Get up and walk !

Having faith in one's abilities, just like having faith in oneself, was the key to success.

Sakura Haruno knew this all too well, having experienced it more than once in her life as a ninja. Some people were capable of exceptional acts that could be considered miracles of life. But Sakura had learned that their success was only due to the faith that the people performing them had. How many times had she seen Tsunade or other fellow doctors perform perilous medical operations. Sure, they were competent doctors, but mastery of techniques was not everything : it was truly due to their belief that they would succeed and get the desired result.

Similarly, when she had taken the Chûnin exam, Sakura would not have been able to pull it all off if she had not believed in herself. Just like all the times she had to fight an enemy. If she hadn't had faith in her abilities, she never would have defeated them !

It was because of this, or rather because of it, that she had become stronger and stronger. Not only physically, but also psychically. She knew that if she became discouraged, if she lost this unshakeable faith in herself, she could die. So she had finally toughened up and strengthened her mind.

By developing her self-confidence, the young woman had also increased her determination to succeed in whatever she undertook. And that was what had allowed her to save this man from death when everyone else would have given up or not even tried. But not her ! Because when Sakura had an idea in mind, a goal, she succeeded. Even if it was difficult, exhausting, daunting, repulsive, she would continue until she was satisfied.

But the pink-haired Kunoichi had discovered something else. If faith could lead to success, the opposite could also serve certain interests. And as much as it bothered her, Sakura knew that war was not just about physical confrontation. No, war was also fought on the psychic level.

How many nations had fallen in the end ? How many people had surrendered ? All because they had lost their faith ? Because the psychological pressure exerted on them had totally destroyed them and they had not known how to bounce back otherwise. These people and nations had no choice but to accept the worst things : no more money, no more home, no more free will, even to the point of considering themselves useless in the world.

But sometimes all it took was one person to change things. And Sakura knew this all too well, having known Naruto Uzumaki. He was one of those people who was like a light in the darkness. He had never deviated from his goal : to bring Sasuke back to the village and more broadly, to make sure that peace existed between peoples and nations.

How many people had the blond man helped to find the path to hope ? Undoubtedly, he had been the one who had motivated the troops during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the one who had made it possible for the Ninja Alliance not to despair and for them all to become allies.

So it was with her missing friend in mind that Sakura was convinced that the peace she sought with Uchiha Madara had to come through these two aspects of faith.

Believing in oneself and giving hope.

Day 55

It had been two days since Hashuba, the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni, had made the choice to join the cause of Madara Uchiha. He had been a bit reluctant at first, but when he received the second letter, his doubts and fears disappeared. It was very rare to see a clan leader sign in blood, it was proof that he was committed to doing what he had written.

And if the legendary Madara signed in blood : he would do what he said because he had only one word. So Hashuba decided to keep his word in turn. He began to think long and hard about how to proceed. It was going to be difficult to remain discreet in light of Madara's request. Especially since Hashuba knew that if he was caught doing this, he would be accused of betraying the neighbouring countries with whom he had made trade agreements.

— "Tanaka !" Called the Daimyô in a loud voice to the attention of his secretary who immediately raised his head in the direction of his lord.

— "Yes Daimyô-sama ?"

— "Send a letter to all the members of the council, tell them to be present within two days !" Ordered the country leader to his subordinate who hurried to fetch scrolls to make the summonses.

— "It's as good as done, Daimyô-sama," Tanaka assured him as he wrote the first letter.

— "Suzuki !" Hashuba shouted towards the door.

Barely two seconds passed when a door opened and a heavy-set man entered the room. He was in his forties, with a few scars on his face, a sign of a life as a warrior. He also had an eye patch from an old injury. His jet black hair was tied in a high ponytail and he was dressed in dark samurai armor.

— "Daimyô-sama ! Command and I will obey !" Replied the man, waving his hand against his chest. They had fought together for many years during the provincial war. One became Daimyô while the other was appointed his closest advisor and leader of his armies. A small army, but an army nonetheless.

Both Hashuba and Suzuki had mastered the rudiments of chakra. They were not shinobi, but were able to use rudimentary techniques, such as Bunshin No Jutsu or Hengen. However, their strength lay in the fact that they were both skilled swordsmen. They were not samurai, however, because the samurai would not stoop to the use of chakra, which was dishonourable.

