Years later…
High above the land, two figures stood silently: the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, and Gamamaru the Great Toad Sage. Time had etched faint lines onto Hagoromo's face since the battle with his mother.
"I dreamt twice in the last two nights," Gamamaru said gravely.
"A dream?" Hagoromo asked, turning to him. "What about it?"
"Toads rarely dream. And when we do, it's always tied to fate. But to dream two nights in a row… that's unheard of."
"What did you see?" Hagoromo asked, his voice steady, but his eyes sharp with curiosity.
"Far in the future, two youths shall appear—
each bearing a single blue eye.
One shall seek the end of all life…
The other will rise to oppose him."
Hagoromo's gaze drifted across the horizon.
"Another age of discord… Does this mean the peace we fought for will crumble?"
"That was only the first dream," Gamamaru replied, eyes narrowing as he looked up at the moon. "The second is what brought me here."
Hagoromo's expression tightened. "Does it involve Mother?"
"Partially. I saw her—fighting your descendants… and a cloaked figure."
Hagoromo turned away, cloak rustling in the breeze. "Then I will send a message to Hamura. To strengthen the protection of the seal."
"You cannot change fate, Hagoromo," Gamamaru muttered softly as he watched the Sage walk away. "Not even you."
…..
Back at home, Hagoromo stepped into a quiet study. His two young sons sat inside.
Indra sat upright, studying diligently, eyes scanning the scrolls before him. Ashura, meanwhile, had fallen asleep, face buried in a book, snoring lightly.
"Father," Indra said, looking up.
"You're still working hard, I see," Hagoromo said with a faint smile, ruffling Indra's hair.
"Ninshu— is the goal of spreading peace and understanding each other's pain through chakra, every word carries a profound meaning." Indra responded looking at his father's face.
"That's right, chakra is a sacred energy that is used as a bridge to understand one another."Hagoromo replied. With a gentle lift of his hand, he used chakra to carry Ashura without waking him.
As Hagoromo left with Ashura, Indra sat alone with his thoughts, replaying the teachings and flipping through his father's journal. After a moment, he moved to the center of the room.
He formed hand seals—clumsy at first, but slowly more precise.
"Using hand signs to guide chakra… It's easier than relying on will alone."
That night Indra kept experimenting by molding his chakra and refining his newly formed hand signs.
Only just before sunrise did Indra stop and get some rest laying just next to his younger brother.
"Ninshu—" Indra muttered as he drifted off to sleep.
…..
"Brother! Wake up, let's go fishing!" Ashura's voice jolted him from slumber.
Indra cracked an eye open, only to find Ashura's face inches from his own.
"All right, I'm up," Indra said, brushing his hair back. "Why so excited?"
"I heard Taizou say there's a giant fish in the lake. I want to be the first to catch it!"
Ashura's grin was infectious. Indra chuckled and got to his feet.
As they stepped outside, they passed dozens of Hagoromo's disciples—each one clad in robes marked by three black magatama.
"Let's go, Elder Brother!" Ashura called out, cradling a small orange dog in one hand.
Indra gave a slight nod and followed him.
The orange dog, Shiro, barked happily and followed them as they made their way to the lake.
…..
"This is it!" Ashura announced, standing by the lake. "That fish is mine!"
He hooked bait onto his line and cast it into the water with a splash.
"Brother! You've got a bite!" he shouted moments later.
Indra braced the rod, but the pull was strong—almost unnatural.
"Damn—" Ashura muttered before diving into the lake with a net.
With a bit of thrashing and help from Indra, they managed to haul up a massive fish—almost their size.
"We caught it! Hahaha!" Ashura beamed, eyes wide with triumph.
Indra smiled, but then his gaze shifted. "You've got a bite too, Ashura."
"Oh! Maybe it's another big one!" Ashura said, gripping the rod with excitement.
"Here, let me help." Indra stepped in, grabbing the rod beside him.
Plup.
Something heavy emerged from the water—a waterlogged bundle, wrapped tightly in thick cloth and tied to a stone.
The air went still.
"What is that?" Ashura asked, stepping closer.
"Not a fish," Indra muttered.
They dragged the bundle onto the grass. Shiro, the orange dog, suddenly stopped wagging its tail.
"Grrrrrr…"
"BARK!"
"BARK!"
The little dog growled and barked furiously at the soaked bag, circling it with ears flat and fur bristling.
"…Shiro doesn't like it," Ashura whispered.
Indra narrowed his eyes. "Help me unwrap it."
Together, they untied the knots and peeled back the wet layers. One fold at a time.
Until finally—
A pale face. A small chest barely rising and falling. A boy.
"Brother… he's alive," Ashura said.
Indra stepped closer, watching the child's features.
"Let's take him to Father. He'll know what to do."
Indra carefully lifted the child onto his back, and together, the two brothers ran home.
…..
The Sage of Six Paths sat in silence, observing the mysterious boy lying before him. The child's features were strange—uncannily familiar. He looked like…
Tenshin, his youngest brother.
But stranger still was the object hidden deep within one of Hagoromo's truth-seeking orbs: a cube, black as void, that had burned continuously for years after absorbing his brother.
Until today.
The moment the child arrived, the burning stopped.
*Cough* *Cough*
The boy suddenly jerked forward, expelling water from his lungs. His gaze snapped up
And then Hagoromo saw it.
One eye was a deep, crystalline blue gleaming with an eerie burning fire.
The other—green, dim light green colour that appeared normal.
The sage remembered the last conversation that he had with Gamamaru.
"Far In the future, two single blue-eyed youths will appear. One will seek to destroy all life and the other will appear to stop him."
"What is your name?" Hagoromo asked looking at the raven haired boy.
The boy looked at him curiously for a moment then opened his mouth to speak.
"Yato"