"I knew that from the first time I had to kill my comrades... Kill a Kiri ninja as a Kiri ninja. What does that make me? Am I a friend or foe? What is my purpose and my position? Where do I go? Where can I go? I'm well aware that my entire life has been a one giant lie."
Kisame Hoshigaki
Madara led them further across the valley. Crumbled bones covered the ground, and every time they took a step, their feet crushed down on them, turning them into fine dust. He wondered if the sand beneath them was made of bone, the remains, a generational process.
Mikito saw a brood of birds resting on a giant skull, their head hunched down as they watched them pass. She felt a sense of gloom as the clouds of steam began to increase. She moved with caution, sweeping her sword left and right.
They passed an extremely long, giant rib cage. Madara took point, stepping through the hollow space that once housed a creature's insides. He went towards a dip, the dip beyond remained secluded until they reached the edge.
They had seen them from a distance, but close up the giant ape's and lizard's skills were even more overwhelming. One lizard's skull was three times larger than one of these ape's skulls. Madara had to wonder what might be capable of killing such a giant creature. Beyond them were more skulls, smaller, larger, scarred by cruel claw marks.
Mikito looked around carefully, feeling, sensing, searching for what could lay beneath them in silent wait. Her instincts were nudging her more and more, danger was close. Madara could only look around in wonder and dread.
There was a low growl. The sound came from all around at once, confused by surrounding land and mist, Mikito turned her focus around in a quick circle, sword held close by her side.
She and Madara ran together, crawling inside the largest skull they could find and peeked from a jagged wound in its side. The bone was smooth and clean, and there was no odor. Whatever had been left to decay, had rotted away ages ago.
This is where its brain was… Mikito thought.
Madara gripped her arm, pointing. A shadow moved through the mist, swirling it into wild and jagged shapes, whirlpools of fumes surged and then a monster appeared. It had been a very long time...Too long, in fact. She almost forgot what seeing this creature was like. How it made her skin prickle, and her blood run cold.
It was a horrendous merging. It scaled skin was scarred from numerous conflicts, damp with slime and grime. Spines protruded from its backbones, some snapped off in old battles. It claws were the length of trees, easily…
The creature made them look like ants. Mites. So tiny and insignificant. It was the size of the landscape, if not bigger.
Madara never felt so small in his lifetime.
Its mouth unhinged, jaw dislocating. Its tongue spat out, long, dark black, and scarred. Its stomach clenched and heaved, sides pressed in one moment, and the next, they were fanning outwards like gills. It gagged, and juices began to squirt from its mouth. Yellow and green, and putrid. A heavy drumming sound accompanied the movement.
Skeletons, bones, ripped apart, but skulls and spines still intact, came oozing out. They hit the ground with a sickening, wet splat. The skulls were stripped clean the flesh melted from the faces and hides by the monster's stomach acids.
Mikito slapped her hand over her mouth, biting down on her palm.
Madara grimaced, taking a deep breath.
He set a hand on Mikito's back, and kneaded his fingers.
It took thirty seconds, but it no longer appeared she was going to copy this monster.
She nodded her thanks, and Madara got closer to her.
The monster shook its head, splattering spit, blood, and bile across the ground and ruins of the ancient graveyard. It slowly stalked away, disappearing into the mist with earth shaking steps. Gone as quickly as it had come.
Madara slid from the skull, sword in hand, and reached for one of the skulls that rolled their way. It was smaller than the rest, which could only mean…
"Madara, what are you doing?" Mikito hissed.
He waved back at her with some flippancy, reached forward and stabbed his blade through the skull's jawbone. He raised it up, waiting until Mikito looked at it fully before he tossed it away with a quick flick.
"It was...Human..." Mikito muttered, eyes hard as stone.
"Tobirama or Hashirama? Don't tell me you are surprised, Mikito."
Mikito wasn't sure what she was feeling. Could those brothers be trying to probe for information? Probe in general and prod? Had they given out the order already? Was there more than one clan doing the same thing?
The only way a human could stray close enough to this monster to be devoured, was to...Draw it out, which would mean they had no idea it had been present. Any Domou would have steered clear from this area, or go around. But, whoever was devoured didn't know any better. They let their arrogance get the better of them, and when they were faced with this...
They were nothing but mites.
"Let's go." Madara said quietly, emerging from cover. Mikito moved alongside of him. They moved with caution, arcing their blades around them, forming a small perimeter.
Madara stood tall, glaring at everything to ensure that nothing was stalking them. His eyes settled on Mikito, and skulls at her feet, and Mikito blinked. Madara's blade was drawn, a piercing glow coming from the blade as light bounced from it.
Mikito nodded once, and moved into the mist. Madara kept close to her side, sword remaining drawn. He was confident in his sword-drawing skills, but shinobi didn't focus on battojutsu or iaijutsu, strictly. She tried to catch Madara's eyes, but he was staring ahead.
Her breath caught, vanishing while it was still inside of her. She couldn't gasp, nor could she open her mouth to speak. A shape appeared over them, blotting out the mist and the sweltering heat. It had got to them, without making a sound.
Madara traded a glance with Mikito, both remaining still.
The monster's wide dragon head tilted sideways, as if to get a good look at them. It moved violently swift for such a giant creature. Flipping itself over a skull, and over its hind legs, end over end, scooping a giant centipede up in its tail, turned onto its back, and crunched into the furious arthropod. The two monsters began to wrestle, the centipede's body writhing and whipping as it began to constrict the monstrosity.
"Mikito!" Madara shouted, grabbing Mikito and lunging across the bone ridden ground, just as the whole erupted.
It was a shock to their systems, after the deathly silence that had passed over them for the last few dozen minutes.
Madara unleashed balls of fire, switching aim and trajectory as the creature circled them in the mist. It was barely visible in the haze, flashes accompanied its wicked movements.
Blasts thumped at the ground as Madara continued his assault on the driving monster. As relentless as his attack was, he was barely grazing this monster. It was the size of the landscape, and it was no exaggeration either. A mere fire jutsu wasn't going to be enough-even his most powerful. He needed more!
"I'm going to back you up!" Mikito slammed her hands together.
Madara shouted, feeling a flurry of movement as mist and debris were swept about forming tornadoes. He unleashed another enormous wall of fire—Mikito's wind crashed into it, feeding it, and forced it to disperse into smaller arcs.
They ripped through the air and crashed into the skeletons, spreading flames out like sap from a chopped plant. Larger projectiles probed the mist, and fire continued to sweep through, causing more than one earth shattering explosion.
Madara hissed in rage. Their blasts continued to probe the surrounding area, but he could hear the growls, the lumbering of feet, old bones being crushed, and he knew the monster was still out there. Now that it was aware they were within its domain, it would not let them leave. It wouldn't be leaving.
