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Covenant
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Synopsis: Everyone is dead or hunted. The Allies lost. The war is over.
Treacherous seal marring her neck as a collar, Madara parades her like a victory trophy.
And though he gave her to his patriarch—betrayed her in the worst of ways—
Here, in The End, Sasuke Uchiha is all Sakura has left.
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2:18. Informant
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A CUNNING trick on Sasuke's part, this kiss. All of his kisses, really. All the newfound affection he quietly bestowed upon her in the unseen alcoves of Madara's control. She wasn't so ruined that she couldn't see what he was doing. Was no longer a naive teenager who might ignore the fact his devotion bloomed strongest when he most needed to tighten her chains.
But his lips were so soft on hers. His thumb brushed her chin so gently. Neither of these were adjectives she would've used to describe Sasuke six months ago.
Ruthless, yes. Cold, Cruel—he was still these things as soon as they left the confines of their room.
Now, alone, their seal warmed through her pathways like a fresh-drawn bath. Now, he looked upon her like she were a hidden lake in the dry Wind desert. As if she knew a secret he desperately wished to know.
That look, and the noticeable lack of spite in his touch, made her wonder if he even realized the trick being played.
And it wasn't like she still thought all of it was a lie. He could employ a dozen other strategies likely to yield the same results. His choosing this method over others affirmed...something.
...Not that it mattered.
For weeks, she'd been sure this was something. Though, whatever something it was, it hadn't kept her from trying to leave. Nor would it be enough to stop her the next time this hell draped too heavily on her shoulders. No matter what cards Sasuke tried to play, his hands could no longer hold her in this world forever.
He would eventually have to let her go, willingly or unexpectedly.
But this time: He'd won.
Unfortunately.
Just as Sakura closed her eyes to yield to his kiss, Sasuke withdrew. Her brows furrowed as he stepped back towards the sink, creating distance between them again. Nothing in his manner gave the sense he'd timed that on purpose, but…
"Make it to Earth Country. It's the end of our procession. Once we're there, I'll grant your wish," he said, drawing her out of her mind.
She blinked. "What wish?"
"To go."
"You'll let me go after we reach Earth?"
Sasuke nodded, regarding her blankly. "After we visit Hidan's base."
"Just like that?" she asked incredulously.
"Mhm… And don't be sad about it when I do."
Sad? Why would he think I'd be sad? she thought, perplexed.
"You swear?" she spoke aloud.
Arms crossed, his fingers tapped against his forearm silently. The firelight hanging above flickered as the flame jumped. Last night's bloody scene seemed to build in the small, hushed space between them, testing his word and attesting to her conviction.
If they weren't two ninja desensitized to gore, and death, and misery, and loss—this conversation would never happen less than 12 hours later. Perhaps it wouldn't ever be had if they were different people; in a different life, in a different world, where she and Sasuke were just…normal.
Maybe in that place and time, they could be happy. In some faraway universe, the two of them never had to discuss her desperate plea that he let her go the morning after he'd found her bleeding out.
But in this ever-turning world of shinobi, they weren't those people. They weren't allowed to be.
"Swear on something so I'll believe it," she urged, disliking how he hadn't confirmed immediately. Noticing that he was suddenly standing too still.
"...No. If you don't believe it already, you won't even if I swear. There's nothing to do but prove it in time."
Sakura's gaze narrowed. After last night, envisioning him letting her die was harder than ever. The expression he'd worn and the tears soaking his eyes hadn't seeded trust in his promise at all.
No one refused forgiveness to someone they intended to let go of.
And yet, he was right. Nothing he might swear on would make her believe him any more or less than she already didn't. Until he made good on his word, she'd probably always doubt him.
"Fine. Whatever. But when the time comes, don't forget how many times you've promised me now, Sasuke. His word is all a man has, they say."
"Oh?" His arms fell behind him to rest on the sink. "Who said that?"
How attractive he was in the mornings when he hadn't done anything but roll out of bed was offensive. To think—her life might've been completely different if he didn't look like…this. If she'd never noticed that cute little boy eating a rice ball over a railing.
Wrestling her thoughts back to the moment, she deflected. "Everyone says that. What's so special about Hidan's base that I have to wait for, anyway?" She supposed there was no reason left for not asking about his motives. Before, she simply hadn't wanted to cause any more friction than necessary in the one connection she had left. Maybe she'd gotten it wrong, though—maybe she should've been trying to make more friction. Maybe if he'd been suspicious or angry with her, he wouldn't try so hard to hold on. "Is that when you intend to slay Madara?"
