Chapter 83 A Word to the Wise.

Ahhh!

Kabuto rived on the ground as blood dripped from my kunai. I am so exhausted I can't bring myself to care. I knew I would be on edge during the chunin exam, but I didn't imagine I would run myself ragged. Keeping track of everyone's movements was terrible enough; disposing of the Threats was another thing entirely. My headache only got worse with Kabuto's screams. I don't know how Sasori managed to control that many puppets at once, but I was starting to respect him quite a bit.

I stepped on Kabuto's back, knocking the wind out of him and giving me a moment of silence. All day this idiot leaked in the shadow, watching my every move like a stalker. I kept waiting for him to move, but the coward never did. I wasn't expecting him to cosplay as Neji, but seeing it pissed me off. What was he thinking? I stumbled on him, drawing a bloody cough. Did he think I would treat him like I did Neji? This pervert!

'Ugh," he grounded as I stepped on his face, just looking at him as pissing me off.

We technically don't need him, Madara offered. I channeled healing Chakra into my feet and fixed his eye. While it would be better to kill him off now, I wasn't in the mood to think up plans and scenarios that would occur in his death.

I rubbed my temple. My head was killing me. Even with Madara being my middleman when it came to seeing everything at once, I still felt the strain of it all. Using the Sharingan for a long time was bound to have drawbacks. I was using mental jutsus for an entire day. I envied Naruto and his clones.

Kabuto's sobs lessened as the pain became a phantom; he didn't look relieved, which was expected since he saw my torture methods. I really was tired. The Sake wasn't working fast enough. Footsteps behind me drew closer. I didn't move as Ino and Shikamaru stood on either side of me.

"He's wearing our headband," Ino stated.

"He is a Konoha ninja," I responded.

"He's been following us all day," Shikamaru stated. Kabuto flinched.

"He's a stalker," I informed them. "I'm pretty sure it's his hobby."

I watched a fight between the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Cloud through my summons. Wincing as the lighting flash grew brighter, I left the rest to Madara.

Ino stood after rummaging through Kabuto's pockets; naturally, he didn't have his scroll. He held up a stack of blank cards with a confused face.

I tapped it while channeling chakra into it. Ino gasped as her information appeared on the card; she growled when she saw her bust size included.

"This creep!" she yelled, stepping on him, as well.

What are you gonna do with him?" Shikamaru asked.

What was I going to do with him? I looked over at Sasuke, who met my stare with a raised brow.

Kabuto's only purpose in this is to gauge Sasuke's ability. I didn't have to kill him. I could let him go with a warning. But did I want to, though?

Sighing in exhaustion, I crouched next to his bloodied face.

"How bout you tell us what you what, huh?" I said, offering an olive branch. I wasn't about to let a snake bastard put his mouth on Sasuke, but I could humor him. Orochimaru was useful, and he seemed friendly enough when we last spoke.

... did you just refer to your battle with the Snake sage as, "Friendly?" Marada asked. I rubbed my temple. I must be more tired than I thought.

Kabuto was really good at manipulating people.

He was a super spy that was never caught, going crazy because he started to fool himself. He told us a tale of him being a loser who failed the Chunin exams. He saw how powerful we were when we walked in and more so when I stopped a fight in the exams. After following us, he thought he could pass if he stuck with us but was too scared to approach us since we were on high alert.

He then has a stupid idea of pretending to be our friend and maybe getting a pity scroll that way. He'd then get separated from us and run back to his team. When we realized it was the wrong person, he'd be scot-free.

Of course, I saw through it, and he was left apologizing. He seemed sincere, but only a fool would fall for something like that.

"Sniff, sniff," I looked over at my stupid child. "To think you'd fail the exam so many times and keep going!" Naruto was looking at him with teary eyes. He didn't fail the exam; I wanted to scream. He passed it so many times that he just grew old.

Hinata was not impressed as she looked at her crying boyfriend with a hint of disappointment. Kabuto just admitted to wanting to deceive us and use us for his own gain, and Naruto was tucked in the Failure part. Naruto clasped Kabuto's hands and stared into his eyes, blue eyes sparking.

"We'll be sure to get you to achieve your goal!" Naruto declared.

