Chapter 54: Bonus: The end ?
[This is my ending to the story, the one I wanted. However, I needed a revelation chapter for the reader to understand. That's why the Rikudô Sennin put his seal on Madara's hand. However I will give you my ending... an ending where Hagoromo Ôtsutsuki didn't put that seal... an ending where no letter with the Edo Tensei appears !]
Silence now hung over the valley and the city.
It was just as frightening as everything that had just happened. Everyone was shocked by the violence of the confrontation, but also by the horror that had resulted from it : the death of these four powerful shinobi. Hashirama and Madara had not stolen their nickname of Shinobi Gods, but Mito and Sakura had also demonstrated that they were just as powerful as their husbands.
In the midst of all the chaos and grief, a man also reached the scene of the battle. He was not at all afraid of what he would find. He knew all too well the horrors of war to be sickened by it.
As he arrived at the scene of the battle, Ashina went first to what remained of his daughter's body : a few bones in a pool of blood. The amount of demonic chakra had completely destroyed his daughter Mito.
However, in the midst of all the blood, Ashina saw a faint turquoise glow reach his eye. He bent down before dipping his fingers into the red fluid and pulling out a pendant.
He would know this locket anywhere : it was that of the Shodaime Hokage. He had once succeeded in concentrating his chakra into a fine gem that allowed him to control with greater ease the Bijû he had captured to share among all the elemental nations. He had probably made a gift of this necklace to his wife in order to help her master the Kyûbi.
It was with a certain sadness that Ashina recovered the last thing that would remind her of his daughter as a tear fell into the pool of blood.
— "Rest in peace my daughter... I'm so sorry," Ashina whispered, feeling terrible for having forced his daughter to marry this man, leading her to sacrifice herself on this day.
The old man then moved closer to Sakura's body. The sight before him would have made many people vomit, but Ashina remained unmoved. The pink-haired woman had a blade stuck in her heart, a multitude of cuts dotted her body from which blood was flowing, especially from her mouth. Her eyes were still half-open, but there was no longer any doubt: all traces of life had left Sakura's body.
Then his gaze shifted to Madara.
At first he had hated the man and his ideals, but on that fateful day he thought that perhaps he should have offered his only daughter to this individual.
But as he looked at the Uchiha's lifeless body, Ashina Uzumaki had a thought that hit him hard : he should get rid of the Rinnegan so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. The Dôjutsu were so coveted that this one should not be recovered in any way, for the sake of the world.
The old man was still staring at Madara's remains when something caught his eye. It was... strange. Ashina wasn't known for letting herself be disturbed, either by the bloody environment around his or by his own emotions. And he was far from being a senile old man prone to hallucinations.
But something intrigued him, and it had to do with the Uchiha's eyes. The Uzumaki crouched down next to the dead man and looked closely at his unclosed eyes. Something was wrong with those lifeless pupils : they seemed to be still active.
Sure, the concentric circles of the Rinnegan in Madara's right eye could give the illusion of movement, but it was the dead man's left eye that caught Ashina's interest. The normally jet black pupil was changing. The Uzumaki was certain : something abnormal was going on in the Uchiha's left eyeball. And without any explanation, the outline of the iris suddenly began to spontaneously turn white until the entire globe became white. It had only lasted a few seconds but it raised a lot of questions in the Uzumaki.
But even more surprising than this mysterious change in Madara's left eye was the groan he produced.
— "Urgh...," the Uchiha groaned as he struggled to catch his breath while Ashina looked on in amazement, showing terrible self-control at the moment.
Madara Uchiha was still alive and he owed it to the use of his clan's forbidden technique : Izanagi. He had kept this stratagem secret in case he needed it during his confrontation with Hashirama. And obviously, he had been right, especially when he could not avoid being pierced by the Senju's sword. He barely used the Izanagi, thus allowing him to deceive the world and death.
However, he did not imagine that the use of such a technique could cause so much inconvenience : his return among the living was not without consequences. He had just sacrificed his Sharingan and, above all, he was terribly tired. This technique consumed a lot of chakra and he was not unharmed from his previous fight with the Senju.
— "Madara !?" the Uzumaki exclaimed when he saw that the Uchiha was alive and well.
Hearing the Uchiha's first name and especially hearing him cough, many whispers began to rise around them. Some might have screamed in horror that the great Madara Uchiha was still alive, but the crowd was far too stunned to be frightened. After all, wasn't he already considered a Shinobi God after the fierce battle he had just fought ? What could be more natural than to see the Heikage get up after a mortal wound ?
