Berserk !

Sakura hadn't even bothered to wait for her husband who had called her in vain as she stormed out of the council chamber.

Anxiety had gripped her violently from the moment she realized that the Hi No Kuni army was on the southern border of Ta No Kuni. She had started to run as she had never had the opportunity to do so. Even in all the missions she'd done in her former life, she'd never felt this sense of urgency in action, not even when she'd had to go to Suna to rescue Gaara from the clutches of the Akatsuki.

Each of her jumps were so strong that she left visible impacts in the ground and nothing mattered to her anymore : it didn't matter who or what she met in her path. Her objective was to arrive in time at her old home, in the village that had welcomed her when she went back in time. She had to go and protect them, especially Hitomi.

Seeing that she wouldn't stop to wait for him, Madara ordered Ashina to deploy the army in preparation for a possible multiple attack while he joined Sakura in dealing with the intruders at the southern border. Once this was done, Madara also ran at full speed and after about twenty minutes he had finally caught up with her while she was still running.

Madara was confident, no one on this earth could match his strength, he was now the number one ninja.

He had followed his wife, not because he didn't trust her abilities against an enemy, but because he knew from her reaction at the council that she was worried about her friend.

When he reached her level, Madara looked at her and saw the anguish his wife felt in her expression. He had never seen her like this, but Madara didn't remark on her attitude, in fact he was understanding that she could be so affected by the news of this intrusion into the land of Ta No Kuni.

Ever since Sakura had saved him from death, the man had seen the relationship between the two women. Hitomi had an important place in his wife's life. And that was why he was content to follow her in her frantic race towards the village where they had lived in the early days.

After a good ten minutes, the two leaders of Heiwa were approaching the border and what Sakura had feared was already apparent : the village had been attacked. Indeed, smoke was rising in the distance which made her heart race even more with the anxiety of what they would find below.

The southern region of Ta No Kuni was dotted with rice fields and the surrounding landscape was quite steep, so it was difficult to keep an orderly army. Sakura knew that even if there were soldiers to keep the people of all those villages on the outskirts of the capital safe, there certainly weren't enough of them to contain an enemy attack.

And as they jumped over one of the cliffs overlooking the area by about fifty meters, Madara and Sakura could only see the distressing sight that had befallen the village.

It was completely destroyed, some of the buildings were on fire which explained the smoke visible from a distance and the bodies of the inhabitants were on the ground. Even from this distance, it was easy to see that they were probably dead or very badly injured. But what made Sakura immediately react to the horror was that the Hi No Kuni army was about to execute a prisoner.

— "No !" Sakura cried, drawing the army's attention to their position. She had to stop this execution by any means necessary.

The enemy army had captured Hitomi, a rare friend of her at the time. She was being held by a Leaf ninja, a kunai at her throat. She looked totally frightened by the situation and Sakura could see that the prisoner was begging to be released and allowed to live.

Sakura's intervention made the ninja stop and look up as did everyone else in the room at this new voice. The Hi No Kuni army noticed the presence of the two new people.

Their eyes did not linger on the woman, but they immediately recognized the figure of the man standing beside her. There was no doubt about his identity, it was his stature, his figure, his presence... everything indicated that he was really present before them.

— "You !" The commander-in-chief of this army shouted at Madara.

How could this individual be here in the flesh ? He was supposed to be dead, killed by Hashirama Senju ! The Uchiha was responsible for many of the crimes against Konoha ! Besides, hadn't this man unleashed the Kyûbi on the village with the sole intention of letting the devastating fury of the demon fall and do the maximum damage ? Everyone was also convinced that somehow the Uchiha was also responsible for Hashirama Senju's disappearance.

— "So you're the one behind this, Uchiha !" The man added, referring to Ta No Kuni's latest actions.

The army commander wanted to appear indifferent to his presence, but deep down he felt just the opposite. Madara Uchiha was known to all and all his deeds had become part of the legend, so to speak.

The commander was even unsettled, because when Hiruzen Sarutobi had declared war on Ta No Kuni, the Hokage had assured him that they would not encounter any significant resistance. That was why there were only a thousand soldiers, including shinobi, heading for the northern border of Hi No Kuni. But now, with the sudden appearance of the Uchiha visibly alive and well, it was a complete game changer.

The army commander still wondered if his contingent would be enough to neutralize this formidable enemy.

