Uzushio !

— "A traitor ?" Madara repeated in disgust as he recalled that famous day against Hashirama Senju.

In the eyes of the world he was a traitor, but deep down the traitor was Hashirama. It was the Senju, under his air of a wise man who was responsible : he had poisoned the spirit of his clan and he had made the Uchiha inferior to the Senju. That is why it was normal, even inevitable that Madara would defend the honor of his clan. Hence the retaliation that had followed, leading them to clash at the Valley of the End.

— "Your son-in-law is the traitor," the dark-haired man added through clenched teeth.

— "Hashirama ? You want me to believe that my son-in-law is a traitor, you, the specialist in illusions and deceit ?" Ashina said angrily as she rose from his sitting position. He didn't like it when people questioned his honour, and even less that of his family and clan. "As far as I know YOU were the one who attacked Konoha ! YOU who unleashed a Bijû on Konoha No Sato ! YOU who forced MY GIRL... to become a Jinchûriki !"

The last words were said with so much rage and bitterness that no one could deny not feeling it. So much so that Sakura wondered if it was a mistake to come here after all. Ashina approached Madara and the two were soon within a meter of each other, increasing the tension around them even more.

— "Mito chose herself to become a Jinchûriki. No one forced her to, least of all me," Madara retorted to the Uzumaki leader who was exuding a heavy dose of killing intent. All the ninjas hidden in the room were sweating and on the lookout, ready to intervene if necessary.

— "Bullshit !" Ashina shouted, waving his arm as if trying to brush off such an excuse with his hand. And seeing this kind of reaction, Madara had confirmation that Mito was indeed this man's weakness. He would not hesitate to use this fact against the patriarch in front of him.

— "You regret it, don't you, old man ?" Madara asserted with a hint of insolence in his voice.

— "What are you talking about ?" Asked the Uzumaki patriarch, who at the moment had only one desire : to fight the Uchiha.

— "For arranging this wedding," the dark-haired man said with a sly smile, "for forcing your only daughter to do what ?"

He paused for a moment, just so that his interlocutor's full attention was on him.

— "Oh yes... sacrificing yourself... was that what you wanted for your beloved daughter ?"

— "Shut up !" Ashina replied coldly, frowning as his blood boiled from having to hear words so close to the truth.

— "If you hadn't forced her to marry Hashirama, she wouldn't have had to intervene and thus wouldn't have become a Jinchûriki," the dark-haired man continued despite the old man's more than obvious threat. And he reacted accordingly : he closed the gap between the two legendary warriors before grabbing the collar of Madara's brown kimono. Madara did nothing to stop him and plunged his visible eye into the steel grey one of his interlocutor.

— "You're playing a dangerous game Madara," Ashina began through gritted teeth before he spotted the woman accompanying the dark-haired man approaching them. Madara placed his arm in front of her as if to prevent her from interfering. "You come into my house, into my home, strutting around like you're invincible while insulting me ! Don't forget that an Uzumaki is twice as dangerous when he's at home !"

Then Ashina turned his attention to the young woman anyway as something immediately caught his eye : her forehead seal. This was too much for him, his anger rose again, his Uzumaki blood boiled, and Sakura understood where Naruto got his temper from.

— "I don't know how you did it, but I will not tolerate such an insult," Ashina began before looking Madara in the eye again. "You dare to bring a whore and a thief with you ? Where is your honor, Uchiha ?"

Upon hearing this sentence, the Uchiha clan leader saw red. He hated it when Sakura was attacked and hearing Ashina insult her like that made him lose his temper. Madara drew his sword from his belt in an instant, aiming to strike the Uzumaki before him. But the blow was parried by a wakizashi from the old man.

— "Watch out old man ! Another wrong word to this woman and clan leader or not : I will kill you without warning !" No sooner had he made the gesture and uttered the sentence than all the ninjas hiding in the room appeared armed and ready to go. Madara did not move, his gaze plunged into the ancestor's. Sakura, on the other hand, saw the ninja and pulled out a kunai of her own making before moving into a defensive position, ready to fight.

— "I'd like to see that," Ashina challenged.

