Chapter 5: The Goddess’s Gambit

Silence.

The battlefield, once filled with tension, had become eerily still.

Naruto's expression wavered, confusion flickering in his blue eyes. Sasuke, ever the skeptic, narrowed his gaze but did not attack. Even Sakura hesitated, glancing at Kakashi as if seeking guidance.

Hagoromo floated above, observing me carefully. His presence was the most dangerous. He would be harder to deceive.

But I had already planned for that.

I let my body shake, forcing a breathless whisper past my lips.

"Am I… free?"

Naruto took another cautious step forward.

"You… You don't remember?"

I lowered my head, letting my long hair spill over my face, obscuring my expression. "I remember… everything," I murmured, injecting my voice with sadness. "The war. My children. The betrayal. And then—"

I paused, shuddering dramatically.

"Nothing. Only darkness. Silence. I was alone for so long."

I slowly lifted my head, locking eyes with Naruto. "How long has it been?"

Naruto swallowed. "Two thousand years."

I widened my eyes in mock shock. "That long…?" I let the words sink in before whispering, "I never stopped thinking about them. My sons. The world I tried to protect."

Naruto's expression softened. Sasuke's did not.

"You nearly destroyed the world," Sasuke said flatly. "And you expect us to believe you regret it?"

I turned my gaze to him, letting sadness linger in my expression. "I regret many things."

Not a lie. Just not the truth they assumed.

Before Sasuke could respond, I exhaled, as if exhausted. "I don't want to fight," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "I only wish to understand. The world I once knew is gone. My children… are gone."

I placed a hand over my chest. "Yet their chakra still lingers."

Naruto stiffened. I knew he could feel it—that thin, fragile bond connecting us through blood and chakra, no matter how distant.

I turned to Hagoromo. "You, too, are my son. You know my words are true."

The Sage of Six Paths remained silent.

Good. Silence meant hesitation.

I had planted the seed.

Now I only needed time.

If Naruto pitied me, if Hagoromo hesitated, then they would not seal me. And if they did not seal me—

I would become unstoppable.

All I needed was to buy time.

And as I gazed at Naruto, who looked torn between his duty and his compassion, I knew—

I had already won the first battle.