Madara, on the other hand, continued to observe what was going on below. He had his arms crossed and was nonchalantly looking down on the army, his Heikage hat hanging from his belt and visible to all. The Uchiha was analyzing the troops on the ground : soldiers and shinobi. They had been sent with one purpose, to retrieve as many resources as possible for Hi No Kuni, and had acted as mere mercenaries considering the number of dead that littered the ground. He could easily understand why Sakura's fists were clenched and why such a dark aura was emanating from her. Not only had they attacked defenseless innocents, but more importantly one of them was holding the woman she loved so much at gunpoint.

Madara also recognized a few Uchiha among the troops. There were about ten of them and the clan leader could see the amazement on their faces at seeing him standing there alive.

And more than amazement, the members of the Uchiha clan were totally lost. What were they to do ? They had proof that Kagami's suspicions were correct : their revered leader was alive and right in front of them. In fact, he even seemed to be in a commanding position as they all saw the famous hat symbolizing the title of Kage. Why hadn't their leader let them know that he was still alive ? Why hadn't he returned to Konoha to lead them ? But the question on all of their minds was : would the great Madara Uchiha forgive them for their treachery in the past when they had turned away from his plans ?

— "Release her !" Sakura demanded with such harshness and a voice that Madara's eyes turned to his wife. When he saw the look on her face, he knew ! Sakura wasn't going to just sit back and wait for them to release her friend. She was ready to fight, and Madara knew she wouldn't hesitate for a second to give her all in the fight if it came to it. Hitomi really meant something to his wife and it showed in her intention to fight. Sakura had a real and totally valid reason to fight : to defend and save someone she cared about.

In a way, Madara was glad. Not about the situation, but he was finally going to see Sakura in action.

— "We didn't call you, woman !" Replied the man who led Konoha No Sato's armed force, and more importantly he didn't seem to have recognized her, too focused on Madara's presence to whom he addressed. "You let a woman speak for you, you coward !"

Many swallowed at their commander's words. It was even rather suicidal of him, for it was known that one did not insult the legendary Madara without paying the consequences. The Uchiha was known to have eliminated men for less. And right now, the army chief was also unaware that he had just insulted his wife and by extension the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni.

All of this was enough to provoke a diplomatic incident and a legitimate declaration of war if an apology was not offered immediately. But how could they have known that ? Ta No Kuni had been careful not to reveal the existence of their famous Heikage and his wife to the world.

— "Sakura !" Hitomi shouted in a voice filled with distress after recognizing her friend's voice.

The forty year old had been living in a nightmare ever since those men had burst into the village. All she wanted to do was to get out of this situation, to reach her friend and hug her. She wanted to find her husband and son, whose whereabouts she did not know. Hitomi was in such a state of anguish at not being able to do anything but endure all this violence that the despair could easily be read on her face.

— "I said... release HER !" Sakura reiterated while releasing her killing intent.

The latter was impressive as one could feel all the hatred and fury that was coming from the Kunoichi. A surge of rage close to what could be called : Berserk !

Madara was glad that he was not the target of this rage, he who had seen a minimum of what she was capable of. In this state, the Kunoichi would likely be capable of carnage, at least that was clearly the intention as their enemies refused to release Hitomi.

As they felt the aura of power and rage emanating from Sakura, many suddenly asked the question : Who was this woman ?

Without a doubt, she was a powerful woman, very powerful... far from the weak image they had of the female gender. On the contrary, she exuded such confidence that it was frightening. What was she capable of ? Moreover, when she released her killing intent, everyone agreed that this was not her first fight at all. This woman undoubtedly knew the art of war and they were convinced that if they had to fight, they would not come out unscathed and that a lot of blood would probably be shed.

— "It's the pink-haired woman from the last war !" Said one of the army shinobi who had finally recognized her.

— "What is she doing here ?" Several of them answered in unison.

The tension, which was already palpable on the battlefield, went up another notch. Stress began to invade the hearts of many shinobi because of the legend that had been created around this woman : the strongest woman in the world. And now that they saw her in front of them, and that she was accompanied by the very famous Uchiha Madara, the troops were truly anxious to face these two monsters.

— "Don't give me orders, you slut !" Shouted the commander back, far too proud to see the danger before him. He hadn't heard his men recognize Sakura as the pink-haired woman from the previous war, no, his male ego was clouding the truth. What could a mere woman do against them.

