Life is a bitch !

There is one immutable rule that applies to every living being, and even more so to every human being on Earth : life is one long journey with many obstacles. Some of these will be easier to overcome than others, but the notion of ease or difficulty is totally subjective since it undeniably depends on several factors.

First of all, the location, because depending on where people are born, the difficulties encountered do not address the same issues. For example, while some may have the benefit of an education and a roof over their heads, others may be left to their own devices, wandering the streets in search of food. Or, some will be able to count on the security of a family, a clan... while others will be exploited, beaten, enslaved or even raped and killed !

Then, another factor to consider in a life course is : the human race. Indeed, there are so many inequalities between being born male or female in this world. This has a significant impact on the pitfalls encountered in the course of a life.

And there are many other factors that influence one's life path. But in the end, regardless of gender, social background, physical and mental condition, all human beings are confronted with this reality of life : everyone's destiny starts with a single roll of the dice.

This randomness cannot be changed, let alone anticipated. Every being on Earth is subject to it and unfortunately it is through them that inequalities begin. Because of this, every human being will more or less arrive at this single conclusion on his own.

Life is a bitch !

And there is no need for more proof of the existence of this random side because, whether it is a well-to-do person, a trained soldier or a desperate poor person... they all, without exception, have to face the obstacles of life. So you can imagine that in times of war, going through life is much more difficult, because it can bring out the most horrible side of the human being : the animal side.

In times of war, the political and military leadership are required on the front line and their mission is to protect the people from enemy attacks while aiming at the success of the main objective : winning the conflict. But because of this, in the very lands that the army is supposed to protect, there is less control, less militia, less law... less framework in short, and so anarchy can take place.

Indeed, if no framework is proposed to human beings, they will have no limits, no barriers and will end up thinking that everything is allowed ! Because in the absence of well-defined rules, he will neither be punished nor chastised for his actions and he will therefore think that all this is normal.

And the First Great Shinobi War is no exception to this constant. Because of this war, well-to-do people started to exploit the weaker ones for their own profit. Trained soldiers deserted their troops and used their knowledge to martyr the poorest. All this provoked desperate people to actions they would not normally have committed. They will no longer hesitate to kill for even a piece of bread ! Because when your country is at war, you don't know when your next meal will be, and starvation can cause any individual to go beyond their own rules of conduct and morality.

And it is for all these many reasons that Uchiha Madara wanted so much to impose a peace by force ! A totalitarian peace ! To avoid bloodshed, settling of scores, starvation, rape and many other acts and actions that lead to this bitter conclusion : life is a bitch !

Day 280

Kaze No Kuni, the land of sand, was conducting numerous raids on the southern border of Hi No Kuni, but with little success. So far, they have faced the strongest resistance and have not been able to make any more progress than desired. Even if they had the advantage of numbers, no one could deny that the Konoha ninja had talent and better trained soldiers. And that is why a front line has been in place for a little over a month now after their crushing defeat by Tobirama Senju.

However, holding a front line required resources, many resources. And that is why soldiers were sent to the four corners of the country : their mission was to collect a new tax. Not on money, but on food resources. And of course these collections were not without resistance and misunderstanding. Especially since they mainly affected the less well-off populations.

— "But sir... if you take all this away from us, we won't have enough to last until the end of the winter ! This is our entire crop that you are demanding and...," spoke a beautiful young brunette woman in a commoner's outfit.

The man standing in front of her had this uncompromising look in his eyes. He was not going to be moved in the least by the words that everyone was feeding him in an attempt to escape this organised racket. What's more, the man was not at all shy about insisting on detailing the young woman's curves with a strong lustfulness.

— "This is war," the man replied in a cold, hard voice.

— "But we're going to starve to death," the brunette pleaded again, desperate to do anything to stop the man from entering her home as he pushed her out of his way.

— "Not my problem," retorted the soldier, who was rudely searching the house for hidden foodstuffs.

— "There must be a solution, a compromise ?" the young woman tried.

She was willing to work twice as hard to provide for her family. She knew that it was war and that she did not have the means to oppose this arbitrary tax, but she found it hard to understand that people could be attacked with such impunity, even if it meant killing them if they opposed it.

Hearing the young woman's suggestion, the soldier stopped rummaging and turned towards her, a perverse look and a wicked smile appearing on his face. He did not fail to ogle her up and down and finally said in an unequivocal tone.