But Madara paid no attention to the murmurs of the crowd, instead he tried to put the events in order. Hashirama had stuck a sword in his body while he had activated his technique. But what had happened next ? Why was the crowd gathered around them ? And Ashina's presence on the battlefield could only mean one thing : the Uzumaki had taken it upon himself to strike down the Senju.
While fighting against the fatigue he felt, Madara recalled the circumstances of the fight and then remembered that at the moment he was facing his longtime enemy, Sakura was facing the Kyûbi.
— "Sa... Sak... Saku...," Madara tried to say as the memories gradually came back to him in his exhausted mind. The words were hard to put into words, so he turned his gaze to the Uzumaki who would answer his silent questions.
But when the two men stared at each other, no words were necessary. Madara Uchiha knew from the look on Ashina's face that the worst had happened: Sakura had lost her life in battle.
Madara had experienced the death of loved ones before, but this pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.
The woman he loved with all his being had not survived. And when he understood this terrible truth, his throat instantly knotted, his heart clenched with pain. It was far more terrible than the hundreds of kunai that could have pierced him. Madara could tell that it was his own soul that had been wounded, as if torn in two by Sakura's disappearance.
— "I'm sorry...," Ashina whispered as he saw tears appear in Madara's eyes. He truly sympathized with the grief the man in front of him was feeling. What a cruel fate to lose a loved one. And even though he knew it would be little consolation, the Uzumaki decided to tell the story of how his friend's late wife had lost her life.
— "When... when she saw that Hashirama had killed you, Sakura attacked him in a suicidal maneuver. She bluffed her opponent by choosing not to dodge his attack. She took the full brunt of it, but it allowed her to kill Hashirama before he could even figure out what was happening to him."
Madara had listened carefully to the story of his beloved's death. He was obviously proud of her, but that was no substitute for the stark emptiness that kept growing in his heart. Sakura was no longer of this world while he had foiled death's plans.
He needed to see her and see with his own eyes, or rather his last good eye, that she was truly no longer with them. He looked away from Ashina and then cocked his head to the side to check on the man he was talking to.
Sakura was indeed lying on the ground, surrounded by a few people in tears and kneeling before her remains.
Everything knotted up even tighter inside him when he saw the distressing sight before him. There she lay on the ground with a sword through her heart. Her body was bruised with many wounds from which blood was still flowing. And he didn't need to be a doctor to see that his wife must have been in great pain from all the blood that had escaped from her mouth.
But yet, despite all the bloody sight, Sakura wore a peculiar expression about her. A very slight smile stretched across her lips, her eyes gazed up at the sky, and it was even possible to tell that the Kunoichi had left the world of the living with peace of mind.
When this thought materialized in Madara's head, he felt even more pain inside. Was this the price of the peace they had so longed for ?
The grief overwhelmed him and he would have given anything not to have his wife be this lifeless body. But what could he do ? He had no idea until... until he remembered something. He didn't know where this knowledge came from, but he knew what he could do and what he should do.
Madara was not one to let his emotions guide his actions, but for one of the few times in his life, he decided to listen only to his heart. He dug deep into the last of his strength and struggled to get to his feet. Every movement required a considerable effort, but he straightened up and knelt down beside his wife. He crossed his hands and closed his eyes to concentrate. At first, Ashina thought his friend was meditating on his wife's body. But something strange was going on that left the Uzumaki completely speechless.
Madara wasn't praying to any deity at all, but he was concentrating his chakra.
How could he still be kneading energy after all he had already used between his fight and his return to the living ? This man was truly full of unsuspected resources.
Suddenly, the Uchiha opened his eyelids again, revealing his last remaining eye.
— "Rinne Tensei," Madara whispered, using the last of his strength for this technique.
He turned his gaze towards Sakura and stared intently at her lifeless body. The concentric rings of the Rinnegan began to move, but not only that. Chakra seemed to materialize all around Sakura's body. But most surprisingly, Madara's hair changed as he concentrated his technique. His originally ebony hair gradually lost its hue and turned completely white, as if all of its life force was escaping in Sakura's direction.
The Uchiha knew in his heart that this was the best option for him, or rather for her. Sakura was the woman he loved with all his being. She was more than just a companion ; she was the only woman who made him understand what it meant to love and be loved. Sakura had sacrificed everything to share his vision of peace and life with him. But most of all, she had made him a father to a wonderful daughter.
