Chapter 45: Justice !
2 days earlier.
More than a week had passed since Sakura's carnage against the contingent from Konoha. The funerals of the innocent villagers had been held and the whole town had been in mourning for several days. Sakura's anger and grief had gradually subsided over the days and she was less and less determined to burn her former village to the ground.
Of course, she didn't forgive them for their actions, but she was more in search of justice. One way or another, she wanted justice to be done and if possible without violence.
However, she had not changed her mind on one point : she wanted to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi with his misdeeds. Already, she knew that the Jônin on whom she had placed the explosive seal would soon, if not already, cause havoc in Konoha. She didn't regret her act because it was her way of making the Hokage understand that one didn't attack her country with impunity without suffering consequences. That was the way the world still worked, whether it was in the Sengoku era or in the time she had left : an eye for an eye !
That was why they had called the military council to announce that they were going to the Leaf Village to settle their accounts. They didn't wait for their approval since Madara, as Heikage, had full authority on the matter.
— "Going to Konoha is like announcing to the world that Heiwa exists, that...," Suzuki wondered around the council table before being interrupted by Sakura.
— "Yes, it's high time the elemental nations knew that Ta No Kuni is not to be taken lightly !"
— "But... but does that mean you're going to announce the return of Madara Uchiha ?" Asked another council member.
— "Hai," replied the person concerned, keeping his arms crossed.
— "And that he's not the only one who survived their treachery !" Ashina Uzumaki added, his eyes also locked.
— "But what are you going to do about it ?" Suzuki asked, clearly seeing that the intentions of the three shinobi sitting around the table seemed to diverge.
— "War !" The two men answered in near-unison, leaving no doubt as to their true intentions.
— "To demand justice," Sakura answered just after the other two had spoken. Her tone of voice was more sedate and she turned her head in the direction of her husband, giving him a look that spoke volumes about their current disagreement. "And it will come to war if Konoha is not able to offer a peaceful solution."
— "Sakura-san ! Despite my high regard for you, you don't think you'll be able to negotiate with them when they orchestrated Hashuba's murder, not to mention their intrusion on our land !" The Uzumaki exclaimed.
— "I know all that Ashina-san ! But Ta No Kuni should not behave as all countries do in such situations ! I feel that I did the right thing to protect our people and I just ask for compensation ! Hiruzen Sarutobi must be held accountable and everything will depend on his answers ! I don't rule out fighting them again, but we are better than them to answer in the same way they dared to do with us !"
— "And you don't say anything ?" Ashina asked, looking at the Uchiha who had been listening to his wife's words.
As Heikage, Madara was responsible for military decisions, he understood perfectly well what Sakura wanted. She had made it clear at the beginning of their meeting that she did not seek conflict when it could be avoided. If a situation could be resolved peacefully it was only natural that she would pursue that avenue to the fullest.
— "War is inevitable, but I'm still curious to hear Konoha's justification for their actions."
— "So what are we going to do ? Invite Konoha to a round table ?" The Uzumaki asked perplexed.
— "We're leaving for Konoha No Sato tomorrow on a diplomatic mission," Sakura explained, thanking her husband inwardly for not insisting on taking up arms. She knew he hadn't and wouldn't change his mind, but at least he was giving her the benefit of the doubt.
— "Diplomatic ? Nothing is ever diplomatic and you know it Sakura !" Ashina insisted. "I want to nail that coward of a Hokage !"
— "And you want to do that how, ancestor ?" Madara questioned intrigued.
— "I want him to find out that I'm still alive ! And so is my entire clan ! And then, if they attack us, we won't be in the way !"
So it was with differing opinions on how to settle this matter that the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni, the Heikage and the Uzukage decided to leave for Konoha No Sato the next day. Ashina proposed to use the famous stick to camouflage them during the trip in order to create a surprise when they arrived in the hidden village of the Leaf.
Just before interrupting the camouflage technique, Sakura channeled chakra and with a simple movement of her arm, she struck the large closed doors of the village. The doors exploded with a loud crash and a cloud of dust.
On the other side, everyone was on the alert ! Who had been able to get past the Konoha defenses without the alarm being raised ? How had the guards posted above the gates not prevented such an intrusion ? For that matter, where had those men gone ?