— "There must be something you could do in exchange for your food."

— "What is it ?" She asked, trembling.

She could feel the anguish in her chest, the military man inspired an unparalleled fear in her, but she was tetanized. She wanted to flee, to get away from this man who she felt had only bad intentions towards her. No man had ever looked at her like that, she felt like a prey facing its predator.

— "Pull up your dress," the man ordered bluntly as he approached the brunette, who took a few steps back by reflex and the growing fear she felt.

— "So... sorry !?" Exclaimed the young woman completely frightened, now aware that she would be the victim of those atrocities described by some women who had already suffered them. She was trapped, at the mercy of this dishonest and ill-intentioned individual.

— "Do you want your food ?" Said the soldier, grabbing the arm of the brunette who was blocked by the table behind her. "So now you're going to pull up your dress and shut your mouth !"

The young woman was trembling, she was afraid and she absolutely did not want have sex with this guy. No, she couldn't bring herself to do that, even if it was to ensure her survival and that of her family. Anything but that.

— "No... no, I don't want to... Urgh !" The brunette stammered before taking a monumental slap from the man. The slap was so hard that her upper body followed her head before being held by the attacker's arm, who lifted her up to sit her on the table.

— "Who said you had a choice ! It's like your food ! We'll take what we want," announced the soldier who tightened his grip on the victim's already bruised arm. By instinct and in a burst of courage, she struggled, moving her legs and arms to free herself from this grip that was increasingly tight. However, he was much stronger than her and as she was slightly stunned by the previous slap, she could not do the weight against him. So the brunette did the only thing that remained possible, her only and last hope : to shout.

But unfortunately, her attempt failed because a hand was immediately placed over her mouth to cover her cries of distress.

— "Hush ... do not scream little bird, you would not want to damage this beautiful face by accident," threatened the soldier by tackling the young woman with the weight of his body to keep it against him.

Despite her fear, the brunette tried to hit him, to push him, to scratch him, in vain. The man pressed her against him, sliding a hand under her dress, but as he came dangerously close to her intimacy, the young woman felt her own hand grasp the handle of a knife on her attacker's belt. Her survival instinct made her take the weapon before stabbing it into her assailant's body.

— "Argh !" Shouted the soldier who immediately jumped back as he felt the blade penetrate his flesh. It's a good thing he had armor or it could have been worse, even deadly. This lapse of time allowed the young woman to jump off the table to flee towards the exit, but she was once again held back by the soldier's grip.

— "Come back here bitch !" Shouted the man who was wounded both physically and in his ego.

— "No... please, no let me... Urgfh !" Shouted the brunette who received a violent punch in the stomach, making her lose her breath and bending her in two with pain. She could no longer scream and was trying as best she could to catch her breath. The man put her back down on the table and then ruthlessly pulled up her dress with the intention of raping her.

But, with all the fuss he had made to keep the woman in place, he had not paid attention to the noises outside and did not hear that anyone had entered the house. As a result, he did not see the person approaching briskly behind him. And just as he was about to penetrate the young woman with his sex, Sakura Haruno grabbed the hair on his head to clear his throat and slit his throat like the pig he was.

There was little in the world that Sakura disliked. However, rape was one of those things that she absolutely could not forgive. For her, there was no leniency for rapists, no mercy. It was therefore without scruples that she cut the throat of the man who did not understand what was happening to him. He couldn't breathe and felt a warm liquid flowing down his chest, but everything went black before he collapsed to the ground : lifeless.

Sakura looked down at the lifeless body on the ground, her face was closed. It was that of the warrior with no visible emotion and she had even less empathy for the abject individual at her feet. But as soon as the pink-haired woman looked at the brunette, her face took on a completely different expression : she was back to being the worried doctor ready to help and comfort others.

— "It's all right... you have nothing more to worry about," Sakura reassured her in a voice so soft that it contrasted with the impassivity she had just shown in killing the soldier. The young woman who had just escaped the unthinkable was still reeling from the emotion. Her heartbeat continued to pound in her chest, her brain slowly analysing the events, making her aware of the horror she had just escaped. Her gaze dropped to her own body where she saw the blood of her attacker on her clothes, as if to make sure she wasn't in a bad dream. But the pain she felt in her stomach and cheek reminded her of that reality.

— "I don't want to hurt you," Sakura added to finish reassuring the other woman in front of her.

