A/N: I meant to have this chapter out much sooner. However, I recently had a minor surgery which went relatively well except for the complimentary infection that followed afterwards. Very fun! Anyways, back to the story!
The two Uchiha helplessly watched the screaming girl continue to writhe on the floor. Her agonized cries resonated through the desolate walls of the abandoned laboratory. The rich purple Byakugou Seal marking her forehead had now assumed a slick, black hue as the foreign chakra of the Cursed Seal finally settled.
The boy's worry ridden eyes landed on Sasuke conveying his demand for immediate answers. He raised his voice above the loud, unbridled screams of the girl. "What's happening to her?"
"Sakura's body is incompatible with the Cursed Seal …" Sasuke's tone descended solemnly. "It looks like it's leaked into her Byakugou Seal and contaminated it…"
"What does that mean?" The boy raised his voice struggling to catch Sasuke's words beneath Sakura's shrill screams.
"The Cursed Seal contains Orochimaru's senjutsu chakra. Even if she does survive the application process…Orochimaru's chakra will poison the chakra contained in her Byakugou Seal and eventually kill her."
Madara's brow furrowed as he glanced down to the convulsing girl and then back to Sasuke. "Isn't there a way we can remove it?"
"No." Sasuke shook his head. "Only Orochimaru can remove the seal. It's too difficult for either of us to suppress the seal without tampering with her Byakugou Seal. If the chakra in her seal is depleted, she'll fall into a coma."
"Well, isn't there something we can do?"
"I don't know…" Sasuke lifted her trembling body into his arms cradling her against his chest in order to restrict her movements. "Let's just get her somewhere safe for now."
Sasuke covered her quavering form beneath his cloak as he laid her on the grass outside the entrance of the laboratory. Her violent convulsions hindered him from carrying her far without the possibility of sustaining injury to either her or himself. Her rigid arms snapped back to her face as she smothered her palms against her brow in a vain effort to stifle the pain. Twin trails of tears streaked her grimy face while her anguished cries only seemed to intensify.
He noticed her chest spasm violently and suddenly cease further movement. In that moment, Sasuke's stomach plummeted as he realized the grave turn in her condition. The pain had paralyzed her diaphragm rendering her unable to breathe. A blue tinge crept to the surface of her lips as her screams gradually waned to pitiful moans. Her once vivid green eyes had become glazed and opaque as she seemed to submit to a wave of lethargy.
"Sakura! Sakura!" Sasuke called out in a desperate attempt to inhibit her from succumbing to unconsciousness.
He was unsure how to proceed. He hastily searched for any possible solution to salvage the girl's life. There was the possibility of calling forth a summon to transport her back to Konoha. However, neither his hawk nor Aoda possessed any means of rapid transportation to Konoha as they were not affiliated with the village. The only summon with the ability to sustain her life and transport her promptly to Tsunade was Katsuyu…and only Sakura was capable of summoning the slug.
The situation demanded the expertise of a medic-nin to rescue Sakura from the cusp of respiratory arrest. Medical ninjutsu was something vastly foreign to his understanding and in this desperate moment, he cursed his lack of knowledge on the subject.
"There must be something we can do!" Anger leaked into the boy's voice despite his desperation. Madara retrieved Sakura's backpack and haphazardly unzipped each and every pouch. He overturned the bag spilling its contents onto the grass.
Madara fell to all fours rummaging through the disarray of medical supplies strewn across the grass. He arbitrarily selected a packet of pills and a vial from the mess and raised them before Sasuke imploringly. "Isn't there a pill or shot or something in here that can save her?!"
"I don't even know what most of these things are for. We could very well kill her if we make a mistake." Sasuke's voice remained stoic in spite of the rampant panic enveloping him.
The boy dropped the items to the ground and bat through the equipment littered on the ground. "You're telling me she has all of these things and we can't even use anything to save her life?!"
"I don't know! I'm not a medic!" Sasuke roared furiously forsaking his contrived stoicism.
"What's the point…?" Madara muttered cynically touching his fingers to the rim of his eyes. "What's the point of having this power if I can't even use it to save her?"
What should I do? Sasuke searched his mind for any hint of a solution as Sakura's lips and fingertips had grown increasingly cyanotic.