Kabuto blinked in confusion, no doubt wondering how his story was this effective. Naruto pulled him to his feet and held him close. "We're going to make you stronger, so you make it to the end of the exam!" Naruto declared. Even if you don't wind, you'll be able to show what you're made of, right!"

"Uhh," Kabuto was speechless.

"If we can turn someone like Shikamaru into a badass. I'm sure we can do the same for you!" Naruto casually points to the lazy Nara.

"Don't bring me into this," Shikamaru drawled.

"Just leave it to me!" Naruto puffed his chest proudly. "We'll get you a scroll in no time! Come on!" Kabuto wasn't given a choice as he was dragged away.

My vision became blurry, and I lost my balance, falling back. Warmth embraced me as large hands wrapped around me.

"I told you not to push yourself," Madara's dark voice scolded me. The distant sound of dripping water alerted me to my location. Looking up, I stared at the blond strapped to the ceiling like a prisoner. Chakra dripped from her and into Madara's lake, which looked more like an ocean every day. It was hard to believe this was once my chakra.

The scenery changed to a courtyard garden in autumn, with yellow leaves scattered about. We sat on the Engawa, my back to his chest as the cool breeze blew. I sighed, content. I wanted a vacation like this. Being able to enjoy the beauty of life was what I strived for.

Madara rested his chin on my shoulder and drew me closer.

"It's going to be noisy here soon," he reminds me.

I hummed in response.

"We could always forfeit the plan," he assured me. I groaned in objection. "You don't have to bear everything alone, you know."

"I'm not," I sighed. Why was he talking when I was trying to relax? I looked at his block eyes and smiled reassuringly. "I have you." I patted his arm and sunk deeper into his embrace. "We have each other." My eyes closed before he could reply, drifting off into unconsciousness.

"She's out cold," Shikamrau confirmed as Sakura lay limp in Sasuke's arms. "I don't think it's chakra exhaustion. Might be fatigue." Sasuke tsked in frustration.

"She wasn't sleeping last night, was she?" he muttered. He glared at the girl in his arms before nodding at Shikamaru. The Nara took Sakura and placed her on Sasuke's back for easy mobility.

Ino leaned close to the sleeping girl.

"You know, she actually looks kind of cute sleeping like this," she commented, poking Saskura's cheek. Shikamaru was the first to notice. Black ink traveled over Sakura's body, covering her arms with Fuinjutsu. I was the only warning they got before the 'sleeping girl' grabbed onto Ino's face. Ino gasped, stumbling back in shock. Before she could fall, a pulse of chakra traveled through Sakura's arm and onto Ino's face. Ino's butterfly chip glowed with power as Ino fell back out of Sakura's hold.

Sakura's arm went limp as the light faded, and Kiba caught Ino.

"What the hell was that?" Kiba cursed.

Hinata activated her byakugan and scanned Ino for injury. Finding none, she looked at Sakura's still form. The Seal was retracting back to her chest, her chakra levels dropping as it did. Her eyes narrowed, but she couldn't see past Sakura's seal the way she could Naruto's.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asked, a worried expression on his face.

"She's fine, just a chakra spike," Hinata explained. Her words didn't seem to calm Sasuke at all.

"Just a chakra spike?" Kurotsuchi was horrified. "That looked like a horror play! It's a ghost possession!"

The room temperature dropped as the Leaf genins glared at her. Their eyes promised a miserable end. She gulped and stepped back. Naruto was the only one that wanted to protect her. With him gone and Sakura unconscious. She could die any minute.

It didn't make sense to her. They saw the seal and her zombie-like movements, yet they didn't react how a 'normal' person should. Unless…

"This has happened before."

Shikamaru and Sasuke flinched at her words. Kurotsuchi gasped, stumbling back. She didn't make it far, bumping into Shino, who held her in place. She trembled in his hold as the eyes of hostility didn't move from her.

"We should probably kill her," Hinata suggested.

"Forget it," Sasuke sighed. "I can't put up with Naruto's crying right now."

"She's going to scream when he sees Sakura like this anyway," Hinata countered.

"Hinata," Sasuke warned. The Hyuga huffed and folded her arms.

