Chapter 43
Chapter 43 The Battle for Sora-ku III
It was a warm day in the middle of summer. The sun had been out before the smoke and ash had blotted it from the skies and only a few short hours ago, Madara had been blissfully unaware of what fate had in store for him. They should never have had to leave the castle this morning, they should have stayed at home, spending time together as a family before going out into the training grounds to perfect their arts. Sakura would be grinning that mischievous grin of hers, dodging all of Izuna’s attacks while Madara prepared to ambush the both of them.
Tajima would then corral them into a group and begin teaching them about Ninshu and how to help their clan’s flames prosper. They were just starting to learn how to banish the curse of hatred now that they were at risk of it and Sakura wouldn’t be nearly consumed by her own inner fire at the sight of the boy who had ruined their friendship with Hashirama and Touka. Except, nothing was as it should be and Uchiha Tajima fell.
“Father?” All sense of propriety and dignity were gone. Formality had no place here and Madara took a half step forward. His heart was stuttering and hammering in his chest, an acute pain stabbing into it and Madara’s eyes felt like someone had filled them with molten fire. Senju Butsuma smirked even as he pressed a hand to his scorched stump of an arm, satisfaction glowing in his chakra.
‘If only I’d been stronger.’ Madara knew he was talented, prodigious even by the standards of his clan. He’d thought he was no one special but with Sakura’s chakra control and his intuitive understanding of jutsu Madara had become a formidable warrior but even that wasn’t enough. Sakura had been captured and would have died if it wasn’t for Tajima who had died.
‘If I had just seen through that clone, if I had just moved faster, if…’ Madara’s desires repeated on an endless loop, the longing and loss mixing with denial even as he saw the blood flowing from Tajima’s body. To his left, Izuna screamed, the frozen world suddenly bursting into motion as the remaining Senju retreated, fleeing from the chakra signatures of Uchiha reinforcements closing in around them. Sakura rushed to Tajima’s side as Butsuma left, blood running down her cheeks as her eyes burned with chakra.
Like a switch had been flipped, Madara suddenly remembered how to run and dashed to his father’s side. Sakura’s hands glowed with emerald energy but the light was sputtering and barely visible, her chakra stores scrapping on empty.
“No, no, no, no, come on father live please.” Sakura whispered the words like a prayer as she worked, desperately trying to keep their father alive. Her breathing was as ragged as Madara’s and he could see through his father’s flesh, watching Sakura’s chakra desperately struggle to heal him.
“You don’t have enough chakra.” Madara knew already it was too late and he pulled Sakura back so she wouldn’t kill herself trying to heal a corpse. Tears, sticky with salt and blood fell on his arms as Sakura scrambled to escape his grip. Desperation burned through her, her emotions shinning like a dying star in the night sky even as her chakra sputtered and failed her.
Sakura turned when she realized she couldn’t escape him nor could she heal their father. Her eyes were a swirling reflection of his own, the twisted pattern of the mangekyo taking shape in her eyes as her neurons burned in the flames of their combined chakra. Agony hit Madara, his focus finally shifting from his dead father to himself and he tensed, his whole body ablaze with pain beyond anything he had ever experienced before. The world went white as the storm of emotions crashed down onto him and he was lost among them.
***
Sakura’s ears were ringing as Tajima met her eyes. There was a message there, final words and she knew, if only she could reach out and listen she’d hear it. The ringing intensified and Sakura’s vision blurred, tinting pink as blood mixed with tears. Madara’s chakra, flowing through the seal on her left hand began to immolate her while her emotions raged out of control.
Inner’s screams filled Outer’s mind, their shared mental space igniting with black flames that washed over the endless void, consuming the distance between them. Every nerve in Sakura’s body was changing, being remade by her chakra while her tenketsu were blown open, the inferno reaching her chakra network and seeping into her core, into her very soul.
Sakura barely heard Madara’s disbelieving plea, the son begging his father not to leave them. Sakura tried to move, tried to will her body forward but she was locked in place. Every part of her body was molten pain, demons plucking at her neurons and every thread of thought was laced with over saturated emotions. That Satsuki had managed to keep fighting, had immediately turned on Haku and defended them both was unbelievable, fantastical even.
