Chapter nineteen - Red Mist

A feeling of extreme competitiveness or anger that temporarily clouds one's judgement.

As predicted the first wedding held within Konoha was not between a Senju and an Uchiha, but between two members of the Sarutobi clan when Konoha was little more than a year old.

The Sarutobi had moved into Konoha after six months along with the Shimmaru, and four months later they were joined by the Nara and Aburame clans.

So in autumn the two Sarutobis said yes to one another with members of all six clans plus one Namikaze present for the reception.

A few months ago Naruto had returned from a three week long stay in Uzu, where she'd been told very firmly that she'd been out of line using their techniques without consent during the war. Ashina had lectured her for a good hour where his main concern were soothed the best Naruto could manage.

After a week she'd also managed to gain Mito's forgiveness too. Which had been celebrated with a bottle of sake the red head had hidden underneath a floor board in her room.

At first Naruto had been under the impression she'd get hit in the head with the bottle, and even as the Uzumaki had taken out two glasses Naruto still wasn't entirely sure if she was safe or not. It could be that Mito was trying to put her off guard before attacking.

The only attack done that night was the fight to empty the bottle. Which Mito had been a lot better at than Naruto. It was the first time the blonde had ever had sake, and it tasted awful. Absolutely disgusting. Naruto didn't see the point of drinking it either, since the after effect Mito seemed to be aiming for didn't come to Naruto at all. She had to force herself to finish the first glass, and that was far from enough to get her drunk.

By this time Mito had started singing and questioning Naruto about her relationship with Hashirama. It sounded more like she was being accused of something, but Naruto guessed drunk people had a habit of being over emotional. Naruto had once seen ero-sennin cry over lost love, and she'd never dared mentioning it to the man after he had sobered up. It was a secret the jinchūriki would take with her to the grave.

On her return to Konoha, Mito and some of her siblings included Kurou had come with her to see the village.

Naruto had promised to show them Konoha in detail once they arrived, but that plan was thwarted when she'd been greeted with a new round of testing for the newest addition to the village. Instead, Tobirama had been the one giving the Uzumaki a tour while Naruto went to check out the Nara's abilities.

It had fallen to Naruto to test every single shinobi and see how they ranked in their system. Originally she had been given the task since she was the diplomat between the Uchiha and the Senju and she was trusted enough for her to be treated as an ally by both clans.

They had started mixing up the teams, making members from different clans work together to take down Naruto. During the battles she used bijū mode to check if there was animosity between the members, and based on the result and their feelings they choose who was put into different teams.

By now tt had extended to almost a full time job, especially since she could only test three teams every day. It had taken about thirty five days only to check all the Uchiha and the Senju, and even longer now that more clans were joining the village. Naruto had barely been on a mission outside Konoha at all.

The only time she'd gone was with Madara when they had to make their way through Hyūga land to assassinate a group of lightning user shinobi living at the boarders of their land plotting against the leaf. It was the dirtiest mission Naruto had ever received, but she'd done it without too much complaints.

The Uchiha leader was another problem Naruto had to deal with.

He seemed to be confused about her these days, and the blonde was afraid he might still have feelings for her. Madara hadn't come out and confessed like he did during their reunion, but he wasn't really the subtle type either.

He'd kissed her cheek when she left for Uzu, and Izuna who was following her for a good distance on the road had told him to keep it child friendly since Itama was saying goodbye as well. The Senju boy had been very unfriendly with the Uchiha afterwards, and Naruto couldn't for the life of her get used to their rivalry.

She'd never been as much as asked out on a date in her own time, and the one time Naruto had asked Kiba on a date herself he'd been under the impression she was a genjutsu. As a kid she also used to have a crush on Sasuke, even if she'd never admitted it to herself before he left the village.

