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Chapter Text

Explosions could be heard all around her from pre-planted paper bombs, set to explode if someone or something moved through the earth around it. It was one of their most primitive measures they had taken against Zetsu, and it surprised her that even one detonated. It was telling of how busy Zetsu was at the moment that he fell for those traps. Zetsu was a mastermind at manipulating the battlefield and Madara. It was taking the Allied Shinobi Forces everything they had to put up a somewhat reasonable resistance. But they were getting slaughtered.

Their generals were dead, their strategy was obliterated. The battlefield had turned to chaos. Team 7 fell into defensive positions around each other as waves of white Zetsu clones attacked them. Throughout the battle it was made obvious that each clone had a special seal that allowed the clone to pick up a person and displace them in time. He was using these seals to get rid of their most effective shinobi without even fighting. It was devastating. Zetsu didn't even need to be directly in the battle, giving him time to form the Ten-Tails.

While they were fighting hard not to be taken, making slow progress towards their enemy, Naruto grabbed a seal off of a Zetsu clone.

"Going back and fixing this before it happens might be the only way we survive!" The blond yelled over his rasengan and nearby chidori.

"How can we do that though, Naruto? What can possibly fix this?" Sakura shouted back at him after punching through the chests of several clones.

"I don't know but there has to be a way! Let me look at this seal!" With that, Naruto produced even more shadow clones to defend himself while he studied Zetsu's seal.

"Idiot, what do you think you can do with one of his own seals?" Sasuke yelled at Naruto, but for once the jinchuuriki didn't rise to the bait. He was entirely focused on the seal and altering it somehow.

Sakura and Sasuke focused back on defending themselves and one another from the onslaught of Zetsu's army. After an eternity of Naruto focused on the seal, he leapt up, holding the paper aloft.

"I did it! I did it! Sakura, you're going to save the day!"

"Wait, me?! Why me? When are you sending me? Naruto! How do I even fix this?" He didn't stop to answer her questions as he bolted across the field to her. He slapped the seal on her neck and sent a jolt of chakra into it.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, "what have you done?"

"I know you can do it, Sakura! Just remember everything about this battle and everything we learned from Old Man Otsutsuki!" Sasuke's eyes were wide as he watched Sakura vanish from where she was standing.

"Look out!" Naruto yelled and he leapt back into the fray, blocking a kunai headed straight for Sasuke's shocked face.

–

Sakura had been making eye contact with Sasuke when her vision blacked out. She couldn't see anything, and then was blinded by light. Just as quickly, it was gone. But again, the blinding light was back. She was suspended, kept in this flickering environment when she fell unceremoniously onto the ground in a forest. Groaning, she rose to her feet and realized she didn't recognize the landscape.

Reaching out with her chakra, Sakura realized she was alone. If Naruto had sent her back only a short while, there should have been a village nearby. This was not good. Sakura had no idea where or when she was. She had to assume she was in the same location as when she was sent back. So she was in the Land of Lightning. Sakura decided to head in a meandering south-westward fashion, to see if she could find any landmarks she recognized.

As Sakura first set out, it was easy for her to put the circumstances of her situation out of her head. This is a normal mission, she repeated to herself over and over again. However, as she traveled farther, she couldn’t maintain that mantra anymore. Villages she knew to exist were nowhere to be seen. People who were obviously shinobi had no headbands and wore a lot of armor. It took all of Sakura’s kunoichi training to quell her rising panic.

She avoided crossing paths with anyone until her supplies ran low. Then, she was forced to enter a village near the border of Lightning and Frost to restock. It was obvious that the villagers were incredibly wary of her. They kept glancing at her exposed skin, and headband. She was turned away at several carts also. When she finally found someone willing to sell to her, Sakura was shocked that her Konoha money wasn’t recognized as official currency.

“Miss, I can’t sell these items to you without proper money.”

“Sir, I don’t know why your establishment doesn’t recognize my money, but this is all the currency I have.”

“I’m sorry then Miss, you’ll have to take your business elsewhere.” Sakura glanced down at the supplies she was trying to purchase; dried rations to last six weeks, a travel pot to boil water, a new flint and steel, and a travel yukata. Feeling desperate, Sakura made eye contact once again with the vendor.

“Will you allow me to barter for these products?” One of his eyebrows raised skeptically.

“What could you possibly offer me to be worth all of this?”

“I’m a healer, I can cure all of this village’s sick for these items.” Before she even finished her offer, he was shaking his head.

“Can’t give you good product for fairy tales. Take your attempted business elsewhere, Miss.”

“I’m not kidding, I can help this village!”

“Leave before I get someone who will make you.” Sakura balked at causing a scene in this village, but before she could stop herself, she grabbed one of her own kunai and slashed her arm. The man’s eyes grew large watching her freely bleed. Several people nearby stopped to watch. Calmly, Sakura brought a glowing green hand up to her wound and she watched the vendor’s eyes glue themselves to her wound as he watched the skin knit itself back together.

“I was being serious when I offered to heal this village’s sick for these items. Was that enough of a display to make you believe in my skills?” Wordlessly, the vendor nodded his head.

“I’ve never even heard of skills like that! You don’t even need to heal the whole village. My wife has been sick for the past year and has recently become bedridden. Would you help her, Miss Healer?” As he was speaking, he was packing up Sakura’s purchases. Smiling at him, she nodded and he led her away to his wife.

Healing the vendor’s wife was not an intensive job, and on her way out of the village, several more people approached her to humbly ask for her assistance. Everyone, from her patients to their family members were shocked at her skills, and all were incredibly grateful for her life-saving assistance. The leader of the poor village tried to persuade her to stay for absolutely free if she would continue to offer her services. She gently denied this offer, as she needed to know what happened to the Land of Fire.

Painstakingly convincing the villagers of her authenticity became routine as she made her serpentine way towards the land Konohagakure should be on. Sakura continued her travels towards her home, and she bartered for medicinal herbs and stoneware so she could start to build up her medical supplies. Finally, she entered what she knew to be the Land of Fire. The landscape was familiar, almost identical to what she remembered, but infinitesimally different. Enough to put her on extreme edge. She began to hurry towards where Konoha should be. But needing more herbs native to the Land of Fire just in case, Sakura decided to stop at a village she sensed near her.

Once there, she began her normal procedure for bartering her medical ninjutsu for supplies. Only this time, the store clerk was more than startled at her display.

“Are you a Senju?” Hearing this question, Sakura’s stomach dropped to her feet.

“Why do you ask?” She pasted a dumb smile on her face, hoping the man would draw his own conclusions from her bypassing his question.

“I’ve only heard of skills like that from Lord Hashirama. The Senju treat us well whenever they travel through this village, of course we will accept your proposal for these supplies. I will have my daughter pack up your herbs and supplies and I will show you to our sick. Thank you for helping us, Lady Senju.” Sakura smiled weakly at him while she nodded. Hearing him speak, it confirmed Sakura’s suspicions.

She was in the Warring States period. After seeing every passing village’s response to her attire and obvious combat readiness coupled with her gender, it only made sense. Sakura had just been hoping to be proven wrong and find Konoha, even if Hashirama or Tobirama were Hokage. There was no home to go to. Sakura had to make sure there would be a home to go to one day.

Sakura followed the shop clerk when he began to lead her away. She numbly dealt with all of the ill or injured people that were presented to her. With vacant eyes she accepted the package of her supplies from the shop clerk, and quickly left the small village. Sakura fled in the direction of Konoha, tears finally leaking from her eyes. Did Naruto mean to send her back so far? Could she ever go home? How could she save the world if there was no village, no Hokage to help her if she needed it? How would she even find and deal with Zetsu?

Trying desperately to not fall into a wild despair, Sakura focused on running at her top speed. She channeled chakra into her feet, calves, thighs, and hips to achieve that. Deciding to not give into any emotion until she saw Konoha for herself or not focused her.

After several hours of intensely fast tree-hopping and running, Sakura climbed the backside of Hokage Mountain. Despite her exhaustion at hours of max speed with a lot of chakra usage, she bolted up the mountain, eager to see the village despite her misgivings. Sakura finally crested the mountain, and saw a lush forest. Feeling as if she was punched in the gut, she fell to her knees and Sakura screamed, allowing herself to give into her despair for the first time since Naruto sent her back, since the Fourth Shinobi War started, since she watched her beloved comrades fall beside her.

–

It took Sakura several days of wildly fluctuating emotions before she settled down to work. She decided that her best bet would be staying around Konoha’s future location. Afterall, the clan heads of the Senju and Uchiha were sort of familiar with the area already, right? Sakura began building herself a small shelter from the elements to sleep and to make medicine in. A plan was already forming in her mind. By day, she would travel to villages throughout the Land of Fire to heal sick and injured, and to see if she could get any intel on the founding clans of her village. By night, she would make medical supplies to support herself.

She isn’t successful at routing information about the Uchiha or Senju. Most people don’t know much, and the ones that she can tell know something are too suspicious of her. Even after healing, they don’t share their information. Sakura hopes that her assisting the villages she does on a consistent basis will change people’s minds about her, so she sticks to her plan.

Several months after becoming a wandering healer for the Land of Fire, Sakura is back at her base making various poultices and pills when she senses a significant collection of chakra only a couple miles from her. Setting down her equipment, Sakura cast several obfuscating genjutsu around her shelter as she left.

She had never sensed a gathering of energy as strong as what she sensed now in this time period, so Sakura moved with extreme caution towards the gathering. As she grew closer, she could make out the sounds of battle. Sakura hid herself in the treeline of the clearing that was currently a warzone, able to watch the whole fray. The first person Sakura sees in the battle took her by complete surprise though, and she almost blew her cover.

She could have sworn Sasuke Uchiha was fighting Tobirama Senju. Only, Naruto most likely would not have sent Sasuke back also. Upon further inspection, she realized it was not Sasuke, but likely some Uchiha ancestor who her friend closely resembled. Glancing around the rest of the battle, she saw the founders of her village, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha locked in a fierce battle. Seeing Madara fighting prowess up close again almost made Sakura sick with the memories of Kakashi being cut down by him. She chooses to focus on Tobirama’s battle with the Uchiha that looks like Sasuke.

The pair are evenly matched, and neither manages to get the upper-hand and hold it. They only land glancing blows on the other. That is, until Hashirama attacks Madara with several vines that burst from the earth, and the Uchiha that so reminded her of Sasuke lost his focus for a split second, and glanced at Madara. That was all the opening Tobirama needed, and the Senju swiped his katana across the Uchiha’s chest, deeply. Immediately Sakura can tell that the Uchiha will die from his wound if left untreated. It is too severe a wound in the midst of a battle. Blood trickled from his mouth, and he fell to his knees coughing.

Disregarding her prior urge to remain hidden, Sakura launched herself into the battle from her vantage point in the trees. She broke the ground as she landed, drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield. Her abrupt appearance drew the attention of Tobirama also, briefly interrupting him performing a killing blow on his opponent. Sakura made a bee-line to the mystery Uchiha, who was trying to stem his blood loss. Tobirama tried to stop her approaching the Uchiha, but Hashirama, who Sakura didn’t even see move, silently put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. His brown eyes watched her as Tobirama, conflicted, stayed his hand, looking to his brother.

Falling to her knees next to the dying Uchiha, she started her medical ninjutsu. His eyes, so like her friend’s, locked onto hers with intense suspicion.

“I’m going to heal you. There’s no time to fight about it, question me later.” She barely noticed his weak nod. She did not notice his eyes lock onto another pair behind her, as Sakura immediately laid her hands on his torso and set to work. His lung was cut with the blade, as well as most of his upper intestines. As well as major arteries. She made a noise of frustration and flew through the hand signs to summon Katsuyu. The back of her neck where Naruto had placed the seal warmed up with her jutsu.

“Lady Sakura! When I–” Sakura waved a hand to interrupt the slug. There was no time, and they couldn’t discuss her world in front of the village founders.

“I need you to help me with the bleeding. We will discuss that later.”

“Of course, Lady Sakura.” Katsuyu slithered on to the Uchiha’s abdomen and began channeling Sakura’s chakra to heal the damage to his blood vessels. She focused back on the damage to his internal organs. Slowly, the pair of them healed the wounded Uchiha. When Katsuyu finished with the damage to the blood vessels, she fixed his layers of muscles and skin before poofing out of existence. Finally, Sakura finished her own work and she handed the Uchiha a blood pill.

“You must eat this to start recovering beyond what I did. If your clan has healers, I would recommend another treatment going over what I did just in case.” He took the pill from her and inspected it before putting it in his mouth and crunching it. Seeing this, she wiped the sweat from her brow and stretched before rising. When she turned around from her patient, she came face to face with Madara Uchiha, sharingan bright. Sakura was unable to stop her eyes widening at the sudden sight of him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Breathing slowly, Sakura reminded herself that this wasn't the man she had seen destroying everything in the war. This was his time, and she had acted incredibly suspiciously and now she had to fix it.

“Healing this man.”

“Why?” His red eyes narrowed at her. The Senju brothers watched and listened to her from a few yards behind the irate Uchiha.

“Brother, enough. I am alive, do not make her regret saving me.” A smooth voice called out from behind her. So she saved Madara Uchiha’s brother. Wasn’t his name Izuna?

“Not just anyone can interrupt a Uchiha-Senju battle. Who are you, and why did you save my brother?” Sakura couldn’t maintain her grip on her temper anymore, as the exhaustion of providing all of the chakra for a life-saving surgery was not a small cost.

“I saved him because it was the right thing to do! How many Uchiha and Senju die in the vain pissing contest between your clans? And besides, my only goal for anything I do is peace! I doubt you would have been receptive to the concept of peace if your brother was cut down right in front of you!” He snorted at her answer.

“What a naive kunoichi. Still, I must thank you for saving Izuna. What clan are you from?” The already quiet clearing became silent at this question, and she could see the Senju’s clear interest in her answer.

“I don’t hail from a clan. I provide medical treatment to everyone without discrimination. I am based in the forest.” She made a vague gesture towards her shelter.

“I also don’t need your thanks. Just stop and think about if the constant killing is justified.” With that, Sakura begins to leave the battlefield. No one stops her, and she doesn’t hear fighting start again behind her. As she travels stealthily back to her base, she senses the chakra in the clearing dissipate, signalling that both sides left. She smiled at that.

Back at her base, Sakura is panicking about her decision to appear and show some of her skills in front of both the Senju and Uchiha. She didn’t know if this would be the best way to slowly get involved in the current times and begin her mission. What would she do if either side approached and asked for her dedicated services to their clan? What if the Uchiha weren’t interested, and only the Senju approached?

It made sense to Sakura that Zetsu would be around Madara at least somewhat during this time, and if she wanted to find him, she needed to stick by what she knew of her elusive target. He was dead set on manipulating Indra’s reincarnation, which was currently Madara. She had to stay by the Uchiha. Knowing what she knew of Tobirama, and what she saw on the battlefield, her perceived favoritism would not be well received by the Senju. How could she help alleviate that feeling?

Sakura paced her small quarters trying to think of a solution. Most long distance communication in her own time relied on messenger hawks still, and she doubted either clan would be receptive to constant communication between both clan compounds. Her eyes landed on her weapons pouch. Sai didn’t use messenger hawks and he had given her several of his special scrolls before the war as she was bouncing between the front lines and leading the medics.

Unsealing her Konoha jounin uniform, Sakura made sure her messenger scrolls were still in a pouch on the breast of her vest. They were. She had a moment of doubt in her preparations, but reassured herself that neither clan were the type to leave such a mystery left behind. Planning an outfit of black pants, a black long sleeve shirt, her jounin vest, her shinobi sandals, her leather gloves, and a simple black wrap to replace her headband, Sakura finally settled herself. There was no changing what she had already done, and she felt moderately confident in her mental preparations for meeting the legendary men again.

Chapter Text

She awoke early the next morning to a collection of chakra flickering a small distance from her. Launching herself up, she quickly dressed in the clothes she laid out of the night before, thankfully. Stepping out of her shelter defensively, she didn’t see anything. Until several moments later, when Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna broke through the treeline into the small clearing she had made in front of her residence. She eyed the men warily and stepped out of her defensive crouch, as she hadn’t been expecting them less than twelve hours after their skirmish. Hashirama stepped forward with an easy smile on his face.

“Hello. Lady Sakura, was it? My brother Tobirama and I,” he gestured to the surly man behind him, “came to discuss some things with you, and it seems the Uchiha brothers have the same idea. Is this a good time?” Sakura appreciated Hashirama’s tact. Tobirama looked like he swallowed a lemon, Izuna was intensely curious about the woman that saved his life, and Madara looked frankly wary of her. She sighed. 

“This is as good a time as any. I don’t have the space for all of us inside, but one moment and I will arrange seating before I go to make tea.” Sakura calmly signed an earth jutsu and lightly kicked the ground. Five small seats rose around a taller table for them. She gestured to the table for her guests before retreating back inside to make the tea. Several eyebrows went up at her display. 

The men settled themselves on opposite sides of the circular table as best they could. Izuna and Tobirama were locked in a staring match when Sakura returned with tea, and several cups. She handed them out to the table.

“Stop it you two. I won’t tolerate any fighting here.” Tobirama scowled down at his cup then and Izuna smiled at her.

“I never got to thank you for saving my life. From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful to you. You risked much to save me, a stranger. Your compassion moves me. Is there anything you are in need of?” Sakura was startled at Izuna’s smooth speech.

“As I said yesterday, I only did what was right. All I need from you four is to stop and consider if the constant fighting and death are necessary anymore.”

“On that topic, Lady Sakura.” Hashirama easily interjected into the conversation.

“You are obviously a capable kunoichi, as you stopped our battle yesterday. Not a small feat, and it speaks of great strength that we all witnessed. Yet you speak of peace. Why should we listen to yet another warrior in their own agenda?” Sakura stilled as Hashirama spoke. She looked down at her teacup until she was ready to speak, and she made sure to make direct eye contact with each of them as she did so.

“I probably know more about peace than all four of you combined. I am willing to do anything to defend the fragility of it, which is why I have seen my comrades die in battle, and why I became a medic to try and save them. I am no stranger to the horrors of war,” memories of the friends she had lost flashed through her mind, haunting her expression, “and I would do anything to stop fighting. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way. And even if you personally do not agree with me, what about the children of the clans? What about the battle-scarred folks who are one bad battle from killing themselves? What about them?” Her speech clearly wasn’t what they were expecting.

“But you claim to be from no clan. What do you know of our supposed struggles?” Madara spoke up from Sakura’s right side. Sakura remembered flashes of Sasuke’s hurt and broken face learning the truth about his brother, his village, and his trauma. She remembered the sacrifice Itachi made for the village and his clan. She remembered the absolute horrors the Hyuuga clan forced on the branch families. She would not cry in front of these legendary men, but she had to school her face and voice before addressing him.

“Now listen here, Uchiha.” Sakura’s voice was low and quiet. Madara looked peeved at the address.

“I may not come from a clan, but I’ve spent enough time on the battlefield to see the children of noble clans dying. It doesn’t matter if you’re a civilian or clan, children are children. And the demands of war are never ending. Look me in the eye and tell me you know of no children that haven’t been sacrificed as lambs to the slaughter because there was a need for able bodies on the battlefield.” She paused here. There was silence. Izuna was looking at the table in a forlorn manner. Hashirama looked ashamed. Tobirama kept glaring at Sakura. Madara tried his best to keep his eye contact. 

“I thought so. Did you know that for every one child that makes it to adulthood right now, two die? So what experience with the clans do I need to have to know that there is a problem? Did you forget I am a medic? I’ve saved and tried to save many clan children in my time on the battlefield.” Sakura was incensed at such an insensitive question. 

“Speaking of which, your skills are extraordinary,” Hashirama commented. 

“I’ve been trying for years to expand my medical skills to make for a more effective treatment for my clansmen, and my skills do not compare with yours. Who taught you medical ninjutsu?” Sakura fought a grimace at his question.

“My mentor’s name was Tsunade. She was a lethal kunoichi, but she was also the best medic.”

“It is interesting that your mentor was another high caliber kunoichi. Female ninja are rare. Where did you say you were from?” Tobirama cut in, leveling a glare at her.

“Ah, my mentor always traveled to gamble and heal people. I have recently come from the Land of Lightning.”

“Why did you come here ?” Tobirama insisted. Hashirama put up his hand to stop his brother’s interrogation, but Sakura minutely shook her head. 

“Honestly? I missed the trees. I found myself out of money and it’s easier to rough it down south where it's warmer. I’ll figure out winter later, but for now I’m set to enjoy the rest of spring, summer, and at least parts of autumn in the Land of Fire. I’m sure you understand.” Sakura made sure her smile was saccharine, because she knew it would irk the pale man. 

“Well, that allows me to tell you why we came today,” Madara started.

“I would like to hire you to serve the Uchiha clan in an official capacity as medic. You will have the comforts of a powerful shinobi clan backing you, a safe place to call home, access to a variety of food, fellow shinobi to train with, and I’m sure more benefits will make themselves known I am forgetting at this moment.” He offered this with an easy smile to her. Sakura was taken aback to see a charming Madara. It conflicted so much with her mental image of him, and his earlier wariness.

“Woah, we were going to ask for a similar contract!” Hashirama was quick to add, looking slightly panicked.

“We ask that you join the Senju to help train medical ninjutsu and heal our people. We will also offer you safe accommodations, food, payment, and friendship.” The wood style user grinned at Sakura, reminding her of a confident Naruto. Not wanting to be distracted by her memories, she stood and began pacing while occasionally glancing at the men who watched her.

“This is very sudden. Yeah, I have encountered difficulty working as a lone agent, so your offers are tempting. However, if I accept one of them, I do not want to burn the bridge with the other. Even if I choose the work of one of your clans, I will still accept the other as my patients. That is a condition I will not budge on, so if either side has a problem with it, speak now.” Each man looked slightly upset at her terms except Hashirama, but no one argued with her. Good. She nodded to herself.

“Alright. I’m sure each side has details they won’t disclose in front of the other. I’ll meet with each clan head in the privacy of my home, if that works with you all.” The men were nodding, and it looked like Tobirama was about to interject.

“Hashirama, please follow me.” Tobirama closed his mouth and sat at her makeshift table smugly. Izuna scowled at him. The future first Hokage followed her into her small hut. There truly wasn’t much inside. A small station for her to sit at while making her medicines, a tatami mat, and a small fire pit. There was a small creek in the distance for her to bathe at. She gestured for Hashirama to sit at her work station. He folded himself into the small stool and faced Sakura, who sat on her tatami mat. 

“So where did you come from?”

“As I said outside, I recently came from the Land of Lightning.”

“Hm, yes. And before that?” Hashirama was staring at her, his intense brown eyes forcing her to maintain eye contact.

“Where I come from is of no concern, as my village was destroyed and I am the sole survivor.” She said brusquely. 

“I am sorry to hear that. Wherever it was, it must have been a great place to produce shinobi of your caliber. And since you claim to know peace, I know it was.” Sakura’s barriers melted a bit hearing those words from the First Hokage about his own village. Whether he knew it or not. Breathing deeply, Sakura continued on.

“We didn’t come here to discuss my home. What do you want from me?” Hashirama bowed his head and smiled.

“Lady Sakura, I ask you on behalf of the Senju clan to lend your loyalties to us and teach our medic shinobi, heal our clansmen, and join in our clan’s defense if needed. You will be compensated for such tasks, and you will be given a place within the Senju clan. We will fund your medical studies and supplies. Our base is a one day trip from this location.”

“I see. Do you accept my condition that I will continue to treat the Uchiha if I choose the Senju clan?” He nodded his head.

“Of course.” He agreed with an easy smile. Now it was her turn to nod her head.

“Alright. I have one more request to make of you, and I hope you will consider it regardless of who I choose, if I do choose a clan today.” His open expression never changed, and he made it clear he was listening intently.

“If you enter peace talks and settlement discussions with any clan I would like to participate. I think I have valuable insight in those regards.” Hashirama couldn’t hide his absolute shock at her request.

“I will announce that stipulation to both parties after my discussion with Madara if you agree to it.” Hashirama hesitantly nodded.

“Considering your performance saving Izuna and stopping our battle, I can at least agree to consider it.” Sakura smiled at him.

“Don’t sell yourselves short. Both parties have sat beside me cordially. There is potential for a greater peace than we have seen today.” He processed her words before genuinely beaming at her.

“You are an interesting woman, Lady Sakura. Please consider my offer.” She grinned back at him.

“Of course. Please send Madara in.” Hashirama left her hut and shortly after, Madara stepped through her door. She gestured to the stool Hashirama recently vacated, and Madara folded his hulking frame into it before looking at her. 

“Before we begin, I would like to sincerely thank you for saving my brother’s life. Your appearance in the battle yesterday was surprising to me, and I was suspicious of you. I apologize for that, as you caused us no harm, and in fact saved the last member of my immediate family. Thank you, Lady Sakura.” Sakura gaped at Madara.

“I was just doing my duty as a medic. I’m happy to hear I preserved your family, but I would have done the same regardless of who was cut down.” He smiled at her words.

“You are a kind woman, aren’t you?” Put off by his direct gaze and questioning, Sakura ducked her head.

“I’ve surely had my moments where I’m not a kind person, I’m sure as have all shinobi.” Madara was nodding his head.

“Of course, but not all shinobi can say they’ve singlehandedly learned a way to help others. All other shinobi I’ve seen have the skills to hurt, not heal, barring Hashirama. Which is why I would like to ask you on behalf of the Uchiha clan to come to our compound and work as our clan medic. If we have shinobi who have aptitude for the healing arts, we ask you to teach them too. Given that you are skilled in combat also, you will be able to accompany any mission of your choosing at your request. It goes without saying that you will be given a place within the clan, and be fully provided for. The Uchiha compound is less than a day’s worth of travel northwest of here.”

“I see. Do you agree to my condition that I will treat any Senju that seek out my medical skills?” Madara nodded his head.

“The Senju are our greatest enemies, but we will accept your condition. Your skills are truly life-changing.” Sakura started at his mild joke before smiling, which he easily returned. Sakura noticed that he had one dimple on his visible cheek when he smiled genuinely. 

“Alright. I would like to add one more condition. If you enter into settlement negotiations with any clan, I would like to participate. I think I have valuable insight regarding that, and can mediate if necessary.” Madara was as taken aback by her request as Hashirama had been, before confusedly agreeing.

“Okay. Thank you for talking, let’s go share my new condition with Izuna and Tobirama, shall we?” Madara rose and followed her outside to her new table. The men gathered there looked up to her.

“I’ve now heard each side’s full offer. I would just like to inform everyone of my new condition upon working for a clan. If either side enters settlement negotiations with another clan to form a village, I would like to be present. I have valuable insight into that area of discussion.” Tobirama snorted at her announcement, drawing her frustration.

“Of course a loud spoken woman like yourself would think that of her own opinions. There’s no way we would agree to that.” Sakura beamed at him.

“Well, both sides already have, otherwise there’d be no point in telling you. I’m going to check my work healing Izuna while I deliberate, and maybe do some of my regular training while I think over your offers.” Each man around the table agreed to her terms.

“Okay Izuna, your turn.” She joked with him while leading the way back into her home. He rose to follow and Madara trailed behind them. Sakura gestured for Izuna to lay himself down on the tatami mat. While he walked to it, she asked that he remove his shirt so she could inspect the wounded area.

“Whatever you and your slug did yesterday was amazing, I feel fine.” She smiled hearing that, and sat beside him.

“That’s good, but I’m still going to run a diagnostic just to make sure I got everything and that your healing is still looking alright.” He nodded and Sakura lay her hands on his abdomen and chest. Katsuyu had done a fantastic job healing his skin, obviously, so there was no scar. Sakura looked through his system for any lingering damage or inflammation. There was a small section of the previously damaged lung that was detached from the diaphragm, and Sakura went about reattaching it. There was still lymphatic fluid around the site causing a bit of swelling, but there was no damage. Sighing, Sakura stopped her diagnostic chakra.

“Everything looks to be sorted now. There is still swelling in the area but with proper stretching and exercise, that will go down within the week. It might be tender for that time too.” He grinned at her.

“See? I’m fine!” Sakura rolled her eyes at him. He quickly sobered up though.

“I do have a question for you though, if you don’t mind.” Sakura looked at the face that reminded her of Sasuke. They looked so incredibly alike, but Izuna smiled much more than Sasuke, and generally had a lighter and sunnier disposition. It was disconcerting for her.

“Of course, what is it?”

“Why did you save me? Was it really just for a potential peace?” Sakura hesitated at his question. She looked down at her hands.

“I should say yes to your question. But when I saw you, I was reminded of someone precious to me. You remind me very much of him, and I remembered a time when I couldn’t save my comrades. I know that pain, and I didn’t want to watch someone who so closely resembles him die.” She exhaled shakily and smiled weakly up at him. Izuna was stunned at her answer.

“Well. Thank you for stumbling upon our battle and saving me. I’m sure that with your skills, if you couldn’t save someone, there was nothing you could have done.” Izuna put his shirt back on and rose to leave her house. Him and Madara sat back down at the table across from Hashirama and Tobirama. Sakura watched them go as she thought about what Izuna said.

But guilt about the Fourth Shinobi War had to wait. She had to decide. Or at least wait long enough that it seemed she actually thought about the offers. There was no way she was going to let Madara out of her sight if she could help it. She didn’t trust Zetsu, and she didn’t know how early his manipulations of Indra’s reincarnation started. 

Sakura paced her small home for what seemed like hours, but the Sun had hardly moved in the sky when she left her house. The men that had long since given up making friendly conversation all looked at her. She looked towards her guests and sighed.

“I would like to say yes to each of you, as you have both made it clear there is great need. But there is only one of me. Lord Senju, thank you for extending your gracious offer to a kunoichi you don’t know. However, I have chosen to accept Lord Uchiha’s gracious offer. I see a greater need from their clan for one trained in the healing arts,” At this, Tobirama’s eyes narrowed and he was glaring at her. Izuna was grinning and Madara had a small smile that was trying to make itself known. 

“As I mentioned earlier, I will not leave any clan without the ability to request my medical expertise if it is necessary,” Sakura opened a pocket on the chest of her vest and Sai’s communication scrolls tumbled out. She held them up, eyeing her guests.

“These are precious to me. I do not give these out lightly. My old teammate made them before the war. They are made with a jutsu that connects them to one another. Any message written in one of these scrolls will be visible on all of the scrolls. There is a small fluctuation of chakra when the message appears so it is noticed.” They had worked amazingly well during the Fourth War, allowing Sakura to flit between the medic camps and the frontlines. Whenever she was needed to save a life, she could know immediately and get everyone’s assistance to return her where she needed to be. Thankfully, these scrolls were new and unused when she came back in time. Otherwise, discussion of Madara’s movements might draw many questions.

The men sat around the table appraised the scrolls with appreciation.

“I have never even heard of such a thing, and the Senju are well acquainted with all things relating to the shinobi lifestyle.” Tobirama ventured. Sakura didn’t flinch under his curiosity.

“My old teammate was a very special ninja. He utilized ink as a weapon. When he realized we couldn’t use his ink in the same way, he made this scroll system for me specifically. It works very well, and I will always notice a message in it.” That drew the curiosity of everyone though, and she regretted her words when Hashirama’s eyes lit up while he asked,

“Why did your teammate make these scrolls for you? You mentioned a war?” Sakura looked away from his warm brown gaze and down at the table. She didn’t know what to say. How could she tell them that she’d met three out of her four visitors as reanimated, weaponized corpses? Except, in Madara’s case, he was in control of his own weapon. Sakura grew steadily paler. 

“I, uh. Well, if you um, didn’t notice anything odd about, uh, four months ago, well you shouldn’t worry about that. I was called between the fighting and healing people. Although sometimes the request could be met with just Lady Katsuyu using my chakra.” Sakura immediately began chastising herself. How could she just blabber and blabber about the Fourth Shinobi War to the founders of Konohagakure no less? She had fought against and alongside them. 

“Is Lady Katsuyu your slug summon?” Izuna asked her, looking at her with an inquisitive smile on his face. Sakura nodded her head, opting to not reveal any more information about the war or herself if she can help it.

“I haven’t heard of a slug summon before.” Madara leveled his eyes with hers. She had to remind herself that this was not the Madara she fought and to remain polite, as a sarcastic quip was her first instinct. 

“Lady Katsuyu prefers nurturing life rather than taking it. Not many shinobi are compatible with such a summon.” She shot right back at Madara.

“It makes sense that such a competent healer would have such a summon.” Hashirama smoothed over her defensiveness. 

“Thank you. Anyways, we got entirely off track. I hope you will accept this scroll as a show of my good-will, and as a means of near instant communication with me if you need my assistance.” Sakura placed the scroll in Hashirama’s hand, and he bowed his head.

“Thank you for allowing the Senju clan access to your medical skills if we are in crisis, Lady Sakura. You are very kind.” She grinned at the future First Hokage.

“Good medics don’t discriminate in their patients. And besides,” her smile became tinged with sadness, “you remind me of a good friend, and he was always offering to help anyone who needed him.” Sakura closed her eyes and remembered Naruto. It hurt her that he thrust her into such an extremely unknown circumstance, but she honestly wasn’t terribly surprised. Rushing through with his seal theory was exactly like Naruto. Sakura willed the tears forming in her eyes to disappear before she opened her eyes again to look at her visitors. They were all staring at her. Tobirama was the only one with open suspicion on his face though. 

"Well alright. If that's it, I'll go pack my supplies." Madara nodded his head, and the Senju brothers rose from their seats. Hashirama lowered his head in a respectful nod.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Lady Sakura. Hopefully we see each other sooner rather than later." She smiled weakly up at them, and they left her clearing. Sakura slowly headed back inside her house while the Uchiha brothers sat at the table. 

It didn’t take Sakura long at all to pack her belongings, as she never felt comfortable enough to unpack all of her belongings from her storage scrolls. She stepped out of her house, looking back at it. Sakura was sentimental enough to build her shelter near where she used to live in Konoha. She was leaving the ground where her village would one day stand. Since the shelter was empty, Sakura quickly destroyed it so no structure was left. Breathing deeply, she turned to face the Uchiha brothers, who stood when she turned to face them. Smiling at her, Izuna stepped in the direction of his home.

“Shall we?” Sakura glanced at Madara, who was paying her no attention, as he looked like he was deep in thought, and slightly perplexed. Nodding her head at Izuna, they set off.

True to Madara’s word, they arrived at the clan compound shortly after sunset. She could tell that as their journey began, Izuna had started off quite slow in case she wasn’t adept at tree-hopping. When she continued to keep up with ease, he started traveling at his normal speed. She was extremely grateful that he noticed without her having to ask them to travel faster.

Entering the compound, many of the Uchiha stared at them. She knew it wasn’t because of the return of their leaders but it was because of her presence. Her pink hair marked her immediately as an outsider, let alone her green eyes. Their eyes started to burn holes on the back of her head as Madara and Izuna led her to her new home. They explained things as they passed them, but Sakura could tell they were aware of the glares also. Finally, they reached what was to be her home.

Entering, they continued to lead her in while removing her shoes.

“This is a small home that we haven’t needed to fill yet, I am sorry we could not offer you more.” Madara explained. Those were the first words she had heard from him since that morning. Shaking her head, she smiled at the men.

“This is perfect. I mean, you saw where I was living before. Thank you for your hospitality.” She bowed slightly towards them.

“It is our honor to have you here, Lady Sakura,” Izuna smiled at her before hesitating.

“Our clan is wary of outsiders. I would like to apologize for their behavior on our way in. Please, I would ask you to give them time to get to know you before making a judgment about all of the Uchiha.” Izuna pleaded with her. Sakura tried to hide her grimace. Prior to being thrust back in time, her only real opinions of the Uchiha clan were based on three people, and those opinions were mostly all negative. Sasuke had only started to redeem himself in her eyes during the war. Swallowing, Sakura nodded her head.

“Of course. I understand, with how tense things are around here, any outsider is suspicious. Which is why I must thank you for your hospitality again. I will do my best to not disappoint you or to betray the trust you have placed in me.” Both brothers relaxed hearing her words. They had indeed taken a big chance bringing her back to their clan, but her skills were unmatched and extremely valuable. Shaking his head, Izuna looked deeply into Sakura’s brilliant emerald eyes.

“I am honored to have you here, Lady Sakura. The Uchiha are humbled to have your services with us. Thanks to you, I am alive and able to enjoy the hot springs once more.” He grinned at her.

“Please find me or Madara if you need anything.” With that, Izuna let himself out of her house, leaving her with his older brother. Madara turned as if he was going to follow his brother.

“Madara, wait please.” He paused and turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised.

“What is it? Do you need something?” Sakura faltered, and began wringing her hands.

“I don’t really know how to say this. I’m going to sound crazy.” Sakura muttered while looking at the floor.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what is bothering you.” She sighed and looked up to meet his expectant gaze.

“Well, that’s exactly it I guess. I want you to know that I take my duties as a medical shinobi and a regular medic very seriously. I will always do everything in my power to help my patients. It doesn’t matter if the patient even believes there is a problem. The Uchiha can come to me for anything. Mental, physical, emotional. Even personal problems, although I don’t know how much I can help besides lending an ear. I have an extensive knowledge of everything about the body. I can and will help.” Sakura’s eyes were shining brightly by the end of her speech. Madara looked perplexed again, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Your loyalty, while unfounded, is appreciated. I will keep your words in mind if a clansman comes to me with something like that. In the meantime, you will be healing physical injuries and ailments.”

Madara successfully left Sakura's house, leaving her to wonder what will happen now that she is actively changing history. She worries what her presence amongst the Uchiha will do, but her determination to prevent the horrific Fourth Shinobi War never wavers. Sakura sets about preparing herself for sleep, already knowing she will need her wits about her tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Sakura woke up to birds chirping outside her window, and the soft rays of early morning sun peeking into her room. She smiled because she hadn't expected to sleep as deeply as she did in a new location. She decided to dress in a pale green yukata, thinking that her usual attire of pants and a form-fitted short sleeve top wouldn't sit well with the frigid Uchiha. Not wanting to leave the house for water, she performed a small water style jutsu to have water for tea, and set it on the fire to boil. At that moment, someone knocked on her door. Opening the door, she saw the Uchiha clan heads. Madara's eyes faded to black when the door opened.

"So you can perform Suiton jutsu as well." He stated, bringing a scowl to her face.

"You shouldn't peek on a lady with your Sharingan. Especially a kunoichi." She glared at Madara. Izuna was repressing a grin.

"I am so sorry, Lady Sakura. Even I cannot stop my brother from his own bad manners." She snickered at him.

"I suppose that is true. When I decide I've had enough, I'll go easy on you." Izuna sighed in relief at that. She had displayed impressive power on the battlefield, if only for a moment. Madara scowled.

"You are an unknown within my compound. You'll have to excuse me for being both cautious and curious. Besides, if you hadn't been awake we wouldn't have stopped by." He shrugged. Sakura should have expected less-than-normal privacy in a clan compound of suspicious doujutsu wielders. Shaking her head, she looked at the brothers.

"I am making tea. Would you like to come inside and have a cup? I assume you are here to show me to your medical facility, but I would like to finish the tea first."

"Of course, thank you for the tea." Izuna said with an easy smile, and he followed her inside. Madara followed him. They both removed their shoes as the kunoichi finished preparing the tea, pouring cups for the three of them. She produced several pieces of dried meat for herself to eat.

"At noon and six, lunch and dinner are served in the center of the camp." Madara told her. Nodding her understanding, she ate her food while waiting for the tea to cool.

"So I interrupted a battle between the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. Are there any other battles with another clan I should be aware of in case of injuries?" Both shook their heads at her question.

"Alright. In that case, I will expect routine training injuries, sicknesses, and chronic ailments for a while in terms of healing. Does that sound correct?"

"Yes. That last battle was supposed to be a sort of deciding battle, and you have given us much to think about. Hopefully your job stays mundane for a while." Izuna told her, absentmindedly rubbing at where his injury had been. Sakura's eyes widened slightly. If that was to be the last battle between the Uchiha and Senju, then Konoha might be founded soon. She drank her tea to help school her expression before agreeing with Izuna. Madara’s impassive face watched her.

Once they had all finished their tea, Madara rose from his seat.

"Let us show you to the medical facility." He donned his shoes and stepped out of her house, with her and Izuna following swiftly. She received similar stares from the clan on their way. It was clear that the Uchiha clan were no strangers to living a nomadic life, but they had been at this location for a while. Their paths around the compound were particularly well-used. It looked like the constant life of travel no longer suited them. That gave Sakura hope that Konohagakure would be relatively easy to get started. When they arrived at a large hut, it was clear to Sakura that the best medical treatment the clan has been able to provide has been first aid, with knowledge just from experience.

There wasn't a lot in the way of supplies for preventative measures, or for finer medicines. There were several cots for the injured to rest on, lots of gauze, water, wood for splints, and alcohol for disinfecting wounds. The absolute bare minimum for treatment for a clan that primarily got battle injuries. Sakura sighed, thinking about how much work she needed to do to get the clan up to even a poor standard for her.

"You probably won't get many patients before lunch. That is when I plan on introducing you to the clan formally." Madara said to her, already leaving the tent.

"Don't worry about it. It's mainly so they know who you are and that someone skilled will be here if they need it." Izuna reassured her before also taking his leave. Sakura sighed again and set about taking inventory, and noting which herbs she would need to get and how much medicine she should make to have on hand.