— "Kill the prisoner !" He ordered without considering the threat Sakura posed.

Hearing his superior's order, the shinobi who was still holding Hitomi, kunai pointed at her neck did not hesitate for a moment. He was trained to commit this kind of act without an ounce of remorse. He had to obey and act.

The sharp blade sank into the flesh, letting out the first trickle of blood, then the horizontal movement was clean and precise. The jugular and carotid arteries were severed on both sides of the young woman's neck, cutting off all blood flow to her head. The pain Hitomi felt was brief, as the human brain has the ability to instantly disconnect all brain functions in the event of such a violent trauma. She died almost immediately, all the blood in her head had spilled out of her body. And despite the few reflex spasms the body still had, the shinobi then let the dead weight fall back to the ground. He hadn't shaken, nor had he been moved by the fact that he had so arbitrarily taken the life of a woman who had asked for nothing more than to live free.

Sakura had just watched helplessly as her friend, her surrogate mother and godmother to her child, was executed outright. Time had frozen around her, everything around her no longer existed, neither Madara nor the surrounding sounds. She was focused on the horror that had just unfolded before her eyes and she was completely stuck on the consequences of this act, Hitomi lay dead like a sack that had been thrown to the ground without any consideration. And this had happened because Sakura had believed in her dream to bring peace to this world. And her desire for peace was translated into the unjustified killing of someone dear to her heart.

As the reality of the situation hit her mind, Sakura realized that she hadn't been dreaming, they had executed her friend in cold blood, without a second thought. An innocent girl who had finally found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The pink haired Kunoichi felt anger rise up inside her, anger that mixed with hatred. Yes, Sakura felt for the first time what it meant to hate someone. Her pain was so intense that it was expressed through this feeling, this rage had to come out of her, had to avenge the one who had just died because of her.

So Sakura agreed to let this fury grow deep in her gut, she welcomed it with open arms and decided to pour it out against them all. They were going to pay for what they had dared to do. They were going to suffer as much if not more than what she was feeling. They were going to taste what they had just inflicted on Hitomi ! Yes ! They were all going to die !

— "I will never forgive you !" Sakura shouted as she decided to unleash her forehead seal that had been enhanced by the Rikudô Sennin.

It was the first time she had used it since she had arrived in the Sengoku Era and she felt all the power surge through her body until it burst like a shockwave. It could be felt by everyone within a ten kilometre radius of her. The overwhelming force of it made some shinobi tremble and even fall to their knees. She was frightening even though she had not yet begun to fight. Clearly, some knew that their end was inevitable just by taking in the deadly aura she gave off.

But this was only the beginning of the deployment of her omnipotence. Indeed, the diamond-shaped seal lit up in pink and purple and hundreds of Fûinjutsu seals spread over Sakura's entire body. Her body received all the chakra she had stored and under this overload her hair flew behind her as if she had been placed under a strong gust of wind. Furthermore, still from this monstrous discharge of chakra, the Kunoichi's emerald eyes changed colour to white, a white so bright that it looked like light was coming out of them.

— "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS !" Sakura shouted in a voice that was no longer feminine, let alone human. The young woman's soft and melodious voice was distorted by the hatred and pain that her whole being expressed, she demanded only one thing : revenge !

She bent her legs slightly to take off and propel herself high into the air to land in the middle of the armed troops of Konoha. They had wanted to attack a defenseless woman, well they were going to pay the price and suffer her murderous fury as soon as she set foot on the ground.

Madara hadn't moved since he'd witnessed the murder of Sakura's friend. He had had a front row seat to feel all of his wife's hatred for those murderers. And when he had realized that she had released the power of her frontal seal, the man had been completely transfixed by what he saw.

Never in his wildest dreams could he have believed this possible coming from a shinobi other than Hashirama or himself, let alone his wife. Never could he have imagined that Sakura could be bursting with so much power and chakra, it was monstrous as if she had been a Jinchûriki ! And as she had just launched herself into the air to avenge her friend, Madara was certain, seeing the state in which his wife was plunged, that he would have had a hard time against her in a one-on-one fight. Yes, the Uchiha knew when an opponent could match him and he had no doubt about it, his wife was undeniably of the same ilk as him if she had to face him while she was deploying all that power buried inside her.

