Your peace?

Day 5

*Bringing peace to this rotten world...*

This was a project he had had since he was very young. Despite his violent upbringing, Madara longed for only one thing : peace.

Sure, he had learned to appreciate the taste of battle and blood, but his ambition was too strong to give in to his instincts. And that's why this phrase kept turning over and over in his head.

Ever since he woke up, he couldn't stop thinking about Sakura and her desire to bring peace to this world. He never imagined he would meet anyone else with the same ideal as him, except for Hashirama Senju.

Inevitably, the dark-haired man plunged into the past he had known, a past synonymous with war and death. Indeed, Madara was born in a period called the Muromachi era, the time of the war of the provinces. This period had been very long and bloody because hundreds of ninja clans were constantly fighting each other, leading to perpetual conflicts between the nations. Each wanted to expand their territory and establish their dominance over the other.

Over the years, two clans stood out for their strength : the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. They were known and recognized for their equal strength and their tenacity in war. They were therefore regularly called upon by nations who wished to go to war against each other. After a while, every confrontation was nothing more than the Uchiha against the Senju. This constant pitting of the Uchiha against the Senju only served to reinforce the deep enmity they felt for each other.

It was in this spirit of hatred and conflict that Madara was born. Unfortunately he did not have a typical childhood. While the other children of his age played hide and seek, he had to learn to masking himself in order to kill. He didn't know what it was like to grow up in the innocence and love of a family, instead he was brought up to experience the pain and suffering that hatred brings. His whole life was about getting up, training, killing, crying in silence, going to bed and doing it again.

Because of the extreme violence of the conflicts, the average age of the Shinobi was no more than 30. This average age was constantly decreasing because many of the ninjas who lost their lives in these battles were children. Thus, with the constant loss of their loved ones, a never-ending cycle of revenge was born, to the point where the Shinobi hid their family names for fear of retribution.

Madara also remembered that at that time he met Hashirama who had the same desire to bring peace to this rotten world. Both boys grew up to become leaders of their respective rival clans. And despite their childhood friendship, both inevitably became enemies.

It was also during this time that Madara and his brother discovered the secrets of the Sharingan ; becoming the first to awaken to the Mangekyo Sharingan. Unfortunately, this pupil blinded its user with repeated use. And one thing led to another, with the constant conflicts, Madara's vision deteriorated until his brother decided to give him his own eyes after a fatal injury. Thanks to this, Madara obtained an Eternal Mangekyô Sharingan with which he could continue to fight without suffering from eye degradation.

Nevertheless, Madara remembered that even after decades of conflict where the violence of the fighting only increased to the point of carnage, most of the clans under the banner of the Uchiha and Senju clans, decided to form the first lasting truce between the people.

Madara, however, was the only person who opposed this peace. He argued with his own clan to convince them to continue fighting, that it was all hypocrisy. But he was finally forced to form a permanent alliance with the Senju clan.

Soon after, a pact was formed with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and as a result, Konoha No Sato was founded. This created an unprecedented movement as others did the same, creating the five great ninja countries and their villages.

When the alliance treaty was proposed, Madara flatly refused to sign it and opposed his entire clan. Indeed, the clause of the treaty was inadmissible for the dark-haired man, because it placed the Uchiha clan below the Senju clan. And it was out of the question that his clan would be in such a position, it was both a matter of pride, but also a matter of preservation.

Madara, as a great visionary, felt that despite the existence of this truce, the common hatred that had been ingrained for generations would always be present and would one day resurface.

So when he saw this so-called peace achieved, or rather negotiated, he couldn't help but ask himself the following question : *For how long ?*

For him, this peace was false and would not last : how could it since the inhabitants hated each other ?

So Madara took the first step to impose his vision of what true peace was in this rotten world ! But he failed, and was now physically diminished... dependent on a mysterious woman who shared the same desire for peace.

— "This rotten world," Madara whispered, at first he had thought that Sakura's words had been spoken in the air. But the look on the young woman's face didn't deceive : she really wanted to bring peace to this world. This woman had probably had to experience the same suffering as him to desire this kind of thing.