Sasuke's lip twitched. "What gave you that impression?"
"Surely you've heard me thinking it now and then."
"Maybe. I want to hear you articulate it, though."
"That's ironic, coming from you." She crossed her legs and shrugged. "You're keeping me alive as a distraction, aren't you?"
The twitch settled firmly into a smirk. "Go on."
"While I'm here, Madara's focus is on me. That leaves you with more freedom to move under his radar."
"And?"
"Well, you're planning on taking over his position, right? Whether I give up information or not is irrelevant so long as I'm alive to keep your patriarch's attention off you." Sakura monitored his reaction closely for any tells. In the narrow bathroom, beneath the winking firelight, it was easy to see the minute muscle movements he tried to conceal. "Although my disclosing useful information could further strengthen his hold on power, it'll also keep him more preoccupied than ever. It may even be easier for you to carry out your coup this way."
Smirk falling away, Sasuke pivoted towards the sink and bent over it, splashing water over his cheeks. He used the bottom of his shirt to dry himself when he was done, sighing as he pulled the black cotton down his face.
"What do my motives matter to someone intending to leave?"
Sakura clasped her hands in her lap as if she'd been chastised. It was true—this didn't matter. He could do whatever he wanted. He didn't need to answer to her. She wouldn't be around to see the fruits of his conniving, anyway.
"...They don't."
"Then there's no need for me to tell you, is there?" he asked, glancing at her in the tiny mirror pinned to the wall.
In her opinion, his non-answer was as good as any affirmation he could've given. And even if it wasn't—the annoyance etched into the corner of his mouth and the shadow of apprehension on his brow told her that if she hadn't guessed right, she was damn close.
But the air between them was suddenly chilly, and the exhaustion she'd forgotten during his short-lived openness in this boxed-in space was seeping back into her bones.
Without waiting more than a few seconds for a response she didn't have, Sasuke opened the bathroom door and motioned for her to follow.
"Let's go. I need to talk to Madara and Suigetsu before we leave for the next base, and you need to eat."
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As soon as they arrived at the next base, Sasuke carried her to the interrogation room, blindfold and all. They arrived in the middle of the night; the hallways were eerily quiet.
He'd given her a mental coaching session on their way here. How she ought to act. Things she should and shouldn't say. Behavior Madara would find suspicious. The coordinates he expected her to reveal.
And as he'd warned, the coordinates were real. They led to a secret Konoha Division base near the border of Fire and the Land of Grass. It was an old hideout—one Konoha established after the Second Shinobi War to keep surveillance on Amegakure.
One that Orochimaru, a former hero of the Second War, could've easily known about.
Sasuke continued to insist that she wasn't giving up the Allies hiding there, but that they were giving themselves up. That was as far into the discussion as he'd go, however; he wouldn't explain further, nor did he offer her any comforting words as she mentally anguished over it.
He promised to do what he could to keep them alive. Insisted that he had a plan, and so long as she followed it, her torture and the number of Allies killed would lessen significantly.
All she could do was take him at his word.
Physically and mentally, she truly couldn't withstand much more unending torture. Her mind couldn't handle watching many more executions. She was going to break, one way or another. There weren't many alternatives available to her; if this plan brought about an end to what she could no longer stomach, with the additional benefit of keeping Sasuke in Madara's good graces...
...And regardless, refusing to obey him was pointless. Sasuke was now set on this strategy. He'd give Madara the intelligence himself should she try to flout the plans last minute.
Stop him before his first question if you can, Sasuke reminded, pushing her into a chair and removing the blindfold.
She'd been without sight for at least five hours. Her vision slowly adjusted to the dim light. This interrogation room was slightly larger than the last one. Still empty save for a table. Still clammy from the stale underground air.
Sasuke pocketed the fabric and took his place by the door, leaning back on the wall and closing his eyes. Settling into his impersonal mask with ease.
Her gaze flitted down to her bare forearm. With the day's heat climbing every new sunrise, Sasuke had acquired sleeveless grey vests for her to travel in. Above ground, roasting under the sun's rays, she was thankful for it.