My jutsu are nothing to that monster! Madara thought, burning with anger.
"Again!" Mikito screamed, inhaling as hard and deep as she could.
"I got it!"
Fire swept across their horizon of vision, blasting away fumes. Madara and Mikito rushed for cover against one of the skeletons as their jutsu ripped through the landscape. Fire punched holes through the dirt, smoke, and mist. Blasts of wind and smoke shredded into the ground, forcing the debris into a whirlwind.
Madara firmed his stance, eyes glowing crimson. He could feel power rushing through him like never before. It was hot. It burned. He could feel it tearing behind his eyes. He could feel it wafting through his hair and making it bristle.
He shot across the clearing, sword held in both hands. The monster was drawn to him. Mist and fire parted, debris crumbled all around, and the monster's mouth unhinged, dripping with bloodied saliva. He slashed, twisting out of the beast's reach, leaping into another rib cage.
It turned to face him again. A burst of fire lashed along its rib cage, bursting wounds open and spraying blood across the landscape. Another blast, the size of a mountain slammed into its other side, and this time the monster let out a roar.
It writhed and twisted, lashing out with its tail and striking the skeleton Madara was using as cover, smashing the skull into pieces, forcing some pieces to gouge into its tail from the sheer ferocity it struck with. Blood oozed out from the wounds, and it flew into a rage.
It charged for Madara once more, huge mouth gaping open, jaw dislocating, and then it snapped shut with the sound of thunder. Old rib bones shattered. Skulls and femurs broke into pieces, flying like shrapnel through the sky. Madara lunged forward, sword held high, and slammed it down into the monster's eye.
Everything froze. The only noise was the sound of broken bone falling.
"Deeper!"
Madara caught her eye, and she nodded, making a beeline towards him.
The monster tilted its head, but Madara couldn't see an eye or eyes open at all on its skull. Not two feet back along its head, not three feet, not even by its jaw.
Madara realized with horror, that this monster had no eyes.
A deep, menacing growl started to rise from deep within the monster's throat.
"Wind cutter!" Mikito shouted.
"Wait!" Madara snapped, trying to run for cover. "Damn it! Wait!"
Madara shoved her away from a collapsing skeleton, and tugged the sword free—just as Mikito's attack made contact with their foe. The monster thrashed in pain, swinging its massive skull so hard and fast it sent both of them sprawling across the ground, standing once more, rolling, and finally getting back up onto their feet.
Ancient skeletons flew, and a haze of bone dust began to rise around them like a gathering cloud of pitch black smoke. Mikito's attack struck, dragging across the monster's side until it flared out of existence.
"Let it give chase!" Madara said to Mikito. "Stay close to me!"
Madara ran around skulls and femurs and Mikito followed, keeping the rampaging monster to their right as the wound their way around again.
"Get down!"
Mikito hit the ground. A flash and scorching heat seared too close to her right arm and leg as Madara spewed fire at the charging monster. It roared, jerking away, before it grounded itself and got ready to charge once more.
She could see a brief look of triumph come over Madara's face.
The monster charged right through the flames, whipped its tail around, and the wave of fire flipped and roared at the sky, and everything in-between. A blast of fire smashed into one of the many skulls, rupturing, then finally exploded, shattering the skull and spewing out shards.
Mikito ran, diving for cover, landing beside Madara on a bed of broken bones and cracked earth. She or Madara screamed, and then a roar sounded off, only to be cut off by a bellowing shriek. Madara pulled her up to her feet, eyes wild, and she fired off orbs of wind, half blind.
Madara let out a string of curses, picking up his speed. The monster didn't appear to be hurt. Fires broke out across the landscape, ravaging the giant skeletons. Mikito was so focused on firing off attacks—her chakra crashing against him like a sledgehammer, that she didn't even notice what was happening.
But, he could see it all happening before it did. The fire from their attacks had spread across a rotting carcass of some monstrosity, and a stream of vulture-like birds erupted from that same spot. Talons and fierce beaks, they were mad with blood thirst. Wings beating at the flames, bodies smoking—they were furious, and were going to be vicious.
Instead of fleeing from the scene of carnage, they turned their rage onto them. Madara lashed out rapidly at the attacking birds, and Mikito followed close behind, picking off any bird-creatures that got past Madara. There was thunder, and roaring, and crashing, and the monstrosity was somewhere behind them. The birds were shrieking.
Madara lowered his bloodied sword, took a deep breath, and whipped his head around so he was aiming behind Mikito. She ducked, turning to see the monster charging right towards them with a purpose. Their attacks rattled into its heavy, scaly body, some hitting him, spouting out streams of blood, others bouncing right off the scales.
It continued its charge, intent on adding them to its meal.
"I have an idea!"
"What!?" Mikito shouted over a roar.
"Use an earth jutsu, I'll use a fire jutsu. We can use these fumes and vents to our advantage and blast that damn monstrosity!"
"We'll destroy the whole landscape if we're not careful!"
"If you have any better ideas, speak, if not-we are going with my plan!"
"Fine!"
Madara shouted, throwing Mikito high into the sky, flaring his chakra, inhaling as hard as he could, and ignited his chakra with a furious roar of power that bellowed deep within his being. He poured more and more of his chakra, not caring about limits, or control, this was about magnitude more than anything.
He would consume the whole landscape if he had to!
I get it! Mikito thought. She had almost thought Madara was resorting to foolish defiance, but he was much smarter than that.
She watched his fire heading towards a massive vent in the ground—just ahead of the sprinting monstrosity, and she got it. She surged her chakra, crying out in fury and pain, and let it bellow without control—it spread to the vent, forcing it open until it was a gateway for Madara's fire.
She crunched her body inward, slamming her hands over her ears. The vent's gas ignired with a ground shaking, ear drum shattering boom. Heat pulsed across the ground and air like a heartbeat, singeing hairs on the back of her neck.
A high pained shriek split the air in two, and Mikito cried out in pain as she felt her skull about to split.
She dared to take a look and saw the monster sprawled across the ground a few dozen meters away, the searing bursting flames had ripped into its side and neck, splitting open its torso. Burning insides spilled across the ground, much of it cauterized, appearing black as coal. The monster writhed once, groaned, and scrapped its head this way and that way.
Mikito had felt sorrow for a brief second. She would have delivered the finishing blow herself, instead of letting this powerful beast die in such a pathetic manner. It was a hunter and a killer, and that was the monster knew.
She hit the ground, crouching low to absorb the shock, and stared at the fallen beast with a keen eye.