And it was with this thought that Madara watched Sakura meditate outside on this beautiful sunny day. Until she came to perform her medical routine. As always, she was thorough and professional in her work, and Madara had to admit that she was very efficient in what she did. The pain was lessening by the day, and he could only look forward to being able to walk again.

— "Haruno-san," Madara called out in a deep voice as she poured green chakra into his scars.

— "Yes, Uchiha-san ?" she asked, looking up slightly.

— "What have you been through to have the desire to bring peace ?"

The young woman didn't answer right away, too surprised by the intensity of the request. There was both hesitation and hope in Madara's eyes that was shocking. Sakura quickly thought of a lie so she wouldn't tell him her entire life story, but rather a potential life in the Muromachi era.

— "The war...," Sakura began, returning to her medical duties. "My life was ruled by it. Having to hide because of the many turf wars, having to look like a man so I wouldn't be raped by invaders. Learning to become a weapon to protect my people and watching my loved ones die for bullshit !"

The end of her sentence was spoken with rage and Madara could see that tears were forming in the corners of her green eyes. She quickly ran her hand over the budding tears before continuing:

— "Human beings are so horrible, greedy, selfish, thinking only of their own interests without thinking of the consequences of their actions. Some people just want to live in peace and quiet without worrying about others... so I've learned to become strong so that no one can tell me what to do," Sakura continued firmly as she finished checking her old operations. "I'm going to straighten you out like I did the day before, warn me of any pain."

— "What is peace to you ?" Madara questioned very puzzled as he was tipped forward. The pain he felt was still present in his abdomen, but much more bearable. "It's not a sharp pain anymore, it's constant when you straighten me up," he told the young woman.

— "Try to hold on for a minute while I sort this out... and I admit your question isn't simple Uchiha-san," Sakura said before her hand turned green again.

— "Then use your own words, I'd really like to know your opinion on the matter," Madara insisted.

— "Living in harmony with your neighbour, not being jealous or envious when someone else does better than you. Knowing how to help your neighbour without expecting anything in return. A world where people move forward united, not divided. A world where power over others is no longer the driving force of society," Sakura says hopefully, while imagining that this could actually be possible

— "Unfortunately, such a world cannot exist Haruno-san," Madara disillusioned. He too had imagined it, but experience had proven it impossible.

— "I know, the human being is too stupid to understand it... are you alright ?"

— "Bearable," the Uchiha replied, concentrating on the benefits this woman was giving him. "I think this world is a hopeless case that doesn't deserve to live," he asserted vigorously.

— "That's a bit radical Uchiha-san, not everyone is a despicable being," Sakura defended as she tipped Madara onto the bed.

In a way, she agreed with him. Her two year journey in his time had allowed her to grow up and see the true face of humanity. Many people deserved to die for who they were and for the actions they committed. But to generalise to the whole population was not to be exaggerated.

— "Man never learns as well as he does in pain," the Uchiha said in a deep voice.

— "I sadly agree with you Uchiha-san," Sakura nodded before removing the blankets from her patient's body. "I'm going to take you outside to get some sunlight, a little light won't hurt you considering your pallor."

— "Hn."

Madara allowed himself to be carried, but not without a little reluctance. The weather was beautiful and it would have been a shame to stay cooped up brooding. He was placed on a wicker chaise longue with a cushion on it.

— "Are you comfortable, Uchiha-san ?" Sakura worried as she watched for any expression of pain or embarrassment on his face. After all, no matter how careful she was, the slightest change in position could cause even the slightest risk of damage to her work.

— "Yes, the view is beautiful."

Sakura sat down beside him in a chair before opening a green covered book she held in one hand.

Who would have thought the great Madara Uchiha would be able to appreciate the beauty of a place. The more time passed the more Sakura discovered a person completely different from the man she thought she knew. She had formed the idea that he could only be a cold, calculating, crazy man who only wanted to destroy the world. But she realised that you could only really claim to know someone by sharing time with them. And even though he had certain traits that were totally in line with the character she had been described, Madara Uchiha was a different person altogether. A thoughtful person, able to appreciate the simple things in life.

