And thus, Madara takes over the world and Sakura dies.
The End.
Alright, I hope you enjoyed this story! Thanks for reading and please remember to review!
…What? There's more?
Madara's demonic red eyes shifted back and forth analyzing the remaining occupants of the laboratory standing in his way. A baleful silence had befallen the laboratory following the cessation of Sakura's screams.
Sasuke remained frozen in his tracks still processing the traumatic event that had just transpired before him. He clenched his bottom lip firmly with his incisors as he gazed down at Sakura's pale, wilted face.
"Why?!" He roared shakily, unable to suppress the grief from cracking his voice. "You said you would do anything to save her!"
Madara promptly responded with a coldblooded glare, clearly unfazed by Sasuke's aggrieved cry. His deep voice resonated with brutal disdain. "Don't be so foolish."
"Sasuke…" Kabuto adjusted the frame of his glasses while keeping a guarded eye fixed on Madara. "When the boy opened the Amber Purifying Pot, he unleashed the rest of Madara's soul and appears to have merged with it. The restored soul of the original has likely overridden any memories belonging to the clone."
Sasuke cursed to himself as he had miscalculated the direness of the situation. With the completed soul of Madara now residing within the replica's body—bestowed with the pinnacle of his powers barring the Juubi—the chances of surviving this confrontation were bleak. Battling the clone had been a daunting endeavor despite the fact that the clone had been unaware of the full capabilities of his power. However, the Madara standing before him now was the one cognizant of the extent of his powers, the one who retained his memories of the Shinobi World War, and the one who had nearly taken Sasuke's life.
Madara initiated a rapid series of hand signs until his body suddenly became immobilized in mid sequence. A pattern of black marks mottled his skin and quickly spread throughout his limbs.
"Not so fast. When you absorbed that girl's chakra you absorbed the Cursed Seal as well." Orochimaru hissed raising a single hand before his chest focusing his chakra within Madara.
Madara reinitiated his sequence of hand signs breaking the spell of paralysis without expending much effort. "Your senjutsu chakra won't bind me. I can easily control it in conjunction with the chakra linked to the Shikkotsu Forest I acquired. Besides, I can see you lack the appropriate body to utilize your senjutsu to its fullest potential."
Kabuto formed a sole hand sign instigating a brief transformation in appearance. The markings around his eyes extended towards his back as two pairs of horns sprouted from his cranium. "I, however, can fully access the Sage Mode of the Ryuuchi Cave!"
Madara gazed at Kabuto inquisitively vaguely calling his name to mind. "You are Kabuto, as I recall. You were the one who resurrected me in the war. I must express my deepest gratitude for resurrecting me once again. I suppose I should also be thankful that in your persistent pursuit of my power, you still have not learned the consequences of trying to control me."
Sasuke closed his right eye and honed his focus on the Uchiha before him.
"Amaterasu!"
Within an instant, the pitch black flames set Madara ablaze consuming him in an inescapable inferno. Sasuke bounded forward ramming the tip of his blade through the veil of black flames cloaking Madara's body. He plunged his sword deeper as he felt the blade strike flesh. Initially, he felt resistance on the opposite end until the blade subsequently penetrated through his target with relative ease.
"This again?" He heard Madara's scathing voice from behind the veil of charcoal black flames.
Sasuke intuitively concentrated chakra to the soles of his feet in an attempt remain adhered to the ground as he felt the onset of a repulsive force tug at his balance. To his dismay, his efforts had been implemented a moment too late. Madara's covert attack buffeted the younger Uchiha forcefully hurling his body like a measly ragdoll.
He struck the ground shoulder-first; the pain rippled through his right shoulder down the length of his arm. The force of the Madara's gravitational jutsu had succeeded in disarming him flinging his blade in the air. The blade landed on the ground with a noisy clang far beyond Sasuke's grasp.