— "Who... who are you ?" The villager stammered, still in shock.

— "I'm a friend, my name is Sakura," Sakura said before placing her hand gently on her cheek at the level of the emerging bruise and her second hand on her stomach. "Don't be afraid."

Despite the advice given, the brunette could not help but jump slightly as soon as she saw the green glow coming out of her rescuer's hands. Then, little by little, the pain in her cheek and stomach diminished, before disappearing completely.

— "There, you don't have to worry anymore," Sakura reassured her with a warm smile.

— "Why ?" Asked the brunette as tears escaped from her eyes. "Why would a soldier who was supposed to protect us do this ?"

— "Because men are mostly scum who only think with their dicks," Sakura said, her eyes now neutral. "We live in difficult times my dear and men think they are superior to us because we are just women. And as such, they feel we have no say in what they do to us. Indeed, when he should have been protecting you from the enemy, he only listened to his baser instincts and that is why he would not hesitate for a second to rape and abuse you. Considering you then as an object and not a human being worthy of respect."

The young woman swallowed hard at Sakura's words. She didn't know what to say and she couldn't add anything else to what Sakura had described. Life was like that for the women of that time.

— "But not all of them are like that," Sakura continued, observing the brunette's silence. "There are men who are open-minded and who know how to respect us. Sometimes, some men can even consider you as their equal, in every way."

— "Is this your case ?" The beautiful brunette asked spontaneously, suddenly curious and intrigued by this note of hope that the rose presented to her.

— "Let's just say I've forced men to respect me," Sakura answered with a knowing smile.

Ever since she'd been in the Sengoku era, not a day had gone by without her fighting for respect. Especially since she'd had to do that with the biggest misogynist the world had ever known, only to be in a relationship with him. So yes, she knew what she was talking about and could say that some men were capable of changing their attitude towards the fairer sex.

— "How did you do it ? How did you manage to do that ?" The young woman asked immediately, which aroused Sakura's interest and she stared at her interlocutor.

— "Do you want to be like me ?" The female doctor asked.

— "Like you ? Uh... I... I don't know..."

The brunette hesitated and it was understandable, until now she had never considered saying what she was about to say. The very idea of thinking it scared her.

— "..."

— "I don't think I'm ready to kill anyone," the woman began, shuddering, troubled to speak her mind out loud. "But learning to defend myself to save my life and the lives of my loved ones is." She paused for a moment to catch her breath and continued, "I don't want to be scared like I was today," she said, still staring at Sakura.

The latter had heard the brunette's words perfectly and could totally understand the young woman's state of mind. Sakura had chosen the path of the shinobi and was used to the horrors of war. On the other hand, as a doctor, she knew how the human body worked. So, in a way, killing an individual was almost natural to her. Still, she could not force this villager to embrace the ninja path. But still, Sakura was convinced that women were capable, just like men, of defending themselves and even killing an attacker when necessary.

— "Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you're weak. You have the right to know how to fight, to defend yourself and thus protect the people you love. I can understand that killing someone is frightening, perhaps even immoral, but sometimes it is necessary, especially when someone is attacking your people or yourself," Sakura explained fervently. "So if you ever want to learn the art of fighting, go to Heiwa, the capital of Ta No Kuni. And once there, ask for Suzuki and tell him that Sakura sent you and that you wish to take up arms !"

Day 290

Sakura and Madara had arrived at a plain where there had just been a battle. The ground was littered with thousands of dead. Thanks to the books from the future, the two protagonists knew where the battle zones were and when they were taking place. Moreover, they had moved around a lot since the beginning of the war. They had saved many victims from death, especially civilians, by intervening in certain conflicts or when a village was raided. But now, as the war progressed, it was time to recruit more shinobi to their side.

— "I hate war," Sakura whispered as she walked alongside Madara through the middle of all those bodies.

— "But it's necessary," Madara replied as his eyes roamed the mass grave.

— "Any survivors ?" Sakura asked, hoping they weren't too late as she turned her gaze to the dark-haired man.

— "Yes," Madara answered, focusing on the plain around him. "But they'll die very quickly," the man added, his sensory ability allowing him to feel the chakra emanating from the bodies lying on the ground. On the other hand, thanks to his Rinnegan abilities, he could anticipate how much chakra the victims had left, allowing him to determine how long they had left to live.