Slowly Naruto had gotten over it, he wasn't the Sasuke she remembered anymore. The evil and insane Uchiha she'd met after the kage summit was not the one she had cared about when they were young. He was now a friend who desperately needed their help to get out of the darkness. Scarred and maimed as his mind had become by then.

No, in general Naruto had come to peace with the fact she'd remain alone and not have a husband or family. It was a choice which meant less would be changed in the future, at least if the future wasn't screwed up enough as it was.

Hashirama was a very young Hokage, something Kurama never failed to remind her about. In the original time line he was at least in his mid twenties when Konoha was built, not at the end of his teens like now.

The Hokage would soon turn nineteen, just days after Naruto turned twenty, and the blonde was wondering what to give him as a birthday present as she strolled through her home village with her hands behind her head.

For everyone living within the village it seemed to be flourishing, but to their enemy Konoha was like growing weed and there had been many attacks from distant clans who realized just how big of a threat they were becoming. So far no one had been killed though. Not one person had lost their life since becoming a citizen of the village hidden in the leaf.

The evaluations of the Yamanaka and the Hyūga clans were about to start, but after they had been wrapped up she looked forwards to go out on mission with her new team.

Naruto led her own squad and the only two she answered to now was the jōnin commander and the Hokage. Her team consisted of herself, a jōnin named Uchiha Sora, a chūnin named Senju Tōka and another chūnin named Nara Shin.

Over all Naruto was happy with her team and got along with all of them, even if she had a habit of getting into an arguments with Shin on a daily basis. Naruto liked to think the arguments were all in the spirit of strengthening their teamwork.

Even though they were a team of equals, in other words they all held the rank of jōnin or chūnin, it didn't stop Naruto from training them vigorously. Ordering them to join her in the morning for exercises so all of them were the best they could be. She always took the route she knew Madara wouldn't take when he did his own morning training. And lead them into the surrounding forest to torture- em, train them.

Tobirama was on guard duty with Izuna one late night in October, the two stationed by the newly named Hokage mountain. It was a very silent darkness, and the two young men watched for signs of any disturbance above the cliff side with the Hokage's face carved into its surface.

"I heard a few members of the Hyūga clan came to the village today, do you know what they came for?" Asked Izuna a little past ten.

Tobirama looked back to the Uchiha standing about twenty meters away. "Yes, they are talking about joining Konoha." He answered and Izuna gaped in surprise.

"Wha-? Really?" He wondered aloud and looked out over the village again. "Are we… accepting them?" Was what he asked next.

Tobirama watched as a bird flew low over the houses and slowly he nodded. "I would think so."

Izuna chuckled lightly and rested one hand on his hip while letting the other grip the shaft of his chokutō. "Seems like Naruto won't run out of work too soon then." Replied the Uchiha and the bird Tobirama had been watching landed on a chimney. It was coal black but that might just be an illusion from the darkness of the night.

"You know, I have the impression you dislike her. I heard something about her giving you a crooked jaw to match you crooked nose?" Said Izuna, not able to let the opportunity to jab at the Senju pass him by. They had never been paired up for guard duty before today, and they didn't exactly run in the same social circles.

Tobirama reacted very little, just turned his head slightly and then looked straight ahead again. "I neither like nor dislike Naruto-san. She's my brothers friend and she is a very strong kunoichi. I had my doubts about her loyalty in the beginning because of some of her actions in the past. Her sense of duty is more based on her own moral compass than the orders of her superiors, which made me doubt her." He sent the Uchiha a pointed look here, and Izuna realised he was talking about when she helped protect the Uchiha village. "But so far she's been a good asset and I can't say she's the highest up on my list of worries."

Izuna snorted. "You have a worry list? Mah', you're as pent up as always, maybe you should get yourself a girlfriend."

The glare he received from this made Izuna's whole week.

"You know, I heard the most disgusting thing ever from Naruto once. It was right after the founding of Konoha and we were talking about clans and why everyone within the Uchiha shared the same family name. Naruto then asked what would happen if a Senju and an Uchiha married." Izuna said and still felt that small shiver at the nape of his neck react as the words came out of his mouth.

