29 Former friend !

Once these young ninjas had been saved, and especially once the couple had gone far enough to avoid running into their sensei, Madara asked the question that was close to his heart.

— "Why did you save the Leaf shinobi ?" Madara asked.

Since the beginning of their plan, they had saved many civilians and had even started recruiting ninjas. But until now, never a lLaf shinobi.

— "Because she was my teacher," Sakura replied, thinking back to Tsunade's teachings. "I became what I am today in large part because of her."

With this information in mind, Madara focused his thoughts on the events that were supposed to take place during this war. He knew the story he had read in Sakura's history books perfectly well and with his powerful analysis, he concluded that in order to ensure a solid foundation in his own peace project, Madara had to avoid the destruction of Uzushio and thus avoid the eradication of the Uzumaki.

In a sense, he had to save them from their doom while persuading them to leave the Leaf for Heiwa. But he knew that this would not be easy : their leader was someone who was formidable in every way, especially in terms of his moral rectitude. Ashina Uzumaki was someone who was very difficult to influence and manipulate. Moreover, he was known to be of a stubborn temperament : he would therefore be complicated to convince, especially since this would mean disavowing Konoha.

But the Uchiha had to admit one thing, any great man has at least one weakness. And with the Uzumaki clan leader, he would not stand the idea of acting or being considered a traitor ! And more particularly on his word given when Mito, his daughter, was given in marriage to Hashirama Senju.

Moreover, the patriarch had refrained from demanding the return of his daughter to them after her husband was declared missing. After all, Mito Uzumaki was not only a very powerful Kunoichi thanks to her very high mastery of Fûinjutsu, but she had also inherited her father's character and morals. As a result, even as a widow, Mito could not bring herself to turn her back on the village that had welcomed her. And so it was because of her principles that she did not return to the Land of Whirlwinds.

— "Sakura ? Are you sure Uzushio will be attacked ?" The great Uchiha Madara asked for at least the twentieth time.

— "Yes, I'm sure," the pink-haired woman answered once more.

— "How can it be possible that Konoha didn't intervene in this massacre ?" Madara wondered as he couldn't find any detailed explanation in the history books. Especially since this event was only days away, and the Uchiha was desperate to get the members of this clan back.

— "I don't know, it's something that was somehow overlooked," Sakura added, remembering her history classes. "It seemed like Konoha was making sure to forget who that clan was... at least it wasn't mentioned in my time."

— "Strange..."

— "As you say," the pink-haired woman agreed. "Besides, I don't know how you intend to convince Ashina Uzumaki to join us, especially since they will soon be beset by ninjas from Kumo, Iwa and Suna at the same time."

As she said this, Sakura realized that if the Land of Whirlwinds was attacked, there would be a lot of casualties as the clan would be overwhelmed before they were completely decimated. How could she ensure that none of these people would die without being saved ? It was then that she knew what she needed.

— "Madara, do you trust me ?" Sakura asked in a voice that was both serious and soft.

— "I thought I'd proven to you by now that I trust you," Madara retorted, inwardly suspecting that this woman must have some sort of plan, but that she couldn't tell him about it right away. "Why are you telling me this ?"

— "We're still two-three days away from the Land of Whirlwinds and there's something I need to accomplish, but I can't take you with me," the young woman began as she saw a worried pout appear on the dark-haired man's face. "Don't start playing protector with me Madara, I'm not afraid of anything and what I intend to do, only I can accomplish. All I can tell you is that it will be necessary for the future you and I wish to build."

— "So you want me to wait for you ?" Asked the man, not very happy about this possibility.

Indeed, although he was focused on their objectives, Madara could not do without the young woman at his side. She had become indispensable to his life. He would do anything for her, but above all, he feared that she would be taken away from him in any way. But, the Uchiha couldn't say it out loud, a hint of pride still present in his temperament.

— "Hai, I won't be long, I promise," she replied before moving closer to the dark-haired man so that he could hug her. She nestled against him for a good moment before placing a delicate kiss on his lips.

— "How long ?" Madara asked as she watched Sakura pull away from him.

— "Less than an hour," Sakura assured him before biting her thumb until it bled. The blood flowed from the wound and down her finger. Then she waved her hand, which Madara recognized in an instant. "Kuchiyose No Jutsu !"