"Nice plan there." Mikito said, turning to see Madara walking towards her with hard eyes.
The fighting had ceased and only a spooky silence fell over the entire landscape. The dead monster's fat spat away in the flames. Its gut was wide open. Its heavy and scaled hide was ripped open, ruptured in some places, its ribs were scorched to a pitch black smolder.
Madara turned away from the scene, having no wish to see or even think of what might be in its stomach. The recent meals it had eaten. He closed his eyes, and breathed deep, trying to swallow down the vomit that wanted to spill out.
He had always smelled burning flesh and death. It was a smell he had always been at home with. It was a strange comfort. But, at this moment it seemed harsher than ever before. This wasn't a man who's insides were spilled out, but a monster's—and he had no idea what sort of make up it had. For all he knew there could be two hundred stomachs in that damn thing.
"Let's keep on moving. We can't stick around here for much longer." Madara said.
Mikito took a moment to look around at the scene of carnage and catch her breath. They were both lucky to still be alive. A lot could have went wrong back there, but it all worked out for the better. Madara's plan had saved them both from being hunted down. She wouldn't have thought of using the fumes as ignition. She would have used an earth jutsu to impale, or something along those lines.
Madara gave her a curt nod.
"I noticed you weren't using hand seals back there."
Madara scoffed lightly, but smirked briefly."That would have been a waste of time. I am not worried about control or ratios, I am only worried about the magnitude of my attacks. Hand seals will only hold me back, it seems."
Mikito nodded. "I agree with you. That thing that tried to shred us into tiny pieces was the first, and we're on their turf now."
"I'm still going north." Madara said with true passion.
"Are you sure?" Mikito asked.
The question brought them both to a stop on a wooden slope, sun and rain smacking them through the trees, and insects and other vermin began to buzz around them. Atmosphere was intense. Humid. The air was thick.
"That thing we just killed...The gorog could pick it up, and eat it—like a morsel."
Madara stared Mikito dead in the eyes. It almost seemed longer than necessary, but she wasn't budging, and neither wa here. Mikito wasn't bluffing about that statement.
"Doesn't change a thing. We're going north, and we'll do the same thing to it, that we did to whatever the hell this thing was."
"Why do you want to go there?"
"Strength. Power." Madara said.
"Fair enough, but don't mind me for asking. I just want to make sure." Mikito replied.
Madara knew Mikito would follow him to hell and back, and she had many times in the past. But, she wanted to make sure—there was no doubt in his mind. If there was ever doubt, that would mean an opening, and Mikito didn't like being vulenrable.
The stench of death did nothing to lessen his determination or resolve. This was about survival and nothing more or less than survival. The world of safety, the compound, was very far away. They climbed out of the valley of bones, and once they got beyond the slopes, they were back in the jungle.
Though they were both hurting and exhausted, they still moved swiftly, alert to any and all dangers, and covering ground silently. Madara was more than impressed—he didn't have a high opinion of women before Mikito came along. He would imagine he would have had to carry any women that he knew remotely through this, but Mikito hung tough.
He really did love her, and he could only feel guilt and shame for not being able to say it...Even if he knew it wasn't necessary, and Mikito knew he did love her…
He wanted to be able to say it…
"Madara, about that skull back there..."
Madara arched a brow. "The human one?"
"Yes." Mikito nodded strongly. "I think someone is trying to probe us. Our movements have been quiet since we took out the nobles."
"It's probably Tobirama. He's a bastard like that." Madara replied.
Mikito scowled. "He likes to delegate, I doubt it was him personally. Whoever he sent will be killed. I am certain Haji or one of the Subatsu will deal with those spies if someone we know doesn't beat them to it."
Madara tilted his head, curious. "What makes you so sure?"
"Syrus has a temper than can be worse than mine, depending on the situation." Mikito said, smirking.
"He could have sent Disuke. He is crafty and difficult to deal with." Madara ventured,
"That could have been his skull that monster puked up."
Madara grimaced at the memory, focusing on the vegetation around them. "What if it wasn't Disuke or any Senju?"
"Then...It would have to be the Sarutobi, Hyuga, or Inuzuka. I am not certain the Aburame would tread into our territory just to scope things out. They are reclusive by nature and aren't confrontational normally."
Madara thought about it, and then shrugged it off. It was no big deal considering whoever it was, was getting devoured at this very moment or about to be killed by someone. "Let's just keep moving. We need to find somewhere to rest before night comes."
"That...We do..." Mikito agreed. "There should be a place, if I remember right. There's a body of water, trees, and small mountains to keep us covered."
"Like that lagoon before?"
Mikito's eyebrow twitched. Was Madara being snarky? "Different. Nothing lives in this except for fish, and more fish. It is just the trek there that will be complicated-we are going to deal with a lot of predators."
Madara mulled it over, before parting some space for Mikito. "You lead in that case."
Mikito stepped ahead, chopping her way inland. Heat hung like a noose. Insects and other creepy crawlies buzzed about, scurrying across the jungle floor. Plants scratched, struggling to ravage soft skin. There were shapes and shadows running for cover coming from all around at once.
Ever since the sun went down Madara felt nervous. He was more nervous than before. More alert. More apt to strike. Mikito at least seemed to enjoy the fact the sweltering heat was now gone, and the relative calm. They were exhausted. The heat had sucked the energy out of them and drenched them with sweat, but they continued on. Madara never let Mikito see just how tired he was.
The ground shook.
Tingles of anticipation rocked his body and being. Like electric currents running up and down his spine. If they faced whatever this was making so much noise, they would lose. Mikito waved, and they crouched under trees and foliage. The giant lizard stepped out before them, on two legs, standing straight up, mouth covered with layers of razor teeth.
It was the size of four mountains. Madara had been up close to the beasts here before, but this one seemed to be nastier than the rest. If it seen them right now, it would trample them. They would be squashed like insects.
The lizard looked down at its feet, eyeing something on the ground. Madara wasn't sure if had spotted them, or was after something else.
"Tracks..." Mikito barely whispered.
Madara looked at the tracks on the hillside and that clawed into the valley. Hand prints also spotted every other place. The markings were all just as huge as this monster was, if not bigger. The monster-lizard came closer, and lowered itself to sniff the ground. It stood straight up again and followed the tracks, and without pausing, lunged from the ridge line.
Madara ran, leaping over the tracks in the ground and reached the valley's edge to see the lizard streaking down. Its massive legs gouged into the ground, its tail swinging left to right, it moved with grace and speed Madara couldn't help but admire. It defied gravity as it descended further down, dislodging boulders and trees as it went.
