Chapter 31
Chapter 31
A warm sea breeze washed over the Uchiha as the shinobi of Uzu arrived in front of them. The two groups eyed each other, the Uzu with open surprise and the Uchiha with clear caution. Madara gripped his scythe tightly, the blade chipped and dulled from hours of fighting. Sakura’s scythe hadn’t fared any better and the blade would likely need to be replaced. Still both of their armor was intact, though they would need new sets soon. They were almost at the age where they would grow so fast they’d go through several sets in quick succession and their childhood armor was clearly showing its age.
“Uchiha, what are you doing here?” A man with lustrous purple hair demanded. His eyes were a stunning light blue, darker then they sky but lighter then the water beneath their feet. His hair was held back in a long ponytail and Madara noticed everyone around them had long hair, unusual for shinobi.
“Genbu saw fit to take us with him after a battle. He protected us from the Kyuubi’s fury, it attacked up north in Kaminari.” Tajima offered and the purple haired man nodded, his eyes sweeping over the group before landing on Sakura and Madara. A wide grin broke out on his face as teeth slightly sharper then those of mainlanders were revealed.
“And what’s this? You have a child of the Isles among you? Is this the one the Hime spoke of all those years ago, the Uchiha’s adopted heiress?” The man asked and Tajima casually shifted his stance so he could put himself between Sakura and the Uzu at a moment’s notice. The man’s smile became even warmer at the action and his eyes softened, losing the hardened edge they’d had. “You’re not here for battle, the wards would have been tripped. Behave yourselves and nothing bad shall befall you here.”
“That is a relief. Would your people be willing to sail us back to the mainland?” Tajima asked and the man nodded then motioned for the Uchiha to follow him. Tajima hesitated, his chakra washing over the Uzu shinobi and being embraced in kind. It was the first time Madara had seen Ninshu in use beyond calming down an enraged Uchiha. Several long seconds ticked past as the two shinobi spoke with their souls. When both withdrew their chakra and neither attacked, everyone let out a silent sigh of relief. “Please lead the way.”
“I’d be honored Tajima-dono,” the purple haired man flashed a bright smile then lead them ashore. The beach itself had several gazebos and other structures clearly meant for lounging on it, along with watchtowers absolutely covered in fuinjutsu script. At the back of the beach, a seawall cut through the sand, fuinjutsu carved into every brick and no doubt providing a powerful barrier against both invasion and flooding.
Chakra was rich here, clinging to everything and saturating the world with life. The seals seamed to trap the chakra within the island, like a whirlpool, funneling it in and storing it and everything Madara saw was effected or altered in some way. The birds that flew overhead were massive, easily twice the size of anything on the mainland and some far larger. The isle itself also felt bigger then it had looked, much bigger. After half an hour of running, Madara knew for a fact that somehow the Uzu shinobi had increased the size of their domain, the barriers creating more space within them then the island should have had.
“Fascinating,” Sakura murmured softly, getting several amused looks from the Uzu shinobi who were all making hand signs at eachother as if talking. The Uchiha had such signs, but they weren’t capable of making full on conversations. Instead they were limited to brief combat instructions and even then they were rarely used. Large scale battles didn’t lend themselves to subtlety and sensory saturation was possible even with the sharingan.
After another ten minutes, the group finally entered the heartland of Uzu. Ahead of them a massive series of rivers cut through the internal mountains, runoff from the storms that constantly churned around the isle’s mighty peaks. At the intersection of the rivers stood a city unlike anything Madara had ever seen before. Towers formed from solid stone stretched towards the heavens, their surfaces covered in ink and carvings. Power hung thick in the air and people filled the streets, people clearly of different clans and tribes.
“Wow,” Madara whispered, unable to stop himself. He dreamed of seeing the mainland at peace, ending the eternal war between not just the Senju and Uchiha but between all the clans of Hi no Kuni. This was his dream made manifest before him, the people of Uzu gathered together in harmony, jewel toned children running about and shrieking happily as their parents watched on with fond smiles. Many were Izuna’s age and on the mainland, they would already have seen war but here they hadn’t even begun training yet. Madara’s sharingan revealed their hands were smooth and free from callouses or scars.