Before she knew it, it was lunch time. Sakura exited the hut, stomach growling. The people of the Uchiha clan were heading toward the center of camp, which was not far from her work. She followed them and soon saw just how many people were here. Over one hundred fifty people must have gathered here, and when Madara saw her, he stood and raised his hand. All conversations stopped as everyone turned to look at their leader.

"As I'm sure some of you have noticed, we have a guest in the compound," a significant portion of those gathered turned to look at her. She forced her eyes to stay on Madara, and her expression neutral.

"Her name is Lady Sakura, and she has been hired to act as our medic. She will now take care of our medical needs. I am expecting everyone to treat her with respect, as she has already proven her worth by saving the current heir to the clan from Tobirama." Small gasps were heard as the collective attention was focused on Izuna now, who looked appropriately abashed. He nodded solemnly, and gestured to her.

"It's true, Lady Sakura is an extremely capable kunoichi and we are lucky to have her. Without her, I wouldn't be here either." Murmurs ran through the crowd, and the clan leaders went back to their meals. Sakura was able to grab a bowl of food without being glared at. People were just studying her curiously now, mostly without any hostility. Several were still mistrustful though. Soon after, Sakura finished her meal, returned her bowl, and made her way back to the medical hut. No one spoke to her, but she was relieved that Madara's explanation had been enough for the people to tolerate her presence.

Sakura was trying to figure out how to venture out to collect herbs and stay in the camp without disclosing the Nidaime's most famous jutsu -- the shadow clone jutsu when Izuna came through the door, carrying a young girl. They were followed by a woman who could only be related to the little girl. Sakura glanced at them curiously and she noticed the little girl was bleeding from her arm. Sakura stepped closer to inspect the arm to see that it had been cut with a blade.

"What happened?" The girl could not be more than five years old.

"Little Yuuki was practicing her kunai work, but grabbed the actual sharp set instead of her practice set." Izuna said calmly. The woman with him was nearly in tears.

"I should have checked her equipment before allowing her to practice. I am sorry for the inconvenience, Lady Sakura." The woman looked at her with shame in her eyes.

"Oh, it is not a problem at all. I am actually very happy to help. Izuna, could you sit Yuuki in the chair there?" Sakura gestured to the nearest chair, and he obliged. Yuuki looked up at her with nervous brown eyes. Sakura stepped close to her and knelt down to make eye contact.

"Yuuki, I would like to heal your cut. I use chakra to heal. Is that alright with you?" Looking at her mother for permission, she nodded slowly. Sakura molded healing chakra in her hand, and began to heal Yuuki. She made sure to numb all the pain while she worked, and soon her arm was unblemished. Both Yuuki and her mother were staring in shock at Sakura's work. Finishing her jutsu, Sakura lowered her hand.

"Alright, do you feel better now, Yuuki?" Sakura asked her with a smile. Yuuki's big brown eyes stared back at her with awe before she nodded her head.

"I don't feel anything anymore, and my arm isn't cut either! Thank you, Lady Sakura!" Yuuki leapt up from her chair with a massive grin. She ran over to her mother with a bounce in her step. The woman tentatively touched Yuuki's arm, before bowing to Sakura.

"I made a mistake, and now you have healed my daughter. Thank you very much, Lady Sakura. We truly are lucky to have you with us." The woman rose with a sniffle and left the hut, taking Yuuki along with her. Izuna had watched the whole exchange silently.

"I think you'll be a bit more busy now that Yoko is going to tell everyone about how you saved Yuuki." He said this with a smirk.

"I didn't save her really, just from a scar and discomfort." She replied with a shrug. It truly hadn't been a bad wound, just a somewhat deep laceration.

"Still, the first serious injury a child faces is stressful for their mother. Thank you for treating my clansmen, Lady Sakura." Izuna also turned to leave. Sakura was not visited again before dinner, which is when she decided to be done for the day. After eating her meal silently, she returned to her new house. At some point, she would have to fill some containers with water and seal them to have them accessible for bathing, but Sakura made do with another water style jutsu to fill her tub. While the water was warming, she washed herself. She wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible. Being around the Uchiha just made her remember the clan in her own time. She was exhausted. She soaked in the warm water for a long while before sleeping.

The next day she saw many more people. They were curious about her, and people that had chronic illnesses or healing injuries came to see her with their friends and family. She was honestly thrilled to help them, and hoped to continue to alleviate their current and future suffering. When she saw Izuna at lunch she mentioned needing a sizable amount of different herbs and supplies, he asked for a list and promised to discuss with Madara and get someone sent out to retrieve those items. Sakura found that she was settling into her role as clan medic quickly. It was the first thing she had done since arriving in the past that felt somewhat normal.

Several days later saw a change in her routine. The doors to the clinic were thrown open, with a grim Madara holding a teenager who looked rather gray in his arms. Izuna was dragging another young man alongside him. The young man in Madara's arms was breathing shallowly and sweating profusely.

"What happened?! How did he get poisoned? Get him on a cot immediately!" Sakura gestured behind her while tying up her hair, looking around the room. Thankfully, she had the equipment she had requested from Izuna already. Looking at Izuna, she told him to gather several large bowls of water. He listened to her immediately, and shot out of the room. Madara looked at the youth that looked like he wished he would melt into the ground.

"Explain yourself immediately." His voice was sharp and his jaw was clenched.

"We were practicing, and I mixed up my kunai. I was recently allowed access to use our clan's poison..." He trailed off with a swallow, and his eyes welled with tears. Sakura narrowed her eyes on hearing that.

"I'll let Madara tell you how stupid you were later. What is the poison?"

"A potent coagulant and paralytic." Madara's deep voice supplied immediately. Sakura's eyes widened as Izuna returned with the water. Sakura quickly removed the teenager's shirt and saw a cut on his chest that was bleeding sluggishly. Cursing abruptly, Sakura hurriedly placed the bowls where she needed them.

"I need all of your help to save him. Madara, Izuna, I need you to hold him down. Do NOT let him move. This procedure will hurt him and he will try desperately to escape. You," she looked at the victim's friend, "I need you to stay to get me more water and clear the bowls if necessary. This can be a lesson on why it is imperative a shinobi know their tools and what they are capable of." Madara and Izuna tightened their grips on the man. Sakura gathered water around her hand and began the procedure, directly over the patient's heart. He immediately started screaming and trying to thrash. Madara and Izuna struggled to control his body, and the boy's friend came up to the table to hold his feet down. Satisfied, Sakura continued her work. She did not notice two pairs of Sharingan spin to life to watch her work.

It was a grating procedure, as the patient kept screaming. She could tell it was difficult for the men to witness, but as she brought more and more poison out of his body and into the water, they endured. His friend was crying freely, which everyone ignored. As Sakura worked, she tried to explain her process whenever there was a moment of silence.

"This would have been a great way to kill someone. By cutting them with the coagulant on their chest, it entered the heart extremely quickly. I am pulling the poison out of his blood and organs, and maintaining those organs' functions with chakra while they are too stiff to work." It was not easy to multitask while performing the poison extraction technique, but she was determined to succeed and not let the Uchiha down. If she succeeded, she might have more of Madara's trust, which would help her mission. Slowly but surely, the poison was fully extracted and now Sakura set to work healing his cut, and making sure his blood wasn't too affected by the treatment to sustain life. But after several minutes of observation, he seemed to have no ill-effects.

Stopping her chakra, she cracked her neck while stretching. She had used two bowls of clean water out of the three Izuna had prepared.

"He should wake up within a couple hours, good as new." His friend cried out in relief.

"Thank you for saving Kensuke, Lady Sakura. Thank you!" He broke down crying again. Izuna peeked out of the window then to her.

"It's a little after lunchtime, but the cooks will make food for us if we ask. Let us get you some food." Sakura was about to decline his offer when her stomach growled.

"Okay, yeah, I forgot how hungry a several-hour procedure makes me. Thanks!” Madara, Izuna, and Sakura headed towards the serving area. A cook ran up to Madara.

"My lords, you weren't at lunch. Would you like some food now?" The cook looked between Madara and Izuna, both of whom looked back at Sakura.

"Please prepare four plates, Kaede." Bowing, the woman spared Sakura a quick glance before turning back to where Sakura assumed food for the clan was prepared. The three of them sat down and Sakura thanked them again for getting her food outside of normal hours.

"It's not a problem, you did save one of our own from a stupid mistake. Providing food after such a procedure is truly the least we can do." Izuna told her.

"Speaking of that procedure. I was watching with my Sharingan and I couldn't copy your jutsu. Why is that?" Madara asked her, eyes guarded.

"That is because I wasn't using a jutsu. Most medical ninjutsu is reliant on meticulous chakra control and based on the Mystic Palm technique. So what I was doing was using my chakra through the water to collect all the poison particles in his body, and then removing it. That is also why it takes several hours or more, depending on how much poison was used and how long the wound was left to sit." Sakura paused her explanation when Kaede brought several plates of food. Ravenous, Sakura dug in before continuing.

"And in terms of Kensuke's healing, there wasn't actually a lot of poison in him. It's just that your poison is incredibly effective, so I had to thin his blood while removing the poison, otherwise it would stick again. It had spread a fair amount as well. I also had to then keep his blood thin while the poison is still present so his organs begin to function again." Izuna and Madara were staring at her with wide eyes.

"Is... is that a kekkei genkai?" Izuna gently ventured.

"What do you mean?" Sakura did not understand his question.

"I've never heard of anyone healing anyone with chakra aside from Hashirama. I don't know the specifics of his healing, but it is nothing like yours. Yours is more in-depth. If it’s not a kekkei genkai, did you train your chakra control to become a successful medic?" He ate slowly while Sakura was almost done with her first plate. While she reached for her second, she thought about her answer.

"Hm. I don't even know if you can train chakra control like you are implying. I was always ahead of my teammates in that regard. I mastered tree-walking and water-walking on my first attempts." They both stared at her, shocked.

"On your first try?" Izuna asked incredulously. She made an affirmative noise while bobbing her head up and down.

"Yeah. It was because of that advanced chakra control that I was pushed into the medical field in the first place. That, and--" she stopped herself before she spoke of Naruto and Sasuke. There was no reason to mention what powerhouses her teammates were. It would only put them on edge that such strong people existed without their knowledge. She wasn't as smooth as she had hoped though, and Madara did not drop the topic.

"You won't be able to hide the truth for long." His face stayed solemn, but his eyes flashed while looking at her. Sakura's own eyes widened slightly as she nodded her head. Izuna thankfully steered the conversation back to grounds she could safely discuss.

"So if you don't use a jutsu and it's not a kekkei genkai, how do you manage to heal people?" He was genuinely curious. Sakura explained tuning one's chakra to another person's and using the energy provided by chakra to accelerate and guide the healing process. As for medical chakra, a person has to be able to use both yin and yang chakra independently to succeed.

"Not everyone can, and it is incredibly difficult to develop by yourself. You're more likely to give someone cancer than to heal them without guidance." She had long finished her meal, as had the clan leaders. They both sat at rapt attention though.

"Fascinating. So where did your mentor learn medical ninjutsu?" Izuna asked her. Sakura fought against her face paling. In truth, Tsunade had learned a lot of her medical skills from Hashirama.

"Oh, I think she came from a clan renowned for healing. She didn't talk about her family much." This was only partially true. Talking about her family always made her reminisce about Nawaki, which in turn always made her upset. It was easier to avoid the whole topic. Madara's eyes narrowed the slightest amount, and Izuna was nodding his head seriously.

"Could you teach an Uchiha medical ninjutsu?" Madara suddenly asked her. A bit taken aback, she slowly nodded her head.

"If anyone has impeccable chakra control, I would be honored to teach them." He nodded his head and looked at his brother.

"Megumi will start to report to Sakura in the clinic for training. Depending on how well that goes we can look into expanding the amount of students."

"I can only have a maximum of three apprentices." Sakura was quick to interject.

"Of course. Thank you for your work here, Lady Sakura." Madara rose and returned his bowl to the kitchen staff. Izuna looked at her curiously.

"May I be frank with you, Lady Sakura?" She nodded her head with a small smile.

"Please do, I'm not used to worrying so much about manners." Now he grinned broadly at her.

"Honestly, me neither. The clan knows I don't care about mincing my words to spare their feelings. Anyways," the smile fell from his face, "my brother is very curious about you, but he acts so stiff around you. Has something happened with him? Has he been untoward to you? I’ve never not been able to figure him out before like this." She could tell he was nervous to ask her such a question. Sakura's face darkened hearing that Madara was acting out of character around her.

"No, he has not. I can't get into all the details, but if you notice him acting more.. different, it is very important I see him. Do you understand?" This was the most serious Izuna had heard Sakura, aside from saving his own life and Kensuke's. He looked at her as if she was very peculiar.

"No, I can't say I do understand. But I will listen to you, as you have proven that you have our best interests in mind." He easily admitted. That made Sakura relax. Even if Zetsu was trying to sway Madara, surely her actions would speak louder than his demonic voice? And now she had Izuna on her side, even if he didn't fully understand.

Chapter Text

It was two weeks after she started working in the Uchiha compound that a message from the Senju clan arrived. They wanted to discuss peace with the Uchiha clan, citing a pink-haired kunoichi that brought a new perspective and reawakened Hashirama's deepest desire for peace. Sakura knew that the meeting had been called before any discussion with Madara or Izuna. Hashirama had sent her a message through Sai's scroll, which made her panic. When she saw the words 'I’ll see you soon!!', she knew it was time. When Madara called her to his home office to discuss her presence at the negotiations, he seemed to be content with the treaty.

They set out the next day for the place Hashirama had called them to to discuss. Both Izuna and Madara had to have known it was on top of the mountain overlooking where Sakura had once lived, one day to be known as Hokage Mountain. However, she didn't know it until they arrived. She could not stop the swell of tears as the history of Konohagakure ran through her head, and the symbolic meeting spot.

All the men present noticed her tears, and none could come up with a reasonable excuse for them. Tobirama muttered something about emotional women, and Sakura graciously decided to ignore him. She smiled at Hashirama.

"Thank you for allowing me to be present for this meeting." She bowed slightly. He congenially smiled back at her.

"It is my honor to have you here, Lady Sakura. Afterall, I think you are the reason both clans are open to discussions of peace at this time." Sakura blushed slightly at the first Hokage's words, and nodded her head.

"Alright then, let us start the treaty discussions." Madara supplied. Everyone sat down in a circle, Sakura withdrawing parchment and a writing tool from her pouch.

"Okay then. I would like to formally propose peace between the Senju and Uchiha clans. If accepted, both clans would settle at an agreed upon spot and start a village together. The village would be open to anyone willing to agree to a peaceful lifestyle." Hashirama began the discussions.

"I would like to agree to this proposal, however I have a question." One of Hashirama's eyebrows went up and he inclined his head, prompting Madara to continue.

"How would this peaceful village acquire money and support itself?"

"Well, we are shinobi clans. We can continue to accept missions that pay and support ourselves that way." It sounded so simple when Hashirama suggested it, but Sakura knew the funding of Konohagakure was a complicated matter.

"Missions alone will not be enough to support a shinobi village,” she began, “If civilians immigrate to the village, they will bring commerce that will help boost the economy, and eventually that trade could be self-sustaining. However, I don't see a way around having the daimyo's support though, and his financial backing. Or another equally wealthy sponsor. At least for the first part of the village's founding." All eyes were on her. Tobirama was openly shocked to hear such logical things out of the kunoichi's mouth. Hashirama's mouth was flapping, but no sound was coming out.

"Well, I didn't think about that. That's a great idea, Lady Sakura!" Hashirama eventually found his voice. Izuna was giving Madara a smirk. Sakura continued on with the discussion.

"So this will ultimately be a shinobi village, no matter how many civilians live there, correct?" The men around her nodded their heads.

"Alright. There is a lot to discuss, like about the government, how missions will be distributed, how our independence goes, the whole works. But that doesn't quite need to be settled right now. The more important thing is where the village will be, the structure of it, and how integrating the clans will work."

"I thought this was supposed to be a negotiation between the Senju and Uchiha clans, kunoichi." Tobirama's icy voice cut in. She glared at him. However, before she could give the red-eyed man a sassy retort, Madara's smooth voice interjected.

"It is, Senju. Like she said weeks ago, she has valuable insight into this discussion. I for one am interested in hearing her ideas." Izuna and Hashirama were nodding, and Tobirama went back to sulking and glaring at Sakura.

"But to continue discussions, I don't see a problem with this spot," Madara gestured to the land below the mountain, "it is naturally defensible with this mountain, and deep in a forest. It could be a village hidden by the leaves, and there are several water sources nearby.” Sakura was warmed to hear these discussions and accidental almost name-dropping of her village. She alone knew how impactful these negotiations were. Looking at Hashirama, she saw him smiling down at the land.

“I think you’re right, my friend. I think this is perfect!” He beamed at everyone present. 

“Okay, now that the location is settled, how do you envision the village operating and the clans working within it?” Sakura asked the men present. Three out of four pondered her question, while Tobirama was quick to answer.

“As the clans have been operating, just now we will work alongside one another and together.” Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she pondered his answer. 

“With all due respect Tobirama, but I don’t think that’s the best idea. Please let me finish!” She cried as he was ready to interrupt her. Sighing, he motioned for her to continue.

“If you truly have full faith that this treaty and village will prosper, having the clans act as they were just next to each other might be enough for you. But it will not be enough for the more stubborn of both clans, those that are potentially blinded by hatred and pain of the other clan. Those who do not have unwavering support of the alliance, so to speak. It is my opinion that more of an effort of socializing between the clans is necessary for the level of trust needed for a shinobi village.”

“Tell me again, where are you from Sakura? To have this much knowledge about the founding of a shinobi village you must come from a renowned one. What was it?” Tobirama was obviously trying to get a rise out of the kunoichi that apparently only he found so suspicious. Sakura forced down her anger. She had sacrificed so much for Konohagakure, and now she sat here trying to help steer her beloved village in the right direction while the Second Hokage was heckling her. She knew Konohagakure had been the first shinobi village. Breathing deeply, Sakura controlled her thoughts, but again, before she could respond to the frigid man, someone spoke out on her behalf.

“Brother. Enough. Lady Sakura has done nothing but help us. I’ll be the first to admit that when she asked to be involved with peace negotiations, I doubted what she could offer myself. Now,” he looked sheepishly at her, hand scratching the back of his head, “I see that she is going to be invaluable to us going forward. You will show her the proper respect for a Lady. It is not without her that we are here, you will do well to remember that.” Tobirama stilled and nodded his head, looking chastised. Izuna was smirking and basking in the embarrassing moment. Madara subtly elbowed his own brother to make his happiness at the albino’s chiding less obvious. 

“If just continuing life side by side isn’t enough Lady Sakura, what do you suggest we do?” Hashirama looked at her. Sakura pondered that question for a moment. She knew Konoha’s layout from her own time, and the Uchiha and Senju compounds were essentially across the village from one another. She was willing to bet that each clan built their own compound by themselves too. Her emerald eyes shone suddenly as she began to think about what she had to done to build trust with Sasuke and Naruto. Grinning widely at the men, Sakura suggested,

“I think both clans should move into one camp down there,” she gestured to the future Konoha, “and live together while building the village together.”

“That will be much more tedious and inefficient than if both clans were to build their own compounds to immediately move into, and then expand the village.” Tobirama interjected.

“Trust doesn’t happen overnight. Especially if you’ve been at war for generations. Stopping fighting is a great idea on paper. Living peacefully amongst the clan that killed your family? That could be another thing. Give the people a chance to see that both sides are just human, and just were doing the best they could. My old teammates butt heads like nobody else and they annoyed me a lot, but laborious tasks around the village helped make us into an incredible team because of communication and experiences together. As time goes on and other wars start, you can even find yourself reminiscing about the old days of building homes with your old enemy.” Sakura was so sure that helping the clans help trust each other more in the early days would be incredibly beneficial for Konoha’s future. Any sort of peaceful interactions between clans could help. 

“I think Lady Sakura’s advice is sound. I will agree to her proposal of moving both clans here and building the village together.” Hashirama beamed at Madara and her. The black-haired man nodded his head in agreement. 

“So it’s settled. We will found a new shinobi village for our people to live in peace.” A small smile graced his lips while he looked back at Hashirama, then her. 

The five of them talked for hours about the village and potential structures it could have. Sakura took diligent notes so they could remember all of the various ideas. It was still an unnamed village, but Sakura knew it was only a matter of time before her Konohagakure began to take shape. She fondly recalled her own village with a wistful expression on her face while returning to the Uchiha compound with the brothers later that evening. 

“So do you like the location for the village?” Izuna asked her as she landed next to him as they walked to the entrance of the camp from the forest. She looked at him, grimacing as she had hoped her emotional reaction wouldn’t be brought up.

“Yes, well, it reminds me of home. I like that it is so hidden in the leaves.” Sakura said with a mischievous smile. She bowed slightly to the clan leaders.

“Thank you for bringing me today, I deeply appreciate the opportunity. I am going to retire for the evening as I think my medical practice will be more busy in the coming weeks and months.” Sakura rose with an amused glint in her eyes as she walked back to her tent. Izuna and Madara were left to stare at each other before also retiring to bed. 

Sakura focused on preparing the ill and elderly for travel in the coming days. Any boost to their injuries, joints, or chakra systems would be needed to make the trek smoothly. She also oversees her new apprentice’s progress in the medical arts. It is after one such day that Sakura hears the door to her clinic open and she sees Madara step inside and close the door behind him. He looks around the clinic, presumably making sure she was alone. She typically wasn’t here after dinnertime, but she was checking over her stock of herbs, medicines, and supplies. The way his brow was knit together and his jaw was clenched gave Sakura pause.

“Madara, are you alright?” She looked at him with concern evident on her face, giving him a once over to check for obvious injuries. He exhaled slowly before making eye contact with her. When he spoke, his voice was strained.

“You said anyone could come to you with anything, correct?” Sakura was confused, but she immediately agreed with him. He closed his eyes and sighed. Madara looked incredibly torn between a decision, but eventually his resolve crumbled and his body sagged. He looked at her squarely in the eyes and confirmed her fears.

“I sometimes hear a voice in my head. It tells me horrible things, to do horrible things. I don’t know how long I can resist it. To convince myself that it is a false voice.” It was obviously difficult for him to speak of such weakness to her. Sakura meanwhile, was half focused on schooling her physical reaction to his words. Making him feel crazy when coming to her for help was not what she wanted to do, especially when he finally trusted her about Zetsu. Showing her fear was not an option. She slowly sat down and gestured for him to sit across from her. He did.

“Alright. Is it your voice?” He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head no. Thanking Kami that this Madara Uchiha actually seemed like a reasonable person, Sakura continued. 

“Have you always had a voice in your head?” Madara shook his head.

“I think it started several months before you arrived. There might have been moments with it longer ago though, I can’t quite remember…” His low voice rumbled through his chest while answering.

“Are there times when you can tell the voice is around, and times when it is not?” Again, the hesitation before nodding his head. 

“Does meditation and focusing your spiritual and mental stamina help?” Truthfully, Madara had only tried it once or twice, but it seemed to help so he nodded his head. 

“Okay,” Sakura sighed, “when I told you I was knowledgeable about the healing arts, that wasn’t the extent of it. I can help you with this. I promise. This is more than just healing though, and I can’t discuss any more of it without at least Hashirama present when you’re absolutely sure the voice isn’t with you. It might be easier for me to explain to all four of you though. I think the sooner the better. After we move to the village, who knows what will change with it?” Madara was looking at her with suspicion in his eyes.

“You ask much, making me wait. I know I want this village as much as Hashirama, yet there’s something…” He trailed off. Sakura blanched.

“Is there a neutral location that is sheltered we could meet at with the Senju to discuss this? I need their help Madara. I actually need more than their help, but they are the ones that can help me get it. Please. I can help you, but you need to trust me.” Her voice was firm yet gentle. Madara looked at her for a long minute before slowly nodding his head. 

“Less than a day’s journey due southwest there is a small house near the river.” Sakura nodded her head at this.

“Alright. I can send Hashirama a message through my scroll to meet us there when you feel you can call the meeting. In the meantime, I need to prepare.” Sakura’s mind was running a thousand miles a minute thinking of potential plans to deal with Zetsu. All she knew at the moment was that she couldn’t do it alone. Meanwhile, Madara still looked as unsure of himself and the situation as when he walked in. 

**

The pink-haired kunoichi had been a whirlwind of confusion and suspicion for him since she had arrived on the battlefield. How could a random kunoichi of such strength appear from nowhere, and turn out to be an expert in the medical arts? It baffled him. It didn’t help that this damned voice was bloodthirsty for the medic. 

Madara was cognizant enough to realize that she had done an invaluable service to his clan and to him by saving Izuna’s life. He was puzzled that the voice’s reaction to her was so hostile. He knew he wanted the peace he and Hashirama had dreamed of together for well over a decade. And yet the voice was hostile and bloodthirsty thinking of potential sabotage and betrayal at the hands of the Senju. It insisted that Sakura was not to be trusted. It baffled him and made the legendary Uchiha insecure in himself and his leadership abilities. 

When he finally reached out to the skilled kunoichi about his problem, he had been hoping to be more reassured, or perhaps for her to even use her coveted medical chakra. But no. Now, a humiliating meeting will be called with the Senju to discuss his weakness. Surely they will capitalize on it… He was worrying over the potential ramifications of this pointless meeting when she rose from her seat and crouched in front of him, grabbing one of his calloused hands that dwarfed her own. She peered up at him with emerald eyes that were glittering with determination and other unidentifiable emotions.

“I swear to you, Madara Uchiha. You are not crazy, this voice is real, and I will help you get rid of it. I swear that on my life. I know what it is and I need help to succeed. Help we do not have yet, and I need to share my reasons for asking for help with the right people. I will prepare for this meeting, and I just need you to trust me, and trust the process.” He held their eye contact, scanning the contents of her soul for any sign of deception. All he saw was unwavering faith, that was again unwarranted. He nodded slowly and forcibly stilled the stirring anxiety in his chest.

**

Sakura prepared privacy seals to the best of her ability to prepare for the meeting to discuss why she needed either the Senju’s help or the Uzumaki’s. She couldn’t risk Zetsu overhearing critical information. Finally, the day came when Madara said it was the best possible day for the meeting. Immediately, Sakura sent the Senju a message through her scroll, and told Madara to gather his brother and meet her at the shack. She set out from the compound to hopefully beat everyone there. 

She wasn’t made to wait long, as Madara and Izuna arrived within thirty minutes of her arrival. She encouraged Madara to meditate while they waited for the Senju to arrive. Izuna had asked her what was going on, but she waved her hand at him, waiting for the others. A couple hours later, Hashirama and Tobirama let themselves into the shack. Sakura gestured for them to sit down across from the Uchiha brothers, which they did. Rising from her seat at the head of the table, she showed the group of men the shuriken she had prepared with her privacy seals.

“These seals will ensure this conversation is not overheard.” She explained while activating and throwing one to every wall, and one to both the ceiling and floor. Tobirama snorted.

“Paranoid, are you?” She returned to her seat and glared at him with every fiber of frustration in her body. 

“Listen up. I need help, urgently. But I need to explain to you why I need help. It is a long and complex story and I will do my best to give only the necessary details. I do not speak of my past lightly. In fact, I would have preferred to have kept it a secret forever. I will not tolerate any interruptions. If you cannot handle this, then leave.” She leaked some killing intent and stared at Tobirama for a moment before looking at the other men present. No one hesitated or refused her terms. The albino raised an eyebrow at her display and tilted his head as if motioning for her to proceed. Sakura sighed and collected her thoughts. Deciding to dive right in, she looked at the Senju brothers.

“I know you’re thinking about asking the Uzumaki for financial help with the village. If you haven’t discussed it yet, you will soon. I need Mito Uzumaki’s help to make one of the most intricate seals ever.” Hashirama was staring at her like she suddenly spoke an entirely new language while swimming through the air. Tobirama was rapidly getting angry.

“I told you she is a spy!” He exploded out of his seat. Sakura flash-stepped behind him and grabbed his arm. He could not dislodge her. She smiled sweetly at him before tightening her grip. His bones creaked. 

“Sit down before I make you and listen. I will not warn you again, Lord Second.” At the unfamiliar title, everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions, Tobirama most of all. 

“I think you should start from the beginning.” Hashirama ventured hesitantly.

“My pleasure. I needed you to know my goal though before I get into it.” Sakura released Tobirama and sat back down at her seat. The Uchiha brothers had remained silent since her warning, and both looked curious to learn her reasoning for the meeting. 

“My thought was that if I had to share my past, I was hoping to share it with you all later, when it would make more sense. But the sooner I get Mito Uzumaki’s help, the sooner the village can prosper. I want nothing more than that. My full name is Sakura Haruno, and I was born and raised in a shinobi village named Konohagakure no Sato in the Land of Fire.” She looked at the men for a moment as the name of her village sank in. Madara’s black eyes were wide as her’s met his. She nodded slowly at him, gesturing for him to speak.

“The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was the name I was going to suggest for our village when we moved to the location together with our clans.” He spoke slowly. 

“Konohagakure no Sato is the name of the village founded by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, and the leader of the village is named the Hokage. I called Tobirama Lord Second because he is the second Hokage in my time. I am the apprentice of the fifth Hokage. My comrades and I were fighting in a world war against a dreadful opponent, who ended up being too strong for all the combined forces of every shinobi across the Elemental Nations.” She showed them her old headband, emblazoned with “忍”.Tobirama still looked like he did not believe her words, whereas Hashirama and Izuna had wide eyes and stared at her headband. Madara sat still as a statue while he listened to her words. Flashes of Zetsu clones cutting down hoards of allies made her pale, and fight her body against shaking. She put away her headband to keep her hands busy.

“I don’t know the outcome of the war, because I was sent back in time to before our opponent grew too strong to beat. The fact that I was sent back so far… We had so much power, and yet we couldn’t do anything… Everyone is probably…” Sakura trailed off, choking up, remembering a particularly devastating combination of space-distorting jutsu by Zetsu and lethal fire jutsu by Madara. She shivered and couldn’t hide the fear in her eyes when she looked at the Uchiha clan head. She couldn’t stop the shaking now. Kakashi, Tenten, Hinata, Choji, Kotetsu, Izumo, Genma, Temari… Tsunade. So many allies had been cut down. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, and before she knew it she was looking into the face of Sasuke Uchiha while she held a kunai to his throat with a snarl on her face.

“Sasuke?” Sakura gasped before she blinked and really looked at him. Not Sasuke, but Izuna Uchiha. She withdrew her weapon from him, horrified.

“I’m sorry. I was remembering… Anyways. It lives in the earth and spies on people to gather information, and to manipulate people. That is the reason for the privacy seals I put up. Outside of this room in this conversation, you should never refer to it or hint about it out loud for any reason. Honestly, writing and signing shouldn't be done either. At all. What happened to cause the circumstances of my past is unnecessary information. What I need Mito’s help with is sealing this creature away so it cannot whisper its vile hatred and lies into anyone’s hearts anymore.” She spat. Madara stiffened as if electrocuted. Hateful whispers…

“You knew me before you saved Izuna, didn’t you?” She cringed and looked down at the dusty table.

“I actually fought you. My target is trying to manipulate you, Madara. I was sent back to stop him, but I need a fuinjutsu master’s help. Just the fact that we’ve had this conversation is likely to anger him.” She looked back to the Senju brothers desperately. 

“You have spun a fantastical tale, kunoichi, but there is no way we can believe you.” Sakura sat there, mouth agape staring at Tobirama. Hashirama was turning to face his brother with a look of genuine anger on his face when Sakura’s face lit up.

“Oh, there’s no way, is there? Tell me Tobirama, you create new jutsu, yes?” The Senju brothers froze, and both looked at her.

“Have you been working on a way to expand on and refine the clone jutsu?” Tobirama could not get more still as he sat frozen staring at the pink-haired woman.

“Allow me to demonstrate a forbidden technique from my village, courtesy of the Nidaime himself,” she stood and bowed slightly to the albino. Sakura then performed the multi-shadow clone jutsu and three Sakuras stood staring down at the men. The three clones ran around the room and lightly hit every man to prove that they were solid before poofing themselves out of existence with looks of annoyance. Tobirama’s eyebrow twitched, while Hashirama’s eyes were bugging out. Izuna was shocked too, and only Madara looked impressed.

“There are more jutsu you created, but preferably we can talk about why some of those are not a good idea at a later time. Is that the proof you needed? I can try my best to remember village history, particularly the Senju’s for you, but honestly, that’s a waste of time. Either you believe me or you don’t at this point.” She shrugged. There wasn’t much she could do to convince them of her sincerity aside from them sensing her chakra.

“Wait, aren’t you a sensor? Like the best one in the world? You can tell if I’m lying! I’m ignoring you now!” Sakura angrily shouted at Tobirama before continuing her explanation. Hashirama barked a laugh at his brother’s shocked face before focusing back on the kunoichi.

“If all of the Kage of my time, all of those country’s shinobi, and two divinely-touched shinobi can’t defeat my target, we in this time cannot defeat my target. The only way to get rid of him is a seal then, and I do not know enough fuinjutsu for that alone. Does the Senju clan?” She looked at Hashirama with a questioning gaze. He glanced at Tobirama whose face only minutely changed in neutrality before looking back at Sakura.

“The Senju clan would likely have to consult with the Uzumaki clan for a seal of the complexity and calibre you are describing. You were correct, Lady Sakura, in that we were thinking of asking the Uzumaki for assistance with getting the village on its feet instead of the daimyo. Once we are settled there and construction is underway, I will send a message to them and ask for their assistance and a meeting here with them. I cannot guarantee that they will accept, but I will mention needing help with a seal. Knowing what I know of Mito, that will be enough.” He said with a smile lighting up his soft brown eyes.

“Why would a seal work now but not in your own time?” Tobirama cut in. Sakura did not hide her irritation when she looked back at the pale man.

“Because, now we have some idea what we’re fighting because I watched everything I love die. Now I will not be blindsided.” Sakura’s voice was strong and unwavering. 

“I believe your tale. Can I refer to your time outside of these walls?” Izuna asked her curiously. Sakura hesitated.

“If you are vague in asking me about my home, yes. Otherwise, no. The risk is too great that my target will hear something dangerous.” Izuna nodded gravely. 

“So you can help me. Just not yet.” Madara looked at her with a carefully composed neutral expression. She smiled sadly at him.

“Yes, I’m sorry. If I were to perform a protective jutsu against him for you, it would alert him that we know of his presence and intentions. He still may find out regardless, if he truly does enter your mind. You must be strong, Madara, and endure. I am here to support you through this. I will do anything for my village. Konoha may not exist yet, but my Will of Fire has never faltered. Saving you is the same as saving it in my eyes now.” She spoke with unflinching loyalty in her voice. The Senju brothers looked at each other when she mentioned the Will of Fire. Hashirama hadn’t shared with them his personal philosophy for the village yet. Madara nodded slowly. She looked at all the men gathered.

“This stays between us five. Do not tell anyone else about my history. Do NOT mention time travel. The most you may share is that I am not from around here, and instead traveled far to get to the Land of Fire. My village was destroyed, several times in fact, so that is not a lie.” Everyone winced hearing that their village had suffered so much. 

“Do you have any questions before we’re done here?” Before she could even look at each of them, Tobirama interjected.

“What happened to the Senju clan? You said Konoha had been destroyed several times, and multiple wars.” Sakura’s willingness to share information vanished.

“I will not share information that could be more harmful than beneficial. Knowledge of the clans’ futures is mostly irrelevant, and potentially dangerous. Rest assured though, that any suggestions I make for the village are rooted in experience and foreknowledge. Especially if I give advice regarding the clans.” She stared back at Tobirama, who scowled hearing that. Before she could call the meeting to a close, Izuna asked her a question.

“Are the Haruno great shinobi then?” Sakura blinked.

“I wasn’t lying the last time I was asked about a clan. I do not come from a clan of shinobi. At best, my family are traveling merchants. I was trained to be a shinobi in an Academy for children by my own choice.” Madara’s expression softened hearing that. 

“Your skill and chakra control are even more impressive knowing that.” Hashirama told her. She bristled slightly at civilians being underestimated compared to clan members. It reminded her of her Academy day bullying. Reigning in her reaction, she smiled at him.

“Thank you. If that’s all, we’re done here. Please get Mito Uzumaki to Konoha right away.” Sakura told the Senju brothers before rising and leaving the shack. The Uchiha brothers followed her out and back to their compound.

Chapter Text

A short week later saw the Uchiha clan moving to their new home. They would set up camp there and start building their compound. It took them several days of travel to accommodate the slower members of the clan: the elderly, ill people, and pregnant women. Once they arrived, they saw the Senju clan setting up their own camp.

Both clans obviously knew about the peace treaty and village arrangements, but seeing their long-time enemies so close without hostility put many members of both clans on edge. Sensing the atmosphere, Madara walked over to Hashirama and started setting up his tent a short distance away. The long-haired Senju smiled brightly at Madara. The wordless message both clan leaders sent was understood by both clans. The Uchiha started setting up their camp to the free side of Madara. 

Sakura was quick to set up her tent a short ways into the Uchiha encampment. She then moved to a free space a distance from the clan heads, equidistant from both clans to set up the large tent she had been given for the temporary field hospital. 

Shortly after she began constructing the tent, Megumi came up to assist her. Silently, the kunoichi worked in tandem to set up the tent. Then, they went inside and began unpacking their supplies. From herbs and medicines to furniture. After a couple hours of work, the women were done and sat down. Sakura smiled at her apprentice.

“Thank you for helping me.” It was the first conversation they had made aside from directions for how something should be set up.

“It is my honor to assist you however I can, Lady Sakura.” Megumi deeply bowed her head. Sakura’s smile faded a bit.

“I’ve obviously been too distracted. What have I told you about acting like a demure lady around me? Or anyone for that matter?” Megumi paled.

“Y-you don’t mean…” The Uchiha started. Sakura beamed at her.

“You bet I do. Let’s go start combat training! You’re my apprentice, and I am the best medic in the world. I will bow to no man, as I am their equal. You are their equal too, even if you aren’t mine yet.” Sakura smirked and led the woman away. 

It bothered Sakura somewhat to act like Tsunade had acted with her at the beginning of her training, but she found now that she understood her mentor. A meek medic could not exist. One had to be comfortable barking orders and demanding other people to act. A medic should always be capable of being a leader, especially in emergencies and that requires confidence. 

**

Madara had sent Izuna to supervise Megumi and Sakura shortly after he had given the women permission to leave camp a distance to train. When he had asked his older brother why they had to travel so far to train, Madara had told him apparently Sakura’s kind of training was destructive and she wanted to be away from the village. That is why Izuna followed them, sharingan active.

When they had traveled far enough away that Sakura had deemed it acceptable, she turned around to face the Uchiha woman. She smiled at Megumi somewhat sadly. 

“I am sorry for this. I only have my own experience as an apprentice to draw on, and I guess my master’s training worked well enough. The number one rule of medics is to dodge! You cannot save your teammates if you are injured yourself, or dead!” Izuna saw a massive collection of chakra collect in Sakura’s fist as she charged the other woman. Megumi barely had time to dodge, and Sakura’s fist collided with the tree that was behind the woman. It exploded. Both Uchiha’s eyes widened at that. Megumi focused on Sakura’s movements. 

Izuna watched Sakura’s chakra. Every time she connected with Megumi, the moment before impact she reabsorbed most of her chakra. Her hits surely hurt, if Megumi’s bruising was anything to go by. But she made sure to not kill her or grievously injure her. After an hour of being beaten around by Sakura, Megumi was minorly injured all over, and was sporting a broken arm and quite a limp. Izuna left his post of observing thoroughly impressed with their medic. Madara would be interested to hear what he had seen.

**

Sakura called that their training was over, and flash stepped to Megumi’s side. She sent in diagnostic chakra and began healing the broken arm, strained ACL, and some bruising on her internal organs. Sakura cringed seeing that, she had tried her best to not punch Megumi too hard. Sakura hesitated before healing Megumi’s bruising.

“Normally I would leave bruises to heal naturally to save chakra and to allow the body’s healing response to not be wasted in the form of excess swelling. However, you’re black and blue…” Sakura trailed off, looking her over.

“I will heal your face and hands.” She decided, and quickly set to work.

“Thank you, Lady Sakura. I promise to do better than today in the future.” Megumi grimaced at the state of her dodging abilities. Sakura huffed a laugh.

“Hey, you did better than me when I started. I had a broken nose and ribs, and fractured many other bones. You did good! I’m sure next time you’ll do better. I won’t hold back as much next time.” Sakura grinned, and Megumi gulped.

**

Most of Sakura’s time after the clans set up their camps was not used helping build the village, but instead healing all the injuries from construction accidents. She would instruct Megumi at the very beginning of their day, and sometimes let the budding medic assist in minor healings, and watch the major ones. The Uchiha was progressing quite nicely. Otherwise, Sakura was left to run the clinic as she saw fit. Several Senju healers were sent to help as soon as the makeshift clinic was functional, but it was quickly apparent that their healing abilities extended to chakra-enabled first aid. They had some knowledge of several varieties of poisons, but none that were new to Sakura. The Senju healers graciously accepted that Sakura was far more knowledgeable and experienced with the medical arts than them, and gave her control over the two clans' health. The clinic progressed quickly as a result. All the medics she oversaw got hands-on training daily with construction accidents.