Sasuke propped himself up to his elbows wincing internally at the sharp pain rippling through his shoulder. He watched his opponent warily as he gingerly recovered himself to his feet. He employed the strength within his legs to rise hoping to avoid aggravating his dislocated shoulder. Madara emerged from the pitch black blaze completely unperturbed by Sasuke's assault despite the fresh burns peeking from beneath his charred and tattered robe.
He had not only repelled Sasuke but the black flames of Amaterasu as well.
Sasuke sighted the deep gash just below Madara's left clavicle—a disheartening indication that he had missed the vital area he intended to strike.
A rejuvenating green shroud of chakra enveloped Madara's body mending both the burns and laceration dealt by Sasuke's sword. The abhorrent sight of Madara drawing upon the usurped power of his fallen comrade sent a combination of sorrow and rage surging throughout Sasuke.
"I don't know if you are simply impulsive or forgetful..." Madara folded his arms casting Sasuke a glower ridden with disappointment. He forced a contemptuous chuckle. "…but you should've learned by now that a brat like you still can't compare to my level!"
Sasuke contemplated his options diligently. He was well aware of the extensive capabilities of Madara's Rinnegan and his ability to absorb chakra rendering any use of ninjutsu ineffective. He had utilized Amaterasu as a diversion in order to land a physical blow. However, even if Sasuke's attack had managed to strike a vital area, Madara's stolen regenerative abilities would merely render that tactic futile as well. There wasn't much he could do to damage his adversary nonetheless bring his third reign of terror to an abrupt end.
The more he contemplated the situation, the more dismal the outlook seemed. Despite Orochimaru and Kabuto's assistance, he still did not have Naruto, the Shinobi Alliance, or even Team Taka to aid him this time. Once Madara decided to immediately dispose of them, he would surely resume his unfinished path and bring calamity to the shinobi world yet again.
Sasuke's eyes landed upon the large amber pot calling upon his memory of Madara's prior defeat. The only possible method of defeating Madara was to seal him back inside the Amber Purifying Pot.
Madara inhaled deeply and expelled a massive wall of flames in Sasuke's direction. Kabuto cast himself between Sasuke and Madara's katon countering the flames with an extensive suiton jutsu. Orochimaru supported his apprentice and glanced back to Sasuke and then to the pot. His feral yellow eyes conveyed a silent message Sasuke immediately registered.
"We'll hold him off. Go!" Kabuto instructed the young Uchiha.
Sasuke did not dither, sprinting as fast as he could towards the large pot. Madara watched the boy scramble for the lid of the pot ignoring the concerted attacks of the serpentine men engaged in combat with him.
Sasuke stretched his fingers towards the lid just barely brushing the pads of his finger against its solid surface. He was pummeled by a sudden repulsive force immediately denying him the opportunity to open the lid.
"GAH!" Sasuke bellowed sharply careening straight into the wall beyond him. His head rebounded off the surface of the wall nearly rendering him unconscious.
He slid down the wall limply barely able to process the external world beyond the inconceivable, pain within his skull.
"If you think that will work on me a second time, you're gravely mistaken." Madara growled raising an outstretched hand in Sasuke's direction.
Upon hearing his distressed cry, Sakura's eyes fluttered open inviting her back to consciousness. For reasons unknown, hearing was only sense to linger before the restoration of her other senses. It seemed that a nuance of residual chakra had remained within her—something Madara had apparently left untouched. She drew upon this meager iota of chakra to remain conscious.
However, this quantity of chakra was only sufficient to sustain her for a single minute before her body enacted its own defensive mechanism of shutting down by falling into a coma. Once she was comatose, her body would conserve and replenish her chakra reserves for an indefinite period of time until there was an adequate amount to reestablish consciousness. She was uncertain as to how long it would take. Days? Weeks? Months? Years?
It had taken her three years of meticulously storing chakra in order to acquire the Byakugou Seal in the first place. The prospect of a rapid recovery seemed implausible.
