune, who had been listening silently, couldn't hold back an exclamation of surprise and fear.
"Are you saying that there were other villages that also used the scroll?"
Soku nodded slowly.
"Yes, the villages that used the scroll did so very carefully. They made a pact not only with their blood, but also with their lands. They made sure that any harm to people from the past would be severely punished."
Tsunade, with a mixture of disbelief and horror on his face, asked aloud,
"Are there more survivors of the future? Isn't Konoha the only one affected?"
Soku took a deep breath, preparing to reveal more information.
"Konoha sent young Shinobi to fulfill their duty to subtly change some facts and maintain control among nations where there are also people of the future. I don't know exactly how the other villages were organized, but I'm sure that just as Konoha put Sumire in charge, other villages must have appointed people to protect their interests as well."
"Sumire?" Tsunade asked in surprise. Inoichi, who had remained silent until now, exchanged a glance with Soku before speaking.
"The girl we are guarding now." The one he protected when he showed up in front of the gates of Konoha. Inoichi paused to rewind in his head, the face of the girl he had seen in Soku's memories. "It seems to me that Ella was chosen to be the face of Konoha in the face of the threats of the future... apparently."
The revelation left everyone in the room shocked. Speculation and the murmur of tension filled the space. Tsunade, recovering quickly, threw in another question.
"Why her? And what threats from the future destroyed your Konoha?"
Soku took a moment before answering, his voice now tinged with palpable sadness.
"The enemy was too strong. We, simply, could not against him... Our Hokage did not see fit for you to know that in the event that we are discovered, we only have orders to protect you from any threat coming from the future. The enemy that killed ours was not the only thing that worried him."
The tension in the room was almost unbearable. Soku continued, his voice lower but firm.
"We may not be the only survivors. There may be more out there, like cockroaches, hiding. Surviving portals is not impossible, although it is extremely difficult. And I'm not merely referring to victims in need of help. Many of those survivors would have the strength to kill at least seven people alone."
Kakashi, remembering Saturo's residence and the ninjas abducted through portals, asked.
"What is the difference between being brought by the parchment and being brought through the portals?"
Soku looked directly at him, his words were precise and careful.
"The parchment obliges you to strictly comply with the rules imposed by the covenanters and by the parchment itself, ensuring your existence. But the portals seal your Chakra and adapt you directly to time, with physical or mental consequences to pay for your survival. Furthermore, those who come through portals are not under the protection of the scroll's 'Promise', which means that they can be eliminated by either side, past or future, without any punishment in between."
Inoichi, always insightful, asked about the 'Promise'.
"What exactly is that 'Promise' you are talking about?"
Soku looked sad, his eyes shining with contained excitement.
"I don't know exactly what the promise is. I know it's different from the parchment covenants. A promise is what is done before agreeing, it is the pillar that supports pacts. It could be something like promising those of the future never to harm those of the past. But I don't know the exact details."
Silence filled the room again as everyone processed the information. Soku, from behind his mask, looked pleadingly at Tsunade.
"I swear allegiance to you, Hokage-sama. I'm not lying. I would be allowed to record the memories if necessary, but I have been ordered not to report on the future, as our mission is to avoid that fate."
Tsunade, with a mixture of surprise and doubt, looked at Soku. The tension was palpable, but there was a glimmer of hope in Soku's eyes.
"They will help us avoid catastrophes." Soku added. "That's the reason I saved Shikamaru-kun. Akatsuki doesn't defeat Konoha, but it doesn't mean that someone should die in vain. There are many ways to change the story slightly."
Kakashi scrutinized her carefully.
"Will we defeat Akatsuki?" He asked, his voice was low but full of expectation.
Soku was slow to respond, his eyes drifting for a moment before he looked back at Kakashi.
"Before I go any deeper, I'll show you that I'm telling the truth." He finally said, leaving Kakashi with doubt in the air, and earning a scrutiny from him. "There's no better way to do that than to bring someone who previously belonged to one of your clans."
Tsunade watched her with extreme suspicion.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
Soku spoke calmly, but hopefully.
"Send your People to the southern gates. My partner is taking care of the surviving children, waiting for me."
The surprise on Tsunade's face was evident.
"Your partner?" He asked incredulously, at the confirmation of a new colleague.
Soku nodded confidently.
"We stayed away from the village so as not to be detected. But you do not suspect a Chakra that is already registered, do you?"
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