“Peace is a lovely thing isn’t it?” The leader of the Uzu group said softly, clearly picking up on Madara’s thoughts. The boy nodded, glancing at the man who offered him a sad, understanding smile. The group moved on quickly, arriving within an open palace at the center of the city. There were no doors to keep the townsfolk out and large paper doors made up most of the building’s outward facing surfaces. Well polished and lacquered engawa wrapped around the building with pebble covered paths doubling as drainage running alongside them.
The group moved into the building without anyone questioning them or raising an alarm. Soon, the Uchiha found themselves in a large meeting hall with several powerful Uzu shinobi waiting for them. ‘The clan heads,’ Madara realized as he looked over the eight shinobi standing before them. They were all different, with chakra that spoke of storms and the fury of nature, though each was unique in their own right.
“It is not everyday that the clan head of the Uchiha stumbles upon Uzu, much less riding upon one of the four divine guardians.” Uzumaki Ashina spoke carefully, eyes moving over the gathered Uchiha, as if considering his odds in a fight. The Uchiha were at the heart of Uzu, there was no chance of them escaping alive if it came to blows, at least at first glance, however the clan head and heirs were present. The Uchiha would fight like men possessed if either where threatened and if they didn’t care about conserving chakra or surviving the fight, they would likely level much of the city.
“Uzumaki Ashina, it has been some time. Have you considered our offer of trade and protection for your convoys?” Tajima’s sly grin told Madara his father was already plotting something. A wave of disrupted chakras swept over the room as all eyes shifted to Ashina. The man frowned, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked over Tajima.
“Your clan is at war with our kin, tell me why I shouldn’t hand you over to them and end the war in Hi.” Ashina’s words were clearly a bridge too far for his peers but nobody spoke up. Madara had only just started learning the basics of Ninshu but even he could tell Ashina’s words had upset everyone present. In fact it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the man had somehow made himself the most isolated man in the room despite being in the presence of literal foreigners.
“Last I checked Ashina-dono, only the Uzumaki are related to the Senju and Uzu is made up of more then just the Uzumaki.” A woman with bright green hair drawled, her orange eyes half lidded and projecting boredom, though her chakra was alive with annoyance. It buzzed and cut like wind, rushing through her and spilling out into the chakra rich air around her. “We have been looking for trade partners on the mainland for years and you decided to keep an offer to yourself?”
Tajima wisely kept his mouth shut as Ashina back down, looking properly chastised. The man shot a glare towards the Uchiha, clearly discontent with the situation but said no more. Instead, an older woman with dark purple hair and light blue eyes stepped forward, a slight smile tugging at her lips.
“I apologize, the war in Hi no Kuni effects us all. When the mainland burns, the Isles often starve, thus is the way of things. Our people have ways of feeding themselves but the other islands are not so lucky. Mizu has devolved into a war, mirroring the mainland and most days refugees wash up on our shores begging for sanctuary. You can understand how such a situation could cause tempers to run thin?” The woman asked and Tajima inclined his head, agreeing without lowering himself or accepting any blame. The Uchiha weren’t at fault for the Senju’s inability to negotiate. Butsuma and his predecessors would settle for nothing less then annihilation of their rival clan, obviously not something the Uchiha would ever agree to.
“The Uchiha control the bulk of the rice fields in Hi, perhaps trade with Uzu and the Isles could alleviate some of your pain and benefit both our peoples? I am still willing to open trade routes.” Tajima looked over at the rulers of Uzu, his expression proud and his hands crossed over his chest. He was neither too interested in the conversation nor detached, somehow striking a balance between them.