The clan compounds progressed more rapidly than anyone anticipated, and when she ran into Izuna at lunch one day, he mentioned to her that he believed it was because she was there to make sure all injuries were healed, and so they always had all able bodies working. Sakura had of course denied that, but was blushing furiously. She liked to hope that her idea of having the clans work side by side was helping matters, and seeing Madara and Hashirama act like true friends with each other surely didn’t hurt anything either. 

When Sakura asked Izuna about Madara and how he was doing, it was apparent to her just from his immediate expression that things were not as good as she had hoped. She wondered if she was actually adept at reading Izuna, or if she had tried for so long to connect with Sasuke that she conflated the two.

“I’m very worried actually,” he lowered his voice and leaned towards Sakura, “it seems that the Senju anger it, and he has been spending much time with the Uchiha clan and not working together like the rest of us in the past several days. I am worried that the Uchiha will continue to seem like a stand-offish bunch.” Izuna was deeply concerned about the clan’s image in the village. Sakura could see why he was concerned about that, and more than that, she knew the consequences of the Uchiha being perceived as separate from the rest. Sakura frowned deeply and looked up at Izuna's face.

“It is quite serious then. We need to talk to Hashirama, now.” He scanned her face before nodding.

“I would like to know the reason behind the urgency at your soonest convenience, please.” Startled, she glanced at him. She could tell that it was not her friend asking this of her, but the Uchiha clan heir, and one that expected to be listened to. She nodded to him.

“Very well.” Together, Sakura and Izuna made their way to the building that had been functioning as an office space for the four founding men, and their support staff as they built and ran the village. Entering the building, the pair knocked on Hashirama’s office door. A deep voice called ‘Enter!’ so they did. Inside they found Tobirama and Hashirama looking over some papers. Hashirama’s face lightened when he saw her, and Tobirama’s eyes almost weren’t noticeable in their narrowing. 

“Sakura and Izuna! What can I help you with today?” He beamed up at her, while Sakura did her best to not grimace at his enthusiasm. 

“I need Mito Uzumaki’s help as soon as physically possible.” She said evenly. 

“We know that. Why come to repeat your request?” Tobirama inquired. Sakura could not contain her frustration with the Second Hokage. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed for twenty seconds before looking back at the men. Hashirama looked concerned for her, while Tobirama maintained his forever skeptical facade. 

“Izuna, could you tell them what you told me over lunch please?” Sakura looked at the Uchiha for the first time since entering the office, and he stared at her for a moment before repeating his concerns. Tobirama scoffed.

“Even if Madara were helping around the village, that perception of the Uchiha will never change.” Sakura recoiled from him as if slapped. To have the Second Hokage say such things about a founding clan… It was then that Sakura remembered that Tobirama had been Danzo’s sensei. Sakura’s knees went weak and she stumbled into a chair. Izuna looked torn between helping her and fighting Tobirama. He stayed close to her. Having decided to give Tobirama a piece of her mind, she looked at Hashirama.

“Are you expecting any more important meetings or news for the day?” He shook his head at her slowly. Nodding more to herself than him, she summoned one shadow clone.

“Lord Hashirama is in a very important meeting, he cannot be interrupted now.” She said sternly to her clone and motioned to the door. The clone nodded and stepped outside to guard the door. Again, Sakura produced and activated six shuriken to place privacy seals along the walls, ceiling, and floor. 

“One of the village leaders should never speak so poorly upon a fellow villager, let alone a fellow founding clan. I am disgusted right now, Lord Hokage. Your own prejudice against the Uchiha clan carried on into my era, maybe 70 or 80 years from now. Do you understand what that means?” She rose and looked around at everyone, tearing up as she was caught up in her ranting. Hashirama had an incredibly serious expression on his face, one she had never seen. Izuna was listening with rapt attention, and Tobirama was slightly cringing away from the petite woman.

“You–” she jabbed Tobirama’s chest, “Tobirama Senju had a hand in the massacre of the entire Uchiha clan! You don’t get to push them off to the side as if they don’t matter! The Uchiha may be more reserved than the Senju, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel just as deeply.” It was Sakura’s turn to scoff at Tobirama.

“Like you could understand the feelings of a clan whose entire kekkei genkai is based deeply in emotion.” Sakura paused to breathe for a moment. Izuna looked about to ask her a question so she quickly finished.

“But we can’t just go tell people that, now can we? So how else do we help alleviate the feeling that the Uchiha don’t care? This is serious, Hashirama. Madara can’t just keep hiding away in the Uchiha compound. I mean, he should if that’s what helps keep my target at bay. But this has political ramifications for this village beyond the scope of your understanding. I NEED Mito’s help as soon as possible, please. I am begging you.” Sakura bowed with the full respect necessary for a Hokage. No one spoke for a minute. Sakura rose and looked at the men.

“Sakura…” Izuna looked absolutely stunned by what she said.

“Tell me about my clan.” He said this with a pleading voice. Hearing him talk about his clan with grief in his voice was too much for Sakura. She couldn’t stop seeing Sasuke. Sakura started silently crying. 

“I can’t say much,” she swallowed to prevent her voice from cracking, “but a villager who already didn’t like the Uchiha clan became a student of Tobirama,” she glared at him here, “and then felt justified in his hatred. Many years later at an opportune political moment that he orchestrated, he ordered the execution of the whole clan over a fake coup d-etat. Everyone was massacred, except my teammate Sasuke.” There was a beat of silence as the group recoiled from her words.

“And why was your teammate spared, Sakura? Do you know?” Hashirama’s voice was quiet as he asked her.

“Because,” her voice finally cracked, “the killer was another Uchiha who was family to him who was trying to stop the violence. But even he wasn’t given the truth of the matter when ordered to do this, nor when he was a spy for the Hokage to try to de-escalate the situation. This student of Tobirama's wanted the Uchiha gone, and he wanted the Sharingan. And he played with the emotions of family and loyal Konohagakure shinobi to get his way. Do you understand now, Tobirama?” She glared at him while wiping her face.

“Your continued disdain for the Uchiha will eventually be noticeable to the villagers and have lasting consequences. You cannot continue to dehumanize them, because then they become nothing but doujutsu fodder to the worst people.” She suddenly looked to Izuna, who had stood motionless since she started explaining.

“I’m so sorry, I probably could have had more tact,” she rubbed the back of her head, “but I just needed to get someone to get the point.” Again, she glared at Tobirama. She never would have guessed that the Second Hokage would rub her the wrong way so much.

“It’s alright. I should have known the answer would be unpleasant, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so… grisly.” Izuna winced. “Your teammate being the last Uchiha explains why you know so much about the Sharingan. Please do keep what you know of the rest of it private. We don’t need to give away all of our jutsu now.” Sakura nodded slowly. The Mangekyo would be kept private, and she agreed. It was a dangerous amount of power, and she believed no one had it in this time, as Izuna was alive so Madara’s sharingan wouldn’t have evolved. There was no reason for that tidbit to be public knowledge.

“Well Sakura, I was actually thinking about sending out a message to the Uzumaki soon. I will write one today and send Tobirama to deliver it tomorrow. No one is faster, and that way will almost guarantee that an entourage does come!” Hashirama broke Sakura’s reverie with a brilliant idea. When she looked at him he was beaming at her, and she returned the grin. 

“But Brother!” Tobirama protested. Hashirama waved his hand at Tobirama as his smile immediately vanished.

“No, you listen to me Brother. We agreed after Sakura mentioned the Will of Fire that that proved her story, yet you continue to be obstinate. The fact that what she says mirrors what I have been telling you solidifies it even more. And given that I believe her story of time travel, I believe her story of the tragedy of the Uchiha clan. And I believe that your persistence about the Uchiha clan directly played a role, even if it was after your time. So I want you to go to Uzushio to get Mito here immediately and seriously think about your priorities and about the village. Because getting rid of the borders of clan is the express goal here, and if you stick to your prejudices you will have to consider if Konoha is the right place for you. As Lady Sakura said, we cannot have village leaders acting in such an undignified manner.” Hashirama had never chastised Tobirama like this. The albino’s posture went rigid under the weight of his older brother’s words. The atmosphere in the room was stifling. Sakura scarcely breathed lest she make too much noise. She now understood how such a goofy man could be such a great Hokage. Hashirama had a stone-cold serious side to him that only came out when necessary. His warm brown eyes met hers.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. As I said, I will send the message requesting Mito’s assistance and a meeting with the Uzumaki here tomorrow. With Tobirama delivering the message, we might be able to expect the Uzumaki in about a month.” She nodded her head and understood that as a dismissal. She grabbed Izuna’s arm and left the Senju brothers to sort themselves out. Izuna numbly followed her. Sakura led him to her newly finished house that she had moved into two days ago. 

Once there, she set up more privacy seals. She sat Izuna down on one of the cushions she had been given by the Uchiha clan. He looked up at her with a hopeless expression on his face.

“My clan… massacred. Will you tell me more?” He looked at her pleadingly. Sakura sighed.

“I can’t share much. That student of Tobirama’s… he is a menace. If he’s not born yet, he will be quite soon and will come to the village with his clan, as more and more clans will join the alliance and make Konoha grow into a wonderful place. I was hoping that my suggestions about the leadership and the infrastructure of the military could help mitigate the problems my time had before they begin.” Izuna nodded and sat back while he processed her words. 

“Alright. I have another question for you,” Sakura gestured for him to continue, “Why did you really save me that day?” She stilled under the watchful gaze of Izuna. It was obvious that he had been wanting to ask her this for a while, and he attempted to on the day where both clans approached her. But now he knew so much more about her and her circumstances.

“Izuna, you are the only one of the four of you that I had not met before. That is because you died before the village could exist. That broke Madara's spirit in my time, and his grief coupled with his skills, Mangekyo, and finally my target’s powers and influence turned him into the world’s most deadly threat. Any progression with my target is of concern, because this is all new territory to me and I do not know what will happen. Even the future of the village is unknown now. I only know what happened in my time to draw my opinions.”

“Why Madara?” Izuna asked her quietly after several moments of silence. One of the only questions Sakura didn’t know how to answer was of course what he asked her now. Sakura stilled while she thought about how to approach his question.

“I will not explain more than this, so listen well. It also goes without saying that everything we have discussed stays between us two, yes?” Izuna nodded his head.

“Alright. When I mentioned the war in my time and about the forces we had working together against my target, I mentioned two divinely touched shinobi. There were more than that, but only two exist in this time now. Hashirama and Madara. The being that blessed Madara is vulnerable to my target’s manipulations, and thus he is too. That is all I will explain. Madara cannot hear about this, because my target enters his mind and we cannot let him know what we know.”

“Of course, I understand. Thank you for sharing more. I will do everything I can to help you, and to help the village succeed. I just… if the path we are on leads to my clan's demise, is it the right one?" He looked so lost as he wondered. Sakura's heart was heavy as she pondered her answer. 

"I can't speak about the future now that I've changed so much, but I do know that I will do everything I can to protect Konoha, particularly the Uchiha. I've witnessed their suffering because of petty prejudices, and now that I have a chance to fix things, I will do my best to. The reason you are now burdened with my knowledge is because I can't do it alone. I'm sorry to share my own burden with you." Sakura truly believed that knowledge of an uncertain future would be detrimental to the psyche of anyone, let alone someone close to the heart of Indra and Asura's dramas.

“But I will do everything to prevent the realities I faced. All of them. I promise.” Izuna reluctantly looked at her and nodded. 

“I haven’t been as visible as clan heir in the village as I should have been. I’ll make up for that, and Madara while he can’t.” Sakura warmed hearing that and knowing that Izuna was steadfastly with her regarding Zetsu. She smiled at him.

“I’m sure that will help. Anything will. We’re going to deal with the problem. It won’t get nearly as bad as if we didn’t deal with it. Mito will help us.” Sakura assured Izuna.

“Also, will you let Madara know that we are working on it? He seems to be avoiding me.” Izuna sighed and nodded.

“I’ll tell him what I think he can know.” 

–

The month wait for the Uzumaki went quickly for Sakura. Tobirama wasn’t around to annoy her with his ridiculous comments. Izuna was making enough of a presence around the village that she heard vaguely nice comments about him in the hospital that was still being built. The village was expanding quickly now that everyone had comfortable dwelling spaces to recharge in. The eventual Hokage Tower was under construction at the base of the mountain, and additional housing and commercial buildings were going up. Sakura’s heart swelled seeing Konoha come to life around her.

The month was not without some annoyance though, as Hashirama had informed her that he had invited the Uzumaki to a festival to celebrate the founding of Konoha. So Sakura flitted between working in the hospital and talking with various cooks, musicians, and shinobi to provide food and entertainment because somehow, she had been roped into helping Hashirama.

A small number of civilians had migrated to Konoha, after hearing a rumor of a strong village that desires peace. There would be several different merchant carts at the festival also. Sakura was starting to look forward to the silly event, even if she was sure meeting Mito would be a whirlwind already. 

She also tried very hard to ignore how many days it took Madara to ‘recover’ from helping Hashirama with village work. He avoided Sakura like the plague. Izuna meanwhile, would seek her out for tea to chat about the progress of the village, and how her presence was impacting everything for the better. The flattery was appreciated, if a bit much at times. Sometimes, Sakura became disheartened with her mission back in the past. Surely time worked the same, so months, close to half a year had passed since the final battle with Zetsu so surely everyone was dead. So hearing that her presence was appreciated helped soothe her pain. 

–

When Hashirama received word that his estimate of time for the arrival of the Uzumaki was accurate when they were a week out, decorations for the festival started going up. In the middle of the dry season of summer, it was unlikely they would be ruined by weather in the upcoming days. 

Finally, the Uzumaki entourage and Tobirama arrived at the village. Everyone had decided that it would be best for Sakura to be called in to meet Mito at a later time. When they arrived, Hashirama and Izuna would be greeting them, with the excuse that Madara was ill at the present moment. 

“Hashirama!” Mito called from her spot at the front, leading the group. “You didn’t have to bribe me with a seal to get me out here.” She smiled widely at him.

“Just seeing your new village alone would have been worth the trek, but the additional opportunity to help with an urgent seal doesn’t happen often. Why don’t we discuss that over a meal? I must say I find myself in need of refreshment.” Hashirama smiled softly down at Mito before his expression hardened as he looked at Tobirama.

“Welcome back Brother. I’m sure you’ll let me know if you found your trip enlightening. Otherwise, I’m sure you’ll be happy to grab some onigiri for us and join us in my office. I’m sure this will be a long conversation,” the Senju leader looked at Izuna, “would you mind getting Sakura please?” Finally, he looked back down to Mito.

“I would love nothing more than to discuss this over a meal somewhere, but this is a serious matter. I apologize for diving into it right away, but I think the sooner the better. Lady Sakura is a villager that has much knowledge about this, and will be helpful moving forward. I expect meeting her will be quite the experience though.” Hashirama worked very hard to not glance at the seal on Mito’s forehead. Now he understood why Sakura had insisted that she be brought in to meet the Uzumaki. The last time he had seen Mito she had not had that seal. The redhead slowly nodded, looking a bit perplexed. 

“I’m sure you will make yourself clear, Hashirama. Lead the way.” Mito stepped into the village with various elders trailing her, and the men split up on their respective tasks.

Chapter Text

When Izuna brought her to Hokage Tower after she was certain the Uzumaki had already arrived, her heart was aflutter. They passed several older people bearing the Uzumaki crest, all of which stared at her seal as she passed. She was already so anxious to meet Mito, Tsunade’s grandmother. She was nervous about the woman’s reaction to her byakugou seal. Once outside Hashirama’s office, Sakura sensed both Senju brothers, and a vast unknown chakra that could only be Mito. Sakura took a deep breath, then entered the room with Izuna. Tobirama was standing behind Hashirama, who sat at his desk across from the Uzumaki.

Upon their entrance, the polite conversation happening in the office stopped as their guest turned to see the newcomer. Mito’s smile vanished when her eyes landed on the byakugou seal. Her black eyes shot back to Hashirama. After a miniscule nod from him, Mito rose and greeted Sakura.

“Hello, you must be the Lady Sakura that Hashirama has told me a little about.” It was obvious that Mito had training to deal with negotiation, as her decorum was unfazed by her little startle about the seal. Sakura on the other hand, was fighting to maintain any semblance of the correct expression.

“Yes Lady Mito, my name is Sakura Haruno. Since we’re all here, I assume you want to know more about the seal Hashirama mentioned needing help with,” when Mito nodded, Sakura withdrew her usual six shuriken with new privacy seals attached. Mito's black eyes widened ever so slightly at her motion.

“I’m going to put up privacy seals to discuss this matter. If you would like, feel free to look over the sealwork to confirm.” Sakura offered a shuriken to the redhead, who slowly took it to study the seal. She hummed after a beat.

“This could be improved, but it is indeed a privacy seal.” She handed the shuriken back to Sakura, who activated all six and threw them to their respective locations. Sakura sighed once she felt the jutsu activate. She looked at Mito and smiled slightly.

“Alright. Do you want the story first or do you want to know about my seal?” She ended her question with a gesture to her forehead. It was Mito’s turn to sigh as she sat back in the chair across from Hashirama’s desk. Mito reached for the cup of tea Hashirama had prepared for her. Sakura tentatively followed to the chair next to Mito’s. 

“I’m dying to know how you know that seal. Where did you learn it?” Sakura closed her eyes. Where to even start with her answer? Opening her eyes once again, she again decided to just dive right into her dilemma.

“Alright. Well. I learned it from your granddaughter, Mito. She was my master, and the fifth leader of this village,” Mito did not look like she believed Sakura, so she quickly kept talking, “I was displaced through time by a powerful seal with the express goal of stopping an evil entity. That entity is ramping up with its manipulations of people and I need help stopping it. I would like to humbly ask for your assistance, Lady Mito, as your sealing skills are legendary. If anyone can help, it would be you.” Sakura inclined her head to Mito as she spoke. There was a beat of silence as the Uzumaki digested her words.

“There have been many instances where Lady Sakura has provided knowledge or advice that could be gotten from no other source than a prior knowledge of it,” Hashirama was quick to supply, “I fully believe her story.” With Hashirama’s support, Mito’s lips became less down-turned, and her expression more contemplative. 

“She has too much knowledge about the Sharingan for a non-Uchiha. According to her, an Uchiha member was her teammate. I also believe her, as does Madara.” Izuna offered up also. Mito looked to Tobirama expectantly. When the pale man realized everyone was, he grimaced.

“I have found that Lady Sakura acts with the best interests of Konohagakure in mind, and her knowledge about the inner-workings of the village suggests that her story is believable.” That was the closest admission that Sakura would get that the albino had judged her harshly and quickly. Mito looked at Sakura, eyes lingering on her seal once more.

“Alright. Start from the beginning.” Sakura told Mito about the Fourth Shinobi War, about the sheer power that their opponent wielded against them. She told Mito about the seals that Zetsu had used to displace opponents in time, and how Naruto had manipulated one of them before tossing her back to fix it. Sakura made sure to emphasize that she did not know the seal or how Naruto altered it. She told Mito about how Zetsu would make a perfect soldier out of Madara without their help. She explained how fatal injuries wouldn’t faze their target at all.

“I need to extract him from Madara and then seal him away. Or a seal that will paralyze him, and then seal him away.” Mito’s lips were pursed, and she hadn’t moved through Sakura’s explanation. Finally, the noblewoman looked at Sakura.

“What do you know of your target’s origins?” Sakura thought deeply, back to what Sasuke had explained to her in a frenzied manner as they fled the temple after her boys finished conversing with the Sage of Six Paths. Sakura put her face in her hands as she thought back. Finally, Sakura jolted as she remembered, and giggled. She got incredulous looks for that.

“Sorry. I just know that I am going to sound ridiculous. What do you know of the Mother of Chakra?” There was a beat of silence before a flat ‘What.’ made itself known from Tobirama.

“I told you I would sound ridiculous.” So Sakura explained the history of Kaguya.

“As I understand it, my target is her will to get resurrected, as a sort of fake person.” Everyone was staring at her with different expressions of shock or disbelief.

“Lady Sakura, you did not mention fighting a goddess.” Hashirama swiped his hands across his face as he settled back into his chair. Tobirama muttered something that strangely sounded like ‘even more unbelievable than last time’.

“Look Tobirama, I know it’s a lot. Complain after the sealing if it doesn’t do anything and say I’m a fraud then. Honestly, if that happens you may kill me then too. Until then, please shut up. And technically, I was sent back in time before we fought the fully resurrected Kaguya, so I didn’t fight a goddess.” Sakura smiled sweetly at him, and he started sulking again in his corner.

“Tell me about your seal now.” Mito said and immediately Sakura focused back in. She explained the process of storing chakra into a chakra point for several years and having the seal form itself while on a stressful mission. She studied Yin release to form it just so she personally understood it, but no fuinjutsu was involved. Mito blinked after hearing her explanation.

“Well that explains it. It's not the same seal. If my granddaughter is the one who taught you it, it’s likely she’s not full-blooded Uzumaki enough to have the same chakra stores…” Mito trailed off in thought. Sakura was shocked. She had no idea that her seal was not the same as Mito’s. How had Tsunade figured it out?

“My seal is a deep well that passively collects my excess chakra and stores it. In doing so, it stabilizes my chakra system and allows me greater control over my spiritual energy. Much intricate fuinjutsu went into it. The differences in our seals, to be almost identical functionally, is fascinating.” Sakura was also fascinated to hear that.

“That makes sense. My master and I both have to actively store chakra in our reserves for years before it is full. Although, the more I use my reserves the easier it is to refill and slightly expand them.” Sakura explained. Mito was intently listening. Once Sakura finished, she sat back and looked at the pink-haired woman.

“There is one way you can convince me that your tale is true. Tell me who the grandfather of your master was.” Mito looked at her expectantly, while Sakura’s heart stopped. She really didn’t want to force anything to happen in this time with her influence aside from necessary changes to the village. If Mito and Hashirama hadn’t discussed anything yet, this could be very forward. But she couldn't stop her eyes from glancing at Hashirama before focusing back in her lap. She missed Mito grinning.

“That answers that. My clan sent me here with a marriage proposal between our clans to justify the financial backing of this village. That marriage proposal is for Hashirama, to be wed to me.” The redhead was now looking at the village leader, who was sitting mouth agape staring at her as if seeing her for the first time.

“I… Well,” Hashirama slowly burst into a broad smile, “I would be honored, Lady Mito, to have such a strong and beautiful kunoichi such as yourself as my wife.” Hashirama was blushing slightly as he looked at Mito. She smiled and nodded her head.

“Alright. It's settled then. I will stay here in Konoha and help you with this problem. Together, Sakura, you and I will make this seal. We will discuss the wedding more, Hashirama, once I tell the elders that came with me that the proposal was accepted.” Mito stood and started to leave the room before pausing.

“Lady Sakura, I look forward to learning more about you and working alongside you.” She smiled at the pink-haired woman before leaving the room, breaching the privacy seal and putting their conversation to an end. Sakura blew air out of her mouth, puffing out her cheeks.

“She’s everything I should have expected from my master’s grandmother.” She looked at Hashirama.

“I told you that a festival right as the Uzumaki arrive would be crazy busy. Mito is a headstrong woman.” Looking a bit dazed, Hashirama met her gaze.

“I see that. Regardless, the festival starts tomorrow!” He clapped his hands together. Sakura rolled her eyes before leaving the office herself, looking to go home to rest before the craziness of the festival.

–

The next day saw an air of merriment around the village. Children ran around playing and adults leisurely strolled through the village munching on various foods. Sakura helped out in the hospital for a while before venturing out herself. She had even worn a slightly pretty yukata for the occasion. 

As she was walking around the village taking in the air of peace, she ran into Hashirama. Tobirama and Mito were with him, and they just appeared to be enjoying the village, like her. 

“Lady Sakura!” Hashirama’s voice boomed when he saw her.

“I’m sure you remember my idea of an arena so spectators may witness shinobi matches if they want, because you chastised me that at the present time it would be unsafe. Well, Lady Mito and Tobirama just finished applying seals to the temporary arena I made for the festival so that wayward jutsu don’t leave the fighting area. I was hoping that you would honor us by sparring with someone.” Sakura stared at Hashirama. She thought about what he was saying.

“Thanks, but I’m not really interested. I can’t go all out against just anyone. And besides, I shouldn’t draw too much attention to my fighting style since it might be similar to a clan’s.” Sakura shrugged her shoulders. Hashirama was quick to stop her again.

“Ah yes, I’ve thought of that. You see, Lady Mito here is quite interested in seeing you fight, and frankly I think a high caliber shinobi match would be just what the festival needs to end with, aside from the fireworks I’ve procured. I was thinking you could spar against Tobirama.” Sakura froze, and stared at the yet-to-be-named Hokage. Mito was smirking beside him, and Tobirama looked… proud. 

“Me… fight him?” Sakura gaped at the albino man. He smirked at her reaction.

“I told you she is not up to my level and would not face me.” He was insufferably smug, and that was all Sakura needed to throw all hesitation out of the window.

“You’re on, Tobi,” she looked at Hashirama, “when is the spar?” Her emerald eyes were righteously gleaming. Tobirama had insulted her enough over the past months that they obviously knew she would not back down from this opportunity.

“Late afternoon tomorrow. Don’t be late.” Tobirama supplied before leaving. Sakura huffed in frustration. Mito chuckled watching the whole scene.

“Lady Sakura, the Uzumaki elders are going to leave once the festivities are done. The wedding between clans will take place at a later date, but I will be staying in Konohagakure for the meantime. I would like to start working with you as soon as possible. Hashirama is going to make a private room in the building his office is in, and I will prepare it with seals so it is truly private and only certain people may enter. The day after tomorrow I will await you in the Tower to begin, if that works with your obligations.” Sakura nodded. She could touch base with the medics in the morning then work with Mito. If there was an emergency, Hashirama or Tobirama could get Sakura. 

“Yes Lady Mito, that will work for me. Thank you very much for your assistance.” The women smiled at one another, and Sakura bowed her head at Hashirama before departing. 

–

The next day Sakura again touched base with the medics and worked a while before leaving the hospital. She wasn’t dressed in a yukata today. Instead, she opted for her jonin pants and a long black sleeve shirt coupled with her jounin vest. Still looking to be discrete, Sakura had applied a patch over the Uzumaki emblem on the back of it. She wasn’t terribly keen on being entertainment for the whole village, but the opportunity to fight Tobirama was too good to pass up. The man was infuriating.

Sakura’s day slowly passed until mid-afternoon. The long summer day had dragged by. She couldn’t sit still anymore, and headed to the new arena Hashirama had made for the festival. There was a crowd already gathered there, and a couple shinobi Sakura didn't know were fighting. The audience was held in rapt attention, but Sakura could tell that at best, this spar was chunin level. She found Hashirama and Mito in the crowd, and headed their way. Lady Mito saw her first, and she examined Sakura’s outfit.

“That is quite the ensemble, Lady Sakura.” Mito was smirking. Sakura shrugged. She didn’t really care that she stood out so much at the moment.

“This is my uniform, Lady Mito. I need a full range of motion as well as all my equipment if I am going to have a chance against Tobirama.”

“That is one of the smartest things you’ve said.” Tobirama’s smooth voice cut into the conversation and Sakura turned to glare at him. The albino was so frustrating, Sakura was itching to get into the ring. As she looked around the audience, she met Izuna’s gaze. She smiled at him, and he nodded his head at her.

Finally, it was Sakura’s turn. Hashirama had been acting as an unofficial referee, and when he made eye-contact with her, Tobirama appeared next to him down in the arena. Mito grinned at her.

“Good luck!” She nodded back at the Uzumaki before leaping into the arena. She felt the barrier jutsu around the edges of it when she vaulted in. Sakura landed across from Tobirama, next to Hashirama. Warm brown eyes landed on her.

“These spars have been until forfeit or incapacitation. May the best fighter win!” He flash-stepped back into the audience next to Mito. Sakura looked back to Tobirama, who had yet to move. One of his eyebrows was raised. 

“Well? Ladies first.” She glared at him while pulling a kunai from her weapons pouch. Sakura charged at Tobirama. A deafening clang was heard as Tobirama blocked her strike with his own kunai. The reticent man had to take a small step to stay balanced as he absorbed the force of Sakura’s blow. And then they were locked in a vicious taijutsu brawl. 

It was very apparent that Sakura would not win this match based on speed alone, which she had anticipated. Tobirama was at times a blur, even to her chakra-enhanced eyesight. The only thing saving Sakura from a humiliating defeat was Tsunade’s dodging training. Just as she did not land a blow on Tobirama, he could not land one on her. As their fight went on longer, she could tell that his inability to land any blows was frustrating her opponent. Especially as he used his Flying Raijin to avoid her sometimes.

Their movements were like a fluid dance, most attacks being neatly dodged. Sometimes though, there was no other way out and they had to meet attacks head on. The force of blocking one such blow each flung them back from one another. Sakura took the moment to breathe while Tobirama stared at her.

“Your taijutsu skills are impressive. However, you will not win this spar if that is all you can do.” He smirked at the panting medic while he flashed through a long chain of hand signs. Sakura’s eyes widened as she recognized his jutsu, and she started signing her own ninjutsu. As Tobirama’s water dragon finished forming and started speeding towards her, Sakura finished one of Kakashi’s signature moves. 

–

As the mist cleared, Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Tobirama’s eyes narrowed while he extended his senses to find his opponent. He pinpointed her chakra below the ground. So, she had managed to evade yet another blow by him. Good. 

Suddenly, the ground in front of him erupted, shooting Sakura out of it. She heaved the mud off her face and looked at him incensed. With one hand glowing green, she charged at him again.

–

Mito had not been expecting Sakura to go toe-to-toe with Tobirama. She had been even more surprised when their styles of taijutsu were incredibly similar, making for an exciting match of trying to follow the white and pink blurs throughout the arena. All shinobi in the arena were focused intently on the match. Clashes of weapons rang through the area, and the audience was transfixed. With wide eyes, Mito looked at Hashirama. He noticed her shocked gaze and nodded at her.
“And she’s a civilian.” In awe of Sakura’s skills, the pair of them looked back to the match, not knowing who would win.

–

The pair were locked in another intense bout of taijutsu. Sakura had given up using traditional weapons against him, and had resorted to medical ninjutsu and her chakra-enhanced strength. She would not give the albino more ammunition to annoy her with by losing too easily. 

Sakura saw a slight opening in Tobirama’s defenses, and lunged for him to perhaps land the first blow of the match. It was a feint from him though, and he spun away leaving Sakura to continue with her momentum. Her fist hit the ground, and while the audience stands didn’t collapse and her crater did not extend beyond the boundaries of the arena, she could tell that the barrier seal was not constructed with veritable earthquakes in mind. His follow up attack was thrown off by the shifting earth. Chest heaving, Sakura continued her charge against Tobirama. They continued their dance.

–

Madara had decided to observe Sakura’s battle with Tobirama from afar. Izuna had mentioned it to him, and while most of his time was now dedicated to meditation to attempt to keep his demon at bay, he was interested in her fighting skills. The demon was trying to get him to kill Sakura, as she is a dangerous agent from the future with an agenda. He wanted to know what sort of power he had brought with the Uchiha clan to Konohagakure. 

Seeing Tobirama and Sakura enter the arena’s battlefield, he focused on them. When nobody made the first move, Sakura flew into action. He had not expected her to have so much power as to match Tobirama in taijutsu. Activating his sharingan, Madara noticed that she truly didn’t rival him. She was adept at dodging despite his speed, and Sakura’s brute strength forced Tobirama to respect her attacks. This would not be a short spar.

When Tobirama used his water dragon against Sakura, Madara was sure it was because the albino had grown frustrated at the woman’s skill, and wanted the match to be over. Madara’s sharingan was still active though, so he saw Sakura slip into the cover of earth, and much to his surprise, he soon saw two Sakuras. Extending his own sensory abilities, Madara tried to sense the original, who stayed below the ground. He was thoroughly surprised to find that he could not sense her at all. Sakura was evidently taking the challenge of Tobirama Senju seriously. 

–

Several minutes of futilely trying to land blows on one another, the both of them were racing to each other to hopefully knock the other out. Both landed their blow. Sakura zapped Tobirama’s nervous system, and her clone poofed out of existence from the kunai embedded in her thigh. Eyes widening, Tobirama tried to leap or transport himself away but found he did not have control over his body. The albino fell to his knees as the real Sakura dug her way out of the earth, where she had been hiding for a while. 

With a feral grin on her face, Sakura flash-stepped over to Tobirama and placed a kunai against his throat. There was a beat of silence before the cheers of the crowd reached her. Taking that as the end of their spar, Sakura laid a glowing green hand on Tobirama and reorganized his nervous system’s connection. He was glaring at her as Hashirama appeared on the battlefield. The leader of the Senju clan quickly appeared by their sides. 

–

Madara could not tell what jutsu Sakura used to incapacitate Tobirama, and that frustrated him. So much power that he couldn’t take. The match was over, and Madara couldn’t find it in him to be happy to witness the albino man that had almost taken his brother be bested. No, now he was sure that Sakura was indeed a threat. So much power. He needed to convince her to join him, or crush her. A small voice in the back of his mind screamed ‘ Join me to do what?!’

–

“Lady Sakura! That was incredible! I understand now why you were so wary about going all out without any barrier seals up.” Hashirama huffed while looking around at the crater Sakura’s fist had made in the ground. Sakura focused on finishing healing Tobirama, and as soon as she was done he shot up and away from her. Hashirama barked a laugh.

“I’m sure losing wasn’t even an option for him. That was a good use of a clone.” Sakura thanked Hashirama and really looked around. When they had started the light was still bright with daytime, but now it was getting on into twilight.

“I hope it wasn’t boring for the audience.” Sakura murmured. It was then that Mito joined them in the arena.

“Are you kidding? I have never seen a woman fight like that, Lady Sakura. I consider myself an elite kunoichi, but our skills seem to be worlds apart.” Mito was very genuine with her praise. Sakura blushed.

“Thank you, Lady Mito. Truthfully, most of my skills my master taught me, fighting style included. She was a difficult sensei, but as you saw, a good one.” Sakura smiled seeing Mito and Hashirama share a gentle look with each other hearing her words. Hashirama quickly got everyone’s attention and mentioned the fireworks that would be happening in the center of the village in thirty minutes. People started filing out of the arena, and Sakura decided to head home for the evening. The festive atmosphere had soured for her as she remembered how much Naruto had loved fireworks. 

She was uninterrupted as she returned to her house. Once she arrived she healed her strained muscles and bruises from her spar and went to bed.

Chapter Text

The next morning Sakura dressed quickly and headed to the hospital. Once she arrived, she called all the medics available to the nurses station to explain her change in schedule. 

“Starting from today my attention is needed elsewhere in the village more than here,” there were quiet murmurs at that, because Sakura was the best medic in the whole village and often monitored their care and provided her own excellent services.

“It is essential work for the defense of our home, and it will not last forever. I will be able to called away from my new work if there is an emergency that you need assistance with. Lords Hashirama, Tobirama, Izuna, or Madara will be able to locate me during this time if I am needed. I trust each and every one of you to provide care in my absence, and I also trust you to recognize if a patient is beyond your skills. Now that I think about it…” Sakura trailed off and thought for a moment before digging into her pouch on her hip. She held up Sai’s communication scroll and placed it on the desk at the station.

“This scroll has a twin that Lord Hashirama is currently carrying. I will get my other scroll back from him and carry it on me. To send messages on it, you just need to write something in the scroll, roll it back up and send a small burst of chakra into it. The message will appear on the twin scroll instantly with a small burst of chakra so it is noticed. This way I am notified immediately if there is an emergency you all need assistance with. Understood?” Her students and one apprentice were nodding around her, looking serious. 

“Alright then. I will come by daily before I go to my new work to make sure everything is running smoothly and to check in with any patients if there are any questions. Thank you ladies!” Sakura started walking out of the hospital, raising a hand in thanks to the women behind her. 

She makes her way to the administrative building, because it couldn’t be called Hokage Tower when there was no Hokage yet. Sakura does not know how she will assist Mito in making this seal, but she would do anything to help the Uzumaki with this endeavor. Entering the building, Sakura immediately sees Mito waiting for her, who graced her with a smile. Returning the smile, Sakura follows Mito into the building and is led into a room at the heart of the basement.

“First I must attune the seal to your chakra signature then we may start our work.” Mito explains as she opens the door and steps just inside the doorframe. Reaching back out through the door, Mito instructs Sakura to take her hand and summon chakra into it. She does as she is told. Mito writes something down with her other hand and takes it to the center of the room. Only now does Sakura see the intricate seal covering the floor of the room because Mito is adding what she wrote earlier to the pattern. Once she is finished, she stands again and turns to face Sakura.

“It is done, you may enter. Your words will now be absolutely private in this room.” Sakura enters the room and closes the door behind her. 

“To be honest Lady Mito, I don’t know how I am going to help you with this. I don’t know much about fuinjutsu aside from what is necessary for medical work, storage scrolls, and the oddball seal here and there.” Mito looked at her and pursed her lips. 

“I see. What are these odd seals you know?” Sakura hesitated for a moment.

“The most significant one I cannot share with you, as it is a Hyuuga clan secret,” Mito’s eyes widened at the clan name, “but I am familiar with the Evil Sealing Method, although have never performed it myself. My master made a seal to contain a Tailed Beast that I have knowledge of, as I performed that containing.” Mito looked impressed hearing that.

“Alright. In that case, you need to provide me with every single piece of information available about your target. If you have genjutsu at your disposal, show me your target. I must understand it to seal it away without weaknesses.” Sakura nodded her head. The thought of seeing the war again with clarity hurt her deeply, but it must be done to save her village. She had come to terms that all of her friends were dead, and that she was acting on their future behalfs, but it still hurt. With tears leaking from her eyes, Sakura nodded again before sitting down.

“I will show you. I would recommend you sit before I start this genjutsu.” Mito did and Sakura closed her eyes for several minutes before opening them and looking at the red-haired woman.

“Please do not share with anyone what you will see in this, even Hashirama. Some things should not be known about oneself. I am sorry to show you these things.” Sakura was quite sad in that moment, and Mito swore to secrecy. Sakura wove her hand signs and began her genjutsu.

–

“We’re going to take the fighting away from civilization!” Tsunade’s voice rang out in the meeting hall the 5 Kage sat in with their attendants and generals. Resurrected Kage stood with them.

“We go northeast to the coast and our plan commences, now go!” The Raikage ordered everyone, and the Allied Shinobi Forces scattered to prepare. Madara appearing and challenging the world was dramatically unexpected and they were scrambling to come up with a plan. 

Skipping some times, Sakura moves to show Mito when the odd things started happening.

Wild animals would enter their camp and attack shinobi. Even baby deer, and no one needed a Nara to know that that was weird. The animals had seemed in a stupor while the attacks were happening. Later on people started disappearing in the forests and short distances from camps. Everyone was on edge. As the group got farther into the Land of Lightning, Madara started openly attacking the traveling army and started the fighting. 

Sakura distinctly remembers seeing Zetsu appear from Madara’s body and start weaving reality distorting jutsu to aid Madara’s lethality. They were an impossibly dangerous combination. As the black creature caught sight of Naruto and Sasuke, it started gleefully cackling while directing Madara to capture them. He cut through swaths of shinobi without sparing them a glance.

“It’s just as we feared, Sakura! Get them out of here and to the temple!!” Tsunade screamed at Sakura. Team 7 ran for the Temple of Ninshu, to hopefully communicate with the Sage of Six Paths to seek guidance for how to deal with Zetsu. Nothing had been working so far. The three of them ran as fast as they could to the temple, but it was far away. When they arrived, they found that Sakura was incapable of entering the place. She urged the boys inside the temple and waited outside to guard them from potential pursuers. 

A bit later Naruto and Sasuke exited the temple looking stunned. Naruto was too openly forlorn to look at Sakura, while Sasuke quickly got her up to speed.

“Like we thought after we shared a vision of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. We are reincarnations of his sons and Zetsu needed the reincarnations to be incredibly strong before reincarnating Kaguya would work. All Zetsu is is Kaguya’s will to not be sealed into the moon given life by the Mother of Chakra. He has her chakra in him and her feelings of betrayal at being sealed. Madara already has Hashirama cells and is the perfect host for her. Zetsu can get the nine-tails's essence from Naruto. The moment he gets close to us they will be able to summon Kaguya forth. I don’t think coming here for this information was worth it, because we three are too powerful to be away from the fighting for this long. Who knows what has happened? We should get back.” He shook Naruto from his stupor and started back south to their comrades.

When they arrived they were horrified. Their organized plan to deal with Madara had obviously fallen into chaos and the battlefield was bathed in blood. It seems like every shinobi that had fallen in battle was being used by Zetsu to create soldiers for himself. They were fighting the corpses of their allies, being used as sick puppets by a demented shadow of a goddess. Alongside the grotesque sight of allies and loved ones were just hundreds of white Zetsu clones. They were dramatically outnumbered and whenever Madara used ninjutsu Sakura began to realize that they were all outclassed. Even the Kage. Even Naruto and Sasuke. Idly, Sakura wondered who would last longer in a battle of stamina, Naruto with Kurama's help or Madara. The black Zetsu never strayed far from Madara’s side into the fray, but he was not shy about using powerful jutsu to distort space so Madara’s attacks reached much farther than normal. His chakra felt oily and heavy at her senses. 

