Chapter 23: Who are you ?!

Day 230

— "I don't care about your excuses !" Said the Nidaime Tsuchikage before disintegrating part of the council table out of anger. Everyone was shaking in their fury for fear of dying at the snap of a finger. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this ! I want results and you tell me what ?"

— "W-What... There... has been a lot of water...," one of the counsellors tried to say.

— "Keep stammering like that and I'll gut you !" Mû threatened his adviser, who swallowed, knowing what was likely to happen to him.

— "I... I... I...," the advisor continued before most of the council room was covered in blood. The newly promoted Tsuchikage since the death of his predecessor had just imploded him with one of his Jinton techniques.

— "Will someone have the balls to tell me to my face what I've just been told ?" Mû demanded as he looked around. Many had blood splattered on their clothes and faces while the remains of their fellow soldier lay on the ground.

— "There have been many attacks on our borders and no one knows who they are," Ônoki repeated.

Mû's apprentice had no desire to see another bloodshed. Moreover, his master would not dare to kill him too, that would be to lose a precious element in his eyes.

— "Is this about Konoha ? Or did Tobirama manage to convince the Kazekage to join him in an alliance ? And thus turn it upside down ?" The Kage said in his own thoughts.

He couldn't understand what had happened.

The vast majority of the troops they had sent to do guerrilla warfare had simply disappeared, and now they were the ones being subjected to guerrilla warfare in their own land.

The land of earth had allied itself with the land of sand and the land of lightning against the land of fire. As soon as it was announced that Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju were both dead, the first and second Tsuchikage had contacted the other countries to take advantage of such an opportunity.

— "Could this be Ta No Kuni ?" Asked one of the advisors timidly.

— "They have no army and the last letter sent by the Daimyô of the rice country confirms that they want peace. After all, no one offers that much money unless they really become a neutral country," replied Mon, rubbing one of his eyebrows. "Maybe we'll make them a vassal after our plans for Hi No Kuni..."

— "Should we bring back the Tsuchikage-sama troops ?" The same counselor asked.

— "No... that would be a waste of time and resources, especially at this time of year. No one is attacking at this time of year, so this is the ideal time," replied the leader of the land of the earth. "Besides, by now, the land of rain must have fallen into our hands."

— "Would you like me to take a troop and investigate, master ?" Asked Ônoki who was just as upset as his teacher. Civilians and comrades were disappearing, fellow soldiers had probably been killed by an unknown enemy.

— "So do it, Ônoki...," began Mû before being interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

The door opened and a guard bowed before speaking.

— "Nidaime Tsuchikage, I'm sorry to disturb you, but a Genin from the armed force sent to the land of rain has returned and she wishes to speak with you urgently. She says the safety of your operations is at stake."

— "Send her in !" Mû ordered immediately, having a bad feeling.

If a Genin was present, there must have been a problem. No Jônin would have allowed a member of their troop to return home, let alone desert. If this person was telling him lies, he would know quickly... and he would have no qualms about executing him for wasting his time as well as for leaving his post.

The young Mina entered the council chamber with many emotions on her face. Not only was she still afraid of what she had seen on the battlefield, but she was facing her superior officer, which was very impressive and unsettling. Finally, as there was blood in more than half of the room as well as on the council members, it provided an even more overwhelming atmosphere for the Genin.

— "What are you doing here ? Why aren't you at the front conquering the land of rain ?" Demanded the bandaged man in the direction of the young brunette teenager.

— "Gomen Tsuchikage-sama, I... I'm the only survivor of the armed force sent to conquer the land of rain."

This sentence had the same effect as a bomb in the middle of a city.

— "Explain yourself ! Said the Tsuchikage who couldn't see any trace of deceit in her eyes and that's what worried him. "REPORT !"

The man's shout startled everyone in the room, especially Mina who was not used to being put under so much pressure and murderous intent. This was different from what the pink-haired woman had imposed on her.

— "We headed for Shizuoka, the second largest city in the land of rain," the young teenager began to explain. "Our regiment eliminated the Leaf and Rain shinobi on patrol before attacking said city. However, when we launched the assault on the town, we were attacked in turn."