The wordless scream that ripped itself from Izuna’s lungs pierced the ringing that had filled Sakura’s mind. The emotions, suddenly too much to bear vanished into a haze of dissociation as she ran forward. She could tell her eyes were changing, her pupils, tomoe and irises ripping themselves apart and reforming, the changes reflecting the cracks currently ripping their way through her soul.
Sakura skid to a halt beside Tajima, her healing chakra sputtering even as she forced more out. She had so little to spare, but even if it killed her she refused to see another loved one die in front of her. ‘No, no, father please. Not another Shisui, never again. I’m a medic for a reason!’ Sakura pressed her hand to the wound and willed her chakra into action.
‘Sakura,’ Tajima’s voice echoed in her mind and the burn in Sakura’s eyes intensified as she met his gaze. Tajima’s chakra interlaced with hers, their frequencies synced as she desperately tried to pull him back from the edge. ‘Daughter of my heart, I’m so proud of you.’ Blood dribbled down Sakura’s chin, her crimson tears flowing freely. She could tell his heart had been pierced, he only had a few moments left unless she could save him. She didn’t have any blood transfusions, no blood pills, nothing she’d have in Konohagakure to save him.
‘Sakura, it’s alright.’ Tajima’s thoughts entered her mind, a sense of peace fighting back the rage and loathing building within her. Senju Butsuma had done this and the moment she had healed her father, he would die. ‘Sakura, remember yourself, your burden. You are a warden of our flames, a true heir of Indra. Do not give in to your hatred.’ The phantom sensation of fingers brushed Sakura’s cheek as the emerald glow around her fingers sputtered and gasped out.
‘Father, please don’t go. I love you, I’ll do anything.’ Sakura begged, her face twisted in anguish and her fingers desperately grasping at the wound as she tried to pull more chakra from within herself. The fire within her was greedy however and it took her chakra, devoured it and left nothing for her to use. ‘If only I was stronger.’ Sakura knew Tajima had inserted himself into danger to save her life. Had she not been a liability, had she been capable of standing beside him as an equal, this wouldn’t have happened.
‘Every time, I’m always the one being rescued. Orochimaru, Itachi, Danzo, I’m always too weak.’ Sakura and Inner’s voices overlapped as Madara’s hands wrapped around her. She knew it was pointless, to keep wasting chakra but she could feel Tajima, could hear his voice and was desperate for every last second she could have with her father. A thread of chakra flowed up her fingers, down her neurons and blossomed within her mind, replacing the battlefield with the serene courtyard of the Uchiha fortress.
“Sakura,” Tajima sat looking tired but calm, dressed only in a black kimono and his eyes onyx again perfectly obsidian, devoid of any gray. “Take a seat.” Tajima motioned beside himself and Sakura hesitated briefly before sitting down, her armor vanishing and replacing itself with a matching black kimono. Hesitantly, Sakura wrapped her arms around Tajima and leaned into his side. Her father raised his arm, hugging her to him and letting her feel his chakra for the last time as they sat together.
“The gods are cruel, to have sent you to us.” Tajima voice was softy, his fingers gently carding through Sakura’s pink hair. When she was younger, she’d kept it short to avoid letting it get in the way, though Tajima knew she longed to grow it out. Perhaps the Senju would consider it odd that such a feminine child could be so fierce but Tajima knew that strength had nothing to do with gender or clothing preference. Sakura was strong and feminine, she could be girly and ferocious, loving and indomitable, being a girl was not a weakness and never would be. “But, perhaps selfishly, I am grateful to them all the same.”
“Me to.” Sakura murmured, unable to come up with anything more to say. She loved Tajima and would not want to live in a world where she hadn’t met him or Madara for that matter. Even Izuna was near and dear to her heart, her cherished youngest brother. Without Tajima, she never would have met Satsuki, Naruto, Kakashi, Izumi, Naori, or Anko, she wouldn’t have a loving family without this man’s kindness. “It hurts.”
“Goodbyes always hurt but it is the bravest of hearts that can continue to love despite knowing this pain. You have such a heart within you, the flames within your soul burn bright against the darkness of our world and I know you have the strength to tend to them and ensure they never go out.” Tajima watched Sakura as she buried her face into his side. Doubt poisoned her mind, burdens far too immense for a child weighing heavily upon her small shoulders. It was an injustice that she had to endure so much pain so young but the world wasn’t fair and it never would be.