A large seal of Fûinjutsu appeared on the ground as soon as her hand touched the ground. The formula drew chakra into itself to activate and the gift of blood allowed the technique to work. And so Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke, targeted by a reverse summons. For yes, at this time, Sakura had not yet signed a contract with the slugs.

Madara picked up a few pieces of dead wood nearby. He assembled them after removing the snow near a tree. He channeled chakra into his lungs before blowing a small fireball.

— "Katon..."

The Uchiha sat down on the ground in a cross-legged position before sinking into his thoughts. He was thinking about how to convince the Uzumaki clan and more specifically Ashina Uzumaki to join Heiwa. And Madara was going to use one of his most powerful abilities : manipulation.

Meanwhile, Sakura found herself transported halfway around the world to the legendary Shikkotsu Forest. It was one of the most mysterious and terrifying forests in existence. No one knew exactly where it was, and for good reason, it was on a continent all its own.

The winter weather disappeared and the air became very heavy for Sakura. The temperature changed by almost twenty-five degrees, mixed with the humidity Sakura suddenly felt very hot.

No doubt about it, she had come to the right place. Seeing this forest brought back memories to the young woman who remembered her signing the slug contract thanks to her master. But she didn't have time to let her thoughts take her back to the past.

Movement ! Sakura turned her head slightly in the direction she had thought she saw movement... But nothing. The sun was setting and the foliage brought a darkness to the forest that prevented Sakura from seeing it more clearly. The atmosphere wasn't eerie, but the onset of darkness added even more mystique to the surrounding area.

— "Katsuyu-sama !" Sakura spoke loudly to the vegetation. "I have come to this place to ask for your help."

The Kunoichi knew that the entity was somewhere and that she could hear it. She didn't have to beat about the bush and knew that the giant slug didn't like pretence. So she might as well announce immediately the reasons for her coming to this place.

However, no sooner had she spoken than her voice echoed in the immensity that surrounded her before disappearing, quickly replaced by the noise of the local fauna. The seconds passed, quickly turned into a minute... two minutes. The silence around him was beginning to feel heavy and combined with the falling night it could create a certain uneasiness. It was completely different from her first time in this place. Sakura wondered : *Did Tsunade have to face this tension the first time she came here ?*

And just as she was about to call out to the giant slug again, a soft voice from all sides came out :

— "Who are you ?"

Hearing her former friend's voice, Sakura flinched slightly and looked around to see where the voice was coming from, but to no avail.

— "My name is Sakura."

— "How did you get here ?" Asked the legendary slug.

— "Reverse summoning," Sakura said bluntly as she understood the principle of summoning thanks to the research of her time. The first ones who had summoning contracts were shinobi who had experienced reverse summoning. It had been discovered that it was necessary to concentrate one's mind to meet a type of creature : the reverse summoning was not an unconscious phenomenon, but a real mentalization of the mind. So Sakura knew exactly who she wanted to meet when she used the reverse summoning technique.

— "And why come here ?" The slug asked, suddenly intrigued by the young woman.

— "Because I need help Katsuyu-sama, I need your help in guiding humanity towards lasting peace despite the cycle of hatred. I need your wisdom, your strength, and your chakra to help me accomplish what Ôtsutsuki-sama did before us !" Sakura explained with determination and passion.

That name ! Katsuyu knew it well. Just like her, this being had crossed the ages and had become a legendary being. The giant slug had simply heard the hermit's name over the centuries. But what surprised the slug was not hearing the name, but rather that this young woman knew of his existence.

— "How do you know this name ?" Katsuyu asked even more curiously than before. She had the reputation of being a quiet and very thoughtful creature. Many would underestimate its abilities because the slug was not devastating like its counterparts on Mount Myoboku or in the Ryuchi Cave. But Katsuyu was just as dangerous in her subtlety and analysis of situations, as she was in projecting a powerful and deadly jet of acid when necessary.

— "He came to me," Sakura replied, remembering her conversation with the Rikudô Sennin at the Valley of the End.

— "He came to you ?" Katsuyu questioned skeptically, but at the same time interested. "Why would he do that ?"

— "To guide the child of prophecy," Sakura said honestly.

The child of prophecy ! Katsuyu had heard about it many times. The one who would bring balance to this land and guide them all to lasting peace. Many people had boasted of having found the Child of Prophecy one day, of having trained him, of having guided him... before realizing that he was nothing more than a fool among many others. So knowing that the Rikudô Sennin had designated the child of the prophecy changed everything.