This time the Senju turned all the way around with a dumbstruck expression which had Izuna nodding sympathetically. "I know, I couldn't say anything either, wanted to throw up at the idea actually."

Tobirama didn't answer, but it was a while until the look of contempt left his face.

"I bet fifty they wont even get a hit in." Said Izuna with his arms folded in front of his chest. Standing next to him with a hand on his hip while clutching his gunbai in his right hand was his older brother. It was test day again, and the younger Uchiha had come down to the training field to watch the progress.

"I'm not taking that bet." Answered Madara, looking on as the battle became heated. At least for the attackers. Naruto was barely moving as she dodged their ninjutsu. "No way will they hit her. Naruto is too good."

"Hmmm… I'll take the bet!" Exclaimed Hashirama.

The youngest Uchiha brother grinned evilly back and said. "Deal!"

Madara was smirking and nodded at the proposition. "Deal."

"I think our shinobi will grow from fighting, Naruto. She's very skilled but I've always believed that the next generation will precede the last!" Hashirama said and folded his arms in front of him while nodding at his own words.

"That might be, but those are older than Naruto." Replied Madara and pointed to the two Hyūga and the Yamanaka battling the blonde. They were a team with a variation of abilities at their disposal. None the same, which could make them a very well rounded squad.

"Still..." Said Hashirama uncertainly.

In that instance Naruto sent the Yamanaka flying for the hills while the other two attacked from each side. She kicked the man in the face while punching the girl in her stomach. Making them both fall backwards and groaning in pain.

"Come on! Get serious guys. If you don't come at me with the intention to kill there's no way you will get these bells from me." She sang and held up the two silver bells. She was glowing in yellow chakra flames from top to toe and it was always amusing to see their first reaction to her unique technique. "Maybe I should do like my old sensei and read while you flounder around. Maybe you'd get a hit in at least." Naruto taunted and grinned evilly at the Yamanaka who was growing furious as he got back to his feet.

"Who was Naruto's sensei?" Asked Izuna the Hokage and his brother.

"Hmmm… She told me once.. But I can't remember the name." Said Hashirama and shrugged.

"Kakashi." Answered Madara. "Don't think it was for long, though… Sounded like it was just for a few months sometime before we met her." Madara said as the woman sent an eight trigrams vacuum palm at Naruto. She jumped and twirled around the air pressure with a rough grace.

Madara wondered sometimes if she really had a technique, or was just blindly following her own luck. Or maybe it was instincts.

"They work well together, though. I think If they had been against someone less skilled they would have been doing very well." Said Hashirama encouragingly.

"That's more than skill Hokage-sama. She's freaking powerful." Muttered Izuna and looked over at the two men next to him. 'Even better then either of you two.' He thought frowning as he looked back down at her.

"I always wonder where she learned it all." Said Madara, voicing Izuna's thoughts. Hashirama shrugged.

"She must have learned a lot by being all on her own in such dangerous areas. And she also..." Hashirama trailed off. Remembering that Izuna should not know about the kyūbi.

"Still… Someone must have taught her something. She's using a lot of recognisable techniques at times. Wind bullets, wind hurricane, earth boulder and the water jet. I doubt she learned that on her own. It must have been a very efficient sensei who taught her all that." Said Izuna watching Naruto dodge the Senju and using him as a throwing devise against the Uchiha shinobi.

"Naruto probably picked up a lot in Uzushiogakure." Answered the Hokage.

Madara's brow furrowed and he muttered quietly. "In that case she was very productive, she even learned fuinjutsu there as well. Not to mention learning elemental ninjutsu in the first place, she had already mastered wind before we met her. That Kakashi must have been a very good teacher."

"I am sure if we ask us she'll tell us." Answered Hashirama and cheered on as the Hyūga woman and the Yamanaka finally started making Naruto back away as they worked together against her.