"Sasuke-kun!" She sat up noticing her dazed comrade leaning flaccidly against the wall.
She quickly glanced to Orochimaru and Kabuto fighting what evidently appeared to be a losing battle against Madara. She only had a sole minute to decide upon a plan of action and enact it before her period of consciousness ended.
Sakura scrambled towards the large pot and climbed up the sides in an effort to conserve the last of her lingering chakra. Following the conclusion of the war, Tsunade informed her that Madara had been drawn into the pot when he responded to the wielder of the pot who was, at the time, Naruto.
Maybe. Just maybe, if she could use her remaining moments to call Madara and have him respond then she could seal him once and for all.
She reached for the lid, wrapping her fingers around its borders. She suddenly faltered upon recalling a painful fact nagging the back of her mind.
Crestfallen, she realized that if she sealed Madara within the pot, the boy she had grown to love and cherish like a younger brother would inevitably become collateral damage. She had pledged to help him embark on a journey of discovering his own path. By sealing him away, she would deprive the boy of the future she had promised him.
But if she did nothing, Madara would certainly destroy the world and dreams she and the Shinobi Alliance had valiantly sacrificed their lives to protect.
In these critical last moments, she was not permitted the opportunity to hesitate. She had to act quickly with unflappable resolve.
Madara effortlessly struck down his two opponents and watched the girl struggle to heave the heavy lid from the brim of the pot. He laughed harshly, mildly entertained by her pathetic efforts. "Don't even bother. You lack the chakra to operate that pot. You'll simply end up sacrificing yourself for nothing since I will not answer you."
Mustering the last of her strength she slid the lid completely off the ridge of the pot. She had only a few seconds remaining to decide upon her very last course of action.
If she did nothing, she would slip into a coma for an indeterminate period of time…or die if Madara chose to end her life instead. If she operated the pot and called his name, the pot would drain the last of her chakra ultimately killing her. Either he could refuse to respond in the scant time she had remaining and she would sacrifice herself for nothing, or there was an incredibly slim chance that he would respond and become sealed away inside the pot. However, the odds were not in her favor and Madara's haughtiness and resilience would certainly outlast her limited time before her death.
But even against the odds, she could not lose. She was the disciple of a legendary Sannin and the fifth Hokage. Her master's strength and courage were not the only characteristics she inherited from her.
"When I became Tsunade's disciple I also inherited her contempt for losing. When it comes to betting my life I absolutely will not lose!" Sakura roared spiritedly hoisting the lid of the pot before her chest.
I'm sorry Mada-kun…She apologized internally knowing that her decision had, in fact, caused her to become wracked with guilt. Despite her grief, she knew she could not display weakness in the face of her opponent.
She refused to let her fear of his name stifle her voice. Locking her emerald green eyes on Madara's Rinnegan audaciously, she shouted. "Uchiha Madara!"
Madara responded with a conceited smirk but said nothing. He spotted her knees quivering in a pitiful attempt to hold her upright.
Her time was rapidly drawing to a close and he would never offer her the response she sacrificed her own life for.
In his honest opinion, it was pathetic yet rather comical—this weak, ugly woman would pointlessly kill herself yet again and all he had to do was absolutely nothing!
Naked panic flashed through Sakura although she fought to smother it before it could grace her face.
She was going to die a fruitless death…
Madara closed his eyes and folded his arms against his chest anticipating the girl to drop lifelessly to the floor in any moment. It truly was a shame. However, he staunchly believed that the weak were never inclined to survive.
"Yes." He suddenly blurted. He widened his eyes incredulously and snapped his hands up to his mouth as if he could recapture the sound that had unexpectedly escaped him.
What the hell?! Why had his tongue betrayed him?
A powerful attractive force seemed to suction his body towards the depths of the pot. He wasn't going to allow himself to become sealed within the pot yet again.
He would fight back with his full power.
Sakura felt a sharp tug for her chakra suddenly overwhelm her. She certainly had not anticipated a fight following the recording of his voice.
