PROLOGUE
A blond man stood before her; she watched as he stared upon the beast that was destroying the precious village. Strong wind carried the hot chakra, discharging intense negative energy throughout the cold starless night. Even from a distance, she could see the village engulfed in flames – houses burning, forming thick smoke covering the dark sky. She could hear the wailing villagers, crying in pain for their loved ones – of those who survived and died.
"I need to seal the beast," the man said without a glance.
Impossible. With what? she thought. She kept staring at his back, thinking of the heavy burden that he must carry. Even though he started it all, he was not but just one man who was willing to risk his life.
"For the sake of the village and its people… For peace," he quoted his intention.
"It is impossible to do this alone!" she argued and cried, "Wait-"
But he was already gone from her sight.
Sakura woke up, gasping heavily. Her breath quickened; face beaded with sweat. She could not find her voice, but her hand was trembling and reaching for –
Nothing.
She glanced at her surroundings. Her chamber remained the same – no sight of a beast or burning village.
"A nightmare," she relieved, and quickly wiped her sudden tears away to erase any trace of her weakness.
It was that same dream – a beast was destroying a village, people were dying, and a blond man with his back turned towards her, telling her of his needs to seal the beast. The scenery itself was a cycle of death.
A loud knock on the door startled her, and she quickly covered herself with a bedsheet.
"You're up," said the man as he leaned against the door.
"I couldn't sleep," she answered coldly.
"Get dress. It's time."
Sakura clenched her fist. She hated the idea of being used. Unfortunately, this was the deal she has made with him.
"I'm not strong enough, and my body is sore. Too much has been taken from me. I need time to mend my chakra."
"There's no need for that. That seal on your forehead should suffice. Come, or I'll drag you out, dressed or not."
The man was unfazed by her excuse. He was very slick and careful with his choice of phrase. Sakura knew that he was a bad influence; the type who could not be easily defeated with words. Psychology and manipulation were his best assets to poison the people's minds, turning them against each other. Pain was an example of it. That insufferable man; the very same devil –
"Obito, you're playing a game that you can't possibly win."
She glanced at his disfigured face, glaring especially at his eyes – Sharingan on the left and Rinnegan on the right. Even in low light, it glowed. To one's knowledge, those eyes could be a blissful gift or a curse, depending on the user.
He neither utter a word nor move. His glowing eyes followed her as she moved behind the screen. Even after she was dressed, he calmly stood exactly where he was. Yet, it was not his eyes that terrified her. His silence did. It was only a matter of time that he would seek to strike a conversation with her, which have always ended up with her eating at her own words.
"What makes you say that?" he curiously asked.
"An army of two will not be able to defeat the current Alliance Shinobi. Don't you agree?"
"Indeed, we are short of manpower. However, I once managed to tremble and instil fear onto the world of shinobi with my fellow comrades."
He was talking about Akatsuki – a group of rogue ninjas that started it all. They wanted to use the tailed beasts to control the world. Because of them, nations turned against each other – uprising, protests, wars with never-ending conflicts. They even attacked Konohagakure to steal the nine-tailed beast. Pain was just another puppet who incited this attack. Like others before him, he too was used.
"All for the sake of collecting the great beasts. What rights do you have calling those you have used as comrades?" she pursed her lips in contempt, "Fighting power with power; if you think it will bend this world to your knees, you are highly mistaken. Tell me, your plan – Tsuki no Me Keikaku – was all of it a hoax?"
Sakura heard about The Eye of the Moon Plan, but not in full details. She knew that Obito have declared war against the five great Shinobi countries so that he could draw out the eight and nine-tailed beasts, with an attempt to steal it under the Kages' noses. He wanted to combine and rule everything and everyone under this jutsu. For it to succeed, he needed to revive the ten-tailed beast.
He gave her another calculative silence before answering, "you'll see soon enough."
Just as she was about to leave, Obito caught her arm and pulled her closer, ensuring that her eyes were levelled to his. She could feel his breath on her skin. His touch was as cold as ice.
"Know your reason for being here-" he smiled a devilish smile, "-with us due to that war itself. Know your pain and everyone else's, my dear Sakura, for you are here on your own term."
He released her arm on purpose, causing Sakura to clumsily trip over her own feet. They glared at each other once again; his eyes filled with contempt, and hers with hatred. As he held out his hand to her, she brushed it away and quickly stood up with her own strength.
"Stubborn to the core," he commented. "There's something particular about you that I've truly admired; something stronger and deeper than the Will of Fire. No matter how much I'm tempted to push your limits to find that out, now – however – is not the time."
He walked away and expected her to follow. She watched him slowly disappear into the corner hallway.
Always the one to have the last word, she muttered; affirming herself that Uchiha Obito was a vague man who could not be easily persuaded or defeated with words or skills. The time was neither right nor perfect to strike back. Patience, she told herself; for she needed it to defeat her enemy where it would truly hurt.