It paused, crouching towards an opening in the ground. Madara couldn't guess what it was. It didn't look like a crater. It was just an opening, jagged as it was, and didn't look to be created from human hands or means. It braced its skull against the tower, bracing its back, and roared as it started to exert force. Its muscles rippled beneath its thick, scaly skin, its chest expanded, and the tower of earth began to topple.
The sound was beyond comprehension. It was an earthquake from one end of the valley to the next, bouncing back and forth, the mountain of rocks smashed into the jagged openings, and the deeper ones that were beside them. The mountain of boulders and earth continued to fall for ten straight minutes without any end in sight.
"Sealing something in..." Madara muttered, and he observed the footprints and hand prints the monster had been examining before.
He didn't want to know or guess what could have made them, only time would tell.
Rumblings in the valley made him jerk his head, and for a second, he thought perhaps one of his and Mikito's attacks had strayed too far away and crashed into it from an unknown trajectory. But, the sounds came from the monster itself and four more as they crashed and smashed into the valley itself in a battle for survival. It roared, a loud, unforgiving sound, and it traveled through the valley, all the way up to them, along with the crunch of bone.
"Don't do it..." Mikito muttered, looking Madara in the eye. "Night is a dangerous time, and that conflict will bring more..."
Madara followed her finger, and deeper in the valley, miles from them, he could hear roars and shrieks.
"Noted."
The landscape was all messed up. They traversed through jungle, and then they started to push their way through more jungle. Small trees surrounded them. The stems were as thick and solid as cement, the leaves sharp as any blade or sword. Their knuckles were sliced open from the leaves' edges.
Mikito paused, and took a breath.
A dark shape scurried out of sight within seconds.
"Are you okay?" Madara asked.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?."
"We have to keep moving. We can't afford the luxury of stopping and taking a breath."
"Mikito, we can stop..."
"No."
"If you need a drink of water, take one."
"I am fine. I just have to keep moving."
"Fine."
They headed into a thicker patch of jungle, even more massive and tangled than the last patch. Mikito took point, hacking into the stalks and stems, carving a path forward. She had cuts on her legs and arms, and they began to sting. Sweat was pouring into them, and more than once she blinked to keep the burning liquid from them.
Madara grunted, cutting his arms on nearby leaves.
"Something is rotten here." Mikito said.
"Like something is dead..." Madara said, wiping his forehead.
Mikito looked around, lifting her sword arcing left and then right. Nothing. It was jungle, it was just jungle. But, she could smell that something was around, and it was close.
"It smells like something is alive and eating something that is decaying..."
Madara observed her, and carefully stepped around her, taking point. He raised his sword, and swiped, cutting through a few dozen stems in one go. They fell and clattered, clearing up some of their viewing space.
"Not good..." Mikito whispered, crouching close to him. She felt safe when she was close to him. "We need to get out of here. We're being stalked. Something is watching us."
He nodded, feeling every muscle in his body starting to contract. It was automatic. On reflex. He was preparing for battle. Beside him, Mikito went as still as statue. It looked as if she wasn't even breathing, there wasn't a rise of fall to her bosom.
Madara took a breath, and took a step forward. They couldn't go back the way they came—he had no idea how to get back, if he had to be honest. More importantly he had his objective in mind, and nothing would sway him from it.
"I know." Madara finally replied.
Mikito set her stance, and took a deep breath. "Here they come!""
Madara arced his blade to his side, hacking through thick stems, and staring as a heavy, dark fluid splattered. It smelled sweet, and moved slower the syrup. The end fell by his foot, and began to move. He sped forward, Sharingan pinpointing every segment and joint. Whatever was around them, had a lot of legs.
He hacked and hacked, struggling to avoid the runny black fluid.
"You have to be kidding me!" Mikito shouted.
A thick stem punched down, and she raised her blade, skewering it through the middle. The fluid gushed, and she shifted her wrist, cutting through most of its left side. Her eyes raced upward, blade following her line of vision. Leaves came to life around them as they began to shout.
Mikito hissed, while Madara growled—staring up at their predator.
More flashes erupted around them, and they struggled not to growl.
A spider, Giant. Its body the size of a mountain, long legs holding up its bright orange body.
It was bigger than the last one...
Now they were prey.
It mandibles clicked together with the prospect of food.
Venom began to well up and drip from the wet puncturing fangs.
Madara opened up, a burst of fire gushing from his lips, flames licking beside him as they pushed against the monstrosity.
Mikito's vision blurred, She blinked. Something sticky, warm, and wet landed across her face, chest, arms, and waist. She twisted and turned, wresting with her blade, cutting, but it was like moving underwater.
Caught in the web!
The giant spider had sprayed her with silk when she cut off more than five of its legs, and now it was drawing her up. She took a deep breath, firing invisible blades of wind, She heard a roaring close by, the ferocious flames expelled by her husband.
"Katon-!" Madara shouted.
His voice was coming from the end of a tunnel.
Mikito thrashed, twisting and flipping her body, blade continuing to cut, though it was lighter than air, but stronger than steel. She heard Madara again, and more fire spewed about like a devouring tsunami. She looked up…
And, she could see her reflection in the spider's eyes.
A shadow flashed across the nearby area. She caught the movement, almost a blur, but her eyes could make it out. There had been multiple moving. Fourteen in total.
Here and now…
They were cornered.
Three hundred shadows emerged. They had sharp teeth, and ragged fur with tufts. Cold green and red eyes shone brightly in their bloodshot cornea. Saliva came from their maws, their breath was horrid, and they were all twenty foot to the shoulder. The smallest was ten feet. The largest was just short of forty feet.
The beasts growled, long muzzles contorting. Their eyes glowed, and they opened their mouths, panting. They exuded murderous intent their thirst for blood was thick on his skin like his sweat.
Among them were feline-beasts. Red and yellow in color, bodies rippling with muscles under their thick fur. Long fangs extended from the mouths-their canines coming up and down like saws. They were all twenty feet to the shoulder, and the largest was sixty feet..
Madara could feel his vision shifting, becoming sharper, there was more clarity...He could see everything.
"Mikito!"
"I'm going to flank you-I'll kill the spider!"
Mikito and Madara were bloodied, dirty, sweaty, and exhausted. They couldn't even raise their feet to walk, or move their legs, so they slid their feet through the ground. They were naked again, their clothes too covered in blood or silk to put on after that battle. There were no monsters or beasts lurking about, thankfully. Sometimes there was a rustle of movement, but they would quickly pass. Mikito followed a river upstream into a wide marshland and swamp, the route divided into hundreds of more rivers and streams, making navigation close to impossible.
They decided to stop, finding some cover, and struggled to gather their breath.
"You okay?" Madara rasped, entire body heaving.
"Ye...s."