— "I agree with you, it's really soothing," Sakura confirmed, crossing her legs as she resumed her reading.

Long minutes passed as the sun began its journey to slowly reach its zenith. Every once in a while a small cloud would come in and reduce the intensity of the sun before it began to move across the sky again.

Having just lost everything, Madara never thought he would be so relaxed in his life. Was it the location ? Or the fact that he was in the presence of this stranger who was taking care of him ? Or was it the knowledge that the Shinobi world thought he was dead ?

— "How can I help you bring peace ?" Madara asked after a moment, his gaze still on the valley. The people below were harvesting in the rice fields, there must have been twenty of them working in a coordinated fashion.

— "You're Uchiha Madara," she stated simply but resolutely. Sakura knew that this simple name commanded respect and fear. It opened many doors for her world peace projects. She intended to use the illustrious reputation the Uchiha offered to do just that.

— "I am but a shadow of my former self," he despaired, "and I remind you that I am believed dead."

— "For now... and don't forget who you are," Sakura reassured him with conviction.

— "What would you do ?" Madara asked curiously. "What would your plan be to bring peace ?"

Sakura stopped reading, she had thought long and hard about the question. For, as the Rikudô Sennin had told her, peace could be achieved in many ways.

— "I would act intelligently," Sakura began, looking up at the sky as she searched for words. "The world is ruled by money and power, so all I'd need first is enough money and influence to get some people on my side."

— "Wouldn't that make you what you hate ?"

— "We've been taught to do the dirty work Uchiha-san, if I have to bribe a few people and slit a few throats to get my way, I'll do it without hesitation," Sakura said forcefully.

She wasn't the same as she was two years ago, Sakura had sadly realized that the world was rotten and vicious. To succeed, one had to play this twisted game in order to have any hope of showing her vision. So yes, the young woman was aware that in order to get the desired result, one sometimes had to get their hands dirty and act in ways that some would call immoral. She took a deep breath before continuing :

— "Once this is in place, I will take advantage of people's distress."

— "Distress ?" Madara gasped at her mention of it.

— "The world is ravaged by war and the cycle of hatred has been with us since the world began. When a person is devastated by fear, loss and suffering ; what does he do to keep from sinking further ? They call for help. And what happens when someone reaches out to them ? She takes it... The people you reach out to will all have one thing in common : they are victims of war. So they will stick together, they will not think about their past differences, because they will be in a new home that they will cherish and protect."

— "How will doing this bring peace to the whole world ?"

— "Until we become big enough for the big five countries to fear us. While they spend years killing each other, we'll grow stronger until the big five countries are nothing compared to what we've become," Sakura explained with determination. She seemed to have thought about how to bring peace. She wanted a world for those who deserved it. Her master had taught her through her role as Hokage that you must make sacrifices for the good of the many. Fools who only thought of themselves, power and war had no place in this world of peace. So if they had to die, she would let them die : Sakura was willing to do that. *For the good of the many.*

— "Unfortunately the big countries will not give you time to become a threat. You will be the target of assassination, Shinobi will be sent to wreak havoc on your people. The best way to destroy a country is to destroy it from within first. Your vision of peace is not feasible Haruno-san," Madara said as he saw the flaws in the young Haruno's plan.

Sakura turned her gaze to the Uchiha and an enigmatic smile settled on her lips.

— "This is where you would come in, Uchiha-san."

— "What do you mean by that ?"

— "I know you want to bring peace Uchiha-san, it's evident in the questions you're asking me. But I feel that the method you used to bring peace was not the right one... force ? Yes, but not so brutal... or at least not at the right time."

— "What do you know about my methods woman !" Madara snarled, not liking the accusation of this woman who was also belittling him.

