𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨
Madara was staring at Naruto from across the yard where she stood next to her brother and Shikamaru, who's mother was gushing over how proud she was of them. Sasuke turned his head to the side, ignoring the woman as if she were a pesky fly. Shikamaru, even though he was complaining about her 'being a drag' he was quietly basking in her praise. Madara couldn't take her eyes off Naruto.
"Excuse me," she mumbled before sliding away waking through the crowd and over to the swing where Naruto sat, a sad frown on his face.
Naruto didn't notice her till she was standing right over him. He looked up at her and flinched, "Oh, Madara-Chan, What are you doing here?Dattebayo!" He exclaimed with a smile.
"You failed," Madara stated bluntly and Naruto's smile fell from his face.
"What So you're here to make fun of me?!"
"Tch, why would I clown on you? Your face does that on its own," she clipped flicking the blonde in the nose causing him to recoil.
"That's rude, dattebayo!"
"Why did you fail?" She asked ignoring his whining and grumbling as he rubbed his red nose. Maybe she flicked him too hard? Oh, well.
"I'm not good at the cloning jutsu, it's my worst jutsu!" He grumbled looking down at his feet.
Madara sighed as she looked down at her feet, she switched out the weights in her sandals for heavier ones that morning when Yoshino-san wasn't looking. Sasuke was gonna hate her for this.
"How about this," she started and Naruto looked up at her with wide blue eyes. "Why don't you stop by the Uchiha compound tomorrow morning, and I can help you with the cloning jutsu."
Naruto stared at her in awe, "You would help me?"
"Do you really want to become a ninja?"
"I want to be Hokage! Believe it!" He exclaimed with a goofy grin.
Madara nodded her head, "and to be Hokage, you must become a ninja, so when we're done we'll go look for Iruka-sensei and ask him to give you a second chance."
"Really?!"
She nodded trying not to wince at how loud he could be. "Hai."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Madara-Chan!" He went to hug her but Madara side stepped swiftly sending him toppling to the ground.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Uzumaki-san," with a nod of her head she went back over to where she left Shikamaru and Sasuke. Only to stop when she felt a different chakra, turning her head she spotted Mizuki-sensei who was staring at her from where he stood over Naruto.
She scowled slightly before making her way back over.
"Why were you talking to that knuckle head?" Shikamaru asked, when she slid up next to him.
"Sasuke is gonna hate me," was her only response, that drew her brother's attention and he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"What?"
"Naruto's coming over tomorrow."
"Why?"
~~~~~~~
Madara sat on the porch of her and Sasuke's house facing the lake where they practiced their fire jutsus. She sat in her night wear, a black tank top with black shorts and a black cardigan to keep the cool air of night out. Her red scarf is the only pop of colour. She actually planned to get a good amount of sleep tonight so she didn't look like a scarecrow on her ninja I.D.
She sat on a mat her legs crossed and the large tome of a book on Fūinjutsu sat open in front of her, on its right a note book on the left, a gas lamp. Underneath that book was one on Genjutsu. (That she was gonna come back to later.)Her eyes flicked over the words as she twirled her pen between her fingers. Sighing she began to write on her note book :
How to break a seal:
> Create an imbalance. - An imbalance is created when an odd numbered seal is on top of an even numbered seal and vice versa. (Does not work if the seal consists of prime numbers. Or a mixture of odd and even numbers (is possible) or you'll have to crack the formula another way. )
>Override The Chakra. - Override the chakra within the seal by continuously channeling your own chakra, till it breaks. (Do not recommend, scrape chakra reserves raw. May cause death.)
> Blood . - Blood seals are mostly illegal though a few lesser ones can be used. For sealing rooms, books, weapons, etc. The only way to break a blood seal is with the blood of the person who made the seal, or the closet of kin. If that is not possible cracking the formula will be nearly impossible. (Cracking the formulation by studying the seal can be possible, but will be time consuming. Many give up before the ever truly try.)