— "None that would be viable ?" Sakura insisted, she didn't like the idea of leaving victims to die, because if she didn't make sure that at least one person could be saved, it would go against her Hippocratic oath ! And that she could not tolerate.

Madara would have found it pointless in the past to try so hard to save a wounded person, but since he had gotten to know the young woman, he understood the meaning of this oath taken by doctors. After all, Madara respected those who had a code of honor and Sakura was one of those people. And uninfluenced by his feelings of love for her, the Uchiha concentrated more carefully and finally said :

— "Maybe one," he murmured as he felt a source of chakra that was more prominent than the others and whose sensation exuded a different will than a normal shinobi. "This way," he said as he turned his head towards the spot where he had sensed the different chakra.

It took them about thirty seconds on foot to reach the injured man who was in the middle of other fighters. He was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, something rare for a Tsuchi No Kuni shinobi. He had many wounds, but none of them seemed fatal : only the blood loss from all the attacks he had suffered was slowly killing him.

With a quick glance, Sakura realized that he would die in about thirty minutes if she did nothing. She was about to kneel down to provide him with care when she felt the dark-haired man's hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, surprised that he interrupted her before she even started.

— "Jinchûriki," Madara whispered.

Now that they were in front of the individual, the Uchiha could see the nature of the man's chakra more accurately. He concentrated energy in his new pupil hidden by his brown hair, and as the concentric rings of his Rinnegan widened slightly, he discovered the identity of his Bijû : Yonbi !

This was a completely different piece of information that completely changed the game for Sakura who began to look at the injured man in front of her. He was watching with fear, but at the same time with defiance these two people above him. Then Sakura knelt down beside him while Madara watched with folded arms, like an inquisitor. He was ready to eliminate this uncontrollably powerful individual if his demon was released.

— "You're going to die," Sakura said sadly after looking over the Jinchûriki's wounds. He laughed out loud at the obvious remark.

— "I knew... I died a long time ago," the shinobi said with difficulty.

For him, his life had ended when he had been made a human sacrifice to contain the Yonbi.

Sakura then remembered what Naruto had told her about the Jinchûriki of their time, but also how her heartbrother had been treated while carrying the fox demon inside him. Thinking about the Uzumaki brought back some memories of her past life.

— "What's motivating you then ?" Sakura asked softly, somehow understanding the pain of the man in front of her.

— "Nothing... I'm just a weapon !" Said the Jinchûriki with disgust and automatism as she thought back to his teachings. *A weapon you will be ! To protect your own ! You are a weapon that exists only to be used !*

— "What motivates you ?" Sakura repeated once more as she struggled with her own emotions. She had to keep a cool head and above all keep things in perspective. Sure, he bore a certain physical resemblance to her brother at heart, but he wasn't Naruto.

— "I told you...," the blonde began before being interrupted this time by the pink haired woman who took the time to articulate her same question.

— "What... is... motivating you ?"

— "I... I don't know," the man admitted this time.

He didn't know what he was, he didn't know what he wanted, he didn't even know if he had ever wanted to live.

— "Do you have anything that matters to you ?" Sakura asked this time as Madara looked in another direction.

In an instant he pulled out a kunai and threw it at a crawling man. As soon as the weapon hit its target, the man stopped moving.

— "My village," replied the Jinchûriki automatically, this time looking at the dark-haired man. He had not lost a bit of what the Uchiha had just done and he had then recognized him : he was the very famous trainer of Bijû, Uchiha Madara !

The Jinchûriki put his eyes on the weapons they were carrying and he noticed that they had no headbands : they did not belong to any village but that did not prevent him from being suspicious of them.

— "Go on, then ! Finish me off, that's what you're here for anyway."

— "We're not here for that," Sakura reassured him and gently placed her hand on the injured man's cheek to draw his gaze towards her and not the dark-haired man.

— "Then what ?" The blond asked without understanding.

— "What's really important to you ?" Sakura rephrased once she had his full attention again.

— "My...," the man began out of habit but stopped immediately as he realized what he was about to say.

— "Are you sure ?" Sakura interrupted once more a little more harshly. "So that's all that matters ? A village that tortured you ? A village that deprived you of your freedom, your feelings, your family ? For what ? To become a weapon to be sacrificed ?" The woman stopped for a moment before adding : "Isn't that right ?"