— "I'm not trying to criticize you Uchiha-san, but as powerful as you are, you can't stand alone against the whole world. And that's why you failed Hashirama Senju," Sakura explained, knowing far too much for her own good.

— "You're playing a dangerous game, Haruno," Madara threatened as he finished being friendly. Sakura sighed at the brunet's attitude before going to the nearby forest to look for twigs. Once she found enough, she returned to her seat.

— "That branch is you. No matter how strong it is, alone it will be destroyed," Sakura demonstrated, breaking the branch in half with her fingers. "But if you're united... you become invincible."

Sakura gathered the ten or so twigs with the rest of the branch and bent them slightly to show their strength before continuing her explanation.

— "I never said that your vision of peace was wrong, just that the way to achieve it may not have been the right way. And don't give me any of your grandstanding about, I'm a man, I know better," Sakura anticipated, moving her index finger towards Madara as she began to get to know him a little.

— "Hn !"

The minutes passed without either of them deigning to speak, enjoying the gentle warmth of the sun and the delicate breeze of the wind. One studied while the other pondered the possibilities of achieving such peace. What she had proposed had some basis in fact, and there were many holes to be filled. If, of course, she had told him all about her plans for peace.

After a moment his gaze turned back to the young woman. She was concentrating on her book, the title of which he could not see. Every now and then she would make a note here and there on a sheet of parchment. Her hair fluttered in the wind and Madara could see her tucking a stray lock behind her ear from time to time. He would be a complete idiot to deny that she was a beautiful woman, but it was something he wasn't about to say out loud.

— "What are you reading ?"

— "The nerve endings of the spine," Sakura replied as she scribbled a sentence on her parchment, her eyes flipping from the book to her pencil.

— "What are nerve endings ?" Madara inquired.

Even though he was a killer he loved to learn, any information could save your life.

— "The human body is composed of a circulatory system of chakra connected by Tenketsu. The blood system is connected to our chakra system. And it has been discovered that our whole body is composed of nerve endings. This is a part that can only be seen with a very powerful magnifying glass. Basically, these nerve endings connect all the sensations in the body to our brain. It's what makes us feel heat, cold, touch, taste... pain," Sakura elaborated, stopping her reading. She had always loved sharing her knowledge, being able to teach was a dream of hers.

— "Is that why I can't move ?"

— "Exactly, if certain connections are broken, the brain can no longer give the body the information to move. Let's take a military example, you need to move one of your ninja units from one place to another. You send a traveling bird, but it gets intercepted... your unit won't move, because they never received the information," Sakura presented before turning her gaze back to her book.

— "This is from your mother ?"

Madara was completely impressed, he never imagined the body was so complex.

— "Yes... mother was a virtuoso when it came to medicine and the human body," Sakura sighed with a wistful look on her face. She thought back to all the lectures with her, the hard lessons, the intensive training, the hugs.

— "I wish I could have met her," Madara admitted, which drew a surprised look from Sakura.

— "I don't know if you would have gotten along, Uchiha-san. She was an even more temperamental woman than I was," the pink haired woman informed, thinking back to her former master. Very temperamental, and she reacted quickly if you had the misfortune to contradict or upset her.

— "Impossible, no one is more temperamental than you," Madara scoffed, finding it hard to imagine anyone with a more fiery temper than Sakura.

— "I won't allow you Uchiha-san."

Sakura hadn't expected this attitude from the clan leader. He had the reputation of being a closed and cold person, not someone who could have a sense of humor.

— "I'll allow myself if I want to... pig-headedness," Madara retorted childishly and it was another surprise to Sakura who saw many sides to this man in just ten seconds. He was so different from the being she had fought in the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

— "Yes, but at least I'm walking..."

If he wanted to play this game, there would be two of him and he would lose.

— "It was small and petty."

— "You'll survive, feel free to join me at the table Uchiha-san."

Then she walked away all proud of herself, leaving the dark-haired man all alone, with no way to reach her.

— "Come back here woman !" Madara shouted without getting an answer.