The moment Sakura had knocked on the doors, Ashina had broken the camouflage seal allowing Madara to act quickly. He had neutralized the few guards posted above the doors without them alerting their comrades. Then the Uchiha had returned to his place beside the other two who were waiting for the dust to settle before advancing towards their enemy.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the door from which a dense cloud of dust was emanating. Only Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Uchiha clan had a clear idea of who might be behind it.
Then, after a few seconds, three dark shapes appeared through the dust. And as the dust settled, they first recognized two people : Madara Uchiha and Ashina Uzumaki.
They were astonished, how could these two men who had been declared dead still be alive ? And why were they dressed in their official Kage clothes ?
There was no doubt about it, each of these shinobi wore the traditional Kage headdress on their belts. For the Uzumaki it was not surprising since he was the Uzukage, but for the Uchiha, how long had he been wearing that title ? And for which village ?
No announcement had been made in this sense ! Yet it was common knowledge that when a country changed Kage or elected one, it had to be announced to the rest of the world.
But the surprise was also on the presence of Ashina Uzumaki. He was supposed to have perished with the rest of his village during the First Great Shinobi War. And besides, didn't he bear a visceral hatred towards the Uchiha for wanting to level Konoha by launching the Kyûbi ? Hiruzen Sarutobi had even discovered when he became Hokage that Mito Uzumaki became the Jinchûriki of the nine-tailed fox demon because of that fight. So why was he walking beside the Uchiha when his daughter had to sacrifice herself ?
But what attracted even more attention was this woman in the middle of the other two. Small in stature compared to her companions, but her stature immediately commanded respect. There was not as much killing intent in her as Madara or Ashina could muster, but clearly she was to be distrusted.
No one knew her, and to look at her, she was also wearing an official outfit : that of the Daimyô ! A woman who had become a Daimyô, that was something new and unheard of. Then a particular detail struck them all : her hair was pink.
Could it be that it was that mysterious woman from the previous war ? Murmurs rose in the ranks as all the ninja of Konoha were gathered behind their Hokage in front of these three individuals.
Seeing this woman and all the elements in front of him, the Nara clan leader's eyes widened. This woman could only be the Daimyô whose assassination Sarutobi had ordered ! And to see her here surrounded by Uchiha Madara and Ashina Uzumaki meant only one thing : they had come for war.
They were waiting for orders from their military leader, but he was silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking fast. How to save his village and its inhabitants ?
This question made sense once the dust had settled, not only were the gates destroyed, but the ten or so shinobi who had been on guard had died. These three individuals had not come for a simple courtesy visit.
For her part, Sakura Haruno had a completely different thought about her former village leader. Where was the wise man she had known in her past ? How could he have instigated and above all how could he have condoned such acts, such ways of doing things ?
She had always respected him, appreciated him and even considered him a guide because he defended the village with justice. He had always done everything to pass on the Will of Fire to future generations. Sakura was an example of this, she had been raised with this same will.
But since she had been forged in this vision of life, in the vision of justice, it was with a heavy heart that Sakura demanded justice !
— "Hiruzen Sarutobi," Sakura called out in a loud voice before the two men spoke first.
Sakura knew that doing so would shock many. How could a woman dare to speak ? And more importantly how could she dare to do so before two of the greatest men the world had ever known ? And one only had to see the wide eyes of the crowd gathered behind the Hokage to understand that they disapproved of this.
— "Who gave you permission to speak woman ! Don't you know who I am ?" Hiruzen retorted, trying to intimidate her. He didn't want to lose face in front of a vulgar woman even though he knew for a fact that this was the woman who had decimated his contingent.
— "Who are you ? Of course I know who you are, Sandaime Hokage ! But is this how Konoha addresses a Daimyô ? What happened to the respect and deference you owe me, the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni !" Sakura replied with poise and Sakura thanked Tsunade's teachings.
The murmurs and glances continued to grow among the Konoha ninja. So this woman really was a Daimyô ! The neighboring country that everyone was talking about had chosen a woman to rule their land.
Everyone was therefore focused on the exchange that was to take place between their Kage and this woman. Everyone wanted to know if she was also the pink-haired woman from the previous war ! For if this was the case, Ta No Kuni had not only a woman at its head, but above all a formidable warrior !