— "How many ? Who ?" Demanded Mû who needed to know who they were fighting.

— "I don't know and... there were only two of them."

— "Are you really saying, kid, that two people wiped out a regiment of one hundred and thirty ninjas by themselves ?" Ônoki replied sarcastically. "Would you take us for fools ?"

— "Never, Ônoki-sama ! I would never allow myself to do that. They... They... they were so fast, so agile, none of our attacks could reach them. I've never seen anyone fight like that," Mina explained in fear as she remembered with dread the man tearing her fellow soldiers apart.

— "Describe them," Mû said in a softer voice in order to reassure the Genin, for he seemed to believe her and wanted to know more about these mysterious assailants who were supposedly so powerful.

— "One had long brown hair, rather tall, with a kimono in the browns, he wielded a sword, although they also used my comrades weapons against them with ease. I didn't see his face... he was wearing a straw hat," said Mina, who strangely could not remember the face of her attacker... she had seen him up close and personal. But no, she couldn't.

— "Is that all ? Not even a bit of his face ?" Insisted Mû who could see in the girl's eyes that she was doing her best to remember the physical details of the attacker.

— "No, I don't remember."

— "And the other one ?" Mû asked then.

— "She had... She had..." Mina began before being interrupted by the Nidaime Tsuchikage.

— "She had ? Are you saying that the other person was a woman ?" The man with the bandages asked suspiciously. Not that he doubted the fighting ability of the weaker sex, but to have the ability to wipe out a hundred battle-hardened ninja seemed far too unlikely.

Mina nodded positively before continuing her description.

— "She had pink hair, a bright red outfit with a sword on her back. But I never saw her use it : she didn't even need it."

— "What do you mean ?" Mû asked, more and more intrigued by these words.

— "I've never seen anyone with such strength," she said, swallowing as she saw the images of the rose in battle again.

— "Can you quantify his strength ?" Mû asked, totally surprised by the reactions of the Genin in front of them.

— "I can't say, Mû-sama..."

— "If you were to compare her to the Raikage who is considered the strongest man in the world ?" Added the Kage patiently.

— "I would say that the Raikage is a small child compared to her strength."

— "What did she do to make you say that ?" Mû asked suddenly very attentive. After all, it wasn't every day that one heard that a shinobi was stronger than the Raikage and especially if it was a woman.

— "It lifted a three-metre high menhir, probably weighing three hundred kilos, and threw it over a distance of eighty metres, smashing two of my friends to a pulp. I saw it hit my squadron leader right in the chest and a ten-metre crater opened up... just with a punch," explained the girl who had tears in her eyes and was beginning to tremble as she remembered these two characters and their actions on the battlefield.

— "A distinctive sign ?" Asked a man from the council.

— "I don't remember," she replied with a look of concern that she didn't have more details to provide, but her memory wouldn't allow it, although she was aware that she had seen these two warriors up close.

— "Could it be that these two people are the same ones who have been waging guerrilla warfare in our territory ?" Ônoki asked his master.

— "Unlikely, but your idea is not impossible. If they are capable of managing an armed force of shinobi on their own... maybe they are responsible for the disappearance of our troops on Hi No Kuni. Or maybe they were just two ninjas from the land of rain defending their home," Mû reasoned, having several theories brewing in his head.

— "How is it that you are still alive and they are not ? Did you flee ?" Demanded Onoki, letting his killing intent burst forth : he hated cowards and deserters.

— "No ! They... they let me go by ordering me to tell you what happened in Shizuoka," Mina defended herself, trembling.

— "Why do you want to tell us that they did that ?" Mû wondered.

— "Is it a threat ? Or is it a way of saying that Konoha is aware of our actions ?" Suggested Ônoki to his master.

— "Whatever," the Tsuchikage said with a wave of his hand before pointing at the girl. "You ! You will follow my apprentice Ônoki, guiding him to the place where all this happened."

— "Hai !" The Genin replied.

— "Yes Master," Ônoki replied mechanically before moving away.

— "Send messages to our allies, we are accelerating our plans."

— "Shall we make it official ?" Questioned the scribe in his corner.

— "Hai ! War is declared !"

