Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Team 7 took to the trees immediately, moving from branch to branch as fast as their legs could carry them. The plan was simple but efficient and there was no need for words as Anko cartwheeled head over heels, swiping a bloody thumb on a tree as she careened through the air. A puff of smoke later and a dozen snakes shot into the forest, already intent on seeking out prey for their young mistress.
“Should I call my summons?” Sakura asked and felt her teammates eyes settle on her. She had mentioned she had summons previously and Izumi had seen her tigers but she had never actually called on them before. There had never been a need and Sakura’s chakra reserves just weren’t large enough to fight after calling in a combat capable summons.
“Nah, leave it to my snakes.” Anko replied cheerfully as they made their way towards the tower at top speed. Sakura spread out her chakra sense as best she could, though she knew no jutsu to boost it and people could sneak past her notice. Out here in the forest, Sakura felt completely vulnerable, afraid in a way she hadn’t been since she’d first seen combat. Her heart was racing under her armored chest and her eyes kept sweeping the trees ahead for traps or enemies.
“We were pretty close to that Iwa team,” Izumi noted, exchanging a nervous glance with Sakura. Iwagakure had suffered devastating losses during the last war, losing their entire jounin corps in a single night after the Yellow Flash went on a rampage. It was the stuff of legend, enraged by losing a student, the man fell upon Iwagakure’s army like a wrathful god. Iwagakure had sued for peace afterwards and even to this day their shinobi forces were a pale shadow of what they had once been.
“They’ll probably target us,” Sakura had seen the intent in Kurotsuchi’s eyes. The girl had a personal hatred for them and for all things Konoha. The rosette had seen that in the eyes of her fellow Uchiha. Akahiko, Setsuna, even Tajima on occasion had eyes that burned with vengeance and loathing, though they all kept their hatred under lock and key. It was one thing to hate after all and another to let that hatred rule you.
“Then we’ll just take her out.” Anko replied casually as Sakura rocketed past her. The pink haired child took a second to register her sudden acceleration as her armor pressed into her back, a small boulder shattering over the chakra reinforced steel. Emerald eyes widened into shock before Sakura began free falling, knocked completely off course by the surprise attack. “Sakura!”
“It’s the Iwa scum!” Izumi shouted, eyes flickering crimson briefly, sipping at her chakra to identify and locate the incoming trio of Iwa genin. “One’s got bee summons, the other launched the doton jutsu!” Izumi reacted quickly, reaching into her pouch and pulling out a smoke bomb then launched a flurry of shuriken towards the Iwa genin, forcing the bug summoner away from the rest. “I’ll take down the summoner!”
“I’ll take down the doton user, Sakura you okay?” Anko shouted, though she couldn’t risk taking her eyes off their foe. In response, a two handed scythe slammed into a nearby branch, the chain trailing from it going taught before Sakura reappeared as if nothing had happened. Her cloak was gone, revealing her bright red armor which didn’t even have a scratch on it from the attack.
“What kind of shinobi wears armor?” Kurotsuchi shouted and Sakura met the girl’s eyes and dipped her left hand into her shuriken holster.
Sakura’s mind moved a mile a minute as every lesson that Tajima and Akahiko had drilled into her flooded her thoughts. Shuriken were good against unarmored opponents, banking shots were more likely to hit as most ninja could simply avoid anything they thought would hit. Once a shinobi was airborne they would be vulnerable, if only briefly and that’s when the killing blow could be landed.
Sakura saw Izumi dodging away from a cloud of bees, a burst of wind jutsu scattering the insects as she closed on their summoner. To her left, Anko was dancing through a barrage of boulders and pebbles. It was a beautiful display of flexibility and coordination, at least to Sakura’s eyes and she smiled as she looked down at her own foe. Kurotsuchi was a few feet below her and roughly thirty feet away on a lower branch. The girl’s face was narrowed into a furious scowl and Sakura brought up her shuriken, plan set.
“Let’s dance.” With a flick of her hand, Sakura sent two of the blades curving towards Kurotsuchi, their spin forcing them to swoop in towards her before she launched the third shuriken with an opposite ark, pinning the girl in from left and right. Gathering her chakra, Sakura rocketed forward, hand gripping her scythe, ready to block or attack as needed.
“Like that will work!” Kurotsuchi roared and brought her hand together as she jumped backwards, chakra gathering within her lungs. Sakura didn’t know the jutsu Kurotsuchi was forming but when she ended on the tori seal, Sakura knew it would be wind. Without even thinking about it, Sakura hurled her scythe forward and brought her hands together into the tiger seal. With her excellent chakra control it was the only sign she needed and fire built within her chest.
