Disclaimer: I do not own the anime series Naruto, its characters, or any plot or storylines within the Naruto-verse. Mikoto (OC) and any non-canon characters within this fiction are owned by me.

Summary: During the Era of Warring States, the Hagoromo clan eventually allied with the Uchiha clan. As a show of good faith and loyalty, the eldest Hagoromo daughter was offered to the Uchiha heir. This is Mikoto's story. MadaraxOC. Rated M just to be safe.

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Chapter 20

Power

"It's done, Mikoto," Airi stepped into the common area of her clan leader's home and watched as a relieved Mikoto dropped to her knees on a sitting cushion located in the far corner of the room.

Two days ago, Madara set off with about a hundred remaining Uchiha shinobi (including Airi) to face the Tatsuya clan head on in a final showdown. After Mikoto confronted him and consoled him about his brother, Madara finally felt that he was able to sit on a private meeting with the elders. First, the bombarded him with questions about his brother, and he snapped at them to be quiet and to not talk of the past. In truth, the passing of his brother was still tearing him up inside, but knowing that Mikoto was there to support him somehow made him feel that he could cope with everyday life again. If anything happened to her, he knew he would fall so far into darkness that no light would be able to reach him.

Madara revealed to the elder's Gyoza Hagoromo's dilemma regarding the Tatsuya clan, and as the clan was already weak and powerless, the elders and Madara thought it would be best to confront the Tatsuya clan and engage in combat until they were either eliminated or they surrendered. Thankfully, the clan surrendered their leadership and power over to Madara Uchiha. Airi was grateful of this, as innocent women and children would not have to suffer. The Tatsuya elders and council declared loyalty to the Uchihas, and would fight for the clan if Madara called for them. In return, the Tatsuya would never engage in combat without Madara's consent. The Uchiha were growing stronger by the minute.

Gyoza Hagoromo would receive no punishment regarding his betrayal, as Madara was adamant that the old man was speaking the truth, and he had no reason to suspect and suspicious or unnerving behavior. Mikoto's sisters had also confirmed it to him; that their lives were at stake if their father didn't bend to the Tatsuya's wishes in the short time frame. Madara planned to send Tatsuya shinobi to the Hagoromo village under the supervision of Uchiha Jonin to not only strengthen the Hagoromo defense, but also have the Tatsuya work as laborers in reparation for Gyoza's trauma.

"Was anyone hurt?" The Uchiha matriarch asked.

"No," Airi confirmed, her voice uneasy, "but…"

"What is it?" Mikoto pressed on.

"Lord Madara was, I don't know, different," Airi said to her friend as she walked over to the pregnant woman and sat on the tatami mat next to her.

"Different?" Mikoto repeated, "How?"

"He was… dark, it's hard to explain, it was like he was pouring all of his hate into the shinobi, he killed more Tatsuya than any of us there,"

It wrenched Mikoto's stomach to know that her husband had killed another human being. She knew it was all a part of the time they lived in, and it had to be done. She was not as strong willed as he was, she would never be able to simply cut someone down the way Madara does. The first and hopefully only time she had every killed someone was when Hiro was advancing towards her with the intention to kill her. Her instincts had kicked in, and she was lucky enough then to even remember how to activate the fuinjutsu. She could still remember shaking in her sandals to the point where she wanted to just roll over and pretend it was all a dream.

"He is still upset about our dear Izuna's passing," Mikoto explained, "He is slowly getting better at home; I can at least get a full conversation out of him,"

"This was different, Mikoto," Airi was allowed to drop the formalities when the two women were in private. Mikoto considered Airi a friend more than a subordinate.

"His sharingan was different too, he calls it the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Airi recalled.

Mikoto knew of the standard Sharingan that all Uchiha were born with, and was vaguely aware of the Mangekyo sharingan stage. It was very difficult to obtain, and could only be obtained through extenuating circumstances. Madara was very reluctant to talk about it with Mikoto, as he himself was not fully aware of its function yet. Lastly, the final stage was the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which was something Mikoto had never heard of before. Perhaps her husband had obtained it as a result of Izuna dying?

She looked back to Airi, who seemed rigid and tense. "It was chilling," she said, "none of us spoke to him on the return journey, we were afraid to,"

Mikoto breathed out heavily, "Let me keep an eye on him," she said.

"He's taking Izuna's death harder than anyone else," Airi commented.

"Of course he is," Mikoto scoffed lightly, "Izuna was his youngest brother, his last surviving sibling!"

"Forgive me," Airi shook her head lightly, "but it's been almost a month now, he needs to remain stable for the clan, we're worried he's going to succumb to his rage,"

"As I said," Mikoto assured her friend, "Leave it to me, I will watch over him, and if something needs to be done about it, I think I know who to go to,"

Airi wanted to ask who, but she was sure that she already knew the answer. Mikoto was well aware of the relationship between Hashirama Senju and her husband. They had a strong bond, but it couldn't be anything more than a bitter rivalry, despite their desire for peace. Mikoto remembered reading the scroll sent by the Senju messenger Toka, it was a ceasefire agreement. It declared that if Madara replied with consent, then the Uchiha and the Senju wouldn't engage in any form of combat for six months. Unfortunately, despite Mikoto's protests, Madara left the scroll ignored.