"Sakura!" Sasuke climbed to his feet as he noted her struggle at the pot.
She closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground as the pot depleted the very last of her residual chakra. He darted towards the pot and operated it in her stead.
"Dammit! That bastard!" Sasuke grunted as the pot demanded a greater amount of his chakra in order to seal the soul fiercely fighting the force of its suction.
Sakura had mustered the last of her life force in order to seal him away. Sasuke refused to let her sacrifice be in vain.
The crimson red hue of Madara's chakra parted from his body first. Within moments, the powerful suction had begun to distort his physical form. Nonetheless, he continued to resist the force of the pot demanding higher quantities of chakra from the pot's wielder in order to counteract his defiance.
Sakura wasn't sure exactly where she was. Apparently, she had been completely immobilized unable to communicate or process the world around her. The only sense of she could rely upon seemed to be her hearing but all she could distinguish were the incomprehensible, muffled sounds of human voices.
Where was she? Was this death?
The adult Madara and the young boy gazed down at the lifeless pink haired girl lying on the ground before them.
The adult form shot the boy an unforgivably resentful scowl. "Why? Why did you respond to her?"
The young boy pondered to himself for a moment searching for an answer. "Well, I suppose I was happy that she uttered my true name for the first time without fear."
Unsatisfied with the boy's reply, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know full well that's an excuse. You answered her because you saw that flash of sorrow in her face before she called our name. You didn't want to see her suffer a meaningless death...just like my brothers who died in war."
He sighed in resignation and continued speaking. "She gambled her own life based on the fact that the childish part of me—the part of me who wanted to protect my loved ones and clung to the naïve dream of peace and harmony—would trump the current me."
"You're right. It was an excuse." The boy admitted smiling meekly. "But it is also the truth as well. She would never speak my name and only called me by the nickname she had given me."
"In order to for her to accept you, she would've had to have forgiven me. She was well aware of the fact that you possessed my soul yet she was willing to put behind her memories of me and look ahead to a new future with you. In spite of it all, she was unconditionally compassionate towards you. Perhaps she was not that weak."
A brief moment of silence passed between the two Madaras as they seemed to internalize that thought.
"We don't have much time left before we are drawn into the pot." The adult Madara interrupted the silence and clasped the tiny hand of his younger version bequeathing him the luminescent green chakra. "Do whatever you please with it. Besides, it was your idea in the first place to drain her of almost all her chakra. You knew that in doing so, it would cause her to fall into a coma but would spare her life from the toxicity of that Cursed Seal."
The boy knelt beside the lifeless girl and brushed her vivid pink bangs away from her forehead. His hand flickered with a verdant glow as he pressed his palm against her large brow transferring the chakra to its rightful owner. He leaned in closer to the girl, craning his neck towards her face until he planted his lips on the center of her brow.
The adult Madara's scowl deepened, exasperated by the boy's shameless gesture. Upon closer inspection, he noted something peculiar about the boy's seemingly innocent kiss. He widened his eyes utterly dumbfounded by the boy's discreet actions.
"You're not just transferring her…" A parenthesis formed around the corners of his mouth. He suddenly uttered an unrestrained laugh of disbelief. Stilling his laughter, he crossed his arms and casually smirked to himself. "Heh…Always the perfectionist…even in childhood."
The boy leaned back as his lips separated from Sakura's brow. He glanced over his shoulder and flashed his elder version a broad, mischievous grin. "She didn't bet on the fact that I would never lose to her either."
A bright flash of light temporarily blinded Sasuke before he no longer felt the pot draining him of his chakra. Upon restored clarity of his vision, he glimpsed around the laboratory searching for the suddenly vanished Madara. He slammed the lid shut trapping Madara's soul within the Amber Purifying Pot once and for all.
…At least he hoped that was the final resting place of the soul.
He did not remember seeing any flash of light the last time Madara had been sealed within the pot.