Madara's hand froze as her head snapped up, her eyes looking at the dense trees that surrounded the compound. Something wasn't right. Dropping her pen she sat upright slowly pushing the sleeves of her cardigan upwards. Revealing the seal drawn on the skin of her left forearm.
She let her chakra reach out around her in an attempt to sense what was happening. Bringing her thumb to her mouth she bit it drawing a drop of blood and she slowly swiped it against the seal on her arm. With a small puff of smoke a katana with a black scabbard and hilt sprung into existence.
Catching it with her right hand she sprung up to her feet. Stepping off her mat she slid on a pair of at home sandals and kept her gaze on the tree line.
The bushes rustled and Madara began to pull the katana from its sheath, the sharpened metal glinting in the moonlight. Her muscles coiled and she began to channel chakra towards her eyes, but then a blob of orange flew out of the bushes.
"Naruto?!"
"Madara-chan!" The blonde ball of trouble exclaimed and Madara shushed him, her eyebrows pulling down as she dropped her hands.
"What the hell are doing here?" She hissed as he grinned.
"Look! I stole this wicked crazy scroll from the Hokage tower! Believe it!"
"Naruto keep it down!" She hissed and her head turned back to the house. Sasuke's window was closed but his lights were on but the walls were still thin.
Which was proved when he called out, "Imouto?! What's going on?"
"Nothing, Aniki, I just burned myself with the lamp!" She made sure to glare at Naruto to keep him quiet.
"We have normal lamps, I don't know why you insist on using that old piece of garbage," he called back and Madara scowled in his vague direction.
"No one asked for your opinion!"
" No one asked for your opinion ," she heard him mock her from inside the house.
She cowled deeper before mumbling, "Duckass," under her breath.
With another scowl she motioned Naruto to follow her quiet and led him into the forest the surround the outer rim of Konoha.
"Say, Madara-chan? Why are you holding a scary sword? Dattebayo."
When she was sure they were far enough away she turned to look at him before answering, "To kill you when I wrap my head around what you just said!"
Naruto recoiled and shivered at the dark aura she was emitting.
"You can be really scary, Madara-chan,"he whispered with a gulp.
"Really? Do you wanna see how I look when I'm terrifying?"
"N-no."
"Then explain!"
Naruto whimpered, "I stole this scroll from the Hokage."
Madara pinched the bridge of the nose. She was too tired for this shit.
"B-but it's pretty cool, it's called Kagebunshin no Jutsu," he explained. "And I b-brought you a scroll f-for g-genjutsu!"
Madara froze and looked at Naruto with wide curious onyx eyes, "You stole the Nidaime's technique?"
"Is that who made it?"
"And a scroll for genjutsu?"
"It had the Uchiha symbol so I just assumed."
"Say swear."
"I swear."
Madara was now having a moral dilemma. She could A) Grab the little shit by the ear and drag him back to the Hokage tower and have him beg for forgiveness at the feet of the old man. Or B) she could sit there and read the scrolls with him to sate her curiosity, then drag him to the tower.
Yeah, B) is way more fun, she decided.
"Okay, let's read it," she said and Naruto grinned brightly.
"Really?"
She nodded as he pulled the large scroll from behind his back, "But," she held up finger as Naruto began to unroll it. "If we get caught, this is your fault and I'm a girl from the west named Elizabeth who doesn't know Japanese, we clear?"
He blinked up at her, "Are you coming to read it or not? Dattebayo!"
She sweat dropped, "Fine, but seriously if we get caught, it's your fault."
~~~~~~
Madara was beginning to understand why this technique was banned. It split a persons chakra evenly between the set amount of clones a ninja made. Which depletes your chakra substantially because when the clone is defeated or dispelled you don't regain your lost chakra.
It could kill you.
The key word is could.
After ingraining the shadow clone jutsu into her mind for later use, Madara turned her attention to the hen jutsu scroll. Which for some reason had the Uchiha symbol on it.