A familiar fluttering feeling traced across the inner walls of Mikoto's stomach, and she gently placed her hand over the spot where it was strongest. Mikoto sighed inwardly; the baby had been very active lately, to a point where Mikoto was going to go insane over it. She has had very little sleep, as the movement would keep her awake at night. A few days ago, she had eventually found the right moment to inform her husband that his child was moving, but he shrugged it off and answered her with a short "good". He seemed that he was at least pleased that the child was healthy and strong. Mikoto was a little downtrodden when he came across as disinterested in something that should be viewed as joyous and beautiful. However, she had to push that thought to the back of her mind, as there were more important things to worry about.

Although on the contrary, there had been more than one occasion when during the night, Mikoto would wake up to feel a warm hand on her belly while she was on her side. She preferred to sleep nude, as she found the maternity night clothes given to her by Yuna felt constricting and uncomfortable. She knew that he was trying to feel the baby. Despite his stoic nature, he was certainly intrigued. He would remember in his youth feeling his own mother's pregnant belly and it was an unusual sensation, to have something kick outwards from the womb. Mikoto smiled gently at the memory, she only had about four and a half months to go with her pregnancy.

Madara arrived home from the bath house. When he returned from combat, he would first assist the injured to the hospital and offer them support and counsel for their injuries. Then, he went to the armory where he dropped off his weapons and armor for them to be cleaned and polished by the blacksmith's young son. He preferred to sharpen them himself, so he knew it would be done properly and to his taste. Next, he would go straight to the bathhouse to wash himself of the grime, dirt, blood, and sweat. He could do this in his own bathroom at home, but he preferred the tranquil atmosphere and dull incenses of the bathhouse. Plus, he did not want Mikoto to see him like that while she was in her delicate condition, as he knew the smell made her sick.

It was his routine after a long mission. No, it was their routine, he and his brother's. He was still inwardly struggling with the fact that Izuna would no longer be there to help him in warfare, he won't be there to make comical remarks in council meetings, and most of all, he won't be there to see the clan grow strong and proud. Madara had never felt so alone before, despite being nurtured by his wife's love and the admiration from his clan. a hole had formed in his heart, and in that hole he was sure was an empty darkness that will not allow a shed of light to pass through. He felt it grow bigger as he fought the Tatsuya, and it was on that field where he could feel himself turn into a merciless killer. He would imagine them all as Tobirama Senju, with those mocking steel red eyes glaring back at him. They haunted him, because they were the eyes responsible for Izuna's death.

On his deathbed, Izuna rasped his last wishes to Madara. They both knew that he wasn't going to survive, but Izuna had one final request. It concerned the sharingan, if it was used excessively, then the user would eventually turn blind. However, a way to remedy this was to have another's sharingan as their eyes. Izuna offered his eyes to Madara before dying, and Madara obeyed his brother's last wishes. Izayoi performed the procedure; it was painless, as he had sipped a concoction that acted as an anesthetic.

When the procedure was finished, Izuna passed away happy, knowing that his final wish would give Madara the power to protect their clan.

oooooo

He needed release. He had been immensely tensed and stressed over the last few weeks. He would become restless wherever he went and sitting still became a problem for him, even eating and sleeping was difficult. It made him stop and realize that despite how much power he had, he was still human.

Where did he find such release? He went where any man would go when he needed such comfort, to his wife.

Her soft moans rang through his ears as he ran his hand over the small of her back. He then gripped her hips roughly, and continued to thrust into her deeply from behind. After a short time experimenting, they had found the best position to make love where she was most comfortable; she rested on her elbows and knees with a pillow underneath her supporting her belly. Too often though, she was quite conscious of her belly and at times felt unattractive. Madara's desire for her didn't wane as her belly grew and even when she had referred to herself a few times as a 'mammoth'. In fact, the way her skin glowed and her hair and eyes shone during this term made her all the more attractive to him.

He wasn't subtle about initiating it. He didn't even need to be verbal about it. He woke her up by gently caressing her breast and tweaking her nipple softly. From there, he had reached his hand between her legs and cupped her womanly chalice, massaging her folds gently. After she had stirred, she only giggled softly and rolled over to face him, giving him the visual cue to go ahead and make love to her.

"M… Madara…" she moaned his name, which encouraged him to thrust deeper and faster. He was a rough lover, but upon her request he toned it down slightly, for the baby's sake and she had been experiencing cramps after the first few times they laid together intimately. Izayoi assured her these symptoms were all normal.

Soon, he felt himself go over the edge, and a rough grunt escaped through his gritted teeth as he reached his climax. Her walls caved in around his manhood, coating it in both of their juices. He removed himself from her straight away this time, so that she could move to her side and lie comfortably. Panting, she reached up to her husband and in turn he leaned down and pressed his lips roughly against hers in a sincere kiss before collapsing on their bed next to her.