He decided then, seeing Sakura act like this, that it was best to let her do it. She certainly wouldn't need him by her side in the fight she was about to wage down below. The Uchiha was content to stand on that cliff and watch what was about to happen on the ground. He crossed his arms to admire his wife at work. Scanning the valley with his eyes, he saw that the soldiers and shinobi present were completely stunned by the deadly aura the Kunoichi was giving off. And he also suspected that the few Uchiha present were turned towards him.

— "The choice is yours, Uchiha, but make it a good one," the patriarch of the Uchiha clan whispered.

Of course Madara had said this on purpose, for he knew full well that his clan members had activated their Sharingan and had read this warning on his lips. The man didn't need to make grand speeches, his reputation preceded him and this was clearly a way to threaten them. They would suffer the consequences if they ever again decided to turn away from their obligations to their clan leader.

Everything was happening so fast that no one reacted as Sakura was about to hit the ground with her fist cocked. They were still reeling from the pressure that emanated from her, which ultimately destabilized their senses and reflexes to the point that few of them could react in time when her fist hit the ground.

Just before she hit the ground with her fist, Sakura had cocked her right arm backwards and even it was soaked in chakra that it seemed to have turned blue-white.

— "SHANNARO !" Sakura screamed before she slammed into the ground and aimed her hate filled fist at the ground.

Sakura knew she shouldn't release her chakra at the wrong time or she would kill herself, but all her years of training under Tsunade in her former life wouldn't be in vain. On the contrary, the young woman could boast of being one of the few people who knew how to control her chakra with the utmost precision. That is why it was only when her fist met the ground that she released all the energy she had accumulated in her limb at once and in one place.

Nothing could stop the chain reaction that was triggered by this action.

First of all, the impact was so violent and powerful that it created a shockwave whose blast knocked down some members of the army who were unprepared for such a gust of brute force.

Then, everything was so condensed in one point that the energy had to be able to spread and be released. And like an explosion, the chakra dispersed into the ground in any direction it could. It was then like an earthquake, the ground began to crack and fissure in a deafening din that some lost a few decibels.

But this was just a detail that they did not pay attention to, too busy staying alive as the earth under their feet continued to shake. The ground was opening up in places into huge crevasses ready to engulf those who could not remain stable on the now deadly moving surfaces.

It was nothing like the force Sakura had used when she had sent Black Zetsu against the cliff, which had still broken for two hundred meters. And at that point, she hadn't used her seal.

But today, all the power that this seal conferred on her translated into a radical deformation of the landscape over a perimeter of more than a kilometre from the point of impact. And with this first blow alone, Sakura eliminated many of her opponents who died crushed by the moving rocks.

However, all the chakra released in the ground, but also in the shockwave, had another effect just as deadly as the simple turning of the ground. Indeed, when chakra was not used in Iryô Ninjutsu, it became a deadly poison for those who received it with full force.

The chakra dispersed with all this unchannelled power acted like a foreign body when it crossed a human body. Every cell in every organ received a massive amount of this energy that it was unable to handle. The destructive power of this chakra was so intense that the cells simply imploded from the inside, causing the lungs, heart and even the brain of all men to implode. So it was in just one second, with her first impact on the ground, that Sakura took the lives of at least a hundred people.

But she did not intend to stop there, her revenge had only just begun. The hatred she felt had to be vented and the only way it would bring her some relief was the pure and simple extermination of this entire army.

No sooner had she released her chakra in her first strike than she waited to see what effect it would have. She didn't need that to continue acting. She leapt to her feet at breakneck speed and propelled herself with her legs towards the nearest shinobi who had managed to stabilize himself despite the vibrations of the ground. The man had no time to understand what was happening to him as Sakura was moving at a phenomenal speed. He was punched in the face and died instantly with a horrible cracking sound.

The power of the blow had snapped his neck, dislocated his jaw and knocked his eyeballs out of their sockets. The shinobi's deformed and lifeless body was also propelled backwards, knocking over many of his fellow shinobi who were horrified to see the state of their comrade.

How could one punch cause so much damage ? What they didn't know was that Sakura was very strong in Taijutsu and that thanks to the teachings of Tsunade Senju, each of her strikes could become deadly to the one who received them.