Kurotsuchi jumped over the scythe, taking careful aim at Sakura and then unleashed a cutting gale of wind. Sakura compressed her chakra as far as it would go then let it shoot from her lips. A blue streak seared through the genins’ vision as Sakura’s flames met Kurotsuchi’s wind and doubled in volume, consuming the wind jutsu entirely. Kurotsuchi’s eyes widened in horror as the attack came rocketing towards her.
“Kurotsuchi-sama!” A panicked shout echoed through the forest and a boulder flew to intercept the fireball. Flames compressed against chakra rich earth briefly before detonating in a white hot explosion. Sakura landed and shielded her eyes, focusing on the chakra around her to overcome her temporary blindness. Heat bit at her exposed skin, her chakra generated flames enhanced by more chakra then she could ever have created on her own, turning her small but intense attack into a momentary inferno that burnt itself out with all the fury of a thunderclap.
When Sakura’s vision cleared, she looked towards the girl she’d been fighting. Kurotsuchi lay on the forest floor far below, unconscious and battered. Her cloths and skin were scorched in places, blisters rising up on her arms and legs, though she had managed to shield her face from the radiant heat. A breath Sakura didn’t even realize she was holding escaped her as she yanked her scythe back into her hand and prepared to help her teammates.
***
Anko grinned to hide her worry and rage as Sakura reappeared in armor and wielding a massive scythe. The older kunoichi had never seen Sakura wear armor before, nor had she ever seen the younger girl even practicing with a scythe but it was obvious Sakura was familiar with both judging by the way she moved with them. Ahead of her, the doton wielding shinobi fixed her with a baleful glare which only made Anko’s grin widen until it was all teeth and killing intent.
“Die Konoha trash!” The shinobi shouted and launched a spear of stone towards the snake summoner. Anko twisted around the attack and then wove through the barrage with all the flexibility of a serpent. It was remarkably easy, in fact Anko was almost bored as she closed in on the other genin. Orochimaru had trained her with live steel, hurling shuriken and kunai at her until she damn well knew the meaning of the word dodge and this was hardly a work out.
Diving downward, Anko felt a foreign chakra signature spike followed immediately by Sakura’s chakra burning in response as the rosette unleashed a ball of blue flames, the heat of which reached the older kunoichi from where she was standing. The blast of wind from the Iwa girl only increased the ferocity of the attack and Anko’s opponent panicked. The boy took his eyes off her and screamed for his teammate, launching a bolder to intercept Sakura’s attack.
“That was a mistake,” Anko purred as she reached the shinobi. His head snapped back towards her as her fist buried in his stomach and snakes erupted from her sleeves. Four wound around his arms and legs, their fangs sinking into his flesh and injecting him with a heavy dose of venom. Grinning like a lunatic, Anko drew up to the older boy and cupped his face with her hands.
“You would do well to remember why your side lost Iwa, this deep in the forest there be monsters.” Anko cooed before cutting his pack and holster free as she let him drop to the forest floor below. He probably wouldn’t die, assuming his teammates had any anti-venom on them. She hadn’t used black mamba summons or snakes with chakra poisons so any generic countermeasure should save his life. Rifling through his pack carefully, in case it was trapped, Anko pocketed his weapons and then tossed the empty pouches down onto the unconscious nin’s chest.
“Thank for the complimentary weapons, we should do this again sometime!” Anko called out before turning her attention to her teammates. She could see their heat signatures through the gloom, her body altered by her summoning contract and giving her the extra senses of a serpent.
***
Izumi flicked a barrage of shuriken towards the bee summoner, preventing them from calling up another wave of insects. A few surrounded him, preparing to intercept her but the Uchiha was ready. The smoke bomb in her hand hit the tree branch he was standing on and her sharingan spun to life. The Iwa shinobi moved to jump free but Izumi could see his chakra through the haze and drew her sword and struck with one smooth motion. Steel rang out on steel and Izumi swung a kick into the shinobi’s knee.
The boy staggered and Izumi immediately flicked her blade downwards, opening up a gash along his chest. His mesh armor stopped the slice from being too deep but he was still bleeding badly as he cleared the smoke. Bees buzzed around Izumi, the smoke keeping them away for now but once it cleared they’d be all over her. A great whoosh of air and the clatter of chain links startled Izumi as Sakura’s scythe flew into the boy’s flank, snapping his arm and sending him ricocheting off a nearby tree.