— "And how does that concern me ?" Katsuyu asked, his voice still echoing around Sakura.

— "Because I can't do such an act alone Katsuyu-sama," Sakura explained, feeling that she was being judged by her words. This whole conversation was just a test to see if she would be worthy of using the legendary slug's power. "The cycle of hatred is deeply ingrained in the world's mind and I couldn't break it without help."

— "And why me ?" Katsuyu continued, seeing no trace of deceit or trickery in the young woman's eyes.

— "Because to preserve mankind, I will have to protect it from itself. And what's the point of bringing peace if there's no one left to enjoy it," Sakura continued, remembering how much mankind had suffered from all those world wars.

— "For me to deign to help you... you would have to possess the ability to heal physical wounds. Few have mastered it," said the giant slug, who in her lifetime had not seen many people capable of such a feat. Or at least, people who hadn't exploited it enough to get her attention.

— "I've already mastered Iryô Ninjutsu Katsuyu-sama," Sakura assured before quickly pulling a kunai from her backpack. She presented the weapon on her forearm so that it wouldn't cut anything too important, then she hurt herself.

The blade cutting into her tissues, however, made her wince slightly.

She quickly channeled her chakra into her hand and set about the task of healing her wound, which closed very quickly under the very attentive eyes of the slug who was truly impressed. Firstly, the young woman had injured herself in a very localized manner and secondly, she was showing very advanced abilities.

— "How ?!" Katsuyu demanded this time, knowing that to reach such a level of speed, you must have been trained.

— "Because I was trained by the most formidable of masters and... and..., Sakura tried to say, but she hesitated to reveal the rest.

— "And ?" The slug encouraged.

— "And because you helped me in the past Katsuyu-sama," the young woman finally admitted, thinking that no one would get that kind of information out of Katsuyu.

— "By your words, you seem to know me and imply that we have met before, yet...," the voice paused for a moment like an old person searching the depths of his memory for any recollection that might remind him of a past event. "I don't remember ever meeting you or even hearing about you," the legendary Katsuyu concluded, watching as she pulled out a cloth to clean her arm, which was dripping with blood from her previous injury.

— "For the first version of the future was reset by Ôtsutsuki-sama," Sakura said with a look of pain in her eyes. She remembered her old time, her friends, her village, her family, her old life that she would never dream of again. And with that simple phrase Katsuyu understood what the Rikudô Sennin had potentially accomplished.

— "Time travel," the giant slug whispered, but it still echoed around Sakura.

— "I've missed you so much Katsuyu-sama," Sakura said with a half broken voice.

Thinking about her old life brought back that pain she had buried deep inside. And seeing such a familiar face felt good, but at the same time so bad.

— "Tell me about it, Sakura-sama," Katsuyu asked gently, adding the suffix -sama to Sakura's name. She felt the truth of it and her distress deep inside and she revealed herself to this woman. She was mixed in with the local flora and despite her titanic size she was not noticeable until she moved. Her huge head moved closer to Sakura to better analyze her with its two bulging eye sockets.

The Kunoichi closed her eyes as she sat on the ground while slowly letting the breath of her exhale escape from her mouth. She then began to tell her story, focusing on the most important elements : Her meeting with her former master Tsunade, her former initiation with Katsuyu, her fight against Pain, as well as her use in the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

— "This is why I need you so much Katsuyu-sama. I need you as a weapon, as a support, but also as a friend," Sakura finished as she looked the slug in the eyes. Through her eyes she transmitted a call for help, for as strong as she was, she needed a pillar to keep her from breaking. Hitomi was her first pillar, Madara her second, and she hoped Katsuyu would be her third.

No words were added. The only thing that moved were two dog-sized slugs that approached Sakura with a large scroll on their backs. What was surprising about these creatures was the fact that although they were slugs, they didn't move slowly.

Sakura stood her ground and when she saw the scroll placed right in front of her, she knew she had succeeded and the slug was accepting her as a summoner and friend. The young woman knelt down to unroll the large scroll and saw that this time she would not be the second summoner... but the first slug summoner.

Sakura pulled a kunai from her satchel at the base of her kidneys before cutting her thumb. She signed her first and last name in blood on the first summoner square. Then she applied blood to each of her fingers before pressing them onto the parchment under her name.

— "It's done Sakura-sama," Katsuyu said as she felt the bond being created as soon as she placed her fingers on the paper. "You are now a summoner of the slug clan."