When she opened it, she was amazed at all the jutsu there. It suddenly made sense as to why the jutsu's in there were forbidden, but the problem she had was the fact that this scroll belonged to the Uchiha. Not the village.
So she swiped her thumb over her ankle where another seal sat and with a pulled of smoke a notebook and different coloured pens appeared.
"How did you do that Madara-chan?" Naruto asked when he looked up from his scroll.
"Fūinjutsu," she answered simply as she began to quickly write down each and every jutsu on the scroll.
"What's that?"
She paused her scribbling and looked up at Naruto with furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean "what's that"?"
"I don know what it is! Believe it!"
"Naruto, you do realize that your clan, the Uzumaki Clan are known for specializing in Fūinjutsu, like how the Uchiha were known for their Genjutsu?"
"I have a clan?" Naruto asked quietly his expression thoughtful, and Madara's frown deepened and quiet pity lodged itself into her chest.
"Had," she corrected turning her attention back down to her notebook. She didn't want to see his face, "They were decimated almost fifty years ago, the survivors scattered, maybe one day you might bump into one."
Silence settled between them and Madara continued copying down jutsu.
"Say, Madara-chan?" The girl looked up at the blonde who held an oddly seriousness s look on his face.
"Mhmm?"
"C-can y-you teach me, that jutsu?"
"Fūinjutsu."
"Yeah, That. Can you teach me?" He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"If you want to, sure."
"Thank you!"
Madara for a second nearly smiled before she schooled herself and began copying the last jutsu only to pause when she saw her name written beneath it. But it wasn't her name.
Name : Sandobokkusu no Jutsu
(Sandbox jutsu)
Type : S-rank Jutsu. Close range, far range.
This jutsu creates an area in which the user can manipulate reality to their bidding. Thus the name sandbox. The user must have at least unlocked the second stage of the sharingan before attempting it.
Creator :Uchiha Madara
Madara was instantly interested. The Jutsu requires fifteen hand signs and requires a constant flow of chakra within the radius the user wishes to control.
She was quick at copying it down. As well as memorizing the much easier ones.
When she was done, she sealed the notebook and pens back into the seal on her ankle and rolled the scroll back up and sat back watching Naruto practice the jutsu.
~~~~~~~~
It was about an hour later when Naruto perfected the jutsu without passing out. He sat across from her panting. Madara sat with her back leant against the exterior, her eyes closed in rest. Her arms were wrapped around her katana as if she was holding a teddy bear.
Then she sat up abruptly, her dark graze trains don the bushes in front of her. Naruto flinched violently back at her abrupt movement. She could feel a quick approaching chakra, followed closely by another "Someone's coming, Naruto."
Just as they burst through the trees, Madara stood over Naruto protectively. She stood sideways her katana unsheathed and pointed directly at the threat. Only to pause when the threat turned out to be her Ninja academy teacher.
"It's all over," he grunted out with a slightly unhinged laugh.
"Iruka-sensei?" Only then did he seem to noticed his gaze having been stuck on the Uzumaki.
"Madara-chan? You too?"
"Me too, what?" Was her response.
From behind her, Naruto let out a nervous little laugh and both she and Iruka looked at him oddly.
"Huh?"
"Got me already, not bad. You're quick sensei, I only had time to learn one technique."
Madara turned her attention to the trees. The person who had followed Iruka-sensei had suppressed their chakra significantly. What they didn't seem to realize is that, no animal nor bug has a chakra signature that small. A squirrel has more chakra than that. So does a tree.
""I'm going to show you this amazing jutsu, Madara-Chan helped me get it, And you're gonna let me graduate. Then everything will be okay!"
Iruka was frozen stiff in shock and confusion.
"That's the way it works right?" Madara turned to look at the Uzumaki with just as much confusion. "Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes!"
It suddenly started to make so much more sense, Naruto was duped. And Madara was too curious to truly think critically about it.
"Huh? Where did you get that idea?" Iruka asked.
"Mizuki-sensei told me about it. Believe it!"
Everything just clicked into place.
