Chapter 21: Sakura's Goal

"Speechless, aren't you?" Madara asked her but received her silence. Sasuke glared at him for disliking the taunting he was giving her. "Now you know the truth about your father. Your pathetic mother got in my way and made him so weak, the same way you did to Deidara and Itachi!" He compared her to her mother for making his men weak with emotions.

Sasuke turned to her, unable to understand what he was saying. "Deidara became useless, so I ended his life. Also, he died loving you while he was trying to help his friend." Her hands clutched and shoulders shook after hearing her friend's death and his love for her. "And your lover, Itachi, grew weaker after he brought you to me!" Sasuke stopped a heartbeat for a minute after hearing his love interest and brother were lovers, which made him furious and hurt at the same time. It clarified the day when she only came for his brother after their fight, and they must have become so close while she was missing.

"Your family had a sacred scroll stashed away which it contains a rare power to make any shinobi invincible; however, your grandparents and your parents wouldn't give it to me, so I killed them all!" Everyone felt hurt and apologetic for hearing Sakura's loss over an obsessive power, but they all never knew that all her family was murdered for protecting their love ones. Everyone was assuming that Madara was the murderer without any proof.

Sakura remained silent for a long moment; until she felt strong anger running through her. She started breathing harshly and tightened her fists which Sasuke noticed and backed away from her. He could imagine the rage she was having right now; in comparison, he had the same emotions when his parents died. He witnessed their murder and became cynical toward all his friends. Without notification, Sakura has received the truth of her parents' death from her murderer's confession. He was hoping that Sakura won't go through the darkness he went and the pain he carried, resulting for becoming an avenger. Same goes for everyone else.

"You…you are the cause of all this darkness! And all this threat!" she hissed while standing up shaking. Her bangs covered her eyes, "You lied to my father and used him after you took away the life he ever wanted! Now I fully understand why he never told me about his past." He smirked from her words as she continued, "And you are the real murderer of the Uchiha clan for ordering Itachi to do the massacre."

Madara nearly jumped from shock. He couldn't believe that she had found out the truth of the Uchiha massacre, so he suspected that Itachi must have told her before he died. Also Sasuke, and the others, widened in surprise and speechless that she learned the truth about his brother.

Madara tried not to frustrate from being discovered, "Haha, you want to avenge your lover's death—"

She interrupted, "Don't pretend you didn't knew that Itachi and I were faking." She stopped him before he makes a lie to hurt her love interest, "He did the 'lover' act to protect me from you and your puppet boy, and I have loved him as my brother." Sasuke became fully relaxed after hearing it was all an act for her protection and devotion as siblings, and he started to feel wrong about his brother. "I have noticed the pain he had in his eyes which I realized that he was innocent, so I had to figure it out myself who was the responsible one—until now." She last explained, "What my mother said from your genjutsu, you used ninjas for their useful skills and assistances for your experiments."

Everyone was impressed with her quick learning. Madara narrowed his eyes but smirked, "You really are a genius—"

She interrupted him, "Revenge will never bring my family back." Her friends smiled in relief that she was not seeking revenge. They all feared that revenge will give a dark hole in her heart; however, Madara smirked for loving the taste of vengeance.

She looked up at him with a murderous glare, "Fight me!" her friends gasped. "I will destroy this darkness and restore peace for my village, my family, and the Uchiha clan." Sasuke stopped stone after hearing she was willing to fight their parents' murderer, but it was his goal to fight him and revive his clan. Although this Uchiha only wants Sakura and her powers, he wished that he could have investigated the truth about Itachi and Madara.

"Sakura! Don't do this!" Tsunade-sama shouted to convince her. "This criminal is more powerful than all of us here! You can't fight him alone!"

"Arigatou, master, for worrying and loving me as a daughter" she said as Tsunade-sama froze that she have known along "but I must do this alone." Everyone can hear her voice with fright but determined. "None of you come in to help me. It is me he wants, so this is my battle I must win."

They all were scared for her life, yet they must respect her wishes. So, they jumped back at a safe distance to watch them, "As for you, you are too late to get my family's scroll because it is already destroyed." Madara grew angry and didn't believe her, "Don't believe me? I'll tell you how it happened…"

Flashback:

Sakura was in the living room with her father, on their knees and facing each other. "You have improved your training, my little blossom," Hanzo happily comments "I'm very proud of you." She blushed with happiness and receiving praise from her father.

Hanzo then became serious, "Now, I must tell you something." She looked at him questionly, and she watched him pulled out a scroll from his black kimono and placed it in the center. "This is the scroll that contains our family's secret, and it has been passed from generation to generation. What do you think it contains?"

She thought hard, "It contains forbidden jutsu?" She guessed that those kinds of jutsu are the only secret for any ninja to gain power in order to win a battle.

