Day 90
For the past three months, Sakura found herself at a crossroads, captivated by the discovery of a whole new aspect of Madara. In him, the young woman perceived a powerful, charismatic, and influential personality—a man determined in the pursuit of his aspirations. Capable of protecting those dear to him, he also revealed vulnerable facets reserved for those who had earned his respect. Insidiously, Sakura found herself immersed in a form of love she had never experienced in her childhood: learning to love someone.
Meanwhile, Madara moved slowly through the garden, the exercises prescribed by Sakura bearing fruit. He could now walk independently, although running or using his chakra in his muscles still remained out of reach. Despite this, he relished the blessing of finally being able to move on his own. Near a tree on the cliff's edge, his gaze lost in the distance, a discreet smile played on his lips.
Seated at her desk, Sakura, perplexed, observed her patient strolling outside.
— What's happening to me? she wondered. For some time now, she had discovered a growing pleasure in his presence, in feeling his intense gaze upon her.
It was a completely new experience for her. No man had ever looked at her this way. Sasuke had seen her as useless, Naruto's gaze was that of a child, but Madara... He had different ways of scrutinizing her, curious, interested, sometimes calculating, or intrigued. Sakura concluded that she wasn't indifferent to him. However, it plunged her into confusing turmoil. No man had ever had the chance to know the real Sakura. None had ever whispered subtly to her that she was beautiful. She marveled more and more at the intimate and awkward moments they shared.
"Sakura-san?" Madara's deep voice abruptly brought her back to reality, interrupting her reflections on the torments of her feelings.
"Yes?" Sakura asked, slightly puzzled.
"Is everything alright on your end?" Madara inquired, a hint of concern in his gaze.
"Oh, yes, why?"
"I called you twice, getting no response. You seemed elsewhere," Madara explained, having traversed the garden path to his doctor's office.
"Sorry, my thoughts were wandering," admitted Sakura, receiving only a faint smile in return. Since her thanks, the man seemed more relaxed, and Sakura realized that even Madara possessed multiple facets. A face for the outside world, impeccable to uphold the honor of his clan. A cold and unyielding face reserved for his enemies... and a relaxed and tender look for his loved ones.
"Would you accompany me for a walk?" Madara proposed, casting a glance towards the outside. He didn't want to reveal his discomfort because, after all, it was a first for him: he had never sought the company of a woman for a stroll; usually, he imposed his opinion.
"With pleasure," Sakura replied, delighted at the idea of clearing her mind. "How about a trip to the village?"
"That suits me perfectly."
"One moment, let me grab my basket to buy some vegetables," she announced, heading towards the kitchen.
Returning with a wicker basket on her arm, she stood by Madara and instinctively took his right arm.
"How long do you think it will take before I can use chakra?" the brunet asked as they headed towards the village.
"It will depend, Madara-san. This is your first walk of such scale. If you don't feel too tired, we might consider running in the days to come."
"Sakura-san, I'd like to ask you a delicate question..."
"I'm listening," Sakura replied, never sure of what to expect in the brunet's company. His questions always oscillated between complex medical subjects and entirely ordinary inquiries.
"Is a member of my clan...," the brunet began slowly, pausing as he locked his gaze with the young woman's. "Responsible for the loss of those you loved?"
No words were necessary for Madara to understand the truth. He always had this gift of asking the right questions, and this time, by looking into the eyes of his interlocutor, he had read Sakura's soul. The next moment after his question, his gaze changed, reflecting sadness, anger, and coldness. At that moment, he understood that a member of his clan was responsible for the profound pain of this woman.
A dull anger insinuated itself within him, without fully grasping the reason.
"Who?" Madara insisted after a silence in which Sakura remained silent.
"He's dead," she finally said, lowering her eyes. She was trying to untangle the tangled threads of her thoughts and heart, both in contradiction.
"Did you kill him?" the clan leader asked, aware from Sakura's accounts that she had already taken the lives of Uchiha in the past.
"His own madness led to his demise," Sakura declared, plunging back into the memory of that memorable battle where Madara had reached the level of the Rikudô Sennin before being stabbed by Black Zetsu.
"His name!" the brunet demanded firmly.