"Oh, Naruto."
"He told me where to find the scroll, and this place...," he trailed off when he spotted the expression on Iruka's face and the sudden sharpness in Madara's eyes.
Madara And Iruka reacted the moment the sound of whistling echoed in their ears. "Look out!" Iruk shoves Naruto out of the way and Madara went through a handful of hand signs before shoving her sensei away.
"Madara!" Both Naruto and Iruka yelled as the kunai hit her head on.
Their cries died in their throat when with a puff of smoke the girl was replaced by a piece of wood.
"Substitution Jutsu," Iruka whispered, wondering where she learned it from. .
"I see you found our little hideaway," Mizuki said from where he stood crouched in the trees.
Iruka looked up with narrowed eyes, quietly wondering where his student had disappeared to. "So that's the way it is,huh? I should've known."
Madara stood behind one of the two tanks atop the abandoned storage building, her eyes were no longer the onyx pools they were most days. But a deep foreboding red, and surrounding the pupil in each eye were three black comma's. Her gaze was unwavering as she watched Mizuki carefully, the man crouched across from her with two large shuriken strapped to his back.
"Naruto, give me the scroll, now!"
"Wait a minute, what's going on here?"
Madara spoke from her hiding spot, standing atop the tank her head bowed, "It seems we have a traitor in our midst."
"Ah, there she is, how are you princess?" Mizuki chuckled out as he watched her.
"Peachy," she answered with a downward quirk to her lips.
"Naruto, don't let Mizuki get the scroll, it contains forbidden Jutsu that could put the village in grave danger," he started, grabbing the young boy the shoulder, "Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself, fo his own power!"
Mizuki stood up straight with a smirk looking down at Naruto with a knowing, smug expression. "Naruto, Iruka's just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll."
Naruto looked conflicted and confused as he stared between the two of them.
"Liar, liar pants on fire," Madara sang, drawing attention back to her, her head remained bowed, her bangs hiding her eyes from view. "You're being a very bad boy Mizuki-kun."
The man narrowed his eyes in her direction as Iruka yelled at Naruto, "Don't listen to him Naruto!"
The man laughed, "Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying..."
"No, Mizuki!"
Madara's head quirked to the side at the panic in her sensei's voice.
"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto, since the decree 12 years ago."
"What decree?" Both she and Naruto asked.
"Everyone knows except your generation," Mizuki said looking at them both.
"Iruka's trying to hide from you even now, because he knows, Madara," he looked right Athei's the Uchiha who's grip on the katana clenched. "He know you won't protect a monster," Madara froze.
"He'd do anything to shut me up."
"Why does everyone else know about it?" Naruto asked.
Iruka threw a kunai at Mizuki but the ninja side stepped it, " Don't tell him, It's forbidden!"
Mizuki ignored him, hopping form branch to branch, dodging readily aimed kunai. "The decree is no one can tell you the nine-tailed Fox is inside of you."
Madara's breath lodged itself in her chest as she dropped her hand, her sharingan deactivating as he whole body trembled.
What?
"The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body. You are the nine-tailed fox!"
"Stop it!"
"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you, your whole life! Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt, like they hated you for just being alive!"
Naruto let loose a whimper of emotional pain, "No! No, no, no,no!" His chakra was reacting violently alongside his warring emotions.
"That's why you will never be accepted in this village! Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!"
Madara couldn't find it in herself to move or speak when Mizuki fixed his gaze on her, "Would you really try, Madara? Would you even try to protect. A monster, a demon?"
Madara bristled.
" A monster? Is that what you see me as, Madara?"
"Please....Stop."
"Answer me!"
"Yes! Yes! Please let me go! I hate you!"
"Good! Hate is good!"
She flinched back at his voice and shut her eyes. She's seen a monster. She has seen so many demons. Many that latch to her at night and plagued her dreams. Slowly prying her eyelids open, she looked at the breaking Naruto and the teary eyed sensei.
Naruto wasn't a monster.