— "Arigato Katsuyu-sama," Sakura replied as she made a light Iryô Ninjutsu on her thumb.

— "Allow me to accompany you on the rest of your quest," Katsuyu said as a hand-sized slug detached itself from its large body and landed on Sakura's shoulder. As soon as it touched Sakura's skin, Katsuyu got a lot of information about the individual through her sensory sensors and she discovered something.

— "But ? Why didn't you explain your condition to me ?" Said the giant slug, who would have felt bad for killing someone in her situation if she had known this information.

— "My condition ?" Sakura asked without understanding.

— "Don't you know ?" Katsuyu asked and seeing the questioning look on the young woman's face she had her answer. "You'll understand it soon enough Sakura-sama."

Then, without warning the large slug retreated into the vast forest, leaving Sakura with a smaller copy of her summons on her shoulder. And as Sakura's thoughts turned to the slug's words, it disappeared from the legendary Shikkotsu forest in a puff of smoke to reappear at Madara's side.

Meanwhile, Madara was most worried. She had assured him that she would be gone for less than an hour, but it had been nearly three hours since she disappeared. Although his sensory abilities were highly developed, Madara could not detect her and his anxiety grew with every minute of delay. He was deeply concerned for her, for he could not help her if she was in danger. And while he had all his senses on alert, he recognized Sakura's chakra immediately when she reappeared at his side. His eyes were hard and stern as it was unusual for him to have to wait like this without knowing why. The young woman gave him a soothing smile but it had no effect. On the contrary, the man seemed totally upset and even angry. Sakura found it hard to read the emotions of the man she loved at that moment.

— "Madara, I...," the young woman began, not to apologize for being late, but to explain the situation.

— "Where have you been Sakura ? I've been waiting for over three hours, what were you doing for something that should have taken you less than an hour ?" Madara interrupted in a voice much drier than he would have liked. When suddenly, he felt the presence of a different and unknown chakra near the woman. "You are not alone ! I feel a different and powerful chakra by your side," he exclaimed, all his senses on alert and ready to fight.

— "Madara, calm down... I'll explain," the rose began, but couldn't continue as Katsuyu's soft but firm voice was heard.

— "You should listen to Sakura-sama and you should be gentle with her, if you say you love her, protect her and don't push her around. It won't do her any good."

The man froze in shock as he heard the slug address him and especially when he saw her standing on his beloved's shoulder.

— "Madara, this is Katsuyu-sama, a friend and ally," Sakura explained.

Day 303

The edge of the land of whirlpools.

At last they had reached their destination. In front of them was a large expanse of water that looked normal, but that was the subtlety and danger of these waters. Many ships had sunk with their cargo and crew to the bottom of the ocean. This was simply because the island of Uzushio was surrounded by a constantly changing whirlpool.

Normally, a whirlpool would be almost stationary because of the fluctuation of sea currents by cold and warm air. But these currents were moving, making it impossible to map the area around the island and especially making it very difficult to access. The Uzumaki clan used one of the techniques they mastered the most : Fûinjutsu ! They were the best when it came to this art which was limited only to the imagination of the user and his intelligence.

And that was one of Uzushio's defences : relying on Fûinjutsu.

So what did the members of this clan do ? They used their art for anything and everything ! They inscribed seal formulas on crustaceans around the island that were intended to change the temperature of the water in order to create whirlpools. And because the crustaceans were alive, they were constantly moving.

A living defence.

— "Uzushio," Madara said, looking at the island in the distance. He had only been here once before, and that was for the wedding of his old friend : Hashirama.

— "I've never had the chance to see this place," Sakura admitted, "even on my many missions, I've never been here." At the same time, the only thing she knew about this place was that it was in ruins.

— "From now on, let me do the talking and don't interfere, Sakura," Madara warned as he looked at the sun looming over the horizon. "Forward."

Then, as one, they jumped onto the water before running over it. The movement of the water created by the whirlpools required each user to have excellent chakra control to even hope to hold on. For Sakura this was not a problem at all, and Madara used just a little more chakra than usual to stay steady.

Occasionally a huge whirlpool would force the two to take a diversion, as even good control would not be enough to hope to get through this unleashing of nature. They advanced for many minutes before Madara felt chakra signatures approaching their position. However, it was not visible... probably underwater.