Madara grimaced-Mikito's response was a mere painful wheeze.
He frowned for a moment, checking their surroundings. He wouldn't push on any further. He could barely breathe, and Mikito was barely breathing at all. She was covered in sweat, her legs were shaking, her arms were shaking, and her toned body was rippling from exertion. They couldn't press on until they gathered enough strength to push ahead.
He sat down on a log.
It moved.
He heard Mikito's breath catch-a sharp sound, that must have caused her pain.
His own lungs were on fire as he lunged off the log, just as if shifted upright. Its base dug into the soil, starting to tear a trench, and finally left a gouge as it lifted its immense weight overhead.
Madara raced backwards, while Mikito managed to stagger back. Surprise and shock took away everything for a second. Madara grabbed onto Mikito, and pulled her towards him, somehow remaining upright the entire time as the stick insect lifted itself to its full height.
It must have been eighty feet tall, at least. Its legs were immense and heavily spiked. Its head was the size of an island, bulbous, black eyes rolled and flicked in every direction at its took in its surroundings. All at once, its attention focused on the two of them, it faced down, and hissed.
The beast kept pace with him. Its legs slammed down around them as fast as they ran, and he knew eventually he was going to have to fight. Madara hissed, tripping, and rolling down. Mikito fell into a tumble down the same slope, smashing into the same tree Madara had seconds prior. Madara thought of pelting it with a fire jutsu, but that would barely graze its thick shell.
He looked at Mikito, and she nodded.
They turned around, both drawing their swords like lightning, ready to fend off the coming attack. The insect leaned in close, punching its legs down into the earth to support its immense weight. Its head was even more horrible and horrendous up close. It had hundreds of eyes, all flicking in different directions. Its teeth were long, jagged, and sharp.
Madara could smell death in its breath.
"I'll strike it first, and then you go in for the kill. Shred right through it." Madara grunted, gripping his sword harder.
The insect froze above them, and a second later it backed away. Madara held his breath, watching it with wild eyes. It probably couldn't see them because they were now standing still. But, it could be sizing them up for a kill.
It charged in a flash, and Madara raced ahead to meet it head on. He heard a roar, and the ground shifted at his feet, and he was forced to jump. Spikes, and one larger harpoon of earth ripped and gouged across the narrow space. The beast was impaled, its legs punctured and ripped, though they remained strong. More spikes pierced into its hard body, piercing into its eyes and lacerating the rest of its body.
Mikito glared at the monstrous insect, teeth grit. She let out a rasp, falling to her chest.
Madara raced for her, making sure to watch the jutsu finish, sending the insect flying into the earth a few meters away. Debris and projectiles were kicked up, and a huge cloud began to form around the area.
"That was reckless!" Madara snapped, hauling Mikito up, using his body to support her own.
"Doesn't matter...Look..." Mikito breathed out.
"How can you say it doesn't matter? You are exhausted!"
"There we go. Water." She said, relief in her tone.
Just ahead was clear, fresh water.
"Are we close?" Madara asked, a little edgy.
He couldn't see anything.
"Very, come on!"
She moved down a shallow creek with Madara's assistance. They would be able to follow its course upstream. Their trek should be easier this way, with less foliage and creepers to whack their way through. They could move faster to their shelter. The water flowed and tumbled along its jagged, crooked path, throwing rainbows above them.
Dragonflies buzzed about in groups, swooping through the air at breakneck speeds, giving them the appearance of traveling silver and indigo. Frogs, toads, and other amphibians leapt along the marshy edges or piled into the water, and the subtle flashes beneath the water signaled fish.
It took another twenty minutes, but they finally came upon a wide river that widened into a valley nestled between mountains and trees. Mikito fell into the shadow of a rock, crept forward through the mud of the riverbank, leaned out, and cupped her hands.
She sipped the water, eyes lighting up. She turned back to face Madara. "Fresh water, husband."
Madara crouched down beside her and cupped his own hands. He let them fill with water, and he sipped slowly. Clean, fresh water. He sighed in relief, and scooped another handful. He sipped the water until it was gone.
He took out his canteen and filled it to the top with the water. He got three more from a storage seal on his person, and filled them as well. One could never have too much water in this place—between moving and sweating, someone would get heat stroke or dehydration—shinobi or not.
"How are your wounds?" Mikito ventured.
Madara took off his kimono and haori, examining the cuts all over his arms and sides. The leaves of some plants were relentless and weren't satisfied until they spilled out blood from his body. It was mortifying to think they got some sustenance out of his blood.
"Nothing major. Just come scrapes."
Mikito washed his wounds without saying a word, and he allowed her to clean him good. He sighed as the water washed over his back and torso, leaking down his arms, and he felt a strange warmth spread through him as he watched Mikito slide her hands across his form.
She had always been the medic between the two of them. He could hardly be considered mediocre in the esoteric art of healing. Uchiha didn't train in healing—they trained for war and killing. He could heal a small wound, but that was about it.
Still, he washed her wounds with the same care and attention she had shown him. She sighed blissfully and leaned against him, and he tried not to scold her for doing such a thing. He slid his hands across her torso and arms, and she gripped his wrists when they got close to her bosom.
"Not now." Madara said.
"I know." Mikito was breathing heavy. "Just give me a minute to get my head straight."
Madara let her wrestle with the surging feeling of arousal until it finally passed. It took a little while, but Mikito regained control and put her kimono and haori back on. He looked around at their surroundings, careful not to overlook anything, even the smallest pebble was under his powerful gaze.
"Thank you." Mikito murmured, rubbing the water from her arms. "Notice anything different about yourself?"
Madara entertained her, and looked into the placid surface. How deceptive that calm surface appeared to the eye, even to his Sharingan eyes, but he knew better now. But, Mikito assured him that there were no giant squids, octopuses, apes, or any other beasts around here—only fish.
Giant fish, but just fish.
His breath caught as he seen his reflection—crimson was overwhelming everything, and it almost oozed out from his eyes.
He felt a surge of excitement rush through him, and he could barely keep the smirk from smearing across his face. "It's been activated this whole time...I don't feel a thing, though..."
Mikito nodded, proud. "I'd say that is tremendous progress."
Madara was almost slack jawed. He turned to Mikito, and felt himself moving towards her with purpose. It was slow and methodical, but he was moving.
Mikito tapped her hands on his chest, smiling. She could barely keep him away. "I'm going to get our shelter ready, do you mind getting the fish for our meal?"
"It's just going to be on a stick. I might burn it."
"That's fine. I can find some spices, maybe. Just watch the fish so it doesn't burn."
Madara felt his body tense, and he gripped Mikito by the shoulder. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he did. "Wait."