Look at him, crying. Monsters don't cry.
She can't even remember the last time she cried.
All the years she has known Naruto, the hate never made him bitter. It made him kinder
What monster showed kindness?
When was the last time she smiled back at a person walking down the street?
She was more monster than he would ever be. She was named after one. It was expected of her.
Her sword arm twitched and Mizuki laughed, "Look at you princess, so conflicted. Why don't you give up? Come with me, let the monster die."
She didn't move.
"Don't listen to him Madara!"
"M-Madara-Chan," Naruto whimpered out and she flinched.Naruto was nothing but a pathetic, scared little boy.
She didn't see a monster. She didn't see a demon.
Even if he was a demon, he would be a pathetic one at that. Look at his dumb whiskers!
When Madara made no move to reply, or even attack, Mizuki turned his attention to Naruto. Pulling one of his oversized shuriken from his back he spun it in his hand aiming at the scared little boy.
"Die, Naruto!"
He launched it.
That's when Madara made a decision.
"Naruto get down!"
Two figures moved at once.
Naruto cowered back, and Iruka covered him with his body, but nothing happened.
Opening their eyes they turned to look back ahead, and there Madara stood, shuriken in one hand, Katana in the other.
"M-madara?" Iruka gaped, she moved so fast.
"I've seen monsters, Mizuki-kun," Madara said, the shadow of her bangs hiding her red gaze from view. "I saw one the day my clan was murdered. I see one every day I look in the mirror."
She looked up, her Sharingan staring directly into his soul. "Catch!"
His shuriken was launched right back at him with the intent to kill. He was so shocked he barely had time to dodge the sudden attack.
The moment Madara's hand was free she crouched placing her katana on the ground, biting her already bitten thumb, she went through several hand signs in seconds. Slamming her hands to the ground, black scrawl shot out around them.
A summoning jutsu? What was she summoning?"
Iruka didn't have time to dawdle because Madara grabbed both him and before he knew it, he was stood on a branch about a mile away from the storage house, Iruka had no Idea, how... he looked around them and saw several black feathers floating to the ground around them.
Crow feathers?
"Why?" Naruto asked quietly staring at Madara and Iruka in shock.
"Because we're the same," Iruka answered, Madara kept he gaze on the trees sensing Mizuki's chakra aim fast towards them.
"When I lost lost my parents no one seems to care," Iruka explained and Madara tilted her head, something in her gut twisting at that sentence. She knew the feeling. "They didn't have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped. I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me and to know my name," his voice wavered and trembled. My schoolwork wasn't good enough to get their attention, so I did crazy things. And then I had to pay for it. It was hard," he sniffles as he grabbed Naruto by the shoulders to look him in his teary eyes. "I know that's how you feel, Naruto. You feel lonely and it hurts inside, and I could have been there for you more. I let you down," he bowed his head, years streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer that much. No one should be alone like that."
Touching, Madara thought with a heavy heart. Touching but not the time. A Madara moved the moment a glint caught her eye, she shoved her sensei and Naruto to the left just barely dodging the aimed Shuriken aiming for their heads.
Mizuki stood on a branch across from them. "Nice trick their princess."
"Don't call me that."
He turned to look at Iruka, letting loose a laugh when he spotted the man's tears. "Don't make me laugh. I Tula always hated you!" He directed to Naruto who recoiled. "He was orphaned because the nine-tailed fox killed his parents,and that beast is now inside you. He'd say anything to get the scroll from you."
Madara saw it before it happened and launched herself off the branch just a second before Naruto as he took off, both leaving Iruka and Mizuki in the dust.
"Naruto!" Iruka cried.
"You aren't just going to leave him like that are you?" Madara asked as she slowed down to match Naruto's pace as he fled from the scene. "He just poured his heart out to you."
"Shut up, Madara."
"Isn't Iruka important to you?"
"Shut up Madara!"
The Uchiha rolled her red eyes, "I knew you were many things Naruto, but a coward wasn't one of them!"