"Ugh," Ino groaned and stirred in Kibas's hold. Blue eyes opened, looking around before closing another groan crossing her lips.

"Hey, You okay?" Kiba shocks her gently.

"I'm going to kill that bitch," Ino groaned into Kiba's chest.

"Good luck with that," Shikamaru said, crouching before her. He cupped her forehead and pulled at her check to examine her eyes. "What did she do to you?"

"She gave me the map to the Stronghold," Ino sat up and glared at Sakura. "She couldn't tell us the way before passing out, so she forced it into my head. Bitch." Shikamaru sighed in relief. Sakura wasn't trying to kill Ino. He wasn't sure they could stop her if she decided to go on a murder spree, but for now, she had 'it' under control.

Shikamaru stood holding a hand out to Ino. "since you know, We should get going," He said.

Ino groaned, rubbing her temple as she took the offered hand. Kiba kept her steady as he should off the sudden intrusion of her mind.

Shikamaru was already planning their journey to the Stronghold in one piece as he looked at his comrades.

"Hinata, take point," He commanded. "Sasuke, Ino, Kurostsuchi, you in the middle. Choji and Kiba take the sides. Shino and I take the back." Everyone nodded and got into formation. Ino stayed close to Choji, still feeling dizzy as they went after Naruto.

It was chaos.

"We need some assistance over here!"

Screams of the tortured echoed off the hospital walls. Nurses ran to and fro, trying to stabilize the wards.

"Please, just let me die." Whippers of despair were common among the genins. After rescuing them from the icy maze, Ibiki watched in horror as the genins pleaded for death.

"We need some painkillers over here!"

"He's going into shock!"

"We'll need to reset the bone."

"We're out of water! Can someone refill the bucket!"

Anko had seen war; been alive long enough to take part in it. This happened after a day on the battlefield, not a few hours in a maze!

She was tempted to cover her ears as the screams of pain grew louder.

"Just put the poor bastards out of their misery," she whispered. Ibiki acted as though he couldn't hear as he observed the scene.

The genins of the Land of Earth, were the ones occupying the beds and screaming the most.

Was there someone in the exam that had a grudge against the stone village? His gloved strained against his balled fist. If anything, the Stone and Lightning held grudges against the leaf. The thought of Naruto doing the deed crossed his mind, but he dismissed it just as fast. The boy was a bundle of sunshine no matter what everyone said. The boy wasn't capable of this, not without the fox's influence anyway. Ibiki didn't sense any malicious chakra, however.

"What the hell is this!"

Ibiki turned to see the old Kage rushing into the room; his eyes were wide and red with rage.

"Is the stone village a joke to you!" he yelled. "Why are my genins in such a state!?"

The medics looked around, unsure of how to handle this.

"Calm yourself, Onoki," Hiruzen called, entering the room with Inoici and Shikaku escorting him.

"You can't talk! It's not your children on those hospital beds!" Onoki fired back.

"No, but it won't help anyone to yell at the people trying to save their lives," he nodded to the medics, who immediately returned to their work. "We shouldn't get in their way; they are doing their best here."

"Don't play dumb with me, Hiruzen!" Onoki yelled as he followed behind the exiting Hiruzen. "This is your doing, isn't it!?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Hiruzen continued walking as the Tsuchikage followed, his face red. "I've been here this whole time."

"I came here thinking this year's Chunin exams would be fair, yet I see nothing but my genins in that hospital room! You're targeting my people, aren't you!" Onoki yelled, gathering a few eyes. "Is this revenge for the war? You won, and yet you still want to limit our numbers!?"

Hiruzen walked to a balcony and looked at the village and its people. He should have known something like this would happen, but he didn't think it would be this bad.

"Are you sure you're not the one targeting my genin?" Hiruzen asked calmly, not looking at the shorter man.

"What did you say!?"

"What's all this commotion?" Raikage A walked up to them after hearing the screaming. Yagura, unable to resist the drama, tagged along. Four Kages were in one place, and the tension was high. Onoki glared at Hiruzen while the elder remained calm and unamused.