As tempting as it was to peek within the pot to confirm its occupancy, he decided against the idea lest he accidentally release the soul. He deduced that there was no other possible place the soul could've vanished to besides the pot.
Sakura rolled onto her back stirring slightly as if she were dreaming. The royal purple diamond seal had unexpectedly been restored to its rightful spot on her brow. Dubious as to how her life had been returned, Sasuke knelt by her side and studied the visible rise and fall of her chest. Although she was still unconscious, he internally expressed his gratitude for the fact that she was still alive.
"I believe she's waking up now." She heard her mentor's voice speak from beyond the darkness.
She blinked rapidly clearing away the discharge from her eyes. Her vision finally stabilized enabling her to see her surroundings clearly. The buxom blonde hovered over her. Her amber eyes initially seemed rife with worry until they eventually softened.
"Tsunade-sama…"
She spotted Sasuke standing behind Tsunade leaning against the wall of what appeared to a hospital room. The door had been closed shut ensuring utmost privacy.
"Huh? Where is Madara?" Sakura asked hoarsely still weary from her second encounter with death.
"He was sealed within the Amber Purifying Pot. The pot was stowed away in the storage vault where his soul can never be called upon again." Tsunade replied folding her arms beneath her massive bust.
"And what of Orochimaru and Kabuto?" Sakura inquired shifting her gaze between Tsunade and Sasuke.
"It seems they were let off easy." Tsunade's eyes narrowed firmly, exhibiting her marked displeasure towards the Uchiha behind her. Her face relaxed as her following words allayed her irritation. "However, they were clearly distraught over the loss of the body they had worked so hard to create. With the body of the clone gone and the soul safely secured in our possession, we no longer have to worry about Madara coming back to life ever again."
Tsunade smiled modestly and rested her hand on Sakura's brow. "I'm grateful you're alive. Your survival truly serves as a testament to the strength I have passed onto you."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Sakura graciously returned the Hokage's smile.
She glimpsed past Tsunade, observing the pensive look on Sasuke's face. He hadn't spoken a word since she had woken up and seemed inexplicably perturbed by something.
"Sasuke-kun? Is something wrong?" She asked rousing him from his thoughts.
Sasuke lifted his head and answered dismissively. "No, it's nothing."
"You need to eat something. Even though your Byakugou Seal has been restored, it is essential that you consume something in order to continue replenishing your chakra." Tsunade informed her punching the keys on a telephone pad. "I'll order you a nice, bountiful meal. Anything your heart desires."
As soon as she received her meal tray, Tsunade and Sasuke left the room to ensure her a moment of privacy. She picked at a half melted ball of mint tea ice cream for several minutes reluctant to eat the food in front of her. Although she had never been too fond of the subpar food served at the hospital, she was clearly famished from her traumatic endeavor to crave the food. Even her gurgling stomach made it evident. However, she could bring herself to consume the food.
The sweet, minty smell of the ice cream evoked imagery of the boy sitting beside her on the bed inside the basement. It felt criminal to enjoy the delectable ice cream without him. She had vowed to help him assimilate into the world and find a path divergent from the tarnished name of his original.
But she had failed him…
The rational part of her insisted that she had no other choice. She had made the right decision by sealing him inside of the pot. The boy had already been lost to the will of his original. If she had not sealed Madara, then she would've deprived the rest of the world of its future.
No matter how she tried to rationalize it, it still did not ease the pain of the loss.
She desperately wished she had received at least one last opportunity to tell him her final words.
After calling Madara's name and collapsing, she vaguely recalled hearing two incoherent voices which almost sounded like the clone and the original Madara. However, she retired that thought from her mind attributing it to a hallucination fooling her auditory senses.
She remained hospitalized for the next three days until she was finally discharged. Immediately following her release, she journeyed to the shore of the Naka River in order to receive closure and look ahead to the future.