Day 240

It had been two days since Sakura and Madara had returned to Ta No Kuni and in particular to the young woman's house. The war was near, tensions were palpable and at their peak. Everyone was suspicious of everyone else, especially since the last time the two protagonists had acted in Shizuoka city. Alliances had been formed in all the elemental nations, troops were on the move on all sides : it was only a matter of days before the First Great Shinobi War was declared.

For safety's sake, Madara had preferred to return to the country while waiting for the first movements to be made. This would allow him to intervene if the rice country was attacked by a potential traitor. Moreover, it was necessary to preserve oneself before any other offensive or defensive actions. Exhausting themselves against entire armies was not the solution to their final project.

So Madara and Sakura had established a small routine over the past two days. Meditation, training, planning and rest.

However, one of them was currently in a most awkward position. Sakura had been torturing her mind for days... no weeks... if not months. She was finding it harder and harder to suppress what she was feeling, and she suspected she was lying to herself.

She had discovered over time that Madara was a remarkable man, one who had flaws like any human being, but was a unique person. He was a man with honor, ambition, charisma, beauty, and courage, as well as being one of the most powerful beings on earth. He also wanted to bring peace to this rotten world... but most of all : he looked at her like no one else had ever looked at her before.

So, after all this thinking over several months, Sakura came to the conclusion and finally accepted what she felt inside.

She was in love with Madara Uchiha.

But was she ready to tell him ? That was another story. She wished that her master Tsunade Senju was there to advise her, or her mother. Her mother... she who had loved her father from the beginning, she would have had the words to guide her on how to reveal herself to a man in a sentimental way. What to say ? How to say it ? So many unanswered questions that the young woman found it increasingly difficult not to ask herself in silence. Especially since she had this major stranger : what about him ? Did he feel the same way about her or would she have to face a one-sided love once again ?

Then she remembered a detail : she knew someone, maybe two people, who would be able to advise her and give her the beginning of an answer to her questions.

— "Madara-san, I'm going to go see my friend Hitomi," Sakura announced as the man sat on a chair reading a book Sakura had written.

— "See you later Sakura-san," Madara replied absentmindedly as he was engrossed in his reading.

So it was with determination that Sakura made her way to her friend's village below her home. The young woman was so deep in thought that she quickly arrived at Hitomi's house. And once in front of the door, she realized that her stomach was in knots before she knocked.

— "Yes ?" Said the brunette woman as she opened the door before a smile appeared on her face as she recognized who had knocked. "Oh Sakura ! You're back !"

The woman's cheerfulness gave Sakura courage and a lot of energy. She had hardly anyone to relax with at this time, or just to chat with. So she gladly accepted this good mood towards her.

— "Hello Hitomi, how are you ?"

— "I'm fine and you ? Did your trip go well ?" Hitomi asked.

— "Yes, our trip went well... but... tell me, do you have a moment for me ?" Sakura asked a little quickly.

She didn't want to dwell on their outdoor missions, which might scare her friend away from everything they had accomplished.

— "Yes of course, would you like to come in ?" Hitomi offered politely.

— "Are you alone ?" Sakura asked, wanting to talk one-on-one with the forty year old, and especially one-on-one with the woman.

— "Yes," Hitomi replied before opening the door wide and turning around.

It was a very modest house and you could tell from the furnishings that the inhabitants of this house had few financial resources and led a very simple life.

— "Some tea ?"

— "Please Hitomi," Sakura nodded before settling down at the table in the main room.

— "So what brings you here Sakura ?" Hitomi asked as she put the water in a container.

— "No need to put the water on the fire, just bring me the teapot... and if not, I'm here because I need some advice," Sakura admitted as the brunette approached with the teapot.

— "Me ? How can I advise you ?" Hitomi asked in surprise as Sakura dipped her fingertips into the water. She activated her chakra and the water quickly heated up to the desired temperature.

— "How did you know your husband was the one ?" Sakura asked bluntly.

As soon as the young woman finished her sentence, Hitomi couldn't help but grin up to her ears, for she knew what this question meant to the pink haired young woman. Furthermore, the blush on Sakura's cheeks only confirmed Hitomi's doubts.