"Please, Madara-san," Sakura pleaded with palpable pain. She was reluctant to answer this question; the mere mention of her past still inflicted too much suffering. While she was already trying to appease her mind in recent days, openly discussing her history with Madara was out of the question.
"I understand," the Uchiha finally conceded, capturing all the distress in the woman's eyes. Despite the ardent desire to dive into this ocean of turquoise, he chose to resume their walk.
"Madara-san..."
"Yes?"
"Be civil, please. The villagers here are very friendly and not accustomed to seeing individuals of your stature," advised the young woman, aware of Madara's evident pride. She received no response from him, but deep down, she hoped he wouldn't cause any trouble.
The village was about twenty meters away, filled with the laughter of children playing outdoors. The rhythmic clinking of a hammer striking an anvil harmonized with the lively buzz of the community.
A smile lit up Sakura's face as she spotted Hitomi, her closest friend from that time. As she walked towards her, she felt Madara suddenly stop. Turning her gaze towards him, she discovered a serious expression accompanied by clear hardness.
"Madara-san?" Sakura questioned, worried about his demeanor.
"Sakura!" Hitomi's voice exclaimed.
She quickly turned her head towards her friend and saw her pointing to the road behind them, her face filled with fear. Turning around, Sakura saw a group of armed men approaching the village.
"Probably bandits," informed Madara, not only having heard the footsteps but also sensing their presence, explaining his sudden stop. Even if he was supposed to be dead and no one was looking for him, Madara remained a paranoid ninja, always on guard, always alert to the slightest sign or suspicious behavior.
"Gather everyone and hide!" Sakura ordered the villagers with determination.
"But Sakura, and you!?" Hitomi worriedly asked for her friend. However, she received only a sweet smile from the pink-haired woman.
"Don't worry about me, my friend," reassured Sakura before slowly approaching the group of bandits. They would soon be within range, and Madara advanced by her side, unperturbed.
"No chakra in your legs, Madara-san," Sakura warned just before the confrontation.
"Understood," replied the concerned brunet, aware that he needed to preserve himself. But these seemed to be mere civilians; his reflexes alone should be enough to handle this threat.
"What are they doing? They're going to get killed!" panicked one of the villagers, watching their doctor and the brunet walking towards the intruders.
"We need to do something!" added another man armed with a pitchfork, but he was abruptly stopped by Hitomi's voice.
"No! Trust... trust them," stammered the woman, not really sure of herself.
Twenty anonymous shadows, ordinary souls destined to plunder humble villages. The first bandits reached Sakura and Madara, initiating a macabre choreography.
The initial assault was led by a bandit armed with a sword, charging straight at Sakura with the intention of impaling her. Thanks to her intense training, she gracefully dodged, skillfully avoiding the threatening blade. She grabbed the armed wrist with a confident motion and, in a fluid movement, broke the bone at the joint. The bandit immediately dropped his weapon, screaming in pain at the abnormal angle of his limb. However, his cries were quickly muffled by two chakra-loaded fingers pressed against his throat, rendering him unconscious.
The next adversary, targeting Madara, also found himself disarmed. The Uchiha effortlessly evaded the sword directed at him, seizing the weapon with disconcerting ease. In a circular motion, he severed the head of the bandit without lingering on the corpse, continuing his path alongside the young woman.
"Don't look, my dear!" Hitomi ordered, turning her son's gaze away to protect him from the brutality. She understood in an instant the meaning of her friend's warnings about Uchiha-sama, describing him as a born killer. His presence, stature, gestures—everything about him suggested danger.
This spectacle was by no means fair. The two protagonists dodged, parried, and ultimately annihilated each opponent within their reach. A fractured arm, a severed limb, a scream of pain preceding unconsciousness or death. Such was the sad reality for the bandits who ventured near Sakura and Madara.
"It's... it's incredible...," trembled one of the villagers, observing the two shinobi obliterate this threat. In just fifteen seconds, about ten men had been neutralized or simply killed without warning.
They formed an antithetical duo, one disarming his opponents while the other embraced death. However, their determination to inflict blows remained unwavering. Two souls, shaped to kill in the name of their homeland, now stood in defense of their home.
"Go around and capture the women!" ordered the bandit leader, revealing his malicious intentions.