And as he thought of Nozumi, Madara knew he was doing the right thing. What good was being the greatest shinobi in the ninja world if he couldn't save the two most important people in his life ? So he concentrated even harder to allow his daughter to grow up in her mother's presence. He knew that Sakura would make sure that Nozumi would know him even though he was gone.
And as he focused on this happy vision of his wife and daughter, Sakura's wounds gradually closed, letting the blood run back.
The people who were still around the pink haired woman's remains had stopped crying as soon as they felt the chakra surrounding Sakura's body. Tsunade watched in bewilderment as the phenomenon unfolded over her master's body.
Indeed, even the sword stuck in her heart began to move slowly until it left the Kunoichi's body and landed gently beside her. All the wounds had finally closed and after a few seconds Sakura's chest began to rise gently. She was breathing again, just as her vital organ began to pour blood throughout her body.
Sakura suddenly opened her eyes when she recognized Madara's comforting chakra all around her. She turned her head and looked into the eyes of her husband who was standing right beside her. But what she found broke her heart.
She recognized the lifeless left eye : why had Madara sacrificed his Sharingan ? Then her gaze was drawn to the other pupil whose Rinnegan rings were completely different from their original appearance.
— "Madara ? What... what are you doing ?" She asked in panic, not knowing why she felt so much anguish in her heart.
— "Saving your life...," Madara whispered almost inaudibly.
— "Madara, don't do this !" The Kunoichi exclaimed as she realized what her husband had done for her. Having regained all her strength and speed of action, Sakura stood up quickly and grabbed the Uchicha's crossed hands to force him to stop the technique.
But her attempt and pleas were in vain as the Uchiha collapsed with all his weight against his wife, allowing his soul to leave his fleshy body for the next world. And as she held her husband's lifeless body close to her, Sakura had a strange feeling inside.
If her soul could be expressed in words, the pink-haired woman had this distinct sense of accomplishment, as if the death of the man she loved was inevitably part of some plan of which she was unaware. But other feelings came over her immediately as she realized that Madara was no longer a part of the living world.
She crouched down to support the weight of that lifeless body against hers, but she refused to let go, tightening her grip in a desperate gesture for him to respond again.
— "Madara... no... you have no right to do this to me... Madara...," Sakura sobbed as she let out the tears that she was unable to contain because the grief was so painful for her.
After a long, unquantifiable moment, Ashina managed to convince Sakura to let go of her husband's lifeless body. The second battle of the Shinobi Gods was over, leaving behind many dead, wounded, and a tremendous amount of rubble.
All those present had also begun to awaken from the torpor in which they had been immersed following the spectacular confrontation between the four Shinobi. The miraculous resurrection of their Heikage had surprised many of them, bringing up a multitude of complex feelings in everyone. But above all, it was an immense relief to see that their leader was even capable of defeating death itself. But this sort of joy was short-lived when they saw Madara sacrifice himself to bring their beloved Daimyô back to life. Joy and sorrow overcame them all : Madara Uchiha deserved their undying respect and gratitude.
Although Sakura had regained all her vitality thanks to her husband's technique, she was unable to decide what to do. Her grief was far too great and she allowed herself to be led back to the city where she found Nozumi, whom she held close to her and slowly cradled.
It was then that Ashina took charge, the time for crying and mourning would come later for him. Life was to return to normal in Heiwa, he gave the necessary orders to everyone and had the remains and what was left of them taken to the hospital Sakura had built.
The Heikage's body was obviously given special treatment, but the Uzumaki demanded that the same be done with his daughter's remains. As for her son-in-law, Ashina had a moment's hesitation as to how his remains should be treated. After all, if he was just listening to the resentment inside of him, Hashirama Senju deserved to end up in the mass grave, like the scum that he was. But the Uzumaki was a man with values and out of respect for his daughter, he decided otherwise. Mito Uzumaki had sincerely loved her husband and the reciprocity was true. The proof was in the terrible battle.
Once these formalities were completed, Ashina turned his attention to Madara's funeral. The man was to be honored for all he had done for the people of Heiwa and for the peace he had brought with his worldview. But the Uzumaki couldn't decide alone what to do or not : that was also his wife's responsibility.
But Sakura still hadn't returned, she was still in her home where she spent her time caring for Nozumi. Her grief was so great, more terrible than when Hitomi had died and a thousand times more painful than when she had left her old world to return to the past. So she had focused on the one thing that was most important to her : Nozumi, the daughter she had had with Madara.