"Close," he answered, "it contains the training you have completed." She couldn't believe the training her parents gave her was the secret. "You inherited your mother and my element jutsus, but you need the last one to fulfill this prophecy." She became determined to fully complete her last part of training, so he continued, "it can from anyone you know, or someone who you will create a bond with."

She tried to think from any of her friends who will help her, but none of them fit for the last element. So, she vowed, "I will fulfill this prophecy and search the person who will train me, and I will pass these elements in my further life."

Her father began overwhelmed with her devoted words, and it reminds him how he trained when he was young. "Well spoken, my cherry blossom," he picked up the scroll and it sparked into fire. She gasped for seeing it burn, and she couldn't understand why he is destroying it. "This scroll must be destroyed, for someone from the past wants to get his hands on it." His reason scared her that the scroll is the key for this unknown person to get power; "the secret is within you now, and no one must know this but your future will know it and must keep to itself."

She understood him and never knew the scroll was a dangerous threat for missing nins and criminal ninjas. She watched the scroll turned black to ashes, "I understand." She went to him and hugged him, "I so much want to follow your footsteps and honor your teaching…I love you, otosan." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly whispered 'my little blossom'. She tightens her hug and promised that she will make him proud.

"You bitch!" Madara exclaimed, but it didn't annoy her. "I will get those secrets out of you!" He was so furious after finding out that Hanzo destroyed the key to his plan.

He ran at her, which she noticed him moved, so she jumped away in time. She threw several shurikens at him as he blew fireball and it hit the weapons. He jumped toward her; they both blocked their punches and sidekicks. In seconds, they pulled out a kunai and hit together. They moved away; on ground, they pushed forward.

They fought for a long time; they received cuts on their fist and arms and were getting exhausted. They dropped on one knees and panted for a breath. "You really don't give up?" Madara asked her as she was still glaring at him. "but this will…" in flash, he appeared in front of her and kicked her hard. She flew backward and hit her back and head hard on a rock wall then dropped on the ground. She groaned, feeling the cracking pain on her spine. She slowly moved to get up, but she couldn't stand. "That takes care your moving ability," he jumped up and pulled out a kama "because that is where you will die, Haruno!"

She saw him coming, still failing to move away, and she heard her friends crying out to her. "SAKURA!" Her body was heavily wounded, so she looked down and closed her eyes, waiting for her death.

(~~~~~~)

Suddenly, a black ninja with orange hair appeared blocking Madara's attack with his big sword and pushed him away. Then, blue arrows came toward Madara but he missed them all. Uryu and Ulquiorra also came, "Nice safe, Ichigo." A familiar voice spoke, and the orang-haired ninja nodded. Uryu had come to help her, along with Ulquiorra and Ichigo.

Ichigo: spiky orange hair; tall; peach skin; brown eyes; black shinigam attire tied with thick brown belt; and Zangetsu sword

Uryu glance at her, "Sakura, daijobudesuka?" She groaned lowly, for it was hard for her to speak while in pain. "Ulquiorra…" He nodded for knowing what to do, so he went to her.

Uryu finished "Ichigo and I will hold him off." He and Ichigo ran at Madara and started fighting.

Ulquiorra pointed a finger at her, "Hold still…" At the tip of his finger, a teal-color round glow appeared, and he pushed it into her body. She winced for feeling another ache, but it was helping to heal her wounds. While healing, they heard loud grunt from Ichigo and Uryu. They both got hit hard and were thrown back.

Ulquiorra used sonido to go to them and stopped them from going further. Then, he saw a huge dragon fire coming, so he lifted a pointed finger Cero! A green light fired and hit the dragon away. "Daijoubu?" they nodded that they are fine, "My prince, this man is highly powerful and has a very different level of chakra. We must use our ultimate power against him."

Uryu and Ichigo both sensed his chakra and predicted that Ulquiorra was right, so they agreed to use their strongest power. Ichigo used Hohō and Uryu used Hirenkyaku to split up.

Ulquiorra stood in place and transformed Murcielago! His attire changed to long white robe; hair grew longer and wild; fingernails lengthen; Hollow mask centers atop with two longs horns; lines on face turn black, broader, and triangular; and large, black bat wings grew. His new form made him look like a black demon. Everyone, except Madara, shivered with his demonic appearance and sensed his power grew in a next level.

Next, Ichigo grabbed on his face and a dark black-red mask appeared; it looked like a menacing skull in a white-colored with three red stripes on left. He was like a death-eater with great strength, and he was given great power from a dark curse.

Last, Uryu summoned Ransotengai that will allow him to move freely and impede normal movement. They all moved at once and started attacking; at the same time, Madara jumped away and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan to analyze their movements.