The Jinchûriki could not answer as she had described so well his life in the service of this village that had never considered him anything but a weapon. The shinobi then took advantage of this silence to resume her tirade :

— "So I'll ask you again : what is important to you ?" She repeated again.

Sakura was somehow taking advantage of the fact that the blonde was weakened by his injuries to manipulate him psychically. Indeed, repeating the same question to him while rephrasing it sometimes, insidiously allowed to orient the person's answer towards what was expected of him.

Once again, the man remained silent, he was lost in thought. He had never been given the opportunity to express his feelings. Never had anyone, let alone a woman, given him the opportunity to think for himself and especially for himself. Seeing that he was thinking at full speed, Sakura continued her manipulation. She sensed that he was about to give in and finally let his own will be expressed.

— "What would you do to have a family ? People who love you ? A place to truly protect ?" Asked the young warrior.

— "That's impossible," the blonde retorted.

He had come to terms with the fact that he would never be loved, that he would never have a family and that he would never be able to call a place his home. He was just a weapon to be used and discarded once it was broken. Whether he died today from his wounds did not matter in the end. By becoming the host of the Yonbi, his fate was already set : a certain death, and surely much faster than normal.

— "Nothing is impossible," Sakura insisted.

She was in a good position to say that nothing was impossible because since her meeting with the Rikudô Sennin, almost nothing surprised her anymore and she understood that anything could happen.

— "Why me ?" Questioned the Jinchûriki more for himself than for his audience as he felt death approaching fast.

— "Why you and not someone else ?" Sakura replied wondering if this man had been selected like Naruto.

Her answering him with another question caused the blond man to have a burst of energy and regain the strength to speak.

— "You know what I am !" He shouted in rage. "Tell me why I had to have this life ? I didn't want it ! Who would want it ? You'd have to be crazy or suicidal to want it !" The man raged as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

— "Because life is a bitch !" Sakura said firmly. "Life is hard, unforgiving and especially in this day and age ! But it's up to us to fight to make it better... so I'll ask you again. What would you do to have the life I described to you ?"

— "Absolutely anything," the blond breathed, closing his eyes.

He was tired of talking and he was getting very tired of it all. He only wanted to fall asleep and accept that this life of suffering would finally end. Who was she to torture him like this, making him dream of a future he knew was impossible ? This discussion had been much crueller than a clean and brutal death. But just as he was about to welcome death with open arms, he felt two hands rest on his chest and a pulse of chakra penetrate him. It was warm, soft, pleasant, comforting. Gradually the pain lessened, the suffering receded and the fatigue began to disappear.

He opened his eyes and wondered if he was seeing an angel. The pink-haired woman's hair fluttered slightly in the wind while her face was lit by a soft green light. Was this what dying was all about ? But his mind seemed far too conscious to have passed into the other world.

— "What are you doing ?" Asked the man who was no longer sure what was real and what was not.

— "I'm giving you a second chance," Sakura replied as she shot another burst of chakra into the man's body. The doctor knew that she had almost gone to the limit of the blond man's abilities, but she had gotten the result she wanted. He would join them willingly, for they had a better future to offer him, and more importantly, he would have the assurance of being respected as an individual and no longer considered merely a weapon of war. This wave of healing chakra was intended to close all of the shinobi's non-lethal wounds in no time.

The Jinchûriki looked at the warrior's hands and was stunned by what he saw : she was saving his life. No one had ever done that and even less since he had become a host.

— "Why ?" He finally asked when she had finished treating him. He was still in shock at what he had just seen,

— "Go to Ta No Kuni... seek out Heiwa City ! There you will be accepted as a hero for what you are and also for what you hold inside. There you will have a new life, you can start over without being judged for your past !" Sakura explained with a warm smile. Hearing this, the blonde felt like crying again, but not for the same reasons as before.

— "Why ?" the Jinchûriki repeated anyway.

— "Because the victims of life are entitled to a second chance... now go ! Go live your new life and don't forget, you owe me a life debt," Sakura said as she helped the man to his feet, all under Madara's inquisitive gaze behind her. "If you want to live up to it and pay me back : don't waste this chance and live your life the right way !"

The man looked into the eyes of the woman he called an angel for being able to do what she had done. After all, he saw no lies in her eyes, only compassion and sincerity. Without having any guarantees, he had this inner voice that assured him that she was surely telling the truth. He deserved to have the life she had described to him : a home, a family, the respect of a village, a real goal to accomplish.