She was sure to include her memories of Zetsu sinking into the earth to hide, and entering Madara’s body. She showed white Zetsu clones grabbing their most powerful shinobi and disappearing. Any shinobi grabbed never responded again to the communication scroll despite there being no range limit to them. She hesitated for a moment and her genjutsu faltered. Pressing on, she continued to show Mito everything. Holding back now would certainly spell doom for Konoha.

Next was Naruto, Sasuke, and herself fighting side by side while she witnessed their friends being cut down one after another. She had fought her own friend’s weaponized corpses. She witnessed Madara start to create the God Tree and leech everyone’s chakra. A resurrected Hashirama tried to stop Madara, but the combination of Zetsu and Hashirama's own skills at Madara's fingertips was too much. Team 7 being almost overrun by white Zetsu clones. Sakura being thrown through time by her teammate.

She released her genjutsu and looked at Mito. The Uzumaki was looking pale. 

“I was sent back before witnessing any more potentially useful information. Do you have questions about what you saw? I suppose now you know his name is Zetsu.” Mito looked greatly disturbed after witnessing some of Sakura’s memories.

“That was… really something. And you think sealing this Zetsu away will truly hold him?” Mito had never witnessed anything of the power she had witnessed in Sakura’s memories. It was difficult to fathom even after witnessing a firsthand account. Sakura locked eyes with the redhead.

“It has to. We have to.” Sakura was deadly serious. Mito nodded.

“Alright. I have a couple ideas for how this seal can be constructed. How do you envision the extraction of Zetsu to go?” Mito asked her. Sakura opened her mouth and closed it while she thought about it. Holding Zetsu in a material that he couldn’t escape into would require the material to essentially be chakra. Suddenly, she got an idea.

“We’re going to need Hashirama’s help. I think I have a plan.” There was a glint in Sakura’s eyes. 

–

They made great progress on the seal that day, and Sakura was beginning to form a definitive plan about Zetsu’s extraction from Madara. Hashirama had stopped by at lunch time bringing them food and had agreed to play the role she had envisioned for him in her plan. He had also happily returned Sai’s scroll to her for her hospital use. Thus the women had a routine. Sakura and Mito would work on the seal with Sakura providing information for Mito every now and again.

The women had grown close while talking over the sealing array. No one in this time period knew how important Konohagakure was to Sakura aside from Mito. Sakura was honored to consider Mito Uzumaki her friend. Every piece of knowledge she remembered from the war Mito carefully considered and incorporated somehow into the seal. Eventually after a couple weeks of working daily together, Mito sent Sakura back to the hospital. She felt confident that she could complete the seal soon and that Sakura had provided all the information necessary. 

–

That night after Mito left the secured room and returned to her room she shared with Hashirama, she felt exhausted. Her mood was easily picked up by the observant man already in bed. Mito activated the privacy seals she had set up in the room on her first day in the village. 

“What’s got you so glum?” Hashirama asked her.

“The more of this seal I create, the more I realize how powerful and evil this target is. I witnessed Sakura’s memories, Hashirama. That woman has been through hell, and I am scared that the actions we are taking will bring that hell to us,” she hesitated for a moment, and Hashirama’s warm brown eyes watched her closely.

“But I know from what I saw that inaction will also spell the deaths of all of humanity. A heavy burden was thrust on her and I don’t know what to do to help her.” Mito despaired while changing into a sleep kimono. She climbed into bed and curled into Hashirama’s warm chest.

“You are helping her. We will help her. We will not leave Madara to face this alone, and we will protect our village.” He paused for a beat. 

“You really think her target is that powerful?” Hashirama couldn’t help but ask, he was dreadfully curious. Mito didn’t respond right away, and Hashirama felt the shiver that ran down her body.

“He is the most evil thing I have ever seen. And the Uzumaki clan did not reach our talents with fuinjutsu idly, we have extensive knowledge of many channels of vast power. If Sakura’s timeline for her story is correct, it does not surprise me that she was sent back to before her target acquired Madara. I am sworn to secrecy about details though, Hashirama. I cannot tell you more. But with our combined efforts, I think we can save your friend.” Mito effectively ended their conversation, and deactivated the privacy seals protecting their room.

“Goodnight Hashirama.”

“Goodnight, Mito.”

–

Several more weeks of work in the hospital went by, and Sakura was finding herself unable to focus more and more. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Mito announced that the seal was complete, and they could move forward with their plan. She knew that Hashirama had prepared a site that the extraction could take place at already. Tobirama had been informed of his task of making sure that no one strayed too closely to the forest where it would be taking place. This must be kept a secret from the villagers, as Zetsu was too evil for anyone to think that the village was willingly dealing with him. Izuna would be standing by just in case assistance was needed in fighting or restraining their target. Mito would be there to make any adjustments to the seal as she saw Zetsu with her own eyes.

Thinking about everything that could go wrong or what exactly their plan entailed distracted Sakura from her daily life. She made sure that in this time she was teaching her medics as much as she could, particularly Megumi. Sakura was pleased with how quickly her apprentice was progressing. The woman had always struggled to incorporate the Uchiha fighting style into her repertoire, while she seemed naturally inclined to Sakura and Tsunade’s way of fighting coupled with excellent chakra control. Sakura could not have asked for more from an apprentice.

Sakura also made sure that her medics knew that she was waiting for a call to go on a mission that would signal the end of her new work building a certain defense for the village. She believed that what she had told them had excused Sakura's anxiousness and spaciness in their eyes. They made sure to progress their own training under Sakura’s supervision during the time she was at the hospital. 

But when the day came that a messenger arrived for Sakura announcing that Mito was done and ready to go, only Sakura was stunned at the news. She had known it was coming and had warned her medics, but the now solid looming meeting with Zetsu again made Sakura begin to panic. She exited the hospital and approached the administrative building.

She did not hesitate to walk down into the sealed room, and inside she found Hashirama, Mito, Tobirama, and Izuna. They all turned to face her when she entered. Mito approached her quickly and took Sakura’s hands in hers.

“Sakura! I just finished double checking the seal. Are you ready? We can do the extraction anytime.” Mito was looking at her with a concerned expression. Sakura steadily exhaled before her expression hardened, withdrawing her hands from Mito’s. 

“I’m ready. We can start now if you’re also ready, Hashirama.” The leader of the Senju clan nodded gravely at her. 

“I’m ready, I prepared the site for this several weeks ago, and my chakra stores are full.” Sakura nodded.

“Alright. If there are no questions, Izuna will go get Madara while we get set up.”

“Lady Sakura, one moment please.” Sakura froze when Tobirama addressed her with a respectful title.

“I would like to have solid clones stationed at the cardinal points around the forest Hashirama grew. Would you… Could you teach me the solid clone jutsu you have demonstrated in the past?” Sakura gawked at the albino. She never would have expected that he would ask for her help. Based on the expressions worn by Izuna and Hashirama, they shared her thoughts.

“Um. Alright. This is a restricted technique because the chakra cost of many clones can kill you, and when you gain the memories of your clones once they disappear it can be debilitating.” Sakura quickly explained the shadow clone jutsu to its creator, and the maximum number of recommended clones before demonstrating the new hand sign he had found to stabilize the clones when traveling distances away from their creator. Nodding his head at her explanation, Tobirama announced that he was ready. The five of them looked at each other gravely before heading out to start the confrontation.

Sakura couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the location Hashirama had created for the extraction. It was perfect. 

The Forest of Death had never looked so beautiful to her. She smiled at seeing it before looking at Hashirama. 

“This is perfect. Also just so you know, the vast amount of natural energy that soaked into this area when you created this forest will affect its wildlife and they will grow to unusual sizes. Some sort of fence should be constructed around here so the villagers remain safe.” The three shinobi walking with her looked at the forest with different quizzical expressions.

“So you know this place then?” Tobirama asked her. 

“Of course, this training ground is famous in Konoha. It may be ominous, but it came to be known as the Forest of Death. I think of this place as where I truly became a shinobi, instead of a young girl.” Sakura recalled the shift that had taken place within her as she was held captive by the Sound kunoichi, and desperate to protect Sasuke and Naruto. Hashirama looked painfully curious to know more about what Sakura said, but Mito directed him to enter the forest. Tobirama created several clones that spread around the perimeter of the forest, and nodded to Sakura as she entered. She followed Hashirama and Mito inside. 

The forest was too new to have affected its wildlife to the extent that Sakura was familiar with, and it seemed like just a normal forest. They quickly traveled to the center of it, where there was no tower constructed yet and it was a vast clearing. 

“The forest is still thoroughly coated with my chakra and I can still manipulate all these trees. Perhaps my making sure of that is why the wildlife will be affected… Regardless, I have the most wood at my disposal than ever before, and I can summon more at any point.” He was deadly serious as he spoke, and there was no trace of a smile left on Hashirama’s face. She nodded. 

“We need to make sure he’s fully engaged with Madara before we restrain him. Make sure there is no opening in the wood around Madara except for his head. He cannot escape.” Sakura was taking continuously slow and deep breaths to center herself.

“How do we make sure he’s ‘fully engaged’, as you say?” Mito asked her. Sakura grimaced. 

“This will be unpleasant for Madara. I am going to taunt him.” Mito blanched at this, and then nodded, recalling every bit of fuinjutsu she might use to assist this extraction. She then removed herself to the sidelines, to make sure the seal remained safe in the uncertain first moments. Sakura and Hashirama waited in the center of the field. After a short wait, what she assumed to be a clone of Tobirama appeared in the trees.

“Izuna and Madara just entered the forest.” The pale apparition in the trees then vanished. Sakura’s adrenaline was pumping. She hoped she was approaching this the right way.

A short wait later they heard footsteps coming their way, then Izuna and Madara broke the treeline. It was the first time Sakura had seen Madara in two months. He looked absolutely haggard and winces when he sees her and Hashirama. When he raised his head there was a strength to the suspicion and hate in his eyes. Sakura stepped forward, away from Hashirama.

“Madara? Is that you?” Sakura hesitantly called out to him. He scoffed at her and stepped away from Izuna, who watched his brother like a hawk. 

“Who else would it be?” Heart sinking, Sakura realized just how much Madara must have suffered under Zetsu’s influence in the past months. His answer confirmed that Zetsu was heavily present in his mind.

“Are you sure it’s Madara?” She took on an overtly quizzical expression. 

“Are you sure you’re not Black Zetsu?” Madara stiffened momentarily before his Sharingan flooded his eyes. 

“My, my. I knew you were a danger, but I didn’t realize that you know me, kunoichi. Madara must have gone through great lengths to conceal a portion of his mind from me. How unfortunate.” The voice that Madara was speaking in was inhuman. It was simultaneously deep, like his own voice, but also it was a screeching voice that hurt her ears. 

“It doesn’t matter that you’ve delayed my plans, child. I will put an end to it immediately.” Zetsu was in complete control of Madara’s body at this point, and he flashed through the hand signs for one of Madara’s fire ninjutsu. Sakura froze as the memories of the Fourth Shinobi War flashed through her head. Hashirama appeared at her side in an instant, signing his own ninjutsu. A great fireball blasted towards them only to meet the wave of water Hashirama was spitting from his mouth. Steam hissed and filled the space around them. Thick vines erupted from the earth trying to restrain Madara in the mist, but Zetsu had the Sharingan at his disposal.

“Behind you!” Izuna called out from beyond the mist. Sakura whirled around and felt a kunai deeply embed itself directly to the right of her heart, nicking her lung. She had barely dodged a fatal blow in time, thanks to Izuna’s warning. She threw a wild punch out when she saw Madara standing just a few inches behind her. He did not go flying as far as a normal human would have, Zetsu must have absorbed a lot of her blow. Again, thick vines chased Madara and Sakura took a quick moment to assess that the kunai could stay in her chest for now without her dying. It could. Blood trickled slowly from her wound down her back.

When Sakura looked up at the battle again, Hashirama’s wood was glowing as it rose up around Madara’s body. The ridiculously strong man was sweating under the exertion of holding the mokuton in place. When the wood covered everything except Madara’s head, Sakura approached. Zetsu was spitting mad and looked wild in Madara’s eyes. 

“Why are you here?” It spat at her. “How do you know me, kunoichi?” Madara’s eyes were black except for his red Sharingan. The tomoe were spinning faster than she had ever seen before. Sakura focused her attention on Madara’s nose.

“Your own seal sent me here. I’m here to make sure your plans of resurrecting Kaguya never happen,” Sakura smirked at Zetsu, “The Rabbit Goddess will never be anything more than the rodent she's named after.” She spat back at the hateful thing. Zetsu roared and his chakra was fluctuating madly. Sakura approached and laid a glowing hand on his head to begin. As soon as she did, she withdrew her hand with a cry. 

“Sakura? What’s wrong?” Hashirama gritted out between his teeth.

“His chakra, it burns mine! I can’t get a hold of Zetsu!!” She cried out, starting to panic. A golden chain suddenly shot out around Madara’s throat and the chakra fluctuations stopped. Sakura followed the chain back to Mito, who had adopted a similar stance as Hashirama as she maintained the chain extending from her chest.

“Go! I’ll hold his chakra for you!” Sakura quickly replaced her hand on his head and examined his body to finalize her idea on how to extract Zetsu. He was in every single cell of Madara’s body, intertwined with the very essence of the Uchiha. If she just tore out Zetsu, it would likely kill Madara. If she took her time extracting Zetsu, Mito and Hashirama would likely fatigue and their plan was more likely to go awry that way. Muttering apologies to Madara under her breath, she prayed that he would survive long enough for her to treat him. She started an accelerated procedure that mirrored poison extraction. Madara and Zetsu were screaming. 

Slowly but surely Sakura pulled Zetsu’s head from Madara’s body and seeing this, she started to hope that they were going to succeed. By the time she had pulled Zetsu halfway out of Madara’s body, the effects of Mito’s chain on Madara’s body to hold Zetsu’s chakra still had waned. His essence started entering her body through her hands, and her control over her chakra faltered.

Suddenly, the shadow man twisted and lashed out at Sakura. His hand pierced her chest, and again he just barely missed her heart. Sakura coughed and blood spattered across Madara’s face and Zetsu’s chest. She heard Mito scream her name as another two chains wrapped around Zetsu’s own neck and chest. Wood followed the chains. The force digging into her chest halted, and Sakura continued the extraction. She held the demon’s hand in her chest while she continued. The screaming that grated on her soul continued. Sakura had thought herself immune to the suffering of others. She had witnessed her fair share of it as a medic, and witnessing so much suffering across so many battlefields. But Madara’s screams had a tenor she had never heard before, and it reverberated across her soul. 

As Sakura pulled Zetsu further out of Madara’s body, Mito provided more chains to make sure she was not attacked again. When Sakura pulled Zetsu’s feet out of Madara’s body, his screams increased in pitch and intensity. As he was freed of the demon’s influence, he body immediately slumped into the wood that held his body. Sakura turned towards Mito and activated her seal for Creation Rebirth. Her chakra signature increased twentyfold, and black lines spread across her body from her forehead. She pulled Zetsu’s hand from her chest. Steam immediately started appearing from the wound as it healed before their eyes, and Sakura pulled the kunai from her back releasing more steam. She coughed blood once more as Mito's chains dragged Zetsu away from Sakura.

When she turned back towards Madara, he was out of the wood laying on the ground while Hashirama was already turned back towards Zetsu. Sakura darted towards Madara and sent diagnostic chakra into his system. She turned pale and screamed for Izuna. She didn't have time to heal his body and reanimate him. Sakura prayed her idea worked.

“Izuna! I need you to hold him down but do not touch his system with chakra!” Suddenly, Izuna and Tobirama appeared and held down Madara’s body. Sakura was startled at the albino’s appearance but didn’t question the help. Sakura flooded Madara’s body with her own chakra and pushed her Creation Rebirth into his body, following her chakra. His body jerked and he screamed again, but thankfully this time it was entirely his own hoarse voice, void of any otherworldly pain. She was vaguely aware of Mito instructing Hashirama through setting up the seal.

Black lines slowly spread across Madara’s body from Sakura’s hands on his chest. Vast amounts of steam came from Madara’s body. Every single part of his body had incurred immense damage from the extraction. Izuna hissed in pain as the steam burned his hands, but his hold remained strong. As the steam coming from Madara’s body started to lessen, his eyes fluttered open. As soon as Sakura saw this, she sighed in relief.

“Lady… Sakura…?” He croaked.

“Madara? Madara I’m healing you right now, please don’t move.” He was barely lucid but his eyes locked on hers for a moment before fluttering back closed. She held her technique for several more moments until the steam stopped. She carefully withdrew her chakra from Madara and the black lines receded. She focused her breathing and reabsorbed the chakra she had forced through Madara's body before she stopped her jutsu. Quickly, she returned to Tobirama and Izuna’s sides.

“Let me heal your burns.” Izuna held out his hands to her, and she healed his irritated skin. Once his hands were done, she laid a hand on Izuna’s face and healed the burns along his neck and cheeks. She turned to Tobirama once Izuna’s skin was unblemished again. She stared at the burns along Tobirama’s hands and face.

“Since you’re burned, you’re the real Tobirama. You left clones around the forest perimeter?” He nodded at her as he tentatively held his hands out to her.

“I wanted to witness the culmination of your story. It seems you have been telling the truth this whole time.” She scowled at his words as she healed his hands then face.

“Of course. I have been saying as much this whole time and you seem to be the last person to realize that.” Tobirama said nothing. Sakura finished healing him and she staggered back. Sakura grimaced as the effects of using Creation Rebirth set in. Her vision swam. She gasped as she fell to her knees. Izuna and Tobirama looked shocked seeing her sudden fall.

“That jutsu of mine is not without side effects. It’s likely Madara will suffer from them too. There is nothing for it except rest.” The pain in her voice was obvious as she struggled to speak. She slumped the rest of the way to the ground and lost consciousness.

–

Izuna stared at the formidable kunoichi for a moment before darting to her side. Her pulse was strong and her breathing steady. He looked up at Tobirama, who was studying the prone medic.

“What do you think her jutsu was, exactly? I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Tobirama was silent for a moment.

“I have seen much on this day that I have not witnessed before. Whatever her jutsu was, it is obviously a last resort.” He murmured before picking up the medic. 

“Go check on Madara.” Izuna nodded his head and darted over to his brother. Tobirama carried Sakura while he walked back over to Mito and Hashirama. In Mito’s hands was a scroll that she was holding with extreme caution. When they caught sight of Tobirama carrying Sakura’s limp body, the rest of the color from Mito’s face drained. 

“What happened?” The redhead cried out to Tobirama in alarm. 

“Her jutsu seems to have steep consequences. She said before she lost consciousness that she just needs rest.” Mito calmed down and Hashirama nodded.

“When he attacked her I thought we had lost her. Her jutsu is powerful.” Mito stated. Tobirama had of course been watching the whole thing from the trees and agreed with her. He glanced back at the Uchiha brothers and was surprised to see Izuna helping Madara stand up. Together, they slowly walked over to the rest of them. Tobirama was surprised to see Madara on his feet, if Sakura’s condition was anything to go by. The Uchiha clan head was grimacing with every step, and leaning heavily on his brother.

“What happened?” He asked the group. No one knew exactly where to begin.

“For the past several months Sakura has been working to figure out how to help you and requested Mito Uzumaki’s help to seal away the entity that was causing problems for you. You appeared to be under its control completely, and Sakura, Mito, and Hashirama succeeded in removing it from you. What do you remember?” Tobirama gave a quick summary of the events leading up to Madara’s presence in this forest. The Uchiha clan head furrowed his brow while he thought back.

“He… must have used my Sharingan at some point. I remember attacking Lady Sakura.” Madara winced at the memory and glanced at the woman in Tobirama’s arms. He settled a bit when he saw smooth skin and her breathing deeply and steadily. 

“Because I knew what I was dealing with, I could retain a small portion of my own mind and sanity. But I remember feeling its panic at Lady Sakura. It tried to get me to kill her many times. It was infuriated as it left me.” Madara fell quiet and gasped through some deep pains. The legendary Uchiha doubled over in his pain. The remaining people gathered watched Madara closely.

“That jutsu is not without consequence indeed,” Hashirama muttered.

“Tobi, take Lady Sakura to the hospital. They will make sure she stays hydrated there if she will be unconscious for some time. Mito and I will return to the Hokage building and see to it that this scroll is sealed away and will not be disturbed or found. Izuna, I know this goes without saying, but please help Madara recover.” As Hashirama finished giving orders to those surrounding him, he stepped closer to his longtime friend. He laid a hand on Madara’s shoulder.

“I am relieved to see you are alright, my brother. We owe Lady Sakura a great deal.” Madara nodded his head weakly and they all looked at the unconscious kunoichi. 

–

Izuna led Madara away from Mito, Hashirama, and Tobirama who was holding Sakura. They walked back to the compound at a leisurely pace, with Madara still leaning heavily on Izuna.

“How do you feel, brother?” Izuna asked him after they were surely out of earshot of the group. Madara grunted in response.

“My mind is whole once again. Aside from that joy, I feel like I’m being torn apart with every movement. If this is even a fraction of what she feels, it is no wonder she is unconscious.” Izuna was silent at that. Together, they slowly made their way back to the Uchiha compound. When they finally reached their home, Madara pulled himself into his bedroom and finally collapsed on his bed, already in a deep slumber. Izuna huffed and went to inform the elders that Madara’s illness had been taken care of, and now the clan head was resting.

Chapter Text

The days following Zetsu’s extraction saw great changes to the village. Madara only returned to the Uchiha compound for sleep, and instead opted to make appearances throughout the village and help with anything he could. It was obvious to Izuna that Madara was still struggling with the side effects of Sakura’s jutsu, but almost no one else would be able to tell that just by looking at the man. As Izuna watched his older brother, he noticed small pauses that Madara would make when a Senju approached or there was an opinion needed about the whole village. Izuna assumed that not having Zetsu in his mind would take his brother some time to get used to.

Now that the looming threat over Konohagakure had been taken care of, everyone’s energy went into helping the village grow and prosper. It was after one such day that Izuna caught sight of Madara. Normally the clan head would return home from the administrative building, but Madara was headed towards the hospital. Izuna decided to follow his brother and make sure everything was alright. When Madara arrived at the hospital, Megumi met him at the doors and led him deeper into the building. Izuna activated his Sharingan to watch where the pair went.

Megumi led Madara into Sakura’s room, and after speaking to her clan leader for a moment, Sakura’s apprentice left the room. Madara sat down next to Sakura’s bed and watched the unconscious woman for several moments. Izuna let himself into the room from the window, and silence fell over the brothers. Izuna watched his brother for a while.

“She didn’t even trust me, and she saved me.” Madara finally spoke up. Izuna waited for his brother to continue speaking.

“I… he plotted her death more times than I can remember, and all I wanted to do was thank her for saving you. And now she’s saved me too. I wouldn’t have even known about the target had Lady Sakura not arrived,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “He was so subtle, Izuna. It could have made me do anything.” Madara shuddered. Izuna stepped forward and placed a supportive hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“I understand, my brother. But you are here now and whole once again. We should let Lady Sakura rest.” Madara nodded and slowly stood. 

“Megumi thinks she will awaken soon. Her chakra is much more steady than it has been.” Izuna didn’t know what to make of Madara’s concern for the medic. Did he feel guilty for what Zetsu had done to her?

–

When Sakura finally started opening her eyes, she felt horrible. Her eyes were dry, her head was pounding, and her body was so sore. She groaned slightly and held her eyes tightly shut while the room spun around her. She heard shuffling in the room, and the sounds of a glass of water being poured. Slowly, she cracked an eye open only to jerk upright when she saw who was in her room with her. Sakura let out a hiss of pain as Madara turned back to her, holding the glass of water in his hand. He held out the water to her and Sakura took it with shaking hands. As she drank deeply, Madara watched her before sitting in the chair at her bedside. Setting the empty glass down, Sakura sank into the hospital bed once more. An awkward silence filled the room.

“Lady Sakura, I…” Madara started speaking before he trailed off. Sakura looked at the leader of the Uchiha clan and saw the indecision on his face.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Madara. I almost lost you for a moment there.” Sakura said this to him before closing her eyes again. 

“So I’ve heard. Thank you. You have done more for the Uchiha clan than anyone. First you saved my brother, and now you have saved me. You’ve freed my clan from being the legacy of that demon. Thank you, Lady Sakura. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for saving me.” Sakura slowly opened her eyes again and looked at the normally stoic man. He looked a bit flustered by his own heartfelt thanks.

“There is no need to thank me. I had a mission.” Sakura simply stated.

“That may be the case, but I know better than almost anyone that that was no normal mission. That creature was vile. I heard some of his thoughts because I was able to retain a small portion of my mind just for myself, and keep my sanity. That was because I knew what I was dealing with because of your information. What I heard was horrifying, but sometimes I could disrupt his focus and attacks.” Sakura’s eyes widened hearing that.

“You pulled Zetsu’s punches?” Sakura was stunned. Madara paused and then nodded his head curtly.

“Then you’re the reason I’m alive right now. Each attack somehow, miraculously, missed the major blood vessels around my heart despite the proximity. Thank you for fighting Zetsu to save me, Madara.” She smiled softly at the man, who looked down at her with a shell shocked expression. Madara quickly rose from his chair, poured more water for Sakura, and left with a quick bow. Sakura stared after him with a slightly confused expression. She quickly drank more water and settled down to sleep.

When she awoke again, Sakura was feeling much better. Even though her Creation Rebirth hadn’t healed excessive injuries on her own person, it seemed like most of the side effects for using it on Madara were hers to deal with. Megumi checked on her in the morning and looked amazed to see her awake.

“Lady Sakura, you’re awake! Oh thank Kami, you’ve been unconscious for four days!” Megumi rushed to her side and sent some diagnostic chakra into her system. Sakura watched her apprentice worry over her for several moments. 

“Megumi, have you heard what happened?” Sakura was curious as to what the story Hashirama and Izuna had made for what she had done.

“Lord Tobirama informed us that you had fought an opponent that was trying to destroy our village. You received fatal injuries but healed them yourself, and we have been keeping an eye on you to make sure you didn’t take a turn for the worse, and to maintain hydration. Lord Madara was also deeply affected by the fight, but you two protected this village. You gave us all a fright when Lord Tobirama carried you here.” Sakura blinked while she processed Megumi’s words.

“Tobi… Lord Tobirama brought me here?!” Sakura was shocked by that. The gruff albino still hadn’t seemed like he fully trusted Sakura after the extraction. Megumi nodded her head enthusiastically. 

“He waited until the top Senju medic and myself examined you to make sure nothing was actually wrong before leaving to share the news with whoever else was involved.” Megumi poured more water for Sakura and handed it to her.

“Lady Sakura, I must say I was very surprised when I learned that you were actually fighting someone. Let alone to hear you healed your own impalement! I find myself curious, however…” Sakura’s apprentice trailed off. She gestured for the shy Uchiha to continue her thought.

“If… if you healed yourself fully like I saw you did, why were you unconscious for almost five days? Your chakra was stable the whole time. I don’t understand.” Megumi was wringing her hands. Sakura smiled up at her apprentice.

“Ah, that is a good question, Megumi. Do you remember the four rules a medic shinobi must live by?” Megumi nodded her head at the question.

“The fourth clause mentions two techniques by name. At the moment, I am the only person alive that knows those techniques. Creation Rebirth is a kinjutsu. It is the ultimate healing technique, aside from Hashirama’s of course, but it harms the body in the process. It accelerates cell division. What does that tell you, Megumi?” Her mouth was pressed into a tight line by the time she came to her answer.

“That jutsu… accelerates your death every time you use it. Every cell only has so many divisions, you taught me that.” Her eyes widened as she looked down at Sakura. 

“Oh Lady Sakura! You must let me heal your injuries, please! You mustn’t use that jutsu again!” Sakura sat up slowly and looked into Megumi’s black eyes, concern shining brightly. 

“Megumi. Listen to me now. I won’t share with you today, but now that my involvement with the defense of Konohagakure no Sato is done, I am free to share my past with people. But not yet. The mission I just went on was one I was prepared to die for. But I needed to give emergency medical aid to a fellow Konoha ninja, but I was stabbed through the heart. What was I to do? Sometimes, the loss of time is worth it to protect innocent people. I will teach you that jutsu one day, and then you will have to be the one to decide. Only once you master that jutsu will you be free to do what you please on the battlefield.” Megumi looked at Sakura with wide eyes.

“I couldn’t even tell where your injuries were except for the damage to your clothes… I am impressed. You are right, of course,” Megumi shot Sakura a rare smirk, “to protect loved ones and the precious innocent people of this village, a handful of years at most is worth the sacrifice. Thank you for teaching me, Lady Sakura. And thank you for defending the leader of my clan.” Megumi smiled warmly at her teacher before walking to the door. 

“You know your limitations with this jutsu more than I do, so you are free to do what you wish. I am glad you are the best medic in the world because that means you’re safe now.” Megumi left Sakura’s room. She decided that she needed to be caught up on what she had missed, so she dragged herself out of bed, wincing at the pain still in her body while looking around for her clothes. One of her students must have brought her new clothes, because there was no blood or damage to the ones she found. She deeply appreciated all of them right now and dressed in a fresh outfit.

Finally, she slowly made her way to the administrative building. Inside the eventual Hokage’s office, she found everyone she was looking for. In a lapse of judgment, Sakura didn’t knock before entering. Hashirama, Mito, Tobirama, Izuna, and Madara turned to look at her. 

“Lady Sakura!!” Hashirama boomed. 

“Please come in!” He waved her inside, and Sakura closed the door to the office behind her. She walked slowly to an empty chair next to Madara, across from Hashirama at his desk. The tenderness of her gait was not lost on anyone.

“Now that there are privacy seals active once again, I must ask. What was that jutsu, Lady Sakura?” Tobirama asked her from the corner behind Hashirama’s desk. The gathered shinobi all looked at Sakura expectantly. She sighed.

“It might be too early for this term to be known, but it is a kinjutsu. It harms the user when used. However, some kinjutsu in my time were simply too destructive so the villages didn’t teach them. The multi-shadow clone jutsu is another example of a kinjutsu because of the potential for the chakra drain of so many clones can kill the user. That jutsu can also cause damage to the mind from prolonged use. The jutsu I used to heal myself accelerates cell division. Forcing the body into an unnaturally heightened state, the chakra of the jutsu and the new cells can cause intense pain to the user as the body adjusts, as I’m sure you experienced,” she looked at Madara, who nodded at her indirect question. Sakura sighed again before continuing, looking at her hands.

“And… each cell can only divide so many times. Using that jutsu also kills the user faster in the grand scheme of their life.” Sakura looked at Madara again and cringed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t have any time to try anything else.” His eyes softened as he gazed at her.

“It is thanks to you that I am alive and free of that demon. A slightly shorter life is a small sacrifice to pay for that. Thank you again, Lady Sakura.” He inclined his head to her.

“Then why were you unconscious for almost a week and Madara was able to continue his life the next day?” Tobirama’s questions did not stop. Sakura thought about that for a moment.

“I’m not exactly sure, but I think it’s because I reabsorbed the chakra that was used to stimulate new cell division in Madara, instead of leaving it in him. There was a lot of damage.” Tobirama opened his mouth for another question but Mito cut him off.

“Enough, Tobirama. The woman just recently woke up, I’m sure she has questions of her own.” Sakura smiled at Mito, who was sitting beside Hashirama. She looked down at her hands quickly again and formed them into fists to stop their shaking.

“What… Where is Zetsu?” She looked up at Hashirama and Mito slightly desperately. 

“The finished product of the seal I produced was a scroll. We put that scroll in a storage scroll and I have made a sealed containment box for that scroll that Hashirama has hidden in this building with mokuton. That hiding place has several obfuscating genjutsu around it also.” Sakura nodded her head hearing this. 

“The seal was holding up alright?” Mito smiled at her gently. 

“After I witnessed him in your memories I admit, I was questioning if I could make a seal that would contain him. But we both must remember that I am the best sealmaster the Uzumaki has seen in generations.” She smiled in a very self-satisfied way. 

“The seal is working fine, and the extra containers I put it into are providing extra protection just in case.” Sakura sighed, and the tension drained from her body. In her weakness, she couldn’t stop the frown that came to her face.

“Sakura? What’s wrong?” Izuna asked her from the couch lining one wall in the office. She bowed her head to make her hair fall across her face. If everything was over, if Zetsu was defeated… Why was she still here? She made sure to maintain her even, deep breathing to disguise her sudden breakdown. 

“I just…. Forgot my place. Nothing is wrong, of course. I’m so glad to have served Konohagakure well. Thank you for meeting with me, I must be going now.” Sakura inclined her head further, still hiding her face. Bringing shaking hands up, she formed the ram hand seal and shunshined out of the office to her home. She stumbled into the door of her house but she couldn’t break down here like she wanted to. She shunshined again to the Forest of Death and the world spun slightly. If she screamed her heart out here and made some craters, no one would notice. 

– 

Once Sakura left the office, the remaining five shinobi stared at one another, except Madara, who stared at the handful of sakura petals she had left behind.

“What do you suppose is wrong?” Hashirama softly asked. Mito stared at him stunned, mouth agape.

“Is it not obvious?!” Mito was incredulous.

“She has been separated from those that she loves, alone in this time. Finally her mission is a success and still she remains here. Her mission was successful and this should be cause for celebration, and yet she confided in me before the seal was complete that she believed her friends to already be dead. What does success mean for her when that is her truth? What is there for her now? She has succeeded at great personal cost.”

“Sometimes the greatest punishment is living a happy life.” Madara said this before rising to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Hashirama looked at his friend startled, but it was Izuna who asked the question.

“Out. We will finish this discussion when Lady Sakura is feeling up to join us.” Madara strode out of the office.

–

Sakura felt overwhelming grief. She had saved the day too late, everyone she loved was surely dead. There was no returning home if she didn’t disappear when Zetsu was sealed away. This sucked so much. She let out another pained scream as she punched another tree. She had demolished the landscape in her section of the forest. She sat down on a nearby tree stump and cried for herself.

She felt absolutely pathetic. She was the student of one of the legendary Sannin. Sakura had managed to concoct a plan in the Warring States era to deal with Zetsu, and succeeded. The sky was the limit for her now, but she ached to know if her efforts paid off and saved her own time. She wondered if by eliminating the threat of Zetsu, her own time didn’t exist anymore. Her swollen eyes widened at the thought. Was there a new, happier time where there was a new, happier Sakura? She cried out to alleviate the pain in her heart. How could Naruto send her back like that, to be eternally separated from those that she loved? What was she supposed to do now? Sakura collapsed in on herself and hugged her own body tightly. Having such an outburst made the lingering pain from Creation Rebirth much worse too. 

A short few minutes later when Sakura hadn’t moved from her self-soothing posture, she heard rustling in the brush near her. She couldn’t find it in herself to care, even if it was the giant centipede that had plagued her nightmares since her first chunin exams. More rustling, and she heard footsteps approaching her. Soon, Madara appeared in her eyesight and spotted her. She watched as he took in the level of destruction around her and her puffy red eyes. He walked over to her and sat down a short distance from her. 

“How did you find me?” Sakura’s voice was listless. He watched her curiously.

“There aren’t many places that offer complete privacy while also allowing a ninja of your caliber to air their frustrations. And you weren’t at your house which led me to that train of thought.” Sakura’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘privacy’ but didn’t push the matter. Madara looked concerned for her. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” Madara asked gently. Sakura shakily inhaled and closed her eyes. She counted to five before answering, hoping to school her voice.

“Not really.” Her efforts were in vain. Her voice still shook.

“Alright then.” He settled into silence as he laid down beside her with his eyes closed. He looked like he could be asleep. She watched him for a while.

“What are you doing?” She finally asked, speaking quietly to not disrupt the atmosphere of calm he had brought with him.

“Laying on some freshly turned earth listening to nature. It’s quite soft, like a bed.” He murmured. His breathing was even.

“But… why?” She couldn’t stop her question. His black eye slowly opened and found hers, and there was a serious expression on his face.

“Because I wouldn’t want to be alone right now if I were in your place. I didn’t want to be alone, but it was the safest option for everyone. And if you decide you want to spar or talk, someone will be here.” His words pierced her mental armor, and she broke down crying again. 

Sakura sobbed for the love she had lost, for the friends she had seen die, and for the sorrow of being the last survivor. She was supposed to be the medic, and here she was– alive and not even any graves to show for it. Sakura cried and cried until her voice was almost gone. She couldn’t even fathom living knowing that her real life was torn from her by one of her closest friends. By a terrible war that now couldn’t ever happen. Sakura was lost.

She didn’t even realize that Madara had moved to comfort her until she had just about cried herself into exhaustion. Sakura slumped backwards, and his hand on her shoulder was quick to brace her. He slowly shifted them both until she was nestled loosely in his lap while he sat against the tree stump. She had no awareness to offer any token resistance. One of his hands stroked her back.

“I cannot imagine the level of loss you feel, so I will not pretend to. You are a strong woman, Sakura. You will find a way to overcome this. And just know that you have all of our support in helping make the village a better place, not only for us, but for the future generations. Try to have faith in that.” Madara’s voice vibrated in her own chest from the close contact with him. Sakura blushed quite suddenly, fully realizing in that moment that she was sitting in Madara’s lap.

“Um, Madara? I’m sorry, do you want me to get up?” He hummed noncommittally. 

“If you want to. Are you feeling better?” He continued to stroke her back. She paused and thought about that. It felt… nice… to be held. Sakura slowly settled back down, and lay her head on his shoulder.

“Can… Can I tell you about my friends?” He smiled at that, never once pausing in stroking her back.

“I would like that.”

Sakura talked all about her days in the Academy, and her friendship with Ino. She didn’t explain the history of Sasuke or Naruto, but touched on what powerful roles they played in her life. They had inspired her. Sakura felt much lighter talking about the people she missed. She even wove a genjutsu to show Madara what the Konohagakure she was familiar with looked like. He patiently listened, asked her questions, and was awed at the scope of the village. 

After she had talked at length about the people she missed, Madara found himself curious.

“What roles did you play in the village?” Sakura deflated a bit while she thought about how to answer.

“Aside from being the director of the hospital, I was an unofficial advisor to the Hokage, and an active jounin. My master also wanted me to join the shadow ranks of the village after the war, as my skills were in dire need by the organization.” Sakura hesitated, remembering her introduction to the shadow world of shinobi. 

“You, Lady Sakura, sound like a very busy woman. We may not be the same village you know and love, but we will get there one day. We would be honored if you would assist us with that. But, if you would rather wash your hands of Konohagakure and live freely to explore, we also won’t stop you.” Sakura froze as she thought about his words. To become a missing nin, released from her duties.

“I… I could never abandon Konoha. There’s still so much to do.” Sakura admitted. Madara helped Sakura stand before rising himself.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Would you like to return to the discussion earlier and name our Hokage?” He held out his hand to her, and she took it with a smile. 

“I can’t believe Tobirama let me leave such an important discussion.” Sakura laughed at the frustration she had surely caused the albino. Madara smiled with her and gestured to a falcon that had been in the trees.

“Go tell the others that we are returning and can continue our discussion.” The falcon shot out of the trees towards the village. The pair slowly walked out of the Forest of Death. As they reached the edge of the forest, Madara hesitated before he withdrew his hand from hers.

“A Lady’s reputation in this time can be tarnished from less than being seen holding hands with a man she is not close with.” He looked around them quickly, and scratched the back of his head. He then looked at her closely, and truly noticed how drained she looked. 

“Allow me to escort you back.” He extended the crook of his arm to her, and she gladly took it.

“Thank you. I suppose I should have thought about the effects of my jutsu lingering before I went off and used a bunch of chakra.” She leaned heavily against Madara, and they slowly walked back to the administrative building. He hummed noncommittally again, but otherwise remained silent. The Sun was setting now. Sakura was embarrassed that such a tantrum had been witnessed by someone else, let alone Madara. But she was happy that the leader of the Uchiha clan was so unexpectedly skilled at navigating emotional matters.

–

When they arrived back in Hashirama’s office, the others were already waiting for them. Madara let go of Sakura outside the office and she slowly returned to her seat under her own power. He followed just behind her. Mito was looking at Sakura with concern clear in her eyes. Surely they all saw the dirt that clung to her clothing and skin and could correctly assume what had happened. Sakura bowed her head once more, but this time she was blessedly free of tears.

“I would like to apologize for my abrupt departure. It seems I interrupted an important meeting.” Hashirama was already shaking his head before she was done speaking.

“Lady Sakura, you have done immense work for this village. Taking some time to readjust to your life is the very least we could provide for you. Are you sure you want to continue these discussions today?” Sakura nodded her head.

“Staying away from my responsibilities feeling sorry for myself won’t change anything. I heard discussions about the Hokage were happening?” Hashirama eagerly bobbed his head up and down.

“Now that we are all able, I think having a definite leader of this village will make everything smoother. I would like to nominate Madara for the position.” There was silence as everyone digested his words. Tobirama opened his mouth to speak, but Madara beat him to it.

“I refuse the position. There is only one person that can lead this village up from the ground, and that is you, Hashirama.” Madara’s response was clearly not what anyone was expecting. Most of all, Sakura stared at him. If she recalled correctly, the Madara in her time had been greatly upset to not be the first Hokage. She looked back at Hashirama quickly, only to see him also staring at Madara with a slack jaw. 

“To that effect, I nominate Hashirama for the Hokage position.” Madara continued.