“We must discuss among ourselves before we open negotiations with your clan. After all the Senju are kin to some and we would not wish to be seen as taking sides. Unless a deal with the Senju would close any opportunities between us?” A man with bright orange hair ask, an easy smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. His chakra was warm, like a sun shower in the tropics, all wonder and whimsy. His eyes were a dark gray, like polished stone and his teeth were sharp, like a canine’s.
“That is agreeable to me, in the meantime we would like to charter passage back to one of our ports. Genbu saw fit to take us here and while I am grateful for the opportunity to see your island and meet your people, we have been away on campaign for long enough.” Tajima’s did a good job of hiding it but Madara could tell his father was tense. The shinobi of Uzu could try to hold them here and hand them over to the Senju. It wouldn’t end the war but it would be a massive blow to the clan.
“We’ll have the arrangements made by sundown. As for a trade deal, we will send you the terms soon enough, though leaving your own offer with us would certainly expedite things.” A woman with white hair and emerald eyes stepped forward and Sakura felt an odd surge of something in her chakra. Clearly the woman noticed, her eyes falling on Sakura and widening slightly. “Those eyes, are you a child of the Kaguya?”
“I…” Sakura glanced at Tajima who frowned but still gave her a nod. Madara looked at his friend and silently offered her his hand. She’d been through enough lately and didn’t need any further burdens thrown over her shoulders. “I don’t know who my parents are.”
“I see,” the woman took several slow steps forward and crouched down in front of Sakura. This close, Madara could tell her eyes where the exact same shade of green as the rosette’s. Their skin tone was also nearly identical, pale and rosy as opposed to the more common tans of Hi no Kuni. “You do resemble one of ours, though clearly your blood isn’t pure. A Hagoromo parent as well perhaps? That hair is distinctive. Your clan was wiped out, or nearly wiped out rather recently if I’m not mistaken.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Sakura murmured and Tajima put his hand on her head. It was an obvious statement and an offer of comfort. Madara and Tajima both knew Sakura’s home life was less then pleasant in her mysterious village and pressuring her on her parents would no doubt upset the girl.
“Your transport will be ready by dawn. You can set up camp on the beach or trust us to shelter you here for the night.” The Kaguya said, withdrawing to stand beside a man with raven black hair and amber eyes. His chakra was bitingly cold, though his smile was warm and inviting, a happy campfire amid a blizzard.
“We’ll take the beach if it’s all the same.” Tajima replied, effectively ending the meeting. The run back was easier then the run inward and soon enough the Uchiha were camped at the edge of the beach, just behind the protection offered by the seawall. Genbu had left during their time ashore, though none of them would have been foolhardy enough to return to the massive turtle unless given no other choice.
Madara unfurled his bedroll within a tent and bedded down for the night. Beside him, Sakura lay on the carpet that covered the sandy ground, her eyes slowly falling shut in sync with Madara’s own as she returned to wherever her village was.
***
Sakura woke up slowly, the feeling of warm fur surrounding her. Her eyelids felt like lead as she struggled to pull herself from the comfort that wrapped around her. A familiar hand carded through her hair, brushing the pink strands back and nails gently scratching her scalp, drawing a content sigh from the girl’s lips.
“Hello child, it has been some time.” Inari Okami said softly and Sakura slowly forced her eyes open to look up at the god whose tails she was currently nestled among. Sakura felt her heart swell and tears suddenly blurred her vision as she felt truly safe for the first time since Shisui’s odd behavior had began. “Why didn’t you call on us?”
“I couldn’t, not within the village.” Sakura managed in between sobs. She hadn’t even realized she was crying until she started speaking and now she couldn’t stop. “I was so afraid and I didn’t know what would happen! Why didn’t I tell myself?! Why?!”
“Because the course of history is set, not even gods can change it entirely. Nudge it along, interfere to some degree but nothing more then local currents amid the vast river. I imagine among the many tributaries, you did try to warn yourself and when it didn’t work, you spared yourself the stress of failure. A kindness, though you may not realize it.” Inari’s words made sense, even if Sakura wanted to rage against them. It made everything seem so utterly pointless, no matter what she did nothing would change. “But the Chinoike survived, did they not? History remembers them as having died on that mountain or turtle, I suppose.”