— "You're in love, aren't you ?" The brunette asked without beating about the bush.

— "Please answer my question," Sakura replied shyly.

— "First of all, I was lucky enough not to be part of a big family, otherwise I would have been married to a complete stranger. Then we grew up together so I had my whole life to know he was the one," Hitomi said as she poured tea into two cups. "He was my best friend before he was my lover and husband. But I would say I knew he was the one when I saw the look on his face."

Sakura understood what Hitomi meant.

There is nothing more powerful to a woman than the way a man looks at her. When she sees in his eyes that she is not just a piece of meat. When she understands that through his eyes he really sees her as she is, as the woman she is: it is something powerful, intense and rare. And Sakura felt very lucky to be looked at in this way by Madara, who had denigrated the female gender for so long.

— "You love him, don't you ?" Hitomi insisted gently with a thin smile.

Sakura took her cup of tea in her hands before looking up at the forty year old's eyes. She didn't answer verbally, but nodded : yes, she did love him. She had come to understand over time that the love she had for Sasuke was true, but that it wasn't very good to love someone who only felt disgust for you. Whereas with Madara, what she felt was totally different... it was so intense and most importantly : it seemed to be mutual.

— "Did you tell him ?" Hitomi asked softly.

— "No, I didn't..."

— "What are you waiting for ?" The brunette asked, blowing on her cup.

— "To have courage ?" Sakura answered more for herself than for Hitomi. Because after all, it wasn't nothing that Sakura was trying to do : confess her feelings for the most powerful Uchiha.

— "Courage ? You lack courage ?" The brunette exclaimed. "I've never seen a woman like you Sakura. I've never in my life met a woman who could stand up to a man without receiving his wrath. And I have never seen a man listen to a woman when she openly opposes him. You have the courage, don't doubt it, and don't forget that even if Uchiha-sama is handsome and imposing, he is like all men."

— "They're weak in the face of the fairer sex," Sakura laughed as the forty-year-old grinned.

— "Exactly."

— "I'm scared Hitomi," the pink haired woman admitted, remembering what Sasuke had done to her. "I don't want to suffer, I don't want to be wrong, I don't want an illusory love."

— "Like all women... but you have the chance to be a strong woman. The question to ask you my dear Sakura is : does he love me for what I am ?" The brunette explained before taking a sip of her tea. She wished she had a little sugar in it, but unfortunately she didn't have any like Sakura. "Does he love you ?"

Sakura didn't answer right away, she looked at her faint reflection in the liquid before her. Did Madara Uchiha love her ? That was the real question after all : what were the man's feelings for her ?

— "Maybe..."

— "It is better to live with remorse than with regret. Life is too short and it's better to live with the fact that you tried to have a beautiful love affair than to have not tried at all," Hitomi said wisely.

Sakura smiled at this sentence. She only had one life, and the Rikudô Sennin had allowed her to have a whole new one by going back in time. Did he know that she would eventually fall in love with the Uchiha ? Had he seen it in his predictions ? Hadn't he even suggested that she charm the dark one in order to obtain that longed-for true peace ?

— "Arigato."

— "You're always welcome Sakura... and I want to be there for the wedding !" The forty-year-old retorted with a big smile.

— "Hitomi !" Sakura snarled, not wanting to get married anytime soon. I'm not planning on getting married now.

— "We'll talk about it later, sweetheart... Now get out of here and go declare yourself to your Prince Charming !" Hitomi ordered as she stood up and grabbed Sakura's hand.

— "But..."

— "No buts, you're ready and loaded, so from now on, go see this man and tell him what's in your heart, beautiful."

Meanwhile, in Sakura's house, Madara was reading her book and waiting.

With his sensory ability he could feel the chakra of the young woman in the village. Once he determined that she was far enough away he closed the book he was reading and began to gather information.

In the past he had only been able to get information in this house in episodes because Sakura was always there. But today he had an opportunity to get information about who Sakura was and whether her doubts were justified.

The patriarch stood up before heading to the desk of the Fûinjutsu virtuoso. There were many scrolls talking about seals and containing various formulas. A few books were piled up on the upper right corner of the desk, but they were not interesting. He walked around the desk before directing his gaze to the bookcase to quickly read all the titles with his Sharingan.