At these words, Sakura ignited with anger and decided to put an end to this macabre game. One did not threaten those dear to Sakura with impunity. Ten meters away, an instantaneous propulsion of her chakra-charged legs placed her in front of the bandit leader. Her icy gaze betrayed the total absence of mercy towards this individual.
Her fist descended with deadly precision on the man's chest, producing a dull sound accompanied by the characteristic noise of breaking bones. His ribcage exploded into a thousand fragments, piercing all internal organs. Under the impact, the man succumbed instantly, thrown down the cliff.
Sakura's gaze then shifted to Madara, surrounded by several bandits he evaded and parried effortlessly with his sword. In a graceful pirouette, he severed a leg, a movement that extended to a throat, claiming another life.
Sakura conjured, in a puff of smoke, two kunai in her hands, spotting a bandit approaching the villagers. No mercy for the assailants, no quarter for those who dared harm her people.
One of the two kunai sliced through the air with precision, planting its edge in the back of the abductor. A groan escaped his lips before he collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, Madara had just finished off all his opponents, the last two survivors fleeing for their lives.
No way to leave witnesses capable of recounting the horror that had just unfolded here. Sakura threw her second kunai at the nearest man, the weapon piercing his skull. As she prepared to chase the last bandit, Madara stopped her.
"Let me handle it."
Madara adjusted his grip on the sword in his hand, ready to throw it like a deadly javelin.
His left arm unusable for balance, he activated his Sharingan for a fraction of a second, scanning the distance of over a hundred meters with almost supernatural acuity.
His eye analyzed the velocity of his run, the force of the wind, the ideal trajectory, and then he threw the sword.
The movement was fluid, graceful, controlled. The projectile cut through the air with lightning speed, piercing its target from side to side.
Without wasting time, Sakura crouched down and began forming hand seals with her agile hands.
"Doton : Kan'oke no jutsu !" she declared before placing her hands on the ground. Chakra reacting upon contact, the earth disintegrated and reformed into an imposing pit, destined to accommodate the corpses. For individuals like these, there was no need for a proper burial.
With the pit ready, Sakura meticulously arranged the bodies. Meanwhile, Madara picked up a new blade, heading unfazed towards the few survivors. No hesitation, no mercy tainted his gaze.
"Mercy, help me!" pleaded a bandit crawling towards the villagers, stunned by the carnage. Two individuals had just decimated twenty comrades with disconcerting ease. Upon hearing the plea for help, Madara approached the supplicant, one leg severed.
"No... Please! P-... Argh...," begged the man before succumbing, his head pierced by a blade. The execution was swift, precise, and above all, devoid of any mercy.
Madara's gaze lifted from the corpse to scrutinize the frightened faces before him. The terror was palpable, understandable after witnessing death orchestrated with such ease. He stared at them for a few moments, his gaze heavy, capable of chilling the blood. Then, after a moment, he bowed and emotionlessly grabbed the deceased's leg to drag him toward the communal pit.
"Hitomi... who... who are these individuals?" asked a brunette woman beside him.
"I... I have no idea, but I trust Sakura," replied Hitomi, watching her friend deposit another body into the pit.
"How are your legs, Madara-san?" Sakura inquired with a concerned expression. She had seen him face several enemies, fall backward, bend his legs. His back and legs had clearly been put to the test.
"Bearable," Madara replied, starting to form Ninjutsu hand seals with his only valid hand. "Step back."
"Don't overexert yourself, please."
"Katon : Goukakyuu no jutsu."
Madara didn't master fire techniques with such expertise for nothing. Even infusing little chakra into his Ninjutsu, his techniques became devastating. Nothing could withstand the inferno summoned by the Uchiha. The heat emitted by the flames was so intense that the villagers had to step back, the air becoming scorching. After about twenty seconds, only ashes remained.
"Doton : Umekomu no jutsu," Sakura declared, placing her hands on the ground. Thus, chakra made the earth ripple to cover the pit and restore the road as before. The only traces of the battle were blood splatters on the ground, but a good rain would solve that problem.
Sakura shook the dust off her hands before picking up her small wicker basket. She also adjusted her clothes, the only evidence of her recent fight before joining her patient.