So he did something he never thought he would do : he undid his Tsuchi No Kuni headband before staring at it for a few moments. His village... No ! This had never been his village, but rather his fetters ! Without any regret, without any backward glance : he let them fall to the ground, free !

— "What is your name ?" He finally asked the rose.

— "Sakura," she replied, still smiling brightly. "And what's your name ?"

— "Akihiko."

— "Well Akihiko, I have just one more thing to say to you."

— "I'm listening."

— "Our meeting is not a coincidence, Son Goku would make his father proud," Sakura pronounced with a more than enigmatic tone. Neither Akihiko, nor Madara understood the meaning of it and even remained rather confused.

Except that this message was intended for the Bijû in the blond's body. And when he heard the last part of Sakura's sentence, he immediately understood the meaning of the message. Nobody knew the real names of the Bijû except their father Hagoromo Ôtsutsuki, and if someone said this kind of sentence it could only be true.

Day 291

After the discussion with Akihiko, Sakura and Madara spent the rest of the evening scouring the battlefield for weapons, armor, and anything else that might be useful and usable for their next objective. So it was not until the next day, around one o'clock in the morning that the couple found a cave to spend the night in.

As soon as they were settled, Sakura conjured up a medium-sized scroll in a puff of smoke, from which she pulled out a minimum of furniture. In view of the huge mission they had to accomplish, sleeping on the floor was out of the question. Indeed, it was counterproductive as they had to be in shape to ensure victory. So she had sealed a mattress, some pillows and a blanket, as well as a kit for cooking on a campfire.

She placed all these items in a corner while the dark-haired man arranged a pile of wood surrounded by stones.

— "Katon...," Madara whispered without waving. He simply manipulated the chakra into a very fine ball of fire that flared up on the wood gathered in front of him.

The young woman positioned a cast iron tripod over the fire before placing a pot in which was a vegetable broth. Hooray for the Fûinjutsu that allowed one to preserve pre-cooked dishes. Sure, they had to be reheated, but they were already ready to be eaten.

Madara and Sakura undid their armor and weapon straps and placed them near the mattress, all in a soothing silence. Then, as Madara lay down in a semi-sitting position, Sakura placed a small stick of their own creation at the entrance to the cave. The stick was a warning system, so there would be no surprises during the night.

Once she had put it down, she walked over to the man she loved and curled up against him while he read a book about the First Shinobi War. He placed his arm around her as she cradled her head against his chest. She breathed in deeply to intoxicate herself with his scent : God, she loved this man.

While the vegetable broth warmed up, Sakura allowed herself a moment of relaxation by closing her eyes in Madara's arms as he let his thumb caress her arm.

— "Sakura," the Uchiha whispered softly, he had removed the suffix -san since they had become much more intimate. They had exchanged many kisses, they had discovered the pleasures of the flesh together, and since then they had both slept in the same bed. So naturally intimacy appeared in the way they addressed each other.

However, neither Sakura nor Madara ever showed any affectionate gestures outside of private life. But the young woman was able to discover, in this private context, that the man could be tender and affectionate. But when he was outside of this private sphere, he was still the same as he always was, the great Uchiha Madara, impassive, authoritarian and uncompromising. And out of love for him, she respected that side of his personality.

— "Yes Madara ?" Sakura asked softly as she curled up against the dark-haired man.

— "What would you have done if he had remained loyal to his village ?" The brunette asked, never taking his eyes off the book. His Sharingan ability had long since allowed him to do two things at once without the slightest difficulty.

— "I would have freed him in another way and would have waited for his Bijû to materialize," Sakura explained straightforwardly, referring to the fact that she would have let him die, even though it went against many of her moral principles.

— "Who is Son Goku ?" Madara asked curiously.

— "The real name of the Yonbi," Sakura answered mechanically and that's what Madara liked since his meeting with the Rikudô Sennin. She had no secrets from him anymore, she confided in him, she wasn't manipulating him anymore, she was moving forward by his side.

— "His father... Hagoromo ?" Madara asked by way of elimination.

— "Yes... Ôsutsuki-sama was the first Jinchûriki of the Juubi. When it was his time to leave this world, he split this chakra being into nine creatures he considered his children, and he gave them each a name," Sakura explained, opening her eyes slowly as she recalled the moment Sasuke had imprisoned all the Bijû with his Rinnegan. "It was the men who called them Yonbi, Kyûbi etc.... just by counting the number of their tails."