“They survived?” Sakura whispered and Inari hummed a confirmation. “Thank goodness.”
“Thank yourself, Madara and Tajima as well. Without your initiative and their victories in the sparring matches, it wouldn’t have ended so peacefully. History has a course, set in stone until the loop is resolved but you are a shinobi and more than that you are a fox, cleverness is your bread and butter. I am sure this is only your first victory.” Inari guided Sakura’s attention away from the massacre with deft ease. For all her intelligence Sakura was still eight and very much a child despite her double life.
“I see, that’s good?” Sakura managed and Inari smiled, running another hand through her hair.
“Very good child of the Isles,” Inari said softly, her tails shifting slightly so Sakura was comfortably laying down within them once more. “Sleep, you have been too long without and your soul needs rest.”
“I don’t think I can.” Sakura whispered, terrified of the nightmares that would surely come if she didn’t travel to the past or return to the future. Here, in Inari’s domain she was separate from either, the temple felt timeless and considering it was the realm of a god perhaps it was.
“And if I were to sing you a lullaby? Perhaps one your parents would have sang if they had raised you?” Inari asked and Sakura’s curiosity and longing swirled within her chakra, obvious for anyone who knew how to look. Inari’s tails began to sway gently, rocking the girl as the kitsune began to sing. “Þat mælti mín móðir, at mér skyldi kaupa, fley ok fagrar árar, fara á brott með víkingum.”
Sakura knew the language, one of those spoken frequently during the warring states in Mizu, though it had fallen out of favor among the shinobi and merchants of the Isles in favor of the common tongue.Still the Haruno clan had insisted she learn it as the clan had claims among the Isles and the noble courts of Mizu still used the ancient language.
“Standa upp í stafni, stýra dýrum knerri, halda svá til hafnar, höggva mann ok annan.” Inari, despite likely never having set foot on the Isles still sung the lyrics perfectly, the haunting words pulling Sakura into an easy sleep as she dreamed of boats riding the waves, of pitched battles, the thunder of jutsu and of coming home, victorious and bloody.
“Are you upset with me, singing to her of such things? Showing her who she needs to be to survive?” Inari asked softly, her eyes leaving Sakura’s face to meet the gaze of another one of her many children.
“I think that it is wrong that such a thing is a kindness, that raising her for war is what is best for her. Had I known…” The fox trailed off and shook his head, it was too late for doubts. The die was cast, the hand already drawn, there was no going back for any of them.
“The future is not set, only the past. Much is left to be determined and perhaps one day she will know peace.” Inari ran her fingers through Sakura’s hair and the glare aimed her way softened immediately.
“And how will she live then? Raised for war and knowing only battle?” The fox asked and the goddess gave him a sad smile.
“It will be difficult but none of us will abandon her. We chose her, she accepted us, the blood shed in battle is thicker then the water of the womb. We will help her, wherever her path leads and if she never knows peace in life, we will teach it to her when she takes her place as one of us.” Inari’s reply had the air of finality to it and the other fox nodded his assent. He knew it wasn’t Inari’s fault, the goddess hadn’t been the one to create the loop nor had she tricked Sakura into a lopsided deal. She was merely doing the best she could to help the young mortal who had stumbled upon her realm.
***
Sakura sat on the engawa of the Senju heir’s house with a living seed held in her palm. She could feel the chakra within it, her medical ninjutsu allowing her to observe its search for soil and water. She new what she needed to make it grow, to blossom but accelerating it was different then healing and so far she’d had no progress. Cupping the seed between her hands, she carefully channeled chakra into it, mixing earth, water and medical chakra. It was a nightmare of a task, almost unimaginable for someone to manage in the midst of combat and yet Hashirama had done exactly that and added senjutsu to the mix.
“You’ll get it it,” Izumi’s voice was soft as she settled down next to Sakura. The girl was different then Sakura remembered, more reserved and quiet, no doubt a result of Root’s indoctrination.