"Everything okay?" Sakura asked again. Not to be annoying, but as a doctor, she didn't want him to injure himself unnecessarily.
"Yes, thank you," Madara replied with a slight smile.
He had just put his body to the test after three months of recovery. Although he hadn't pushed his limits as Sakura had asked him to, he was satisfied to see that he could already resume combat.
"Don't move," whispered Sakura, taking a white handkerchief from one of her pockets. With delicacy and tenderness, she wiped it across the brunet's cheek, removing a trace of blood. Extending the gesture, her gaze remained locked with his. Why was she doing this, she had no idea, but Madara did nothing to stop her or interrupt the moment.
This moment of sweetness lingered for a few moments before Sakura became aware of her actions. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, and she grabbed Madara's arm to head towards the village. However, the gesture and Sakura's evident embarrassment didn't escape Hitomi, who wore a broad smile.
The two ninjas approached the villagers, who suddenly bowed one after another. Saving lives in the Sengoku era deserved recognition, but Sakura was not accustomed to this kind of attention.
"Sakura-sama, Lord-sama!" exclaimed many people.
The title of Lord-sama was given to Madara due to his power but also his presence. Without having a name, this nickname suited him perfectly.
"Come now, it's not...," Sakura began before being interrupted by Madara.
"It would be an insult to refuse what they do, Sakura-san," explained the brunet, starting to understand the young woman. She didn't want to be adored; she simply sought equality for all.
Day 91
Sakura was sitting in the main room, carefully peeling vegetables for the evening meal. These generous gifts emanated from the gratitude of the villagers they had saved from a grim fate. Despite her instinct to decline, Madara persuaded her otherwise.
As her basket filled with vegetables and other offerings, Hitomi approached discreetly, whispering words in Sakura's ear, causing a blush to appear on her cheeks.
"He's just a patient," she joked.
Sakura shook her head to dismiss the memory. She hadn't known how to react to her friend and preferred to feign ignorance. She wasn't ready to confront her own feelings yet. Sure, she appreciated Madara's presence, but considering loving him was a prospect she couldn't conceive. Despite his gentle gestures and subtle looks, she refused to succumb, feeling guilty towards all those she had loved and perished because of him.
Night slowly settled, leaving the room filled with a sweet melody from the gramophone that Madara had gotten used to demanding every evening.
In the enchanting atmosphere of the music, the brunet was nestled in a chair, engrossed in reading a work suggested by the young woman. However, concentration eluded him. His mind was captive of that gesture, that gaze... He would gladly activate his Sharingan to immortalize this scene in his memory, but he discerned latent discontent in Sakura. Leaving the book on the table beside him, he silently contemplated the young woman.
She hummed softly, harmonizing with the melody. A radiant innocence illuminated her face as her hands busied themselves around the carrots.
"Sakura-san," called the dark-haired brunet.
"Yes?" Sakura inquired without diverting her attention.
"Have you ever had someone in your life?" Madara asked, as if discussing the weather.
"Why this question, please?" Sakura replied.
"I admit you're not a conventional woman...," Madara began as Sakura turned her gaze towards him, suddenly captivated by the continuation of his response. "But I'm surprised no man has managed to win your heart."
"As you say, I'm not like other women. I have no intention of being dominated, bending to men, and that drove away any suitor," explained Sakura, resuming her task. "Men don't appreciate a woman being more skilled or stronger than them. They feel diminished, and I won't pretend to have a personality that isn't mine. I want a man..."
Sakura paused in her work, delving into her deep thoughts. Was she really looking for someone? Yes, she aspired to have someone in her life, someone who would love her for who she was, accept her, and whom she could rely on.
"I want... a man who will see me as his equal. Someone loving me for who I am, not treating me as a mere trophy to display or a mere mother! I want to experience love, Madara-san, but I want that person to respect me as a human being, someone who I would choose to stand by me, hand in hand."
Why had Sakura revealed this? Why had she opened up like this to this man? Was it to tell him that she was not ordinary? Or to make him understand that if he had intentions towards her, he should change.
"You haven't completely answered my question, Sakura-san," declared Madara in a deep voice.
