Thanks for all the reviews!
My motivation had been waning but then Devil's Advocate by Abel Sephaos got updated and I climbed back into the saddle. I highly recommend it if you like Naruto and female Madara.
Anyway, parts of this were pretty difficult to write but it's a fun AU and I will probably revisit it.
Madara had just stopped to take a sip of water when an obnoxiously bright flash of light momentarily blinded him. As he hissed and rubbed at his eyes, he heard a voice not too far in front of him, "Whoops. Looks like I overshot the location."
Once his eyes stopped watering, he saw what had just interrupted his afternoon patrol: a woman. He had never seen golden hair before and for a moment he thought she was an ethereal being. The illusion was shattered when she swore, "Aw fuck, he's never gonna let me live this one down."
Now that he was thinking clearly, Madara took a moment to study her. She wore odd clothing. He nearly scoffed aloud at her knee-high sandals. Only a woman would waste valuable materials on fashion.
He noted a black jacket peeking out from under her loose, waist-length golden hair, but he did a double-take at her very short trousers. Had she no shame? Moreover, they were orange. No kunoichi would wear such a conspicuous color.
Kunoichi stuck to the shadows. They weren't suited for combat on the front lines, so they specialized in seduction and assassination. They lured foolish men into traps with charm and beauty. An unladylike groan and slouch confirmed his suspicion that she couldn't possibly be a kunoichi.
The only semblance of an affiliation he could see was a strange swirl marking on a band around her left arm. It looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place it.
But if she wasn't an enemy kunoichi, what was she doing on the outskirts of Uchiha territory? Furthermore, how had she materialized in front of him?
There were too many unknowns about her, so he decided to call for back up. Madara swapped his water container for his war horn, quietly took a deep breath in, and lifted the horn to his lips.
However, he didn't get a chance to blow into it. He barely dodged the fist that arced towards his head.
The woman hadn't let on that she had noticed him, but now he had her full attention. She had anticipated he would duck out of the way and smacked the horn out of his hand.
Madara jumped backward to avoid the grab she made for him, but another arm shot out from her side and grabbed his ankle. His eyes bugged out at the sight of an arm made of pure chakra.
The woman took advantage of his shock and grabbed his wrists with her flesh hands. Another chakra arm snaked around his other ankle and she lifted him off the ground. Madara cursed and tried to wrench out of her hold, but her grip held strong.
He hadn't perfected one-handed seals nor had he unlocked his Sharingan yet. Out of options, he opened his mouth to yell for help or at least alert his clansmen that they had an intruder.
A third chakra arm burst from her chest and covered his mouth. Her chakra limbs were solid like flesh, but a constant thrum of energy beneath the "skin" highlighted how alien and dangerous they were.
He stiffened in fear. She had captured him instead of killing him outright, but that didn't mean she wouldn't kill him.
Then again, dying might be better than having his eyes snatched from his head.
Surprisingly, her first words to him were an attempt to comfort, "Shhhh. Let's just calm down, ok?" The woman paused as if waiting for a reply. He nodded. "Great! I'm not gonna hurt you, ya know? I just have a couple of questions…" Her eyes widened and she got up in his face.
Madara didn't back down. Curious cerulean stared into anxious charcoal. Their faces were close enough that he could see her iris in detail. Thus, he knew the exact moment recognition—how did she know him? —flitted through her eyes. Suddenly, a smile lit up on her face.
He jolted when she tossed him into the air like a doll and caught him under his armpits. To Madara's mortification, she spun on her heel and swung him around like a toddler. Luckily, she quickly tired of spinning and settled for hugging him to her chest.
He closed his eyes and gripped the sleeves of her jacket while he got his bearings. His father would be so ashamed to see his eldest son being held like a baby, but Madara was just grateful that she was happy rather than murderous. Even if her expressions of joy seemed just as deadly as any attack.
Mercifully, she waited for him to look her in the eye again before she continued speaking, "Sorry! You were so cute that I couldn't help it."
Now that he knows he's out of danger, he doesn't bother holding back his temper, "Uchiha warriors are not cute!"
"Warrior? What are you, six?"
"I'm almost eight!"
She scoffs, "Seven, then. How terrifying." The audacity of this woman! Unfortunately, Madara's most vicious glare only earns him some snickering and her face nuzzling against his. His cheeks redden in embarrassment and he pushes a whiskered cheek as far away as he can reach.
The woman just laughs and doesn't bother resisting or restraining his hands again. She doesn't consider him a threat at all. His pride takes a major hit. If she had been a real threat, he'd have been dead ten times over.
He was the strongest in his age group. Father had even said he might be able to overpower an adult!