But Sakura did not stop there, this was not a demonstration of her strength. No, she wanted to destroy all those people who had attacked this village and its inhabitants. She continued on her way and rushed at a second man who suffered the same fate as the first, then at a third and another. Sakura took advantage of their state of shock to do this and it lasted about ten seconds before the shinobi finally reacted and tried to fight back.

— "Kill her !" Ordered the commander, completely stunned by what he had just seen. He had never witnessed such a massacre in such a short time. Who was she ?

The men had finally come to their senses and no longer hesitated to attack this woman who was attacking them with rage and atrocity.

But she managed to dodge the blows with disconcerting ease thanks to her training with her former master. After all, the shinobi who attacked her did not use chakra-laden strikes. The blows were ridiculous against Sakura and they weren't likely to hurt her much. On the other hand, with each dodge, Sakura would cause something to happen to her opponents. It could be simply a weapon that broke under the impact but often as it was hand to hand, the Kunoichi would break bones or even rip off arms in quick movements. Some of them even had their ribcage completely caved in by the force of the blows she administered.

— "Ahh ! My arm !" Shouted a frightened man after seeing his arm completely torn off by the young woman. The muscles were shredded, the bone broken in two and blood flowed profusely from his wound. If nothing was done quickly, he was going to die. And right now, Sakura didn't give a damn about the fate that awaited him. She knew he wouldn't get any help since ninja medics didn't exist in those days. And right now, Sakura was far too overcome with hatred to remember her duties as a doctor.

— "Kill H-arrg...," another person tried to say before being kicked in the face. The outburst of violence she was showing was abominable and unbearable. Indeed, the kick she had just given was so consistent that it drove the man's jaw into his skull, causing his immediate death.

The battlefield was a succession of similar scenes, all equally bloody and abominable, and it was not more than a minute since the carnage had begun. No less than two hundred people had succumbed under the onslaught of the pink-haired Kunoichi's blows. For someone who wasn't used to it, it was extremely difficult to follow the sequence of Sakura's actions as she was so precise and ultra-fast.

Now the young woman was surrounded by all the bodies she herself had reduced to corpses and she was holding the neck of a blonde shinobi who was kneeling beside her.

The soldiers were facing her and she was looking at them too. Her eyes expressed nothing but hatred and the desire for revenge. She put her hand on the face of the man who was completely frightened of the fate she had in store for him. What could she do to him ? He was trembling and knew that he had no chance of getting out of it: just look around them, all those mutilated and lifeless bodies.

— "Please... Mercy !" The frightened shinobi pleaded in the vain hope that she would show mercy.

But it was not to be, the young warrior activated one of the seals around her wrist and water gushed out.

The shinobi immediately understood the fate that was in store for him, but he couldn't make the slightest movement to escape it. Sakura's grip was phenomenal and she directed the flow of water into her prisoner's mouth and nose anyway.

Without ever leaving the soldiers who saw her do this, she poured water... again... and again... the shinobi was suffocating from the amount of water flowing into his body which was spasming as he tried to expel the excess liquid. But the flow was so great that he simply ended up drowning without anyone having the courage to come to his aid.

Sakura didn't hesitate for a second, she wanted to see the fear in the eyes of the Konoha shinobi and the result could only satisfy her. All of the men were horrified by what she had just accomplished on one of their own. Sakura had just performed a psychological death so that they all understood that she was not to be taken lightly.

She would grant no leniency, no talks. There would be no prisoners from her. No, she would show no mercy and they would die by her hand anyway.

The Konoha army was completely destroyed by what she had just accomplished. How had a simple invasion turned into a mass grave ? Ta No Kuni was supposed to have only a weak military force and no shinobi ! So why was a woman wiping out their own military force ? How could a woman be capable of so many atrocities in such a short time ? All those corpses that littered the ground and especially the way they had lost their lives to this woman was something unbearable for the mind ! And although they were used to the horrors of combat, today it was a whole new level. This escalation of violence was unusual and totally destabilising.

— "What are you waiting for ?" Shouted the commander to his men who no longer dared to attack her for fear of suffering the same fate as all those who were already lying dead. "Attack ! That's an order !" Demanded the commander, who did not want to be impressed by this woman's extraordinary abilities.

And in a burst of obedience, the shinobi rushed at her all at once.

But that was the end of them.

