Chapter 4 – A Dark Future
Naori politely served Sato some tea and then sat down in front of him.
She watched the five-year-old boy calmly enjoy the tea, focusing her gaze on his right eye.
'A five-year-old boy with a Mangekyou... What kind of trauma would a child that young have to go through to awaken such eyes?'
Naori's mind had been looping since Sato arrived. A five-year-old boy with a Mangekyou? That was no small matter, so she allowed him to come in and explain why he was there, and why he called her "sensei."
"Well, I think it's time for you to tell me why you're here," Naori said as Sato placed the teacup on the table and looked at her.
After a moment, he removed the bandage covering his left eye and showed it to Naori.
"You?! Izanagi?" she asked as she lightly touched her own left eye.
"No, I didn't use Izanagi, or even Izanami."
"Then how—"
"I exhausted my eyes. They were used to the limit, and now, well—" Sato pointed to his white eye with a smile. "As someone who also possesses the Mangekyou, I think you understand the risks that come with overusing your power."
Naori remained silent, absorbing Sato's explanation. Of course she knew that excessive use of the Mangekyou led to blindness, but knowing that Sato had already burned out his left eye raised more questions than answers.
"What are your Mangekyou's abilities?"
"I haven't fully explored them yet, but from what I know, my right eye can store memories. Everything I've lived or witnessed can be stored.
As for the left one, it allows me to transmit those memories to another person."
"That..." Naori paused for a moment. The Uchiha clan said that the Mangekyou were the eyes that reflected the soul. Each pair of Mangekyou had unique dōjutsu, varying from wielder to wielder.
Hearing about Sato's dōjutsu, Naori couldn't help but think it was a useless ability. I mean, it was basically just a genjutsu.
'What goes on in this boy's mind?'
"Well, I know it sounds useless. But when I said that I could send these memories to anyone, I really meant anyone—including my five-year-old self."
"Hm? Wait a moment. You mean—"
"I know what's going to happen in the future... well, at least what's going to happen over the next 48 years. For example... in three years, Hashirama Senju is going to die."
"What?" Naori asked, wondering if she had misheard.
Hashirama Senju, revered around the world as the God of Shinobi, who defeated Madara and alongside him founded Konoha and ended the Sengoku period... That man was going to die in three years?
She stayed silent, her fists clenched tightly as her mind rejected Sato's words.
She wanted to say it was unreal that someone like Hashirama could die, but something in the boy's words made her believe it was true.
Sato watched Naori silently. Her expression was no longer calm; instead, it had become one of disbelief. But he knew that she believed him—at least partially—so he continued.
"After his death, Tobirama will take over as the Second Hokage, and soon after, the First Ninja War will begin."
"Ninja War? Will the clan wars start again?" Naori asked, a little apprehensive.
"No. The ninja war will be even worse. It will be a level of destruction and death never seen before." Sato paused for a moment. "We're talking about entire countries ceasing to exist, being wiped out. Millions of deaths in just a few years of conflict."
"No, that's impossible," Naori denied, but Sato didn't care and continued.
"It's the truth. Before, wars were territorial—clans against clans. Most shinobi fought for whoever paid the most, but that's over.
With the rise of villages, the existence of regular armies and samurai has become useless. In this next war, they will be the ones who make up most of the dead on the battlefields."
Naori remained silent, feeling the weight of Sato's words.
She wasn't foolish and knew that, currently, samurai made up the armies under the daimyo's command. However, with the rise of the villages and the formation of a new, more powerful fighting force, some of the resources previously allocated to the samurai and regular armies had started to flow toward the villages. It wasn't much yet, but it was already possible to see how this was creating discontent among the army's members.
Naori knew that if a war really broke out, the village's mobilization would be massive, and they would have to fight not only against ninjas from other villages but also against samurai and their armies.
While ordinary people could overwhelm common ninjas, a large group of elite shinobi could decimate the regular army with extreme ease—which meant an abyssal number of deaths.
"The war will last about five years," Sato said, pulling Naori from her thoughts. "Five years of carnage across the entire ninja world."
Naori listened in silence.
"And what about Konoha? The Uchiha clan?" she asked apprehensively.
"Many will die. The Senju clan will be one of the hardest hit, with a large part of its family base destroyed. You know, many peripheral members have already started marrying members of smaller clans, or even civilians, as a way of integrating with the village.
As for our clan... we'll also lose many prominent members of the current generation. Elders—especially those who still possess the Mangekyou—will also fall in this war against enemies from other villages, greatly weakening the clan's strength.
In fact, you too will die in battle, shortly before the war ends."
"That..."
"But... if it's any consolation... the children won't be sent to war."
Both fell silent, Sato taking the opportunity to sip more tea while Naori thought about the future Sato had outlined.
A war of worldwide proportions. An uncountable number of dead. Entire countries completely wiped out.
"I know it's very hard to accept, but that's the truth, Naori-sensei. That's the future of the ninja world... and it's only the beginning."
Naori stayed quiet, thinking, and after five minutes, she raised her head and stared at Sato.
"What do you want me to do?"
Sato looked at Naori and couldn't help but smile at the question as he pointed to his eyes.
"I want you to swap my eyes."