I'm gonna start uploading at night, or rather this is me telling you I'm going to upload at night. Since I've been doing it for a while now.

Chapter 49. The Yin to your Yang.

Sakura was running on empty. Her chakra pool was a dried-up well putting her in a coma. She couldn't move her body and was the most helpless he'd seen her. She was half dead when they met, but after that, she was never vulnerable.

Madara looked at the small child at the bottom of the chakra pool. Sakura wasn't a "small child" in the world of shinobi, but he couldn't get the image of the kid he first met out of his head.

"You did something unnecessary again," he found himself saying. She flinched and looked back at him with pouting lips. How was he supposed to see her as anything but a child when she acted like that? "You placed yourself in needless danger for no reason."

"Kakashi won't let anything happen to me," she fired back.

"Kakashi isn't known for his ability to protect those he cares about," he deadpanned.

"You're so mean."

"What are you even doing?" he asked. "Get out of there." A sensation ran through them at that moment. Sakura sprung to her feet uselessly.

"Intruders!" she sensed. But even if she said all that, it was useless. She could do nothing without chakra. The house became chaotic as intruders attacked Tazuna's family. Sakura watched helplessly as her classmates got captured.

"Why?" she muttered in shock and confusion. "They weren't scheduled for a day are two, so why are they here?" she fell to her knees, clutching her head in distress.

"You're being naïve."

She looked up at him in confusion. "You did something different from the original plot," he told her. "What did you expect was going to happen?"

"Are you saying I caused this?" She yelled, getting back to her feet. "How was I supposed to know this was going to happen!?"

"You're not," he looked down at her with no remorse. "No one knows the future, and so they must adapt to situations. Instead of panicking, you should be trying to solve the mess you caused. Isn't that what you were teaching Shikamaru? To think instead of panic?"

She groaned and pouted, crossing her arms.

"There had to be a nicer way of saying that," she grumbled.

'So childish.'

The image of Hashirama sulking in the corner came to mind, and he chuckled. He really was in hell.

"I need chakra," she stated the obvious. Since they attacked Tazuna's family, the bridge must be under attack. She couldn't take the chakra from them. She bit her lip as she thought. Madara didn't say anything about her strength of a hundred seals that she continued to fill for over five years. There were the chakra pills in her pouch, but she'd need to wake up to get those.

There weren't many options available to her. But there was one she didn't consider.

"How long do you intend to look down on me?" He asked, jumping down into the empty pool. "A true shinobi uses all tools available to them in order to win. Why don't you use me?"

"People aren't tools!" she screamed at him. "Humans aren't meant to be used by anyone! Not because you can take advantage of someone means you should." Tears make her eyes glassy. He wanted to sigh. Was that really the reason she never used his chakra. Ever since he met her, she fed him chakra without complaining or questioning anything.

Did she see him as nothing but a pet to take care of?

Irritated, he grabbed her face. There was a limit to how much he would tolerate this brat. His shackles and chains made themselves known, retraining his movements. His hands burned the longer he held her, but he wouldn't let this go. If she kept up this mindset, they were going to die again.

"Consider it an investment," he took a different approach. "You've been feeding me your chakra for years now; isn't it only natural that you get some returns." He leaned down to her eye level and smirked. "It's not like you can drain my chakra pool even if you tried."

Her defiant face wavered, and she lowered her head.

"Then, please lend me some of your chakra," she said in an almost inaudible voice.

"Gladly," he smiled triumphantly.

He took her hand and walked her to his cell. Inside was a feudal castle formed from his memories. They walked down the many corridors before stopping in front of a locked door. He hated this room. He'd always thought Sakura was sadistic for making it this room, but it wasn't her doing.

Sakura walked past him and hesitantly placed a hand on the door. The chains faded away, and the door slid open, granting them entry. Madara took a shaky breath and walked into the accursed room. Tiny footsteps followed behind him as he walked past the bloodstains on the floor.

He kept his gaze forward and resisted the urge to look; he already knew what was there. A boy that heavily resembled Sasuke liked on a futon in eternal slumber. His little brother Izuna's empty eyes sockets remained closed, covered by a bloody rag.

Madara squeezed the small hand that held on to him for comfort. He didn't look back as they moved past the room and to their goal. A chakra pool the size of a lake stretched in front of them.

"I can't believe you siphoned this much chakra from me," Sakura grumbled, looking at the sight with blank eyes. He looked down at her, the image of a small child overlapping with her image.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" he tugged her forward towards the pool. More chakra than she could ever need was in front of her, yet she hesitated. He looked back to see her trembling.

"Aren't you scared?" she asked in a small voice.

"Of what?"

"We don't know what this will do to us."