“Sakura, listen to me.” Gently, Tajima guided her chin until their eyes met. His chakra, diminished to faint wisps, thrummed with sincerity. “I know what happens to my sons. I saw it in your mind when we first met.” Tajima had not brought up the memories and knowledge he’d gleaned of the future before. He’d left it unsaid, the course of history was already observed and they could not change it. “It isn’t your burden to bear. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, for the decisions they make. Do not blame yourself for the actions of others. All you can do is make sure you are proud of the path you walk.”
“How can I be proud when I keep losing?” Sakura didn’t growl but it was a nearing thing. She had been too weak, this was all her fault. If she’d had more chakra, if she’d been faster, if she had been more skilled, if she’d seen through the shadow clone, there were any number of ways she should have been better and she simply hadn’t been.
“You may not have Madara’s natural grasp on jutsu or his chakra reserves but you have your own strengths. You are the smartest child I have ever met, including my eldest daughter. I would not be surprised if you surpassed the Nara. You’ve already started turning that intelligence into a weapon and unlike intuitive understanding, intelligence is a blade that takes time and experience to hone. You will be strong Sakura, a legend if you keep trying and refuse to break. Madara has the lead for now but I know you, you’ll figure out a way to close that gap. You’ve got too much determination not to succeed.” Tajima knew his daughter.
Sakura was gifted, determined and hard working. She had that innate drive to become a legend, the will to keep breaking the barriers in front of her until she stood at the very summit of the shinobi world. Kagami, Madara and Izuna were blessed by nature and driven by their inherited burdens but that could not compare to a girl who had accepted it all willingly, who hadn’t been born to the duties of clan and kin, yet had taken those responsibilities upon herself of her own choosing.
Sakura had her own talents, but nobody was born with truly perfect chakra control and a sharp mind is nothing if not applied. Everything she was, aside from her sharingan, was hers by her own merit. Even the eyes Sakura had been granted through her bond with Madara were the results of the suffering she had endured and the life she had chosen to live. Tajima could not possibly be more proud of her.
“I will not burden you with any last requests.” Tajima’s words held a finality to them as he gave Sakura’s shoulder a squeeze. “I do not need faith to know you are strong enough to overcome the curse in our shared chakra. The curse of hatred won’t take you, like it has so many others.” Tajima brushed Sakura’s pink bangs off her forehead, the ends sticky with bloody tears. “You will grow up strong and wise, loving and indomitable and I will always be watching.”
“Now go on, my sons need you, Sakura. Madara needs you.” Tajima leaned over and gave a soft kiss to the crown of Sakura’s head before the illusion vanished, the last earthly remnants of his chakra dissipating and leaving Sakura once again in the burnt out ruins of Sora-ku.
***
Madara woke slowly to the sound of rain pounding on canvas and the din of an armed camp. In the distance he could hear the shouts of battle and the occasional crash of a jutsu going off but it was all distant, detached. The young Uchiha’s head felt stuffed, his thoughts sluggish as he stared into the cloth roof stretched between three burnt out walls. The clatter of burnt debris breaking free and hitting the floor drew Madara’s attention to Sakura who was still in her armor, bloodied and smeared with ash and soot.
“What happened?” The words had barely left Madara’s lips when he felt his memories crash down upon him. His father, Uchiha Tajima, the head of their clan was dead. He had delivered a crippling blow to Senju Butsuma but the Senju had been willing to sacrifice his arm for a lethal strike, a trade nobody had expected of him.
“I’ll kill him,” Madara growled before Sakura could answer and pulled himself out of bed. His eyes were pounding in his skull, the need to kill driving him even as his body screamed for rest. Senju Butsuma was a dead man, Madara would ensure it. Instinctively, his eyes swirled into mangekyo, his tomoe elongating and bleeding into one another as the word came into focus.
“Indra,” Madara murmured the name of one of the two jutsu his eyes held. A chakra that wasn’t his own filled his body, replenishing his reserves even as his eyes burned, his vision blurring briefly before he blinked away the fresh tears of blood now dripping down his cheeks.
“Madara, you need to rest.” Sakura tone grated on Madara’s nerves and he turned his eyes to hers and met a vivid emerald glare. “How?” Sakura’s question hung between them as Madara considered her. She was strong, but exhausted. Normally she would be an asset but without chakra she’d be a hindrance, however he could fix that.