— "The mirror is the soul of the woman...," the Daimyô began enigmatically.

— "Just as the sword is the soul of the warrior," Suzuki completed, realizing such a sentence. To anyone else it was just a warrior's proverb, but to Suzuki and Hashuba it meant that the beginnings of war were near again.

— "Reduce the surveillance patrols, the nations now know our position towards the world," the lord explained. "Besides, I now need our soldiers for anything else. You will split our army into several parts and organize many expeditions."

— "As you wish..."

— "Spread the word in the city that we need men for our caravans and that the pay will be commensurate with the task at hand... organize this for the next two days. You will have to prepare caravans and groups that will go through all the elemental nations."

— "Why my friend ?" Suzuki asked, and although he respected his Lord by virtue of his position, he was also his friend. He was helping him to govern the country by giving him advice and he needed to understand this sudden request better.

— "For the prosperity and peace of this world," replied the Daimyo before turning to Tanaka and his guards, "what is said here must never leave these walls !" He added in an uncompromising voice.

The Daimyô was surrounded only by people he trusted, but threats were always necessary if one did not want to be betrayed by appearing weak.

— "Hai !" Replied the six other people in the room : Suzuki, Tanaka and the four bodyguards. Each of them knew that if any of them had the idea of betraying their lord, they would lose their heads by their own hand.

— "Times are changing, and we must evolve with them if we do not want to be eradicated," said Hashuba, who seemed to have gained a few years in one go, such was the gravity of his words.

Day 57

— "Ohayô advisors, I have summoned you all today to discuss the future of Ta No Kuni and what I intend to do," Hashuba began, looking at his advisors. There were six of them so that even if there was a tie in arguments, the Daimyô would decide.

They were seated on cushions on the floor, Suzuki to his right and the other five facing him. Only his secretary Tanaka was placed on a separate table to record the entire conversation.

— "As we manage to survive on our agreements with the large neighbouring countries, I have received an offer that I could not ignore," the feudal lord continued for his audience. He poured himself a cup of hot tea before continuing. "This person is ambitious and wants what we have always wanted to bring : the prosperity of our country."

— "Who is this person Daimyô-sama ?" Asked a very old man, in fact he was the oldest in the assembly, approaching sixty. It was a feat to reach such an age in those days.

— "I will withhold his name for the moment, Rômaji-sama," Hashuba replied respectfully. He may have been the lord of this land, but Rômaji had always given him valuable advice that led him to where he was now. And that is why he showed him so much respect, but also because he was very old. "You should know that he will come to meet us in person when the time comes for him to manifest himself."

— "What does he want from us ?" Suzuki asked, still wearing his fighter's armour.

— "To prepare ourselves, to make huge reserves, to enlarge the capital to accommodate more people," Hashuba explained, remembering the last letter he had also burned so that no one could read it.

— "Did he say why ?" Asked Rômaji, trying to understand why such a request, if not to wage war. The old man grabbed a cup of hot tea and poured some sugar into it. It was a rare commodity and only those of the nobility could afford to have sugar.

— "He said that everything would be explained in the near future," Hashuba assured.

— "This could cost our treasury a lot of money, Daimyô-sama, I doubt we have the finances to carry out such a project," argued another man, younger than the others this time. He was one of Hashuba's sons, he was not a fighter, but was extremely good at managing the country's economy.

— "This man is extremely wealthy and has pledged to provide us with the funds for his projects," Hashuba explained to his son before bringing the cup to his lips and blowing gently on it.

— "How do we know he's not lying to us ?" Rômaji asked wisely.

The old man, from experience, preferred to make sure that this was not a trap to weaken the country in order to conquer it later. It was known throughout the world that Ta No Kuni was a neutral country that indirectly had the protection of the great countries that surrounded it.

— "A seal of blood..."

This simple answer silenced everyone because very few people used this practice which was a solemn commitment.

— "Don't we risk attracting the wrath of the other countries by accepting his offer ?" Suzuki worried, seeing the negative side of the proposal. He was a fighter, but had been through enough battles to want to avoid future ones.

— "That's what I thought too... it's more than likely that we'll incur the wrath of neighbouring countries when they find out what we're doing... but the person who contacted me has the power to change the world."

— "What are your guidelines then ?" Suzuki asked.