Their child was what kept her alive. Her last reason for being and she didn't want to be separated from her. Yet she knew deep down that this was not the answer, she had enormous responsibilities ahead of her as Daimyô of Ta No Kuni. But confronting the current reality brought her back to this other truth, she was now alone to perpetuate the vision of world peace that they had wished for and that they had succeeded in implementing.
So how could she do it if he was no longer there by her side?
Sakura didn't know the answer to that question, and the only thoughts that came to her mind were ones of grief and tears.
She had sacrificed everything to get to this fateful day. She had been willing to give up her time, her friends, her family, and this sacrifice had led her to guide Madara Uchiha on a different path. She had learned to discover the man inside of him and had come to share his ideology of world peace. She had discovered love at his side, the joy of becoming a mother. He had offered her a life she never thought possible : a happy life, filled with love and mutual respect.
Yet, Sakura knew that when she analyzed everything she had done in her life, she had been right to choose what Rikudô had offered her. Sakura could hear her inner voice whispering to her that they had succeeded in obtaining that long sought after peace.
So the hermit had been right when he had last appeared to her : * Don't spoil it... you're almost there. *
But as she recalled those words, Sakura wondered if the Rikudô knew that Mito and Hashirama were still alive ? After all, wasn't the sage of the Six Paths a kind of god of his own ? Had he seen all this when he had proposed this mission ?
Sakura would probably never know the answer, but her intuition told her that it was more than obvious that the hermit knew much more about everyone's destiny. Also, she was sure that he had found a way to make her understand that she had succeeded in what she had been sent back for.
So she had succeeded ... but at what price ?
She was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. She looked up in that direction but didn't answer, waiting for the person on the other side to come forward.
— "Sakura-san ? May I come in ?" Asked a quiet voice from behind the door.
The person didn't need to introduce himself, Sakura had already recognized him long before he knocked on the door. But hearing the fatherly voice that Ashina Uzumaki could take brought a little warmth to her heart. It had been several days since the fight had ended and she had been cooped up in their home. For him to show up today meant that it was time for the Kunoichi to fully face the reality of the world.
Madara certainly wouldn't have wanted her to behave like this, it wouldn't have been worthy of the strong woman she was. Sakura closed her eyes for a brief moment and then put them back down to her child who was quietly sitting in her cot. Seeing Nozumi, Sakura knew what she had to do.
She walked over to the door and gently opened it. The Uzumaki stood straight in front of her, his face expressing both grief at the loss of his daughter, but also compassion for the woman standing before her.
— "Ashina-san, forgive me for letting you take care of Heiwa," she said, bowing slightly to the patriarch.
— "Sakura-san, I only did my duty, you lost your husband and..."
— "And you your beloved daughter," Sakura concluded, inviting the man into the room where they could discuss the latest news about the city, but also about the other nations that had necessarily been informed of the latest events.
— "Ashina-san, we will deal with the world later. For now, it is time to allow the citizens of Heiwa to gather in front of their Heikage's grave."
— "In this regard, the council and I have thought of several things and we need your approval before we can implement them."
— "Well, I am listening..."
3 days later.
In the centre of Heiwa many Shinobi were gathered, surrounded by soldiers and civilians. The population of the city had been invited to a ceremony in honour of their deceased Heikage. The grave where Madara's body lay was in the private gardens of the palace, but it had been decided that a monument would be built so that the people would be forever reminded of who had allowed them to have this peaceful and prosperous life.
A three metre statue of Madara Uchiha had been erected in the centre of Heiwa. He had been depicted looking straight ahead, as if to remind us that his vision of peace was not limited to this city, but that it could extend far beyond these walls.
An almost religious silence rose around the statue, everyone watching the representation of the man who had given his life to protect them. Sakura and Ashina were also present for this ceremony, they were in the centre of the circle formed by the Shinobi. Both of them were staring at the statue which was a complete tribute to the man he had been.
Sakura felt a little less grief as the days passed. Life was undoubtedly returning to normal and Heiwa had to continue to prosper and above all, prepare for any possible attacks from other nations.
With Madara's death, nothing could be taken for granted about the inaction of other nations towards Ta No Kuni. Would they dare to attack them as Konoha had done ? No one could predict that, and it would have been presumptuous of them not to consider the possibilities.
As she looked at the statue of her late husband, Sakura shook off any last thoughts with something she hadn't realized since his death. The Madara that was forever set in marble represented the Madara she had grown to love. He was nothing like the terrible Shinobi of her future, who was nothing more than a being thirsty for blood and vengeance.