— "Just give me a chance, ancestor," the dark-haired man continued, and Sakura frankly wondered if he was trying to get them both killed in this game of provocation.

It was as if everything was frozen around them. Ashina Uzumaki despite his advanced age was holding the great Madara Uchiha in awe. The latter did not move a millimeter, always fixed on the old man, all his senses on the alert, ready to detect the slightest offensive action from the other. Everyone was holding their breath : you could almost hear the heartbeat of every person present, so heavy was the silence in the room. The soldiers waited for their leader's orders : whether verbal or by gestures imperceptible to the untrained eye. If Ashina Uzumaki asked them to attack these two intruders, they would do their duty without a second's hesitation : defend their leader and the clan.

The seconds passed slowly without anyone moving or uttering a single word. But against all odds, the Uzumaki leader continued the conversation.

— "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you both executed right now !"

— "How do you know, old man, that we'll let this happen ?" The dark-haired man laughed proudly.

— "A reason !" Ashina ordered, his tone unmistakable, and this was the last chance they had. Sakura had to restrain herself from interfering, not to answer the Uzumaki leader, but to rebuke the Uchiha for his smug and arrogant nature.

— "Prevent the eradication of your people," Madara announced with great seriousness.

Ashina stared at the Uchiha for another long, silent moment before saying :

— "Put away your weapons !" Ashina ordered the soldiers, who complied while inwardly wondering if this was wise. In fact, it was very disturbing coming from the Uzumaki.

Sakura huffed inwardly as the killing intent became less oppressive around them, though they were all still on the alert, ready to fight if it was a ruse on the Uchiha's part. She watched Ashina Uzumaki's facial expressions : he seemed to believe in the reason Madara gave.

Indeed, the leader of the Uzumaki clan had not detected any form of lie in the dark-haired man's words. Moreover, he had not detected any variation in the face of his interlocutor as he told him the reason for their coming to them. And when it came to the safety and security of his people, Ashina Uzumaki knew how to temporarily put aside any grievances he had for another person if that person had potentially vital information to give him. Even if that other person bore the name of Uchiha Madara.

Moreover, the old man had to admit that a small voice deep inside of him was telling him that he had to learn more about this woman who bore the same frontal seal as his beloved daughter. Especially since she must have been of some importance to the Uchiha, given the different reactions he had been able to hint at. If Ashina could admit that his weakness was his daughter Mito, it seemed obvious to hiù that Madara Uchiha also had one : this pink-haired woman.

All of the shinobi in the room put away their weapons, some reluctantly and others relieved. They repositioned themselves in their places, which were no longer hidden, the tapestries were now torn away and they could all be seen. Sakura remained wary though and kept her modified kunai in hand.

Madara and Ashina looked at each other for a few more seconds before they too put their weapons back in their scabbards. The leader of the Uzumaki clan took a step back before turning his back on the Uchiha and returning to his old place.

The two Heiwa shinobi followed the old man before settling in front of him in an almost religious silence.

— "Explain yourself," Ashina, who was sitting cross-legged, demanded directly.

— "In three days, your city and your people will be wiped off the map," the dark-haired man said, knowing that there was no need to make his words too convoluted. Ashina was not like all those politicians who had to be petted. No, it was necessary to get straight to the point in a concise manner, even if convincing him would be another matter.

— "Why should I believe you ? You are a traitor to your village ! Who knows if you're not manipulating me ?" Ashina retorted, though he couldn't see any trace of deceit on the Uchiha's face. However, he refused to believe his words so easily.

— "I already told you : I wasn't the traitor !" Madara repeated, frowning slightly. Ashina Uzumaki could really be stubborn when he put his mind to it, and the Uchiha was beginning to think that their exchange would almost turn into a one-sided discussion. To sway the conversation in his favor, Madara had no choice but to resort to what he did best after the war : Lying.

He had devised a whole host of strategies to convince the patriarch to easily join their cause, but with each plan he came up with, only manipulation was the most viable option. And lying was one of the essential elements of successful manipulation. Besides, the Uzumaki's behavior only confirmed his idea. And even if the old man had himself hypothesized an attempt at manipulation, Madara knew how to get him to believe that he alone would make the decision to believe him and follow him for their peace project.