"Ah, there's my favorite scowl!"
Frustrated, he clenched the fabric of her jacket between his fists. She has been overly familiar for long enough. He growls, "Who are you?"
"The name's Uz— Uch—…Naruto. Nice to meet you, Madara!"
He meets her sunny smile with an unimpressed look. He's young, not stupid. "What's your last name?"
She waffles, "Isn't it a ninja law or something that you're not supposed to ask a fellow ninja's last name?"
So, she is a kunoichi, then. "Normally, yes. But, you're trespassing on Uchiha territory. Furthermore, why do you know my name?"
"Um…I heard it from someone."
The kunoichi looks anxious now. Madara smirks. "From who?"
She's not looking him in the eye anymore, "A bunch of people."
"You're a terrible liar."
Her head whips back to face him. "Watch it, punk! Weren't you ever taught to respect your elders?"
"You're not very respectable."
The kunoichi utters a shocked gasp. "Not very resp—Do you even know who you're talking to?! I'm a pretty big deal, ya know!"
"Tell me, then." Madara revels in the aghast look on her face.
The woman sputters for a bit, before releasing an exasperated sigh. She finally puts him down as he smirks all the while. She grimaces and tries to muss up his spiky hair in retaliation.
He overhears her mumble 'smart-mouthed brat' and replies just to piss her off even more, "I get that a lot."
She crosses her arms and pouts, "That's not something to be proud of." He huffs an amused laugh and he can almost hear her grinding her teeth. What a child!
His eyes narrow when she suddenly gets a wicked gleam in her eye. She settles into a squat to be on eye level with him and casually brings them back to the topic at hand, "You want to know my name that badly?"
Madara doesn't like the way she phrased that. "It would be in your best interest to answer, woman. Obedient captives get better treatment."
She ignores his jabs entirely. "Oh? I should be afraid of the big, bad Uchiha clan?"
"You would be a fool not to."
"Says the squirt that was my captive just a couple minutes ago."
"Squirt?! How dare—"
She interrupts him with an uncharacteristic calm, "Besides, what do I have to fear from my own clansmen?" She pauses to let that sink in.
He meets her challenging gaze and restrains the urge to burst out laughing at her expense. It wouldn't do for the next head of the clan to act unrefined. He can't keep the mocking tone from his voice though, "You? An Uchiha? Did you hit your head or someth—"
In lieu of a reply, she simply turns her back to him and lifts her hair out of the way. He chokes on the rest of his words. A large red and white fan is stitched onto her jacket. His own clan emblem seems to mock him.
She gives him a good, long look before turning back to face him. Her smirk makes his blood boil. "Imposter! How dare you wear the Uchiha crest!"
The kunoichi's smirk never falters. "I wear it because you wouldn't stop nagging me, dear."
"Wh-what did you just say?" He must have misheard.
"I said that I'm from the future and you're a pretty annoying husband."
The little Uchiha was stunned. Becoming the head of the clan seemed eons away, let alone marriage. He knew he would have responsibilities to the clan as its leader, but he hadn't thought much about what that entailed.
Girls were weak and couldn't keep up with him. He was told to be gentle with them and protect them, but they seemed like more trouble than they were worth. This one certainly wasn't weak, but she sure was irritating.
Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, he remembers the most ridiculous assertion she had made yet: time travel. She had inappropriate behavior and clothes, but she could just be foreign. "You're lying."
"Am I?" She makes a show of thinking about her reply before turning his world upside down, "Hmm, you said you're seven, so that means you have at least three brothers right now." Madara's eyes widen.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but after you, there's Izuna, Homura, and Shou. Izuna is five years old, Homura is four, and Shou is two." She's not wrong. "Your mom—Kanna—is still pregnant with your youngest brother—Takuto—and your dad—Tajima—picked his name."
Madara was speechless. Mother had just announced at last night's dinner that she was pregnant. He and his brothers had spent the meal throwing out name suggestions to Father before he settled on "Takuto." The news probably hadn't even spread throughout the settlement yet, and it certainly wouldn't be information leaked to the outside.
Most of the clan was stationed at the settlement right now, so it was nigh impossible for a spy to sneak in and out undetected. Someone definitely would have spotted those obnoxious orange clothes. That would mean…
He decided to test how committed she was to her story, "What year did you travel back from?"
"The first time or the second time?" His brow furrows. She does this often?
He clarifies, "What year are you from originally?"
"You wouldn't believe me."
"You think I believe anything else you've said?"
"You seem to have accepted that we're married in the future."