"There was someone... I loved someone once," sighed Sakura, reminiscing about Sasuke, her childhood love. She liked recalling that tender feeling towards her past Uchiha, but it also reminded her of painful memories.
"Why didn't it work out?" asked Madara gently.
"He stabbed me in the heart with a Ninjutsu technique," replied Sakura bitterly, recalling the sensation of Sasuke's arm in her chest. She placed the peeled carrots in a bowl, the peels in the tray.
"What's his name?" Madara asked, his voice tinged with a coldness Sakura rarely heard. He was animated by a clear intention to cause harm to whoever dared to hurt her.
"Uchiha Sasuke... and he's already dead," declared Sakura with determination, standing up with her tray towards the kitchen.
Madara then understood why Sakura harbored such aversion towards the Uchiha clan. He recalled one of the first sentences uttered by the young woman: They tried to kill me, subdue me, or harm me.
However, he had no memory of an Uchiha named Sasuke. Perhaps a renegade or a distant member of the lineage. After a while, sounds emanated from the kitchen, indicating that Sakura was preparing the meal. He had never specified a particular dish because everything Sakura cooked was exquisite. Moreover, he had eventually accepted her health advice. Three months later, he found himself ready for combat once again.
The disc ended, plunging the room into silence. As he was about to get up to choose a new piece of music, Sakura anticipated him.
"Sakura-san."
"Yes?"
"Who trained you to fight like this?"
It was a question that had haunted him for a long time. He had only seen Sakura fight for very brief moments, including today. However, the afternoon battle revealed that she was trained in ninja arts, even in Ninjutsu.
"His name was Kakashi," revealed Sakura with a touch of pain, and Madara understood that this man had been very close to her. "I miss him terribly. It's partly thanks to him that I became the woman I am... he saw and believed in me."
"He must have been powerful to train a woman of your caliber."
"Yes, he was a great Shinobi," confirmed Sakura, putting the disc back in its sleeve. "But he was like all men."
"What do you mean?" Madara asked, curious.
"He had a weakness."
Madara hated being considered weak, even indirectly, and Sakura had just implicated him.
"In what way was he weak, please?" Madara asked in a firmer tone.
"In the face of the fairer sex."
"I'm not weak!" affirmed Uchiha firmly.
Sakura remained silent, letting the music once again permeate the house. After a few seconds of melody, she formed the ram sign with her hands, triggering a Henge on herself.
Still effortlessly beautiful, Sakura had decided to make her point at this precise moment. Her traditional attire had given way to a backless white dress stopping just above the beginning of her posterior. Without pants, she showcased black stockings rising up to her thighs, ending in lace. The same pattern covered her arms up to her biceps. Back to Uchiha's view, she offered him a direct view of her curves accentuated by heels.
With a sensual turn, she pivoted and approached Uchiha, wearing a provocative smile. Slightly made up, Madara found her sublime, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She exuded such beauty and confidence that he remained silent, bewildered about how to react.
He didn't flinch when she stood in front of him and perched herself on him. She placed her buttocks directly on his intimacy, as if she sought to seduce him. Then, leaning forward, she brought her face close to his ear. One of her hands rested delicately on the brunet's chest, while the other tenderly caressed his cheek.
"Tell me, Madara-sama... do you find me to your liking?" murmured Sakura in a sensual and tempting voice. "Do you think you can help me?"
"Yes...," Madara replied with difficulty. Thoughts no longer came to him; his mind was filled only with the ardent desire for this woman. He had felt carnal desire in the past, but he had always managed to stay in control. This time was different; a sudden fascination consumed him. He only wanted to kiss her lips, feel her delicate body against his, hold her in his arms, and possess her simply.
Sakura's hand, which caressed Uchiha's cheek, slid down to his neck.
"You see, Madara-sama... this is where men show their weakness... they can't resist feminine charm," Sakura whispered sensually into the brunet's ear. "All I would need is to summon a kunai into my hand, and I could easily slice your throat," she added sharply.
Sakura slowly withdrew from Madara, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. She stood up from her position and headed towards the kitchen, swaying her hips suggestively. When she judged she had played enough with the man, she dispelled her Henge, reverting to her initial attire, leaving a completely stunned Madara.
"This woman is driving me crazy..."