But while waiting for this result, Madara and Sakura had in front of them the typical example of an overinflated ego.

— "Why should I believe you ?" Ashina repeated once more, his arms now crossed. The patriarch was difficult to influence and he was not known to trust others easily. It would have been surprising if he had accepted without any resistance, especially when he had Madara Uchiha in front of him. The Uzumaki had a reputation to uphold, especially since the dark-haired man was accompanied by this woman whose forehead was adorned with a seal similar to that of his own daughter. The patriarch couldn't help but pass his gaze from Madara to Sakura ; and it was clear that the young woman was not at all impressed by them and even less by the tense atmosphere that reigned in the room. This deserved a certain respect and the patriarch was even admiring the young woman's calm and impassive attitude.

— "For before my confrontation with your son-in-law, I awoke to the truth !" Madara said cryptically.

Hearing this sentence, Sakura turned very slightly towards the man she loved. He had the most serious expression and Sakura understood that he was manipulating the facts to carefully distill the information so that Ashina Uzumaki would come to the conclusion they were hoping for : that the Uzumaki would join them on their own. However, she wondered how far the dark-haired man would go : would he reveal his Rinnegan and how he had obtained it ? But for the moment, the two protagonists were moving in the right direction since it was enough to arouse curiosity as well as an entirely different feeling in the old man : Frustration.

— "What truth ?" Ashina asked uncertainly, hating not being in control of events and information. What could the Uchiha possibly have that would give him this power ? It was then that Madara turned his gaze behind the Uzumaki to assess the distance of the surrounding ninjas and to their great interest: they were all too far away. Seeing this, the patriarch realized that the dark-haired man had something to show him and that it had to be kept secret.

— "Swear on your honor that you will not reveal to anyone what I am about to show you," Madara demanded and this greatly reinforced Ashina's original idea, for this type of request was never made lightly and even less so when it was asked of him. Indeed, the Uzumaki was respected by everyone around the world because he was known for his uprightness in all circumstances but also as someone who was curious, even very curious, to the point that it could be sickening. And because of all this, the old man took a moment of silence to analyse the situation before saying :

— "I promise not to reveal what you are about to show me."

As soon as the promise was made, Madara grabbed a strand of his hair and lifted it. The Uzumaki's eyes widened as he saw something he had only heard in the farthest legends of the Uzumaki heritage : the Rinnegan.

Indeed, there was a book that was passed down from clan leader to clan leader so that this secret would never be forgotten, but at the same time known to as few people as possible. But Ashina would never have thought one day to see this Dôjutsu.

— "How ?" Ashina whispered in amazement.

— "I don't know myself," Madara began as he pulled his hair back in front of his purple pupil, "I once woke up like this and when I got this pupil, I was able to glimpse the future and what Hashirama and Tobirama were planning to do," he then added with a hint of anger in his voice.

— "What were they planning to do ?" Ashina asked with great suspicion. Sakura could see that he was asking questions more out of curiosity so that he could make up his own mind about what Madara was telling him. Sure, he had the legendary Rinnegan, but the Uzumaki didn't forget who he was dealing with : the most deceitful and manipulative ninja the Earth had ever known.

— "To subjugate my clan like animals only to eradicate them in time. And that was out of the question for me !" The Uchiha replied angrily.

Ashina took a deep breath when he heard this answer. He couldn't deny that the Senju, whether it was Hashirama, his late son-in-law, or Tobirama, the current Hokage, could have strong opinions. Some decisions left no room for flexibility except death when you opposed them.

— "Okay... let's say that what you're telling me is true. Why are you telling me all this ?" Said the old man.

— "Because I have seen the future in its broadest outline and I have seen your clan and your people annihilated," Madara revealed once more. This announcement had the desired effect : some of the surrounding soldiers shivered with concern, while others, like their leader, were skeptical.