Mikito slowly turned, not moving his hand off her shoulder. "Why are you so tense?"
"I have a question..."
Mikito arched a brow. "You paused."
"Yes."
"What is your question?"
Madara let go of her shoulder, steeling himself. "What is your opinion of Rikudo? Hagoromo? Indra? Ashura?"
Mikito couldn't hide her shock or surprise. Madara didn't really ask her about her opinions pertaining to the shinobi lore.
"Rikudo, the Sage who saved the world-was a failure. A fool. He chose one son over the other, when both brothers should have worked together. His ways and views spun the world into what it is now today. Indra believed that power, and power alone was the key to peace. Ashura believed that love, and love alone was the key to peace. Both brothers had their points-to be stern, to be forgiving, to be strict, to be lenient. They say...Indra turned on his family, and hated his brother to his grave, but there is nothing that says why Indra adopted this attitude. When Rikudo chose Ashura to be his successor-Indra wasn't bitter nor angry. He helped Ashura as an adviser of sorts. So, all three of them are failures, and are the reason why we are in the mess we are today. This dark and bloody era, that has went on for thousands of centuries."
Madara's expression didn't change.
"What is your opinion pertaining to ninshu and ninjutsu?"
Mikito shifted a centimeter, looking Madara in the eye.
She always stared him in the eyes, even when they were at each other's throats.
"Ninshu, was developed to bring understanding between people. What I mean is-it helped people understand one another. They could pray for each other. Provide for each other. Through chakra-we connect with each other. Our lives. Our experiences. Our quirks. We are all connected."
"And, ninjutsu?"
"Hold on, I am not finished." Mikito said, tone strong. "Rikudo-who created ninshu believed that one's power should not be greater than another's. If the power is accumulated into one person, then it increases the possibility that the person will become hubris and desire even greater power. But, he was the strongest person around, and his chakra was the greatest. So, how can he speak with such arrogance, when he himself grew to be hubris...I digress..."
Madara was feeling something he hadn't felt from Mikito in the time he had known her. Bitterness. There was a silent, burning fury emanating from her. The bitterness she felt, was feeding that fire.
He remained silent, mulling over every last one of her words she had spoken since he asked these questions.
"Ninjutsu is the complete opposite of ninshu. It wasn't developed for people to understand one another better. It wasn't created to connect their chakra. Ninjutsu is mixing spiritual energy and physical energy within one self, rather than with another person or people. It was developed for war, and nothing less than that. Total and absolute destruction. That is the purpose of ninjutsu. Indra was the one to first create ninjutsu...He believed that ninshu was incomplete and cowardly..."
Mikito took a breath, then a drink. Her throat was getting dry.
"Ninjutsu reflected Indra's belief that using power was the key to peace and order. While ninshu was using understanding for peace and order. One is forceful, the other is gentle. But, now ninjutsu is just one of the three major shinobi skills, and what makes the shinobi so unique and different. But-the way I see the two...Ninshu is peace through understanding and devotion. Ninjutsu is total destruction."
Madara nodded slowly, not quite looking her in the eye.
"If you were to come up with a solution to the problem, what would it be?"
Mikito clenched her fist. "My solution would be eradicating the shinobi."
"I appreciate your honesty, Mikito."
Madara tilted his head, noting that Mikito had a far away look in her eyes.
"I have a question for you, Madara."
"Okay?"
"What do you think of young girls that are chakra active being bought by shinobi clans and trained to a sub-standard level?"
The girl was dirty and soaked. Ice was growing on her clothes. Her feet were bare and red. She was racked with shivers. Mikito could only look at her, not sure how to feel.
Mikito was a mere eight years old and on a mission. She could execute the mission alone, if she ran into any trouble at all, it wasn't anything she wouldn't be able to handle.
Orphanages in the Bamboo country were not keen on harming the children in their orphanages in a manner that would leave bruises, scarring, or broken bones. They preferred something much more discreet, and something that would cause lasting harm.
The body can mend itself and forget the pain. There would be a scar, but the pain was gone.
The mind was slower to recover, and at times, there was no recovery.
Mikito hated such treatment of children. There was no point in such a punishment. Shinobi were notorious for hitting their children. If you wanted a child to learn, you told them, and showed them why they were wrong. One wasn't supposed to cause them emotional and physical harm, to then leave them in isolation to accept their wrongs.
She put down her severe lack of maternal instincts to her young body.
She had yet to fill out, and was still a child.
She walked away the first time when she saw the child in such a sorry state.
She thought about her mission.
She came to the orphanage whenever a child was severely sick.
The time she seen the child, it hadn't been for a child at all, but for the matron who had fallen ill.
The nasty old woman...
Mikito hadn't really known or care what was wrong with the woman.
The matron would fall dead in a few weeks, at the most, days, at the least.
With every visit she noticed how frequent the same girl would always find herself on the end of some punishment.
It was almost unreal how often the girl was in trouble for something.
They had got creative.
The girl had been tied to the branch of a tree by her ankles with her head plunged in a bucket of water, with only her mouth being out of the water.
She had been like that for almost a half hour.
Another time the girl was covered in something sugar and bean paste, and left outside for ants, and other nasty insects to crawl all over her. She had been covered in bugs.
This was something that was worthy of torture to a sworn and hated enemy, not a little girl.
It left her wondering what the girl kept doing to get herself in such situations.
There was a clear joy in those punishing her.
It made her angry.
She never found out, of course.
It wasn't exactly her place to question the punishments dished out by the unforgiving guardians of this place. She was only there to heal, and ensure the dying matron had some form of comfort.
Comfort she didn't deserve.
The questions always came to mind.
Every day that same girl would be out there, and she would always have this smile on her face.
Smiling about the punishment.
They had buried her chin deep in dirt.
They hung her upside down until she passed out.
She hadn't been smiling this one day when she was left in a crate.
That had been the first time Mikito seen the little girl break down and scream for her punishment to end.
It was...Mortifying.
The matron had been beyond help.
She couldn't be helped from the beginning.
She was too old, smoked too much, drank too much, and was just an all around nasty woman. Death was merciful. She would die choking to death on her spit. She had less than one week and Mikito couldn't even feel sorry for her.
She let her curiosity get the better of her.
She went over to the crate the girl was locked in.
The crate bounced off the ground with the ferocity the girl was exuding to try and get out. Mikito was reminded of a bird, being put in a cage, and flapping its wings as hard and fast as it could. Or a tiger being put in a cage and cornered.
She crouched down next to it, remaining silent.
"You know, child. Screaming like that will only keep you in there longer than you wish." Mikito said in her child voice, not quite soothing or comforting.