"You're supposed to stay impartial, Hashirama." Muttered Madara and rolled his eyes as the Hokage grew ecstatic when the team started working together against Naruto. He didn't heed the Uchiha, and continued his whooping as the Yamanaka almost managed to get a kick in Naruto's side while the Hyūga's distracted her.

"They're good. I hope we can keep them as a team." Stated Madara and started writing down some notes on his notepad, resting his gunbai against his shoulder while he scribbled.

At that moment Hashirama yelled when a wind slicer finally hit it's mark, and Naruto was thrown backwards.

"Pay up!" Hashirama exclaimed while gloating.

"Believe in our shinobi, my ass… you just wanted to win the bet." Muttered Izuna, but handed over the money along with Madara.

"I should have known better. Hashirama is uncanny when it comes to luck." Said Madara. "You're should take more care though. You might end up with a gambling problem the way you keep betting on things, Hashirama."

Naruto got to her feet and brushed off the dust from her shoulders. "Don't underestimate us!" Shouted the Hyūga woman as she got into formation G with her team mates.

Naruto grinned. "Well, you finally hit me. Good! Now you should try taking these bells!" She shouted as the three of them pelted towards her.

When Madara called it quits an hour later the team still hadn't gotten the bells. It was the third day of testing, with three teams each day. One in the morning, noon and evening with some time in between each group so Naruto could recover.

The blonde was understandably always a little more tired in the evening, and it was also the only time Hashirama had time to observe since he was usually busy in the office.

Madara was responsible for the forces, the jōnin commander as they had dubbed it, so he had to observed all of them go through the test while scribbling down notes.

Not that he minded, it was quite fun watching Naruto waltz all over them. Even when Katsu had gotten beaten during his test, Madara had a hard time hiding his amusement.

As the last team of the day was about to leave they got a few words of encouragement from Hashirama and Naruto. So they left with their egos a little less bruised than you would have expected after being beaten by someone who half the time acted like knuckle head.

Hashirama and Izuna went back with them as they talked about their battle with the Namikaze, while Naruto came up to the platform Madara had been sitting on for the last couple of hours.

"They got a hit in! That's the first of this set of testing. And they work well together. There was some discomfort at first between them, but after a little while they really got their acts together. I'd say they are the best ones emotionally suited for each other as of yet, dattebayo!" She said excitedly and gestured towards the retreating backs.

"Yes, I agree. They did a good job." Madara answered and looked down at his note filled pad. "My, this is boring work though. I wouldn't mind switching with you..." He muttered and rested his chin on his fist and smiled up at her.

"You can't." Said Naruto and smiled teasingly back at him. "I was chosen because I'm awesome, dattebayo!" She said and pointed to herself.

"You were originally chosen because you're neutral, and not member of any clan." He retorted and she stuck her tongue out at him. "You act like a five year old sometimes, Naruto. When will you grow up, huh?" He asked and chuckled as she pouted.

"Come on, we need to get this done before it gets too late. I'd like to go through the notes and write down the documents before it gets too late thank you very much."

He sighed as Naruto sat down in front of him. Grabbing a quill from the stand and stealing a few papers from his notepad she started writing down her own opinions of the last team while Madara filled out the necessary forms. Wondering where the hell they were going to store all this crap later on.

They worked in silence for half an hour before Naruto started getting restless. He'd wondered how long she would last today. She had the attention span of a butterfly and Madara was rather impressed she had managed to concentrate for so long today as it was.

"Neh, Madara. Do you have anything to eat? That battle got my appetite up, dattebayo." She moaned and started rubbing her stomach.

"You should have thought about that beforehand, Naruto. You've done this for a year already and you always get hungry each time. Aren't you supposed to learn from you mistakes?" He said while filling out Yamanaka Kenji's earth release abilities and his own rating of how potent it was on a scale from one to ten. Their clan mind transfer technique worked badly against someone as fast as Naruto, they could never catch her, so they had been forced to use other forms of combat moves.