"I was under the impression it was the same to how Naruto and the Kyuubi interact," he confessed. The seal was set as a yin and yang, much like Naruto's seal in the latter part of his life. He could take chakra from her whenever he needed it, which was always, and she could do the same. She never took advantage of that feature, however. Their relationship was one way, and it bothered him.

"I'm scared," she confessed. Madara's eyes rounded with surprises. "I don't want to lose myself. I want to keep being me."

An identity crisis? This woman was such a child. It was like dealing with Hashirama all over again.

"You need not worry," he said, tugging on her arm and pulling her into a hug. "I'm nothing but chakra, I'm not even composed of my own chakra but the chakra you've given me. It's more likely that you'll consume me."

"And that doesn't scare you?" she muttered in his chest.

"I'm a shinobi," he said, brushing his hand through her hair. "To fear death is to die cowardly." Her shaking stopped as she leaned into him.

"Are you ready to save your friends?" he asked. She nodded in his chest. "Very well." He scooped her up into his arms and walked into the lake of chakra. The warm sensation brushed against him as he sunk deeper in. Sakura clung to him, hiding her face in his chest as the blue water rose higher.

They went under, and the chakra seeped into them. Madara didn't need the chakra he was taking from Sakura, and yet, he greedily took it until he had a bottomless lake. And still, he craved more. He didn't know why but suspected he was trying to return to his prime. Just as Sakura was only half of herself, he was a fraction of himself.

They were both incomplete.

They sank into the depts, and the seal fulfilled its secondary purpose. The cycle began, and they became complete. As though cogs returned to their rightful place, Sakura's chakra pool refilled, and chakra rushed through her coils.

"Get up!"

They opened their eyes to a familiar ceiling and the sobs of a child.

"You're annoying," they said as they sat up. Pink hair fell like curtains over their face. Someone so weak shouldn't be bossy, they said as much, but the kid smiled. Ah, he was a weirdo, after all; it best not to get involved with him. They stood up when something fell from the ceiling.

Images swarmed their vision as pink butterflies flew around them.

Springflys, they remembered.

An oddly-shaped house in the forest came into view.

A woman and a child that looked the same as those in front of them in a cell appeared. Save them.

A vault felt with money and valuables. Take it all.

A dwarf in a suit. Get rid of it.

They turned from the summons and towards the mother and son duo. What were they supposed to do with them? As the thought accord, the answer did as well. Put them somewhere they won't get in the way.

They moved from the bed and towards the door.

"Let us be off."

Tsunami was confused by Sakura's change in demeanor. The pink hair girl seemed more off than when they met. Were they truly safe with her? Sakura's voice also changed, as though a man were talking the same time she was.

Her son didn't seem to share her worry as he ran behind the girl without hesitation. Sighing, Tsunami followed.

As Shikamaru feared, there were bandits littered around the house. They received instructions to wait for Tazuna's return, to share the good news. The plan was to put him in a state of despair, and the bandits were looking forward to it. Gato took his frustration out on them, and they couldn't wait for this to be over.

In a way, they got their wish.

Through the mist, they saw them approach; two women and a child.

"Isn't that Tazuna's daughter?" one asked after seeing Tsunami. Waraji, Gato's left hand, clicked his tongue and gripped his sword. The tattoo that covered his left chest and arm flexed as he unsheathed his blade. His one good eye glared at them as they passed through the mist. He was the one in trouble if Gato found out they got the wrong hostage.

"How nice of you to come to us!" he said, pointing his blade at their approaching forms. He licked his lips; he was going to punish them for being a pain. Tsunami glanced at the pink-haired girl, but the child didn't stop walking. Her light pink haori dragged on the dope grass, her steps never faltering.

"Huh?" the bandits were confused. Crimson eyes looked past them as the child approached. No. she wasn't walking towards them, but rather, past them. Sakura walked past Waraji and his blade; and towards the forest.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" he yelled, offended. He swang his blade toward the child in anger.

Drip drip drip.

Red eyes finally acknowledged him. Faintly he realized there were three tomoe in those red gems. So lost he was in those eyes it took him a moment to realize his sword hadn't cut her as he intended. In fact, his sword was nowhere to be seen.

Drip drip drip drip.

And neither was his arm.

"Ahhh!" he screamed in horror rather than pain, gripping the stump. His eye trembled as he spotted his hand still holding the sword on the ground.

"Damn it!" his crew cried as they charged her all at once.

'No, don't do it. Runaway,' he wanted to scream at them, but it was too late.

There was a flash of pink.

Thud, Plop, plop, splash!

One after another, they fell to the ground, unrecognizable mutilated chunks of flesh. Waraji fell back on his ass in horror. His crew…

The grass shifter as the girl turned towards him. No. There was no way this thing was human.