Indeed, as she saw the men charging towards her, Sakura conjured five kunai in her right hand as she watched her opponents. Didn't they understand that whatever they could do against her, the result would be the same : death awaited them with open arms.

Yet she had proved that she was not joking, she had also demonstrated her strength in one minute. But obviously that wasn't enough. She decided that it was now time to make them understand that one did not play with a virtuoso of Fûinjutsu.

Each kunai had seals on them and the writing glowed very slightly in royal blue. They were the same kunai that had impressed Ashina Uzumaki with their ingenuity and especially their danger.

She made a quick circular movement around her to throw the five kunai in various directions. With the legendary strength of the Kunoichi, the weapons hit their target. They didn't stick as usual, but they literally pierced armor, clothing, and flesh before the seals finally activated.

Each weapon released five more kunai, propelled with the same force as the previous one and with the same result as the first shot. The blades pierced the bodies to bring forth five new weapons. With this action, Sakura killed nearly a hundred shinobi in series.

But that didn't stop the rest of the opponents, who continued to go ahead with the fight against the woman. They did not back down because not only were they ordered to eliminate her, but also because the carnage she was inflicting on the army had to be stopped at all costs. She had to be stopped if they didn't want to suffer the same horrific fate as all their comrades.

Yet Sakura dodged and blocked her opponents' weapons as they engaged her in hand-to-hand combat. She then remembered one of her sensei Kakashi's teachings : always be innovative. All this to get the better of her opponent. She then triggered her Chakura No Mesu and her hands became scalpels thanks to her chakra. Except that there was so much chakra in her hands that it cut as well as a wind specialist.

— "Take this !" Charged a shinobi almost three heads taller than her, a huge axe in his hand that he brought down on her. She blocked the weapon with her right hand before her Chakura No mesu continued through the blade and cut it in half. Then, her hand continued on towards the neck of her opponent who didn't have time to understand what was happening before he died.

Sakura jumped once more into the air and landed a few meters away striking once more with her chakra-laden fist and killing those who were too close to the impact.

Then the attacks resumed for a few more moments before a swordsman gave Sakura some resistance. He was subtle, unpredictable and forced Sakura into a dodging posture. He was a wind user, a rare affinity in the land of fire, and the slightest strike could do Sakura a lot of harm.

So she dodged, deflected, but never blocked the shinobi's sword. The survivors looked at their fellow shinobi with hope that he would win this battle. Seconds passed as one struck into the void while the other dodged, looking for an opening... and then it appeared ! Sakura didn't waste a moment and charged her index and middle fingers with chakra before striking at the swordsman's wrist.

— "Ahh !" The man shouted in pain.

With that strike he lost control of his nerves and tendons and dropped his weapon. Nevertheless Sakura did not stop here and hit her target in other places of the body : the legs and the arms so that this one does not move any more. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, choking him half to death.

One of his colleagues cocked his arm ready to throw a kunai but he immediately stopped in his movement as if he were tetanized. The young woman had turned her head slightly in his direction and her gaze seemed to penetrate him. She didn't need to say anything to make him understand that he would suffer the same fate if not worse if he tried anything.

— "This can't be true ! Does she have eyes in the back of her head ?" The soldier asked himself as the woman looked at him.

She turned her attention back to the swordsman she was still holding in her hand. How was a woman capable of such strength ? She had completely destroyed the area, propelled men, broken weapons with her bare hands, and was now lifting a man weighing over eighty kilos at arm's length, all without effort.

With her right hand Sakura did her Chakura No Mesu again and cut the straps of her victim's armor, exposing his torso for all to see.

Her prisoner, as well as the others around, wondered what she was going to do now.

Sakura had only one goal : to create visceral fear among her opponents. She wanted them all to be afraid of her, to beg her to spare them. By creating this psychological fear, Sakura was making sure that her opponents would gradually lose confidence in themselves, rendering them harmless.

With her hand still covered in scalpel-like chakra, she aimed it at the uncovered torso and thrust her hand through the flesh and rib cage of the ninja, who screamed in pain at being eviscerated. The sensation of penetration was even more horrible than a knife wound. Especially since Sakura wasn't using any anesthetic techniques to perform her surgical-like act. The deeper Sakura's hand went into the man's chest, the closer she got to her current goal : to grab his heart.