Sarutobi could feel that his shinobi were all very attentive to this conversation that was beginning. He had to do everything he could to bring the exchanges to his advantage. Indeed, if he wanted to keep the support of his troops, he had to hide everything he had orchestrated in the shadows !
— "Why are you attacking my village ?" Sarutobi demanded, making Konoha look like an innocent victim.
— "You only reap what you sow Hiruzen," Sakura said harshly.
She had purposely used the Hokage's first name to show anyone listening that she was well informed about Konoha. In another way, it showed that she didn't give him any respect for his rank as a military leader. Using his first name was tantamount to lowering him to the status of a mere subordinate, and she was thus elevating herself above him.
Sarutobi was far too focused to notice that she had called him by his first name : he was trying to figure out how to turn this woman's remarks against her.
— "What I have sown ? As far as I know you're the one attacking my village," the man in the Hokage hat retorted.
Sakura rolled her eyes, did he really think she was a beginner ?
— "Of course... it's always easy in our line of work to have memory loss when the mission is a failure. Except you see, you went after the wrong target this time !" Sakura continued.
For the shinobi around, this sentence raised questions in their minds. What did she mean by that ? But for the leader of the Nara clan, this simple sentence took on a whole new meaning. He had confirmation of his doubts, Konoha was taking a path that no longer corresponded to the values of the Will of Fire.
— "What are your motives for coming to disrupt the serenity of my village ?" Sarutobi asked, desperate to change the subject. If he continued on this path, his village would learn certain truths they should not know.
— "What are my motives ?" Sakura repeated before looking around her opponent. She wanted to look into each of the men who were waiting for the verdict of this discussion. "Even if I told you, it wouldn't change a thing... but maybe having this discussion will open your people's eyes."
— "You speak as if your word were the whole truth."
— "No, but I'm trying to make it as fair as possible," the Daimyô replied, before turning her cold gaze on her former military leader. "My goal... our goal, is to succeed where many have failed ! We want to bring peace and justice to this world ! No more, no less !
— "Justice ? How is it justice what you have been doing all along ? It's you, isn't it ? You're the one who attacked villages during the last war, you're the one who raided all the elemental nations, you're the one who eradicated Uzushio !" Hiruzen retorted, his face flushed at the word justice.
— "Oh I see," Sakura half whispered, "it's true that when it comes to waging war it's noble when it comes from you, isn't it ? That's the way you see justice isn't it ? It is only justice when you kill to defend your country. What do you think all those people were thinking when they realized that you, the Leaf shinobi, had come to their land to turn it into a battlefield ? All with the sole purpose of preserving your land and resources. So you think it's fair to attack weaker countries and increase Konoha's profit at the expense of these poor people ?" Sakura rasped, raising her voice ever so slightly with each sentence.
— "We were not the sponsor of the first war !" Hiruzen immediately retorted.
— "Maybe..." Sakura conceded, "but tell me Hiruzen, where was the justice in your attack on my family ? My friends ? My country ?"
Everyone was hanging on her every word, what could she be talking about ? What had the village done to her and her country ? Sakura didn't give Sarutobi any time to defend herself as she went on, still without a tremor in her voice. On the contrary, her tone was both calm and scathing.
— "So this is how justice is done in the Land of Fire and by Konoha No Sato ? Is it justice to use the lack of food as an excuse to attack the weak ? Is it justice to exercise your imperialism over other nations ? You've picked on the wrong person, Hiruzen !"
Hiruzen could see that she was not making any direct accusations about his assassination attempt and that there were only hints about Nobuo's attack. He then sought help from his former ally and asked a question :
— "Why ?"
— "Why what ?" Ashina asked in his sumptuous Uzukage outfit with his hat on his belt. He hadn't spoken in a friendly manner, he had the voice and bearing of a warrior.
— "Why do you associate with this man and this woman ?" The Sandaime Hokage continued, pointing at Madara Uchiha with a chin movement followed by Sakura.
— "Why wouldn't I ?" The Uzumaki replied as harshly as ever.
— "But... because he attacked Konoha, he unleashed the Kyûbi on our people and your daughter had to..."