He reminisced of the moment Orochimaru had branded him with the Cursed Seal rendering him unconscious in a similar manner. Despite the inconceivable pain, he had felt a nuance of relief gripping to Sakura's hand before he fell unconscious.
He reached for her hand pressing his palm against hers as their fingers intertwined. The boy observed him carefully noting the intense concentration marking Sasuke's countenance. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut sagging his head in exhaustion. Trickles of sweat beaded his brow as he remained absolutely motionless without uttering a single word. His deep charcoal eyes enlarged incredulously as he heard Sakura draw a deep, audible breath. The wall of her chest expanded to its full capacity without constraint.
"Huh? She's breathing again!" The boy stated buoyantly noticing her restored respirations. "So you do know medical ninjutsu."
Sasuke shook his head denying the claim. "No, I'm simply sending tiny portions of chakra into her system to distract her from the pain. It seems to be working…however…"
He smeared the sweat from his brow with his unoccupied arm. "I don't have nearly the level of chakra control Sakura possesses to manipulate my chakra on such a minute level without overexerting myself. Too little chakra is ineffective and two much would cause her further pain. It's only a temporary solution."
Sasuke continued holding her hand sending his chakra into her system. His eyelids drooped listlessly as he was soon drained with the tedious process. Madara trained his eyes on Sasuke's face noting the patent fatigue which he had attempted to conceal in the boy's presence.
"Take a break." Madara said decidedly. "I'll take over."
Sasuke eyed Madara suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"I want to do anything I can to help her." He crouched to her side opposite of Sasuke and lifted her hand.
He gripped her slightly larger yet delicate hand firmly narrowing his eyes in dogged concentration. Sasuke studied the candid determination written in the boy's face and released Sakura's hand.
Initially she flinched as he overestimated the amount of chakra required upon introduction. After a period of experimental calibration, he finally gauged the appropriate amount of chakra to maintain the girl's comfort. The process of continuously sending tiny portions of chakra in her system had been exactly as Sasuke described—demanding and tedious. However, he did not experience fatigue to the extent Sasuke had and also seemed to possess a greater aptitude for controlling chakra than Sasuke.
Despite their attempts to alleviate Sakura's pain, she would ultimately perish from the toxicity of Orochimaru's chakra if they could not find a means to rid her of the Cursed Seal. Sasuke was well aware of the fact that Orochimaru was currently monitoring them through the seal and that he could control how his chakra affected Sakura. Knowing full well the intentions of his former mentor, he entertained the prospect of bargaining with the Snake Sannin. However, he was no stranger to Orochimaru's backstabbing tendencies even if they should strike a deal. That didn't mean he wouldn't beat Orochimaru at his own game.
"That Cursed Seal was intended for you." Sasuke spoke with unforeseen coldness intending to test the boy's resolve. "In order to save Sakura, you must be returned to Orochimaru's possession."
Before Madara could seize the opportunity to speak, Sakura breathed loudly. "No…don't."
Madara's lips parted open absolutely flabbergasted by Sasuke's proclamation. "I'm not going back there to be that man's new body!"
"It's the only way to save Sakura." Sasuke countered conclusively, cognizant of Orochimaru's present surveillance of the conversation through the Cursed Seal. "You said you wanted to do anything you could to save her. Either relinquish yourself to Orochimaru or she dies."
"There has to be another way to save her!"
"There is no other way."
Madara scowled at the opposing Uchiha from across Sakura's body, rekindled hatred coursing through his veins. He was uncertain to why—after what seemed to be an involuntary truce— Sasuke would resume hostility towards him. He gazed at Sakura's taut facial muscles fighting the underlying pain threatening to resurface from beneath his minute doses of chakra and aptly channeled his hatred towards the instigator of her suffering.
His tiny fingers gripped her hand firmly as he was invigorated with indomitable resolve. He would save Sakura from the Cursed Seal and confront his creator without surrendering to the fate of becoming the Snake Sannin's new vessel.
Sakura's listless eyes suddenly shot open as she heard a voice speak within her mind with a soft hiss. It was a voice that belonged to none other than Orochimaru.