“Sakura, we’re heading out to the battle.” Madara watched the rosettes eyes shift towards the sounds of fighting as he gripped his left fist and pushed his chakra into the seal. A gasp left Sakura’s lips as she staggered, her eyes spinning into three tomoe sharingan briefly before blossoming into mangekyo that matched his own, proof she was tied to him, that she would help him achieve vengeance. Hatred burned through his chakra, rage seeping through their connection and into his friend who was far too calm for the situation.
“Madara,” Sakura’s voice resounded in his head as she met his gaze. ‘Konohanasakuya’ the name of Sakura’s mangekyo ability whispered in his mind and Madara felt her emotions and his blending together. “You need to calm down, your clan needs you to lead them, needs us to lead them. We cannot abandon our family for revenge.” Madara felt Sakura’s chakra dwindling rapidly as she pulled his awareness into her and then projected it outwards, letting him feel the raging emotions now seething through the city. The Uchiha were holding but their morale had cracked, many already thought the battle lost and some were in the grips of their shared curse.
“They need us Madara, only we can help them. Izuna is too young, nobody else has the willpower to withstand the curse. I know you can do this.” Sakura’s belief in him was absolute, the surety spilling across their link even as she slowly reigned her chakra back into herself and the connection ended. The dull pain that had been pounding between Madara’s temples lessened and his mind cleared enough to actually start noticing the world around him.
A glance showed Sakura was exhausted, her eyes teary and bloodshot. Her composure was shot through, her nerves jittery and her body trembling slightly from exertion and emotion. She was in pain, just as much as he was and he’d been ready to use her like a tool, like her village used her. She’d listen to, Sakura would follow his orders if he pressed her, the remnants of the conditioning she’d survived were still there, buried in her mind, but Madara would never forgive himself.
“Thank you,” Madara once again silently sent his thanks to the gods as he rested his head on her shoulder. The armor felt cool against his skin, proof she’d been resting and guarding him rather then standing out under the warm summer rain. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to retreat. Even if we lose the city today, we can retake it and the Senju have lost far more then they’ve gained. Right now less Uchiha have died in the fighting but with morale being what it is, unless you have a miracle hidden in a pocket somewhere, we’re going to be routed sooner or later.” Sakura knew the Uchiha wouldn’t run, not without orders but a sense of impending doom would lower reactions times, kill the motivation to keep fighting and otherwise turn a winnable battle into a landslide defeat. Madara knew this as well and as much as it hurt him, he knew it was more important to get his soldiers to safety then chase revenge.
“I know, I didn’t even get Tobirama.” Sakura whispered, reading his thoughts from his expression. Madara cocked an eyebrow at her and Sakura let out a tired sigh as she hoisted him to his feet. “Just because I want peace doesn’t mean I don’t want to kill Senju in the meantime. I’m going to kill them for this, but I won’t lose to our curse. I refuse to let rage and hatred rule our clan.”
“Spoken like the true matriarch of the clan.” Izuna rasped, his voice hoarse from crying and his eyes bloodshot. Old blood clung to his lashes, making them stick together as he blinked away the last dregs of sleep. He wiped at his eyes, trying to clean them as he wobbled to his feet. “Aniue, Aneue,” Izuna’s fingers curled into fists, his chakra blazing momentarily with rage before he let it go, relaxing himself and looking towards them. “What are we going to do?” For all Izuna tried to sound calm and collected, Madara could see the lost child in his brothers eyes alongside the terror and pain within his chakra.
“We’ll protect the clan and bring an end to this war.” Madara promised, meeting Sakura’s gaze and earning a nod of agreement from his second. She would be at his side until the death parted them and along with Izuna, they would carry the Uchiha to the end of this cursed war.
***
Madara could feel the chakra of both the Senju and the Uchiha as they fought for the outer bands of the city. Fires had raged throughout the city, destroying most of it and forcing the civilians to flee into the central keep at the heart of Sora-ku for refuge. Bodies littered the road, civilians and shinobi both. The sight churned his stomach but Madara knew he couldn’t turn away from this or deny the necessity of the war. The Senju would fight until the bitter end, their leaders determined to drive the Uchiha to extinction.