“Itachi used your kenjutsu,” Sakura replied, because they had yet to talk about that night. Izumi didn’t react besides a small nod, as if she wasn’t surprised. That in and off itself was telling though, Izumi knew just as well as Sakura did that the sharingan couldn’t copy chakra control. There was no getting around the fact that Itachi should not have been physically capable of wielding their shared style and yet he had.
“We spent years together in his genjutsu. An entire lifetime,” Izumi whispered. Sakura turned towards her friend and saw for the first time just how old Izumi’s eyes were. She looked older then Naori and far calmer, which was an accomplishment. Naori, despite her Uchiha nature and the blood of the Isles was a very calm woman and yet Izumi seemed to have reached even further beyond that, appearing almost like the buddha. “It would have been nice if that had been real but an illusion can never replace reality for long. Itachi needs help, he’s under kotoamatsukami.”
“I know, I saw when I was in tsukuyomi.” Sakura continued to focus on her seed and felt the moment the balance went off. The seed exploded with a pop, little shards peppering the skin of her palms and opening up tiny scrapes which she healed with a flash of emerald chakra. “Damn it.”
“Here, look.” Izumi held up her hand and a blade of ice formed, her water and wind mixing together in perfect harmony to create the new elemental release. “If you have perfect chakra control and work at it, you’ll master it. It took me a decade working with Itachi to get to this point. You’re already further ahead then where I started.”
“Oh,” Sakura looked at the ruined seed and let the remnants fall onto the grass below the engawa. She drew another from her pocket and began again, shifting her eyes to Sasuke who was currently being put through his paces by Anko, the only member of their team to come out of the massacre with a relatively sound mind. Sasuke was responding well to her biting sarcasm and frantic energy, meeting her challenges with burning crimson eyes and steely determination.
“I’m going to go for jounin, but I think I’ll ask to stay on your ANBU squad instead of take a captain’s rank.” Izumi murmured and Sakura looked at her friend, her curiosity clearly written all over her face. Izumi answered with a slight smile and gently ruffled Sakura’s hair. “I’ve always thought of you as a little sister, you know? You don’t take missions under your chunin rank and I’d rather be on your team then separated. There is no way the Hokage won’t try to push you through the ranks as fast as possible. Konoha needs to prove it has another source of military power now that the Uchiha are gone.”
“Ah,” Sakura felt her heart sink at that. It was hard to show any more emotion and she didn’t have the words to explain what she was feeling. Instead, she simply leaned on Izumi’s shoulder while continuing to focus her chakra into the seed she was holding. “Are we still friends?”
“Of course we are Sakura but if you’d like we could be family as well.” Izumi offered and Sakura nodded, eyes still on Sasuke and chakra still being fed to the seed between her palms. Slowly, Izumi wrapped her arm around Sakura, giving the girl’s shoulder a squeeze. “One day at a time, we’ll get there.” Sakura’s eyes burned but it had nothing to do with her sharingan.
***
Madara had never been on a ship for long, though now he was rather grateful for that fact. A week at sea had seen him quite content to never experience another voyage again, much to the amusement of his elder kinsmen. Sakura had been delighted by the open ocean, reveling in the constant movement, the smell of salt on the wind and the cry of gulls overhead. She’s come alive in a way she hadn’t in well over a month, her eyes sparkling as she looked hungrily towards the shore, her mouth parting to reveal the razor sharp teeth within.
“She’s of the Isles, raiding the coast is in her blood. The memories of raids and war live within their chakra.” Tajima had explained one day as Madara took a break from training on the open waves. Sakura had always just been Sakura to him, which was to say she was basically just a pink haired Uchiha in spirit. Her chakra burned like his, even if the elements were different and she felt emotions just as strongly as he did, with her whole being though right now they were dimmed.