Below ground where the sun never touched, the vests displayed all her scars as bitter reminders. The ten tallies beamed up at her: thick, jagged tendrils jutting from her smooth skin. She skimmed a finger over them, feeling empty as it passed over the craggy imperfections. Feeling nothing about the nub on the end of the hand doing it.
She felt so empty and so much nothing that it all felt unbearably exhausting.
There'd been a time when her looks were what mattered most. During her Academy days, she'd wake up an hour earlier than needed, sit in front of her mirror, and arrange her hair just so. Before the Chunin Exams, she'd sometimes brush her lashes to darken them and color her lips pink. Even after Sasuke left, when she had no one in town she wanted to impress, she'd occasionally line her lids with a charcoal pencil before meeting with Tsunade.
It was all so easy back then. Her worries, fears; hopes and dreams. It would've been nice to have never left Konoha.
The memories were so silly now. So shallow. Now she was marred with Madara's foul attention for the rest of her life, Konoha no longer existed, and they were hurtling towards the end of the world.
A second later, Sakura let those musings sink underneath the calmative with a sigh. No good would come from that train of thought. She settled instead on running over Sasuke's directions and tips, prepping herself for the charade.
How soon she could die was directly tied to how well she performed. She couldn't afford to mess up.
Madara arrived soon after that, sweeping into the room with an irritated air. A masked Akatsuki-clad shinobi was on his heel, something metal glinting in his hand.
"Good evening, Sasuke," Madara greeted. "How was the trip?"
"Fine." For as little as he moved from his statue-like position by the door, if he hadn't spoken, Sakura would've thought Sasuke hadn't even noticed his uncle's entrance.
"You made good time."
"Aa."
"Any ambushes?"
"No."
"I always look forward to our riveting conversations, nephew. Very well. Hello, medic."
The Uchiha patriarch unstrapped the gunbai from his back, rested it against the far wall, and fell into the chair across from her. His masked follower filled the space beside her, placing the tool he held on the stone table. Careful to maintain her blank expression, Sakura peered down at it as discreetly as she could.
Dental pliers.
Her stomach twisted as the Akatsuki wrapped a rope tightly around her arms and chest, anchoring her into the chair. When her sights flicked back up to the man seated before her, she found him studying her with displeasure.
"I assume you know what that tool's used for?" Madara asked slowly.
"...Yes."
"The medic I brought with me says a tooth can reroot with healing so long as it's reinserted within five minutes. Is that right?"
That was true for an average medic. Sakura, however, could probably heal the tiny fibers of the periodontal ligament well after five minutes. Probably up to half an hour. But Tsunade—she'd been a medical savant with dental work. Shishou could reattach whole sections of teeth up to an hour—
Panic sprung up in the back of her mind; she left the thought abruptly.
It'd been a while since her mind went rogue and caught her so unaware. Perhaps she was too acclimated to the new dosage of her draughts already. If so, she was in trouble—she couldn't take much more than she did without the risk of overdose.
With one last tug, the masked medic finished the final wrap around her chest.
"I asked you a question, prisoner," Madara sneered.
Closing her eyes for a beat, she reeled in her breath before responding. "Yes, five minutes."
"Hmm. It'd be a shame to lose that pretty smile of yours, so I'll have him pull starting from the back. Just in case we accidentally run over our five-minute timer. What do you say?"
Start with the plan, Sasuke urged.
Sakura slouched into her chair as far as her constraints allowed. "...Will you be asking the same questions?" Gaze falling to her lap, she let the knotting in her stomach branch across her body, building a tremble in her nerves for Madara to see.
"Of course. You know what I want to know. Do you have something to tell me before we begin?"
Time seemed to move slower as the room waited for her reply. She inspected the ropes winding around her scarred arms with a frown.
Was this—really the right thing to do? Just because she was tired of being tortured? Just because she couldn't bear to see captives killed as spectacles? Were those reasons enough to go along with her captor's schemes?
Confronted with the reality of it—wasn't this horribly selfish?
Even if Sasuke promised to keep those she gave up alive, how could she be sure he'd follow through? What if he didn't have the power to stop it? When he took over Madara's position, what if he went back on his word once she was gone?
Feigning shock, Sasuke suddenly pushed off the wall. "Coordinates. She's thinking—she knows coordinates. There's a base—"
"Stop!" Madara bellowed, holding a hand up to silence him. "Let the girl say it."
