Chapter 33: Let Me Take You to See a Meteor Shower [Part 2]
"Hey, little girl, how do you know that name?"
After wracking her brains and still coming up empty, Matatabi finally just asked directly.
"Is it that strange?" Sakura shrugged casually.
"I know lots of things.
Like the names of all you Tailed Beasts. Like that old man's name.
Your origins… and even the prophecy he entrusted to you."
Matatabi's eyes widened through Yugito's body.
Knowing the names of the other Tailed Beasts was one thing—maybe Sakura had read them in some ancient scroll somewhere.
But that old man she mentioned… something about it sent a chill down Matatabi's spine.
Her instincts told her exactly who Sakura was referring to—the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
And that last part—the prophecy—was something Matatabi knew had never been shared with anyone outside the Tailed Beasts.
It was their deepest, most sacred secret.
Not even their Jinchūriki knew about it—no matter how close their bond.
"And me?" Sakura smirked.
"I'm just an ordinary kid. I just happen to know a bit more than most."
She didn't explain further.
But the truth was, she did know almost every so-called secret of this world—including the Sage and his legacy.
Matatabi's eyes suddenly lit up, as if something clicked.
She remembered the Sage's prophecy:
"The blue-eyed youth who calls each of the nine beasts by name, and plays with them as friends…"
"Wait… are you the one the old man spoke of?!"
"Are you serious right now?" Sakura rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed.
"Look closely. I'm a girl. A real, certified girl. Not some 'blue-eyed boy.'"
"Right…"
Matatabi sounded genuinely disappointed.
They had waited for so long—for over a millennium—for the child of prophecy to appear.
And just when it seemed like they might've found them… another false lead.
"Don't look so down," Sakura added casually.
"I know who he is. The one the old man spoke of."
Her words rekindled the spark of hope in Matatabi's heart.
"Really? Tell me! Where is he?"
Matatabi asked urgently.
According to the Sage, the arrival of that child would mark the moment when all nine Tailed Beasts would reunite with their father once more.
"Not yet," Sakura said meaningfully.
"The world isn't peaceful enough for that—not just yet."
She stretched out her right hand toward Matatabi.
"But you understand what this means, don't you?"
"Ah…"
Matatabi hesitated only a moment before letting her chakra gently flow toward Sakura.
"Careful!"
At that sight, Shikaku, Kakashi, and Shisui immediately stepped forward to shield Sakura, their bodies tense and ready to react.
"Relax," Sakura said calmly.
"I wouldn't do anything unless I was sure. And she won't hurt me."
She stepped past them and touched Matatabi's chakra.
In that instant, she felt a strange energy surge through her body.
Inside the dim sealing space, Matatabi looked at Sakura with open curiosity and hope.
Yugito, however, wore a cold expression.
The way Konoha had handled things just now had hurt her deeply.
Especially Raikage and Killer Bee—she didn't know how she'd face them again when she returned.
"So… can you tell me now?" Matatabi asked.
"There's no one else here who can overhear us."
Matatabi asked eagerly.
To her—and to all the Tailed Beasts—the Sage of Six Paths was like a father.
They had waited patiently for a thousand years, longing for the day they could see him once again.
"The Child of Prophecy that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo spoke of," Sakura began, "is named Naruto Uzumaki.
He's the current Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails—and also the reincarnation of Hagoromo's younger son, Asura."
Sakura laid it out plainly, not at all concerned that Yugito might be listening.
Given how seriously Matatabi took this, Sakura knew there was no way she'd allow Yugito to spread the information around carelessly.
"Asura, huh…"
Matatabi relaxed slightly at the name.
She and the other Tailed Beasts had known Asura well—and thanks to his warm, easygoing nature, they'd always gotten along.
"There's something else I should warn you about," Sakura added, recalling what happened in the original timeline—how Yugito had been captured by Akatsuki.
"There's a group in the ninja world right now that's planning to go after the Tailed Beasts.
Their leader has already summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. You all need to be extremely careful."
"What?! The Demonic Statue?"
Matatabi visibly trembled.
The trauma from the time they were imprisoned inside that statue was seared into every Tailed Beast's memory.
If Hagoromo was their father, then the Demonic Statue was like their mother—but a twisted, terrifying one.
It had an unmatched suppressive power over them all.
"You don't have to be too worried—at least not yet," Sakura reassured her.
"They won't make a move for the next few years.
By the time they do… maybe we'll be strong enough to fight back."
Right now, Akatsuki wasn't ready to act.
Most of its core members were still missing, and Nagato, controlling Pain alone, wasn't enough to take on all Five Great Shinobi Nations.
"If anyone dares go after Matatabi, they'll have to go through me first."
Yugito spoke up coldly.
She didn't quite understand the whole conversation between Matatabi and Sakura, but she had caught the part about someone targeting the Tailed Beasts.
Unlike other villages, Kumogakure had a healthy relationship between its Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beasts.
So it was only natural that Yugito would be protective of Matatabi.
"See? I knew I could count on Yugito."
Matatabi grinned happily.
Sakura shuddered slightly at the sight—was this some kind of Beauty and the Beast dynamic?
Then again, wasn't Matatabi female?
"Anyway, that's the gist of it."
Sakura suddenly snapped her fingers.
In the blink of an eye, the space around them transformed into a vast, open grassland.
This time, it was just Sakura and Matatabi. Yugito was nowhere to be seen.
"This is a mental space I created," Sakura explained.
"You can leave part of your chakra here, and we can use it to stay in touch if anything happens.
Just don't tell your Jinchūriki about this place, okay?"
"Why not?"
Matatabi lay down on the grass, enjoying the peaceful scenery.
"Yugito may be your Jinchūriki, and your bond might be good, but she's also a ninja of the Hidden Cloud.
There are things she shouldn't know—at least, not yet."
This space was Sakura's planned secret base.
In time, others would join here, and she didn't want Yugito finding out prematurely.
"Of course, if you ever feel like you can truly trust her, let me know.
Then we can bring her in—just send a fragment of her chakra here."
"Got it. I understand."
Matatabi nodded.
She liked Yugito, and their relationship was solid—but some of what Sakura shared today wasn't for her ears just yet.
Once Matatabi left a fragment of her chakra behind, their consciousnesses returned to the Tailed Beast Seal within Yugito's body.
"Where… did you two just go?"
Yugito asked, her voice tinged with unease.
She couldn't explain it, but something inside her felt off—like something important had been taken away without her realizing.