A moment later, the boy was peppered by a volley of senbon, his clothes pinned to the forest floor by the steel needles as Anko arrived. The moment the iwa boy was unconscious, his summoned insects vanished into tiny puffs of smoke and Izumi dropped down to the forest floor to search his body for the scroll they needed. She retrieved his weapons but came up empty handed when looking for the scroll.
“He doesn’t have it.” Izumi called out, causing Anko to veer off to the kunoichi they’d taken down. The girl was the least injured of her group, though her burns would need medical attention or they’d scar horribly. Anko pulled out the scroll, a heaven’s scroll to match their earth scroll and grinned victoriously. Pocketing it, she regrouped with her teammates who immediately returned to the treetops.
“We’re good to go. I’ll have my summons form a perimeter and escort us.” Anko flexed her chakra, silently commanding her snakes to regroup around her. They hadn’t caught the incoming Iwa team, so it was far from foolproof but it would be better then nothing. Besides now they would be able to intervene if another fight broke out. “I didn’t know you had armor or a scythe Sakura, what gives?”
“They’re gifts from my summons.” Sakura answered quietly and Anko let out an impressed whistle. Izumi just looked curiously over the armor, clearly recognizing its age and style as being quite archaic. There were no emblems tying it to the Uchiha though the color was rather distinctive and the quality and make of the armor meant it was obviously created for a shinobi.
“Is this another gift from the Uchiha for a tiger summoner?” Izumi asked, putting two and two together with a rather impressive amount of speed. Sakura nodded and Izumi’s eyes moved to the scythe. There was only one Uchiha who wielded a scythe in battle, at least recorded in Konohagakure’s history books. Madara was famous for his weapon and just the sight of a crimson armored shinobi with a scythe and black hair would give people pause to this day. “Well just be careful Sakura-chan, you’re going to get a reputation.”
“I’m five, I think I’ll get a reputation anyways Izumi-chan.” Sakura chirped back and then giggled. Somehow the entire situation was suddenly hilarious to her and as they raced along the trees, her lighthearted laughter trailed after them. By the time they reached the tower, her humor had waned somewhat though all three were cheerful and relieved to be done with the second exam so quickly. Opening the two scrolls after solving the riddle, the trio tossed them forward and watched as Naori appeared from the summoning array.
“Well that was incredibly fast. Broke the record by a whole day in fact.” Naori informed her students as she smiled at them, her purple hair tied up into a ponytail today and her usual Uchiha robes replaced by a standard jounin uniform. Her onyx eyes moved over each of her students carefully before bleeding crimson, searching for any sign of injury, poison of foreign chakra.
“We’re fine sensei.” Anko huffed, earning her an amused smiled from the Uchiha jounin. Naori, satisfied with her inspection tilted her head, silently ordering her genin to follow her. The trio fell into step behind her immediately as they walked out of the entrance and down a hallway that lead into the heart of the tower.
The building was a spiraling mess of corridors and stairs. It was haphazard and random in a way that spoke of immense paranoia. It reminded Sakura vaguely of the Uchiha fortress, though far smaller and more random in layout. The Uchiha’s fortress, for all that it was built to thwart infiltrators also had to support daily life comfortably and provide a firm base for an army during a siege. It couldn’t be so confusing or impractical that it was difficult to navigate for those familiar with it.
The tower at the heart of the forest of death made none of those concessions however and by the time Naori opened a door to reveal a room with three beds and a fully fitted bathroom, her genin were thoroughly turned around.
“I trust you remember the way Sakura?” Naori glanced at the rosette who hesitated as she mentally parsed her path. Inner rumbled in the depths of her mind, the inky black void rippling with her other self’s awareness and Sakura knew exactly how to return to the entrance.
“Yes I do.” Sakura answered, getting a surprised look from Anko. Izumi had long ago grown used to Sakura’s perfect memory, it was bordering on unnatural but Izumi would never say such a thing to her friend. Sakura shifted slightly and pulled her cloak out from where she’d shoved it into her pouch. It was still dirty and there was a slightly frayed patch where the cloth had been crushed against her armor in the back. Dusting it off, Sakura threw it around her shoulders, hiding her armor from sight.