“I second his nomination.” Tobirama supplied. Mito was nodding her head, and Izuna was still watching Madara.

“Brother, are you sure? We might be able to protect our clan more effectively if an Uchiha was Hokage…” Izuna trailed off, looking quite uncertain. Sakura winced watching the doubt on his face.

“Brother, the threat is now gone. That is why the six of us are allowed to have this conversation right now.” 

“I understand your hesitation, Izuna, but I agree with Madara. You and I both must remember that the Uchiha clan, and honestly all of Konoha in my own time was corrupted by Zetsu. He was guiding their destiny then. Now, the Uchiha are guiding their own, with the help of the soon to be decided Hokage.” Sakura intended to remind both Izuna and herself that they were no longer beholden to the future she had known. Everything was new now. 

“Madara, I am curious. Why did you decline?” Mito asked him.

“Simply put, Hashirama is better at public relations than me. I would much rather help from a less conspicuous role.” Sakura’s own laughter was drowned out by Hashirama’s booming laugh.

“Oh, Madara! I’m so happy to have you back!” Hashirama managed to say between his laughter.

“In that case, I will happily accept the responsibility of Hokage, if we are all in agreement,” everyone around the boisterous Senju nodded their head, “and I thank you for the trust in this position. Alright, first order of business!” Hashirama clapped his hands together.

“In four days time there will be a great celebration and the leadership of the village will be announced!” Sakura was not alone in rolling her eyes at this, as everyone other than Mito looked less than thrilled at the news. 

“Lady Sakura, did the Hokage in your time have a council of advisors?” Hashirama asked her suddenly. All eyes in the room fell on her. 

“Yes.”

“I’ve decided that I don’t want to know how your council operated, as mine will just be people I trust.” Hashirama smiled at Sakura. She hesitated hearing that.

“That will likely be a decision that will have much pushback, Lord Hokage.” Sakura hated the council in her time, and it likely would be a giant mess in this time too.

“What do you mean?” Tobirama asked her.

“As the village expands, more and more clans will want to make their home here for the safety it offers. Some of those clans will not take kindly to not having a direct voice in their government. The council in my time was a relic of the past that hindered my Hokage from making decisions that would help protect Konoha.” Hashirama and Tobirama both pursed their lips as they thought about what she said. She had never seen them look so similar before.

“I thought as much. I would like to continue the discussion of the council tomorrow morning. Bringing more clans to the village will not allow for a complete dictatorship from the Senju nor Uchiha clan. With your advice Lady Sakura, I would like to attempt to build a more productive council of advisors in this time.” She nodded her head at the request. 

“If that’s all for tonight…” Madara trailed off. Hashirama was quick to nod and wave.

“Yes, of course. Thank you all for the meeting today and we will continue this discussion tomorrow!” Izuna, Sakura, and Madara rose and filed out of the office. 

“I’ll see you back at the compound, Brother.” Izuna looked between Madara and Sakura quickly before nodding his head curtly and leaving. Madara fell in step with Sakura and extended his elbow once again.

“Allow me to escort you home.” Sakura looked at Madara with indecision written on her face.

“Madara, I’m perfectly capable of walking myself home.”

“Of course I know that. But still, if you are feeling the effects of your jutsu I would insist.” Sakura didn’t know how to deal with this helpful Madara so she acquiesced and slowly grabbed hold of his arm. He led her out of the building and through the uneven streets of a budding Konohagakure. Sakura refused to acknowledge how many times her grip on Madara suddenly tightened to remain upright. She was sure he realized it without her mentioning anything. 

A leisurely stroll for shinobi of their caliber later they arrived at Sakura’s house. She let go of Madara, and stepped up to her door before turning around to look at him. She had a stubborn set to her jaw and a slight flush creeping up her neck.

“Thank you for your help earlier in the forest. And for walking me home. I’ll see you tomorrow, Madara.” She quickly escaped into her house, shutting the door in Madara’s face. He chuckled as he slowly walked away from her house, headed towards the Uchiha compound. 

–

When Madara finally entered his house, Izuna was waiting for him there. 

“There you are! I’ve been waiting for you.” Madara looked at Izuna while removing his sandals.

“Whatever for?” He continued to remove his gloves as he walked past Izuna to the kitchen to start some tea. 

“I’ve been trying to figure out what your intentions with Lady Sakura are since she freed you and I cannot. You've taken a keen interest in her without doing anything about it, which is unlike you Brother. So I want you to tell me.” Izuna had waited for Madara for more than a half hour, he had little patience left to be anything but blunt. Madara paused while making his tea.

“My intentions?” He thought to himself while lighting a small fire jutsu to set the water to boil. 

“I suppose my intention is to know her better. She is a fascinating person.” Izuna was silent as he considered his brother’s words. Nodding to himself, he left Madara’s house.

When Madara finally finished with his tea and went to offer Izuna some, he was mildly surprised to find his brother gone without him having noticed. He settled down to ponder why he was so distracted by a certain pink haired woman.

–

The next morning Sakura was feeling much better, and she dressed quickly. She ate some fruit for breakfast and headed to the hospital to let the other medics know that she was going to be in a meeting with Hashirama and the rest for a while. On her way there she stopped dead in her tracks though. She had only really woken up yesterday… The Sun was already halfway to its zenith. The medics there probably wouldn’t even be expecting her. Sakura swerved on her path to take her to the Hokage building instead.

Once she arrived, Sakura did not stop until she came to Hashirama’s office. Knocking, she let herself into the room, and found that everyone had already arrived. Sakura’s face warmed slightly.

“I’m very sorry for making you all wait, but thank you for doing so.” She hurried to the seat she had used yesterday, next to Madara. 

“Now that we’re all here, I would like to make it official. Madara, Sakura, Tobirama, I would like you to act as my advisors. Mito, because you will be my wife, and I already see you as one of my most trusted advisors, and didn’t want to force you into that role all day every day. Izuna, I chose this set up so the Uchiha clan still has a voice in our government, without it seeming like they have a majority by having both you and Madara. Image is important for negotiations where clans will potentially join us. Although I might be the Senju clan head, my decision making as Hokage will first and foremost be for the good of the village.” Mito smiled slightly and inclined her head at his words. Izuna was also nodding along.

“Thank you, Lord Hokage.” Mito’s smile was gracious as she accepted Hashirama’s plan.

“I accept the position.” Tobirama was quick to accept the position.

“I do as well.” Madara nodded and agreed with Tobirama.

“I…” Sakura hesitated and her words died in her throat. Five pairs of eyes were immediately locked on her.

“Lord Hokage, I am honored at the privilege of being a trusted advisor to you. But my own experiences will bias me in an unfair way with this new Konoha. I do not think you or this village should be tied to my past.” Sakura was incredibly serious about what she was saying. Hashirama pondered her words before responding.

“Lady Sakura, what was the council like in your time?” Sakura should have expected that question, but she was still taken by surprise.

“Well, Lord Hokage… they weren’t good.” Sakura grimaced.

“It became a highly respected position that they were able to use to remain on the council indefinitely. In my time, council members could be bought. Where they should have acted with the balance and livelihood of the village in mind, they seemed to be more motivated by greed. That opinion coupled with my knowledge of a Konohagakure that doesn’t exist anymore could hold this village back.” Sakura was wringing her hands while she spoke. 

“I see.” Hashirama sat back in his chair and thought about what Sakura had shared.

“In that case… the council of advisors will be hand-selected by each Hokage. Of course they are free to ask a previous council member to continue in their role, but a lifetime appointment is not what I had even imagined for the position. And, I would be lying if I said your knowledge of a different Konoha played no role in my decision. With your help, we can guide this Konohagakure into a new light and make sure we are protecting its inhabitants. Learning from the past is a valuable lesson. It doesn’t matter that the past I want to avoid hasn’t happened yet. What do you say?” Sakura’s eyes widened listening to Hashirama.

“I.. well. If you’re sure about it, I will accept the position as well. Thank you, Lord Hokage.” She took a deep breath and sighed. She had had no plans for living in the past beyond dealing with Zetsu, so finding herself on the Hokage’s council was a surprising turn to her.

“Thank you all! With your help, I’m sure we will guide Konoha to a bright future!” Hashirama beamed at everyone in the room.

“So for the celebration I was thinking we could open the arena again–” Hashirama started to gush about the celebration he wanted to announce the Hokage at, but Sakura interrupted him.

“Um, Lord Hokage? I don’t want to be rude but I’m no good at party planning. I would still like to teach at the hospital primarily. I haven’t trained my dear apprentice Megumi in a while. May I be excused from this meeting and called upon if my insight is needed? I’m sure you all will plan a fantastic celebration.” Sakura hated every word she spoke, but she did so with a smile. She just could not plan another festival with Hashirama. Sakura didn’t even lie, she hadn’t moved on with Megumi’s training in a while. Hashirama looked a bit taken aback by her request before he nodded his head. Madara’s mouth was a tight line, but his dimple was showing as if he was biting back a smile. 

“Of course Lady Sakura. Soon I would like to discuss planning a meeting with the daimyo about the Hokage and Konoha’s founding and our desire for independence. But first, let us tell our own citizens about their government!” Hashirama smiled at her. Sakura smiled and nodded once, understanding that it was unlikely she would be needed until after the celebration. She rose and left the room with a slight bow right before exiting.

–

“Her time is better spent at the hospital, you know.” Mito lightly chided Hashirama. His shoulders slumped under the tone of her voice.

“I know, I know. I am just excited everyone accepted and the village can move forward with everyone working together. Also I must admit, I am hoping that with a party she might call me by my name again. I think I’ll miss the sound of it when everyone is calling me ‘Lord Hokage’. It took one meeting for her whole demeanor to change.” Hashirama looked a bit sad at what he was saying. Tobirama laughed at him, prompting curious looks from Madara and Izuna.

“She is a loyal Konoha shinobi. It doesn’t matter who the Hokage is, she will serve the village and shows the proper respect. It is a good sign that the village’s core tenets will remain strong.” Tobirama nodded to himself while Hashirama and Uchiha brothers gawked at him. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you change your mind so thoroughly on something ever, Brother.” Tobirama gave him a scornful look.

“What I don’t understand is why you all trusted such a suspicious figure with such an outlandish tale so quickly. But after witnessing the culmination of her mission I realized there was no logical way to describe that thing or her skills.” Tobirama shrugged. Mito was the first to stop looking at Tobirama in shock.

“I wish Lady Sakura had heard that.” She sighed. Sakura had once confided in her that most of Konoha looked up to the Second Hokage so much, and that meeting him in real life had been so dramatically disappointing to her. Madara chuckled at Mito’s offhand comment.

“I agree, it might make the council meetings more amenable.” Tobirama huffed at the truthful teasing they were giving him. Hashirama steered the conversation back to the celebration.

–

Sakura arrived at the hospital and the medics there greeted her cheerfully. She searched until she found her apprentice.

“Megumi!” Sakura cheered when she found the tall Uchiha.

“Now that everything is settled I realized it’s been a while since we’ve last trained. I would like to resume your combat training to continue to assess your chakra control before I teach you my seal. But…” Sakura trailed off. 

“There is going to be a celebration in the village in three days' time. Are you alright training bright and early tomorrow knowing that? Of course I will assist with any serious injuries that may occur, but you know my policy about minor bruising and scrapes. Megumi steeled herself and looked at her with determined eyes.

“Of course that will work, Lady Sakura. Thank you for resuming my training, but are you sure you’re alright? You just woke up two days ago…” 

“Technically I woke up three days ago, I think Madara must have visited me that night because I remember speaking with him and him giving me water.” She gave Megumi a sheepish grin.

“Which is to say I am feeling just fine today and will surely feel excellent by tomorrow for our training.” She gave Megumi a thumbs up and grin that was very reminiscent of Rock Lee and Guy. Megumi giggled at her ridiculous posing.

“Let me guess, your plans today are checking up on everyone’s medical ninjutsu progress and lending advice and sometimes practice where you deem it necessary?” Megumi asked Sakura. She nodded her head.

“It’s because you picked up medical ninjutsu so fast and Ume Senju that I am able to get away with being away from the hospital so much. Thank you, by the way.” Sakura smiled at Megumi who waved her hand.

“I’m here to help you, and to help others. Go check on their training and then we can discuss what to do with mine.” Megumi shooed Sakura away to start her round of the medics.

Chapter Text

She was very pleased with the progress everyone had made while she had been distracted by Zetsu. They also knew exactly what knowledge they needed from her to progress, so her round went quickly. 

A lot of what her students needed was hands-on experience, but the village was in a peaceful time of growth and foundation. So Sakura chose to focus her time on Megumi's training. The Uchiha had marvelous chakra control and would be a great successor to her if anything should happen. 

Sakura found her apprentice once again and went to get Hashirama’s permission to leave the village. Once the pair was far enough away that the shockwaves of Sakura’s attacks wouldn’t disturb anyone in Konoha, Sakura thoroughly explained her method of taijutsu and chakra enhanced strength. 

“It is a similar principle to this that is the basis of the kinjutsu Creation Rebirth. Without the fundamental technique to augment any part of your body with chakra without harm, no student would succeed in learning my jutsu.” Megumi wiped the sweat off her face and resumed her fighting stance while nodding her head.

“Alright. You’ve said yourself that you think with practice I will master your jutsu. So how do I make the seal?” Sakura charged one of her fists and laughed while she attacked her apprentice. Luckily for Megumi, her dodging training was improving dramatically.

“It is not that easy, my dear apprentice. You must constantly store chakra into an open main chakra point for several years, and store it tightly. While you start to form the seal, at least a quarter of your mental capacities will be focused on holding that amount of chakra steady. If by the six month mark you do not succeed in making that process more streamlined, it is unlikely you will succeed at all. The seal will form itself during a high-stress situation. There are no tips or advice I can give you beyond what I just explained. You could even start attempting it tonight, if you wanted to. The only thing I can do for you once you start the journey to get the Byakugou is help alleviate your headaches, but even then I can’t do that very often.” Again, Megumi nodded her head but this time Sakura could see the fire in them. 

“I will not let you down, Lady Sakura. You have given me the honor of teaching me and I will become the next best medic in the world. I swear it.” Sakura smiled at her apprentice while continuing her assault.

Megumi really was improving beyond Sakura’s expectations. It seemed like she really had found a successor for her skills in this time. A snide voice in her mind brought up the state of Konoha’s medical system in Lord Third’s time when Tsunade had been on active duty. Konoha had obviously had the talent for medical ninjutsu from the beginning, they just hadn’t invested in it. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she authorized Megumi to heal her own bones under her supervision. Her apprentice did excellently, as to be expected. 

They made it back into town as the Sun was setting, and once Sakura made sure that Megumi got to the Uchiha compound safely, she returned home. Sakura went about preparing for her night thinking about the changes that could happen within Konoha and for peace with a more advanced medical system from the onset of the village. She went to sleep with hope in her heart for the first time in a long, long time. 

–

The day of the celebration, Sakura woke before the Sun rose and dressed in her prettiest yukata, depicting a forest with deep greens. Afterall, it is imperative that the impression the villagers get of their new leadership go right. She tied her yukata with a cream colored obi with a decorative pink strip tied around the middle. Once she finished putting her hair into her attempt at an up-do, Sakura headed out to the Hokage Tower. 

Once there, she found Tobirama and Izuna discussing the celebration. Izuna looked up at her entrance.

“Ah, Lady Sakura. We are the first ones to arrive. As I’m sure you’ve heard, Hashirama will be speaking to the people midafternoon in the center of the village. The council will be there with him as he speaks as he introduces the leadership. Until then, we decided you should enjoy the celebration. Everything should go smoothly, and none of us really stepped up to help you with the last festival.” Izuna gave her a sheepish look while he shrugged. Sakura looked at Izuna blankly. 

“Oh. Alright. Midafternoon in the center of the village then?” Sakura fought the instinct to wring her hands. She hadn’t wanted the day to herself. Maybe stepping away from the planning had been a mistake. Tobirama nodded at her words.

“Try to relax. We’ll see you shortly before then.” He looked back down at a diagram of something. Perhaps vendors? Izuna gave her a hesitant look before he resumed his conversation with Tobirama. Sakura slowly turned and left Hokage Tower. 

This celebration… While it wasn’t truly it yet, it was likely that this would become the annual Konohagakure Festival. The timing worked out and the inkling of truth in urban myth lined up with the makings of this celebration. She didn’t want to roam the merry streets and gorge herself with food. She didn’t want to find a flower crown, or partake in the shinobi spars and bets. It made her remember what she had lost. And Megumi had been clear yesterday that Sakura had responsibilities today and that they would take care of the hospital. She had been hoping to at least distract herself by helping with the celebration. 

Sighing, Sakura meandered through the streets. She didn’t want to change her clothes to train only to have to redo her hair and carefully cleaned face. Sakura slowly walked through and around Konoha, watching the people as she went.

A fair amount of civilians had made their way to Konoha for the protection of the legendary Senju and Uchiha clans. She saw many smiling faces that were not shinobi. But even the shinobi Sakura saw had an air of tranquility to them. Their clans were truly at peace and this celebration was another way to celebrate that. She felt like an intruder in their happiness. Silently, Sakura slowly continued through Konoha.

Several hours later, Sakura found herself outside of the Forest of Death. Truly, without the mutated wildlife, it was a relaxing environment for her. Her traditional shoes and constricting yukata had made her progress through Konoha and up to the Forest slow, and Sakura glanced at the Sun’s position before she entered the treeline. She had a couple hours until she needed to return to the village. 

Sakura slowly made her way to the area she had demolished in her grief the other day. It was a wasteland. Very carefully, Sakura walked to the stump she had sat on previously and thought about her situation.

Surely there was no way Naruto knew what the seal would do to Sakura after it sent her back. He had just trusted her to succeed with their goal. Whether she did in time to save her comrades or not, she had freed at least this timeline from Zetsu’s clutches. The Konoha she knew and loved was probably a shadow of what it could have been without the monster’s influence. Perhaps the people she knew and loved would have a happier life in this time.

With fast tears falling down her face, Sakura vowed to her fallen friends that she would do everything she could to guide this Konoha down the right path. She would do her best to get to know this village and her people, but for now the wound in her heart was too fresh, and the air of merriment for the day weighed deeply on her soul. 

She eventually heard footsteps approaching her. As she lifted her head from her reverie to see who had visited her, she made eye contact with Madara. He smirked at her, with his dimple flashing.

“We need to stop meeting like this.” Sakura’s eyebrow twitched.

“Then you can stop following me.” She snapped. He huffed a laugh.

“I told my birds to let me know if you came into this forest. We still have time before the announcement starts, but I thought you might be lost in thought. I know much has changed for you. I mean no harm in coming out here after you.” Madara raised his hands slightly while he spoke, as if he thought she deemed him a threat. 

“I…” Sakura blinked a couple times. “I’m a bit surprised that so much time has passed. Thank you for coming to find me, it would not be good to be late.” Sakura slowly rose from her seat on the tree stump and walked over to Madara, who extended his elbow to her once again. She stared at him for a moment before accepting his arm. He was wearing a slate gray yukata with a crimson obi. His yukata had a gentle wave pattern in a slightly darker gray. The pair slowly walked back into Konohagakure.

Once they arrived back in the village, Madara led Sakura to the center of it, where a small wooden dais had been constructed. Sakura’s step faltered, pulling both of them to a halt.

“Madara, I…” He looked at her patiently.

“I don’t even know my role in this. What am I to do?” She somewhat desperately asked the man. He slightly rolled his eyes while muttering about the uselessness of younger brothers. 

“Hashirama and I will announce the village leadership together. The council is mainly here to be seen and formally introduced. You don’t need to do anything other than stand beside us. We are a bit early…” He trailed off while looking around them. Madara started walking towards the edge of the center plaza and pulled Sakura along. He parked her on a bench in some shade.

“Here. There are still last minute preparations happening. Izuna or myself will come get you when it's time.” Sakura opened her mouth to protest this arrangement, but Madara was already gone. She sat down deeper in the bench with a huff. She had hoped they would all understand that being alone with her thoughts right now was not what she wanted. Sakura decided to watch people with the time she had available to her to distract her from her thoughts. It was too easy for her to focus on what she had lost, and not what was around her.

Eventually she noticed Izuna walking up to her. She rose and met him halfway. 

“I feel bad about removing myself from the initial planning. I really could have been helping out, I feel so useless.” Sakura couldn’t stop her words from tumbling out as soon as they were next to each other. His face fell some.

“Some of us thought you would have liked to have more of a hand in things, and others thought you deserved to relax after all that you’ve done. You haven’t been enjoying the vendors and food stalls?” Izuna asked her. Sakura worked to swallow the frog in her throat.

“I don’t know if I can. It reminds me of home.” Her voice was thick. Izuna nodded gravely at her words.

“I thought that might be the case. I’m sorry, Sakura.” He laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort before breaking contact and beckoning her forward.

“And I’m also sorry that we just had this conversation and it is time for the council to gather on the dais. Hashirama and Madara will speak shortly after that.” He gave her a sheepish and regretful smile. Sakura shrugged her shoulders and followed him.

Up on the dais Sakura found the rest already there. Tobirama was standing just behind Hashirama on his left and Madara to Hashirama’s immediate right. She stepped up behind and to the right of Madara to mimic Tobirama. She was just guessing. Madara turned to her.

“Hashirama and I will be introducing the Hokageship to the people and he will introduce us as his council. May we share your surname, or would that be too risky?” He asked after explaining what would be happening. 

“I don’t think that would be a good idea at all.” Sakura thought about the ramifications of a strong shinobi from the Haruno clan getting spread around. Her family were not shinobi and that news could put them at risk. Madara nodded at her words.

“I thought so, but Hashirama wanted me to ask.”

“Hey!” The Senju in question squawked from Madara’s other side. The man next to her turned to look at his longtime friend.

“It’s true. It’s also time.” That stopped any response Hashirama might have given him, and instead they both turned to the gathered people of the village. 

“People of Konohagakure no Sato!” Sakura gaped at the level at which Madara was projecting his voice. After a moment she felt a slight pull at her senses, and she realized it was a delicate genjutsu that had been woven over the area. Sakura banished the genjutsu at work. 

“Hashirama Senju and I have called for you all here to share some very important news!” Madara’s words were still loud, but it was no longer something to be in awe of. It was a very effective genjutsu. If she hadn’t had experience with bizarrely immaculate genjutsu in the way of Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, she might not have noticed it. Hashirama stepped forward slightly before taking over the speech.

“We have decided upon the leadership of this village finally, and we thought you all deserved to know your own government before we share it with the daimyo. First and foremost, the village will be led by its strongest ninja. That leader will be known as the Hokage. After a meeting with the village’s six strongest shinobi and putting it to a vote, it was decided that I, Hashirama Senju, will be Konohagakure’s first Hokage. The Hokage's purpose aside from protection is to nurture the Will of Fire, the belief that binds us all together. We are the family of Konohagakure, and I hope one day our people love and mingle between clans and civilians. We are one people, and I hope you accept my belief of village before clan. It is my greatest honor to be able to lead and grow this village into the new dawn of peace.” Cheers erupted at this and the crowd grew very energetic.

“But I cannot do it alone!” The genjutsu was apparently still affecting everyone else, because the noise immediately died down.

“I have decided to have a council of advisors that will exclusively help me make decisions keeping the livelihood of our people in mind. I have named Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and Lady Sakura as my advisors.” Hashirama gestured to them as he spoke, and Tobirama stepped up to Hashirama’s side at his name. Sakura did the same on Madara’s side as Hashirama spoke her name.  

“Please give them your trust also, and rest assured we will do everything in our collective powers to protect Konohagakure no Sato, and defend the peaceful way we live. Thank you for the trust you have placed in us.” Hashirama waved to the crowd and after a beat Madara joined him. The crowd was clapping and cheering for Hashirama and his council. Sakura smiled to see history being made. Any kunoichi in history had been cool to Sakura and Ino growing up, and she wondered if she would be her own intrigue in this new world. 

After a minute of cheering, Hashirama called out to the crowd again.

“Now let us celebrate the progress our home has made and our new way of life!” The crowd cheered once more, but it also burst into life as people began drinking, talking, or eating. Hashirama quickly found Mito and darted in her direction. Tobirama disappeared the moment his brother left the dais. Sakura slipped quietly off the back of the dais, away from the crowd. Or at least she tried to.

“Lady Sakura.” Madara called out from behind her. She paused and turned around to look at him questioningly.

“What is it?”

“Would you like to get some of the festival food with me? There is quite a variety available.” Sakura’s mind blanked.

“What?” She was so confused.

“I’m going to get some food and perhaps observe some of the festivities and would like you to accompany me.” She was about to decline when her stomach growled. 

“I thought so. It will be my treat, let’s go.” He held out his elbow to her. Sakura stared at him a little more before slowly taking his arm.

“You got me I suppose. I am hungry. But this festival just reminds me of my friends now Madara, and I’ve been alone all day thinking about them. I was trying to avoid the smiling faces.” Sakura hung her head slightly in shame to admit her weakness out loud. She pulled them both to a stop while she burned with her shame.

“I told Hashirama that a day to relax and have it be today of all days would not be a good idea. I’m sorry I couldn’t get the final say in the plan.” His fingertip grazed her cheekbone, startling her making her look up into his eye. She saw earnest concern for her in it.

“I think we should get some food. I have an idea, but you need to not dispel my genjutsu again.” Sakura stared up at Madara in shock.

“Back there, that was your genjutsu? How did you know I broke it? Why are you going to use a genjutsu on me?” He smiled at her questions and gestured to the eye that is usually covered by his bangs.

“This isn’t just a pretty hairstyle you know, it lets me use one Sharingan undercover. Anytime I use large-scale genjutsu I keep watch with it. I saw you notice and break my jutsu. I would like to talk freely with you, but about things I would prefer passers-by don’t hear also. What do you say?” He looked down at her with a carefully neutral expression. Sakura was hesitant to be put under a genjutsu, but figured there was no real harm to it and was also immeasurably curious, so she nodded her head. Madara went through several hand signs and crafted a genjutsu around them. She felt the same tickling on her senses she had felt earlier. Sakura shook her head several times. She fought against every instinct she had carefully honed to allow this genjutsu to stay.

“You are more skilled in genjutsu than I thought. I know it’s uncomfortable to willingly stay under a genjutsu but now our conversation will be private.” Satisfied with himself, Madara led Sakura down the path farther to where the food vendors were. 

"What is this genjutsu doing?" She asked him as they walked. Nobody looked at them but no one ran into them either. It was an odd jutsu.

"I essentially inverted the technique I used earlier to amplify our voices. Our voices and presence have been basically nullified so we may speak freely. Usually only an Uchiha can detect and break this sort of genjutsu with the aid of the Sharingan." There was a warm note in his voice as he finished speaking. It seemed that he was impressed with her skills.

"I see. That's a really interesting use of genjutsu. Most of my genjutsu training after proving to have an aptitude for it was with Sharingan users. All I can really say is Sharingan genjutsu feels different than other ones, but I couldn't figure it out earlier." Madara pulled Sakura to a stop while he stepped up to a food stall and acquired some kebabs while leaving payment behind. It really was an effective jutsu since the vendor with an otherwise empty cart didn't notice him.

Returning to Sakura's side he handed her two kebabs and kept two for himself and they continued to stroll through the village. As they finished their food Madara repeated his morally dubious way of receiving the food he paid for until they were full.

"What do you mean it feels different?" He asked her once they were settled into their stroll once again after eating. 

"Ah, well," Sakura gestured vaguely with the hand resting on top of Madara's elbow. 

"It feels lighter somehow? It's just as noticeable to me as other genjutsu most of the time but it almost tickles instead of feeling heavy on my senses. Some genjutsu masters are able to replicate the subtlety of a Sharingan genjutsu with preparation." Sakura tried her best to explain something that came to her innately. 

"One of my younger brothers was like that too. He could break any genjutsu even without his Sharingan and he said something similar once." Madara's voice was soft while speaking about his brother.

"You had more than one brother?" She hadn't known that and found herself curious. Sakura saw out of the corner of her eye Madara's hair move up and down as he nodded.

"I was once the oldest of five boys. My mother and sister died in childbirth. Father died in battle. Izuna is the only family I have left beyond the clan." Sakura was silent for a moment while she digested those words.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Her hands clutching his arm tightened minutely. He raised his free hand and laid it over hers.

"It's alright. In fact, I don't get to speak about them often. May I share with you about my brothers?" Sakura was slightly taken aback by the request before she murmured an agreement. 

As Madara led Sakura around the village he talked about his youngest brothers, Kenzou, Sanna, and Osamu. Sanna had been the one who was supremely talented with genjutsu. All of his brothers had been talented in their own way. Izuna excelled with a katana and fire ninjutsu. Kenzou had thrived with taijutsu, and Sanna with genjutsu. Osamu had been quite young when he died, but he had shown talent with his chakra control. A gentle smile graced Madara’s face while he spoke of his childhood with his brothers.

The more Madara spoke of his family and upbringing, the more it was clear to Sakura that he was a man of few outwardly expressions but the emotions and thoughts behind his actions ran deep. She shouldn't have been surprised by that and yet she was; Sakura herself had scolded Tobirama for underestimating the emotional capacity of the Uchiha clan. 

“I’m glad you and Izuna still have each other then. It sounds like you all were very close.” She peeked up at him and saw him smiling sadly. 

“Indeed we were. I find myself grateful that Izuna and I were both saved every day. I know I’ve thanked you profusely already, but I think I always will. Thank you Lady Sakura, for helping keep what is left of my family whole.” Sakura blushed at the sudden thanks. He was right, he had thanked her profusely already, and each time she insisted that there was no reason to thank her. 

“You’re welcome, Madara.” They walked in silence for a few minutes before Madara spotted something. He parked Sakura against the wall away from the walkway.

“I finally found the vendor I was looking for. I’ll be right back, will you wait here please?” Madara searched her eyes for any evasion. She nodded her head.

“I’ll be here.” She shot him a slightly confused smile and he beamed at her in response.

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.” Madara repeated himself before darting off. Sakura reflected on their conversation. She of course had known that both Madara and Hashirama had desired a more peaceful lifestyle for the youth of their clans, but she hadn’t known it had been so personal with Madara. The over-glorification of honor and battles had been alluring to his young brothers, especially with the praise from their father Madara had received. They were too eager to experience the battlefield and despite Madara’s protests joined. Thus they had been killed. That was the grisly reality of the Warring States Era, but to hear it from the Uchiha clan head really showed Sakura that no one was immune to the brutality of the era.

Suddenly, a soft ring fell onto the crown of Sakura’s head. She glanced up, not realizing she had been brooding and saw the ring was several flowers that had been woven together. Startled, she looked up further to find Madara watching her.

“Thank you, but why the flowers?” She lifted the flowers off her head to get a good look at them, and immediately flushed. It was a beautiful flower crown of gardenias with baby’s breath accents. Sakura froze for an instant as the meanings of the flowers came to her mind. Secret love and purity of heart. But surely Madara didn’t know hanakotoba, right? With slightly shaking hands, Sakura replaced the crown on her head. She peeked at Madara from under her lashes and almost flushed again seeing that he had of course been watching her reaction closely.

“Hm, no reason in particular. Those were purchased on a whim after my actual purchase. Shall we continue on?” Sakura hesitated for only a moment before once again grabbing hold of Madara’s arm. He led her away from the celebration and people. They walked in peaceful silence north, towards the future Hokage Mountain. The sky was just turning pink as they reached the base of it. 

“And now? I thought you wanted to see the fireworks.”

“We will.” He assured her as they started a mild hike up the gentle slope at the base of the mountain. Once they had hiked about a quarter of the way up the sky was turning purple, Madara looked between it, Sakura, and her geta. Before she could blink, Madara had grabbed Sakura and held her bridal style while leaping up the rest of the mountain.

“M-Madara!” Sakura was off balance and clutched at his shoulders and neck. He chuckled at her reaction before coming to an abrupt halt, gently setting her back on her feet.

“You have my apologies, but we needed to hurry. I forgot to account for the restrictive nature of more formal clothing.” He couldn’t bite back a wicked smirk, and she softened at the sight of his dimple. She barked a laugh.

“Next time ask.” She couldn’t help but smile back at him, and his smirk softened while he inclined his head to her.

“Of course, you truly do have my apologies. Shall we?” He gestured to a patch of grass that had a view that overlooked the village. She slowly sat beside him. Sakura stared out at Konoha for a few minutes in silence. The sky was a dark blue now and many lanterns lit the village up.

“It really has grown so much in such a small amount of time.” A gentle expression graced her face as she looked out at the bustling village. Before Madara could respond the fireworks started from the village’s center. Bright flashes of colorful light exploded in front of them. Sakura watched them in silence, thinking about the village’s future and appreciating the beauty of the display. 

When she turned to look at Madara she found him already looking at her intently, holding up a pink rose to her. It had already been dethorned.

“For you.” Sakura stared at the rose, then at him, mouth agape. With burning cheeks, she took the rose from him and looked at it in her hands.

“Thank you.” She didn’t look back up at him, ignoring the flush that colored her face. They watched the remaining fireworks in silence. Once they were done, Madara rose and extended his hand to Sakura to help her. She stared at it for a moment with indecision. Sakura glanced up at Madara and seeing his warm smile, took his hand and rose to her feet.

“May I carry you down the mountain, Lady Sakura?” He bowed slightly while asking. She snorted. He was teasing her, and she knew it. 

Sakura was hesitant to allow much more physical contact. Back in her time she would have been fighting Ino about having to continue something with a man that was so clearly interested. She didn’t know how she felt about that effort coming from Madara. But since being carried really was the fastest way down and Sakura was eager to be at home to ponder his behavior, she nodded.

Stepping close, Madara slowly scooped her up into his arms this time and started leaping down the mountain. She knew she was secure in his arms, so she did not grab for him this time. Instead, Sakura stared at the rose he had given her. Her cheeks warmed again at the meaning behind a solitary pink rose. Once they were on the same ground as the village, Madara placed Sakura on her feet, but grabbed ahold of one of her hands. 

“I’ll walk you home.” He replied when she looked at him with a question in her eyes. Slowly agreeing, Sakura fell into step with him. Again, they were strolling to Sakura’s house.

“Thank you for accompanying me tonight, I had a lovely time.” Madara’s soft voice broke their silence. Sakura swallowed to try to moisten her mouth to respond.

“Thank you for inviting me. I think I needed a night that would take my mind off of things.” She summoned up a small smile for the man next to her. He squeezed her hand gently.

“Anytime you need a distraction you can find me.” Madara’s voice was rich, and his expression serious. Sakura nodded slowly.

“Alright. Thank you.” They arrived at Sakura’s home. She stepped up to the door and turned around to face Madara. She was still fiddling with the rose in her hands.

“Madara, I… I was wondering if you know hanakotoba.” She could not decipher the expression that he gave her.

“Why? Has tonight been an enlightening one?” She blushed again at his nonanswer. He smirked at her and started walking away.

“Goodnight, Lady Sakura.” He called over his shoulder to her. She fled inside her home and tore the flower crown off her head. She tossed the flowers on to her table and stared at them.

No person had ever gone through such lengths to express their interest in her before. There was a chance Sakura was misunderstanding the situation, she was notoriously dense about this sort of thing. She wished she had Ino to talk with. Just as she was thinking about Ino, her eyes fell on the pink rose once more.

Ino had made sure she knew the secret language of flowers as well as the Yamanaka heiress herself. Once the girls had reached an age where romantic affections could be a reality, Ino again went over romantic flowers, and how any gifts she received should be interpreted. A solitary rose, unless it is yellow or white, is quite the romantic gesture as it implies love at first sight. 

Ino had pounded it into her head that a pink rose had multiple meanings for her. Aside from the usual confidence, trust, and happiness a pink rose meant, anyone giving Sakura a pink flower likely had romantic intentions also. Finding a flower that matched her had almost no other implications. Her eyes traced the rose again. It was a deeper pink than was usually seen with roses, almost toeing the line between pink and red. Sakura gulped and started placing the flowers into a medical tome. She wanted them out of her sight, but truly the flowers were too beautiful to destroy. No one needed to know that Sakura was keeping the first flowers a man aside from her father had given her. It didn’t mean anything. 

With a faint blush still coloring her cheeks, Sakura set out to prepare for bed.

Chapter Text

Sakura had been hoping to avoid Madara for a bit after the celebration and flowers, but a message from the Hokage had come to her early the next morning. She was needed to discuss the meeting with the daimyo. Sighing, Sakura ate a quick breakfast before dressing in a plain yukata and heading to the Hokage Tower.

Once there, she strode into the Hokage’s office and found Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Mito already in discussion.

“-rama, I’m saying someone needs to be here in an official capacity!” Mito was shaking her head at her future husband before she turned and smiled at Sakura.

“Welcome, Sakura. Please see if you can be the voice of reason in this.” Mito threw up her hands and sat back in her chair. Sakura woodenly sat down while eyeing everyone at the table suspiciously. 

“What is going on?” She asked hesitantly. 

“It seems we are having trouble deciding who will go visit the daimyo to inform him of our founding and independence.” Madara’s voice was deeper than normal, she attributed it to the early hour. Sakura looked at Tobirama and Hashirama questioningly. Hashirama’s head sank lower between his shoulders.

“I need Tobirama with me to help negotiate. I need Madara with me to reaffirm the solidarity between clans. I need you with me to bribe the daimyo with medical ninjutsu for our freedom if everything else fails. Mito wants someone from the council or myself to remain behind to run things. I don’t know what to do, Lady Sakura.” Hashirama was a sight, looking absolutely forlorn for himself and his plight. Sakura sighed.

“If I must go too for my medic skills, Tobirama should stay behind as a stand-in Hokage. He will manage the village just fine for a couple days. Madara and I will make sure you don’t get caught up in anything stupid. So when are we leaving?” Tobirama started sulking before she was done speaking.

“Good idea. In that case, why don’t we leave at first light tomorrow?” Madara offered. Sakura sighed again and nodded her head. She had been hoping to avoid him slightly to figure out how she felt about his potential advances and now they would travel together for days.

“Alright. Let’s go over the plan with the daimyo so we’re all on the same page…” Sakura started and Hashirama, ever excitable, started animatedly explaining his ideas.

–

When Sakura left the Hokage Tower, it was late afternoon. They had a solid plan now. She stopped at a nearby food stand to grab some quick food before returning home. She needed to pack for her mission.

As she packed her bag later that evening, she found comfort in the routine of preparing for a mission. It had been a while since she had been on a diplomatic mission, there had been no need near the end last time. Despite the events leading her here, she was excited to serve her village once again. When her pack was finally to her satisfaction, Sakura decided for an early night to prepare for her travels the next day.

The following morning Sakura quickly donned her altered jounin uniform and went to meet her teammates at the eastern entrance of the village. Madara was already there. Sakura immediately slowed her step. Her dreams for the past nights had been about her time at the celebration with him. She blushed as she came to stand beside him, remembering how her dreams had progressed once he had given her the rose. They stood in companionable silence until Hashirama arrived a few minutes later.

“Alright! You guys ready? Let’s go get Konoha’s independence!” Hashirama pointed eastward, towards the general direction of the city the daimyo lived in. She flashed a small smile in Hashirama’s direction before murmuring her assent. The trio began tree-hopping at a moderate pace eastward.

After several hours of silent travel, Sakura found herself reminiscing. 

“The only diplomatic missions I ever went on were to people that already liked me because I saved a family member from poison,” Sakura laughed, “my team only got the oddball missions.” She grinned remembering her team’s bad luck and how many scrapes they had barely come out of. Hashirama had slowed his tree-hopping to keep a better pace with her while she was speaking. Madara had sped up slightly to keep pace. The Hokage looked at her quizzically. 

“Oddball missions? Why is that?” 

“I suppose you should know, but my team had notoriously bad luck on missions. We got ambushed, tracked, attacked, abducted, tortured, you name it. Everything always went wrong on our missions, but we always managed to finish the job and make it back. I hope the bad luck stayed in my past, but consider yourselves warned now, because it still feels like I’m on my team.” Sakura shrugged. There really was no helping it, her team’s missions had always had unwelcome surprises. Madara and Hashirama shared a look over Sakura’s head, but she kept moving. 

By the time the Sun was setting, they were a few hours from the capital, the home of the daimyo. They decided to set up camp and start off again at first light, as the daimyo was expecting them about midmorning the next day. Sakura had volunteered for the first watch, and she found a spot in the nearby foliage that gave her a good view of the camp and surrounding areas. Occasionally she looked at Madara and noticed how peaceful he looked in his sleep. 

Sakura felt conflicted about Madara. On one hand, he had gone through an impressive display to show her that he was interested in her, she enjoyed talking with him, and he was attractive. On the other hand, it felt odd to her to potentially seek some sort of happiness with the man responsible for her friend’s suffering. But she knew that it was truly Zetsu’s fault, and applying Madara’s face to Zetsu’s atrocities wasn’t fair. Sighing, Sakura mulled over that train of thought until her watch was up, and she woke Hashirama before going to sleep. 

The following day they set out for the daimyo’s palace. It was clear that they had been expected, as the trio were quickly ushered into the heart of the palace. Sakura found herself disappointed that Hashirama’s anxiety about this meeting was unfounded. The strength of the Senju and Uchiha clans were legendary by themselves. Now that they had joined forces and were working together, the Daimyo had little choice but to accept Hashirama’s proposal for the new shinobi village.