The possibility that Sakura and her mother were from another continent was reinforced as he read all the titles in front of him. There were so many subjects he had never heard of, but there was no data to identify who this woman was or where she came from. So he headed for the one room he had never visited : Sakura's room.

He slid the door open to reveal a small, modest room : three pieces of furniture in addition to the bed. He looked around the room as his nostrils were flooded with the smell of the young woman. Madara closed his eyes for a few seconds to enjoy the scent of the woman he longed for and loved.

After coming to his senses, Madara opened the closet to find all the normal stuff : clothes. The other cabinet contained the same thing though he held back a blush when he saw all the underwear.

Then his eyes were drawn to a wooden frame on the bedside table. There was a painting inside.

— "What's that ?" Madara said softly to himself.

It was something he had never seen before. Either the painter was a virtuoso in his field, or this was something totally new. Photography didn't exist in the Sengoku era and seeing such a detailed image impressed Madara.

It was a picture of Sakura at the age of seven surrounded by her mother and father. It was a beautiful picture and Madara finally had a face to put on Tsunade Haruno. He could finally say that he had never seen her before.

After a good minute of looking at the painting, Madara put the frame back on the bedside table in the exact spot he found it. He pulled on the handle of the bedside table drawer but it did not open. There was no lock, but a small Fûinjutsu seal. Madara realized that Sakura was hiding something here that she did not want discovered.

The dark-haired man crouched down so that he had the seal in front of him before activating his Sharingan to analyze the mathematical series and unlock it. It took him almost five minutes to figure out what was in front of him before he deactivated it.

Once the seal was neutralized, Madara tugged on the drawer and it gently opened and the dark-haired man's eyes widened as he saw what was inside. The patriarch reached into the drawer and pulled out another picture frame and a small metal plate.

It was a plate normally placed on the headbands. Except this one had the symbol of the village of Konoha on it. He turned the plate over to see the license plate and frowned : it wasn't a license plate he was used to seeing. Perhaps it confirmed the fact that she was from Konoha, or perhaps she had stolen that headband from someone.

However, the second picture frame disturbed Madara greatly and he didn't know what to think. There were four people in the picture : Sakura in the centre, a dark-haired man to her right who had all the characteristics of an Uchiha and in his mind that could only be the Sasuke that Sakura had told him about. To her left was a blond man who had an outfit that screamed kill me ! But the worst part was the man behind them... he had the Hokage hat on.

— "Who are you ?" Madara questioned as he left the room with the metal plate and the picture frame he never took his eyes off of.

Countless scenarios ran through Madara's mind. This picture disturbed him to the core, as questions were now being answered, but another thousand questions had just taken place in his mind.

He was so focused in his thoughts that he didn't feel Sakura return and it was the sound of her footsteps on the floor that made him look up. The Uchiha saw the surprised and panicked look on Sakura's face as she recognized what he was holding in his hands.

— "Who are you ?" Madara asked politely.

He wanted answers now and he was going to get them, but since he had respect for this woman and also feelings, he chose the gentle way.

However, Sakura remained stunned, she didn't know what to do. She really didn't expect Madara to find out what she had hidden. The dark-haired man wasn't known to be a very skilled Fûinjutsu player, but it seems she underestimated him.

— "Answer me...," Madara repeated, staring into Sakura's eyes as she thought hard. She was thinking about what to say, what to do, she was just afraid that everything would be ruined by this simple discovery.

This silence and especially this lack of answer seriously started to irritate the Uchiha and it put his nerves to the test. He could see that the young woman was thinking hard and the longer she took to answer him, the more he had the impression that she was trying to figure out what to say to avoid answering his questions, and this was inconceivable for the Uchiha.

No one manipulated Madara Uchiha so brazenly, let alone could afford to think they could fool him. Anger roared within him more and more intensely. He realized that he had been weak, that he had allowed himself to be lulled by new feelings, and that angered him to no end. Or rather, he didn't dare admit that he was hurt and wounded in his pride for having let her do it. He regretted the fact that she had managed to get into his heart. He had learned to love the young woman as he had never loved another woman. He recognized her value as well as her skills as a shinobi. She who had managed to hide her true life from him. But who was she ?