Day 15

After fifteen days of treatment, Madara's organs were on the mend. However, even if he could, he still couldn't play sports because they were still too fragile. But now that he was more stable, Sakura would be able to work on his spine.

Sakura had seated Madara on a wide stool, herself positioned at an angle to him. She positioned the man so that his legs were at a 90 degree angle to the floor and his chest was as straight as possible. The patient had to be able to stand half on his own. However, she still had to make sure that he did not collapse on the floor.

— "Why are you only starting this part now ?" Madara asked, looking at the young woman who was practically glued to his body. Her left arm was holding his trunk so he wouldn't collapse and her right hand was gently touching his vertebrae. It was almost like... a caress. She seemed to be counting, putting very light pressure on each vertebra.

— "Because what I'm about to do is going to be very painful Uchiha-san and you mustn't stress your organs," Sakura detailed, stopping her hand where the sword had lodged. The connections were almost all broken. "Did Hashirama use a Jutsu of an electrical nature when the sword went through you ?"

— "Yes."

Madara had a very bitter taste in the back of his throat as he recalled that moment in his life as the scene quickly came back to his mind. The feeling of that blade going right through him, the feeling of being out of control as it penetrated him, the words of his former friend...

— "Not good," Sakura whispered to herself as she brought her hand down further to see the extent of the damage. She thought about how to proceed, should she just do pressure points ? Or should she have to do surgery again ?

— "Why is it so bad ?" Madara inquired, even though she had whispered her sentence, he had perceived it.

— "The human body is an electrical current, our brain alone generates electrical energy to function. The information sent to your body is like a circuit and suffering an electrical attack can have devastating effects on the body," Sakura detailed as her index and middle fingers were covered in green chakra.

— "Hmmm, does this change anything ?"

— "I'm going to need more time to get you better," Sakura admitted as she placed her fingers down her spine, on the first lumbar vertebrae known as L1. Then Sakura prepared some hurtful words for the Uchiha to get angry at her. "How does it feel to have lost like a weakling to Hashirama ?"

Hearing this sentence, Madara felt hatred and anger wash over him. In a split second he let his emotions overwhelm him. He had an overwhelming urge to murder Haruno Sakura for daring to speak of this sensitive subject and for calling him weak so openly.

— "You little bi... AHHH !" Madara screamed at the unbearable pain that washed over him. It reverberated through his entire being and it was so powerful that a tear escaped from his valid eye.

— "I'm sorry Uchiha-san, I had to make you angry so the pain would be less."

Sakura had just sent a blast of chakra to the vertebrae, unblocking the nerves and connections. Her two fingers were still covered in green chakra and were giving a light circular massage to the previously targeted area.

— "Breathe slowly, it will pass... I know, the pain is excruciating."

— "I hate you !" Madara raged angrily.

— "I know, tell me when the pain is gone," Sakura agreed, she would have reacted the same way in the opposite situation. The injected chakra spike had hit a nerve coil, sending pain information throughout his body.

The two of them remained in this position for many minutes until finally the pain became nothing more than an echo.

— "The pain is gone," Madara sighed with relief.

— "Now, let me know when the numbness in your legs is gone."

Sakura placed her two fingers on the vertebrae again to put pressure on the ball of nerves. However, it wasn't a discharge of chakra like before that she was pulsing, but rather a comforting chakra that was seeping into him.

And now that she said it, Madara felt a powerful tingling in his legs. What did that mean ? Had she just given him back the feeling in his legs ?

— "It's okay," Madara said, and after a minute the numbness was completely gone.

— "This is why I couldn't do this before Uchiha-san. Your heart wouldn't have held and that would have created complications. I'll have you know that I've only fixed one spot out of twenty-four potential ones," Sakura announced before releasing the pressure on Madara's back.

— "Drink," Madara demanded, feeling very weak.

He had just rested for a fortnight and yet felt like he had been fighting for hours. This woman was absolutely right when she said she was deadly dangerous. Sakura picked Madara up again and laid him gently on his bed before fetching a glass of water from the kitchen.