“Your armor is very well made Sakura-chan, but it must be heavy.” Naori looked over the armor carefully and Sakura could see an idea forming in the woman’s eyes. Naori’s lips pulled back into a grin, revealing perfectly sharp teeth and Sakura felt a thrill of excitement. Naori was a good teacher, demanding but she was always encouraging her students and believed fully in their potential. “If you’re going to be wielding a scythe and wearing armor we’re going to need to focus on strength training. Did you know the strongest shinobi in history was a kunoichi?”
“Yes, Senju Tsunade,” Sakura answered instantly because she had read quite a bit about the woman. She was a Senju but she had been born after the founding of the village. Tsunade was a child of the peace that she and Madara sought to create. Tsunade had revolutionized the field of medicine and medical jutsu, inventing most of them and somehow augmenting herself so she was far stronger physically then any other shinobi in history. Most theories centered around chakra reinforcement or chakra emission at the time of impact but Sakura could do both and knew that wouldn’t be enough.
“Indeed and the sitting Hokage taught her or helped her develop all of her techniques. I think, considering your age and achievements, perhaps we could draw his interest.” Naori ventured and Sakura’s eyes widened with shock. Being trained by someone important wasn’t unusual to Sakura, she was being taught nightly by Uchiha Tajima alongside Uchiha Madara but the Sandaime Hokage was the leader of Konohagakure. She was separated from him by more then just rank, they were of different clans, social standings and even traditions.
“Now you have to make it to the third exam for any of this to matter, of course.” Naori added and Sakura nodded, curtailing her expectations somewhat. She knew that if anyone had a chance of getting the Hokage’s attention as a mere genin, it would be an incredibly young genin vying for the title of chunin.
“What do you mean if we make it? We completed the third exam.” Izumi gave her teacher a nervous look and Naori nodded, her eyes moving to the tower’s outer wall. Beyond, they could all feel the chakra of the forest, hungry and violent. There were well over a dozen other genin teams in the forest, though by the very nature of the second exam only half of them could pass and most wouldn’t.
“If too many teams pass, there will be an elimination tournament at the end of the second exam. Do your best to prepare. I’ll be in the tower occasionally, just to make sure none of you are getting up to trouble and the other jounin-sensei all have guard shifts so don’t pick fights with other teams.” Naori gave Anko a warning look and the purple haired kunoichi grinned right back. Naori raised and eyebrow and Anko lazily waved off her sensei’s concern. None of them wanted to get kicked out for poor behavior, in fact all three of them were hellbent on passing and Anko wasn’t about to risk that.
“Well, can we rest now? Sakura torched somebody in the forest, what jutsu was that Sakura? The flames were blue.” Anko hadn’t bothered asking while they’d crossed through the forest, but now that they were safe her curiosity was eating away at her. Izumi also looked at Sakura, who had surprised the rest of her team with her armor, scythe and jutsu.
“You can use the fire release? Your natures are Earth and Water, lightning at a stretch.” Naori’s eyes were contemplative as she looked at Sakura who felt the old urge to hide behind her bangs. The truth was, she’d gone to the first jutsu she knew would work. Her enemy was using wind so fire was the natural counter and she practiced her great fireball until it was a natural reaction to danger.
“Katon, goukakyu no jutsu. I’ve seen Izumi and Itachi use it a lot and she was gathering wind chakra so…” Sakura admitted and Izumi blinked before palming her head. Sure, Sakura was lying but none of her team could tell she was lying which made it look like she’d copied a jutsu from the clan famous for copying jutsu. Anko burst out laughing, causing Naori to let out an amused sigh.
“I didn’t expect you to be able to use fire release, your water affinity is unusually strong. Same with earth.” Naori murmured, her eyes full of contemplation. It was obvious the woman was considering exactly what she was going to teach Sakura, though it was still too soon for them to make any kind of long term plan. They needed to reach the third stage of the exam and make a request of the hokage. If he accepted, which was a big if, Sakura would be hopefully learning Tsunade’s super strength, but if Hiruzen refused Naori would just have to think of another way to apply Sakura’s prodigious chakra control.
***
It wasn’t the first time Madara had seen Sakura arrive in something other then her sleeping Yukata. He had seen her appear in what passed for shinobi clothes from wherever she lived, but today she was wearing the distinctive navy blue yoroi hitatare all Uchiha wore under their armor. To Madara’s eyes, it could mean only one thing, that Sakura had been in a war or at least been expecting heavy combat. She wasn’t wearing any armor, but be could see the slight prints where straps had crumpled the fabric of her clothes.