— "We need to gather enough resources to accomplish our goal and find subtle ways to do so to be as unobtrusive as possible."

— "Hmm, we need to send caravans to all the countries to collect as much food as possible in case of a siege. Since we don't have a shinobi army, they'll be less suspicious of our caravans," Rômaji suggested after a moment's thought.

— "I think we should avoid the capitals as much as possible," suggested the son of Hashuba.

— "Your son is right Daimyô-sama, unless we have a real reason we should avoid the capitals... at least at first... and it will all depend on what this man says next," another advisor argued in a loud voice.

— "I'll make contact with some friends in Kaminari No Kuni, I might be able to get some good arrangements for food," Rômaji continued, gently stroking his white beard.

— "Do any of you know anyone skilled in Fûinjutsu?" Asked the feudal lord casually, who received only negative nods, except from Rômaji who was still touching his beard.

— "If it is something simple, I think I have the man for it."

— "Good, because we'll have to seal up all our supplies and put them in a safe place."

— "And what are you going to do about the town ?" Daiki asked.

— "Start construction... Tanaka ! You'll prepare an announcement for tomorrow that a huge construction project is about to begin and that we need manpower," Hashuba dictated to his secretary.

— "Hai !"

— "Now we have to decide where to send our caravans...," the Daimyô stated as Tanaka hurriedly laid several maps of the elemental nations on the floor in front of the council.

Day 75

For almost three weeks now, Sakura had been imposing rehabilitation exercises on her patient, who could feel lucky to have this woman at his bedside. He had a doctor who took care of him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But more importantly, this was not just any doctor, it was one of the greatest the world has ever known and the most powerful today.

Normally, to learn to walk again because of a back injury, it took years of work to expect to stand. Even more so to walk by yourself. But with Sakura's knowledge and her Iryô Ninjutsu, this would be fixed in a few months.

— "Why does it take so long to heal ?" Madara asked, he had no idea how long it would take the human body to recover. He had hardly ever been injured thanks to his skills and his Sharingan. So being in recovery was totally new to him, especially for so long.

— "Consider yourself privileged Uchiha-san, if it weren't for me it would be years before you could walk again," Sakura replied as she injected her chakra into Madara's legs to repair his muscles after the exertion.

— "Is that arrogance I hear ?" Madara asked with a small smile. This was the first time he had seen the young woman brag about her abilities, she had always been humble and unassuming.

— "I consider you the most powerful ninja in the elemental nations and you feel the same way," Sakura replied, still focused on her work. "Does that make you arrogant ?"

— "I see your point," Madara replied, understanding that there was nothing arrogant about saying you were the best when it was a reality.

— "A few more bends and extensions," Sakura ordered and the man performed them with gusto.

Anything that would give him back the use of his legs was good for him, so he never balked at the instructions she gave him. It was much easier now, in fact, as he could practically bring his leg up to his chest. It was proof that everything was healing properly thanks to the young woman.

— "If you had to rank yourself in terms of power Haruno-san, where would you place yourself ?" Madara asked, very interested in her answer. After all, he had seen many of her abilities, but didn't know what she thought of herself.

— "It's subjective...," Sakura began as she began to think about where she stood in the shinobi world. "As you know, even a child can kill the most powerful of fighters if they're prepared."

— "You know what I mean, Haruno-san," Madara replied, seeing Sakura's point being made.

— "Hmm, since I'm not known, only five people would be able to kill me, but of course that's relative," the cherry blossom finally replied based on her knowledge of the Sengoku era. If she were in her own time, there were many ninja who would have been able to match her, but only because they knew of her abilities.

— "Who are they ?" Madara insisted, curious about these people.

— "You, Tobirama Senju, Ashina Uzumaki, Mû and Gengetsu Hôzuki. Each of these five people, if they were engaged in a fight to the death against me, would probably kill me," Sakura explained, knowing when she was outclassed.

If she were to engage in a fair fight against these five individuals, she would have a very difficult time getting out of it.

— "Sure, they'd be in a bad way too. But I know my limits... she confessed then."

— "You don't include Hashirama ?" The dark-haired man was surprised that his rival and former friend wasn't mentioned.

— "He's dead," Sakura added as if it were a mere triviality.