“Madara-sama,” Akihiko dropped down next to Madara without warning, her breastplate cracked and her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Still the woman stood strong, her sharingan bright and her chakra holding steady. “What are your orders?”
“We’re going to fall back for now. They can’t hold the city so if they stay, we’ll wipe them out in a counter attack.” Madara knew that the city’s garrison, now ensconced within the central keep, would likely be able to hold out if the Senju continued the assault. The rest of the city was already in ruins and with Tajima dead, they needed to regroup and reform the chain of command.
“I’ll get the word out. Ryuko is to the north, Shou is with her. Kuro is holding the main gate last I saw.” Akihiko informed them before flickering away, intent on delivering his orders. Madara hesitated, uncertainty briefly clouding his mind before he banished it. He’d made up his mind and hesitation could be just as deadly as haste.
“We’re heading to the main gates. Sakura, do you need more chakra?” Madara looked towards his friend and saw her chakra levels were at about half now. She had smaller reserves then he did, which meant that after he’d topped her off and she’d used her mangekyo ability on him, she was left with half of her normal strength.
“No, not if it means you degrading your eyes even faster.” Sakura answered and Madara shifted his attention to Izuna. The ten year old’s chin was set in defiance and Izuna’s eyes blazed with determination but his chakra was empty, the transformation of his sharingan into mangekyo had taken all of his strength and left him exhausted. It was a miracle he was even walking at this point.
“You are not to engage, that is an order Izuna.” Madara saw his brother’s lips twist in frustration but Izuna still gave him a nod. Madara turned on his heel and took off, racing through the carnage towards the sounds of battle. They were already close and passing between one row of ruined buildings to the next, the trio were suddenly in sight of the melee.
Madara felt his eyes spin into sharingan while Sakura’s chakra spiked, her sharingan forming before twisting into the pattern of a mangekyo. Her chakra draw was minimal but her speed began to slowly increase, her movements becoming more fluid and steady. Her presence suddenly expanded but it wasn’t due to an overwhelming chakra pressure but instead, it was as if the air itself was alive with her existence.
‘I’ll ask her later.’ Madara knew that every Uchiha had their own unique mangekyo and understood the ability instinctively even if they couldn’t immediately put it into words. Whatever Sakura was doing, she could explain once the fighting was over but until then he’d have to settle for simply not knowing. Ahead of them, Kurou’s unit was fighting a fierce battle, trying to throw the Senju out of the city’s gates. Madara gripped his scythe, the wood conducting his chakra and transforming it into flames as he slashed it towards the Senju lines. A blast of wind, courtesy of his gunbai, followed and the slash became a howling inferno that crashed into the battle, scorching several Senju and forcing them to fall back.
“Commanders.” Kurou greeted quickly as he cut a flurry of shuriken from the air with his tachi and hastily brought his hands together, unleashing a fireball at the offending Senju. The attack was slow enough the Senju avoided it, however the resulting disruption in their lines allowed the Uchiha to push forward, shifting the balance of the melee. “I don’t think we can hold the city.”
“We’re not going to.” Sakura agreed, focusing her killing intent with laser precision on a Senju and flickering past him, her jian gliding through his armor with ease and bisecting him at chest height. The man toppled over as another Senju drove his yari into Sakura’s chest only for the rosette to dissipate, revealing her to be a shunshin clone. “Too slow, Senju scum.” Sakura growled, sword piercing the man’s spine and erupting from his throat before she yanked it free, his armor ringing as it struck the paving stones.
Several more Senju surged forward however Madara wasn’t about to let Sakura get overwhelmed and he flickered into their formation, scythe arcing through a throat and sending a head flying into the air before he had even left his shunshin. Shifting his swing, Madara rotated his grip on the scythe and slammed the hammerhead into the chest of another Senju, crushing his breastplate and driving his ribs straight into his heart. The dead man cartwheeled backwards and Madara jumped into the air as a wave of blue fire washed over the other three Senju as Sakura unleashed the Uchiha’s signature jutsu.
“You think just because Tajima-otou-san is gone that this fight is over? That you’ve won your war?” Sakura’s growl was filled with chakra, her presence amplifying the effect and everyone at the main gate could feel her killing intent. “Madara,” Sakura called his name as she raised a thumb to her mouth and he smirked in answer, mimicking her motions as they slammed their hands onto the ashen streets of Sora-ku.