Naruto rounded on her, Madara simply stepped out of the way as he yelled, "Shut up!"
"Why are you running Naruto?"
"Why are you?"
"I'm following you of course. I needed to know what the coward was going to do when he reached the gates," she kicked as Naruto swung punch after punch at her, the girl dancing out of the way as if it was choreographed, like she knew exactly where he was gonna strike. Which she did.
"I'm not a coward!"
"Then why are you running away?"
"I'm a monster!"
Rolling her eyes once again, Madara grabbed Naruto's aimed first in her hand they once again disappeared in to a puff of black feathers.
Naruto stumbled at the abrupt change of scenery, His gaze fixed on the conflicting Ninjas in the clearing in front of them.
"Do you know when a monster isn't a monster, Naruto?"
"Huh?"
"A monster isn't a monster when it's loved. Iruka loves you, Naruto! I may not have known either of you for that long but, just think about how he treats you, he treats you like a son,takes you for ramen, buys you clothes teaches you how to be a good person, how can you leave him just like that?" She asked Naruto, the blonde boy flinching when Iruka got hit with a kunai.
When Naruto didn't say anything she rolled her eyes, "Typical, Someone is always willing to die for who and what they believe only to realize that the other would never do the same."
She moved to go help her sensei when Naruto grabbed her tightly by the arm. She went to yank her arm out of his grip on to stop when she heard them talking below. Iruka had crumpled against the tree out of breath.
"You're a fool, why are you protecting that freak? He's the on that wiped out your family."
"I don't care what you say. You're not getting you hands on that scroll."
"As if you could stop me," Mizuki laughed in a cocky manner. "Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me."
"How's that?"
"He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are, and don't get me started on the princess. She even confessed to it, her being a monster, but would be very much a given, seeing that she is named after one, but the fact that her brother is one," Madara tensed and Naruto's grip on her arm tightened.
"In fact her and Itachi are very similar aren't they, the talent, the aloofness, theblack headband, if she wasn't a girl I'd say she was a carbon copy of her brother and just like her brother, I know she's power hungry, willing to kill those she loves just to get that taste of superiority. So like I said, monsters, beasts, what're ever you want to call them. That is what that are and will forever be. They'll pour their rage into those scrolls and decimate everything."
Madara has never wanted to burry herself in a hole so badly. At that moment she wanted nothing but to disappear and never be seen again. Especially when Iruka agreed with him, "You're right."
Madara felt her shoulders slump in hurt and heard Naruto exhale sharply in pain, his forehead making contact with her shoulder blade his body shaking.
"That is how beats are, or monsters. But that's not who they are. They're nothing like that. Naruto And Madara are two very similar but different people, they're both kind and hard working. Naruto is one of a kind, he puts his whole heart into what he believes in and sure he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him, but his suffering only makes him stronger," Madara felt, more so than heard Naruto's breath hitch in shock.
"And Madara," said girl tensed, "She has one of the most beautiful souls I have ever seen, both kind and loving, many may not see it but I do, it shows in how she gets lost in the beauty of simplicity. People think the massacre made her colder like her brother, in my eyes it made her kinder and it made her stronger, it showed her not to take things for granted. She may not smile, but she'll find someone or something to do it for some day. Storms don't bend under pressure, they get stronger and Madara's is just beginning," Iruka let loose a chuckle. "That's what separates them from being monsters or beasts."
He pushed himself up, "So you're wrong. Naruto is nothing like the nine-tailed fox and Madara is no such thing like her brother."
Naruto began crying his tears soaking through Madara's cardigan and tank top.
"They are Uzumaki Naruto And Uchiha Madara of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
Madara let loose an exhale and looked at Naruto who held a determined look in his eye. Nodding at one another, Naruto let go of her arm and Madara was gin in a puff of black feathers.
"You really believe that drivel?" Mizuki took his second shuriken off his back, spinning it and stared at Iruka in disgust, "Iruka, I was going to save you for later-."