Her fingers gently circled the frantically beating organ and then in one swift movement she withdrew her entire hand, ripping the heart from its natural home. The man convulsed immediately and Sakura threw his body to the ground without further ado.

She raised her arm, stretched high in the air, so that everyone could see what she had just done. Her limb was covered in the shinobi's blood while his heart still pulsed with the last remaining nerve reflexes. Then, staring at everyone in front of her whose faces betrayed the fear they felt, she closed her fingers harder against the organ. The latter ended up being crushed in a small explosion of blood.

— "Katon : Gokakyuu No Jutsu," a soldier shouted from behind Sakura.

The ninja had wanted to take advantage of the fact that her back was to him to reduce her to ashes, but the warrior used her legendary strength to get out of the way of the projectile. The giant fireball had no choice but to continue on its way burning everything in its path. The smell of charred flesh and white-hot blood permeated the nostrils of the men still standing.

It added even more horror to what they had already endured. Especially since the fireball dragged a few soldiers who hadn't had time to get out of the way, much to the chagrin of the launcher.

Sakura kept moving, remaining as still as possible. With long strides, forcing her opponents to move as well, but with the aim of getting them to position themselves so that she would have the advantage over them as soon as she started the fight. But it was not for nothing that she acted in this way. It was all calculated and deliberate.

Even though at first the Konoha army might have thought that she had thrown herself into this vendetta headlong without any strategy, it was not so. Sakura, despite her rage and hatred, had used every technique in her possession, including something none of her opponents could see. But they would soon get a taste of her ability to eliminate them even faster and in greater numbers.

Sakura had since the beginning of the clashes placed explosive tags all over the ground with her feet. She had drawn a storage seal under her right foot and with a simple thought, a scroll was fixed to the ground, ready to explode at her command. But now was not the time for her to activate this technique.

No, Sakura would continue to fight and personally take out each and every man that came her way, always letting her rage fall upon them and giving them little time to live.

— "Please, please, mercy !" Implored a shinobi who was being held at the neck by the warrior. He was scared, he didn't want to die like all the others before him. No, he didn't want to suffer the treatment she had already inflicted on others. He wanted to live and above all he wanted to go home to his wife and children. He wanted only one thing: to escape this massacre.

He did not deserve so much violence, he had only carried out the orders of his superiors ! Yes, he was just a tool, but as Sakura held him at arm's length, clutching his throat with one hand, he realized that he only wanted one thing : to stay alive and run. To run away from this looming doom despite all the prayers and pleas he could utter.

— "Mercy ?" Sakura repeated angrily. "Did you show mercy earlier ?! Did you SPARE HER ?!"

The man was shaking with fear and had even pooped his pants as he felt Sakura's hatred in her voice. He knew that nothing he said would change his fate. He knew that any resistance was futile, but his body was tense from the situation. Sakura tightened her grip on her victim's neck and with a simple squeeze of her hand, she crushed the bones in his throat while crushing his windpipe. The man died instantly from lack of oxygen and the rupture of blood vessels in the area. Then Sakura let the corpse fall back to the ground like the common trash it was.

She turned her gaze around and saw their frightened and horrified looks. How in such a short space of time could a simple woman have inflicted so much damage, both human and material ? It must have only been five minutes since the carnage began and more than half of their numbers lay dead without any of them having managed to reach her. As for Sakura, she didn't have a scratch on her. She didn't even seem to be out of breath from all the effort she'd put in to achieve such a result.

How did she do it ? She was monstrously powerful and dangerous ! What else could she have in store for them ? After all, she had only used Taijutsu and Fûinjutsu, did she have other techniques in reserve ?

As if she could read their minds, Sakura decided to place her fingers in the sign of the ram : Ninjutsu ! So she had mastered Ninjutsu techniques too ! This might seem like a no-brainer considering what she had already proven, but as they realized this they all had the same thought : this woman had to be just as deadly in handling the shinobi arts. And if that was the case, there was very little chance that they would be able to stop her and survive it themselves.

No sooner had she activated the technique than the air began to vibrate from the numerous bursts of chakra that were activating all the explosive tags. No one had noticed them until she activated them. It was even the characteristic sound of a fuse igniting that revealed what technique she was performing. Everyone was then attracted by the glow emanating from the now visible tags as they were about to explode.

— "Explosive !" Shouted one of the shinobi.

But unfortunately it was far too late. Nothing and no one could dodge and prevent this technique.