Sakura glanced up, taking in the shit-eating grin plastered on the older Uchiha's face.
Sasuke had been right.
As soon as she showed a sign of weakness, Madara mindlessly jumped, just as he'd predicted. Sasuke had assured that behind closed doors, the Uchiha patriarch was convinced she was close to breaking. He'd sworn it wouldn't be difficult to feed Madara precisely what he wanted—because Madara was already overly confident that it would be so.
The plan was already in motion. It was too late to regret it now.
"Yes, I...I know some bases. And I will—I'll tell you where they are. But only if you don't kill the people you find, and you stop killing Allies during your speeches… If you do that, I'll—"
"Are you trying to negotiate with me?" He chuckled, resting his chin in his hand. "And what of the other information I want to know?"
"I don't know anything else. Honestly. I—was only responsible for medical... And because of my close ties with—" Her throat locked, and it wasn't part of the act. She cleared it, eyes watering. "With the jinchuriki…I was separated from him two years into the war. After that, I wasn't permitted to know any information about his location or guard. I promise. You can ask any Konoha shinobi you've captured and they'll confirm it—Naruto and I weren't allowed to see one another until the jinchuriki came out of hiding."
"What about his replacement? Konoha's policies?"
"The last replacement I knew about was a kid named Natobi. He was one who'd escaped from Orochimaru's experimentation. After Naruto and I were separated, Natobi died in combat. I wasn't told who the new replacement was for the same reason I wasn't told anything about the Nine Tails. And only the Hokage and top ANBU know where and how to house a jinchuriki… Like I said, I was only involved in the medical aspect of the army… I wasn't ANBU, and I wasn't part of the intelligence branch. Ask any other Konoha jonin. I'm not lying."
Very good, Sasuke noted.
She agreed—even to her own ears, she'd sounded just nervous and just desperate enough to make it believable.
And it needed to be as believable as possible; almost the whole thing was a lie. Most of those facts were entirely Sasuke's manufacturing of what he thought Madara might buy, down to the child named Natobi. She'd never known who'd take over the Nine Tails if Naruto died.
Clicking his tongue, Madara regarded her cynically. "That's a very convenient story, wouldn't you say?"
"It's not a story. It's the truth."
"Mhm. And my questions about the last battle?"
This part was easier: It didn't require any lying at all. "You saw—you know how injured I was. As soon as the Raikage arrived, I passed out. I was already captured and in suppressors when I woke up. I don't know if the Allies can reform an army because I don't know how many escaped. I didn't have Katsuyu summoned for the army."
"Orochimaru and your friend?"
"I had no clue he was even working with Ino! None. Orochimaru's been top of our bingo book since I was born. I didn't—" Catching the fake rambling, she swallowed faux fright. "If I did, I would've worked with him myself. I—I would've asked him to free me, too."
Madara scoffed. "That's the most credible thing you've said this whole time. You truly expect me to believe you know nothing else except coordinates?"
"...If I knew anything else, why would I bargain with them? Of everything you ask, our hidden bases are of the highest Classed intelligence. This is all I have to give…"
"So you're offering to give up your people if I swear not to kill them? That doesn't make much sense, either."
"You've already won. You know it, I know it. The whole world knows it by now," whispered Sakura. The admission appeared to please the Uchiha patriarch, who grinned wider. "Whether they're captured now or months from now, you'll eventually find them regardless. At this point, this is the only thing I can do. Try to save their lives, if nothing else. I've heard you make your speech enough to know that if they don't cause problems and cooperate, you'll let them live in your dream world. Trying to protect them with my silence only gets them killed for show. I can't take it anymore…! But—if I can cut a deal with you—save you the time and energy it would've taken to find them without me..."
As her words trailed off, Madara laughed. His hand slammed down on the table as he looked over at Sasuke, head tilting toward her.
"So this is where the Will of Fire dies! What did I tell you, nephew? Everyone has a breaking point!"
"She could be lying," Sasuke intoned. "She started hiding the coordinates from me again as soon as I said something."
Madara hesitated, attention swiveling back to her. "Yes. She could be. Tell me what bases you know, little medic. If your information proves true, I'll reward you, as I reward all those who work with me. And if it proves false—"
"It—it won't! It's not false," she stuttered, peeking between Sasuke and Madara nervously. "I swear."