The traitor ninja was cut off by a hard chakra filled kick to the head that sent him flying. Black feathers fell around her as she cocked her head, "What was that Mizuki-kun? I didn't quite catch that."
"Not bad," Mizuki stood and Madara crouched low, "for a little punk."
Madara scowled, "I'll kick you in the face again."
"I'd like to see you try," The sharingan in Madara's eyes spun dangerously at the challenge, it only seemed then was when both Ninjas seemed to notice her unlocked ability.
"The Sharingan!You are more like your brother than I thought," Mizuki went to attract her a kunai in hand but Madara had already moved, her body nowhere near where he aimed. Mizuki grunted, slashing the kunai at her again but once again, Madara seemed to disappear right before he so much as moved to attack.
Predicting his moves, and the more she evaded him the more angry he became, "Stop being a coward, Madara! Fight me head on!" He bellowed.
"Okay," before he knew it he was hit in the side by a sheathed katana. He flew several feet back but before he hit the ground a swirl of black feathers hindered his vision and he was hit again. Being sent flying back in the opposite direction.
From where Iruka stood, he was in awe, his student was fast, there was no doubt about that but, she wasn't running from destination to destination. She was disappearing from one place and reappearing in another. Reappearing and disappearing in a swirl of black feathers. And only then did he see it.
A black bird, or several, appearing where she was going to disappear or reappear. It was so fast Iruka was surprised he even caught a glimpse if it in the darkness. He just couldn't tell what kind of bird it was.
So that's what she summoned earlier.
He watched as Madara hit Mizuki hard in the back sending him flying high into the air, he could hear the uncomfortable crack in the man's back and could see the blood spurt from his mouth from the trauma.
She didn't move this time as what he could now identify as a raven settled itself on her shoulder. As Mizuki was falling back to the ground, a blur of orange and yellow cane from the trees, kneeing the traitor hard in the chest, sending him shooting down violently to the ground.
Naruto land next to Madara scroll in hand a dark look in his eye, "If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!"
Mizuki let out a wheeze as he tried and failed to push himself onto his feet, "s-such beg words," he rasped. Even with a nearly broken spine this man was still cocky. " I can completely destroy you with a single move!"
Madara almost laughed as she stepped forward, "You can try, but one more blow to your back and you'll be paraplegic from the waist down. Then you'll be nothing, a ninja is only as valuable as they are able."
Mizuki was able to stand on wobbly knees, he looked horrible, his jaw was dislocated and his arm was bent in an odd angle.
And this fool still thought he had some fight left in him.
"Take your best shot," Naruto held his hand up in a double Ne symbol. "I'll give it back to you a thousand fold."
"Let's see you try!" He was able to tell, "Show me what you got nine-tailed fox!"
"Shadow clone jutsu!"
And Madara found herself in Sasuke's worst nightmare. Thousands of Naruto's surround the clearing all looking at Mizuki with the same malicious intent as the original.
Mizuki blanched, And when they all started yelling he fell over his back and knees unable to hold him up.
Madara sighed and pinched her nose, a headache starting to build. She could barely deal with one blonde knucklehead, but a thousand. No thank you.
"If you're not coming, then we're going to come after you."
Mizuki let loose a pitiful shriek as each clone of Naruto took a shot at him.
~~~~~~~~
Madara's hands glowed green as he gives them over Iruka's abdomen. He had several stab wounds and a few bruised ribs from his fight with Mizuki. Nothing basic Medical jutsu couldn't fix.
"How are you feeling sensei?" Baruto asked as he he hovered worriedly. Mizuki let out an agonized moan from where he laid beaten and bloody."
"Just fine, Madara is taking good care of me," the girl hummed as she let her hands hover over his ribs.
"Say, Madara?"
"Hmm?" She looked up at her sensei with her usual onyx coloured eyes.
"How do you know Medical jutsu?"
"I taught myself, you see I'm a Genjutsu type," she explained to both Naruto and Iruka, "as it should say I my file."