She approached the edge of the rushing waters slowly, envisioning the boy chastising her for sneaking up behind him. Even when he wasn't urinating, it was still something that peeved him greatly to Sakura's slight amusement. She wasn't exactly sure why it flustered him to such an extent but she giggled weakly reflecting upon his snappy temper.
Squatting down to the rocky ground, she plucked a rock from the shore and cast it into the river. The rock had created a pattern of ripples in the water before it was quickly erased by the wall of rushing water flowing in the direction of lower elevation. She picked up two more rocks and tossed them in the water.
Unlike the boy, she lacked the ability to skip the rocks across the brim of the river. Her rocks struck the water miserably and plummeted into its depths.
She unbuckled the shaft of her boots and kicked them off in a carefree manner. The sharp rocks pricked the sensitive soles of her feet as she waded in the shallow end of the water. She kicked up her feet splashing cold droplets of water onto her skin and clothing. Her lighthearted kicks suddenly became more vigorous soaking her clothing completely.
Her foot landed on a particularly slimy rock and slipped from beneath her. She shrieked toppling backward into the water. The surprise of the fall nearly winded her although she managed to promptly sit upright in the water.
Dejectedly, she gazed down vacantly at the water as tears began to spill from her eyes. She knelt in the shallow waters and wrapped her arms around her torso snugly. Even her attempts to self-soothe did not staunch the flow of tears or alleviate the pain within her chest. Within a matter of moments, her silent tears became soft, vocalized sobbing and then progressed to loud, uncontrolled wailing.
Despite her intention of visiting the site to seek closure, the memories surrounding the river only seemed to intensify the pain of her loss. She had underestimated the severity of the grief she would endure.
She yelped sharply as a heavy, solid object struck her brow and plopped into the water. She buried her face in her hands smothering the sudden pain but did not search for the source.
"You give up too easily." She heard a youthful voice mock her.
Sakura removed her hands slowly opening her view to the dark haired boy standing on the shore before her. Her vibrant green eyes broadened as her lips parted open in disbelief. She blinked twice hoping the boy would not fade away as the result of her eyes deceiving her.
"Mada-kun…?" Her lips delicately traced the sound of his name.
He placed a hand to his hip and smirked in response.
"Mada-kun!" She cried out hoisting herself to her feet. Ignoring the pain of the sharp rocks pricking the soles of her feet, she raced out of the waters and onto the shore towards him.
The girl nearly tackled him to the ground in her elated effort to hug him. He took a step back maintaining his balance as she embraced him. Without even noticing in her sheer glee, she lifted the boy off his feet and spun him in a half circle.
She set him down gently and grasped the sides of his face pressing her forehead firmly against his. He felt hot droplets of tears land onto his cheeks as she could not withhold her sobs.
"…How?" She breathed through her sobbing.
"I promised myself that if I couldn't find a place in this world that will accept me…" His deep, black orbs gazed upwards meeting her glistening, tear-ridden green orbs. His lips formed a earnest smile. "…then I will create a place where I can live…"
He felt her embrace tighten warmly as his voice trailed off. Pausing for a moment, he closed his eyes and spoke serenely.
"…where I can live happily together with you…"
He could feel a whimper emanate from within her chest although he knew her sobs were of profound joy. He pressed his brow against hers with matched vigor and grinned cunningly.
Would she ever notice where that place was?
A/N: Sneaky sneaky…
Well, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I truly appreciate the kind and encouraging reviews. I certainly have relished writing a plot that was a bit different. I must admit, writing a Madara/Sakura fanfic with a happy (well more like bittersweet) ending is quite challenging and I'm glad to have actually completed it! Yay.
I'm planning on writing another fic but I'm trying to come up with a plot that isn't the redundant, cliché time travel or dystopian story where Madara inexplicably becomes obsessed with Sakura for absolutely no reason at all. :/ Hmm…if you have any ideas feel free to share!
Anyways, thanks again for reading and please remember to leave your awesome reviews!