“What happened? Is your village at war?” Madara asked, eyes roaming his best friend’s body as he searched for injuries. To his great relief, Sakura appeared unharmed and her expression was more confused over his concern then grim or depressed, which further relieved some of Madara’s nervous tension.
“I told you I was taking an exam of sorts. It’s a combat exam, I figured I’d be extra prepared. Shinobi of my time period aren’t used to armor and it likely saved my life.” Sakura admitted and Madara’s eyes narrowed furiously. The idea that Sakura had nearly died, that if she hadn’t been wearing armor, she wouldn’t be here anymore set his blood alight. Flames raged through his chakra and he could feel his chest heaving. “Madara, Madara! It’s alright, I’m here, uninjured, I’m fine!”
Sakura’s voice sounded distant but her hand on his cheek and her cool chakra grounded him. Slowly, Madara came back to himself as the anxiety and panic faded, though he was still badly shaken. He had lost his mother and had seen many of his kin die on the field of battle. He’d nearly died himself but Sakura had always seemed removed from that. First because she was a tennyo and now, well he wasn’t sure what she was but she just felt separate, untouchable. He had never truly contemplated losing her once he accepted she’d simply always show up and now the fear that she just wouldn’t one day was back with a vengeance.
“Madara, your eyes.” Sakura whispered as Madara’s world sharpened to an impossible degree. He could see every strand of Sakura’s unnaturally pink hair. Her eyes were emerald, tinged with chakra that circulated through the delicate capillaries that ran along the ocular nerve and Madara could see all of it. The door to Madara’s room opened with a sharp thud and Tajima was through it before Madara realized what was going on.
“What happened?” Tajima asked, glancing at Sakura and realization dawned in his eyes.
Madara had made the discovery that Sakura was just as mortal as he was. That she could die somewhere he would never see and his only hint would be her sudden absence from his life. She was there whenever he was awake, like a summons almost, but the fear of her vanishing, of him waking up and her simply not appearing had triggered his sharingan. Even now his chakra was burning with all the force of a wildfire, dancing along his nerve endings and changing them with the sheer inhuman intensity of the Uchiha’s chakra.
“I told him my armor saved my life. I was ambushed but I didn’t even get injured! It’s because you made friends with me, taught me to value armor and protection over pure speed that I’m fine. I’m fine Madara, I promise.” Sakura’s words finally got through to the boy who pulled her into a tight hug. Madara’s shoulders were shaking and he just didn’t care that he was showing weakness because his best friend had nearly died.
“Good, good, I’m glad you’re alright.” Madara struggled to find the words. He needed to be sure this couldn’t happen. Armor was a last resort and Sakura had been caught by surprise. She hadn’t been good enough and he was her training partner so that fell on him. If he couldn’t be there for her, in her world to fight by her side then he’d have to protect her the only way he could. “But this can’t happen again. We need to get stronger, Sakura.”
“You two are training harder then any children your age I’ve ever seen. There is only so much you can do.” Tajima cautioned and Madara took in a deep breath to steady his nerves. True, they had been training as hard as they could, building up muscle, reflexes, stamina and instinct but they would have to do better. Madara considered his options before determination lit within him.
“We should ask our summons for help.” Madara’s words caught his father off guard. Summons weren’t unheard of, most major clans had one or two to their name. The Uchiha had crows and hawks but neither were noble summons with sages among their number. Madara’s eagles and Sakura’s tigers were noble however and thus held ancient knowledge including sage arts and all that entailed. Of course neither child was old enough for true sage arts but they could always seek guidance and training from through their contracts.
“I see there is no dissuading you, but only after your usual training. You are young and the basics are essential. If your summons know techniques to help you build a better foundation then you should take it. However you must not be fooled by the promise of easy power or shortcuts. They will only hurt you in the long run.” Tajima’s lecture was unnecessary, however both children still listened intently. He had their respect and more then that, he had their love. Madara watched his father’s lips slowly arc into a small smile as he motioned for them to get ready. “Oh and Madara? Congratulations.”
“Thank you chichiue.” Madara whispered, silently stunned as it sank in. He had sharingan and he knew he would remember everything he was seeing right now for the rest of his life. ‘I’ll cherish this memory.’ Madara promised himself because despite his fear for Sakura he knew he had to be grateful for what he had. Life was violent and often short, he’d learned that first hand so Madara knew to cling onto the good memories with a death grip so he could survive the bad that was sure to follow.