After the meeting they left the palace in high spirits. Hashirama and Madara had successfully gained Konoha its independence, and the daimyo’s support with securing missions and payment. It had gone better than they had hoped. Sakura had been tuning out Hashirama’s excited babble while thinking about her future here in this time when the Hokage stopped dead on a tree branch, Madara at his side. Sakura leapt to the next branch before realizing, and hopped back to join them. Hashirama was tense as she joined them.

“Do you feel that?” He whispered. Sakura extended her senses and felt multiple chakra signatures directly in their path home.

“I count about 15.” Madara whispered back.

“What would you like to do, Lord Hokage?” Sakura looked at Hashirama while removing a kunai from her pouch. 

“Ideally nothing happens. Be on your guard and follow my lead.” Hashirama whispered back at them before continuing to tree-hop on their path like nothing was wrong. Sakura followed him immediately, and Madara fell into the rear position. She kept all her senses extended, trying to detect the first sign of danger. 

A mile later, foreign shinobi surrounded them on the tree branches. Hashirama took one step forward and showed his hands.
“Now, we don’t want any trouble. Let us keep on our way and no one will get hurt.” The foreign shinobi snickered and one of them sneered at Hashirama.

“Do you hear that, guys? He’s gonna let us off with no trouble! Why don’t we show him exactly what we think of the laughable peaceful shinobi of Konohagakure?” The ninja laughed before attacking.

Their attack was swift, and suddenly Sakura was fending off six shinobi all aiming to kill. A quick glance told Sakura that Madara and Hashirama were also fending off vicious attacks. Sakura bobbed and wove between weapons and tried to land a blow on her attackers. They were quick to dodge her punches though, and she was locked in a lethal dance. There was no time for regular ninjutsu without potentially harming her comrades, so Sakura quickly fell into using medical ninjutsu to fight. She focused her chakra scalpel in her hands, making them as long as possible while continuing her dance with her attackers.

Slowly, her scalpel whittled down her opponents until there were only two left. Having a little room to breathe, Sakura changed her attacks back to her superior strength. Quickly punching through one of the men’s chests, Sakura ignored the gore covering her person and kicked the ground where her fights had fallen to make her last opponent fall off balance. Succeeding, Sakura launched herself towards him and decapitated him. She jumped back into the trees where Madara and Hashirama had been fighting. 

There she found Hashirama healing small wounds on himself, and Madara wiping his kunai clean. They both stopped when they saw her.

“Are you alright?” Hashirama asked her politely. She finally looked down at herself and saw just how drenched in blood she was. 

“Oh. Yeah, don’t worry. None of this is mine.” Hashirama blinked before laughing at her. Madara was staring intently at her, his expression unreadable. 

“Those shinobi seemed to be against Konohagakure, but I have no idea who they were or who they were fighting for.” 

“They’re shinobi, they fought for money of course.” An unknown voice suddenly cut in from the ground a ways in front of the trio. Sakura whirled around in a defensive crouch and looked down at the newcomer. She was shocked to see a man that heavily resembled Kakuzu. She felt Madara move to stand at her side as she was already standing by Hashirama. Her comrades glared down at the newcomer suspiciously, and in Madara’s case was openly hostile. 

“And who are you?” Hashirama asked the man.

“Oh, no one really. Name’s Kakuzu,” Sakura jolted when she heard that, drawing the attention of all three men.

“Oh? The kunoichi knows of me? Very interesting. It just so happens that I’m looking for a particular kunoichi who has sparked rumors across the land. She’s said to have cherry blossom colored hair, jade green eyes, and fight like a she-devil. Would you happen to know of her?” Kakuzu grinned at Sakura while eyeing the unbloodied sections of her pink hair obviously. 

“That depends. What do you want with her?” Kakuzu’s grin turned wicked.

“I know many people that will pay a pretty penny for such a skilled medic.” The words weren’t even fully out of Kakuzu’s mouth before Madara and Hashirama were in action. They both threw powerful ninjutsu at Kakuzu, who dodged and started altering the landscape using earth style.

“My clients think the Senju and Uchiha have hogged the best medic, and now the people want to share!” As he said that, Sakura felt the branch she was standing on give way suddenly, and she fell into the waiting earth. Madara and Hashirama both yelled and tried to reach her, but she was swallowed up by the darkness in the blink of an eye. Her hands were quickly bound despite her flailing to throw her attacker off. Sakura felt her chakra dampen, and immediately flooded her legs with chakra. Before she could land her kick on Kakuzu or the earth around them, chakra restraints were placed on her legs. Kakuzu worked another earth style jutsu to allow them to move through the earth and not return to the surface. That would increase his chances of escape. Sakura closed her eyes and breathed slowly to focus herself.

Kakuzu immediately started moving quickly through the earth, dragging her behind him. Sakura desperately tried to grab hold of her chakra to signal Madara and Hashirama. 

Chapter Text

The tiny clearing where they had been fighting was eerily silent. Madara and Hashirama looked at each other in shock when they both failed to save her from falling into the earth. Sakura then did not emerge like they hoped. 

“Hashirama, I can’t feel her chakra.” Madara’s Sharingan was a blur as it spun while he examined the earth around him. The Hokage leapt down the forest floor and used an earth style jutsu to examine the ground where Sakura had entered it. Madara joined him.

“It seems he is highly skilled with earth style. I know what jutsu he used to travel through it, but I can’t tell what direction they went.” Hashirama slowly stood and looked crushed that one of his precious shinobi was abducted. 

“So what do we do?!” Madara was losing control of his voice. Desperation was leaking through, and he was holding his body tense. As Hashirama was about to answer, both their heads snapped north. They both felt a small flare of Sakura’s chakra. Madara launched himself in that direction, while Hashirama took up the rear guard position.

Flares of her chakra were coming in very inconsistent pulses. The pair of men traveled fast, following the sporadic trail. When Sakura’s chakra pulses slowed to once every few minutes, Madara unsealed his gunbai from his pouch.

One weak flare of her chakra came while they were directly above it. Madara flew to the end of the small clearing and viciously attacked the earth with his gunbai. It was not an attack as clean as Sakura’s use of strength with the earth, and walls of muddy earth parted under his fan. Hashirama leapt into action and started manipulating the trees around them.

Madara could see the vines moving through the earth, looking for their target. A figure carrying a limp form appeared from the ground at the far end of the field. His red eyes zeroed in and saw Sakura’s battered and unconscious form, and launched himself at Kakuzu. There was no more potential mercy to be found.

Kakuzu dodged Madara and started to run out of the field with Sakura, but Hashirama blocked his escape with wood. 

“You will return Lady Sakura to us and I will promise you a quick death.” Hashirama was deadly focused on Kakuzu. 

“Can’t take such a bad deal.” Kakuzu sneered at Hashirama and tried to leap away. Madara was there, swinging his gunbai fan. Hashirama sent wood to chase Kakuzu. They were severely restricted with what they could attack with, as they did not want to harm Sakura. Kakuzu, though, had no such limitations. He threw every variety of ninjutsu their way, and one particular lightning jutsu he used zapped Sakura as well. Immediately, Madara summoned his falcons. 

“Save her.” Suddenly, Kakuzu had to fend off a brood of vicious falcons as well as Hashirama and Madara. 

One of Madara’s falcons tore Kakuzu’s arm that he was using to hold Sakura on his shoulder. Realizing he was about to drop his prize, Kakuzu tried to run again. Vines and falcons pecking and clawing his legs tripped him, and he finally dropped Sakura. She was thrown from Kakuzu and fell into an unmoving heap on the ground, like a broken doll. Madara was at her side in an instant and scooped her up. He retreated behind Hashirama. 

Once he felt safe to do so, Madara laid Sakura down and started inspecting her injuries. Her already being coated in blood made it quite difficult. She was severely beaten with broken limbs, and he saw fresh blood oozing from several head wounds and wounds on her chest. Looking closely, he saw that her skull was fractured. Madara removed the chakra restraints and was momentarily reassured when he felt her familiar chakra signature. But she did not awaken, she kept bleeding, and he was no healer.

“Hashirama, I need to get her back, now!!” Madara roared.

“Go! I will be just a minute longer here and I will catch up to you!” Hashirama called. Madara glanced his way and saw an immobilized Kakuzu. He wished he could be the one to tear his head off, but he gently picked up Sakura and started off towards Konoha at a breakneck pace. Half of his falcons flew with him, while he made sure half stayed with Hashirama, just in case.

Madara knew that if Sakura awoke on their travels that she would be in immense pain. As it was, he was trying to not jostle her as best he could while tree-hopping. Half an hour after Madara had left Hashirama, one of his falcons informed him that his friend was catching up to him. Spurred on by the thought that he could be so easily kept up with, Madara urged his legs to move faster. He kept seeing the broken pieces of her skull when his mind wandered even slightly. 

Finally, Hashirama caught up with Madara. A quick glance at the Hokage showed Madara Kakuzu’s head dangling from one hand.

“Good.” Madara continued to inch forward, ahead and faster than his longtime friend.

“I have never seen you move so fast.” Hashirama wheezed behind Madara. Against his better judgment, Madara stopped on the next branch and thankfully Hashirama did too. He turned his body to his friend to show him the unconscious kunoichi in his arms. Hashirama’s face paled and Madara leapt into movement again.

The pair was silent as they flew back to Konohagakure. Sakura did not awaken on their travels but breathed steadily, and when they saw the village in the early autumnal sunset, Madara impossibly sped up once again.

“Find Megumi, make sure she’s not at the Uchiha compound. I’m going to the hospital.” Hashirama was gone from his side immediately, and Madara was entering the hospital moments later. Unfortunately, his intuition was right and Megumi was not one of the medics at the hospital currently. As it was, the medics that were in the hospital immediately set out getting a room prepped for Sakura. Her blood dripped off his arms onto the floor while he waited.

After the longest minute of Madara’s life, Megumi and Hashirama strode into the hospital. Megumi immediately walked up to Madara and inspected Sakura. She blanched, and she gestured for Madara to follow her to the room the other medics had prepared. 

“Please set her down on the table and find Ume Senju.” Madara did as he was bid, and stepped out of the operating room alone. Hashirama had gone to find his clanswoman. He sat down on a chair nearby the operating room and crossed his arms to wait. Shortly after, Ume hurriedly turned the corner and ran into the operating room. Hashirama sat down near Madara. 

At some point or another almost every single medic that Sakura had been teaching entered and left the operating room, except Megumi and Ume. One of the last medics to leave offered a small smile to the clan leaders.

“Lady Sakura is strong, she will be alright. Luckily Ladies Megumi and Ume are far enough in their training to manage her wounds.” The Senju woman bowed and quickly left. Madara turned slightly to Hashirama.

“Do you know what happened back there?” Hashirama’s smile immediately clouded at the question, and his face pinched.

“No. And I don’t think we’ll know until Lady Sakura wakes up. Her assailant is dead though,” He paused here and looked closely at his friend.

“Are you alright?” Madara did not answer. He couldn’t not answer.

“...Can you turn off your Sharingan?” Hashirama gently asked him. Madara blinked suddenly and realized that his Sharingan had been on since their fight with Kakuzu. Sighing, he turned off his doujutsu. 

“Sorry.” Madara muttered to his friend. Hashirama placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, brother. I think I am beginning to understand.” 

A short while later Megumi and Ume finally left the operating room. They both turned to look at their clan leaders, then at each other. Megumi stepped forward and held her head up.

“Lady Sakura will recover. I believe she will remain unconscious for a couple days, but the damage done to her has been healed.”

“Why did another medic say Lady Sakura was lucky you are skilled enough?” Hashirama looked inquisitively up at Megumi, then Ume. The Uchiha glanced at Madara, then back at Ume, at a loss. Ume quickly stepped up to be even with Megumi.

“My lords, in the first place, please understand that that medic should not have said those words. Please inform one of us or Lady Sakura in the future who said that. Secondly, that medic was correct. Lady Sakura had brain damage and only Lady Megumi has the skill at the moment to handle such injuries. There was more detailed healing to be done elsewhere as well, and I was the only one capable of healing that damage aside from Megumi. Lady Sakura was incredibly lucky considering she couldn’t heal this attack herself and how fast she was returned to our care.”

“But she will be alright! Now she just needs rest. With your permission, we will return to our homes for the night and Lady Sakura will be monitored here until she wakes up and some days after that. We will return in the morning to make sure we didn’t miss anything, and all the medics here know where to find us if we are needed.” Megumi knew her request for dismissal should come from Hashirama, but she was looking at Madara. Slowly, he nodded his head and the medics left quickly. 

“I suppose that’s it for us here for now. I would like to talk with my remaining council members. I will go fetch Tobirama.” Hashirama stood and slowly walked out of the hospital. Madara rose and looked around the hallway he was standing in. He saw no one, so he slipped into Sakura’s room.

She looked fragile, now laying in the hospital bed. The blood and dirt had been scrubbed from her person, and Madara searched her body for any visible signs of injuries. He saw none. The image of her broken skull still floated in front of his eyes, haunting him. He slowly reached for Sakura’s hand before shaking himself and leaving the room.

–

Sakura knew she was unconscious. There were moments where she was lucid, but still stuck in the darkness. She didn’t hurt anymore, she was healed. But she couldn’t wake up yet. Sometimes she dreamed of Madara. Madara carrying her, cooking for her, kissing her. Zetsu corrupting him. Sakura's dreams alternated between embarrassing and horrifying.

When she did finally awaken, Megumi had been in her room to check up on her. Sakura’s eyes opened slowly, and she groaned.

“Lady Sakura! Are you awake?” Megumi sat down beside Sakura’s bed. Sakura coughed slightly.

“Yeah, unless this is another dream. Had some start like this. ” She coughed again. Her apprentice looked around the room for water before finding a glass and handing it to her. Sakura slowly rose to sitting and greedily drank from the glass.

“Okay then, Lady Sakura. I am currently your medic and you are under mandatory hospital stay. I need to ask you a few questions, is that alright?” Sakura handed the glass back to Megumi before agreeing.

“Do you know why you are in the hospital?” She blinked a few times as she thought back. She had been traveling with Madara and Hashirama about the daimyo business. On the way back… they had been ambushed. But that was easy. Kakuzu had shown up. Not so easy. Sakura nodded her head.

“Yes, I remember everything until I lost consciousness.” Megumi sighed in relief hearing that. 

“Good. Do you feel up to trying a small motor skills demonstration so I can ascertain there is no lasting damage?” Sakura nodded again and climbed out of bed. She walked around the room, jumped, performed different activities with different hands, and followed Megumi’s finger with her eyes. Her apprentice smiled at her.

“I’m very glad you seem to be doing alright. You came in with brain trauma, shattered bones throughout your body, a laceration in one lung as well as major bruising and small cuts. All of your students worked on the healing in some aspect. I assigned them roles based on what you had told me of their progress while we trained last. I haven’t been able to find anything we missed, but if you find a certain part to be weakly healed just let me know and I’ll let you know who it was so you can correct it.” Megumi nodded her head curtly after she finished speaking. Sakura looked at her apprentice.

“That bad, huh? Thanks for fixing me up. Since I seem to be fine, am I still on mandatory hospital stay?” Sakura hopefully looked at Megumi. Her apprentice stared hard at Sakura.

“Yes, Lady Sakura. For 24 more hours at least provided nothing goes wrong. You were unconscious with a traumatic brain injury for hours before treatment, and for days afterwards. While you stay here in the hospital I would like you to make sure our work is alright. Next time, clarify what you mean with ‘hands-on experience’ for your students to Kami.” Sakura laughed at Megumi’s joke while her apprentice smiled warmly at seeing Sakura up and moving.

“Okay. If I can’t leave, can you at least get word to Madara and Lord Hokage that I’m awake? I think they are going to want to talk about what happened.” Megumi sighed and looked at Sakura. Truly, she seemed fine, which was a miracle. 

“Alright, fine. Someone will be bringing you food shortly, I’ll go tell the Hokage. You're lucky it's not nighttime and everyone gone home!” Sakura thanked Megumi and continued to walk around the room. She went to the bathroom, and finally settled into doing some squats in the middle of her room. Laying in bed for days straight always left a person feeling weak. Shortly after she began her mini routine, one of the administrative assistants entered Sakura’s room with a tray of food and a change of clothes. She thanked her profusely and retreated into the bathroom to dress herself. 

When she left the bathroom, Tobirama was in her hospital room. She blinked seeing that and then approached her food.

“Hello. Is this a personal visit or is there about to be a council meeting in the hospital?” Tobirama shook his head in response to the thought of making a personal visit to her in the hospital and nodded in agreement at the last part of her question. 

"As soon as they hear you're awake they'll come and want to discuss the incident."

“Alright. I’m starving though, I’m going to eat.” Sakura sat down at the chair next to her bed and started on her nutritious meal. She finished her meal a short few minutes later and settled back on the bed. A few minutes of awkward silence after that the door flew open, and Madara, Hashirama, and Mito entered. The redhead flew up to Sakura and embraced the pink haired woman. Sakura embraced her back easily. Madara immediately looked her over once making sure she really was alright before settling back into his more aloof manner. He seemed more tense than usual though. Hashirama stepped forward with six shuriken and a grin.

“It’s my turn to offer up privacy seals.” And he threw the shuriken to their spots and settled cross legged on the foot of her bed. Madara sat in the chair she had recently vacated, and Tobirama stood along the wall nearest her bed. Mito, after crushing Sakura into a hug, settled next to Hashirama at the foot of the bed.

“Well Lady Sakura, you were right about your luck on missions. Do you know more about this Kakuzu fellow?” Hashirama started off the meeting. They were all watching her.

“I mainly knew of him, and saw him only a few times. He got his hands on a forbidden technique and essentially became immortal. He was still alive and terrorizing people in my time. Kakuzu and his partner went on to kill my best friend’s sensei. After a lot of planning, my friend’s team took down Kakuzu’s partner, and my sensei finished off Kakuzu.”

“Well he sounds-” Sakura held up her hand. They were all watching her closely. Mito leaned forward and placed her hand on Sakura’s knee for support.

“One moment please. There’s one more thing about Kakuzu, I just need a moment to remember.” She knew she had been taught about him once in the Academy but as a show of strength to their first Hokage. What had Iruka said? Madara was watching her search her memory with a touch of concern in his eye.

“Kakuzu… was hired to assassinate Hashirama and when he failed, stole that forbidden technique I mentioned earlier. I hope you killed him because he will be trouble down the line if not.” Sakura looked back up into Hashirama’s eyes when she remembered. His brown eyes were wide as her words sunk in.

“I killed my would-be assassin? That’s not something that happens every day.” Sakura sighed in relief then froze. 

“I didn’t see evidence of his jutsu when he had me captured, but to ease my mind, how exactly did you kill him?” She looked back at him and he solemnly inclined his head.

“I decapitated him. We are still in possession of his head. No jutsu could recover from that.” Sakura bit her tongue, as Hidan could withstand, but not recover from that.

“He’s also decomposing quite normally, I feel confident there is no fuinjutsu on that head.” Mito piped up. She nodded hearing that.

“Good.” Sakura looked at Hashirama, then at Madara at her side.

“Thank you both for saving me. Once I realized he had chakra restraints it was too late.”

“And now I have a question for you, Lady Sakura. I wasn’t there, but the way they tell the story is you were still signaling to them with chakra after being bound. How was that possible?” Tobirama asked her. There was no more disbelief or hidden malice to his words anymore. He was simply curious, and had come to take the highly improbable events that happened to her in stride. Sakura paused for a moment and recalled what she had exactly done.

“I could still feel my chakra, they weren’t the best chakra restraints I’ve felt. It was so slippery and resistant. But sometimes I could almost meditate and make my whole soul in tune with my breathing. When I was ready a sharp exhale could flare my chakra. I would have to restart the process every time though.” She explained and slowly trailed off.

“And why was that, if your whole soul was in tune, as you said?” Tobirama bluntly asked her. Madara cringed and glared at the albino and Hashirama protested the question.

“Why, Tobirama? Because Kakuzu beat the shit out of me every time I signaled them of course. That makes it hard to focus. Why else would he hurt me so severely? The last thing I remember is realizing I was drifting into unconsciousness and I got one more flare out. We’re lucky that this Kakuzu wasn’t the one I had experience with. Panic makes people do dumb things like fight Madara and Hashirama while holding onto an unconscious woman.” Despite Tobirama slowly warming up to her, he still irritated her so much with his dense and blunt questions. Hashirama gestured to draw the attention of the meeting once again.

“Before I killed him, Kakuzu told me that several significant shinobi lords from around the nations have heard of your skills and are envious. Because we had no idea this resentment was building up and as a result of this incident, we have decided that an intelligence network needed to be established. Through Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki connections we now will have updates on major changes and rumors in all corners of the world. Something like this cannot happen again.” Sakura was touched to hear that they had already taken great strides in further protecting their village. She smiled gently, remembering Jiraiya.

“Konoha’s intelligence network in my time was excellent. Thanks for keeping us safe while I slept, guys.” Sakura felt like she needed to approve also of that activity, but it was already done with. 

“Is there anything else you can tell us about Kakuzu or why he might have tried to assassinate Hashirama?” Tobirama asked her. She thought for a moment. 

“Not really. I think that tensions were rising before a war and the elimination of the Lord Hokage would have crippled Konoha. But he failed. Who he was after that isn’t important to us anymore either.”

“And why is that?” Madara spoke up for the first time and she turned to look at him.

“Because Kakuzu was working for Zetsu last time. Now he’s dead and Zetsu locked away.” Madara was surprised to hear that, if his one visible eye widening was any indication.

“Alright. We were desperate to know more about him which we now have, so we won’t intrude on any more of your time. Thank you for visiting with us, Lady Sakura.” Hashirama rose and started to head out of the room. Mito walked with Hashirama. Tobirama followed his brother. Once Hashirama reached the door, he turned to look back at Madara.

“Madara, aren’t you coming? We shouldn’t take up any more of Lady Sakura’s time, you know.” Madara turned from getting Sakura a glass of water to glare at Hashirama.

“He’s alright, Hashirama. He visited me the last time I was in the hospital too.” Madara now froze and Hashirama beamed at him. Mito locked eyes with Sakura, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that so? Well okay then, let’s go Tobi.” Hashirama led his confused younger brother out of the hospital room. Madara brought Sakura more water and sat down in that low chair again. She downed the cup and set it on the table on the other side of her bed.

“I must admit, foolishly, that when I removed the chakra restraints from you I had hoped that you would wake up, heal yourself, and we could all be on our way. When that didn’t happen…” Sakura could hear the tightness in his voice, and looked at his face. She saw anxiety in him, and a rising tension. He started to breathe faster as his memories overtook him. She turned to face him fully, sitting at the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor. She reached out one hand to him.

“When that didn’t happen…?” His hand rose as if unconsciously to hers and he held onto it tightly. 

“I ran with you in my arms back here. What else could I do? I should have turned my Sharingan off, but I didn’t even realize it was on. I can still see…” his breathing was becoming faster and more erratic. His grip was probably going to bruise her, but she barely paid it any mind. 

“I only saw the worst after I had moved you. I was so worried, I thought I had paralyzed or killed you. I didn’t know my Sharingan was on.” His breathing rate kept increasing with shallower and shallower breaths. Sakura reached out to him with her other hand as well and guided his forehead to hers, then placed that hand back on his shoulder.

“Madara, Madara calm down. Breathe with me now. In… out…” Sakura started guiding him through some deep breaths. She heard him struggle to keep pace with her and he gripped her arms desperately. 

“In… and out… In… and out… I’m okay Madara, but I understand what you’re feeling right now. I could never get over it until I checked over them myself. Let me show you.” She spoke quietly to him, then shook her arm to dislodge one of his hands and grabbed it. She guided his hand up to her head where she had been injured. His hand resisted making contact with her head, but she gently encouraged him until he listened to her. Slowly he felt the area that Kakuzu had smashed and felt whole skin and bone.

“See? I’m okay.” She let go of his hand and placed hers back on the front of his shoulder. Madara stroked that spot of her head for a while, seemingly memorizing the feeling of her healed skin. She could feel the panic leave his body as he was reassured. His hand slowly trailed lower while exploring, grazing her cheekbone. She fought the shiver that wanted to run down her body from his fingertips. While his fingers traced her cheek, his thumb brushed her bottom lip. Wherever he touched was set alight and she could barely think about anything aside from the man across from her. Slowly, his hand moved to gently hold her chin, but he pulled his face away from hers. She looked up at him, not knowing what to expect but deeply entranced. He was looking at her so tenderly her heart skipped a beat.

“If you tell me to stop, I will.” Sakura slowly nodded her head, and he gently guided her face towards his. Her eyes fluttered closed, and a moment later his soft lips brushed her own. She leaned into the kiss, returning each gentle movement. The only thing Sakura could think about was the feeling of his warm lips on hers. 

When Madara slowly started to deepen the kiss, Sakura snaked the hand that was on his shoulder across his back, pulling him closer. His hands cupped her face, and one thumb stroked her cheek. Heat spread through Sakura’s body, and she sighed against Madara’s lips. Feeling bold, Sakura swiped her tongue across his bottom lip, tasting him. He made a strangled noise and his tongue met hers in a warm dance. 

After an unknown time where her universe had been reduced to Madara and his sweet kisses, they had to break apart to catch their breath. He stood abruptly and took two steps away from her bed and cleared his throat several times. Sakura was thrown off by his sudden retreat and unconsciously raised a hand to her still tingling lips.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I had more of a speech planned…” He scratched the back of his head and turned slightly so he could glance at her. She saw his pink cheek as he did so. His blush deepened as he saw her, surely flushed as well, and turned back away from her. He cleared his throat again and after a minute slowly returned to the chair, color fading from his cheek. Sakura returned her hands to her lap and watched him. She could not will away the blush covering her face, nor the brightness in her eyes.

“Sakura, even all of Zetsu’s influence couldn’t stop my fascination with you. I’ve never seen such a strong and beautiful woman. I want to spend more time with you, to spar with you, to talk with you. I wish to court you, but I couldn’t put it into words before. Seeing you so injured and realizing I might have missed my chance… I couldn’t accept it. I needed you to know. And I shouldn’t have made an advance on you while you’re in the hospital, I’m sorry.” A faint pink had returned to his face while he spoke. She reached out her hand to him again, and he slowly took it in both of his.

“I haven’t double checked everything, but I’m fine. Megumi won’t let me leave until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. I can’t believe she listened to me so well,” she laughed, remembering times she had laid down the law with Tsunade as well, “but you said I could stop you if I wanted to.” Sakura looked down and blushed again.

“I don’t have any experience with this sort of thing especially in this time period, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested. I… I would like to get to know you, Madara.” He stared at her without comprehension for a moment before he broke out into a grin. He brought her hand up and placed a kiss on her knuckles. 

“You honor me, Lady Sakura. Would you like to spar with me tomorrow?” Sakura chuckled at this.

“A chance to spar with the legendary Madara Uchiha? I would enjoy that. I am a bit weak at the moment though…” Madara’s hands tightened infinitesimally. 

“Of course. You will set the pace for the spar, but I can’t say I won’t challenge you some.” He smirked while he teased her, one dimple showing.

“But I need to work on clan matters to free up my day tomorrow. But before I go,” he hesitated here for a moment, “would you mind looking over their healing? Just to ease my mind.” He looked at her sheepishly and she smiled after a beat.

“No problem. My medic ordered me to, afterall.” Sakura snickered a bit before placing a glowing green hand on her chest. She sent some diagnostic chakra into her system, paying extra attention to the area Megumi had outlined earlier. Her healing had been done well. There were some internal scars that she could touch up, but she saw no need. The major problems had been taken care of well enough. She could tell her students had paid extra attention to her skin to make sure no scars remained. Sakura stopped her jutsu and opened her eyes. Meeting Madara’s eye once more, she smiled.

“Like I said, I’m perfectly fine.” She saw the relief in his eye and he released her hand as he rose.

“I’m sorry to leave now, but I will be here when you’re released tomorrow. I promise.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her hair. She watched him leave the room, and released a deep breath.

There was no way she would get much rest tonight. She really should learn to specify what she means when hoping for things. She had admired the Uchiha clan as a child, and had hoped to date someone from it before she had met Sasuke. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that wish would actually be realized, or that Madara Uchiha could be a caring and gentle man. Sakura flopped down on her bed and thought about the man she was now courting.

Before she got very far, she realized he was going to pick her up from the hospital. She sat up in bed and decided to braid her hair. Her hair had grown quite a bit since being in the past and it went to the middle of her back now. She was not used to fighting with it so long, and it had gotten in her eyes several times while fighting the ambush a handful of days prior. There wouldn’t be another opportunity to prepare for their spar, aside from perhaps getting changed and grabbing her pouches from her home. She sighed, thinking of Ino. If only her friend could see her fretting over her looks again.

Once she had finished her long braid, she settled back into bed and wondered what would happen now that she had approved of and reciprocated Madara’s interest. She drifted off to sleep feeling light.

Chapter Text

The next day when Sakura awoke Megumi was already in her room. Based on the Sun’s angle in the one window, it was midday.

“Alright, well nothing took a turn unexpectedly, so I suppose you’re free to leave the hospital unless you found something in your examination.” She looked pointedly at Sakura while she said that. She shook her head.

“No, you all did an excellent job. Thank you again, by the way.” Her apprentice smiled down at her.

“It was my and everyone else’s honor to help you. But seeing as you’re now free to go, I should inform you that you have a visitor waiting at the front of the hospital for you.” Megumi winked at her. Sakura blushed slightly and got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

“Thanks for telling me, I’ll be out soon.” Sakura slipped into the bathroom and washed her face and rinsed her mouth to freshen up. She paused for a moment while she reflected on her actions. She, a kunoichi that had fought to defend her village against Madara Uchiha, was about to spend the afternoon with him as his girlfriend. Although perhaps fiance was a better phrase? She balked suddenly. That was something they needed to talk about, because she didn’t know exactly what courting entailed.

Sakura took a moment to steady herself before exiting the bathroom and her room to head to the front of the hospital where Madara waited. She found him standing near the entrance, and he smiled when he saw her walking towards him. 

“Good afternoon, Lady Sakura. I’m very happy to see you discharged from the hospital.” He extended his left elbow to her as she stepped close to him. She took it and he guided her out of the building. 

“Would you still like to spar today?” He looked down at her as he asked this. She nodded her head.

“Yes, but could we stop by my house so I can change my clothes?” He smirked at this request.

“Of course.” He was already taking them in that direction, and soon they arrived at her house. She unlocked the door and this time, she welcomed Madara inside to wait. 

Her house was small, at her request. The front of the house consisted of a kitchen with an adjacent eating area, and a small seating area with a table that had several scrolls on it tucked into a corner. There were two doors leading out of the front room. Sakura took her slides off and crossed the room.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll just be a few minutes.” She entered her bedroom while she heard Madara sitting down on one of her cushions.

She quickly dressed in her shinobi gear, hand twitching for her headband before adjusting her glove again. Even though what she had told Madara was true, she did want to get to know him, she was nervous. Slowly, she exited her bedroom. 

Madara stood and they put on their sandals and left her house together. He led them to a training ground he and Izuna had used frequently in the past. She smiled seeing it, she knew this would become an actual training ground one day in the village. 

“It’s perfect,” she hesitated for a moment, “I would like to play a game while we spar, if you don’t mind.” His eyebrow twitched at this and he slowly smiled in confusion.

“What kind of game?”

“One that my old teammate and I would play sometimes when he was frustrated. Sometimes it was blood for blood, or injury for injury. When someone landed a blow in a spar, they got to ask a question. I have several for you on my mind, and I’m sure you have at least a few for me. It also makes the spar more interesting,” her lips curled into a wicked smirk, “what do you say?” 

He stared at her for a long moment before laughing.

“That is interesting. You said sometimes it was blood for blood. Chakraless taijutsu spars with kunai as a warm up spar then?” He was already reaching into his pouch before she answered.

“Alright.” Sakura reached into her pouch also to grab a kunai. They faced off for several moments before springing into action. True to his word, Madara dodged and evaded Sakura for a minute while he assessed how hard he could push her in this spar. It made her more focused and more competitive the more he dodged.

Finally after his assessment was over, he began fighting back. Now they were locked in a dance, neatly avoiding each other’s attacks. Whenever their kunai crossed in a block, Sakura’s arms shook in an effort to keep his attack at bay. She began sweating and flung his kunai off hers. There was a brief opening and she slashed at his arm. A thin red slice appeared and started bleeding. They both stopped the attack and stood. He gestured for her to ask her question with his bleeding arm.

“Let me heal the injuries while we ask questions, alright?” She asked him while looking from the bright red blood to his face with concern. Clearing his throat, he nodded.

“Alright, thank you.” He held his bleeding arm out to her, and she took it with glowing green hands.

“Courting you is something I think I know what it is, but I realized I really don’t. R-romantic relationships are very, very different in my time. Are we engaged now, with a wedding already on the horizon?” Her voice was tight, and she kept her eyes locked on his slowly closing wound while she spoke. After she had no more healing to do, she slowly looked up at him. He looked uncertainly down at her.

“I don’t know what things were like in your time, but we can definitely add some of your customs into everything if you want. Typically, courtship is a time men and women spend together for a period of time with the end goal of marriage. The courtship can be called off from either party whenever though, although the longer it has gone on the harder it is to break if two clans are involved. Casual romance is often frowned upon by clan elders.” Sakura thought over his words. It sounded like this process was less strict than she had feared. She nodded to herself.

“Alright, let’s continue the spar.” She leapt back from him and they began their dance anew. Their kunai clanged off each other as they spun and dodged. Once as Sakura came at him from his left side and he leapt to his right, his hair was swept from his face. Sakura saw his full face for the first time and was momentarily awed at just how beautiful he was. Too late she realized her mistake by staying still for a few seconds, and a blade nicked her bicep. Automatically she raised a healing hand to it, and Madara released a small sigh.

“Alright. What do you expect from a budding relationship between a man and woman?” He asked her this with no hesitation. Sakura blushed and averted her gaze.

“Well. I don’t have experience myself. Relationships now, as I understand it, are much more formal. Hashirama and Mito might be the exception because they were sweethearts long ago. Relationships in my time are much more physical,” Sakura blushed harder, “and I lack experience with these things for two reasons. The expected intensely physical aspect was hard for me, and my teammate scared off any men that I might have been interested in.” Madara slowly stepped closer to Sakura, and startled, she looked up to his face.

“Anything that makes you uncomfortable we don’t have to do,” he slowly reached for her face, and when she gave no signs of resistance slowly settled it on her cheek, stroking the side of her lips with his thumb, “it is quite scandalous for me to touch you like this already, let alone what I did yesterday.” Wide green eyes stared up into his one black one.

“I feel torn between giddiness and shame. Hearing that perhaps small touches like this won’t scare you makes me incredibly happy, but I feel myself growing bold, which I should not. I also shouldn’t ask this of you, but may I kiss you once more?” Sakura stilled and she thought she saw embarrassment cross his eye before his hand began to lift from her face.

“Yes.” Her voice was clear and a look of shock crossed his face briefly before he cupped her face with his hand once more and bent to lower his face to hers. Sakura stood up on her tiptoes to help reach and grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself. Their lips met and moved together in a warm tandem. Slowly, hesitantly, his other hand found her waist and she sighed against his lips. Again, wherever he touched felt electrified. The feeling that kissing him brought on was intoxicating. Just as she was about to deepen the kiss once more, she felt him start to pull away. There was a blush coloring his face. His gaze was averted.

“Like I said, even touching your face is scandalous. I can’t get carried away.” He cleared his throat and looked at her.

“Do you want to continue our spar or be done?” He asked her slowly, as if unsure of what she would want after such physical contact. She smiled at him.

“I still have more questions. Although I might be ready for a chakra taijutsu spar now.” There was a wicked gleam in her eyes. He nodded. Their spar was much the same, but now they both were faster, and Sakura noticeably stronger. The next wound was on her and she started healing the cut on her side.

“Why…” He trailed off, looking uncertain. She looked at him questioningly.

“Why did you agree to this courtship if I am the one who hurt you in the past?” He didn’t look at her or step closer. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the ground in front of him while he waited for her answer.

“Because I wasn’t lying. You are not Zetsu, and learning more about you has made me realize the Uchiha and yourself are not what they were made out to be in my time.” She spoke clearly and without hesitation. She had fought herself over the same question multiple times already. He looked up at her hesitantly.

“Are you sure?” There was a vulnerable look in his one visible eye. She smiled up at him.

“That’s two questions, but yes I’m sure.” Releasing a shaky breath, he nodded and resumed his fighting stance.

The next injury was on Madara, who stopped when he felt the blade on his calf. She immediately started healing the cut.

“Will the Uchiha clan let us work this out, or will they insist on a more formal courtship?” She rose to her feet and looked at him.

“They can and will try to. But I am the clan leader and we will do this at your pace.” She let out a slow breath.

“Okay then. I think I’m done with questions for now, we can spar regularly if you want.” He nodded his head and prepared.

The rest of the spar was Sakura going all out against Madara, and even with her being weakened he was still working to dodge and attack her. She could tell by the sweat on his brow, and the pace of his breathing. That gave her intense satisfaction, and she renewed her attack.

By the time they were done, there were several craters in the training field, and the few trees in the field were scorched. Sakura lay down panting, sweaty and covered in dirt and blood. Madara sat near her, looking slightly better. He at least wasn’t breathing nearly so hard.

“That was a great spar. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got fully recovered.” He grinned at her. She gave him a sincere smile. 

“Do you mean that?” She asked him. He nodded at her question.

“Of course. You are a well rounded fighter and indescribably strong. You are a fierce opponent.” He stated that without any exaggeration or deceit in his tone. Her smile grew wider, and she looked away from him up at the sky so she didn’t have to admit that her eyes were watering up.

“Thank you. I’ve spent my whole life trying to become strong, to catch up to my teammates. To have the legendary Madara Uchiha say that, well. It means a lot.” A single tear found its way out of her eye and down her temple, into her hair.

“Why do you say I’m legendary?” He asked her.

“Yours and Hashirama’s skills are the stuff of children's tales in my time. Your fights changed the landscape in some areas. You’re remembered as the strongest Uchiha clan head of all time.” He knew she was editing her history a bit but staying truthful in the essence. He stilled while he thought about that.

“Thank you for opening the path I’m on now to me.” He said after several moments. A few more moments of silence reigned before he turned back to her.

“Would you like to get some food?” Sakura glanced at the sky, which was turning shades of orange and pink and purple in the sunset. She hadn’t realized that they had been sparring for so long.

“Uh, sure, but I really don’t want to go anywhere while I’m sweaty and gross.” She looked at him sheepishly with a shrug. He gently smiled at her.

“Not a problem, I usually wash off in that lake over there,” he pointed behind her, “and we won’t be going out for food.” She rose and started walking towards the lake. She decided that she would only rinse her arms and face and not shuck her clothes in Madara’s presence. She had lost that urge for modesty with Sasuke and Naruto a long time ago. 

She knelt by the water’s edge and got to work. After several moments, Madara knelt next to her and took the hair from his face to do the same. Staring at his whole face for a while before shaking herself out to continue rinsing her face, she turned to him again.

“I know your hairstyle is strategic, but you are quite handsome with it out of your face.” He looked surprised for a second before smirking.

“So that’s what distracted you earlier in our spar.” She blushed, both furious and embarrassed that he realized the cause of her mistake. She scrubbed at her hands with extra vigor and he chuckled.

“Thank you.” He finished rinsing and rose from the lake edge. Sakura followed shortly after.

“You’re welcome. To be honest, I’m really glad I saw your face. My sensei wore a mask and I never once saw his face. He even made me heal his broken noses through it.” Madara was silent while he processed her words.

“I think that would be frustrating, as a pupil. And I also think I would be distracted by your beauty if I saw it for the first time in the heat of battle.” He laid a hand on hers, tucked into his elbow, and she flushed. She then realized that they were walking through the Uchiha district, towards his house.

“Thank you. We’re having dinner at your house?” She asked him.

“Where else could we relax and eat with clothes this filthy?” He gestured to the two of them with dried mud and blood covering their persons.

“Besides, I have the perfect thing in mind for dinner.” He led her up the steps to his house, and they entered. Sakura took off her shoes at the entryway and followed Madara to the kitchen. It was a good deal larger than her own home. He gestured for her to sit at the table and she did while he went around the kitchen gathering supplies. 

“So why did you become a ninja? Your village was a peaceful place, right?” He asked her.

“My family moved to Konohagakure when I was very small. My first memory is being pinned down by a thug and I was about to be raped. My mother was in a similar situation and my father was being kicked repeatedly. Konoha shinobi suddenly appeared and killed the attackers. They then escorted us the rest of the way to the village. It was a woman who saved me, and I remember wanting to be strong like her. When they told us that immigrant children had to be enrolled in the Academy to see if they were suited for the shinobi life, I was ecstatic. It was hard work though, you know that. My parents weren’t too happy at first, but as I became stronger they were okay with it.” Sakura shrugged telling her story. She had gotten over what had happened a long time ago. She had killed her fair share of rapists now. 

Madara stilled in the kitchen as he listened to her tale. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you. What happened to the shinobi that saved you?” Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. She did not open them as she answered.

“She and her team went on to live successful lives working in and for the village. They were one of the first squads to defend the village against a rogue ninja that had come back to his village with a grudge. They died in that attack. I was twelve at that time, and they were the first shinobi I started to visit in the cemetery.” She opened her eyes and looked at Madara. His face was carefully blank as he looked at her and pondered.