"You've been restless lately, my love," Mikoto said as she reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"I guess," he shrugged, "Toka Senju returned today,"

Mikoto propped herself up on her elbow and furrowed her brows. Only now he had decided to tell her? The ceasefire was sent almost two weeks ago by that time, and so obviously Hashirama was done waiting for a response and had sent Toka to force one out of the Uchiha. Mikoto drew in a sharp breath.

"What did Hashirama send this time?" She asked.

"He was pressing me for an answer, I told him to meet me on the battlefield in three days," Madara admitted.

"What?!" Mikoto sat up abruptly, stunned that her husband had just declared combat against the Senju.

"Your shinobi are still recovering from the battle with the Tatsuya clan," she lectured, "They won't be able to hold against the Senju, if I didn't know you better, I would call you insane,"

Madara rolled his eyes, "I'm aware of this, woman." he stated before staring up at the ceiling, "but I know my power can protect us,"

"Power? Your sharingan?" Mikoto asked.

"My Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Madara corrected her, "I think I've perfected its use,"

"Is that why you wanted to fight the Tatsuya?" Mikoto asked him, "to unlock its power?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Power isn't everything; don't let it consume you,"

"Don't talk about power like you're a well-versed sage," he mocked, "I know more about it than any of you could understand. It will protect us, the clan, and our child." He rolled to his side from his back and reached out to her stomach, caressing it gently with his calloused hands. The baby was still. It was probably relaxing in the flow of its mother's endorphins after their love making.

"You can't die," she said, "Not now, not when I need you most,"

Madara grinned, "I won't die, and I'll always come back,"

She relaxed slightly, and tried to get some sleep that night. Panic and worry strained her thought process. In not even three days she might not have a husband anymore. She knew their clan was weak from the fight with Tatsuya. She knew they didn't stand a chance unless Madara delivered this so called power. To be honest, his talk of power worried her. It sent cold shivers down her spine, and she felt like her husband was slowly slipping away from reality. The Senju were a strong clan, and Mikoto knew that there was very little chance of the Uchiha emerging victorious.

She was awake for most of that night, while she could hear the soft breathing of her husband behind her, his arm draped over her waist. When he was truly relaxed and in a deep state of sleep, he would even let out soft snores. She couldn't hear any snoring that night.

oooooo

"Where is Izuna?"

The Silver haired Senju looked over the field of dark Uchiha hair as he scanned for his rival. Concern soon set in when he realized that the young Uchiha brother wasn't present. He felt a swell of pride and smugness when Madara informed him that Izuna was killed. However, there was also a deep sorrow and regret, for Izuna's death could have easily been avoided if Madara had just agreed to an alliance. The man was stubborn, especially when it came to warfare and politics. Tobirama felt a wave of regret pass over him. He had lost a worthy, respectable rival, but the silver man had to remind himself that he was just doing his duty to his clan.

"He left me with powers to protect the Uchiha," Madara informed his Senju rivals.

"I sent you a cease fire agreement" Hashirama said, "if you truly want to protect the Uchiha, let's stop fighting!"

There was a brief pause, but that only became the spotlight for the immense amount of chakra that suddenly surged around Madara. The blue glow illuminated his being, and eventually a solid form had gathered from the chakra. Madara called it a Susanoo; a powerful being created from pure chakra to act as both a shield and a weapon. With this, Madara believed that he would single-handedly defeat Hashirama Senju and keep his clan safe and peaceful. He was testing his ultimate power on the ultimate opponent.

The skeletal body emerged from Madara's core and the rib cage surrounded him like a shield. From there, the crystal blue skeleton formed an outer layer of skin and armor, making him a perfect chakra humanoid. Blue flames licked at its immortal skin, and the figure grew taller until it almost touched the heavens. Madara was found in the center of the Susanoo, protected by layers upon layers of pure chakra energy.

Tobirama narrowed his eyes, this was the true power of the Uchiha; this was the ultimate power of the Sharingan, a spawn of Madara's true hate. Its mighty roar echoed across the greyed battlefield, and the Senju and Uchiha scattered into the dust to begin their fight. Tobirama feared for his brother's life, as he quickly ducked behind a boulder to protect himself from a wave of chakra the mighty being blew into the Senju's direction.

Eternal Sharingan eyes blazed over to stare deep into dark wooden orbs. The Senju and the Uchiha both knew that this battle would ultimately determine who was stronger, once and for all.

Madara bellowed.

"Hashirama!"

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R&R Please!

I thought it'd be a waste of time to write this fight scene, as it's the fight scene at the end of episode 368 and I'm not overly fond of writing scenes that have already been acted out in canon.

I was reading about the conflict between the story of Madara and Izuna. Obito told Sasuke that Madara took Izuna's eyes, while 368 shows us a completely different way of Izuna dying. I believe Obito didn't tell the story correctly (as he wasn't there, he was either misinformed or he misinterpreted the events). I think maybe just before Izuna died, he gave his eyes to Madara so that he could achieve the ultimate power and protect their clan. Izuna knew he wasn't going to survive his wounds so he gave Madara a final parting gift.

On another hand, some sources say that Kishimoto simply forgot that he had already told the story of Madara and Izuna when he was writing the later mangas.