— "SHUT UP !" Ashina shouted when Hiruzen had the misfortune to mention Mito. "What right do you have to talk about my daughter after what Konoha dared to do to mine ?!"
— "But we didn't do anything !" Hiruzen retorted vehemently.
— "That's just it ! You didn't do anything ! Where was Konoha when their enemies surrounded us ? Where was Konoha when they were annihilating us ? Where was Konoha when my daughter Mito DISAPPEARED ?! And you dare to ask me WHY ?!"
The assembly was hanging on the lips of these four people ! The murmurs were rising to a crescendo as many revelations were being made. Doubt was creeping into people's minds. Was Konoha, their beloved village, really capable of all that these people were saying ?
— "You see Hokage-teme, while your predecessors were playing around and sacrificing their allies for their own interests, these two people saved me and my people !" Ashina explained.
Suddenly, as the Uzukage finished his sentence, hundreds of shapes appeared atop the wall of Konoha. Most of them had blood-red hair and were in an attack position : ready to wage war. Everyone looked up and was amazed to see that the Uzumaki clan was still safe ! They turned their attention back to the conversation. They wanted to know more, yet Uzushio had been eradicated ? How could they all be alive ?
— "I owe them a lot... so you can shove your shitty alliance up your ass !" Ashina added, letting out some of his killing intent.
— "It's really not what you think, we were busy elsewhere and unfortunately couldn't make it in time," Hiruzen tried to justify himself.
— "I don't care about the excuses of a liar like you ! You have no sense of morality and you are not worthy of the title of Kage ! Since when did the Kage take the life of a Lord ?"
— "A lord ?" Hiruzen feigned knowing full well what the Uzumaki was referring to.
— "Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about !" Ashina added as he continued to raise his voice. He didn't like being played for a fool at all, and Hiruzen was frankly pissing him off with his attitude. "You've taken on the role of Hokage, now take the consequences of your actions ! Tell your shinobi what you really are ! Tell the Hyûga the truth ! Tell them how you sacrificed one of their own to try to assassinate a Daimyô ! Come on, have the balls for once in your life to tell the truth !"
At the end of this tirade, the Hyûga clan immediately turned their heads towards their military leader and demanded an explanation. What was the Uzukage talking about ? What assassination mission ?
— "That's a lie !" Hiruzen immediately retorted seeing that the situation was turning sour.
Ashina Uzumaki then pulled out a small scroll of parchment attached to his belt before unsealing it. Once he had done this he opened it and in a puff of smoke appeared a severed head.
Ashina grabbed the head by the hair and reached forward so that all could see it.
— "It was not easy to get the answers I wanted, but when I had finished with him, he moved to the table very quickly... So I thank you Hiruzen, it's quite rare to have the opportunity to get this kind of Dôjutsu," Ashina taunted as everyone could see Nao Hyûga without his eyeballs. Then Ashina threw his head in the direction of the Leaf shinobi.
— "Sacrilege !" The Hyûga clan members said as the head fell back with a thud.
Anger roared among the clan members : one of their own had been savagely killed and what's more, a member of the Soke ! But above all, the Byakugan had been stolen. Was it a bluff ? But it didn't matter what kind of details were involved at that moment. A Hyûga wanted to attack Ashina, but he burst out his killing intent to such an extent that all the shinobi recoiled.
— "You shouldn't have asked the Uzumaki clan to make the seal in a cage, you bunch of scoundrels !" Ashina shouted from a fighting position.
— "Stop !" Sarutobi shouted, he didn't want this to escalate into a confrontation.
Sakura took advantage of this tense moment and the fact that Ashina had heated things up to continue her dialogue with the Sandaime Hokage.
— "You are right Hiruzen to restrain your shinobi ! Let them see how much their Hokage despises human beings when they have the misfortune to succeed where you have failed ! Since when do you no longer respect the agreements made between nations ? Wasn't it decided that no shinobi had the right to attack a Daimyô ? And what are you doing ?
— "What does a woman know about such things ?" Sarutobi retorted tartly.
For the second time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was questioning her abilities since she was only a woman. Sakura realized then that the man she was currently facing was not the man she had once known. He was still young and therefore lacked the wisdom of her former Hokage.