Uryu first began to attack as he lifted his hand up and summoned a double-edged swordlike arrow Letzt Stil, and he shot it. It went straight at Madara in strong speed, but he avoided it in seconds early and jumped away. While in the air, he encountered Ulquiorra who was flying his black wings. Ulquiorra tried to scratch him, but his attacks get punched away. He managed to kick him down toward Ichigo. He swung his sword Kuroi Getsuga! as dark color flash to slice him. Madara missed the attack and jumped away but saw Uryu above him. Uryu was up pointing his arrow and cried out Licht Regen! Thousands of blue arrows were fired and hit him. All three land on ground and looked at the smoky center; suddenly, blue flames appear had protected him from the attack. Everyone stared in shock; Sasuke narrowed his eyes for recognizing that jutsu from his battle with Itachi. It was Susanoo, but it felt stronger than Itachi. It was not looking good for the three; Madara hmph-ed and smirked evilly.

Madara threw an arrow to Uryu (he grabbed one after got hit) and hit him on the stomach; a flame arm appeared and punched Ichigo on the chest and his mask faded away; and Ulquiorra was also punched and hit a rock wall. "You fools are no matched for me. The prince of Quincy is the first to die." Ichigo and Ulquiorra winced for hearing that he will kill their prince first; they tried to move but their wounds were holding them back. Madara jumped up and charged down toward Uryu. Ichigo tried to activate blut to block the attack but couldn't. Uryu watched him getting close and narrowed his eyes to see his death coming.

Suddenly, Sakura Banner! a strong fist hit Madara on the chest and sent him a meter away. After landing, he saw Sakura back on her feet protecting Uryu. "Ah, you fully recovered."Madara smirked for seeing his opponent back to fight him again. Ulquiorra and Ichigo calmed that their prince was saved in time. Uryu shakily panted with relief that he was still alive.

"I have enough of this," she growled then clapped her hands together. "It is time…Release!" Her massive amount of chakra exploded also created a strong wind and thunder. Madara watched with amusement for seeing the Haruno power he had wanted to see for many years. Team Konoha stared in awe; then a glow circled around her and five different animals came out of her—wolf; snake; falcon; panther; and two lions (white and black)—stood defensively with her.

"Not quite you expected, neh?" they all were confused that the rare power was animals. So, she explained, "They all have element powers—wind; earth; fire; water; light; and dark." She waved her hand to the lions and panther tells them to take the three injuries to the others. The three followed her and went to them, having them holding on, and then they carried them to the Konoha team.

After they reached them, Tsunade-sama, Ino, and Karin started treating them. Sakura continued, "My father trained me with water and earth as my mother with air, and they both taught me how to balance the light and dark like yin and yang." That left the fire, and he couldn't figure it out who trained her. "The fire…I learned from Itachi," Sasuke got surprised for hearing that his brother had taught her new jutsu, and Madara remembered she and Itachi trained together and created a bond months ago.

"Those powers are mine," he smirked then did hand signs "they all will make the Moon Eye stronger." The ground began to shake as if he was creating an earthquake, but it stopped and began to grow up. Behind him was creating a large numerous of rising ground; she sensed a strong earth jutsu from the ground. And it had a form of connection, coming from him!

She also could feel the chakra didn't belong to him, yet whose chakra was it? She quickly remembered what the third hokage said from the sharingan vision he battled against the first hokage and got defeated afterwards—that resulted Madara must have taken some DNA of the First Hokage's earth jutsu during battle. This must mean that he used the earth power to keep him alive. Back to reality, she found dirt lifting up and turned into Zetsu; it was creating an army— hundreds of white zetsus!

The byakugan users predicted the monsters were heavily filled with earth jutsu and connected with Madara. Everyone grew heavily worried for Sakura and had the urge to go assist her. Before they went off, Karin stated from her sensing, "She is afraid, but her chakra is different and stronger." They all looked at her for finding out about her powers, "she can do this; we all must believe in her."

Sasuke could feel his heart beating fast with great worry, and it felt strong to crush his ribs. Therefore, he really wanted to help her; his sharingan predicted her chakra was really different, like Karin said. With that new power, he agreed to watch her fight as her friends stood straightforward with faith for their cherry blossom kunoichi. As for Sakura, she felt herself admitting fear of facing a monster army and outnumbered with six animals. Yet, she must stay calm and have strong faith for her powers; she closed her eyes and had a sudden feeling in her. She could feel her friends like they are close around her, and Sasuke's heart—his strong love and worries for her—they all believe in her. They were counting on her, so she can win this; thus she opened her eyes and smirked with confidence. So, the ultimate battle begins…

Finally, it is done. Hope everyone had wonderful holidays…stay tune for the next update; something unexpected will be there. Please write your reviews.