Chapter 3 — A Strange Place, Why Don't They Have Chakra?
The group exchanged confused glances, none of them able to make sense of the situation. The girl standing before them was clearly on guard, her posture tense as if ready to retreat at any moment.
If one looked closely into those pale, white eyes, there even seemed to be a faint trace of… fear.
"Hey, don't be scared. We're not bad people!" Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward, trying to sound reassuring.
Seeing him approach, Kaguya instinctively took a step back.
Naruto froze where he stood.
Was he really that unapproachable?
"Why… do you possess that power?" she asked, her gaze fixed on them, her voice low but filled with caution.
"Power? You mean chakra? Doesn't everyone have it?" Naruto tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
"Don't mock me… This… this is the unique power of my clan. Why would humans… how could you possibly have it?" she demanded, her tone tightening as she spoke.
"What are you talking about? Chakra is just chakra. You really are strange," Naruto replied without much thought.
Humans?
Kakashi and Sasuke both caught that word immediately.
That kind of phrasing… did it mean she wasn't human?
And that flash of light earlier—could it have been her?
Kakashi fell silent for a moment, weighing the situation, before finally speaking. "Miss, please calm down. We mean you no harm. As far as we know, chakra is something people are born with, though it can also be strengthened through training…"
"The origin of this power can be traced back to ancient times, a thousand years ago—to the Sage of Six Paths…"
Hearing Kakashi's explanation, she gave a small nod, as if she half understood, though confusion still lingered in her eyes.
But…
As she observed the four of them more carefully, they truly didn't seem to harbor any ill intent.
"Sakura-chan, who's the Sage of Six Paths?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.
The way Kakashi-sensei explained it made no sense to him at all—something about ancient times, about the beginning of an era…
He was completely lost.
"Idiot Naruto, the Sage of Six Paths is a legendary figure from ancient times. He led that era and founded the entire ninja system. Don't tell me you don't even know that?" Sakura said, looking at him in disbelief.
"Is he stronger than the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked seriously.
"Well… that…"
For a moment, Sakura hesitated, unsure how to answer. After all, those were only legends, and no one had ever seen him. But the Fourth Hokage was also a once-in-a-generation genius.
"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm a shinobi from Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, and their team leader. May I ask your name, miss?" Kakashi said calmly.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!!" Naruto declared, grinning as he placed both hands behind his head.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you!" Sakura smiled warmly.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke's expression remained as indifferent as ever.
Kaguya nodded slightly, but her gaze lingered on Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke.
For some reason, from the two of them, she could sense a strangely familiar… presence, something that stirred faint recognition deep within her.
"My name is… Kaguya," she murmured.
Kaguya?
The four of them stiffened in unison.
After all, those golden words had clearly said… Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"What's wrong?" Kaguya tilted her head, looking at them with faint confusion.
"I get it now, you're—mmph!!"
Just as Naruto was about to blurt it out, Kakashi swiftly covered his mouth. Without changing his expression, he said, "It's nothing. Naruto tends to get carried away. Please don't mind him, Miss Kaguya."
"What was that for? Why wouldn't you let me say it?" Naruto pried Kakashi's hand away, looking displeased.
"You idiot. She's obviously still wary of us. If you said something like that now, wouldn't it only make her more suspicious?" Sakura said, utterly exasperated.
Naruto really was too impulsive.
"Ohhh, so that's how it is?" Naruto smacked his forehead in realization.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Kaguya: "...."
He had said it loud enough that there was no way she hadn't heard.
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"What did you say? Sasuke, say that again if you've got the guts!"
"Idiot."
"...."
Watching the two of them immediately start bickering over nothing, Kakashi felt a familiar headache coming on.
They really were difficult to manage.
As Kaguya watched the scene unfold, her tense expression gradually softened.
For some reason, these two boys gave her a strange sense of calm.
One was lively and unrestrained… the other cold and distant…
"Please don't mind them. They're always like this," Kakashi said with a sigh.
"No… they get along very well…" Kaguya murmured softly.
Kakashi gave her a strange look, then glanced down at the two troublemakers. Neither of them showed any sign of backing down, both glaring fiercely at each other as if they were about to fight at any moment.
He felt numb.
"I hear voices—they're over there!"
A shout suddenly rang out not far away.
Moments later, a group of figures carrying torches emerged from the darkness, surrounding them.
Their clothing looked extremely unusual, more like garments from a much earlier era.
"Who are you, and why have you appeared within the territory of the Land of Ancestors?"
A burly man stepped forward and spoke in a stern voice.
"The Land of Ancestors?"
Kakashi paused slightly.
He had never heard of such a country before.
Could it be somewhere beyond the sea?
Or perhaps a newly established nation?
Wait…
Kakashi slowly lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. The moment his gaze fell upon them, his pupils shrank sharply.
What… was he seeing?
They… had no chakra!?
Why… why did these people have no chakra at all?!
For shinobi—and even for ordinary civilians—having no chakra whatsoever meant only one thing…
Death.
And yet these people standing before him… not a single one of them possessed any trace of it.
"We are shinobi from Konohagakure in the Land of Fire. We encountered an accident and were somehow transported here, to the Land of Ancestors," Kakashi explained steadily.
"The Land of Fire? What's that supposed to be? Ever heard of it?"
"Nope. Never in my life. Could they be spies from the Other Nation?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Those three kids don't look the part at all."
As expected.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Just as he had suspected, that strange door had brought them into a completely unfamiliar world.
These people had no chakra…
But…
His gaze shifted toward Kaguya.
This Miss Kaguya was highly suspicious.
She clearly recognized that power—and even seemed to fear it.
...
After Kakashi spent some time explaining the situation, the group was eventually escorted to the city of the Land of Ancestors.
The buildings around them were far from prosperous. In fact, everything about the place carried the atmosphere of ancient times—simple structures, rough construction, and little sign of development.
It felt so primitive that it seemed even harsher than the Land of Waves.
"Sakura, Sakura, do you think they have ramen here? Will it be like old man Ichiraku's?" Naruto asked, his eyes already sparkling with anticipation.
"Idiot Naruto, is food all you ever think about?" Sakura replied, clearly exasperated.
This guy really did feel like a child who would never grow up.
Always boasting, always rushing headlong into things without thinking.
Soon after, they were granted an audience with the ruler of the Land of Ancestors—the Emperor.
He looks really weak.
That was Naruto Uzumaki's first impression.
But the moment the Emperor's gaze swept across them, his entire body suddenly trembled.
At that instant, his breathing hitched, his eyes locking onto a single figure among them…
As if, in that fleeting moment, he had come face to face with the woman destined for him.