— "Bullshit ! You think you can convince me with this nonsense," Ashina quickly replied, not believing that anyone could have this kind of gift, even if he was forced to admit that the Dôjutsu possessed by his interlocutor must hold many secrets, and why not such an ability. But what he couldn't admit was the fact that the Uchiha announced the pure and simple eradication of his clan. Who could defeat an entire clan ? And even more so his own : the Uzumaki could not be wiped out with a simple flick of the wrist. "I remind you that we have the Kumo ninjas under control, and it is only a matter of time before our allies win against Kaze No Kuni and Tsuchi No Kuni," he added confidently, which caused positive nods from the ninjas in the room.

With these answers, Madara recognized the stubborn temperament of his opponent. True, the Uzumaki were formidable warriors and that was why he wanted them to join them. But the Uchiha had understood with time and experience that resting too much on one's achievements could be deleterious for the future of a clan or even a village or a nation. Without expressing it, the brunet had understood that sometimes, showing humility led to greater wisdom and to making the right decisions.

— "Ashina, don't you think it's strange that everything goes so smoothly ? Didn't you wonder why this war is still going on when you've had the advantage all along ?" Madara retorted without hiding his annoyance at the old man's adamant attitude. "In three days, troops from Kaze No Kuni, Tsuchi No Kuni and Kaminari No Kuni will lay siege to your beloved city and eradicate it !"

This reply increased the tension in the room and had the merit of making Ashina think, as he gently stroked his white moustache. He was deep in thought... silent, which accentuated the tense atmosphere of his ninjas posted around.

But as they all hung on the lips of their leader, who was still saying nothing, the silence was interrupted by a completely different commotion : a shinobi had entered the room and was talking to one of the guards. He was whispering information very quickly, which made the soldier on duty go wide-eyed. The exchange continued for a few seconds before the guard approached the three protagonists.

— "Uzukage-sama," the guard began as he dropped to one knee, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but our scouts have just returned with some very disturbing news."

Madara smiled inwardly as he saw a potential element that could support his revelations and work in their favor to bend the clan leader.

— "Approach !" Ashina ordered the shinobi who hurried over to his military leader.

He bowed before making his report.

— "Several of our scouts posted in the vicinity have counted a massive troop movement in our direction," the blood-red haired man explained.

— "Which direction ?" Ashina asked his subordinate.

— "All directions Uzukage-sama, there is a large gathering from the west, many ships from the south and east, and the northern front is still occupied by Kumo troops."

— "Has Kiri betrayed us ?" The Uzumaki patriarch asked worriedly, his attention now focused on the information he was receiving. Sakura could see that she was looking at a man well-versed in military analysis and strategy.

— "No, those are Kaze No Kuni ships," the scout replied.

— "How could they have a fleet ?" Ashina asked more to himself than to the rest of the world.

— "Maybe because they've been planning this invasion for a long time," Madara interjected, seizing the most opportune moment to continue manipulating the leader.

— "How do I know you're not on their side ?" That your so-called clairvoyance isn't a plot to make me bend over and betray Konoha too !" Ashina accused sharply, looking up at the dark-haired man again.

— "Seriously ? I know you're old... but coming out with such nonsense is not like you !" Madara said with a concealed compliment. He was acknowledging his counterpart's intelligence and he knew that the latter would not be insensitive to this roundabout way of acknowledging his qualities as clan leader. But still, he needed more to convince him to believe the Uchiha.

— "Send a message to Konoha ! Tell them we need immediate reinforcements !" Ashina shouted to his scribe who hurriedly grabbed an official scroll. The old ninja had no choice but to ask for help, and he naturally turned to the village with which he had made the alliance. Konoha could not abandon them : that was the deal when he had given his daughter to that Senju.

— "They're not coming," Madara immediately retorted sharply.

— "What do you know ?" The other asked, annoyed that the Uchiha was also questioning the Leaf's honor.

— "I know that !" Said the dark-haired man, pointing to his camouflaged Rinnegan.

The seconds passed in another heavy silence. No one said anything, the scout and the guards didn't know if they should stay or go, and the only sound was the sound of the quill on the parchment.

The two men were still staring at each other : one looking for the loophole while the other had a determined expression.