Go on, Sasuke prompted. His words held an order—her seal buzzed, hoping she'd obey.
"...There's a base Konoha established near Amegakure... It's about forty miles southeast from the Tenchi Bridge—"
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She was a traitor.
The word tumbled in her head as Sasuke ported them back: Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor—
When she and Sasuke finally made it to their new room, in the new base, the feelings curling within her were enough to make her gag. Disgust. Anger. Shame. Despair. Feeling nothing was better than feeling this.
There were too many emotions—too strong for the calmative to handle. Too much for her to bear alone.
It had her slinking into the bathroom as Sasuke showered, naked and desperate and not the least bit worried about what he might think of her for it. He could make her feel good. Make her forget for a few moments that everyone she loved but him was dead and that she wanted to die, too—that she was now a traitor and deserved it.
To his credit, he didn't say a word when she stepped into the water with him and ran a hand down his arm. He'd probably heard her mind turning the question over before she'd entered the room.
His sharingan was already spinning when she finally met his eyes. Heat leaked from the seal on her neck.
Touch slipping to his stomach, she murmured, "I did as you asked."
"Aa."
"Do I get a reward?"
In an instant, Sasuke had her thighs hiked around his hips and her back pressed into the wall. His erection was mushed between them, digging into her pelvis. One set of fingers inched under her towards her core, the other shifted to palm her breast, thumb rubbing over her nipple.
"As many times as you ask," he said, voice deep as sin.
Middle finger entering her shallowly, his head dipped into her neck, teeth sinking into the soft skin there—harder than usual, and she gasped at the mix of pain and pleasure. Something warmer than the water spilling over them trailed down her collarbone. Sasuke pinched her hardening mound; she tried to arch against the wall, to press her chest further into his hand. Tried to bite her lip to stop the moan—it was too early to give him the satisfaction of a job well done.
But it was impossible to stay quiet. His finger was moving in and out far too slowly—the width of just one wasn't enough to please her—
"Sasuke, I need more—don't tease—"
He pulled it out entirely. "What about here?" he whispered in her ear, finger skidding over her taint towards—
Suddenly, his slick middle finger was pushing into a place he'd never touched before. For a breath, Sakura wasn't sure whether it felt good or bad; wasn't sure if she ought to be embarrassed about where he was touching.
Sasuke lifted his face to meet hers as he pushed deeper—plunging into her until he reached his last knuckle. Toes curling and thighs tightening, she hissed out, still uncertain about the unfamiliar sensation.
"Hmm?" he hummed, mismatched dojutsu watching her hotly, gaze darting between her eyes and mouth.
Then he was slipping out and squeezing back in, finger sliding into her in a novel way, and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped this time. There—the width of just one was more than enough.
Her head fell back into the wall, banging into the stone. Her fingernails dug into his shoulder blades.
Sasuke smirked, repositioning to free his member. "You still want more?"
Yes—please, Sasuke—
His cock dove into her at the same speed that his finger delved back into her ass, and she nearly came from that alone. Her back scraped the rock as she yelled out and clenched her muscles, holding in the release. He thrust into her again, slapping their hips together painfully, hitting somewhere inside that sent lightning through her nerves.
Sasuke was always rough. He preferred it—was probably going easier than he wanted to half the time they went at it. And the more they learned each other, Sakura was starting to realize that maybe she preferred it rough, too.
A second finger sunk in with his middle. To stop his name from pouring out of her, she leaned forward and claimed his lips, wrapping her arms around the back of his head to keep him there.
It was too soon—she couldn't give in yet—
"Don't hold back, Sakura," he growled, biting her lower lip. "I'll make you cum as much as you want."
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By now, they'd had sex countless times in the past...however long it'd been since the first. But looking Sasuke in the eye that morning was particularly hard.
They couldn't have gotten more than two or three hours of sleep. She couldn't even remember how or when she fell asleep. Her body was sore, parts of it throbbing. The food came before she could shower, leaving her thighs and groin sticky and flaky and uncomfortable.
She could feel him trying to probe her mind for why she kept turning away as they ate breakfast. When he pressed too hard, she showed him memories from Konoha instead.
Strolling through the night market with Naruto. Watching Ino trim the roses. Tsunade yelling at Kakashi for being late. Sai painting a couple flirting on the bridge that led to the training grounds.