“Kuchiyose no jutsu!” Two voices called out simultaneously and Madara felt his chakra rush out of him and two vast shadows fell over the city. A familiar eagle with brilliant gold feathers and matching eyes stood before Madara. Upon its head sat a crown of wind, a contained storm woven from lightning and gales. Beside it stood a tiger with white fur and electric blue stripes. Lightning crackled through its fur and two incandescent ice blue eyes full of confidence and wisdom peered out upon the world.
“Sakura, you cannot summon me for long.” The Tiger’s voice reverberated off the walls and echoed across the battlefield, deep and rumbling like thunder. Its sheer presence was a storm incarnate and the smell of ozone was beginning to bite at Madara’s nose. “Fujin, it has been a long time.”
“So it has Byakko,” Fujin answered, his presence no less immense and the wind picked up, causing the rain pounding down on the battlefield to fall sideways. The eagle’s wings unfurled and with a single flap it was airborne, dust and water spraying across the battlefield under the resulting gale.
Madara watched as the two boss summons attacked simultaneously. The Senju within the city had been confident but that had changed in an instant. Tigers made of lightning materialized in packs around the massive white tiger, ripping into the Senju’s lines and forcing them to retreat even as the massive summons pursued them. Overhead Fujin unleashed cutting gales of wind that crashed into the Senju’s army, breaking their ranks and disrupting their retreat. Those that fell were burned alive by the pursuing lightning jutsu.
It was utter carnage but Madara could feel his chakra reserves diminishing rapidly. They had to move quickly and moving in sync with Sakura, the two advanced, racing across the outer districts and cutting down any Senju who had somehow escaped the summons’ onslaught. The main gatehouse was in ruins but it still towered over the surroundings and Madara sprinted up the rear walls, scythe in hand.
The Senju sentries that had been sending signals to their forces within the city were shocked by his arrival but he tore into them before they could call for help. Sakura was already at his side, blade coated in chakra and mangekyo blazing away. It was over in seconds flat, every stab and slash finding flesh, every jutsu landing exactly where Madara wanted and while Sakura’s chakra was running on fumes, her control let her stretch it out until their work was finished. They were in perfect form, despite everything that had happened and now they stood over the battlefield, silhouetted against the sky.
Lightning thundered behind them, highlighting them against the sky. Madara’s spiky black hair and Sakura’s distinctive pink standing out in stark contrast to the light gray clouds and pounding rain. All eyes in the city were drawn towards them, the two Uchiha heirs standing proudly atop the battlements they had reclaimed. Sakura’s summons dissipated but the damage was already done, the Senju’s morale was crumbling and the battle had turned once more.
“The Senju attack has failed! Butsuma is crippled! He has fled the battlefield!” Madara shouted as Sakura’s eyes scanned the city below them. Already the rosette’s keen mind was no doubt preparing to send out orders and direct the fighting she could see. It’d be difficult to get signals out but fire jutsu was highly visible and every Uchiha worth their salt knew a variety of signal flare jutsu.
“Tobirama!” Sakura’s killing intent intensified and Madara reached over, his hand landing firmly on her shoulder and fingers tightening around her pauldron. “I know, I won’t lose it.” Sakura growled, the sound reverberating in her chest like a tiger’s roar. “But one day.”
“Butsuma first,” Madara countered and met Sakura’s eyes. He noticed her sharingan weren’t a perfect match for his, she had three lines extending from her joined tomoe. He knew those eyes, what they meant. The choku-tomoe were distinctive after all but how she had them was a question that would need answering once things calmed down.
“Butsuma soon.” Sakura agreed, her lips pulling back in a mockery of a smile as her eyes narrowed with blood lust. “We’ll kill him together.” Sakura’s chakra sang with killing intent, for even if she wasn’t in the grips of the Uchiha’s curse, she was a child of the Isles and war was her calling.
“Together and then we’ll crush the Senju until they beg for peace.” Madara agreed, smirking back at Sakura, his hand dropping from her shoulder down and their fingers interlacing. It felt natural, right, their chakras merging and melding between them as they held each other and their eyes focused on the battle, the two of them sending up signal flares occasionally to coordinate the Uchiha’s movements and reconnect the shattered pieces of their army. Together they would bring an end to this war.