Don't look. Please stop looking at me. I'm sorry, ill never appear before you again. Spare me! His mind raced with a plea, but his mouth wouldn't move. Those ruby eyes threatened to consume him. He never considered himself a good person, never wanted to be. In the face of death, he was considering changing his life around. Maybe he would become a farmer or maybe a fisherman. Hang up his sword and turn his life around. He was willing to do it if he could live through this.

The sound of retching broke the tension and drew those crimson eyes away from him. He didn't waste the opportunity and fled. Sakura looked at his retreating back for a moment before looking at the distraction. Tsunami was on her knees, retching. Inari trembled as their eyes met. He already knew, but she really was a monster.

"This," Sakura sighed. "These weaklings." That was all Inari knew before his vision turned red and them dark.

Waraji ran through the foliage at breakneck speed. His arm bled through his sloppy first aid, but he couldn't stop. That monster could be right behind him. Without his dominant hand, he was useless in a fight. Not that be believed he could beat her.

Haku was fast, but that bitch was on another level entirely. Waraji had no attachment to Gato, but he needed to get his partner out of there. That bastard watched his back during their worst fights; the least he could do was save his ass.

Waraji stumbled into a clearing and almost cried when he saw Gato's hideout. He got to his feet and ran to the fortress with renewed vigor. The guards at the front didn't stop him but were shocked and confused by his injuries.

Uncaring of his appearance, he ran to Gato's office. He almost bumped into a redhead but was caught by a blond boy.

"Oh my, where's the fire?' the woman asked, smiling at him. He bowed in apology and continued his permute, not noticing the way her eyes narrowed on him.

He finally found Gato's office and burst through the door. Zori, his partner and Gato's right hand, grabbed his sword on instinct. They both relaxed when they saw it was Waraji but tensed when they saw his injury.

"What happened!?" Zori cried, rushing to his side. He supported Waraji, who looked about to faint. Seeing his partner in front of him, he began to relax, and the adrenaline wore off.

"Runaway," he breathed. "Spring is coming." He meant to say the pink-haired demon was coming, but he could only manage that before he fainted.

"Waraji!" Zori cried, shaking him. "Someone get in here and help, damn it!"

Zori and Waraji were Gato's most strong and loyal men; who could do this to them?

"Spring is coming?" Gato muttered, trying to make sense of what he heard. He watched with dread as Waraji received emergency care from their resident medic.

"I'll kill the bastard that did this," Zori swore, clenching his fist.

'Runaway, huh?'

"Zori," he called to his only other guard. "Prepare for our departure." Gato walked out of the office at a fast pace. Zori strode after him, catching up quickly. "We're going to get my money and get the hell out of here. Someone get Zabuza!" he called out.

"I can do that~."

They turned to see the redhead and her blond knight. She waved at them with her signature smile.

"You?" Gato asked, confused.

"I'll leave my companion behind to protect you, of course," her smile never faltered. "We'll be faster than a civilian." Gato couldn't dispute her claims.

"Fine," he agreed, and she actually squealed.

"Seems something interesting happened after all!" she turned along with her knight.

"Wait," he called, stopping her. She looked back questioningly. "You said you'd leave your companion!"

"I did."

"I'm here," a man spoke from behind him. Zori swung his sword, but it stopped in the man's fingers.

"Is that any way to greet a friend?"

His pale skin looked like a corpse, with purple marks around his golden snake-like eyes. Black hair was held from his face in a bun, while the rest from down his back to his waist. His dark blue kimono and purple haori only served to exenterate his pale skin.

He was handsome in every sense of the word. Gato was a bit concerned that beautiful people were gathering together. The man flicked the blade away, irritating Zori. His most powerful men looked like children with swords around these people. He supposed that was why they were so expensive.

"I'll leave them to you, Orochimaru!" the woman called as she left.

"Of course," Orochimaru responded smiling at them like a predator. Gato gulped and moved quickly around him.

"We still need to prepare to leave!" he said to regain some confidence.

"Lead the way," Orochimaru bowed gracefully.

Orochimaru looked at the back of the redhead, before following after his new entertainment.

It looked like a beehive. Looking up at the strangely shaped building that was all they could think. It was bigger than expected; how were they to find the kids and the dwarf?

When you want to scare bees away, you use water or fire. They were users of both, but one would be more efficient. They weaved through the hand seals and took a deep breath.

"Wait, what if they die in the attack!?"

"They're shinobi. They'll be fine."

"Fire style, great fireball Jutsu!"

A ball the size of the building erupted from their lips and crashed into the building, shaking it violently. The flames latched onto the building and crawled inside from the dent the ball made. A series of explosions rang, and the building cried in pain.