"Who is there!?" The girl in the crate panted, her wheeze of breath sounded excruciating. "Who are you? Are you the healer?"
Mikito didn't answer her questions. " I am the healer. The way you are screaming, they take joy from that, child."
"They're not tormenting me. They're punishing me."
"Do you really think so?" Mikito wanted to scoff at the naivety of that statement.
"I do!"
Mikito was surprised at the firm response. She turned her focus onto her spectators. One of the women had left to get someone with more pluck to come over to her and tell her to leave. She sat on the cold ground, leaning against the crate. She focused her attention on the child, and she could hear the heavy breathing.
"Are...You still there?"
"I am." Mikito said, frowning a little. "I've been here for weeks and almost every day you are out here enduring some form of punishment. This one seems to be the most docile from what I've seen, yet this is the first time you scream instead of smile. When they hung you upside down until you passed out, you were smiling."
Her gut had been gnawed with emotion since the first time she saw the girl kneeling in a pool of mud. It was winter, the ground was nearly frozen.
It wouldn't be much longer, one of the guardians would come out to chastise her for interrupting the punishment.
Mikito felt the child suffered enough, but she was a little girl herself, and she knew nothing of raising a child.
"Why do you scream like that?"
"I...Don't like the dark." The response was muffled.
"There is nothing in that crate. Nothing can get in the crate."
"I know that...I just...I..."
The girl went quiet again.
"Say it, child."
"I'm...scared...I don't want to be locked in here..."
Mikito sighed softly, hearing the girl's voice crack. It sounded like she was going to cry. "If you don't want to be punished, don't do whatever it is that you are doing to keep getting these punishments."
"I don't do anything wrong! They don't like it when my hands change colors."
Mikito stiffened. "Change colors?"
Silence.
"What do you mean by change colors? Speak, now!"
"My hands go to blue."
Mikito hissed under her breath, and focused.
She could feel it instantly.
She could feel the faint flourishing of the girl's chakra system.
Mikito knew why she had been drawn to the little girl.
It was barely perceptible, but the girl's chakra was active.
It was rare for someone not of shinobi birth to have active chakra, at such a young age.
"I get punished every time they see it! But I can't help it! It...Just happens when I get nervous! I have no control over it, I don't even know why it happens!"
Mikito knew what life this girl would lead once someone else discovered she was chakra active. The guardians and matron were ignorant of this girl's potential and would continue to punish her for something she couldn't actively control without proper training and guidance.
But, one day, a shinobi would come along and notice her chakra right away. As she aged, her chakra stores would grow, to the point it would be noticed.
She would be bought, without a doubt. Trained to a suitable level, nothing beyond sub-standard and the basics.
She would be pushed into a warring world she never had any part in.
Battles that had nothing to do with her.
With the limited training forced upon her, she would be dead within weeks if she was lucky.
She would be dead within a few days, or a day at the most.
She wouldn't get the training elite shinobi did.
She was just a meat shield, and nothing more.
Not given the proper training or guidance.
But, there was immense talent within her.
A civilian, with chakra active so young.
It was unheard of.
It couldn't be snuffed out, not at all.
Her spirit would break when she was cornered and chased down in battle, her eyes would be wide with terror and horror, she would be crying, and she would even plead for mercy, but she wouldn't get any mercy. On those war zones and battlefields, anyone who stepped foot on them...She knew, because she was on them, and it was kill or be killed.
She shook the thought away.
This girl wouldn't face a gruesome fate.
"Can you do it again, child?" Mikito's tone was like ice, and her eyes were stabbing into the approaching guardians.
"I...I don't know!"
"Do it right now and I will let you out of this crate."
"I can't! If the matron or other guardians seen me doing it for a stranger, I will get the whip!"
"You get the whip when you do it in front of them."
"I don't want to get the whip! It hurts!"
Mikito sighed, pressing her fist against the crate. At least these people weren't totally ignorant and kept it a secret. "If you show me, right now, I will take you away from here. I promise."
Silence only greeted her, and Mikito wasn't sure why the girl went quiet.
She really couldn't understand it.
But, she had made up her mind about the little girl.
"Get away from there!"
It was before those fools snapped at her to get away from the crate.
Mikito crushed the lock to the crate, ripping the door off with ease.
The girl leapt out of her prison, her hands glowing blue.
It was before when the little brown haired girl leapt out of her prison.
It was before she jumped right into her arms, wrapping them as tightly as she could around her neck, and clinging her legs to her waist...
It had been the second Mikito seen her kneeling in mud.
But, when Mikito realized the girl was taller than her by three inches, and she was squeezing onto her for dear life...
That is when she made her decision and refused to budge.
This girl would die in that crate, and Mikito knew it. She would scream and thrash, but she would have never escaped.
Nobody would ever know or care.
"You're like me!" The girl had shouted, eyes wide with emotions. Tears were falling and she began to wail.
"I am eight years old." Mikito said, holding onto the girl as tightly as the girl was holding onto her. "How old are you?"
"Nine."
"Get away from that heathen, now!"
"Don't let them take me." The child pleaded with her, squeezing tighter.
They were getting close now.
"I don't want the whip!"
They were within a few feet.
"You promised, remember!"
Mikito squeezed her tighter, breathing heavy.
"I don't want them to punish me anymore for something I can't control!"
"They will not touch a hair on your head." Mikito promised, eyes moistening with tears. "I promise."
The girl wailed.
Mikito found herself consumed with emotions.
"Mikito…" Madara ventured, uncertain.
The memory played over and over within her mind, shearing her consciousness like fire. It nearly brought her to her knees. More memories, similar, began to shear through her. The thought of that girl being trained in the basics only, just to be put on a war zone to be killed...Made her boil with absolute rage. The thought of all those little girls she saved, that were older than her, or younger, being killed made her blood boil.
What made her blood boil the most was the fact this was still happening. Ai was right. She couldn't afford to die so soon or young, she had to live, so that she could save all of those girls and boys that would be sold to shinobi just so the shinobi could continue to war. All of those young lives taken away, and for no good reason or cause at all. Just victims to a cycle that had been going on long before they were born.
It was still happening.
But, she would stop it.
And everyone who perpetuated it.
"Madara, answer...My question..."
"What is...Going on in that head of yours..."
"Just...Please...Answer my question...
Madara blinked, before his brows drew together.
Mikito was an emotional creature, but this time he felt...
"Mikito…"
"...Answer..."
"It wouldn't be so bad, if they were trained to the fullest extent. Women are trained to be sub-standard or just enough, where they can be considered competent. Even the Uchiha fall prey to this, sadly. We never trained our women beyond a sub-standard level, and some weren't trained at all. Only the Domou, Subatsu, and Senju took that extra step."