Iruka nodded in confirmation, most Uchiha's specialized in Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, more so Genjutsu than most.
"Genjutsu requires good Chakra control, correct?"
Once again Iruka nodded in confirmation to her words. "Because it's an interact form of Jutsu."
"And I'm also learning Fūinjutsu, that also requires excellent chakra control. Too much chakra, you break your seal before you even use it, too little chakra, your seal is all but useless. So I looked for a jutsu that just focuses on the control aspect. Which is Medical ninjutsu," she explained. "You must maintain a constant flow of steady chakra before you learn to heal."
Naruto was listening to her with unwavering attention, "When you do begin healing, you learn how much chakra different injuries need to be mended. So you then learn how to fluctuate your chakra while maintaining that constant flow."
"Maa, What do you mean by that? Dattebayo!"
"It means that, if there is a broken bone, I need more chakra, if I need to heal a cut I need less chakra. And let's say I'm operating on a complex organ, like the heart or the brain, I need a steady flow of chakra in a smaller radius, so then you learn about chakra strings....everything you learn in Medical jutsu is meant to teach you perfect chakra control," she looked up at Iruka when she was done with his ribs, only to catch him looking at her with wide eyes.
"What?"
"I think that's the most I've heard you speak since I met you."
Madara blushes lightly in embarrassment and turned her head away, hiding her face in her scarf, "Hn."
"Now look at what you've done sensei! I wanted to hear more! Dattebayo!"
"I'm sorry!" Their sensei laughed as he sat upright his ribs no longer hurting. "I feel much better thank you, Madara."
"Hn."
Laughing again he motioned at Naruto, "Come here for a minute, Naruto. Close your eyes."
Naruto did what his sensei asked without question. Closing his eyes he rocked back and forth on his heals. Standing with a grunt Iruka got up and took off his headband.
Madara eyes lit up as she watched him replace Naruto's goggles with the headband. He struggled with how much Naruto was moving.
"Sensei, how much longer?"
When he was sure it was secure, He smiled down at Naruto, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
"Congratulations! You graduate,"he told the blonde boy, "And to celebrate, I'm taking you out for Ramen tonight, Madara is invited."
He turned to look at the girl who's had taken his spot against the tree," with a yawn the girl shrugged, "Free food? I'm in."
Naruto's lips trembled as he looked at them both, "Congratulations, Naruto. I knew you could do it," she nodded at him as she went to close her eyes. Relaxing into the tree, which she shouldn't have done, because Naruto used her moment of content as a distraction and tackled her into a bone crushing hug, dragging Iruka with him.
The girl wheezed, "Get off me!"
"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"
"Get off! I don't do mushy crap!"
"Shut up and enjoy it, Ma-chan!"
"Ma-chan? Who the hell are you calling Ma-chan?! I'll pummel you, you little shit!"
"Watch your language, Madara-chan!"
"Then got off me, you weigh a ton!"
"Are you calling me fat?!"
"If the shoe fits, Iruka-sensei."
~~~~~~
She may not smile, but she'll find someone or something to do it for some day.
"June 4th," Shikamaru mumbled from where he sat at the breakfast table with his parents.
Yoshino and Shikaku looked up at their sun in confusion.
"What was that?"
The boy sighed, "Four years of on the fourth of June, do you remember?"
Yoshino continued to stare and Shikaku's eyes glaze over in thought. "Madara was here, she had slept over the night before with you and Choji. Nothing different or new, what about it?"
"That's the last time I saw her smile," a tense silence fell over the table at the reminder of Madara's lack of expression, "June fourth, at 8:39 pm, was the last time I saw her smile."
That was the same night, the Uchiha fell. He didn't have to say anything else, for his parents to piece together what he was thinking about.
"Has it really been that long?" Yoshino asked quietly her voice solemn.
No one answered as Shikamaru thought to himself, It won't be much longer. I won't allow it. The question is only how?
Maybe Iruka wasn't wrong. And maybe that day won't be so far away, nor the person.
~~~~~