Retreating after that, he gave a soft mental warning to think of other things as he left.
He'd forgotten to remove her suppressors last night or this morning. Usually, he'd zap them off before they got intimate; if not, always as soon as they woke up. His marks still littered across her neck and chest burned with their apparentness. She thought to remind him before they left for his base in Water Country, but the words caught when she tried to get them out. To ask for it would be to openly acknowledge how they'd spent most of their night, and Sakura didn't think her blood pressure could handle it.
Sasuke, on the other hand, appeared utterly unaffected. He was cool as a cucumber when he held his hand out for her after they finished their food.
"Let's go."
Laying her hand on his, she furiously smothered the warmth threatening to spread over her cheeks. It wasn't like they were holding hands—not really. Then his chakra leaked through her and leeched out a second later; she blinked and found herself back in Orochimaru's lab.
Madara was already sitting at the desk, waiting. Smiling.
Sakura pleaded with the Gods she didn't believe in that he wouldn't mention the bites and sploches her tunic couldn't hide.
"Your captive's information was real, nephew. Keep up the good work." Sakura dropped Sasuke's hand and stepped away as Sasuke nodded. Madara continued—"Shall we test her a bit more? What do you think?"
"I don't care." Sasuke settled into the upholstered chair in the corner. "Do what you want."
"Right. I forgot how much you don't care. You're still taking off her suppressors occasionally, aren't you?"
"Most nights."
"Has she ever tried to fight or escape?"
"No."
Pleased, Madara nodded, gaze squaring on her. "Well then, medic? Will you behave if I take your cuffs off for a bit?"
"We both know I can't fight or outrun you, even if I wanted to try," she answered bitterly.
"At least you're aware of your power. So many your age lack that insight, like my nephew over here." Madara chuckled as Sasuke scoffed. "Then shall I give you some freedom? Would you like that?"
The gleam in his purple irises was too cunning for it to be anything but a trade.
"...In exchange for what?"
"I'll let you roam about free of your suppressors more often if you try your hand at healing my problem with your medical prowess."
"You're going to let her cast a jutsu over your cells? Aren't you giving her too much trust?" Sasuke prodded. "She may give away a base, but giving her access to your cells is—"
"No matter. The Hashirama cells cultivating in Earth should be complete by the time we arrive there. I can survive well enough for that long even if I lose these. And just like she pointed out—I'm faster and stronger than her, even in this state."
Shrugging, Sasuke closed his eyes. "Do what you want, then."
"Though I do deeply appreciate your concern for my well-being," Madara drawled. "Before you fall asleep, take her suppressors off."
Sasuke opened one eye, aimed, and shot two quick bursts of lightning at her ankles. The metal bands clinked onto the stone floor; chakra swelled to life inside her. Then he settled back into the cushions with crossed arms.
"We should take advantage of her willingness while we can," Madara explained, hands falling to his stomach. As he started to lift his shirt, Sakura looked away. "And you can take advantage of this too, kunoichi. You've seen how I reward those loyal to me, haven't you?"
She hadn't seen it, but she'd heard him tout it enough times during his speeches to know it was something he claimed to believe in. And she also knew the answer he wanted to hear.
"I have."
"Keep cooperating and I'll reward you too. You're tired of being tortured, right?"
She scanned the jars lining the lab walls, ignoring the squelching sounds coming from the desk. "Yes."
"And you asked that I keep the Allies I catch alive."
"...Please."
"If you continue healing me and providing base coordinates, I will gladly grant reprieve on both fronts." Madara stood; her eyes darted to him instinctively. In his hands was a massive white blob, veined with blue tendrils. He dumped it on the operating table beside her, glaring at it disdainfully. Then his sights shifted sideways, catching hers. "Do we have an agreement, medic?"
For a moment, Sakura had an idea.
Right now, with chakra, she might could kill Madara.
He was only an arm's reach away. Weakened from extracting the cells. Guard down, thinking she was beholden to Sasuke and a true defector.
If she acted fast, she could shove a chakra scalpel through his chest before he could do anything about it. There was no way to deflect a chakra scalpel but with a chakra shield or to stop the hand handling it—and with her chakra control, she was positive she could beat him in a mere battle of strength. Sasuke claimed Madara wasn't well enough to use Susanoo; but even if he managed it, so long as she was quick, it'd be too late for him.
She could do it.