"By how much did Kenji miss you by again? When he tried to hit you with the earth eruption?" Asked Madara, stopping Naruto's verbal assault at him for being so rude.

"Argh! You're not listening to me at all are you? I don't know. Two meters? I was dodging Hiro-chan at the time, and aren't you the one supposed to have the eye tracking ability?" She fired back annoyed at his lack of response to her colourful nicknames for him.

"-chan?" He asked with one eye brow raised and smiling crookedly back at her.

"Yes, she's really nonchalant you know? It sort of reminds me of Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke." She muttered and leaned backwards.

"You're not the one to use honorific, not usually." Replied Madara and continued describing Yamanaka Kenji's earth release technique.

"Sasuke?" Asked Madara curiously, changing the topic since Naruto didn't go into detail about her honorific use. It was also because she never talked much about her past, most he'd heard was through Hashirama, who again had heard it from Uzumaki Mito. A woman who liked her gossip it seemed.

They sat for a few seconds without Naruto replying. The Uchiha leader looked up when she remained silent and watched curiously at her suddenly strained face.

"What? Why aren't you replying? Who is Sasuke? Kakashi was your teacher for a while, right?" He asked and watched as she grimaced for each name he said aloud. Naruto was truly terrible at keeping her emotions controlled sometimes.

"They're gone. It doesn't matter." She answered and started reading through her notes with renewed concentration.

"Why can I tell that's a very badly concealed lie?" Asked Madara, annoyed by her evasiveness. As children she'd talked his ears off about anything that crossed her mind.

"Drop it. It's none of your business, Madara." She hissed back and her hand clutched so hard around the quill it snapped in two. Swearing she grabbed the next one and started writing vigorously. Studying her closely he concluded that she told the truth when she said they where gone, and that her sudden mood swing was sadness, or anger… It was hard to be sure.

"You never talk about your past." He pressed on.

"Drop it."

"We should know more, you're a resident of Konoha now. We should know more about where you came from."

Looking up with a sarcastic look she sneered. "Do you not trust me?" It looked all wrong on her. Her face was always so open and at ease, happy or serious, it didn't matter since her expressions was usually easy to read. Now he couldn't decipher them at all. All he knew was that the subject upset her in some way or another.

"You know we do." He answered, his brow furrowing. "But that doesn't change that you know a lot more about us than we do about you. Currently everyone here is being evaluated and tested. Knowing as much about your comrades is key to teamwork. You've said similar things yourself, Naruto. Shouldn't we know about you too?" He said getting seriously worked up.

"Well, I've already told you more than I've told Hashirama. I was an outcast, I'm a jinchūriki and I hate blueberries becau-"

"Stop it. Tell me about Sasuke and Kakashi." He interrupted and looked hard at her.

"Stop butting into other people's business. It's private!" She shouted back.

"We can argue all night for all I care. You're the one who has to battle tomorrow without sleep."

"Wouldn't be the first time!" She growled back and her eyes turned to cold, hard ice.

The comeback stopped in Madara's throat as the killing intent flowed over him. It was so lethal and intense his skin erupted in goosebumps and he froze on the spot.

They stared at each other for a whole minute before Naruto calmed down. Her pulse had quickened and her breathing had gotten harder than at any point during her many spars the last couple of days.

Teeth still gritting hard, she forcibly started writing down notes again. Getting irritated, Madara snapped the paper out of her hands.

"Give it back." She said without looking up at him.

"What is your problem? I'm trying to help you here." He replied just as controlled as she was being. Which meant not at all.

"You can help me by shutting the hell up and do your work. Give it back." Naruto said and reached her hand out towards him. He kept holding the notes out of reach.

"Why will you not tell me?"

"It has nothing to do with you." But Madara saw that was not entirely true. Her eyes shifted as she said it.