Then, emerging from the water, three purple barriers grew high into the air surrounding the couple in a perfect triangle. Sakura instantly recognized this barrier : it was the same one that Orochimaru had used to fight the Sandaime during his Chunin exam. Furthermore, it was also used by the first four Hokage during the battle against the Juubi.

The two warriors immediately stopped at the centre of this barrier and waited. It wasn't long before a shinobi with flaming red hair emerged from the water. They were, after all, in the middle of a war, and seeing two shinobi running towards Uzushio was anything but normal.

— "You have ten seconds to declare your identity !" The man announced very seriously. "If your answer doesn't meet my approval, you will perish ! Ten... nine... eight..."

— "We wish to speak with Ashina Uzumaki," Madara said quietly and counted three shinobi underwater holding the barrier. Plus the one in front of them, that made four potential opponents.

— "Seven... and why should our clan leader listen to potential deserters... six," the red-haired man continued, wanting a real reason to stop. "Five... four..."

— "We're not deserters," Madara added before reaching for his straw hat.

— "Three... Oh yeah ? And who are you ? Two... One..." the man questioned, still counting. Then, the dark-haired man removed his straw hat from his head while deactivating the Genjutsu on his face.

— "Uchiha Madara !" The dark-haired man replied, and that had the desired effect on the Uzumaki : he fell silent. After all, Uchiha Madara was supposed to be dead and here he was in front of him, in flesh and blood. This was a complete game changer and he was faced with a dilemma. They had very little chance of winning against a shinobi of his ilk. But was it a good idea to fight him when he wanted to talk to his clan leader ? But at the same time, he was a traitor who had attacked Konoha No Sato without scruples. What to do !?

— "Don't decide for your clan leader," Madara warned as he began to walk towards the Uzumaki, "So, lead us to Ashina Uzumaki or else..."

— "Or what ?" Challenged the man who looked to be the same age as Madara.

— "Or die trying to stop me, it's up to you. But I advise you to choose quickly," Madara replied, walking slowly towards the man. "Ten... nine... eight..."

It was all about manipulation and fear, all mixed with his reputation. Madara was one of the most powerful shinobi the world had ever known and he knew it. So when he threatened you with death, it created a very palpable tension, especially as he turned the previous threat against the Uzumaki.

— "Well, follow us," the man who didn't want to die relented. "But make sure we're watching you, Uchiha !"

— "Hn !"

And so, the purple barrier surrounding them disappeared as if it had never been there and the three visible ninjas headed towards Uzushio.

It was much faster to go through this part than the previous one. Probably because an Uzumaki had to feel his own creations and make them create less of a whirlwind until they approached the island.

Nevertheless, in barely ten minutes they arrived in the hidden village of the Whirlwinds : Uzushio. It was a village that was quite large and easily numbered close to two thousand people, and more than half of its inhabitants were Uzumaki. Of course not all of them were shinobi, for not everyone could become a ninja or even master Fûinjutsu.

They didn't bother taking the civilian routes, so Sakura and Madara followed the Uzumaki ahead of them as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Madara's trained eye saw the hand signals of their guide. He was giving directions to his comrades and this was confirmed when he felt and saw shinobi following them as they surrounded them.

They arrived in front of a huge stone building that was covered with numerous Fûinjutsu formulas. In fact, the whole town seemed to be made up of them : the Uzumaki were crazy about Fûinjutsu.

They passed through the gate guarded by soldiers, but no one asked for the newcomers' weapons. At the same time, a shinobi was a weapon on his own, so with or without a weapon ? What was the difference ?

— "Uzukage-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation, but I have two people who would like to speak with you," the guide said softly to his military leader who was standing cross-legged in the middle of a large room. There was a large pool in the centre and the atmosphere was filled with a light smoke.

— "Send them in," Ashina replied in a neutral voice without opening his eyes.

— "Hai, Uzukage-sama," the man said with a final bow.

No sooner had Madara and Sakura entered the room than Ashina opened his eyes wide.

— "You !" Ashina almost shouted as she recognized Madara's chakra. It was completely impossible for him to be alive. He was supposed to have died against his son-in-law at the Valley of the End. "How is it that a scum like you is still alive ?"

— "The same way you're still standing, you old piece of trash," Madara retorted just as scathingly as he walked forward. Sakura was puzzled and surprised by the exchange. She was used to cordial exchanges, filled with honorific titles... and here... she saw two of the most powerful beings insulting each other as if they were talking about rain and shine.

— "And how dare you come before me, you traitor ? "