— "Remove any doubt from my mind Madara. If you're not with them, why is this woman in possession of a copy... albeit different... but nonetheless similar to my daughter's forehead seal ?" Ashina questioned, now turning his inquisitive gaze to the pink haired woman who flinched very slightly. From the beginning she had been discreet and she didn't think all the attention would be on her now.

— "The Uzumaki aren't the only ones who are skilled in Fûinjutsu Uzumaki-dono," Sakura said respectfully. Unlike the man she loved, she had been raised to always respect her elders.

— "Not that level, my daughter is a virtuoso of Fûinjutsu," Ashina continued before being interrupted by a raised hand from Sakura. She rolled up both sleeves and revealed to the clan leader numerous Fûinjutsu seals drawn on her forearms.

— "This proves nothing, your forehead seal is beyond such trifles !" Ashina retorted before seeing the young woman conjure up a kunai and a small wooden stick in a puff of smoke. She gently placed the two objects in front of the Uzumaki who gently took the weapon between his fingers. He analyzed the many seal formulas inscribed on the kunai that glowed ever so slightly in royal blue : it was a beautiful creation. He had too much honour and pride to say so out loud, but it was a fine piece of work, a very dangerous weapon on the battlefield. He continued to watch the kunai for a long time, concentrating on deciphering the inscribed formulas and mentally visualizing the effects if it were used.

— "Permission to borrow this formula ?" Ashina asked, unable to resist. This weapon enhanced like this was spectacular. The young woman nodded slightly. What an honor it was for her that her work could please the head of the Uzumaki clan. The man put the weapon down before focusing on the second object which seemed more complex. As he detailed it, the old man realized that it was much more than a simple Fuînjutsu formula : it was an assembly of formulas that allowed for the transmission of Genjutsu over a great distance without affecting anyone in the vicinity. The Uzumaki found this very interesting, even ingenious, that he almost forgot why Madara was there.

— "We're not here to watch you rave about Fûinjutsu," Madara interjected after several minutes of watching the old man take notes of Sakura's two creations. "We're here to find out if you want to save your people or see them die with their mouths open !"

The Uzumaki put the objects and his quill down before looking up at the dark-haired man. He didn't like being told what to do and true to form he replied :

— "I hear your arguments Madara... but they are insufficient for me. I married my daughter, the most precious person I have for this alliance ! I have kept all my commitments, so believe me Konoha has more than enough interest in keeping theirs and they know it !"

— "That's where you're wrong, old man," Madara retorted wearily. "You don't intend to change your mind, do you ?" He added, convinced that this battle was lost : the stubborn old man would not give in, at least not yet.

— "The missive is ready Uzukage-sama," the scribe said as he approached with a message. Ashina applied his Kage seal to the still warm wax. Once that was done, the scribe rolled up the parchment before placing it in a case.

— "You have understood everything, I will not break my principles and commitments for your fears Madara ! My people are one of the most powerful of all the elemental nations and I intend to kill anyone who dares to attack my people !"

— "Then I have wasted a lot of valuable time here !" Madara resigned himself before standing up quickly followed by Sakura.

— "But... Madara-san," Sakura said unable to believe that the dark-haired man would not try anything more to convince him. The young woman knew for a fact that if they didn't do anything, all of these people would die and she couldn't bring herself to do that. They were innocent and she couldn't let that happen. But she also trusted the man she loved ; surely he had another idea to kill two birds with one stone : ally with the Uzumaki and save their people.

— "He's stubborn Sakura-san ! He prefers his honor to his people," Madara retorted, pointing disdainfully at the still seated Ashina. "My only consolation will be that you will be consumed with remorse when you know I was right and see your beloved village burn !"

And with that, Madara and Sakura left the room.

Day 306

It had been three days since Madara and Sakura had left and Uzushio was under attack from all sides. Despite the traps, the sorties, the raids, the enemy was still holding their ground and that made Ashina very angry. His clan was superior to its enemies, but they were outnumbered and that was what was going to lead to their downfall.