"It's possible that the head of the clan would marry for advantage." It was rare for the Uchiha to marry outsiders, but he could believe that he would use marriage to forge an alliance with another clan.
Madara would never say it aloud, but she had impressed him. His clan produced the strongest ninjas in the Land of Fire, possibly the world, but her clan was clearly worthy of recognition. The Uchiha could benefit from a partnership with them.
The kunoichi grins again and Madara gets a bad feeling. This time, she contradicts his own understanding of himself, "Actually, you asked me to marry you because you lo—"
He cuts her off, "Don't!"
She seems to be enjoying herself even more, "Because you loooooooove me!"
"Liar!"
"You looooooove me soooooo much~!" His face is too warm.
"No!"
"Yessss!" It's even worse when she drags out the syllables! She squishes his cheeks in between her hands. "Aww, you're blushing! How adorable!" Curse his pale skin!
"Stop it!"
"You asked me to marry you like ten times, ya know? So persistent."
"I wouldn't!" Madara has never run away from a battle, but he desperately wants to escape now. Unfortunately, the kunoichi has her arms locked around his waist. She falls back onto her bottom and takes him with her.
He can feel her shaking with laughter and he tries to stay mad, to hold on to his anger at her teasing. However, her laugh is infectious and he can't help letting out a couple snorts before he dissolves into peals of laughter just like her.
Once their laughter fades and they wipe the tears out of their eyes, a calm settles over them. Madara allows Naruto to rest her head atop his and he settles into her embrace.
Father says unnecessary physical contact is for women, but Madara makes an exception for Naruto. He's quite comfortable leaning back into her chest with her bent knees bracketing his sides.
Eventually, she breaks the silence, "Aw man, my time is almost up. Just when we were getting along, too!"
Madara tenses, "You're leaving?" He's not even ashamed of the disappointment in his voice. Naruto tries to rock forward onto her feet but he stubbornly stays his ground. He locks his arms around her knees for good measure.
She chuckles, "Come on now, I wanna say goodbye." She tickles him and he's forced to let go. Before he has a chance to grab her again, she lifts him up and turns him around to face her. She shifts to sit on her knees.
"Stay here." Pouting to get his way has never worked for him like it has for Izuna, but he's willing to give it a try now.
Naruto laughs a bit but she shakes her head, "Future-you is probably freaking out right now, ya know? You've probably got the entire village on edge while you comb the forest looking for me. You're a real worrywart." He scowls and refuses to take the bait. She smiles, not unkindly, "But, you're my worrywart."
She hugs him again and he clings to her jacket. She lets out a wet chuckle. "This is only goodbye for now. Someday soon, we'll meet again. I won't remember that we've already met, but try to remind me, ok?" He hears a sniffle. "A lot of bad things are going to happen between now and then, but always remember that you're not alone. You've got your family, your clan, and me."
"If you're my wife, then you're family, too."
She snorts. "You always have to have the last word, don't you?"
Before he can reply, his arms are suddenly empty. He stumbles forward a bit and looks around for where Naruto might have gone.
He was alone in the forest.
The only proof that he didn't get caught in a genjutsu or have a hallucination is his discarded war horn at the foot of a tree and the faint imprint of Naruto's calves in the soft soil.
Tajima likes to take a strict, but fair approach to parenting.
When his eldest son comes home spouting some nonsense about meeting his future wife in the forest, he gives him the benefit of the doubt. Normally, Madara is very mature for his age, so perhaps he's just misunderstood.
He stands in the doorway of their home library as his son furiously skims through a scroll, apparently looking for something. He can't quite see the contents of the scroll from his position, so he casually inquires, "What did she look like?"
"She had long, golden hair and blue eyes, Father." Rare characteristics, to be sure. No clan he knew of had those traits. He'd guess she hailed from a clan located outside the Land of Fire. That is, if she was real.
Madara interrupts his musings with a noise of triumph. "Found it! Well…this looks like the marking on her arm band anyway." Ah, so he was trying to identify her clan symbol. Why would she still wear her former clan's symbol after marrying into another?
Madara lifts the scroll so he can see it. "There were some extra lines on hers, but I think it was the Uzumaki clan crest."
Uzumaki? "That's a sister clan to the Senju."
Tajima's eldest son froze. Apparently full of surprises today, he tries to defend the mirage. "She's really strong! And fast! And kind! And…and!" Madara desperately struggles to find some aspect of his daydream that will please his father. He's flustered enough that his immaturity is beginning to show.
Now Tajima is embarrassed for them both. He's about to bring his son back to reality when his wife's calm voice cuts in, "She sure sounds nice."