Sand formed behind Hiruzen, and suddenly, Rasa was standing behind the Hokage, glaring down at the Tsuchikage. The tension was only broken when a timid young man, a boy really, compared to the other Kages, came around the corner. Shibuki, the head of the Hidden Waterfall village, looked at all the Kages and paled. He was seconds away from bolting when Hiruzen spoke.

"Good," Hiruzen sighed, turning to face the group. "Since we're all here, I won't have to repeat myself."

"What is this about Hiruzen," Rasa asked.

"I'm sure you all felt the feeling of death in the air yesterday." Hiruzen began. " He looked over at the mountain base where the exams were held. "I admit I was expecting some conflict. It's been a while since we last gathered, but I didn't think You'd be so foolish. Onoki!"

The Stone Kage flinched but held his ground, glaring at the Hokage with years of unsolved grudges.

"Reporting Hokage-sama," Inoichi announced his presence. The Kages and Shibuki turned to stare at the bowing Yamanaka.

"Tell me," Hiruzen said.

"Sir!" Inoichi didn't hesitate. "After analyzing the memories of those injured, I've found that one person is responsible for this."

"Who?"

Inoichi formed a hand seal and transformed into the culprit. Black hair flowed over a formal black kimono that wouldn't be out of place at a funeral. Even with the pale skin and slender form, the green eyes were familiar to everyone.

"So this is your doing!" Onoki yelled. Outraged.

"No," Inoichi said in Sakura's voice. "This is your doing, Tsuchikage-sama."

"What!?"

"You gave the order, didn't you?" Green eyes held the Kage in place. "Find and kill the blonde Konoha genin,' was it?"

Onoki froze in place, having forgotten about the order in his rage.

"Sakura is very protective of Naruto," Hiruzen spoke, and Onoki chanced a look at the Hokage. "Consider yourself lucky they are only traumatized and not beheaded."

"Gato's empire wasn't so lucky," Inoichi explained. The Yamanaka head spent nights comforting his daughter after that disaster. Sakura was merciful, sparing the villagers that sneered at Naruto.

"Oh, I heard about that," Yagura said thoughtfully. "Domon of spring, was it? They named the bridge after her too." He looked at the Hokage and smirked. "How is our village called 'bloody mist' when your shinobis are monsters? I heard they killed Zabuza." Of course, he knew the truth, but it didn't hurt to fan the flames.

"Well, there you have it," Hizuen sighed, taking out a pipe and puffing smoke. "You brought this on yourself, sending your genins on a suicide mission. You need to let go of the past less you lose your future." he looked at the other Kages. "Let this be a lesson for the rest of you as well. Stay away from the Clan children. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, especially." He looked over at the Raikage. "It would be best not to touch the Hyugas as well."

"You!" Raikage A started, but Hiruzen continued on.

"I don't want another war," he said sadly, his age showing. "I'd like to think I have a good handle on my shinobis, but I know I won't be able to control her if you provoke her. No doubt the reason these genins of yours are still alive is because she took the advice of those around her. Take away her moral compass and…" he hesitated. He didn't want to speak it into existence, but it needed to be said. He looked at all of them, his face gravely serious.

"We'll have another Madara Uchiha on our hands."

The room became quiet. Madara's name held power, the kind of power no one wanted to mess with. Hiruzen exhaled smoke as he thought of the past.

"I don't know about you, but our village can't handle a return of that man. We had no one strong enough to oppose him now." He remembered the words of Minata, a warning that night, and again the night of the Uchiha massacre. Madara might have already returned.

"I've been hearing rumors of the Mad tyrant's return for some time now," Yagura said in the silence.

"Yes," Hiruzen sighed. That was the reason for this gathering." he looked at the horizon again. "I'd rather not have two Madaras running wild, thank you."

"Don't you think you're exaggerating just a bit?" Raikage smirked.

"AHHH!" the terrible cry from the emergency ward was the only answer they needed.

This is so much better!

Even though I didn't do much writing in the 15 days I had, I feel great writing Sakura rampages. With what's coming, I should do it this way instead. At this rate, I won't have to go on hiatus! Happy days all around. I feel confident enough to launch a story I was working on. It might change the shipping world as we know it. And if I'm lucky, someone might copy me and write similar ones I can read! Oh, I'm so excited!

Next chapter

June 15

Until next time

Night soon~