“Does… does it bother you to talk about the past like this?” He was very hesitant and unsure in his question. Sakura sat back and reflected on his question. He quietly continued to gather food in the kitchen and arrange it on a tray for them. 

“No. Sometimes I will cry and be upset by the things that happened, but I would rather tell someone about those things than let the memory of my friends and their sacrifices die with me.” A solitary tear leaked out of Sakura’s eye as she slowly spoke, tracing the wood grain of the table with her eyes. Madara slowly walked to the table carrying a tray bearing different cured meats, cheeses, and fresh fruits. He placed the tray in front of Sakura, and sat across from her.

“How many times was your village attacked?” Madara asked her after a while. They slowly picked food off the tray and ate.

“While I was active and defending it, about four. Total? About eleven. The most destruction happened at the end though.” Sakura trailed off. Suddenly her eyes flashed and she looked at him.

“Do you like being the Uchiha clan head?” It was clear she was done talking about the destruction of her village for now. He thought about her question.

“I’ve never thought about whether I like it or not. It is my life and my duty. Sometimes it is a pain and sometimes I get to make some of the best work the Uchiha have done happen.” He shrugged.

“Would you pick being a shinobi if you could?” She asked him that while biting down on a hunk of cheese. He stilled while he thought.

“The fierceness of combat and skilled opponents is thrilling to me. I love fighting skilled opponents. Sometimes, recently, I find myself wondering how everything would be different if I lived a more simple life.” She tilted her head and looked up at him.

“What do you mean?” He sighed and ate another grape.

“Just… if I had more time to pursue avenues of my own interest, spend time with people more.” Sakura paused. 

“We’re spending time together right now.” He smiled tiredly at her.

“Yes, but I delegated most of my responsibilities today to Izuna and prepared the day’s tasks for him last night. It is not something I will complain about, I just wonder what my life would look like if everyday could be like today.” Sakura’s heart stopped beating for a moment and she started blushing again. She snatched a berry to distract herself for a moment. 

“Don’t worry, soon my hospital work will start back up and we’ll both be busy.” She teased him through her racing heart and fluttering in her chest.

–

True to her word, her work in the hospital did pick up in earnest the next day. Since she had cleared herself with Megumi enthusiastically supporting that medical decision, she was thrown back into being the director. She spent much of her time at the hospital, helping heal but also to direct her students in their medical careers. She and Madara usually had dinner together daily. Hashirama called on her often as well to get her opinion on village related matters.

It was one such request that brought her to the Hokage Tower about three weeks after returning to her work. Inside the Hokage’s office she found Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna. Hashirama was smiling behind his desk and as soon as she walked in he was speaking. The younger Uchiha nodded at her when she entered, and the elder smiled at her. She smiled and nodded at all three men.

“Our headbands are finally done! Congratulations you three, you are the first shinobi to be ranked jounin in this village.” He undid a genjutsu over his desk and three shiny new Konoha headbands sat there, proudly reflecting light. Sakura automatically took a few steps to the desk and put her hand on one. She stared down in awe at the same symbol that had been emblazoned everywhere in her village. Her throat clamped down suddenly, and she found hot tears gathering in her eyes as she looked up at the Hokage. He smiled and nodded at her, gesturing for her to take it. Sakura did so silently and reverently ran her hand over the leaf symbol before she tied it over her forehead. She smiled at Hashirama and bowed to him.

“Thank you, Hashirama.” Madara and Izuna had also taken their headbands while Sakura had been focused on receiving a Konoha headband once more. She looked at the Uchiha brothers wearing the emblem of their village proudly with joy in her heart. 

“There are a few other people who will join you in the jounin rank, but otherwise once we start distributing headbands to our fighting forces, there will be a large tournament to see and assess the skills of everyone,” at Sakura’s raised eyebrow, he continued, “We will be starting that today. At the arena.” She sighed and nodded.

“Let me go prepare my medics for injuries and I will join you there.”

–

Sakura found herself bored while watching the tournament to assess everyone’s skills. After every round she agreed with Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara’s assessment of skills and administered first aid before the injured could be transported to the hospital. She halted all immediate concerns before sending off each ninja to the hospital to be treated by her medics there.

The youngest forces were well below Academy graduation age and most of the young fighters were classed as genin. A few exceptional ones were ranked chunin alongside most of all the fighters. Very few adults from the clans were ranked as genin. Overall, only ten other jounin were added to Konoha’s ranks. At the end of the tournament, Sakura realized she hadn’t even seen Megumi fight. She quickly looked at Hashirama.

“What about the medics? They need ranks as well if they are to go on missions.” Hashirama handed her a small stack of headbands. 

“And you can more accurately assess how ready they are for being a true medical shinobi than us four,” he gestured to Tobirama and Madara, who were also assessing each fighter’s skills, “So I will leave that part of the ranking to you, unless you wish them held to the same standards as these fighters.” Sakura slowly took the headbands and looked at each man present.

“Are you sure you would let me assign rankings?” She was very hesitant about it. 

“You mentioned you have rules for medic shinobi. You will rank them harshly, not generously.” Tobirama spoke up nonchalantly. Madara nodded. Hashirama was grinning.

“If you are concerned about it, we are about done here. Take Madara to help assess their fighting skills too.” He waved them both goodbye, and Sakura stared at the Hokage, then glanced at Madara.

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to join me.” He shook his head at that and shared a small twitch of his lips. 

“Hokage’s orders. Can I escort you to the hospital, Lady Sakura?” He extended his left hand to her and she took it. They left the clearing that housed the arena.

“We judged them by their fighting skills, not by anything else. There is more to being a chunin than fighting.” She murmured this while they walked in amicable silence.

“Yes, but we as clan leaders also know what orders each man has taken behind the scenes to justify each rank. I imagine this process will get more refined also as time goes on.” She nodded her head. She knew it would get more refined. Sakura had decided that the medics would be subject to a different test than just simple spars though. 

When they arrived at the hospital she was glad to see most of her medics already there. She was lucky to have nine total students, including both Megumi and Ume. Two more had come from the Uchiha clan when Izuna and Madara had learned their chakra control was good enough. With a small smile gracing her lips, Sakura turned to the gathered women.

“It is time to receive your shinobi ranking. You all know the rules I have set forth for medical shinobi, and you are all supposed to stay on the sidelines while the rest of your team finishes the mission. Your mission, alongside the one for the village, will always be to return your comrades home. As such, I have been tasked with deciding your ranks. I will be taking teams of three to a nearby training ground to conduct my test. Ume, Kaede, and Manae will be the first team. Please follow me, the rest of you continue your hospital work and each team will come back to get the next. Please don’t leave the hospital in the meantime.” Sakura turned on her heel and walked out of the hospital, Madara at her side. 

“What is to be their test?” He asked her curiously. Sakura looked back over her shoulders, at how far away her medics were. Madara understood and quickly wove his genjutsu over them.

“A test of teamwork. You will just be watching them and we’ll consult after each match with each team.” She told him once she felt the genjutsu take effect and hide their words.

At the training field Sakura stood in the center of it, facing her students. She raised two ribbons in her hand and showed them to her students.

“Those who hold these ribbons at,” she glanced at the sky, “noon will pass. You may use any jutsu against me. Begin.” Sakura stood still while her students stared at her, processing her words. Ume Senju took up a fighting stance with a look of uncertainty on her face and Manae, her weakest student out of this trio, fled into the treeline to watch and assess the situation. Kaede was torn between jumping into the fight with Ume and finding Manae. Sakura smirked watching this.

Ume was giving it her all, but she was a far more talented medic than a fighter. Sakura deftly blocked her blows, and Kaede did not join in the brawl. After Sakura threw Ume across the field, into the treeline did Kaede follow them and disappeared from view. She exhaled and looked across the field with her most skillfully crafted bored expression. Madara watched her with a raised eyebrow but did not enter the test or comment, yet. 

–

Manae was panicking surrounded by trees.

“She said those that hold a ribbon in less than an hour pass! There’s no way I can best her in combat, I can’t do this! I won’t ever be a medical shinobi!” There were tears in her eyes as she looked at her comrades, Kaede and Ume.

“We will figure out a way. She said this is our ranking, not if we will be a shinobi. There has to be a way for us all to pass, even if she only has two ribbons,” Ume’s eyes flashed and she looked at her comrades.

“What does Sakura always say about healing and working together in the village?” Kaede’s eyes also brightened as she realized what Ume was talking about.

“We’ll work together! Of course! What are all of our skills?” The trio was quick to strategize with that new angle in mind.

–

Sakura stood around, waiting for something to happen. Surely her own students would figure out the purpose of this test. A few short minutes later she felt a genjutsu tugging at her senses. She decided to allow the jutsu to stay to see what her students would do. Slowly she was able to focus on the figures of Ume and Kaede slipping out of the treeline towards her. They looked fuzzy in her vision, and she realized that the genjutsu was to make her see nothing. Sakura held back a smirk. She closed her eyes and extended her senses to locate Manae. Flashing through hand signs, she managed to trap them all in earth before they could realize that she was aware of their attempt. 

Sakura walked into the forest and unearthed Manae to bring her with her comrades. She decided to leave the girl untrapped, looking defensive standing over her teammates. 

“And what makes you think working together will do anything different from earlier?” Sakura snarled down at her students. Kaede swallowed, and Manae couldn’t make eye contact with her.

“We are strongest together, that’s why! If we all tried to get a ribbon ourselves it would lead us to fight each other. You never said we couldn’t work together.” Ume piped up. The three women were looking at her very nervously. 

“You’re strongest together, as a team?” The women looked at each other for reassurance before they nodded. Sakura smiled down at them.

“Congratulations, you passed. One moment while I talk with Madara about your rankings.” Sakura released the jutsu holding Ume and Kaede and flash stepped next to Madara.

“These are all genin medics.” Sakura stated once her jutsu had finished.

“What about that one Senju, the one that fought you at the beginning? Her forms looked good, she could do well with higher teams.” Sakura narrowed her eyes while she watched Ume.

“By regular shinobi standards, she would indeed be a chunin. But her first instinct was to fight me to get a ribbon herself. A medic needs the opposite instinct out in the field, working with a team. For that reason alone I think she deserves to be ranked genin. The rest need more practice before chunin.” Madara also gazed down at the Senju in question.

“Alright. That sounds fair and logical. All three genin then.” Sakura nodded and took three headbands down to the waiting women. After giving them their rank, she told them the next team by name for them to send to the training area. 

The next team was very similar to the first one. They didn’t show initiative beyond fighting for themselves at first, and it was probably panic that made them work together. After the second team, Konoha had six genin medics, and one jounin. Finally, the last team had Megumi on it. She sincerely hoped that her own apprentice would have more of a knack for this than the rest had. 

“The people that hold these in an hour will pass. You may use any jutsu you want. Begin.” She again donned her impassive, slightly bored face for this test. Megumi had been watching her from the moment she walked into the training field. When Sakura didn’t attack them, and just stood there, Megumi called out to stop the medics that had almost started fighting her.

“Fall back!” Megumi ordered her comrades while falling back slowly herself. Suzume turned in frustration at the more advanced woman.

“Fall back? She said we need those ribbons to pass!”

“Fall. Back. Now!!” Megumi answered. The other two women begrudgingly fell back to where Megumi was positioned, just inside the trees. 

“Now follow me.” Megumi darted into the small copse of trees, and the other two medics followed.

“Will you tell me what on earth is happening?” Suzume snapped at Megumi. 

“There’s no way any one of us will be able to take those ribbons from her in a full frontal attack. Besides, we are stronger together, right?” She smiled at her comrades, who stared blankly at her for a moment before understanding. Suzume smiled now.

“Alright. What is your plan?” 

–

Sakura had much more faith in this batch of candidates, purely because none of them wasted their time fighting her right off the bat. Suddenly, three simultaneous attacks came at her from different directions. A fire and water attack came at her from opposite sides, and the earth beneath her feet turned into sticky mud, making escape difficult. One chakra-laden kick and she was free, though. 

She vaulted high into the air and saw the look of despair on one of her student’s faces though. Megumi was watching her with deadly precision and suspicion. As she landed, she flashed through the same hand signs she had been using all afternoon to ensnare her students in an earth cage. 

“And why are you working together?”

“We all deserve to be medical shinobi in title, and we are only our best when the team is at its strongest. Not alone.” Megumi’s answer was immediate and her eyes burning. Sakura grinned at her students.

“You pass. I need to talk to Madara about your rankings.” She released them from her jutsu and again flash stepped to Madara. She smiled at him.

“We have one chunin medic and two more genin ones.” Madara looked genuinely surprised at hearing there was a chunin.

“Really, a chunin? What did they do differently?” He couldn’t hide his curiosity. 

“Megumi Uchiha was able to see through a minor deception and lead her team out of immediate danger to regroup and probably succeed. That sort of leadership ability is vital as a chunin, and sometimes the medic must make the difficult choices for the team.” Sakura’s eyes hardened while she said that, remembering less pleasant times where who lived and died was a decision she had to make.  

“Alright then. Two genin and a chunin. And Sakura?” Madara asked as she was turning back to return to her students. She looked back at him with an expectant expression.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to get food after this?”

“Sure! I’m starving!” She returned to where her students were waiting for her.

“Congratulations Suzume and Chihiro, you are both genin. Megumi, congratulations, you are a chunin. This ranking affects what missions you may go on, and indicates your overall strength as a shinobi. There are more rankings beyond these two, but a chunin is what most medics end up as. Let us return to the hospital so I can explain what just happened to all of you.” Sakura laughed to herself and started back to the hospital. She was beginning to understand why Kakashi had seemingly enjoyed being cryptic so much.

Once they were back at the hospital, she was grateful to already have the other medics waiting for her.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what just happened. That test was one that I went through with my own sensei, and it is a test of teamwork. Ranks beyond genin require leadership skills, and well-tuned shinobi skills. There is room for advancement in rank for all of you, if you wish it. You may also stay at your own rank and continue with your careers. Your ranking decides what missions you can be sent on, if the village needs your services. As shinobi of Konohagakure, we must accept each mission that comes to us to better serve our village and home, and to protect its inhabitants. But that is all I have for you ladies today. Congratulations again, you all performed excellently.” She smiled warmly at the group, making sure to make eye contact with the less confident of her students. Finally, she turned away from them and joined Madara outside the hospital. 

Chapter Text

Madara took Sakura’s hand with no hesitation when she stepped near, and led her away from the hospital presumably to a restaurant. He led her to a sushi bar, and they were sat at a table shortly after arriving. They were handed menus and left by their waiter.

“I was impressed by your test of the medics. It worked very well. You said you had also taken that test?” He asked her while looking over the food options.

“Yeah. I’m really impressed with my students as well, because they all figured it out pretty quickly. It probably helps that they’re not twelve, but still.” Sakura settled on two rolls of sushi she would have. She had used a fair amount of chakra that day between healing the tournament for Hashirama and sparring her groups of medics.

“Did your version of that test go as smoothly?” He asked her while flagging down their waiter. They placed their orders and the man was gone once again.

“No,” Sakura laughed remembering her own bell exam, “mine did not go that smoothly. We almost failed, actually. Sasuke was the one to figure it out.” Madara smiled a bit at that.

“It figures it was the Uchiha that figured it out. The same happened today.” He laughed and Sakura looked at him incensed but still playful. 

“And I was the one to actually go through with the plan.” She smirked, but truly she did not credit herself for that victory. It was really all Sasuke. 

“Hm. Of course,” he laughed, “but your sensei must have been wise to concoct that test.”

“Oh, it wasn’t my sensei’s. I think his own sensei taught it to him, and…” she trailed off, thinking. Suddenly, Sakura laughed.

“I think I just put my students through Tobirama’s test.” Madara looked a bit startled at that news.

“Tobirama’s? Seriously?” Sakura sobered up a bit and the waiter suddenly brought them their food.

“Here you go, I’ll be waiting if you need anything else.” The man quickly set their food down and left. Sakura didn’t even get a chance to thank him.

“I think it was Tobirama’s test. My sensei got it from his sensei, who I think got it from his sensei, who was a pupil of Tobirama. While I’m sure the Third Hokage could come up with something like that, I see it coming from Tobirama much more easily.” Sakura stated with a shrug, and a conspiratorially low voice as saying things like ‘Third Hokage’ could be misinterpreted now that there actually was a Hokage.

“That is quite unexpected. I can’t say I’ve ever seen Tobirama give credence to teamwork.” Sakura shrugged and picked up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks.

“Something must have changed with him.” Madara thought about that a bit more before also picking up his chopsticks.  

“The Academy will be finished soon. Will you teach its students about medical ninjutsu?” He asked her suddenly. Sakura was a bit startled by the sudden change in topic, but thought about his request. 

“There was never any instruction about medical ninjutsu in the Academy before. I would be honored to teach the next generation.” Sakura beamed up at Madara. He smiled back.

“Thank you. I obviously don’t know your village, but I hope we are doing it justice.” He said earnestly before continuing to eat.

“I think we are. The infrastructure of the village is remarkably sound for how young it is, we already have our military structure, and the hospital is functional. We are very strong now, and hopefully more clans will join us to bolster that strength.”

“According to one of Tobirama’s clones, we received word that a clan reached out to discuss moving here. I got that news while you were engaged with Megumi’s group.” Madara stated matter-of-factly. Sakura looked up into his face, startled.

“Which clan?” She could not hide her enthusiasm.

“The Nara. They’re interested in Hashirama’s chakra-grown forests for their deer apparently.” Sakura smiled slowly. 

“The Nara are longtime friends and comrades of the Akimichi and Yamanaka clan. Negotiations will have to keep that in mind to be successful.” Sakura’s mind was racing a thousand miles a minute with this new information. She started beaming thinking of all the changes new clans would introduce to the village.

“Oh that would be so wonderful, Madara. Imagine all the new faces we could see, the new minds helping Konoha.” He laid down his chopsticks as he stared at Sakura’s bright face. Her forest green eyes were shining with excitement.

“Seeing your love for the village is amazing. I cannot believe that the village produced such loyal and successful shinobi, but the evidence is sitting across from me.” He shook his head in awe at Sakura, who just polished off her second roll of sushi. 

“Your efforts…. I suppose all of our efforts now will bring about a beautiful future.” Sakura’s mood dampened slightly as she said that; she would never see that future again. Madara could see the light in her eyes dim somewhat.

“Did you know that I have had a resounding increase of young women in my clan asking to join the shinobi ranks?” Sakura’s mind was successfully taken off of her predicament away from her friends and family, and she cocked her head.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“They all cite you as their inspiration.” Sakura stared at him for a moment before laughing.

“Surely not!” Madara did not join her laughter.

“They really do though. One of them even said that if she was as strong as Lady Sakura, then the stupid boys wouldn’t tell her what to do anymore.” Sakura stopped laughing immediately.

“Oh, in that case you should take me to meet these young women one day. They should believe that they can do anything, even if most Uchiha women don’t traditionally fight.” Madara sat with a smile on his face, thinking of Sakura interacting and seeking out his clansmen for lessons and leisure time. It was an intoxicating thought.

“The next time you have several hours I would like to do just that.” Madara promised her. Her green eyes were back to being bright and defiant.

“Tomorrow at noon then. Pick me up from the hospital and we can go meet these girls.” Sakura grinned.

“It's another date then.” Madara smirked. Placing coins on the table, Madara stood and extended his hand to Sakura.

“May I escort you home, Sakura?” She took his warm hand with a smile and also rose to her feet.

“You may.” She said cheekily while standing closer to Madara than normal. Entering autumn the air was chillier at night than Sakura’s summer yukata could handle, at least this night. Sakura stayed huddled close to Madara on their walk to her home, until about halfway Madara slowly freed his hand from hers and put his arm over her shoulders, bringing her in closer. She did not ask, but he answered anyway.

“You seemed cold.” Sakura grinned to herself in the dark and nestled into Madara’s warm side.

–

When Madara showed up at Sakura’s office the next day five minutes before noon, she looked at him blankly, still crunching data in her head. Several moments later she started as she remembered that she was going to talk to the young women of the Uchiha clan. Madara was looking nervously at her.

“If you’re too busy to go, no one will even know you were supposed to be there. All I told them is a special guest sensei.” Sakura put back together the patient file she had been reading through and crossed the room to stand by his side.

“I’m going to visit and meet these girls who you say are so inspired by me. Young kunoichi should be able to have role models.” She nodded her head sagely and laughed as he laid his arm across her shoulders, holding her to his side.

“And who were your role models?” He sounded only politely curious, but Sakura knew that Madara enjoyed and stored away every tidbit she shared from her old life. He had told her so over one of their many meals they had started to share since the courtship started.

“To be honest I didn’t have many strong kunoichi in history to look up to. My inspirations for kunoichi growing up were actually Mito and my own mentor.”

“Mito, huh?” He didn’t sound incredulous hearing that, just like he was considering that perspective of the Uzumaki woman for the first time.

“Yeah, for reasons I can share later.” They moved on from that topic. It didn’t take them long to walk to the Uchiha compound from the hospital, and Sakura saw many curious eyes looking at the pair of them. 

They shortly arrived at a wide clearing that obviously was used to teach shinobi arts. There was a crowd of young women in the field, and handfuls of young men hanging on the periphery. Sakura smiled seeing the collection of youth supposedly eager to learn from her. She stepped away from Madara, towards the group of girls. Several of them whispered quickly to their friends nearby, and Sakura’s smile widened.

“Lord Madara tells me you all want to be kunoichi, is that true?” The girls eagerly nodded their heads, and she could tell they were hanging on her every word, already.

“It is an honorable path to want to take, but it is very dangerous and can be very scary,” she started off slowly,

“We are very lucky to live in this village now where young children such as yourselves can be trained slowly in the shinobi way. If you decide you want to be a kunoichi now and decide differently later, there is no shame in that.” She looked closely at all the young Uchiha gathered around her. The boys that had been hanging back at first had closed ranks behind the girls and they too were listening to her. 

“I’ll tell you all a secret. The one thing that got me to where I am today is believing in my nindo. Do you know what a nindo is?” She asked the group. One quiet girl from the back spoke up after it was clear that most of the children had no idea what she was talking about.

“Your ninja beliefs.” Sakura smiled at the shy girl that had spoken up.

“Yes, my own ninja way. Each of my comrades had their own ninja way and we all fought for them.” One of the boys was looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

“Can you give an example? I’m confused.” Several girls scowled at his question, but Sakura nodded her head.

“Of course. One of my friends fought hard to be the next village leader, and another fought to redeem his clan. My sensei fought for his friends and precious people, alongside the village. Those things gave them the will to become strong.” She slowly explained Naruto’s, Sasuke’s, and Kakashi’s nindos while editing them so words like ‘Hokage’ and ‘Uchiha’ wouldn’t arouse suspicion. 

“And what is your nindo, Lady Sakura?” Another girl asked. 

“My nindo? I wanted nothing more than to stand by my friends as their equal in strength. Once I achieved that, my nindo became to protect my loved ones and my village and our peace.” She smiled down at the children gathered. 

“We all found our strength in something outside of ourselves, believing in something more. If you can find something like that, you will surely become a strong shinobi,” her eyes glittered, and she smiled widely at the group and called,

“In the meantime, until you find that thing you fight for, do you want to see what a trained kunoichi can do?” The young girls were quick to agree, and the young men were nodding their heads. Still grinning, Sakura turned to look at Madara with a glint in her eyes.

“Lord Madara, would you do me an honor and spar with me?” The young children gasped as she challenged their clan leader. Madara locked eyes with her and saw the joy she felt while teasing him in front of the children. He made a show of looking around them, at the clearing.

“Only if we spar with minimal chakra. We wouldn’t want someone to get hurt.” Sakura nodded her head and turned to face the children.

“Alright then! Will you all watch from the very edges of the field? Even though it's with minimal chakra, we can’t be too safe.” She explained while corralling them out of the center of the field. They followed her directions eagerly. 

Once they were clear, Sakura turned to Madara once more, kunai in hand. 

“You know what minimal chakra means to me, right?” She asked him with a raised eyebrow. He smirked.

“Of course. We want the leaders of the future to be inspired, yes?” He cocked his head at her before they were a whirlwind of attacks and dodges, black and pink blurring together.

–

“Lady Sakura is amazing! Did you ever think a woman could keep up with Lord Madara?”

“Did you see the punch she landed on him? She knocked him across the clearing!”

“She even healed all of their injuries, including hers, after the spar!”

“Lord Madara says we can all go to the Academy soon. I hope we are able to learn some medical ninjutsu!” 

The children were abuzz with excitement after Sakura’s little demonstration. Sakura and Madara had sparred until they had found themselves both in a lethal grip by the other. The spar had been quite even until then, neither gaining the upper hand despite their attempts. Sakura used her minimal chakra to aid her strength while Madara used his with occasional elemental ninjutsu or genjutsu. It had made for quite the exciting show for the children, if their cheers were any indication. 

Once the last child had gone Madara smiled down at Sakura.

“You see? You are an inspiration to them.” He reached for her and she stepped into his arms. He always seemed more okay with physical affection after a spar. Sakura was lost gazing into Madara’s eye as he reached for her face. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips brushed hers.

Suddenly there was a throat clearing at the edge of the field. Sakura jumped slightly and looked to see who it was. There she saw Izuna looking at his brother disdainfully.

“Brother. I can no longer fend off the clan elders about your relationship with Lady Sakura,” he glanced at her now, with a grim smile, “especially after this.. They would like to be introduced formally in the morning.” She could feel Madara still around her, evidently not very pleased with the news. Glancing up she saw worry on his face.

“It’s alright. I’ve dealt with stuffy elders before.” She tried to make light of it. Truly, Sakura was nervous to meet the Uchiha clan elders as the girlfriend of the clan leader. They hadn’t been seeing each other for long, only a handful of weeks. Madara’s hands were still on her waist while he silently communicated with his brother. Izuna shook his head again.

“I truly cannot, not after you are so public in the clan compound.” Sakura realized then that Madara’s hadn’t been exaggerating even slightly about even the slightest physical touch now being scandalous. She nestled closer to Madara as a cold gust of wind blew across them.

“If some grouchy elders have a problem with me, I can deal with them.” Madara wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s not that they’ll have a problem with you that I am nervous about.” Frustratingly, he did not elaborate, not even through the dinner they got and tea at Sakura’s house later that evening.

“I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He placed a kiss on the crown of her head and left, obviously lost in his thoughts and worried about something.

–

Early the next morning Sakura was already dressed. She had not slept well with the looming meeting hanging over her, despite her words the day before. Sakura had scrubbed her face carefully and donned a heavier forest green kimono.

Hearing a knock at the door, Sakura opened it to find an obviously stressed Madara. Despite his stress, his countenance warmed when he saw her.

“Good morning.” His face lit up with a smile, and Sakura’s heart melted a bit. Her trepidation about being involved with Madara had lasted all of four days before she realized just how gentle and caring the stoic Uchiha truly was.

“Good morning,” she smiled back at him, “should we leave now or wait a bit?”

“We have time for tea.” At his words she fell back from the door and let him into her home. He shucked his shoes and made himself comfortable in his usual cushion. Sakura set about preparing some jasmine tea.

“Sakura, I want to prepare you for this meeting.” She could tell that Madara was anxious about something just from his voice. She paused in getting some teacups ready.

“Prepare me? For what?” Madara sighed.

“This is all my fault…” he trailed off while swiping at his hair.

“My clan has been working hard to interfere with our relationship, despite it only having been a few weeks. The elders have been on my case about providing an heir to the clan beyond Izuna for a while now. I’m not worried that they won’t like you. I’m worried that they’ll harass you and demand you have my child.” Madara’s face was bright pink, and he couldn’t look at her. Sakura frowned while she processed what he was saying.

“How long do courtships usually last in this time? Isn’t it really soon to get married and have children? Marriage is optional in my time.” At this, Madara gaped at her.

“It’s, um. Usually a several month process. I just know my clan already approves of you. And since several members of the clan have seen me hold you, it’s just frenzied the elders.” Sakura finished getting out all the extras she needed for tea and stepped close to her adorably embarrassed boyfriend. She stepped right up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, drawing his face upwards. He settled his hands on her hips and looked up slightly at her.

“Please don’t worry about this meeting. I look forward to seeing you everyday and the few days we haven’t seen each other I feel silly going to sleep missing you. I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to date, uh, court you, Madara. I really feel like I can handle this. They’re not going to scare me away from you.” While she spoke she had brushed his bangs out of his face and gazed at his entire face. Again she was struck by just how beautiful he was, and she slowly lowered her face to his.

Her lips brushed his gently, tenderly, and his grip on her tightened. For a moment she enjoyed just kissing him, and then she cautiously explored him with her hands. She brushed his hair back with her fingers, pleased at how silky it felt. Her nails scraped his scalp as she moved his hair, and he nipped her bottom lip after she grazed his scalp for the second time. When she repeated the motion again and this time had most of his hair in her grasp, one of his hands rose from its perch on her hip to her own hair and swept it aside. Unconsciously, her head followed that motion and Madara moved to plant warm kisses down her newly exposed neck. Her arms slowly wrapped themselves around his shoulders, and he held her tighter to himself.

The kettle whistled, breaking the spell she had cast over them. He slowly released her and settled back in his seat. There was fire in his eyes, and she released his hair, watching as one passionate eye was covered. Sakura retrieved the tea from the fire and poured two hot cups. Placing them both in front of Madara, she settled down on the cushion next to him. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments while their tea cooled.

“I have a question for you.” She spoke clearly.

“Hm?” She almost laughed at the monosyllabic noise that seemingly every Uchiha man made.

“Surely you’ve…” her voice died here and she coughed, “been intimate with a woman before, right? Why are a few stolen kisses such a big deal?” At her question he blushed and focused his gaze on his teacup. The silence stretched on while he thought about an answer.

“I suppose the biggest difference is now there are emotions involved. I’ve been with one woman as a rite of passage upon becoming clan leader. Usually, whoever becomes clan leader is already married so they can perform that rite with their spouse. I was not so lucky, and the elders chose a woman for me. Thankfully we did not produce a child.” His manner became more closed off while he told her of his sexual past. She stilled hearing that physical intimacy had been forced upon him by tradition. Very slowly, she gently took his hand.

“I’m sorry.” He squeezed his lips into a harsh line and jerked his head before he then took a sip of his tea.

“This is delicious.” She squeezed his hand before letting go.

“Thank you.”

They finished their tea and strolled to the Uchiha compound, hand in hand. Izuna met them at the gates. He smiled seeing the lighthearted couple approach.

“Lady Sakura, Brother. I’m sorry I couldn’t fend off the elders for longer.” He winced slightly and turned to lead them to the meeting hall. The children of the clan watched their leader and Sakura walk by, many of them whispering and running off.

“I didn’t think I made that big of an impression.” She commented off handedly. Izuna smirked back at them.

“Oh you did. You are a fearsome kunoichi,” his smirk widened here, “and two girls were on their way back to ask you a question when they saw you and Madara embrace. The potential of a new Lady Uchiha has made the clan quite excited.” Madara groaned at Izuna’s words and Sakura chuckled.

“The urgency of this meeting makes a lot more sense now.”  They finally arrived at the meeting hall, and stepped inside. The grand yet simple designs of the Uchiha compound warmed Sakura’s heart, and she took in the building while removing her shoes and following Madara and Izuna. They entered a large room that already held the clan elders. Five elders, two women and three men sat across from the entrance and watched them. Madara and Izuna nodded their heads, and quickly following suit Sakura bowed to them.

“Honorable elders.”

“So this is Lady Sakura, the woman you have disgraced yourself with.” One of the women spoke with a thin, high voice. She had a severe bun, pulling her silvery hair away from her face. Madara sighed.

“We have not acted dishonorably. Lady Sakura is from a very distant culture and we have incorporated several of her traditions into our courtship.” One of the men snorted.

“I don’t know of any culture where a woman would permit such bold things before marriage. We do not permit it.” He glared at Sakura and Madara.

“Lord Madara is correct, Honorable Elders. In my home, relationships are conducted very differently.” Sakura spoke up, understanding now why Madara was nervous about this meeting. They were harsh, and incredibly strict.

“If we were in your home, perhaps we would be more understanding, young one. But we are not, and Lord Madara has a duty to the clan to provide an heir.” The other woman spoke up now, infinitely more kind than the previous two speakers in her tone and words.

“And as you’ve resisted our attempts to provide you with what you need to produce an heir and now you are interested in a suitable woman, a wedding needs to happen. The Uchiha clan heir cannot be a bastard.” Sakura quickly looked at Madara, who was looking painfully unsure. He hesitantly looked at Sakura, and gave her a look as if to indicate that everything was up to her. She looked back to the five elders watching her.

“If there are no disagreements, we will prepare a wedding for the end of this month.” Sakura’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to disagree.

“Honorable Elders, I understand your concerns about this, but there should be a longer courtship period, if only to respect Lady Sakura’s cultural differences. A springtime wedding should suffice.” Izuna spoke up unexpectedly. The kind woman from before looked sympathetically at Sakura.

“Do you agree to a springtime wedding, Lady Sakura?” Sakura thought back to all the easy smiles and laughter her and Madara had shared. How little wrinkles spread from his eye when he smiled. To the kisses they had both stolen from the other. How gentle and kind he truly was. How deeply he seemed to love her. She felt the warmth in her heart thinking of him. Breathing deeply to steady herself, she returned the gaze of the elderly woman and nodded her head.

“Yes.” Her answer seemed to assuage the elders, as they all relaxed back into their chairs. The kind woman grinned at Sakura, her wrinkled face glowing.

“Go, celebrate with your betrothed. We will start the planning.” Sakura looked at Madara, who nodded infinitesimally and she bowed while leaving the room. As the door shut behind them, she realized that Izuna did not come with them. 

“Why did Izuna stay?” She asked him as their hands found each other.

“I think my brother has several ideas for this wedding.” He smirked, then looked down at Sakura.

“You agreed to marry me. Does the speed of our relationship not bother you anymore?” He cautiously asked her. She thought about her answer while she followed as he led her out of the Uchiha compound.

“I do think it is still fast. But these things just work differently now. It was nice of Izuna to give us a longer engagement.” He tilted his head at that.

“Engagement?” He asked her. She giggled.

“It’s another term for betrothal. Instead of ‘we are betrothed’ I can say ‘we are engaged’.” She explained. He made a noise of understanding at her explanation. They found themselves at the bottom of the future Hokage Mountain, and they started the trek to the top. Their conversation lulled to silence as they hiked.

Once they were at the summit, Madara sat down at their usual spot overlooking the village. Sakura snuggled into his side.

“Madara, it’s the middle of November and you’re not cold. I am ridiculously jealous of fire chakra now.” She laughed while she shivered. His baritone laugh rumbled Sakura’s chest and he quickly retrieved a scroll and unsealed a blanket from it. He wrapped it around them and put his arm over her. She blushed from just how thoughtful he was and buried herself deeper into his chest.

Chapter Text

November passed quickly. Sakura was caught up in the excitement of her new engagement and tried to focus on that alongside her hospital work. She started to have nightmares about Zetsu the week following her engagement though, who taunted her in them.

All your efforts will be in vain.

History cannot be undone, kunoichi.

The shrill demonic voice of the hateful entity plagued her dreams. Her neck burned after the dreams. She had started to stay home as her exhaustion and anxiety couldn’t be hidden anymore after a week and a half of nightmares. Luckily, Megumi had proven adept at running the hospital in her stead, reaching out only if they needed help. Which wasn’t very often, if at all these days. Sakura kept to her house, feeling like she wasn’t doing enough for her village.

–

One night after the nightmares had made her stay home from work, she shared her feelings of frustration with Madara about not doing everything she could for the village. He had come to Sakura’s house with food, as he had taken to doing since her stint of not feeling entirely well. They were reclining against some cushions together, relaxing when she shared with him. 

“I think short of writing out your own history, you’ve provided us with plenty.” He was stroking her back as he held her. She stilled and sat up, looking back at him.

“I think that’s it. Can you get me some scrolls and ink?” She asked him with pleading eyes. She scratched at the back of her neck. He watched her unconscious actions closely as he rose.

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” He kissed the top of her head and quickly put his shoes on and left to get her parchment and ink.

–

“I think, somehow, it’s Zetsu.” Madara had gone to his office in the Hokage building to get empty scrolls and ink for Sakura and had stopped by Hashirama’s office. The Hokage looked at him with alarm on his face.

“The seals haven’t failed, our containment is still standing. Should I add another jutsu to it, do you think? Is she safe?” Hashirama was looking at his friend with concern clear on his face. The Hokage had teased Madara relentlessly about his feelings for the pink haired woman at first, but seeing just how serious his longtime friend was had quickly stopped. The Senju was one of the couple’s biggest cheerleaders, much to the embarrassment for both of the couple. 

“It can’t hurt to make sure that creature can’t get out, Hashirama. It is vile. And she’s been bothered by it for at least two weeks.” The Hokage nodded his head, steepling his fingers. 

“I understand. Congratulations again, Madara.” The Hokage beamed at his friend, who nodded and swiftly left the room, returning to Sakura’s home.

–

Sakura wrote frantically. Once Madara had jokingly mentioned writing things down to help the village it was all she could think about. Just in case something happened was a small voice in the back of her head. She banished the thought with immense effort every time it rang through her head. Now that Zetsu was sealed, they could all focus on the village. Once she was done with these scrolls, she could help Konoha.

A week later she had finished her scrolls. Her hands were stained with ink and she had filled two scrolls and half of one more. She had written down everything from the founding of Konohagakure, to its inner workings, through the Third Shinobi War, with extra details surrounding the Fourth one. It had bothered her to write ‘Madara controlled’ or ‘Madara attacked’ so often, so she made sure to emphasize that Zetsu was acting through controlling Madara in her history.

Rising from her little table, Sakura cracked her neck and back. As soon as she had started writing she found that the words kept coming. Madara had anxiously hovered the first day of writing but soon had taken the opportunity to catch up on clan matters. He still checked on her at least once a day and made it clear to her that he was available if she needed any help. 

Peeking out her window, she saw that it was midday. Sakura decided to bathe and refresh herself. She really had been writing almost nonstop for over a week. She warmed the water with a fire jutsu and took her time scrubbing. Sakura frowned as she remembered the previous weeks. A terrible anxiety had overtaken her and had only released when she was almost done writing her history out. Shrugging it away, Sakura continued to refresh her person.

Dressing for the day she chose a deep red kimono with white obi. Stepping out of her house, she breathed deeply and smiled. Fresh air had never smelled so good to her. It seemed like it might snow today. Sakura took a step forward and faltered. Where was she going? As much as she missed working in the hospital, it was refreshing to see the evidence of her teachings by her students running the place. She also wasn’t feeling too keen on returning. Smiling to herself as she remembered and understood Tsunade’s antics, she decided she was going to find Madara.

Sakura walked to the Hokage Tower only to find his office empty. When she poked her head into Hashirama’s office, he looked surprised to see her.

“Sakura! Are you done with your writings?” He asked her. No one really understood why it was so important to her to write down her history, not even herself really. She nodded her head.

“Yeah, I’ve just been looking for Madara. Have you seen him?” She asked the Hokage, who had been alone in his office. He shook his head.

“Madara finished his work here for a couple days yesterday, I think his plan was to work with his clan today.” He apologetically told her.

“Thanks!” She grinned at him before bowing and leaving.

Now Sakura walked towards the Uchiha compound when she found herself walking side by side with Izuna. Her heart warmed at seeing him. It had been so long since she had seen him, and he was one of the first people to trust her.

“Izuna! How have you been?” She smiled up at him. He gave her a tight smile back.

“I’ve been alright, Lady Sakura, thank you. May I share something with you somewhere a bit more…” he looked around at the bustling walkway, “private?” She nodded her head and he sighed, looking relieved.

“Thanks. Follow me.” He quickly took to the rooftops and soon they were in a secluded part of the village, right on the forest’s edge. She looked at him and noticed the tension he held in his body.

“What’s wrong?” She asked him. Izuna stilled even more.

“Lady Sakura, I owe you an apology.” His eyebrows were creased and he looked upset. Sakura was flabbergasted.

“What do you mean? You don’t have anything to apologize for.” He shut his eyes and sighed again.

“I consider you a dear friend and I’ve been making sure to keep busy on the opposite sides of the village as you. I’ve been avoiding you, and you saved my family and my life. Even with you being unwell recently,” he opened his eyes a short way into his speech and then crossed his arms.

“I was considering asking you to accept a courtship with me but I realized that Madara was hopelessly interested,” he snickered here, “and I wanted the chance to see my brother happy. I think I have now, thanks to you. I feel incredible shame to admit I was avoiding you because of unresolved problems on my part. I hope we can rekindle our friendship, now that the air is clear.” Sakura was stunned at his confession. Truthfully, there had never really been a moment where Sakura had considered all of her romantic options. Madara had communicated his interest effectively. One day, she was just realizing how comfortable she felt with Madara, how warm she felt on the inside with him. Mentally shaking herself, Sakura returned to the pressing matter. Izuna. She smiled at him.

“I thought we already were friends, but now I know I have that honor,” she stuck her tongue out at him, feeling unexpectedly teasing, “I have missed you though, it’s been a while since we’ve hung out. You should join Madara and I for dinner sometimes.” Izuna looked relieved to hear Sakura’s answer.

“I’ll let you tell him you invited me and maybe I’ll join you both tomorrow.” He was rapidly losing the tension in his body now though, which Sakura was grateful to see. 