Mikito's expression turned sad.
Her eyes dulled.
Madara, did not like it.
"I could have been one of those girls sent out into war, just to die hours later."
Madara felt something in him lash out.
A gnawing, burning anger swept over him.
"But, you weren't!"
"I could have been. Fate and things like that are nonsense to me."
He gripped her by the arm, eyes hard. "I don't agree with selling people, at all. I don't agree with how those girls are trained. I don't agree with children being sent out to fight in an adult's war that the adults perpetuate in the first place. I don't agree with any of it, Mikito. You know I don't."
His tone was cold as ice, but Mikito could feel it surging with a deep passion. Madara had an image to keep, but he would never allow himself to change fundamentally. He never liked children being killed. He never liked girls being killed or ill trained to prepare for their harsh world. He never liked the idea of being weak or sub-standard.
"Mikito!"
"I am listening to you."
"Then tell me..." Madara was almost shaking. "Tell me why it looks like you are crying, but not shedding a single tear?"
Mikito didn't respond.
"Your eyes are so..." Madara frowned, struggling to accept it. "Dull..."
Mikito wiped at her eyes. "I'm getting...Emotional over something that has been beyond my control to stop or quell totally until now...You know, dominoes isn't just for ending slavery. It is to end all of it."
"What do you mean?"
Mikito looked at the water, eyes dimming. "Slavery is a small part of it. The need for class and ranks. Nobles. Commoners. The hubris of men. It all ends with dominoes. Women forced into brothels to pay for their family's fuck ups or their husband's fuck ups, will end. I intend to have as many children, men, and women join us. I will take those little girls out of those situations and bring them here, even if they kick and scream the whole time. I will drag those women out of those brothels."
Madara watched her. "You would be forcing them, in that case."
"I don't care. I will go to every orphanage in the Elemental Nations and take those children away. It is either that, or they will die in the middle of a battle, or be bought by shinobi or sold to them, just to be killed in battle. At least this way...With my way of doing things...Those children will have a chance to grow up, and become strong."
Madara scratched his head, feeling wary. It was instinct, and almost a reflex. He had been with Mikito long enough, and around the Domou to know when he was treading on thin ice. It had nothing to do with him in particular, just the subject. It was personal. Izuna expressed shock when he seen one Domou uproot a tree with his fist in a outburst of rage.
There were certain lines not to be crossed, and he got the feeling he was on the line right now.
"They have nothing already. No relatives that care enough to take them in their care. No parents. No friends." Mikito said.
"If you succeed?"
"I have no doubts that Konoha, Kumo, and any other village would contact them, or shinobi clans, to get them back. Those orphanages get a hefty stipend from the damiyo, and all of those guardians want a piece of that pie. It is not the children that they want, but the money they get for taking care of them."
"Mikito…" Madara started, careful. "You are going to make waves."
"Well, I have another plan in mind...But, it could be extreme."
Madara shook his head, barely keeping down his sigh. "Tell me. Now."
"I can make it look as if the children were all killed with a transformation jutsu. Their bodies wouldn't transform back into the object I replaced them with."
Madara's back stiffened.
I disagree with putting heads on stakes. That is going too far, Madara!
We're all out of options and we do not have another plan! The Akimichi, Hatake, and Sarutobi continue to attack and they will bust down this country's walls soon enough! Sasuke came close with his fire balls! Souji agrees this is the best method, and for once we are on the same page!
Madara recalled the hostile confrontation between them. It felt like ages ago. It had been when they were in that series of wars, and battles became something that happened twenty four hours, nonstop. They were getting weary of the constant encroaching, so they had to make a point.
There...Could be something that we can do...It is a long shot, but if emotions get the better of our foes, we may just turn things into our favor.
And, what is your plan?
Madara looked Mikito in the eye. "Like what we did with our foes' skulls in the next region."
Mikito nodded steadily. "Emotions will run wild, and I am certain they will never be able to decipher what really happened because of that. Nobody was able to in the next region, even to this point in time we are speaking. It will work."
Madara took a deep breath, centering his emotions. "There's the former slaves that number-"
"I know that."
Madara would have been amused by the obstinate tone, but he wasn't at this moment. When Mikito got like this, she wouldn't budge, for anyone, or any reason at all. She was set on that path, and she would take it.
"When do you intend on doing this?"
Mikito looked at him for a long moment. "I can have my clones do it, to be honest. I would rather do it without so many people in on it, though I wanted Yuko and my sister to help me out...I will handle it, alone."
"You're not going to adopt every single kid in the Elemental Nations, Mikito."
"If that is what it takes."
Madara frowned. He wasn't going to entertain the thought. "No."
"No?"
"No. If you did something that foolish you'd have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of sons and daughters. That is sheer madness."
"You think so?"
Madara's frown deepened. "What do you call it?"
"Extreme."
Madara went to grab her, but Mikito was just out of reach. She wasn't that far, but he felt like a distance was put between them now. It could be all in his head, but he couldn't shake the feeling.
"Mikito, I do not agree with it. You know I am not good with this sort of talk, don't take all of my words to heart. I'm only looking at it from the point that the girls should be trained right, so they can survive. They shouldn't get sub-standard training, just to be sent to an early death, that is absolute bullshit and isn't right. Why adopt so many children? They could just be here, wouldn't that be enough? Isn't it extreme for you to go that far? You said so yourself."
"Thank you for your honesty...I understand where you are coming from, don't worry. I'll get our shelter ready. I'll be back to help you haul the fish back when I am done." Mikito said, bowing her head the slightest.
"I'll take care of the rest." Madara assured, watching her stalk away.
He stared at his reflection, watching it ripple into smeared images as a leaf touched the surface. He knew this was a nerve that couldn't be struck with Mikito. She would and could go from zero all the way to one million when it came to these things. She hadn't snapped at him for his response, and he had to kick himself in the ass for his flippancy.
He couldn't believe he had been so foolish. Mikito didn't want to hear it's not so bad if they're trained right. She didn't want to the children bought at all in the first place by shinobi. It didn't matter how they were trained. They would eventually die. They weren't cut out for the battlefield, they didn't have that mental training clan children got. Without that steel, they wouldn't be able to survive.
"It wouldn't be so bad, if they were trained to the fullest extent." Madara repeated what he said, and shook his head.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
What a stupid answer.
And, a disappointing one at that.
But, still...Mikito could concede with that point he made. If the girls and women were trained and powerful enough, they could survive in this harsh world. Strength and power was everything.
Those who are weak, are trampled and killed.
That was the harsh reality.
Madara realized Mikito must have been in a lot of pain, and thinking about it...
He was as well.
They all were.