I see…So Sasuke-kun wishes to return the boy in exchange for your life.
"No…please…" Sakura's murmured pleas seized the attentions of the two Uchiha.
It's a deal I would be more than willing to honor.
"There's no way I'll let you…"
I'll subdue my chakra to alleviate your pain and enable you to reach my current location. If you should deviate from the coordinates I'm about to give you, I'll intensify my chakra therefore hastening your death.
She heard Orochimaru chuckle hoarsely as his ultimatum hushed her into compliance.
Good girl. Now repeat the directions to my location for your Uchiha companions. Head north about 11 o'clock and travel directly 2.5 km.
"North…11 o'clock…2.5 km…" She parroted weakly to her comrades. "That is where he is…"
Very good. Keep in mind the consequences of your betrayal. I eagerly await your arrival.
Within moments of his voice parting her mind, the pain wracking her body dissipated. Her torso snapped upward as soon as the last pangs of pain subsided.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked watching her hand separate from Madara and plant firmly into the ground in order to hold her unsteady body upright.
"I'm fine now. Thank you…both of you." She hoisted herself to her feet and acknowledged the Uchiha with a warm, gracious smile. Her smile quickly faded as her face hardened with concern. "Orochimaru agreed to subdue his chakra as long as we're on course for his location. However…"
She paused as her eyes landed on Madara. As soon as her eyes met his, he spoke with assurance. "I'm prepared to meet Orochimaru again. I'll do whatever it takes to remove that Cursed Seal and stop him. Now, let's go."
Sasuke smirked discreetly with silent approval. Sakura's eyes moistened at his declaration as she recalled the events of their previous journey back to Konoha.
Underneath it all, he truly was a sweet child.
Following Orochimaru's brief directions, the trio continued north until they reached the foot of a sharp cliff hampering their forward projection. Fixating their chakra to the soles of their feet, they ascended the face of the cliff in a line headed by Madara with Sasuke covering the tail. They entered the compound nestled conveniently at the summit and scouted the bleak hallways in search of the Snake Sannin.
Orochimaru had, in fact, been eagerly awaiting their arrival within his laboratory and with his trusted apprentice faithfully beside him. The corners of his mouth drew upward into an ecstatic, yet cunning grin as he if he had just been presented with the greatest gift the world could offer—not one, but two valuable Uchiha bodies.
"Welcome back, Madara." His feral, yellow eyes flittered between the two Uchiha mentally expunging the presence of the girl standing in between them. He spoke with deceptive affability, "Sasuke-kun."
Madara glowered at the pasty skinned man who had fathered him from the fruits of his experimentations. "I'll return to you as long as you spare Sakura's life."
Orochimaru and Kabuto laughed in concert. Orochimaru wheezed through his course chuckles. "How comical! The clone of the man wishing to save the life of the girl he was responsible for killing!"
"I'm not that Madara! I am my own person!" Madara objected defiantly, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan radiating with fury.
"It does not matter who you are. You were merely created to serve as my next vessel. You were only given a soul in order to awaken your ocular powers."
Just as Tsunade had speculated, Sakura confirmed her mentor's hypothesis.
Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders and feigned a dreary sigh. "I am more than thrilled for your return but unfortunately it seems you have been contaminated."
"Contaminated…?" Madara wrinkled his nose echoing the Sannin's last word.
"Yes, contaminated. The perfect vessel should be as pure and naïve as an infant—unknowing of the world beyond its creator. This makes the soul transfer process far more convenient. However, you escaped my laboratory and formed ties with the outside world adding a distinct layer of complexity to the transfer process. A vessel that has formed bonds and attachments will be defiant and holds a greater likelihood of overpowering and expelling my soul."
Orochimaru stepped aside unveiling a large amber pot with a white rope tied around the rim. The unique stylized kanji for "lightning" had been etched into its surface.
"Now that you have awakened the full potential of your eyes, I can always wipe that pesky spirit of yours clean and save myself the trouble of trying to recreate another viable clone."
Sasuke and Sakura widened their eyes in horror recognizing the distinctive pot behind Orochimaru.
"How did you get that?" Sasuke demanded through gritted teeth.