“Thank you for talking with me. I’m going to take a walk, but if you were looking for Madara, he’s at his house.” Izuna gestured back towards the Uchiha compound. She smiled, thankful.

“Alright then. I’ll see you later Izuna!” She waved at him before taking back to the rooftops. She had to focus her chakra as the frozen roofs were slick.

When she arrived at the Uchiha compound she was stewing over Izuna’s confession, but decidedly shook herself out of her brooding. Walking up the path to Madara’s house, she knocked at his door. 

“Enter!” A deep voice barked from within. Sakura opened the door with her eyebrows creased. Once inside, she removed her shoes and started on deeper inside, looking for Madara. She found him sitting hunched over his desk, staring at several papers. When she walked in the room, his head rose from his hand and he couldn’t stop the surprise on his face.

“Sakura? What are you doing here?” He asked her while reaching to her, pulling her close for a hug. She let herself be drawn in and selfishly sat on his lap, finding comfort in his strong arms holding her. One of her hands ran down his chest before she answered.

“I finished my writing and I missed you.” His visible eye darkened and one of his hands found its way to grab her hip. His thumb stroked circles there and her hand on his shoulder inched its way to nestle into his hair.

“Let me find Izuna to finish with these scrolls and we’ll go, maybe spar and eat?” His lips brushed her throat and she stilled at his words. 

“Ah, well I don’t think Izuna is in the clan compound right now. We should give him the afternoon,” she wrung her hands while she spoke, “if you need some time to finish I don’t mind. While you finish your work, I’ll cook for us.” Madara perked up at the prospect of Sakura cooking for him. She leaned into him and planted her lips against his. 

“Come to my house when you’re done with those scrolls!” She hopped off his lap and made her way to the door of his room.

“Wait, what’s wrong with Izuna?” He asked her.

“I’ll explain it later. Nothing serious is wrong, don’t worry, he’s safe.” She assured him and left his room, already planning her trip to the market for fresh fish.

–

When Madara arrived for dinner later on that day, Sakura was pleased to have a clean and tidy house for him to relax in. She hadn’t taken the best care of herself over the past week and she knew that he had been concerned for her. Placing down two plates of grilled mackerel, rice, and miso soup Sakura sat beside him and dug into the food.

“So what is wrong with Izuna?” Sakura put down her chopsticks and fiddled with her long hair.

“He confessed to me that he had been considering asking me to court him before it was made clear that you were interested in also doing so,” she blushed, not used to having such affections directed towards her,

“And now he’s going to work on being my friend again.” She smiled at him by the end of her explanation. He leaned back and mulled over her words.

“I’m glad he got that out of his system finally and is moving past that.” He finally said with a smirk. She gaped at him.

“You knew?” She was incredulous. He nodded his head.

“I had assumed most men in this village wanted to court you. It doesn’t surprise me that my own brother had as well.” She stared at him for a moment before focusing back on her meal. Madara had eaten quickly and now watched her pink cheeks.

“I think had things worked out differently even Tobirama would have been vying for your attention, my lady.” Madara murmured appreciatively. She snorted.

“Now I know you are flattering me.” She rolled her eyes and ate the last bite of her meal. He hummed noncommittally and played with a lock of pink.

“There’s going to be a new year’s festival one week after my birthday. Will you go with me?” He asked her. She nodded her head.

“But why are you making plans for after your birthday? Don’t you want to do anything for it? We should celebrate it.” She turned to face him fully. He smiled at her.

“Usually birthdays are quiet affairs for the Uchiha. May I have a day with your company, Lady Sakura?” He asked her softly. 

“Whatever you want.” She smiled at him, relieved that his gift would be so simple. He smiled again and stroked her cheek.

“Thank you.” She rose to take care of their plates then returned to his side, reclining against him. They talked for hours. They talked about their childhoods, ideals, wishes for the future, and were happy to hear that each wanted similar things as the other. To protect the village and see it prosper. To defend loved ones and cherish moments with those precious few. They stole several kisses from each other while they bared their hearts to each other, each molding of lips casting a blush on at least one face.

–

Sakura found herself back in her routine in the village now that her interruption writing her history down was done. She found herself getting lunch with Izuna throughout the week as he had never gotten around to joining her and Madara for dinner. Sakura was happy to have her friend back. She and Madara had dinner a few times throughout the week leading up to his birthday, and they sparred once. Sakura was finding herself holding the time they spent together close to her heart. 

Finally she found herself getting ready for Madara’s birthday. She knew that their plans were laid back ones and even Hashirama had agreed to let Madara celebrate how he wanted. Which meant no giant party, despite the Hokage’s poutings. Laughing remembering the argument the two men had gotten in over it, she slowly focused back on the present.

She had no idea what he planned to do with her that day. Would they spar in the freshly fallen snow? Would they relax and drink tea all day in his study again? Shrugging, Sakura decided to bathe while she thought about her clothes for the day. Once she had a carefully scrubbed face and freshly cleaned gently waving hair, Sakura went back to her several kimono and obi. She gazed down at the several colors – green, red, blue, black, brown, gray. Her kimono were plain but well made. Pausing, she pulled an outfit from the pile. Feeling a bit silly, she had decided to dress in a simple black kimono with a silken red obi. Sakura secured her house before walking to the Uchiha compound.

Surprisingly on her walk she ran into Mito.

“Sakura! It’s been too long!” The Uzumaki woman called to her as she crossed the busy street towards Sakura.

“Mito! It has been but I’ve heard we’ve both been quite busy.” Sakura warmly smiled at her friend. Mito had been working tirelessly in the Konohan budding political landscape as well as continuing to bolster their defenses with fuinjutsu. Mito waved her hand.

“Bah. Regardless, we should be making time for each other, you are my dearest friend in this village outside of the Senju.” Mito gripped her hands and squeezed them. She looked at the roseate kunoichi head to toe, as if seeing her for the first time. Mito grinned at her.

“Ah yes, but not today. It's Madara’s birthday. Well, you wrapped his gift in his clan colors already.” She smirked at Sakura and left her with a wink, standing in the walkway blushing tomato red. Sakura debated returning home to change but was spurred forward with a glance to the sky, not wanting to be late. 

As she entered the Uchiha compound she felt eyes on her. People watched as she made her way to the clan head’s home. Walking up the steps, she knocked at Madara’s door. After a moment, he opened it. His kimono was a deep navy blue coupled with black hakama. He had secured everything with red. He moved aside, letting her into his home, but keeping his eyes on her. She stepped inside and removed her shoes. As the door closed Madara picked her up suddenly and spun with her in his arms. He lowered her slowly to the ground with a scorching kiss on her neck.

“You look so beautiful in my colors, Sakura.” He hugged her tightly into his chest before releasing her. She was blushing as he stepped back. 

“Would you like some tea?” He asked her. Smiling and nodding her head, she walked to his low table and made herself comfortable on a cushion. She basked in the relaxing atmosphere of his home before he returned with a tray of tea. He placed her cup in front of her alongside a red camellia.

“For you.” He said with a trace of a smile teasing his lips. Sakura slowly picked up the flower, looking at it.

You’re the flame in my heart. He conveyed his feelings so eloquently through flowers. She blushed and narrowed her eyes at him.

“You do know hanakotoba. Also, it’s your birthday. I’m the one supposed to come bearing gifts.” She joked as she tenderly brought the flower to her hair, pinning it behind her ear with chakra. The delicate red bloom sat in her hair, displaying itself proudly. Madara smiled broadly seeing that it matched her obi.

“But you’ve already given me my gift.” He simply stated while taking a sip of his tea. One of Sakura’s eyebrows quirked.

“Saving you and Izuna doesn’t count.” He laughed at her words and took her hand that wasn’t fidgeting with her teacup and brought it to his lips.

“Agreeing to marry me, to join the Uchiha clan, I don’t think anyone can ever give me a more precious gift.” She watched with gleaming emerald eyes as his lips brushed her knuckles. Truly, she never could have foreseen how gentle and loving any Uchiha could really be. His sole black eye looked back into her green ones, filled with such tenderness it took her breath away.

“Well, we can’t spar anymore. You look too beautiful to get all dirty. Shall we take in the fruits of our labor?” He rose and extended a hand to her. She had no idea what he meant, but she took his hand anyway and let him lead her out of his house.

It didn’t take her long to realize what he meant. They strolled through the village, taking in its growing population, new buildings, and peaceful atmosphere. They walked randomly throughout the village, stopping to appreciate the sights and to talk about anything that came to their minds. When their conversation moved to topics they would rather others not hear he used his genjutsu again to keep attention off of them. 

There was never a dull conversation with Madara. Whether they talked about their youth, friends, duties, dreams, or shinobi arts he always wanted to know more of what she thought, and Sakura found his mind and experiences equally fascinating. Before she knew it, the Sun was high in the sky and Madara led her to a small teahouse where they ate lunch. 

After lunch, they slowly made their way back to the Uchiha compound. As they entered the compound, she heard several voices calling to her.

“Lady Sakura!” Various children from the clan ran up to her and crowded her.

“Is it true?”

“Are you going to be our new Lady?”

“I’ve never had a Lady before!”

Several young girls and boys were eagerly standing around Sakura asking questions. She looked around, looking for a potential out of the situation when she saw her. A young girl perhaps two years old was running up to her also, left behind by the excitement of the rest of the children. Sakura watched the young girl trip and fall, scraping her hands. Before the girl could decide if she was truly hurt or just shocked, Madara was at her side, helping her stand before picking up the girl. He came to stand by her side and encouraged the young girl to show Sakura her hands. Plucking the small hands in her own, Sakura started healing the torn skin as she smiled at all the gathered children. 

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it is true that Lord Madara and I are to be married in the springtime,” sensing the girl’s hands were healed, she stopped her chakra and lowered her hands, “I’ve never seen a Lady Uchiha either. Will you all help me learn how to be an Uchiha?” The children’s eyes were bright and they were nodding their heads. She smiled down at their eager faces.

“Thank you. Next time let’s make sure we keep an eye on the little ones, yes?” She raised an eyebrow at the children and Madara lowered the young girl to the ground. An older girl, about ten, stepped forward and grabbed the toddler’s hand.

“Of course Lady Sakura. My apologies.” The young Uchiha was blushing, and the kids turned to run off. As Sakura and Madara did the same, she heard a small and high-pitched voice call out to her,

“Thank you, Lady Uchihaaa!” Sakura turned suddenly, face alight, to see the toddler waving at her with her freshly healed hands. Hearing Madara chuckle next to her, she managed to blush harder. He led her with a proud smile and dimple on his face to his home. 

Once there he made them more tea and they settled on a pile of cushions together. Her head was resting on his chest and his arms held her tight to him.

“Those children were adorable.” He said quietly, voice vibrating through his chest and her ear. Her face heated up, remembering the youngest one calling her ‘Lady Uchiha’. 

“Yeah, they were,” she chuckled, “I hope they make good on their promise of helping me become an Uchiha.” She was muttering by the end of her sentence. His arms loosened on her and he slowly sat up, forcing her to as well. Sakura gazed up at him, wondering at the shift in demeanor. He took both of her hands in his and cradled them to his chest.

“The Uchiha Matriarch brings love more than anything to the clan, as she cares for the youth and protects the clan and nurtures its growth. She’s strong, caring, and beautiful. I can’t think of anyone more suited to that role than you, Sakura. You are brimming with love for your village, for your friends, for me. I hope you can find it in you to love the Uchiha clan too.” He kissed her hands then, eyes closed and relishing just holding her hands. She was sure her entire body was blushing at his words. Gently shaking her hands to dislodge them from his, she put her arms over his shoulders to pull him into a hug.

“I already do. I told you before, I’ll do anything to protect this clan.” She whispered into his ear, and his strong arms circled her again. They fell back onto the cushions, holding each other close. Occasionally their embrace would grow passionate and they would explore each other's mouths, but they mostly enjoyed the physical intimacy of a simple embrace. 

After a couple hours of such bliss Madara glanced out the window and sighed.

“I should start cooking soon, but this is so comfortable.” She laughed and tightened her hold on him.

“If you want, I can cook.” He groaned.

“I appreciate the offer but that would defeat the purpose of me staying.” He smirked at her and planted a kiss on her forehead before rising quickly. 

“Stay right there.” He darted to his bedroom and disappeared inside. She gawked at the open door. His face peeked out of his door, looking at her with a purposely blank expression.

“I was going to save this until our wedding night, but after today I think I want you to have it now. As a, what was the phrase? An engagement present.” She slowly rose to a proper sitting position, as it seemed he had yet another gift for her.

“Really Madara? Another gift?” He grinned and shrugged his one visible shoulder in the doorway. Rolling her eyes, she nodded her acceptance of his gift. Hesitating slightly, he stepped out of his room and brought the gift in front of his person.

A crimson haori hung from one of his hands, emblazoned with the fan symbol of his clan on its back. The fan had black stitching outlining it, ensuring the red part of the fan was not lost in the background. She gazed open mouthed at such a gift. It looked like it would fit her perfectly. She rose from her cushions, still staring at the gift. Slowly she held out her arms, giving him the chance to help her into it. It fit like a glove, falling to a perfect length on her arms and just over mid-thigh. She felt the expensive fabric of the expertly made haori, still staring at it before looking back to Madara. His one eye had his Sharingan in it and he watched her with a small smile and pink cheeks.

She launched into his arms and gripped his middle tightly. Without breath, he grunted at the force of her grip on him.

“Thank you, it’s beautiful. You have this much faith I can be an okay Lady to the clan?” She looked up at him with wide green eyes. Laying a hand on her face and stroking her cheek, he nodded his head.

“I think you already are an excellent Lady, unofficially. Normally the Uchiha opt for black, but crimson is your color.” He leaned down and delicately kissed her before retreating into the kitchen, thinking about how her haori also matched the Sharingan.

“Now I really need to start cooking if we don’t want to keep Izuna waiting.” He cleared his throat and began the meal. He refused all the help she offered, insisting he wanted to provide this meal for her. She sat down as close to the kitchen as she could and they talked about her future place within the clan, and previous Matriarchs.

Sakura was truly fascinated to hear the history of the Uchiha Matriarchs. They had always taken it upon themselves to provide and nurture the growth of the whole clan. The Matriarchs were often who Uchiha with newly awakened Sharingan were brought to for help. She helped guide them in times of conflict and helped her husband navigate the political landscape. Now that that landscape was Konoha, it was only going to be more complicated. Their conversation never faltered and both parties were excited about the prospects of the future they were discussing, if their twinkling eyes and lingering gazes were anything to go by.

By the time Izuna arrived for dinner, everything was barely done and plated, and Madara was putting the finishing touches on yet another pot of tea. Izuna smiled at the couple, and noticed Sakura’s new haori.

“Should I be calling you Lady Uchiha, then?” Sakura laughed and Madara’s heart stopped for a moment hearing that from his brother’s mouth. To have his brother so obviously accept a new clan Matriarch.

“A young girl called me that earlier today, Izuna. You can’t tease me with that.” Despite her words, there was a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. He smirked at her, making an expression much more akin to Sasuke than his usual smile.

“Oh, is that right, sister?” At this, the kunoichi did duck her head and gulp. Madara laughed at this and brought the tea to the table.

“Enough teasing. My betrothed is shy.” Madara was also smirking and he bumped Sakura’s shoulder with his own while she groaned and covered her face with her hands. Now Izuna was laughing too.

“You will be a good Matriarch, Sakura.” Bringing her face slowly out of her hands, she thanked Izuna.

“I will do my best.” Finally, they turned their attention to the meal before them. Truly, Madara had outdone himself considering the clan normally cooks for everyone. He had prepared a salad, miso soup, rice, and pork for them.

“It looks delicious, thank you Madara.” She smiled at him while she picked up her chopsticks.

“Yeah, I guess you always did like cooking.” Izuna agreed, and the three of them started on their meal. As to be expected with how it smelled, it was absolutely delicious and the food was gone quite quickly. Sakura darted around the table as the plates were cleared and collected them, determined to do at least something to help out today. She washed them quickly while the brothers drank their tea.

Turning around to rejoin them, her eyes fell on a small wrapped package. Her eyes widened.

“No way…” She picked it up and brought it to the table.

“Is this..?” She put it down before Madara, who laughed at her.

“Yeah. I got a small package of anmitsu with strawberries for tonight.” Sakura stared at him before smiling.

“Thanks for the perfect meal.” The three of them slowly devoured the anmitsu as they chatted for another hour. Then Izuna rose from his seat and sighed.

“Time for me to go home. Happy birthday, Madara.” Izuna patted his brother’s back and he turned to look at Sakura.

“Sister.” He nodded his head to her and she almost choked on the last piece of anmitsu. Coughing, she waved at him. Laughing, Madara also waved to his brother.

“Goodnight, Izuna.” The door clicked shut behind the Uchiha clan heir and silence fell over them. Sakura finished her cup of tea, knowing the pot was empty.

“Should I head out too, then?” She asked him. He hummed noncommittally.

“If you want to.” He shrugged his shoulders. She looked at him questioningly.

“Isn’t it scandalous for a woman to be here later than this, alone?” She raised an eyebrow at him. Now it was apparently his turn to blush, as his face rapidly gained color.

“Not to me. Not to you, I think. I just… want to enjoy your company more.” He paused and then his eyes widened and he looked at her, slightly panicked.

“N-not that anything needs to happen. You don’t even have to stay later if you don’t want. I can escort you home.” She stared at him, highly amused. Sakura had never seen him stammer nervously before. She stepped close to him and pulled on the collar of his kimono, bringing his face closer to hers. Standing on tiptoe, Sakura kissed the silly man, who didn’t waste a moment in returning the kiss. Sakura brought her hands together and performed the clone jutsu, summoning one clone behind her. Madara’s focus faltered and he was startled at the appearance of a second Sakura. The clone quickly donned Sakura’s shoes and exited Madara’s house. He stared down at the woman in his arms, wide eyed.

“Now your reputation is saved. I can always shunshin to my house later.” She shrugged and brought his face back down to hers. Madara’s lips twisted into a smile against hers, and one hand settled on her hip, the other cradling the back of her head. Sakura pulled back from him to gaze in his eyes.

“What if I want something more to happen?” He looked at her, not understanding for a moment before his eye widened. 

“Are you sure?” She pulled him back down into her kiss, slowly circling his tongue with hers. She combed his bangs back with her fingers before pulling away once more.

“Tell me how it made you feel hearing me be called Lady Uchiha.” His gaze darkened and Madara’s self control shattered when she tugged on his obi.

Chapter Text

Two weeks after Madara’s birthday was the new year’s celebration in Konoha. She dressed in a plain kimono and tugged on her Uchiha haori. She smiled at the red fabric, recalling how shy Madara had been to give it to her. Stepping out of her house, her fiance beamed at seeing her in it again. He reached a hand out to her and she took it, stepping in close to him.

“And how are you this morning, Lady Uchiha?” He spoke in a low voice. Sakura flushed, recalling the very different scenario where he had last called her that.

“I’m alright today, and you, Lord Uchiha?” Her hand squeezed his.

“I’m happy.” His thumb stroked the back of her hand while they walked to the gates of the village. Sakura saw Tobirama, Izuna, Hashirama, and Mito already waiting there. She looked at them all with a question on her face. Izuna laughed seeing her.

“It seems our esteemed Hokage tends to invite guests when we have a festival happening.” He explained to her. Sakura looked around at everyone.

“Who are our guests?” Mito smiled at her.

“The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi. Your reminder that those clans are allied helped with negotiations, which happened while you were writing.” The redhead explained to her. Sakura was staring at her friends in shock.

“Konoha is expanding?” She barely held in the excitement of her voice. Hashirama nodded at her, a bright smile firmly planted on his face. The six of them talked excitedly among themselves at the prospect of Konoha becoming a peaceful place for more shinobi clans. They weren’t made to wait long, the clans were visible in their approach just an hour later. Sakura stared at the incoming people with excitement. Her eyes examining the group, she turned to Mito.

“Is there an Uzumaki entourage also?” She had seen the red whirlpool of the Senju’s sister clan in the distance. Mito smiled at Hashirama before turning to her.

“Yes. They are here to witness our wedding.”

–

The multi-day festival and wedding were beautiful. Gentle snow fell on the gathered shinobi as they witnessed their Hokage marry Mito Uzumaki. The village was rapidly becoming the place of love and trust Sakura had known. Sakura hadn’t helped Mito with her wedding preparations as she had the Uzumaki that had come to the village help her as her clan dictated. Sakura’s eyes watered as she looked at the intricate furisode Mito was wearing and the simple yet elegant kimono and haori Hashirama wore. As the crowd began cheering for their leader, Madara leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“The need to plan this wedding held off the elders for the past month. Now, it's our turn.” She turned to face him and slipped into his arms.

“I had never been to a wedding before this one. There was no time in my village for them, when I was there. Am I right in thinking that we’re about to be super busy?” He chuckled and nodded his head while planting a kiss on her hair.

–

Madara chuckling that they would be busy was an understatement. Now that Mito and Hashirama’s wedding was out of the way, Sakura at first was lucky to even step foot in the hospital. The Uchiha elders kept trying to get her to attend pointless meetings. She did not know what marriage traditions were practiced at this time, and she had no wishes for her own ceremony. Sakura was lucky to find a strong supporter in Megumi. 

Her apprentice understood and helped her fend off the clan elders. Megumi and Izuna had taken to being her liaisons with the higher up of the Uchiha clan, as they both seemed to have stronger opinions about the wedding ceremony than she did. Sakura was too busy to always be pulled into asinine meetings about fabrics or food. She was really trying to focus back on her students’ medical progress, and now once a week she was brought in to teach the new Academy students. She and Madara only found the time each week to spar once and have several dinners together. The Uchiha clan kept him wrapped up in so much more planning than her.

After her first visit to the new Academy it was clear that only a handful of the children had the chakra control necessary to be a medic. Those students had been pulled into a separate class for her to teach now, and she cherished the sight of young Senju, Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, and one Akimichi learning her specialty. One student jumped up and bulldozed her into a hug when his fish started flopping on the table again.

“Sakura-sensei, Sakura-sensei! I did it!” The young Nara holding on the front of her kimono tightly so closely resembled a young Shikamaru that Sakura’s eyes welled up and she weakly smiled at the young ninja to show her his fish.

“Wow, Shikou! You are the first to revive their fish. Are you ready to learn about healing small skin wounds now?” The young Nara eagerly bobbed his head up and down. Laughing, Sakura sat down next to him and demonstrated the next steps for using the Mystic Palm Technique. The first step of reviving the fish was just for the students to learn the acceptable amount of chakra to use.

After the next hour of supervision on her students, none of them were ready for the next step, so she smiled down at all her students. They had only been practicing with medical ninjutsu for three weeks, and it was a small portion of their studies.

“You have all done amazingly well. Medical ninjutsu is very difficult to master. My sister disciple took three weeks of non-stop work before she could revive the fish. Please, continue to practice and next week we’ll learn more!” Her young students bowed to her and filed out of the room. Sakura started collecting the beginning medical ninjutsu scrolls from the room and disposed of the dead fish. A throat clearing startled her, and she turned to the door.

She had not been expecting to see Tobirama.

“Ah, Tobirama. What can I do for you?” She smiled at him while finishing organizing the scrolls. The albino looked put out by being in the school room. Very slowly he entered the room. Already getting annoyed, she put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

“I’m sorry.” Sakura’s face blanked and she blinked at Tobirama, not understanding. 

“What?” She shook her head as she asked, she was so taken aback by this. He seemed to get more grumpy with her question. 

“I judged you harshly. You are good for the village, and the Uchiha.” He said this curtly with a light dusting of pink on his face and then disappeared. Sakura stared at the spot he had been standing in before laughing.

After she had finished with her classroom, she made her way to see Hashirama to talk about his brother’s odd behavior. Once she got permission to enter, inside the Hokage’s office she was surprised to just find Hashirama. She was so used to seeing either Tobirama, Mito, Izuna, or Madara working with him. When she entered he looked at her with a small smile before finishing signing some papers.

“Sakura! What can I do for you?” Setting the papers aside, he gave her his full attention. She sat down across from him.

“Get this. Tobirama just apologized to me. He basically admitted he was wrong. It was odd.” Hashirama’s booming laugh filled his office. Sakura just looked at him, at a loss.

“Oh that’s too funny. When I told him to do that I never expected…” He trailed off into more laughter.

“What?” She was even more confused. Had apologizing to her been Hashirama’s idea? He forcefully sobered up from his amusement and looked at her.

“Surely by now you know that when a clan head marries, it is a large affair. There are social expectations to be met by a different clan. He was struggling with the gift for you and Madara because he felt like his behavior until Zetsu’s extraction had made you dislike him, and that any gift would be rejected. Mito was quick to explain that he had never made it clear to you that he trusts you, so I suggested talking to you,” he looked bashful as he explained that,

“But I don’t think I’ve heard of my brother apologizing before. He doesn’t even apologize to me! Tobi usually just returns to work as normal and refuses to discuss anything.” Sakura chuckled.

“That sounds about right. He didn’t let me get a word in after his explanation.” Sakura was smiling to herself now. Now she knew that the Second Hokage trusted her. Beaming at Hashirama, Sakura rose from her chair.

“Thank you, Hashirama.” She turned and started to walk to the door before turning back.

“Actually, can I ask you another question?” He nodded and gestured for her to continue.

“Can you tell me my actual wedding day?” Hashirama grinned at her.

“Nope! Goodbye!” He waved at her before taking a new scroll from the pile and started reading it. Sakura, grumpy now, left his office. No one had told her when her actual wedding day would be and it was starting to be seriously annoying. 

–

Six more weeks of her new grueling routine had gone by when she finally beat Megumi around the training field enough for her apprentice to tell her the secret. Enough snow had melted that Sakura was back to wearing her shinobi gear coupled with her Uchiha haori.

“Your–” she coughed, “your wedding date cannot be set. Preparations will be ready and on standby halfway through this month. Whenever the cherry blossoms bloom will be the wedding.” Megumi fell back on the earth with a gasp. Sakura had never sparred Megiumi fueled by frustration before. She had certainly never not pulled her punches, and her frustration at being kept in the dark about the actual date of her wedding made her lose some control. Wincing, Sakura fell to her knees to help her apprentice heal her battered body. 

Once Megumi’s healing was done, Sakura stepped away from her apprentice.

“I’m sorry for taking that frustration out during this training.” Sakura said this in a small voice, looking at her toes. To her great surprise, Megumi laughed.

“Oh, I don’t blame you. Hashirama and Izuna strong-armed the elders and I don’t even think Madara knows. One of them has a romantic vision for the wedding, you see. Izuna will tell him much closer to the date I think.” Sakura snorted.

“One of them has found too much amusement with my name and hair.” She rolled her eyes and helped her apprentice to her feet. On their way back to the village, Sakura eyed the cherry blossom trees. The first buds were forming on the trees. 

–

Two weeks later Sakura had one more nightmare about Zetsu, and it was just his laughter echoing in her mind.

–

Truthfully, Sakura didn’t know how it was already springtime. Her life recently had just been the whirlwind of trying to train her medics, teaching Academy students, going to meetings upon meetings with elders from seemingly every clan in the village about her wedding, all the while squeezing time with Madara in where they could. She was proud to see Megumi was well on her way to gathering chakra to develop the byakugou seal. She had never expected to truly find an apprentice in this time. The budding medic was too close in age for Sakura to have a motherly instinct, but she was sure the fierceness she felt behind their bond was as close to sisterhood as she had come since Ino. 

Smiling, Sakura rose from her scented bath and patted her skin dry. Megumi and Mito would be here soon to help her prepare for her wedding. The cherry blossoms had seemingly all bloomed overnight.

As if on cue, the front door to her house burst open. Sakura chuckled and finished drying herself before putting on a small robe. Mito burst into Sakura’s bathroom right as she finished wrapping the robe closed.

“Sakura!” Mito called, grinning widely and rushing up to her friend. She threw her arms around Sakura, holding her in an iron grip.

“I’m so happy for you. After everything you’ve been through, I know you’ll be happy with Madara.” Mito released her with a wink. Megumi stepped up to her and put her delicate arms around her next.

“I’m so happy the Uchiha will have such a strong Lady. You’re exactly what our clan needs.” Her apprentice was looking at her with watery eyes. Sakura’s own eyes welled up and her heart swelled at the change her life was about to take. Tears fell unbidden from her, and Sakura crumpled into her hands.

“I don’t know how I’m going to get through today, I’m feeling so many things.” Sakura sobbed and was crowded by her friends again.

“Get this out of your system now, you can’t smudge your makeup later.” It was obvious Mito was working hard to school her own emotions as her voice wavered. Sakura laughed at the Uzumaki and took a moment to collect herself.

“Okay girls. Let’s do this.” Mito squealed and set down her supplies before setting to work. Megumi started on brushing out her long pink locks to intricately braid. Sakura settled down, allowing herself to be pampered by her friends. 

–

Madara couldn’t believe his luck. A powerful kunoichi from the future was sent back in time to save him personally. And she succeeded, allowing him to think freely for the first time in who knows how long. And the first thing Madara learned afterwards was how truly beautiful she was. And that was almost all Madara continued to notice with his newly freed thoughts and attentions. He also noticed how strong, kind, skilled, stubborn, loyal, and loving she was. 

But today, on their long-awaited wedding day, all he saw was her beauty. Waiting until the cherry trees bloomed was the right choice, Madara would have to thank Izuna later, as he already forgot his brother was standing right next to him. Her black furisode with sakura trees blooming across it complimented her pale skin, pink hair, and startlingly green eyes. He smiled broadly seeing the flower arrangement he picked for her hair looked lovely, with various shades of light pink and white to match her. He made it a point to choose the flowers himself after refreshing his hanakotoba to perhaps finally be able to express everything he felt to her. In her hair there were cherry blossoms, a delicate pink rose, several cosmos flowers, a magnolia, and a carnation. Hashirama had had to grow several of them in just the right shade of pink. Madara couldn’t be distracted by his choices for long, as Sakura was smiling up at him and he was looking deeply into her green eyes as she walked towards him. Madara felt as if he was floating in clouds, he was so happy. His sharingan activated at the absolute swell of love he felt for her. No one else registered with Madara at all. His soon-to-be wife was too compelling. Sakura and company slowly walked up the long aisle to him.

Sakura’s steps suddenly slowed, and Madara felt like someone squeezed the air out of him. When Sakura’s eyebrows abruptly drew together, and a sudden look of alarm passed across her face, it was as if he was witnessing it in slow motion. Everything left his vision except Sakura. She suddenly paled. Something was seriously wrong. His adrenaline spiked while pure instinct took over, and he was already moving towards her when she fell to her knees. Madara caught her and cradled her as he lowered them both to the ground. Her hands were holding her neck tightly. What was wrong? 

“Sakura? Sakura, what's wrong? How can I help you?” Madara was trying to keep a lid on his panic, but his voice was wavering. She was starting to breathe heavily, and with a strained expression met his concerned gaze.

“Madara. I’m so sorry. There’s so much I didn’t tell you yet. Hashirama must have added another seal recently. My seal doesn’t have enough chakra to keep me here anymore.” Her chakra signature was fading, much to his horror. Tears were falling freely from him now.

“Ugh. I’m not done yet.” With that, Sakura opened her byakugou seal and her chakra signature was powerful once again. She raised a hand to Madara’s face and guided his mouth down to hers. It seemed like she was trying to convey all of her feelings in this one kiss, and he was trying his best to reciprocate that. It was desperate, he was desperate. This kiss made him feel as light as the very first kiss they had shared, but there was also a knife twisting in his heart. Sakura suddenly broke the kiss with the gasp, and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. As if he would look anywhere else right now, as he sensed her powerful chakra signature begin to fade once again.

“Madara. I did everything knowing I could and probably would die. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I saved you, the best man I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.” Sakura’s voice was thick with emotion, and her eyes shone with unshed tears. Her hand moved to caress his cheek.

“Saving you means I saved countless lives. You are the catalyst for great change, my love, and I wish I could be here to see it. I know you will do great things. I love you so much Madara.” Sakura’s voice broke, and she took several gulps to restart her voice as her tears finally started falling. She stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“Don’t let this break you. You deserve love and happiness. I wish I could be the one to provide that to you,” now Sakura’s physical form was fading, becoming translucent. Madara’s eyes burned at the sight and more hot tears fell from him. Within two heartbeats, Sakura was gone with a fading ‘I love you Madara’. Her furisode was left in Madara’s arms. The only physical material that went with her were the flowers Madara picked for her. He felt his heart shatter and the light leave his world. His ears started ringing, his cheek stung where her hand had been, his eyes burned , and he wept.

Madara Uchiha cradled her formal kimono to his chest and sobbed openly. He had never felt such intense emotion before, it was overwhelming him. He screamed at the raw agony of his loss. His chakra was uncontrolled and fluctuating chaotically. The members of his clan and village that had gathered to witness and celebrate their union were utterly silent as they watched the great clan head break down. Many among the gathered were openly crying also. Hashirama and Mito were clutching each other quietly crying, Izuna stood frozen in his original spot as tears rolled down his face, his eyes glued on his brother. Even the stoic Tobirama found he had a tear to shed for the predicament that his fellows found themselves in, and his lost comrade. Every friend Sakura had made found themselves crying at her sudden departure and their abrupt loss. Megumi was rubbing at her suddenly red eyes through her tears.

Slowly, as if in a daze, Izuna walked up to Madara and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. Madara startled out of Sakura’s furisode and his scarlet eyes flashed up to Izuna, causing him to jerk back, removing his hand.

“Mangekyo…” Izuna whispered under his breath, wide eyes locked on the pinwheel design, but it was enough for the Uchiha present. There was a murmur through the crowd at that. Suddenly aware that he was being a spectacle for the village, Madara shunshined away from the site of his heartbreak clutching Sakura’s kimono tightly to his chest, as if it were a lifeline.

–

Hashirama quickly performed a large mokuton jutsu to control the unraveling scene.

“Listen up, everyone!” He raises an arm in the air while shouting through the emotion he was currently feeling. Mito clung to his chest, sobbing.

“The events of today are not to be discussed publicly. There will be severe repercussions if anyone disobeys this direct order from your Hokage.” It took everything in him to have a strong voice, one of steel. There was a small murmur of assent from the audience and Hashirama stepped back out of the limelight, turning to Mito.

“I never told her I am pregnant. What even happened? We need to go inspect the seals.” Mito managed to tell him this through her gut-wrenching sobs. She was hiccuping with her tears at this point, making her speech disjunct. They slowly walked away from the field of cherry blossoms where an hour ago was the site of joy and love. 

–

Once at the Hokage Tower, Tobirama, Hashirama, and Mito were examining the containment they had set up for Zetsu in the first place. Every single jutsu was still there and she still only sensed the original chakra in them. Mito ushered them all into Hashirama’s office.

“Do you know what happened?” Tobirama asked her with a raised eyebrow. That was enough to break the tentative hold she had mustered together over her emotions. Mito broke back down sobbing.

“No! There’s no jutsu on earth that would take so long to dissipate! If we knew what seal was holding her here, I could figure it out. But we don’t!” The noblewoman wailed. Her face was streaked with black as the kohl around her eyes flowed with her tears. Hashirama slowly pulled his wife into his arms, trying to soothe her. 

–

A week after Sakura’s disappearance, Mito, Megumi, and Izuna had found themselves at her house to gather her belongings. They were packing up what small amounts of possessions Sakura had collected. As Megumi was going through the medical texts she had, she stumbled across the flowers the pink haired woman had once pressed. The Uchiha’s eyes widened.

“Look at these.” She murmured, looking down at the flowers that were a clear proclamation of love. Mito and Izuna walked over to her, and the latter’s eyes widened.

“I remember the day he gave these to her. It was when the Hokageship was announced. This one was from his birthday.” Izuna mentioned while pointing, looking down at the flowers. Mito sobbed once, still feeling the intense loss of Sakura. Mito’s heart hurt at seeing how obviously she had been in love.

“Someone should give these to him…” She muttered. Izuna delicately lifted the dried flowers out of the book and sealed them in a scroll.

“I’ll be sure he gets them.” The women looked at him with concern on their faces. No one had seen the Uchiha clan head since the wedding. Izuna grimaced and put the scroll in his pocket. 

–

Mito had found the scrolls Sakura had spent so much time writing and brought them to Hashirama. Once the pair realized what was inside, the pain of losing Sakura reared its head up once more. The pink haired woman had obviously loved her village. She had written out every single detail she could remember about every major military and political move in her time. She had many warnings listed out for things such as Tailed Beasts, which enemy nin to be wary of, and which treaties needed extra guard and finesse. She had even outlined technological advances alongside the medical ones.

Truly, Sakura had single-handedly propelled Konoha’s advancement by thirty years. 

One month after her disappearance, Izuna and surprisingly Madara appeared in the Hokage’s office. No one had seen the older Uchiha in that time, except Izuna. Startled, Hashirama studied his friend. Madara looked haggard, like he hadn’t been sleeping or eating well. Hashirama’s eyes were glued to his friend’s Sharingan. It had a new design.

“Madara? Your eyes…” Hashirama trailed off. He knew his longtime friend was not well. Madara closed his eyes and sighed.

“I cannot turn them off. Once I do, I remember…” his voice broke and he sighed again.

“I seem to always have my Sharingan on at the worst time,” he muttered, “I am stepping down as Uchiha clan leader. I will never stop defending this village, but I can’t do it from here anymore.” Hashirama looked quickly at Izuna, who just looked resigned.

“Have you discussed this with the elders?” The Hokage asked delicately.

“They can deal with it. Apparently having a clan head go missing annoys them.” He said brusquely. 

“Izuna will always be able to contact me. Goodbye, Hashirama.” Madara turned to leave.

“Wait!” The Hokage called. His friend paused and Hashirama stared at his back.

“Are you really leaving her village?” Hashirama asked him. Madara turned to look at his friend, his Mangekyo shining with unshed tears.

“I will never abandon Konoha. Never. But I need to defend it from the outside now. I trust you and Izuna to nurture it in my stead.” He turned back around.

“Madara, wait!” He didn’t stop walking.

–

The forces of Konoha never did figure out why Sakura disappeared so abruptly. Her disappearance did not stop the village’s progress. In fact, most everyone who knew Sakura worked harder to bring about the esteemed woman’s vision for their home.

Megumi successfully learned the byakugou seal after two more years of careful chakra control. She continued to revolutionize the medical world, holding true to her mentor’s vision. By the time of the Third Hokage there were already trained medical shinobi on every team. Many casualties were avoided, allowing families time to develop and strengthen bonds.

Under the care of Izuna Uchiha, the doujutsu wielding clan became fully integrated in the village. Izuna had taken over Madara’s role on Hashirama’s council, and the Hokage had named Megumi the person to fill Sakura’s spot. It made sense that the director of the hospital would be a part of the council. The new Uchiha leader had been outspoken in giving ideas to the Hokage about the Academy, civilian training, support systems for shinobi, ideas to help better their internal security. 

It was obvious to Hashirama that some of Izuna’s ideas had come straight from Madara, and in turn from Sakura. It made his heart heavy to progress the village without his longtime friend and fellow founder. He was thankful that Madara still had Izuna, if he ever chose to seek his brother out. Hashirama never did successfully see his oldest friend Madara again though.

–

The springtime festival, also known as the Sakura Festival, had always been her favorite. It was the only time of the year that her pink hair wasn’t weird, and in fact celebrated. Sakura finished getting ready for the festival. She was meeting all their fellow Konoha Rookie 9 there. Blushing, Sakura wondered if she would see any of Sasuke’s family. The Uchiha were so unfairly pretty and were always heavily involved with the festival. Running out of her house, she started sprinting to the Uchiha compound. 

In her haste, she entirely ran into someone. Momentarily stunned, Sakura picked herself up only to find Rin Uchiha doing the same. Sakura blanched.

“Oh my gosh, Rin, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I’m meeting with my team at Sasuke’s house!” The kind older medic smiled down at Sakura. 

“I’m quite alright, Sakura. Perhaps Obito and I will see you all at the festival.” The woman smiled and waved at Sakura, who started towards Sasuke’s house much slower this time. Finally arriving, Sakura let herself into the Uchiha clan head’s home. There, she smiled hearing Naruto and Sasuke already at each other’s throats. Itachi walked past and gave her a polite smile.

“Good morning, Sakura. I hope you enjoy the festival today. I know we’ll be having your favorite dessert at one of the stands, strawberries and anmitsu.” Itachi was all manners as he greeted her and continued on his way. Smile still gracing her lips, she walked further into the house.

“I can’t wait to see the fireworks!” Naruto was punching the air in his excitement. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“It’s like this every year with you. You know the Hokage takes the day to deliver offerings to the Tailed Beasts for continued peace. The fireworks only happen once she’s back, dummy. It’s been like that since the First Hokage. Doesn’t your dad teach you anything?” Naruto’s eyes glazed over as Sasuke attempted to insult him and he noticed Sakura for the first time. Sasuke wordlessly summoned chakra and healed the scrape on her elbow from her run-in with Rin.

“Sakura! Are you excited for your festival?” Naruto beamed at her and she laughed.

“I know it’s the Sakura festival, but that’s only because the trees are blooming now, silly!” She laughed with her friends, oblivious to the real reason behind the name of the festival. The real reason behind the name – tragic heartbreak, true love, and untimely consequences – had been lost to time.