“She will calm down once we are inland, though perhaps this is timely, I think it will help her heal faster.” Tajima added eyes on the pink haired girl as she rode the waves, flying through kata on the unstable surface, switching between scythe and sword with nothing approaching fluid grace but still kept her hands and movements steady. “When we return home, we will delve deeply into Ninshu. Learning the art will naturally heal the wounds of the heart. Do not worry, Sakura will be fine.”
Madara had trusted his father’s words and left things there. He didn’t truly understand what it meant to be of the Isles and all the strange quirks involved. It was almost a kekkei genkai, a combination of genetic memory, innate blood lust and traits beneficial for those who lived on or near the open ocean. Even the brightly colored hair common among the Isles had a purpose, it marked them as deadly to predators, warding off sharks and other large oceanic beasts.
The return to the fortress was accompanied by much fanfare. Contact had been cut for an entire week, after a battle had been planned so nerves had been wearing thin and tempers hot. Tajima’s homecoming along with Madara, Sakura and the full retinue they’d left with was met with an immediate impromptu festival once word got around. The party lasting long into the night though those who had actually returned quietly made their way to bed without taking part.
The day after their return, Madara found himself looking at Sakura’s back as she trained harder then he’d ever seen. She pushed herself to the brink of chakra exhaustion by the time the sun was setting, her muscles no doubt torn and frayed by how hard she’d worked them. The events in her village had tipped her over the edge, snapped that careful thread of self control within her. The urge to get stronger was something he understood deeply. He had never pushed himself to the point she was, but he didn’t know medical ninjutsu so he couldn’t risk it.
‘I could ask her…’ Madara’s thoughts trailed off as he looked over at Sakura and frowned. The breathing technique of the eagles had helped as had the bento that Sakura’s supposed kitsune summons so freely provided, though she didn’t always have them with her when she arrived from her homeland. Still it wasn’t enough to keep up with someone who could literally break their body and stitch it back together stronger then ever.
“Sakura,” Madara gathered up his courage as Sakura slowly recovered her chakra through meditation. He knew once she had enough, she’d heal herself to the point where a full night’s rest would wash away any remaining strain or injuries and then repeat the process tomorrow. “Can you teach me that?”
“Healing?” Sakura asked and Madara gave a small nod. The rosette considered the question, though he could tell curiosity was the greater factor in her hesitance. “Alright, but could you tell me why?”
“I need to get stronger, so that I can protect you, chichiue and Izuna. I need to be able to defend my clan and make Kagami-onee proud.” Madara did not mind that Sakura was getting stronger, nor would he ever complain if she was simply better then him. Reality wasn’t fair, some people had talent, like Kagami and others were ordinary but Madara knew that Sakura was like him. She worked herself harder then she probably should and carried the burdens of clan on her shoulders. So if she was pulling ahead, then it simply meant he wasn’t working hard enough.
“I figured,” Sakura nodded, clearly content with his answer. The girl frowned them, her expression darkening and her eyes showing signs of crimson as her sharingan threatened to surface. “Just remember, not even a medic can save everyone. I learned that the hard way.”
Madara swallowed, suddenly nervous as he felt the burn in Sakura’s chakra. It was slowly washed away, massaged from her mind by steadying currents of chakra but he had felt chakra like that before. The Uchiha who had awoken the mangekyo all had such pain and hatred within them, though most were consumed by it.
“So long as you remember that, you should be fine. Now come on, let’s go find a fish. They’re easiest to start with.” Sakura nodded towards the nearby river that wound its way through the forest. Madara gave her a concerned look but nodded, not daring to pry.
By the time the sun had fully set and the two children returned to the fortress, Madara had learned tow things. Sakura was an incredibly patient teacher and healing was nightmarishly hard. There was a reason that despite practicing for years, Sakura was only just starting to be able to treat major injuries. She could heal bruises and flesh wounds easily, muscle strain, tendon injuries and bone bruises but anything more then that even she struggled to achieve.