— "WHO ARE YOU ?!" Madara shouted as he released all of his killing intent and chakra ability while activating both of his Mangekyo Sharingan.

The shockwave that erupted from the Uchiha spread throughout the house. Furniture flew in all directions, windows exploded, scrolls flew as if a tornado was blowing through the room, the megaphone shattered on the floor, and even some of the walls of the house cracked under the pressure.

The only thing that didn't move was Sakura who suddenly had her warrior look in place. Madara had activated his Dôjutsu to the higher rank and that kind of ward was not to be trifled with.

— "I am Haruno Sakura Jônin of Konoha No Sato born in the year 82 after Uchiha Madara was defeated by Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End. And I sacrificed my time and my world for the chance to stop the cycle of hatred !" Sakura replied, raising her voice.

She had wanted to confess her feelings, but she had failed. She now found herself revealing who she really was to the most dangerous man in all the elemental nations.

— "Time travel is impossible !" Madara retorted, despite the fact that she had just found almost all the answers to his questions with this simple sentence. If she was from the future everything made sense, but if she was from the future, why save him ?

Madara tried to put the young woman into a Genjutsu to get all the answers he wanted, but it didn't work despite all his attempts. This angered the Uchiha even more : how could she possibly resist his pupil power ?

— "Nothing is impossible Madara-san," Sakura replied as she felt the Uchiha's Genjutsu attacks against her. And she inwardly thanked the Rikudô Sennin for upgrading her frontal seal, allowing her to resist any Genjutsu done by the Sharingan.

— "You manipulated me !" Madara asserted harshly. "From the beginning you manipulated me !"

— "At first yes... I manipulated you," Sakura admitted without looking away.

— "Why ?" Demanded the Uchiha who despite the situation couldn't help but be impressed by the woman in front of him. She was standing up to him and his Sharingan was useless against her.

— "In order for you to fulfill your destiny."

— "What destiny ?" Madara asked curiously despite the anger he felt and held back because of or because of his feelings for the young woman.

— "The one that the child of the prophecy must fulfill : to bring peace," Sakura admitted, somehow relieved to finally be able to get it off her chest. She was afraid, but at the same time it was a liberation for her to no longer have this burden on her shoulders. She had carried it for too long and to be free felt good.

The seconds passed, all very heavy. And as they stared at each other in silence, Sakura realized what she stood to lose : Madara.

She felt deep down that everything would depend on how he would take this information. The young woman couldn't help but feel that she would surely lose the man she loved once again. After Sasuke... she was losing Madara. At the thought of it, she couldn't help the tears that were slowly forming in the corners of her eyes.

— "But that was before," Sakura whispered, lowering her eyes slightly.

— "Before what ?" Madara asked, still digesting the information. He could hardly define what he was feeling at the moment. In a way he felt betrayed for being manipulated like that. But what disturbed him even more was to consider that everything this woman had probably told him was false. In order to get him to go in the direction she wanted, and because of all this he felt pain in his chest.

Madara didn't understand this pain, he had no physical injury, so what was it ? Was this what they called the wounds of the soul ? Those wounds inflicted because of the feelings you have for someone ?

— "Before I find out what kind of man you really were," Sakura began and decided to unpack her bag, even if it meant unpacking it completely. "Before I fell in love with you."

It was done, Sakura had done it, she had just confessed to Uchiha Madara that she was in love with him. However, he said nothing, he stayed put, his face closed, his killing intent still present. Gradually Sakura's heart tightened and a tear rolled down her cheek as she thought that everything was probably ruined because of her secrets. Once again she had lost the man she loved.

Madara deactivated his Sharingan before walking towards the pink haired woman. However, he didn't stop in front of her, he walked past her and headed outside, ignoring her completely. Once outside the Uchiha channeled chakra into his legs to propel himself away from that house. He didn't see Sakura collapse to the ground crying in the middle of all the mess he had made in the house.

Madara hopped from tree to tree for many minutes before coming to a clearing where he leaned against a tree to think. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the pain in his chest.

— "Hello child," said an elderly voice.