— "Good point, why would you lose to these other four people ?" Madara asked with disgust and anger as he thought back to Tobirama. This was a man he wanted more than anything to eradicate from the face of the earth. He who had caused the death of his brother !

Sakura stopped what she was doing and sat down on the floor to think about it. She had the advantage of knowing a lot about these four people from books, but formulating it was a whole other ball game.

— "Tobirama, as was Hashirama and yourself, are virtuosos in the ninja arts. He's a veteran, so unless we can surprise him, he'll end up outclassing me. He's not an army killer, but he's a great fighter. As for Ashina... one word : Fûinjutsu. Thanks to my knowledge in Fûinjutsu, I know that he would be able to take armies by himself. As for Mû, he is known to become invisible and I am not the sensory type. And as for Gengetsu Hôzuki... you know very well why I will have no chance against him. This man has the reputation of being invulnerable. On the other hand, if they make the mistake of underestimating me, they'd die in an instant," conceded the confident young woman.

— "I'm always surprised that I've never heard of you."

— "I'm a woman and this is a world without mercy for the female gender... so I've been acting three-quarters of my life under a Hengen. Okay, now spread your legs, do a squat but don't force it too much."

Madara complied and felt the pain in his knees as he bent, he straightened up at the limit.

— "Good, now hold on to me," Sakura said as she moved to his right. "How about a little walk in the garden ?"

Sakura had a beautiful smile on her lips as she said this, for it implied many things. Among other things, that Madara was finally ready to walk.

— "Hai, I'd love to," the dark-haired man exclaimed in disbelief as a very thin smile stretched across his lips. It was the first time Sakura had seen a smile like that on his face and it made her feel better about this man.

— "Lean against me and take your time," Sakura recommended as she stood beside the dark-haired man to support him. The man leaned against the girl and walked very slowly across the main room, one step at a time.

He moved slowly and that was priceless to Madara. If he had been alone, he probably would have shed tears of happiness, but he was a man... and a man never showed his weaknesses. So he swallowed the feeling and concentrated on his legs.

Once he reached the French windows, he had to climb a staircase of three steps. It was much harder than walking on flat ground and bending his leg made him lose his balance. Luckily Sakura was there to help him and she kept him from falling to the ground before steadying him.

— "Easy," Sakura said sympathetically.

He brought his second leg next to the first.

He had just descended the first step, with difficulty and help, but he managed. He was not judged or criticized and could take his time to succeed. So it was with great motivation that Madara lifted his right leg to take the second step. He adjusted his position thanks to Sakura and finally managed to get down the last two steps.

The feeling of contentment and pride was too great this time. He could neither hide the smile on his face nor the tears that were starting to fall from his eyes. Yet no tears were shed, but Sakura saw the emotion. She saw the great Uchiha Madara being human : the cold, bloody being did have a heart and could feel emotions.

After about ten meters, the two protagonists arrived at the edge of the cliff where a wooden bench was placed. She helped her patient to sit comfortably before joining him to admire the view.

— "It's beautiful," Madara whispered, looking out over the valley before him. It stretched as far as the eye could see, disappearing into the horizon. There were many mountains that made up the land of the rice paddies and it must have been a difficult place to get to.

— "Hai."

Long minutes passed in a comfortable silence. Each of them in their own thoughts as they stared at the horizon and enjoyed this moment of peace. Nevertheless, Madara watched the young woman beside him. She was anything but normal, she was a woman who had a hair colour that was unique in the world to begin with. The way she dressed was anything but traditional, she dressed in odd clothes but he couldn't help but find her beautiful in her style.

Her hair had grown a little since the first time they met. It was a little below her chin in a sort of layered bob, delicately encompassing her face. Today she was wearing white trousers accompanied by a striped top made up of several colours, green, red, beige and black. It went well with her face.

Madara had known many women in his life, he had known carnal desire, physical attraction, but what he had been feeling for some time was a sensation he could not define and it scared him a little. After all, the unknown was scary and many people would rather close their eyes than go in that direction.

— "Why do you despise women Uchiha-san ?" The pink haired young woman suddenly asked. She slowly shifted her gaze in the direction of the dark-haired man, her face filled with curiosity. She wanted to know what had caused a man like him to despise the female gender.

— "For they are useless and weak," Madara began, looking down. Two months ago he would have ended his sentence like that, but not after meeting Sakura. He then added : "At least, for the most part."