The Snake Sannin uttered a deep, throaty chuckle. He glanced to Kabuto who responded in kind with a smirk. "Kabuto and I have been very diligent in preserving Madara's power."
Sakura placed a hand on Madara's shoulder issuing him a stern warning. "Mada-kun, don't respond to Orochimaru anymore."
"What? But he has yet to remove that seal." Madara protested bewildered by her peculiar warning.
"Ah, that's right, Sakura. You wish for me to remove that Cursed Seal." Orochimaru said in a high pitched voice teeming with phony cordiality. His voice suddenly descended into a low, venomous growl. "Well, too bad. You shouldn't have been meddling in affairs that did not concern you, hun."
Sakura's mouth gaped in utter shock even though she had truthfully expected his betrayal. He was the only one capable of safely removing the seal and a slim, desperate part of her had hoped that he just might. However, she was well accustomed to the Sannin's backstabbing tendencies and knew deep down that he would never honor his end of the bargain.
Sasuke drew his blade swiftly and brandished the weapon before Orochimaru.
"As my former student, you know better than to strike a deal with me." Orochimaru folded his arms derisively.
"I already knew you would do no such thing." Sasuke flew at him imbuing lightning chakra into his blade.
"Think carefully about the consequences of your actions. If I die, then Sakura will surely die as well." Orochimaru prolonged his torso sideways skirting the tip of the blade as he eyed the veins of lightning prudently.
Sasuke grinned darkly pursuing the serpentine man. "I'm also aware that you're too damn stubborn to die."
Orochimaru danced backward avoiding Sasuke's assault. As soon as his master deserted the pot, Kabuto immediately went to act in his stead.
I can't let them seal away Mada-kun's soul! Sakura launched towards Kabuto drawing a chakra-laden fist back towards her hip. I have to keep them away from the Amber Purifying Pot!
Kabuto easily evaded her sluggish punch and jumped backward as her fist created a monstrous crater in the stone flooring. She clasped her hands stringing together a series of hand signs and yelped as a jolt of pain suddenly wracked her forehead. Instinctively, her hand clutched her brow in an attempt to smother the sharp pain.
The silver haired medic-nin uttered a scornful laugh and wagged his finger tauntingly. "You can't draw power from the Shikkotsu forest with Orochimaru's senjutsu chakra afflicting your seal."
Unfortunately, he was right. It was difficult to draw power from her Byakugou Seal with the Cursed Seal contaminating her chakra. For now, she would have to rely on taijutsu to lure Kabuto away from the pot.
While Sasuke and Sakura battled Madara's creator and his apprentice, Madara dawdled vacantly toward the large amber pot as an inexplicable presence seemed to draw him towards it. He wasn't exactly sure what was so enticing about the pot but he continued to meander towards it like a moth drawn to a flame. Something called out to him…something trapped within the confines of the pot further piquing his curiosity.
Perhaps he should take a peek inside.
Grasping the lid of the pot, he suddenly felt a tinge of inhibition warning him to refrain from handling the pot.
However, a far louder voice within him convinced him that there was no harm in taking a quick peek inside.
He slid the lid sideways from the mouth of the rim creating a sliver of opening and craned his neck over the lip of the lid peeking into the deep pit inside. As he rose to his tip toes to catch a better glance inside, a bright red light leapt out of the pot attacking him like a rabid animal.
Sakura felt her heart palpitate upon hearing the boy's sharp cry. His tiny body had been propelled backward and slammed mercilessly to the ground from the force of whatever had just assaulted him.
"Mada-kun!" Sakura called out abandoning her battle with Kabuto to rush to the boy's aid. She mentally berated herself for turning her back to the enemy but her duty to aid her comrades trumped all other matter.
He lay supine on the ground rendered unconscious from the trauma. She fell to her knees and opened his robe assessing for trauma or injury. She placed her hands on his chest probing for any hint of internal injury or disturbances to his chakra but her scan turned up with negative results. Her hand rested upon on his forehead searching for signs of head trauma. Did he hit his head?
"Mada-kun? Mada-kun, what happened?!" She cried out as Kabuto approached them fixing his attention to the amber pot.