Despite the Fûinjutsu defenses put in place, the city looked like a ruinous field by the hour, with the amount of rubble piling up everywhere. One could hear the explosions, the panicked cries of the civilians as well as those of the shinobi who were doing their best to fight and defend the inhabitants.

If Konoha had reached them to assist them, they would have long ago repelled and destroyed these attackers. But the Leaf troops were not among them and probably never would be. Yet, as soon as he had sent his message requesting reinforcements, the allied ninja would have had plenty of time to reach them, but Ashina Uzumaki could only make this bitter realization : Konoha had not responded to their request for help.

Moreover, his inner anger only increased as he began to think that perhaps he should have listened to Uchiha Madara's warning. Especially when he received a letter two days earlier that he hoped he would never receive. When he had concluded the union between his daughter and Hashirama Senju, Ashina had placed her under the protection and supervision of one of his shinobi. And he had returned to tell his that his daughter had simply disappeared. Why had Konoha failed to send him this information ? The old man speculated that Tobirama had preferred to remain silent in order to keep his precious alliance intact !

This thought made him grow increasingly resentful of Konoha's methods. From where he stood he swept his gaze across the scene before him and lingered in the distance, all those approaching ships could only mean one thing : his people and his clan were going to be eradicated. He thought back to Madara's words about why he had turned against the Leaf Village and Ashina Uzumaki could only understand how his counterpart, as a clan leader, must have felt about his people.

Betrayal : that was how the clan leader truly felt inside.

The old shinobi swallowed slowly as he accepted his unfortunate fate. Sure, he felt ashamed for having naively believed in this alliance with Konoha, but he would not surrender without a fight to the end.

It was all a matter of honor.

— "You see... I didn't lie to you," said a voice that Ashina really hadn't expected to hear again. He turned his head and saw Uchiha Madara with the pink-haired woman behind him.

— "How did you get here ?" Ashina asked incredulously.

— "Well, they're weak for the most part," Madara said dismissively, moving his hand as if he were trying to swat away a fly. "Now Uzumaki... are you going to remain a stubborn old fart with a sense of honor ? Or will you decide to save your people ?"

Ashina didn't know how to answer at first, but he had to admit that the Uchiha hadn't lied to him. Konoha wasn't there, his people had been under a massive assault for far too long and if this continued they would all die. So Ashina Uzumaki swallowed his pride for the first time in his life.

— "How do you plan to defeat this army ?" Ashina asked, gesturing with his arm to encompass the entire fleet. Also, there was some fighting in the city as some shinobi had managed to break through the defenses.

— "I never said I was going to defeat this army... I said we were here to save your people," Madara retorted, not seeming the least bit concerned by what was happening around him.

In fact, while they were talking, a shinobi had dashed towards them with an exit weapon in an attempt to take them by surprise. But this was without counting on the sensory abilities of the two clan leaders as well as Sakura's increased vigilance. It was she who reacted first to greet this shinobi from Kaze No Kuni. The young woman pretended not to have spotted him and when he was within striking distance, she hit her opponent before he knew what was happening. Sakura was easily using the advantage of having improved her body's reflexes and her physical abilities thanks to her chakra mastery.

The punch to the chest shattered the armor into a thousand pieces as the shinobi spat out a great spray of blood before being blown away by the blow. Ashina was so taken aback by the speed and power of the attack that he forgot about Madara and the battle around him. Was it even human to be able to accomplish something like this ? Then Ashina quickly came to his senses and turned his attention back to Madar a: he had no time to rave about the young woman's abilities.

— "How are you going to get us out of here then ?" The Uzumaki asked.

— "I can't... I sense a large portion of your people are under the ground though," Madara remarked, concentrating on his sensory ability.

— "Right, we have a safety basement just in case," Ashina said bitterly as a building further down collapsed, hit by a stone projectile.

— "Do a general evacuation Ashina," said Madara.

— "What ?!" The Uzumaki said in surprise.

— "You heard me," the dark-haired man retorted almost exasperated.

Every second was important and they didn't have much time for further strategy.