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Sasuke…" She trailed off without completing the sentence.

"Then tell me."

"I'll attack you if you don't give it a rest."

"I don't care."

And then she was on him, her fist firmly planted into his cheek.

Flying of the edge of the platform he fell hard to the ground, somehow still clutching her notes, making her jump down after him. Landing with one foot on each side of him while he tried to scramble back up into a sitting position.

She didn't speak as she snapped the paper out of his hand, ripping it in two in the progress which ticked her off even more.

Not thinking it through, he attacked back. His arms closing in around her waist as he threw her backwards. They rolled a few times before Naruto got her feet against his stomach and kicked him away.

Landing firmly at a safe distance he started doing the great fire ball technique as she did the earth dragon bullet. The ninjutsu's collided mid distance, and the noise of the collision howled through the silent night.

As the smoke cleared he heard a fierce screeching sound from Naruto's position, and the smoke was whirled away as he saw what she was doing. In her hand was a rasenganshuriken technique, making a horrid sound that sent shivers down his spine.

Their eyes met and suddenly the hateful look went away. The ninjutsu faulted and disappeared. She looked away when Madara exclaimed his anger. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He was actually sweating, he was sure for a moment Naruto had intended to kill him, which was different from anyone else of the shinobi trying to do it since she could actually manage it.

"I'm.. sorry, Madara. I just don't… I can't talk about it." She said and turned her back to him.

Walking carefully forwards until he stood behind her, he touched her shoulder. "You can't talk about it? Or is it me you can not tell?" He asked cautiously.

"I can not tell anyone, Madara. It's nothing to tell… Just another war story." She answered without showing any notice of his clutching hand so close to her throat.

He didn't answer at once, only let his hand wrap around her throat threateningly.

"You just attacked the Uchiha leader, Naruto. You're forgetting your place. Now tell me the fuck what this is about. I can't trust you not to attack anyone else if this comes up again." Madara growled, freaked out while his mind replayed Naruto's last actions. Could she really have gone through with it? Killing him? The immediate answer he came up with was no, but her actions had said otherwise.

She looked back over her shoulder, and the light disappeared from her eyes as if a switch had been turned off. More than any killing intent she'd aimed at him, this scared him far more.

"Sasuke… was always cold on the outside too." She said motionlessly. "He died, and I miss him. Same with Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said while looking back with that empty uncharacteristic look on her features. Madara slackened his hold and let his hand drop to his side.

"You.. miss them? That's why you attacked? You just tried to kill me, Naruto." He accused her.

"I lost my head and I'm sorry. It wont happen again. I would never… I would never do that." She said and some emotion came back into her voice.

Madara sighed and stepped back with his hands on his hips. "I think this is one of those cases where you need to talk to someone about it. I always unload my crap on Izuna. I guess Hashirama has his own brothers. But you seem to be as tight lipped as a concrete wall. So I'm all ears. I'm yours for as long as you need someone to listen." He said seriously.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she looked back at him. Her expression softening as she became herself again. "This is… something I can never tell you all about, Madara. But thank you, I appreciate it all the same." She said sadly, her voice steady as she tried to silently convey that she need him to stop asking.

"That's not how it has to be, Naruto. Just… tell me." Madara replied and brushed a hand through his hair, looking down at her face which still looked troubled.

He did not know exactly when he had decided to do it, but without halting he swooped down and caught her lips with his own.

Maybe he was trying to show her how it should be - it was the only excuse he had come up with afterwards at least.

He wondered if she felt what he felt in that moment. If her sensor abilities could tell what he wanted. His longing for her, the want to have her, and his hate that she couldn't return his feelings.

In that moment, just like last time so long ago, she kissed him back. Seemingly just as lost in whatever this was.

Opening his mouth he felt her tongue enter it, battling with his own for dominance as he leaned into her. Pressing her body as tightly to him as he could. One arm closed around her shoulders, the other around her torso.