— "Here, drink it slowly," Sakura advised as she held the glass of water to Madara's lips. "Do you feel like eating ? Or would you like me to put you to sleep to recover from the strain on your body ?"

— "I'm not weak !" Madara protested, still struggling with the fatigue he felt after that healing session.

— "Well, I'll be right back, Uchiha-san."

After a fortnight of treatment, the meal had finally changed. Today the bowl of soup was a little bigger, the bowl of rice was the same, but there was also fish to go with it.

— "Fish ?" Madara remarked, inwardly happy to be eating something other than rice and soup.

— "Fish is a great source of nutrients for your body. Also, your stomach has healed well. Even if it's still weak, it should have no trouble digesting such tender, melting meat," Sakura replied before blowing on the spoon.

— "How long will it take ?"

— "For your spine ?"

— "Yes."

— "Probably one to two months at the most to expect to be able to sit up on your own. You will also have to do some re-education exercises to get used to it. As for your legs, probably another month with a lot of rehabilitation, because they will have atrophied from not being used."

Madara was both displeased and happy. Happy that in three months he would be able to stand on his legs again. And unhappy that he would have to stay in bed for another three months before he could resume his physical training.

For the next minute, Madara silently ate his soup before taking the first bite of rice that tasted lemony this time, probably added to cook the fish.

— "Will this heal my arm too ?"

— "Unfortunately not," Sakura replied, alternating between rice and fish to feed Madara. She cut small portions of fish with her chopsticks each time before handing it to her patient. "Your arm is going to be very difficult to heal, but I'm going to do it."

— "How ?"

Madara enjoyed the taste of the lemony fish in his mouth, it felt good to eat meat, especially since Sakura was an excellent cook.

— "I've been developing a healing technique for tissue regeneration for over a year now. I'm almost there and once I've perfected the technique, I'll be able to rebuild your chakra system, your Tenketsu, your right eye, and your Sharingan."

To say that Madara was shocked would be an understatement. It was one of the few times in his life that Madara was speechless. At the same time, this woman boasted that she had the skills to restore his sight and his Sharingan. Normally one could not restore a blind eye, let alone one that had been destroyed by the Izanagi technique.

— "Who are you ?

— "Haruno Sakura, the second known doctor ninja in the elemental lands after my mother Tsunade Haruno. While others specialize in killing, my mother and I specialize in saving people."

— "Medicine Ninja ?" Madara repeated.

— "Yes, tell me Uchiha-san, I would like to ask you a question about your Sharingan."

This request made the clan leader frown. After all, there were many people who wanted to take the secrets of the Sharingan for themselves.

— "That depends," Madara said very suspiciously.

— "It wasn't an attack technique that blinded you, I found no elemental residue and yet you are blind. Not just blind, your dôjutsu is simply gone," Sakura analyzed as she placed the empty fish plate on the tray. "Did you use a Sharingan technique to make him like this ?"

Madara didn't want to answer at first, it was a clan secret that only he and his brother had discovered. The thought of his brother brought back painful memories, for to get to this point he had to endure seeing Tobirama Senju mortally wound his brother Izuna. Izuna later entrusted his eyes to him just before he died, gaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and an unconditional hatred for Tobirama. However, he knew that his Sharingan had been extinguished by activating Izanagi, but he did not think that it would be completely gone.

— "Yes," Madara whispered.

Sakura thought to herself, she had never heard of a technique that could blind the user after use. She knew that the evolution of the Sharingan blinded the user after using it, but Madara had a Mangekyo Sharingan Eternal so he shouldn't have been blinded.

— "Hmm... I guess it must have been a very powerful technique to have such a backlash."

— "You're too smart for your own good," Madara said in a weak voice due to the fatigue that was getting too strong. He slowly closed his eyes to rest.

— "Thank you," Sakura said before turning her gaze to Madara's face as he drifted off to sleep. She silently rose to her feet, placed her fingers gently on his temple and helped him into a restful sleep. "Sleep well..."