Naruto: The Sage’s Brother

Hagoromo stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the Divine Tree's towering silhouette. His expression was resolute, a storm of emotions raging beneath his calm exterior.

"Elder Brother… you're not planning to—" Hamura began, his voice tinged with both concern and apprehension.

"Yes," Hagoromo interrupted, his voice firm. "I intend to go to the base of the Divine Tree."

Hamura frowned and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "If Mother finds out, you'll face consequences far worse than you can imagine."

Hagoromo finally turned to face him. "I'm prepared for whatever may come."

A heavy silence fell between them before Hamura sighed. "Then I'm coming with you. But what about the youngest?"

Hagoromo's expression tightened, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. "Tenshin left the village not long ago. Don't involve him in this… he has always been unpredictable."

Hamura's gaze drifted downward as if considering his brother's words. "Unpredictable doesn't even begin to describe him. He hides behind that constant smile, but his eyes… they're colder than even Mother's."

Hagoromo placed a hand on Hamura's shoulder. "Let's go. We must act before Mother returns."

…..

The base of the Divine Tree loomed before them like a monument to despair. Branches stretched endlessly, broken only by the soft luminescence of human-shaped sacs intertwined with the tree's roots. Thousands of them.

Hamura's breath hitched as he activated his Byakugan, his widened gaze scanning the gruesome scene. Without a word, he dashed forward toward one of the sacs lying on the ground.

"Hamura!" Hagoromo called, quickly following.

Hamura ignored him, pulling a knife from his robes and slashing the sac open. The thick membrane tore apart with a sickening sound, revealing a lifeless figure within—a young woman.

Hagoromo froze as recognition struck him like a lightning bolt. "Haori!" he cried, rushing to her side and cradling her limp form in his arms. "Haori, wake up! Please, wake up!"

His desperate pleas echoed through the silent plain. Hamura looked away, his voice barely above a whisper. "Elder Brother… she's already gone."

Before Hagoromo could respond, a voice cut through the air, cold and devoid of sympathy. "She's dead."

Hagoromo turned sharply, his tear-streaked face contorted with grief and anger. Tenshin stood a few paces away, his piercing blue eyes reflecting the faint light of the tree, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"You knew about this," Hagoromo accused, his voice trembling with fury. He rose to his feet and stormed toward his youngest brother, seizing him by the collar. "You knew! Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you stop any of this?"

Tenshin's smile didn't falter as he met Hagoromo's newly formed three-tomoe sharingan head on. "Look around you, Elder Brother. This is the truth behind the ritual. This is the source of Mother's power. What do you think would've happened to me if I had interfered?"

With a quick motion, Tenshin slapped Hagoromo's hand away, adjusting his collar before turning to leave. His voice carried over his shoulder, cold and sharp. "Remember, in this world, the weak are always at the mercy of the strong. And in this world… Mother is the strongest."

His footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Hagoromo standing amidst the lifeless roots, his shoulders trembling with a mix of grief and rage.

Far from their sight, Tenshin's smile widened. 'Don't disappoint me, brother. After all, you are the most important pawn in this plan.'

Later that night, Tenshin sat alone in the graveyard, the moonlight casting long shadows across the rows of graves. Before him lay a small black cube, its surface pulsing faintly with energy. He traced its edges with his fingers, a look of quiet satisfaction on his face.

'It seems to have absorbed a little bit. Truly a magical artifact,' he thought.

He covered his right eye with his hand. Through his left eye, a vision unfolded—a mountain peak shrouded in mist, his mother standing atop it. In her hand, a sphere of light shimmered, its brilliance illuminating the darkened sky.

This was one of the powers of his eyes. Unlike his brothers, he wasn't born with the Byakugan, but his eyes had unique abilities that differed to them. One of these was the power to observe anyone, anywhere, no matter the distance. Even his mother couldn't escape his gaze.

He smirked, lowering his hand. "Let's not rush things. According to my calculations, the cube will be fully charged in a few weeks. Then, I will become one with them."

The vision shifted, revealing Hagoromo before Gamamaru in the Land of Toads, pleading for guidance. Tenshin chuckled. "Good. It seems at least one piece of the puzzle is falling into place. Hagoromo is beginning to bear hatred toward Mother. Though the evolution of his dojutsu was unexpected, it changes nothing in the grand scheme."

…..

A few days later, Hamura stood on a hill overlooking the village. The wind rustled his robes as he watched the villagers go about their daily lives, a rare smile gracing his lips.

The smile vanished when he felt a chilling presence behind him. He turned, his eyes widening as he saw his mother.

"H-Hamura," Kaguya said, her voice calm yet piercing. "Where is Hagoromo?"

Hamura's throat tightened. He knelt before her, his voice trembling. "Elder Brother… he's still patrolling the village."

"Don't lie to me." Her Byakugan flared, the force of her chakra alone sending Hamura stumbling backward. He activated his own Byakugan in a futile attempt to resist her overwhelming pressure, but it was no use. In an instant, she had him pinned.

Far away, hidden beneath the shadows of the Divine Tree, Tenshin watched the scene unfold, a satisfied smirk on his face. 'Perfect. Now the toad will witness everything and bring Hagoromo back.'

A few hours later, Hagoromo stood before his mother. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun lightly, reflecting the fire in his eyes. Kaguya sat on her throne, her expression colder than ever.

"Hagoromo," she began, her tone sharp and unforgiving. "You disobeyed my orders. You went to the Divine Tree despite my warnings… and for what? A human girl?"

Hagoromo's fists clenched. "I saw everything with my own eyes, Mother. The people of this land did nothing wrong, yet you sacrifice them to the tree like cattle. Why?"

Kaguya's eyes narrowed. "To prepare for their descent. You don't know how dreadful they can be. Without an army, this world will fall."

"Who are 'they'?" Hagoromo demanded. "And why must you use innocent lives to fight them?"

Kaguya's grip tightened on the armrest of her throne, splinters falling to the ground. "They will come to take me back. They will drain this world of all life. The Divine Tree is the only way to fight them."

Hagoromo's chakra surged around him, his voice trembling with rage. "Then how are you any different from them?"

Kaguya rose to her feet, her presence suffocating. "It seems I made a mistake in your upbringing. I will rectify it by taking back what is mine."

Before Hagoromo could react, a shadow struck him from the side, sending him flying. He looked up in shock to see Hamura standing beside their mother, his Byakugan active.

"H-Hamura! What are you doing?"

Far in the distance, Gamamaru watched the unfolding battle with growing dread. Even farther away, hidden in the shadows, Tenshin observed both the fight and the toad with a calculating gaze.

"Buy as much time as you can, my dear older brother," he whispered, his smile never faltering.

"Tenshin-sama the preparations are complete the newly formed land of ka and the land of the sun have deployed their troops to the borders." A man wearing a black robe reported knelt behind Tenshin.

"Good work Jashin, after everything is done I will make sure to grant you your wish."