— "The Juubi," Madara repeated softly, stopping his reading for a moment. It was information that suddenly came naturally to him. It was one of the abilities he had acquired through the appearance of his Rinnegan.

— "Don't even think about it Madara !" Sakura said, knowing full well what the dark-haired man might be thinking with all this new information. "You died trying to resurrect him and control him," she thought it was worthwhile to make him aware of the things she knew about his future self.

— "Hn !" Madara couldn't help but gasp and Sakura hugged him a little tighter. She had learned over time that this was his way of saying that he was giving in on the subject of discussion without actually saying so openly.

Sakura pulled out of the dark-haired man's embrace to check on the dish on the fire from which a delicate smell of vegetables was emanating : it smelled really good. Madara couldn't help but make a gurgling sound from his stomach.

— "It'll be ready soon," Sakura said and gently stirred the draft with a wooden spoon. She took a small portion and brought it to her lips : it was warm. She put the spoon down and went back to snuggling with Madara who had resumed reading.

— "How do you know Kakuzu ?" Asked the Uchiha, who, even though they were sharing a moment of sweetness and tranquility, was still inquiring about their common goal : peace.

— "Because he's immortal," Sakura said with a little bit of coldness, remembering the man in the future.

— "How so ?" Madara asked a little too interested in this information.

— "By whatever process, he managed to graft five hearts to his soul to keep him alive," Sakura explained, remembering her battle with that monster. "A heart for each element, torn from his enemies."

— "That's why...," Madara said, understanding how he had managed to survive against it.

— "Yes... and as long as a heart remains intact, it can't be killed," Sakura added remembering her sensei who had to kill him five times with Naruto's help. "But he's a man who only lives for money," she concluded with a slight scorn in her voice.

— "I understand... what was he doing in the future ?" Madara continued, gently stroking the young woman's arm with his hand.

— "He was part of a criminal organization of mostly Nukenin listed in the Bingo Book," Sakura said and she knew what she was talking about. She herself had fought and survived Sasori.

— "Was I one of them ?" The man asked, curious to hear the answer.

— "In a way you are the founder of this organisation," she replied with a certain weariness in her voice. It wasn't that she wanted to withhold information from him, but she was quite tired and talking about the Akatsuki wasn't necessary in light of what lay ahead for them.

— "I see, we'll talk about it later," the Uchiha replied, he could tell when the young woman was trying to keep things quiet. He had complete confidence in her and her judgment. There was no need to burden his mind with unnecessary details at the moment. So he resumed his reading while delicately caressing the skin of his companion.

After about ten minutes, Sakura stood up once more to check on the food on the fire : it was hot enough. She picked up two large soup plates before pouring steaming broth into them.

— "Ohh, interesting," Madara said as she read a page about the First Shinobi War.

— "What was that ?" Sakura asked as she walked back to the bed with the two plates and two spoons. She settled into a cross-legged position before handing one of the plates to Madara who gladly took it.

— "Uzushio will be destroyed."

— "Yes, the tri-alliance sent enough men to overwhelm the Uzumaki clan, who even though they were powerful, they couldn't hold out since Konoha arrived too late," Sakura explained, remembering her history classes at the academy.

— "Very interesting," Madara said once more before taking a bite of his food. He enjoyed the taste on his taste buds and let out a slight sigh of relief as he felt the warm broth run down his throat. After all, it was wintertime and there was nothing like a good hot meal to invigorate you.

— "Why is that ?" Sakura asked curiously.

— "We'll be heading to Uzushio tomorrow. If we can get the Uzumaki clan as an ally, it will only make us stronger," Madara explained with a very thin smile.

— "That will be very difficult," Sakura said with a very slight frown. "The alliance made between Konoha and Uzushio is very strong. The marriage between Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki means that the clan will remain loyal to the Leaf. It will be almost impossible to convince them to turn away from Konoha and join us."

— "I'll make it my business," Madara said, setting his empty plate on the stone floor. He also put down the history book before turning to the woman he loved. Sakura couldn't help but blush slightly at the hot, lust-filled look the dark-haired man was giving her. And without her understanding of how it happened so quickly, she found herself being kissed passionately by the Uchiha. The kiss lasted a long time, before continuing with the next one as hands roamed her body with desire. There was no doubt about what was to come next : the couple would have another night of passion and love.