"It looks like he opened the pot. That means he…" Kabuto's voice deadpanned. She couldn't see his eyes from behind the glare of his glasses but the tone of his voice sent an icy shiver down her spine.
Madara's eyes lifted open slowly seeing nothing but a world enveloped in pink. He blinked again. His vision began to sharpen and clear of the murky haze with each consecutive blink. The pink haired girl hovered over him running her hands over his body for reasons unknown to him.
Her emerald eyes were rife with concern. "Are you alright?"
This girl…why the hell was she asking him this? And why was she touching him? Wasn't she dead?
He sat up abruptly, oblivious to his current whereabouts. The girl placed her arms around his shoulders supporting his swaying body.
"Mada-kun, you shouldn't sit up so suddenly if you hit your head."
Mada-kun?
The girl unleashed an agonized wail as her warm blood splattered onto his chest and partially opened robe. Kabuto swiftly removed himself from their vicinity dodging the sudden spatter of blood and readily switched into defensive mode.
The boy ran his hand through her chest penetrating her right lung. He withdrew his hand hissing in a callously low tone far beneath his typical vocal range. "Don't touch me, ugly woman!"
Sakura collapsed to the ground with a heavy thump as the boy rose to his feet and studied his hands curiously. Madara flicked the girl's blood from his hand and wiped the remaining blood on his pants.
He glanced to the silver haired man who he recognized as Kabuto and noted that he seemed oddly taller. Catching sight of his reflection in the glass surface of a beaker, he examined the young boy gazing back at him. "Why did you bring me back like this?"
"That wasn't our intention." Kabuto responded as bluntly as possible—evidently a half truth.
He activated his Rinnegan experimentally and smirked at the marked success. It seemed his powers remained intact despite his inexplicable childlike appearance. Dismissing the reasoning behind his childlike state from his thoughts, he assessed his surrounding environment calculatingly. He detested the perspective of gazing up at his opponents. Summarily, he performed the transformation jutsu restoring his appearance to that of his prime years.
"Madara!" Sasuke roared as he and Orochimaru ceased further battle interrupted by the unexpected reemergence of the notorious Uchiha.
"You again." Madara stated flatly folding his arms.
Sakura rose, staggering to her feet. She formed a brief hand seal unleashing the chakra of her Byakugou Seal. The seal spread across her face and extended down her chest enveloping her body in a veil of rejuvenating green chakra. The soothing chakra hastened the creation of new cells mending her punctured lung and restoring the surrounding tissue. As she finished sending chakra to the superficial wounds in her skin, a sudden pang of pain rattled her. The toxic chakra of the Cursed Seal had seeped into the wound she just healed. She immediately terminated any further use of the chakra and reformed the Byakugou Seal. However, her efforts had been too delayed and the poisonous chakra continued to wrack her with pain.
Her piercing screams reverberated throughout the laboratory seizing Madara's attention.
"Quiet!" He snatched her throat instantly silencing her. He curled his fingers ruthlessly around her delicate windpipe and lifted her in the air. "Trying to simultaneously control two clashing chakras? Your pathetic body can't handle that."
As he recalled, this girl's chakra possessed the same regenerative capabilities as the Hokage's and, to an extent, Hashirama's. He decided it would be best to cover his bases and acquire a means of regeneration should he somehow sustain damage in combat.
She resumed her deafening screams as her chakra suddenly began to leave her body. With the power of his Rinnegan, he ravenously absorbed her chakra draining her of any ounce of chakra he could extract from her.
"Sakura!" Sasuke raced towards his distressed comrade as her anguished screams continued to resonate violently within his ears.
Unfortunately, he was too late.
"Mada…kun…" A sole tear escaped the basin of her eye as her green orbs glazed over before conclusively flipping shut. She fell limp in his merciless hold as he depleted the very last of her chakra. The blackened rhombus mark adorning her brow finally deserted her leaving her forehead bare and pitiful.
No longer interested in the lifeless shell of a girl, he cast her away nonchalantly and set pitiless eyes on his next potential victims.
A/N: I wonder how upset people would be if I just left the story there and didn't update for several years. Mwahaha!
Nah. There's definitely more to come!
Please review and thanks again for reading!