She could end everything right here.
This man was responsible for the last five years. So many had died on his egotistical pursuit. Her home was gone, her family was gone, her friends and loved ones were gone.
She could get revenge; for her and for everyone else.
Except—
She couldn't.
Killing Madara like this would leave a power vacuum Sasuke could never hope to fill. A covert death would set loose his amassed army without any rule—without any village ANBU left to bring them to account. If anyone was going to kill Madara, it had to be Sasuke, and it had to be widely known.
Otherwise, the world would simply move out of authoritarianism and fall into anarchy.
As the idea drifted back into nothing, she felt the seal on her neck unwind.
It seemed Sasuke agreed with her assessment, too. Of course he would, though—he was the one gunning for all of Madara's power.
"We do," she finally answered.
"Good." Madara fell away, claiming the desk chair once more. "And should you decide to start defying me again, you'll swiftly learn how easy I was going on you during the first leg of the trip. Understood?"
She examined the white blob, noting how the blue tendrils were smaller than the last time he'd presented this to her.
"...Yes."
"Perfect. Now see what you can do about those cells."
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It was a beautiful day. The ocean was nearby; its cool, salty breeze offset the heat of the sun. Thick, slow clouds lazed haphazardly in the sky—the perfect kind for shape guessing, Shikamaru would've said.
He was probably dead now, too.
They were near the Land of Valleys. The island that housed Uzushiogakure was right off the coast. Sakura knew it because she recognized the sand-like dirt of the field before her and the sparse, coastal trees so unlike those found in the rest of Fire. She'd crossed this patch of land many times while traveling to Water Country.
To think one of Madara's bases hid beneath them the whole time... And a larger one, at that. There had to be over a thousand shinobi crowded into the field.
But Sakura didn't have eyes for a single one of them.
"I'm sure that by now, everyone here knows the kunoichi on stage with me. The famed Sakura Haruno. Former top medic of the Allied army. Former student of the late Hokage herself." Boos and jeers broke out through the crowd, flowing in and out of her ears like a passing wind. "Settle down—no need for that treatment today. Because today, she stands before you as our army's newest informant! After many months, my nephew and our interrogators finally broke her silence!"
As the yells morphed into cheers, Sakura stared down at the chained Allies in front of the podium, bile rising in her throat. A learned response from seeing this scene play out so many times before.
He isn't going to kill them, Sasuke assured.
She prayed he was right.
There were so many she knew this time. All of them; they were all Konoha shinobi.
If she'd given up their base—believed Sasuke and Madara's word that they'd be spared—been fooled into watching her treachery bring about their slaughter—
"The captives I've brought with me today are just a few of the shinobi we caught in a secret base this medic recently disclosed the location of. Without her cooperation, we never would've found it. And imagine my surprise to find that almost every single shinobi hiding on that base were jonin! How about another cheer for our newest and most important defector, Sakura Haruno!"
The Akastsuki cloak she wore had never felt heavier.
Tsume Inuzuka. Hana Inuzuka. Gaku Inuzuka. Iroha Hyuuga. Doto Akimichi. Shinku Yuhi. Ensui Nara. Kakoi. Four others she recognized but couldn't name. Twelve people tuning out the fanfare behind them, faces calm as the blue afternoon sky above. Twelve people who gazed back at her without a trace of anger or betrayal.
She didn't understand at all.
They should be livid—should be cursing her—she wanted them to curse her!
Sakura regarded them each with increasing disbelief at how Madara's words didn't appear to bother any of them in the slightest. Ensui even gave her the slimmest of smirks—reminding her so much of Shikamaru her lungs rattled to a halt.
...Why aren't they furious?!
It didn't make any sense. None.
"The tide turned months ago," Madara yelled into the mob. "The war was won decisively on that frozen Lightning battlefield, thanks to all of you putting your faith in me! But the current to bring about a true end has finally caught wind. With their medical commander obedient to the Uchiha heir, we might finally finish this conflict, once and for all. We might finally find the jinchuriki and enter a new era of self-fulfillment and freedom. We've all worked hard until now, and the work begins anew tomorrow. But today, we celebrate our latest victory! Join me in the dining hall for food and drink; we'll toast Sakura Haruno for the great gift she's given us!"
the story will take a break next week!
see you July 31st :)
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thanks for reading, as always.
and thanks to Leech for beta-reading