"Overkill," they agreed, looking at the destruction they caused. The building turned black, and smoke flew from every orifice. Screams of panic and more of agony roared from inside. The flamed crackled as heat wafted from the burning building. Sweat ran down their face for a different reason than the heat.

A burning corpse ran down the hall leading to the exit. It was the only opening on the ground floor and the only exit a civilian could take. The man that rushed for the exit was too big to be their target, crushing their hope.

"Help me!" the walking corpse cried, reaching for them.

"Sure."

With a flick of their finger, the springflys cut him down. His body crashed with several thuds. More people ran from the building, all rugged and big and not their target.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," they growled in frustration. Petals like cherry blossoms scattered in the wind and flew towards the escaping bandits. Their relief at having survived the flames was short-lived as a thousand blades cut through them.

Their cries were drowned out by the roaring flames and the sound of their comrades dying. Bodies piled up, yet still, her targets didn't come out.

"They're not coming out," they stated the obvious. A vein pulsed on their forehead as they kicked a tree, knocking it down. They picked up the trunk and chucked it at the building. The burning fortress groaned and shuttered, as the trunk burst through the walls.

"What's taking so long!?"

Orochimaru stared blankly at the tree that blocked the hallway. It came from outside, right? It didn't look like it fell on the building naturally. Did someone throw it? Was Tsunade nearby?

Gato gaped at the tree and gulped as the flames crawled on it and began to feast.

"This place is hell," he spoke his true thought before running away from the burning tree. Zori ran behind Gato as the medic and a few other strong individuals followed behind them. Waraji was naturally among them, thrown over Orochimaru's shoulder.

They ran from the now-empty vault room and toward the nearest exit. In cases of emergency Gato used his secret stairs. While everyone ran for the main stairs, Gato ran to his own. He pulled on an out-of-place brick, and the walls opened to reveal a spiral staircase.

"Let's go," he said, running first down the steps. The stairs seemed to go on forever until they finally saw light at the end of it. They arrived to chaos on the first floor. Flames licked at the walls and the chard corpses of his men. Those that survived rushed for the exit, and he followed.

Orochimaru grabbed Gato, alerting Zori that stopped in his tracks. The others ran for the exit, taking no notice of the lack of their employer.

"What the hell!?" Zori demanded.

"Ahhh!" the cried died with a gurgle and a thud. Zori looked over his shoulder and saw something he didn't before. Corpses, there were corpses littered all around the exit. "Shit," he cursed, taking out his blade and standing defensively in front of Gato.

The building trembled, reminding them they needed to leave.

"I'll handle it," Orochimaru said and ran for the exit taking out a handful of Kunai. "Stay close," he called back, and Gato and Zori moved after him.

Orochimaru leaped through the exit catching the eyes of his prey. He threw his kunai as Gato and Zori exited the building. Prioritizing its master, pink petals blocked his assault. His distraction worked until her eyes moved from him and towards Gato, forcing Orochimaru to act. The snake extended his tongue and wrapped it around her waist. She looked down at the moment he threw her with a jerk of his head.

He flung her unto a tree that crumbled under the force and landed on top of her. Satisfied, Orochimaru landed in front of Gato and his guard.

"What was that?" Gato asked, but Orochimaru ignored him, placing Waraji on the blooded grass and preparing for a fight. As he suspected, the tree that landed on top of her exploded, and the woman rose the wreckage. She glared at him with crimson eyes, no. Those were the Sharingan. What was an Uchiha doing out here? Was Ina aware of this? He thought wondered before he was forced back to the present.

"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," she said. The world turned dark as the cherry blossoms gathered together, forming a dome around them and the burning building. Then one after the other swords that glowed pink formed and gathered around them. The Uchiha raised her hand high, and the blades pointed towards them.

"Die!"

The blades launched forward at once towards them.

Everyone that ran from the building at that moment were cut down by those pink blades.

It was a graveyard, where pink blades acted as grave markers. And it was the most beautiful thing Orochimaru had ever seen. The building shuddered again, and a west side crumbled. Even as her victory, was assured the maiden didn't look pleased. Her ruby eyes narrowing in frustration.

Kyaa!

She looked over to the scream, and a smile played at her lips.

"Oh, you came out after all. I was starting to worry."

Shikamaru and Ino sat on the grass looking at her in horror before emptying their stomachs content. Why do people keep doing that? Shikamaru looked at her with trembling eyes. Those eyes were proof he was still alive; they completed their rescue mission.

"Using flames to draw out rats was the right choice after all."

The new year is here and we all made it, hopefully. This story is just getting started but I am working I another one to put in between uploads.

Night song~

Next chapter

Jan 18.