While clutching his sweater with both hands, holding him to her, she dared him to move away with her actions alone.

Madara vaguely remembered this feeling. This light headed sensation that made everything else seem less important as his tongue greedily battled with hers, wanting nothing more than to consume her. Make her submit.

This time it was different, this time it wasn't just a growing crush where he tested out his hypothesis. He wanted her. Right now. Naked. Always. He wanted her as his lover just as much as he wanted her next to him on the battlefield. Wanted others to know she was his, but most of all wanting her to want him.

Breathing heavily, she pushed away from him. For a moment all that could be heard was their escalated breathing, as thousands of emotions swirled through her eyes as they looked at each other. One more confusing to Madara than the next.

"No… Madara, I can't. Not with you, not with anyone. I've chosen to live in solitude." Madara couldn't help the surprise that lit up his face at her words.

"What? You live in Konoha! You're days of solitude is over, Naruto. What the hell is the problem with this? You already know I love you, can you not love me back?" He asked as his hands tightened around her upper arms where he held her in place. Scared she'd run out on him. He'd never had her around for this long before Konoha. Before she'd drifted in and out of his life like a passing breeze, impossible to control and he was just one of many she grazed on her travels. He wanted to keep her here with him. Somehow anchor the wind to him, ridiculous though it sounded.

"… I mean me… I mean I wont be with anyone. Not even you, Madara. As a jinchūriki..." She trailed off uncertain how to explain to him her conviction. "It would never work. We drive each other crazy most of the time."

"Do you love me?" He pressed on, ignoring her weak arguments. He'd heard this line before, but the arguments were growing less significant to him. They sounded more like an excuse than a reason, and Madara was sure she felt something for him. Naruto had let him kiss her, which spoke volumes in itself. She'd even kissed him back.

"It's not about that. It's about me not being… Right. I can't be-" But she was interrupted as he pulled her back to him. His lips met hers again and abruptly moved away.

"Do you not love me, Naruto? Just answer the fucking question!"

She hesitated as she tried to find the right words. "I might... I do... but that doesn't change the fact that we will never be together like that. I choose this long ago. I'm so sorry, and I never wanted you to feel like this for me. I'm never going to-" She was cut off by Madara's angry lips assaulting her own yet again, and just like the last peck he gave her Madara stopped the kiss quickly to stare her down.

"I don't care what you've deluded yourself into believing. I want you, and I now know you want me. Do you not see that there's nothing in our way now? Konoha is being built. As long as there isn't a husband you haven't told me about then what is the problem?" He retorted, resting his forehead against hers.

"You teme… It's not about anyone else, but about me. I shouldn't be here." She shot back calmly and angrily at the same time.

"You've said that before, but I don't understand what that means." Madara murmured and stole another quick kiss before she could bite his lip off in annoyance. But her resolve was visibly dissolving. She was leaning into his touch, her hands resting against his chest while she tried and failed to fight him on this matter.

"I should never have met you… I should never have met anyone here. I should be... dead." Naruto muttered softly.

Madara understood she meant it, he really did, but couldn't find it in him to care what Naruto's excuse was. This was somehow not about either of them, just some misguided feeling on her part that her past made her unsuitable for him.

Whatever it was could go screw itself.

Madara would take whatever he could get from her. He would take Naruto even if meant taking advantage of her. He had stood on the sideline for too long and it was time he showed her what could be if she just gave in.

"I'm glad you aren't. Shut up for once. If you're not going to tell me the truth, or the whole truth at least. Then just enjoy it." He whispered and closed the space between them for a final time.

And for once, she somewhat listened.

Author note: Thank you for reading!

Well… another heated scene, I swear they never get easier to write. I can't seem to do mushy romance very well, so they have to be at each others throat for it to somewhat work… Oh, well… Sort of fits since both Madara and Naruto is too stubborn for their own good.