— "Do you consider me weak or useless ?" Sakura asked without looking away. She wanted to make him think, she wanted him to change and evolve in the right direction. In a way, what Sakura was doing was psychological manipulation. Proving that what you were thinking wasn't necessarily the right thing, but making sure that the thought came from the person concerned and not from an external source.

— "No... I must admit that you are the only woman I respect," Madara admitted and this pleased Sakura immensely. It was very difficult to gain this man's respect and for a woman to gain it was the equivalent of the end of the world.

— "Why ?" Sakura continued.

— "You know very well why," Madara retorted, reluctant to elaborate on his thoughts on the matter.

— "I'd still like to hear it from you, Uchiha-san," the young Kunoichi insisted, finally getting what she wanted.

— "For you are strong and independent," the clan leader conceded.

He could only admit that she had those qualities he had just stated and it felt strange to see the weaker sex so different from his upbringing. His father had always told him that women were useless, that women were nothing less than objects and that they had to serve men !

— "And why do you think I am what you say I am ?"

— "Predisposition, the vagaries of life, training," Madara mused, thinking about what could have made Sakura so competent.

— "What if other women were given the same chances I had. Do you think these women would still be useless and weak ?" Sakura asked, wanting to make the dark-haired man understand her point of view, that women were the equal of men as long as they were given the chance to prove it.

Madara was skeptical of what Sakura was saying. To him she was a unique being that no other woman could match. Even with training Madara highly doubted that was possible.

— "I doubt any other woman could match you."

— "A man becomes strong and powerful through training Uchiha-san, a woman is only useless because men have decided she will be useless ! If you were to give these women the chance to have the same education, training and training as the men, you would see that women are far from useless and weak," Sakura explained seriously.

She knew what she was talking about because she had seen many women in her life who were exceptional. Women who were even superior to men in some areas.

— "Of course, both men and women can be good or bad at certain things. But one's strength should not be defined by the existence of a pair of balls between the legs. It's only by one's convictions and belief in one's abilities that a person becomes strong," Sakura argued vehemently.

Madara remained silent in the face of this speech, it went against all his teachings. He couldn't erase twenty years of teaching with a snap of his fingers, it was extraordinary that he had listened without reacting, or even listened at all to the young woman.

— "Of course, a woman can never surpass a man in brute strength, but a woman is more agile, lighter, more flexible and can fight in a whole different way than a man could," Sakura continued in the face of the brunet's silence as he seemed deep in thought.

— "I will never in my life attempt an arm wrestling match with you Haruno-san," the brunet affirmed on the subject of brute strength. He knew that if he tried to coerce Sakura with physical force, he would undoubtedly lose.

— "Wise decision," Sakura smiled before continuing. "All of this is to say that when we get our people, I would like you to consider my words. Women are not objects and even less useless... yes we are more physically fragile, yes we are more sensitive, but we are still human beings just as capable as any man. Just as not all men are destined to be great fighters."

— "I would think about it," Madara conceded.

If it had been anyone other than Sakura who had made that speech, he would have ignored it completely. But he couldn't ignore a woman like Sakura, not after what she had done for him.

— "Thank you," Sakura said before standing up and extending her hand in Madara's direction. "It's time to go home Uchiha-san."

The man grasped the hand and slowly sat up. He longed to hold Sakura's soft hand in his, though he didn't know why. Reluctantly he let go of her hand to better lean against her arm to walk. They took the time it took for the dark-haired man to cover the distance and especially the stairs. Once back in the house, properly installed so that he could rest his legs, the man called out to the young woman who was about to prepare the meal.

— "Haruno-san ?"

The young woman turned to look at the man who was calling her ; his voice was deep, as if he was about to make an official announcement.

— "I am infinitely grateful for everything you do for me. You pulled me out of the clutches of death, took care of me, gave me back the use of my legs. For all this and all that you will do, I thank you... Sakura-san."

Sakura was speechless, she really didn't expect to ever receive such thanks from this man. Besides, he hadn't called her Haruno-san, but Sakura-san, proof that she had become someone important to him. She didn't know what to say, a whole bunch of different emotions were running through her right now.

— "Please, Madara-san," she replied in a voice almost shaking with emotion, before leaving the room and heading to the kitchen.