The Uchiha of her future had not been able to accomplish what he strongly believed in. No one could truly understand his vision of peace and this led him to realize all the horrors he had experienced. Madara Uchiha had been pushed by circumstances and he had become the one she had faced.
But now, by sacrificing her own life for her, Sakura was irrefutably convinced that Madara loved her : there was no hatred in that act, only and only love. Realizing this, Sakura finally understood that she could forgive the man he had been in her future.
But as she partially recalled that past future, something came to mind. The Madara of the Fourth Great War had reappeared among the living with a technique, a horrible technique in many ways, but was it reasonable to consider ?
— "Edo Tensei...," Sakura whispered so inaudibly that no one could hear her, not even Ashina who was standing next to her.
No sooner had she whispered those words than she stopped paying attention to what was going on around her. Her mind began to think at full speed while provoking a multitude of contradictions in her.
Edo Tensei was a technique created by Tobirama Senju, but it had been consigned to the scroll of forbidden techniques of Konoha No Sato. And if such a decision had been taken it was for good reasons. Indeed, this Kinjutsu called for the transgression of several moral considerations. It was about bringing the dead back to life by using a corpse that was almost indestructible and could regenerate at will. Moreover, the summoner could easily take control of the original personality of the revenant and thus turn it into a bloodthirsty puppet.
Sakura knew all this but she had to admit that she had never really thought about what she thought of this forbidden technique. In Naruto's case, she had been happy for her friend that he was able to meet the Fourth Hokage through this technique. But how many mortal enemies had they had to face when they had come back from the dead : Madara Uchiha first.
But now... all these moral considerations were taking on a whole new meaning. Why couldn't she bring the man she loved back to her ? Couldn't she once in her life be selfish and claim the happiness that fate had taken from her ? And beyond her own interest, Madara's return would guarantee the safety of the many. Their hard-won peace could continue to exist for so many people.
Sakura still stared at the statue of her husband as all these questions flooded her mind.
What should she do ? Use the Edo Tensei or give it up ?
10 years later.
Ashina Uzumaki was currently in a meditative position on the ground. He could feel the cool wind on his skin while paying attention to the slightest noise around him. He felt soothed and rested despite the demons of his past. Yes, Ashina could tell that he felt at peace with himself... with his past... with his promise.
But his meditation was disturbed by a delicate voice at his side :
— "This sucks uncle, I just want to go to sleep."
Ashina mentally rolled his eyes with a slight sigh. The fullness and tranquility was over.
— "It's important that you meditate Nozumi, so that you can be in tune with yourself. This will allow you to know your body, to use it better and to preserve it..."
— "Blah, blah, blah... You're rambling, Uncle," Nozumi retorted.
— "And you're regressing, young lady !"
— "But that's lame... I'd like to go play with Tsunade-neechan."
— "Tsunade is busy right now and don't forget it's important that you practice," Ashina retorted, opening his eyes.
— "What for ?" The girl sighed with a pout that reminded the old man whose child she was.
The Uzumaki looked Nozumi in the eye : she hadn't awakened to the Sharingan yet, let alone the Rinnegan. How could she ? For all these years, he had watched over her. He had made sure that she was always safe and that no psychological shocks would reach her. The appearance of these Dôjutsu had to be delayed as much as possible : her life depended on it.
But Ashina also knew that her own time was short. Yes, he had made a promise, but how much longer could he keep it? At this thought, a veil of pain passed through his eyes as he recalled an event from the past. That famous day when everything had changed.
He couldn't forget the last words Sakura Uchiha had said to him :
— "Ashina-san ! We've already discussed this ! It's far too late to summon him. Do what you promised me the other day. Take good care of her... and the other three. The peace of the world depends on what you teach them, and when the time comes, they'll know what to do..."
— "But Sakura ! She needs you ! Why would Madara bring you back to life if you were going to sacrifice her ?"
— "Because that was my fate... our fate ! Leave Ashina-san ! Now !"
The old Uzumaki closed his eyes as he relived the terrible scene once more, but he opened them again as he felt the pair of emerald eyes staring back at him.
— "Why do you need to train, Nozumi ? Because the world needs you..."
— "Me ? But Uncle Ashina, you keep saying the same thing ! What does the world need me for ? Apart from the four of us I've never seen anyone... so why would they need me ?"
— "You'll understand in time, now concentrate."
And with that last sentence, Ashina thought about what this child could do, about the infinite potential of this girl. Maybe she would be able to defeat him ? Perhaps she would succeed in bringing balance ? Maybe she would succeed... and restore what her late parents had achieved ?
No... she must succeed !
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