— "If I do this, I'll doom my people even faster than I planned !" Ashina protested. "So that's your plan : to exterminate us underground and erase the evidence of your misdeeds !" Added Ashina, who found it hard to trust a man he had considered a traitor a few days before.

— "Trust me, you old fool !" Sighed the dark-haired man. "I've proven to you that I'm telling the truth ! Your city is being razed, your people are being decimated ! Konoha is not here to honor its alliance ! What more do you need ?!" Madara stared at his counterpart before adding, "From the beginning I have told you the truth ! Then trust me," Madara stated, beginning to get annoyed at having to argue with this man again.

— "Fine," Ashina relented before turning to ten of his men who were reinforcing the protection of Fûinjutsu. "Shinobi ! Retreat to any point in the city and order the immediate evacuation of everyone to the underground !"

— "Hai !" All the shinobi shouted as one before heading off in several different directions.

— "What now ?" Ashina asked, wondering how the Uchiha was going to save his people.

— "Sakura-san, how many people can you protect and save ?" Madara asked, turning to the woman he loved.

— "A lot."

— "Do it !" The dark-haired man added with a nod of his head.

With that nod she knew what she had to do. She turned towards the centre of the city before channeling a large amount of chakra into her legs to propel herself as far as possible. She bent her legs and the ground cracked under the pressure as Sakura jumped high into the air.

As she was about to land in the main square of Uzushio, she bit her thumb to the bone before making the proper signs for her next technique.

— "KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU !" Sakura shouted, pointing her hand downwards. She unloaded an insane amount of chakra into this technique to summon the legendary Katsuyu right into Uzushio.

A huge cloud of white smoke appeared in the city centre. When it cleared, everyone could see a huge slug towering above most of the buildings, and at the top of it was a pink-haired woman.

— "Katsuyu-sama, it's time," Sakura said to her summoner.

— "Hai, Sakura-sama," Katsuyu replied before her body imploded and split into a thousand copies of herself. All the slugs scurried around the city looking for any survivors, injured people, or anyone else who wouldn't be safe before the fateful hour.

— "Who is this woman ?" Ashina asked as she saw Sakura doing this from a distance. The old man was simply in awe of the young woman : there was no doubt she must be a formidable Kunoichi, a far cry from the whore he had thought she was when he had seen her a few days earlier.

— "She's my wife," Madara replied with undisguised pride. Seeing Sakura in action was always impressive and the Uchiha was not ashamed to show his attachment to the young woman. It was also a way of letting the old shinobi know that she was not available. In other words, Uchiha Madara was clearly marking his territory with the young woman. Anyone who would consider seducing her would have to first cross paths with the dark-haired man who would not allow any such attempt.

— "Is she an Uchiha ?" asked the old man surprised by this frank and direct admission. There was no doubt about it : the dark-haired man had chosen the one who would stand at his side to lead the clan and above all to ensure his descendants.

— "That will happen soon," Madara said, he had every intention of marrying this woman and making her the Uchiha matriarch, but for now, he had something to accomplish to put his plan into action. "Ashina ! Either you go with your people, or I advise you to have a more than powerful Fûinjutsu to witness what is to come."

— "I want to stay and see what you intend to do to save my people," Ashina said defiantly.

— "As you wish," the dark-haired man said before looking around for the tallest building in the city, and he found it. He jumped from roof to roof in seconds before arriving at the structure that overlooked Uzushio and the surrounding armies and fleets.

Madara placed both hands in the sign of the ram before channeling chakra... a lot of chakra... too much chakra some would say ! He was taking his time to allow Sakura to protect as many people as possible. And after a minute Madara activated one of the Rinnegan's abilities.

The entire sky lit up with an intense light that made almost everyone in the surrounding miles close their eyes. Everyone could feel the density of chakra that was being used as a shrill noise could be heard everywhere. Then, as the concentric circles of Madara's eye widened, there was silence for two seconds...

— "SHINRA TENSEI !" Madara shouted.

And from the Uchiha emanated a huge shockwave that devastated Uzushio and the enemy shinobi troops within it in seconds. Madara's attack continued over a portion of the water before creating huge waves that crashed into the ships.

Uzushio no longer existed !