After getting changed, the two children ate breakfast with Izuna who forcefully inserted himself between Madara and Sakura. The toddler, shot the rosette a glare which went ignored as Sakura simply patted his head and cooed at him. Izuna squawked his protest, swatting at Sakura’s hand as she ruffled his hair. Madara, eager to test out his eyes, let chakra flow into them until the world sharpened and he stored the moment forever in his soul.
“Wise beyond your years.” Tajima noted as Madara let his sharingan fade. The boy looked at his father curiously and Tajima’s own eyes had traces of crimson in them, as if he’d activated them for just a heartbeat. “Save as many good memories as you can, it will help you balance out what you see in battle. One must tend to their fire, if you feed it only ashes and pain you’ll be consumed by it.”
It was an ominous warning but Madara knew his duty. He would have to control his bloodline and be the anchor for those who could not. As the future clan head, he had to truly master the sharingan and the raging emotions that burned within him so that he could save his kin when their curse consumed them. It was a heavy burden, one that should have been Kagami’s but Madara would not back down or shirk his duties, his sister had shown him how to be strong for others and he would honor her memory with his actions.
“I understand chichiue,” Madara replied softly and Tajima let the conversation end as they turned to their food. Breakfast was a subdued affair after that. An odd tension hung over everyone present and Madara could tell Sakura wasn’t out of the woods yet. She hadn’t explained too much of her situation but she was still nervous and he was particularly attuned to her emotions after spending every waking moment with her for more then a year and a half.
Training that day past in a blur for Madara. The new exercises focusing around his sharingan pushed his chakra reserves to their limits but Madara could feel himself getting stronger. Sakura also worked herself hard, pushing chakra deeper into her muscles then she ever had and doing her best to make the most out of the time available. Still both Madara and Sakura saved just enough chakra to call upon their summons or more specifically reverse summon themselves once their usual exercises were done.
Madara looked over at Sakura as they both prepared themselves for the reverse summons. It wasn’t the first time they’d done this but meeting the higher level summons in their natural habitat was always intimidating. Taking a deep breath, Madara nicked his finger and then made the necessary hand seals before slamming his hand into the ground. A sharp jerk and the world spun before Madara suddenly found himself sprawled across the rocky ground of the mountain peaks where his summons nested.
A harsh sun beat down on Madara, even as a chill wind ripped the warmth from his bones. Crisp, dry mountain air sapped the water from his lips and Madara shivered violently at the sudden shift in temperature and climate. Fujin towered over Madara, the eagle’s vast presence reminding Madara that he was standing before a being many considered a god.
“Why have you come?” Fujin’s voice was neither bored nor dismissive though Madara had the odd sense the bird already knew his intent. The eagle’s golden eyes bored into him and Madara had to force down the fear and awe that naturally surged at the bird’s mere presence. Fujin’s chakra was a vast, suffocating maelstrom of wind and lightning perfectly embodied by the crown woven from storms that sat upon his feathered head.
“I need to get stronger faster. I’m not asking for a powerful jutsu or something flashy, I need to know how to get more out of my training. I want to share it with my friend, so she will be strong enough to protect herself when I’m not around.” Madara explained and did his best not to show how intimidated he was as Fujin considered him. The moment dragged on as the eagle withheld its judgment and Madara could feel himself starting to sweat as his nerves slowly frayed. Still he refused to be intimidated by his own summons and kept his sharingan from surfacing.
“Very well, I will teach you how to breath properly while fighting. You are too young for senjutsu and you cannot yet sense nature chakra regardless.” Fujin explained and then leaned forward, his razor sharp beak stopping just a few inches from Madara’s face. Massive golden eyes bored into the young boy and Madara could feel the sheer power that lived within every cell of the creature before him. Fujin was a force of nature and he was offering Madara power simply because Madara had been found worthy and then asked for it. “Your fate-less companion should ask the foxes for lessons, the tigers are used to dealing with those who have already established themselves.”
“I will pass that on.” Madara promised and Fujin slowly retracted himself until he once more towered over Madara.
“See to it that you do. Now then, let us begin your training.” Fujin’s voice rumbled the ground as he spoke and Madara felt a moment of pure awe as he realized he was going to learn from this being. It was one thing to have summons, another to have noble summons and the stuff of legend to be taught by said noble summons. Only a few lucky or perhaps unlucky souls could ever claim such a feat and Madara now numbered among them. If Madara grinned like an excited child as he realized this, Fujin pretended not to notice.