If he had time to focus solely on healing, Madara knew that thanks to Sakura’s chakra control he’d get it fairly quickly but he couldn’t simply devote his time to it. He had to be ready for war, war that would come any day now. The Senju had been quiet for years, which meant nothing good for the Uchiha. Such a drawn out lull meant their enemies were gathering strength and rebuilding their arsenal. With the way the Uzumaki had treated them, no doubt fuinjutsu would be entering the battlefield in the near future which made the upcoming trade deal with Uzu all the more important.
***
The morning that news of the trade deal arrived would be forever burned into Madara’s memory. A member of the Chinoike had arrived, in disguise, offering the clan’s thanks mere minutes before the first payment from Kaminari trundled up to the keep’s gates. While the gold was being counted, chakra metal inspected and other products checked for quality and quantity, a man with bone white hair and beautiful jade green eyes arrived wearing a traveler’s cloak, his shark toothed smile identifying him as an Islander even if someone, somehow missed his obvious Kaguya features.
“The Uzu council has decided that your terms are more then acceptable and we agree to them without modification.” The Kaguya handed Tajima a scroll signed in blood and chakra, proof of the contract between the clan and the Island nation. The Kaguya grinned, eyes dancing with mirth as he continued, “furthermore my clan has recognized Kaguya Sakura as one of our own. She may not carry our kekkei genkai but her eyes and teeth are proof enough. As such, she can hire any Uzu fuinjutsu tutor at clan rates and the Clan head has given me a list of recommendations.”
“That is quite generous, I do hope your clan isn’t intending on claiming her or demanding her hand in marriage. She has been formally adopted into the Uchiha clan as one of my children.” Tajima said, accepting the second scroll from the messenger. The man’s eyes narrowed as his grin widened, clearly pleased that Tajima had cottoned on to a potential threat.
“You impressed our matriarch. Kaibun was quite taken by her and she enjoys ruffling Ashina’s feathers. That said, if your clan ever mistreats her or pawns her off we will be pressing our claims.” The Kaguya leaned forward, jade eyes glittering with killing intent which Tajima met with practiced stoicism. The two eyed each other, a clear understanding passing between them. The Kaguya would not take kindly to Tajima mistreating one of their own.
“She is my daughter by choice and I love her as my own. The Uchiha do not practice political marriages, at least not under my leadership and I doubt either of my sons would be so foolish as to make such a mistake, young though they still be.” Tajima’s words earned him a nod from the Kaguya who visibly relaxed, his grin losing most of its blood lust though the expression never truly seemed to soften.
“Great, once we both have a signed copy of the contract the deal will be in effect. Shall we continue this inside?” The Kaguya asked and Tajima gave him a nod. Madara watched the entire exchange alongside Sakura, the two children having been preparing to go to the forest for another day of hard training.
“Well, I never thought I’d be related to a shinobi clan.” Sakura admitted and Madara raised an eyebrow. He knew how most clans mingled with the general populace or partook in brothels. The majority of civilians were a mishmash of clan and non-clan heritage, much like Sakura now that he thought about it. In fact, she was in many ways the quintessential ‘civilian’ with multiple clans to her name and no knowledge of any of them. Of course the mystery of Sakura’s heritage could never quite reach the image of a tennyo he’d originally built up in his mind and the fact that her appearance in his life was a gift of the kami kind of made any revelations about her ancestors underwhelming.
“I think everyone’s related to everyone if you go back far enough.” Madara replied, and then nodded towards the gate. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of training to do and some fish to heal.” Or fail to heal and inadvertently explode as the case may be, not that Madara was going to say that out loud. With a grin, Sakura took off and the two raced towards the treeline, excited to be home and eager to get back to their usual schedule.
Neither Madara nor Sakura saw Izuna watching them. The six year old’s eyes narrowed angrily at the pink haired girl, bitter jealously flashing in their onyx depths. Izuna loved Madara, more then anything, more than the pink haired Kaguya ever could. She wasn’t an Uchiha, she wasn’t even of Hi and yet she had stolen his brother’s attention. Frowning, Izuna promised himself that one day he’d prove to everyone that she didn’t deserve to stand next to his Aniiue.