Madara visibly calms when his mother gently, but firmly shoulders past his father into the room. Kanna hadn't begun to show yet, but Tajima knew better than to challenge her when she was laden with child.
His son shows her the scroll. He has a hopeful look in his eyes and Tajima tsks. A sharp look from his wife keeps him from making further comment.
Kanna seems determined to encourage their son's flight of fancy. "This is great news!"
The relief in Madara's voice is telling. "It is?"
"Of course! If your future wife is an Uzumaki, that means we must finally be on good terms with the Senju." Madara looks to his father to gauge his reaction. Tajima keeps his expression carefully blank.
Kanna continues, "That must mean the war will end in your lifetime. Your marriage might even be what ends it. You'll sure do us proud as the clan leader that brought centuries of fighting to an end!"
Tajima can tell he's lost this battle when Madara brightens and shares a smile with his mother. Kanna takes the scroll out of his hands and sends him out to play with his brothers.
Once they're alone, he makes his displeasure known. "Madara should have gone to train."
His wife pretends to straighten up the room, but her tone of voice brokers no room for argument, "He always works hard. He deserves a break."
Tajima reminds her of the obvious, "He's going to be the head of the clan."
"Even you sleep, dear."
Tajima narrows his eyes. He decides to get straight to the point, "You shouldn't encourage whatever delusions he has."
"He's seven. He's allowed to dream." His wife could be dreadfully naive at times. Being too soft could get their son killed.
"What if his dreams get out of hand?"
"Meaning?"
"The Senju are not to be trusted."
"Maybe Madara conquers the Senju and takes a wife from their sister clan as a hostage."
He knows she only said it to placate him. "You believe what he was saying?"
"It doesn't matter whether I believe he met his future wife or not. He believes he did and if it makes him happy, I'm not going to take it away from him. Besides, it's nice to think that there may come a day when we don't have to fight in a war that neither side can remember the cause of."
"'Nice thoughts' don't win wars."
"You're right. They end them."
Madara was panicking. It was amazing how many times Naruto had cheated death, but she might have pushed her luck too far this time.
She had been showing him a new jutsu she had created when she disappeared in a flash of light. Her chakra signature had seemingly winked out of existence and he had spent the better part of the afternoon tearing apart the clearing and the surrounding forest looking for her.
What if she screwed up the jutsu and was drowning in a pool of her own blood somewhere?
Tobirama had demanded they test experimental jutsu in the outskirts of Konoha's territory after Naruto accidentally flooded part of a neighborhood. He had thought the younger Senju was overreacting but Naruto said he had a point, so Madara had let it slide.
After two hours of frantic shouting and overturning boulders, he had apparently attracted some attention in the village. The notable absence of two public figures may have also done it.
He vaguely remembers someone, a civilian maybe, asking if he was okay. He doesn't remember what he said—possibly yelled—but it had sent them running.
Not long after, Izuna and Hashirama had shown up. Once he had calmed down enough to explain the situation, they offered to help him look for his wife.
It had been hours since they had set off in different directions to search, but there was still no sign of her. If she needed help, he was running out of time.
That was when he heard her voice. She sounded far away, but it was definitely her. "maaaaaaaa"
"Naruto!?" He whipped his head left and right, but saw nothing new.
Where was she, damn it?!
"daaaaaaAAAAAAAA"
She was getting closer now. How was that possible? Unless...He looked up.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Of course, his wife was falling from the sky. She always liked to make an entrance.
She had her arms outstretched and a wild grin on her face as she plummeted towards the ground. Madara allows himself a sigh of relief and exasperation before he braces himself for impact with Susanoo.
His wife crashes into him with the force of a meteor. If they had been anyone else, they'd be dead. Instead, Naruto is laughing like a loon.
He shifts them into a sitting position in the center of the crater they just made. He looks at her expectantly as she calms down. "I missed you, ya know."
"Don't try to distract me. Where were you?"
"I time-traveled." Again?
"Where to?"
"You mean 'when?'"
He is not in a joking mood. "Naruto."
She laughs, "There's my favorite scowl!"
He's far too tired for this. "Naruto."
"Okay, okay. I went back about a decade. I met a cheeky brat, but he was pretty cute, so I forgave him for being rude. It's a real shame what happened to him, though."
He furrows his brow. Did she travel ten years into the past from their present, or her original era? Who was she talking about? What happened to them?
Naruto squishes his face in between her hands and says, "He grew into a sweaty, stinky grump."
He swats her hands away, "Whose fault do you think it is that I'm sweaty—" The full meaning of her words sinks in. His face colors and even in the fading light, his pale skin makes it extremely obvious.
"Aww, he's still cute sometimes."
"Naruto!"