— "Katsu !" Sakura shouted, activating all of the previously installed tags.

No less than fifty tags exploded at once, taking arms and legs with them. The corpses on the ground exploded into several pieces, bits of organs and bones flew in all directions accompanied by spurts of blood : the height of horror had been reached. The battlefield had become a veritable butchery.

Smoke covered the area and the agonized moans of the few survivors could be heard. Sakura took advantage of this camouflage to continue fighting, although the visibility was far too poor for her opponents. They were unable to see where she was. The horror was at its peak, the soldiers could not see anything and could only hear the frightened screams of their comrades, as well as the sound of the blows she continued to deliver, but also the characteristic sound of the bodies collapsing on the ground once she settled their account.

In such a situation, those still standing did the only sensible thing their bodies told them to do : FLEE.

Never mind the orders, never mind being called a coward or a traitor ! Their survival depended on it and panic overwhelmed them. They didn't want to die here, not like this and especially not against her. They all started to run towards Hi No Kuni.

It was at this very moment that Madara decided to intervene.

What he had just witnessed was phenomenal. He had always wanted to see the extent of his wife's abilities and the only thing he could say was that he had been served. He could never have suspected that his wife could have so many strings to her bow. She had an indescribable strength and power that would make any man swoon. Madara was really proud of her and especially of having made the choice to marry her.

But his duty as Heikage obliged him not to let any intruder escape from his lands.

He jumped to the battlefield and charged, throwing himself into the fray, especially under the frightened gaze of some of the Leaf shinobi who didn't know what to do : run away or face the great Madara Uchiha.

Others on the other hand, and there were about ten of them, had so far escaped Sakura's fury by trying to stay far enough away from her while she unleashed deadly blows on their comrades.

These men were the few members of the Uchiha clan and as soon as they saw their revered leader join her in battle, they made a unanimous decision : they chose their clan leader's side.

Without any scruples they attacked their own army. It was thus in total incomprehension that all the remaining shinobi of Konoha No Sato lost their lives by being betrayed by the Uchiha.

All but one !

Indeed, Sakura had willingly left the commander of this squad alive. She wanted him to witness the consequences of what he had ordered. By keeping him alive and as the sole survivor of this carnage, she was only looking for one thing : for him to be completely frightened of the potential fate that awaited him as well.

She stood in front of him while Madara stood slightly back. Undoubtedly, the man was totally afraid of what these two ninjas were going to do with him. And one had to admit that in this situation, the commander was much more afraid of Sakura than Madara. For the first time in his life, a woman frightened him.

— "Take off your jacket !" Sakura ordered coldly and angrily.

— "What ?" He asked surprised by the order.

— "TAKE OFF YOUR JACKET !" Sakura shouted, struggling to contain herself.

Even though she had just killed hundreds of men to pour out her hatred, Sakura was still not appeased. On the contrary, now that he was gone, all of her pain was surfacing. She wanted to gut him, to hurt him as much as she suffered inside, but she had other plans for this individual.

The man knew he had no choice but to obey her order and he began to quickly remove his Jônin waistcoat followed by his jacket, finding himself bare-chested. He was about to suffer the same fate as those who had had their organs ripped out, but it was not to be.

Sakura conjured up a sealing scroll in a puff of smoke and without the commander being able to react she slammed it down hard on his chest.

As soon as the paper came in contact with his skin it stuck and caught fire so that the ink would soak into the Leaf shinobi's skin.

— "Now go ! Go ! Run to your Hokage and tell him this ! He's going to have his war that monkey ! And hurry up, you only have a few days to live before this seal kills you ! And above all... tell him that his assassination attempt on my person as Daimyô of Ta No Kuni failed !"

It was a seal that Sakura had developed to be used under certain conditions and the Kunoichi found this to be a perfect opportunity to set up this trap. Of course the assassination attempt hadn't been against her, but he wasn't supposed to know that.

The shinobi didn't waste a moment as his heart raced with panic. The fear of dying, along with what he had just seen made him run like he had never run before towards Konoha.

— "You will pay for what you have done Hiruzen Sarutobi," Sakura promised herself consumed with hatred for this treacherous act.

And as the commander escaped in the direction of the forest, Sakura shouted one last time so that he could hear clearly :

— "KONOHA WILL BURN !"