— "A woman...," Sakura repeated with some disdain. "But what about you ? Who are you to have ordered my death for the benefit of your country at the expense of mine ? Is that what you call justice ? Ah yes, the justice of Konoha is beautiful !" She hissed through her teeth.
— "Bullshit ! Hashuba Shôta is the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni ! There was never any mention of a change in leadership ! Don't play this game, kid ! You don't know what you're getting into !" Hiruzen replied, seriously losing his patience as she was revealing everything he wanted to keep secret.
— "But you were the one who played first Hiruzen ! And I'm not a child like you say I am ! You messed with the wrong people and now you're going to take the consequences !"
— "Is that a threat ? Do you dare to threaten me openly in front of my men ? Stay in your place woman ! You think you are strong because you play with powers beyond your control, but you have no place here and even less in front of me !"
— "Powers beyond me ? Am I not the one who reduced your contingent of a thousand men to nothing ? The same contingent that you sent to MY land to sack it and invade it ! They didn't get there by chance, it was your orders that they carried out ?" She retorted, staring at him with her emerald eyes before adding in a sharp voice. "How is your commander, by the way ?"
At the mention of the fate of the thousand dead men, the crowd was increasingly stunned. If what she said was true, she could only be the pink-haired warrior from the previous war. So it was not just a legend.
But on top of that, everyone was discovering that their leader had made decisions that deserved further explanation and, above all, justification. Why had the Hokage decided this when they were now under the threat of reprisals from this neighbouring country ?
Of course, responding to violence with violence was not the solution, but everyone knew that this was the way things had been done for generations. It was therefore perfectly legitimate for Ta No Kuni to demand compensation by starting a conflict with Konoha No Sato. Everyone wondered how they would get out of this impasse.
For her part Sakura finally understood the thinking of a man from her past. She remembered Pain and his motivation to bring peace and justice to this world. Today, more than any other day, she understood what Pain had wanted to accomplish in his time.
— "Nobuo did not deserve to die like this ! You judge me as cruel, but you don't do any better than I do !" Hiruzen added, sure to make this woman swallow her pride as she revealed to all the Leaf shinobi what he had orchestrated under the guise of the good of the village.
— "NONE of my villagers deserved to die at the hands of your men either, Hiruzen ! We did not do anything to suffer such treatment ! Ta No Kuni has only ever sought peace! Neutrality! And you, you trampled on what we built without a single scruple !"
Hiruzen was up against the wall : he had no other counter argument to put forward to Sakura. Not only had he called for the assassination of a Daimyô, but he had attacked a country that he had no proof was sponsoring acts of violence against Konoha. He had just decided to wipe out this troublemaker who was prospering abnormally. Yes, he had done it in his quest to save the village, but in reality, he was guilty of everything she accused him of.
But the Hokage didn't have time to respond as everyone tensed up even more as they saw Uchiha Madara step forward to put himself more in the spotlight. So far he had been listening very carefully to this conversation, which in the end had not been in vain. It only confirmed what he thought of Konoha, no matter who was in charge. He swept his gaze over the audience, and more specifically over his own.
— "Have you made your choice ?!" The Uchiha asked in a deep voice.
A few seconds passed in an almost religious silence. Everyone wondered what choice he was referring to with his question. Then, a movement began to take place in the ranks of Konoha. Hundreds of dark hair moved to line up behind the trio who had not stopped staring at their potential enemies.
Of course, as the Uchiha fell in behind their revered leader, the other members of the assembly were totally stunned and some protests were raised. Hadn't they rejected Madara's ideas when he had decided to oppose the village by attacking it ?
— "Tch... I'm not even surprised coming from a clan led by a traitor," Sarutobi spat angrily as his biggest force betrayed him and joined the enemy camp.
The ranks stirred behind him, a sign that the various clans disapproved of this defection from the Uchiha. A few insults were hurled, but they stopped immediately when they saw a man break away from the group and advance towards the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni.
— "Enchu ?" Hiruzen asked in complete disbelief that one of his closest advisors was joining his enemies.
The leader of the Nara clan had heard enough and he knew that he had only one choice to make : to save his clan. He also told himself that he had been right to make some notable connections with the acting head of the Uchiha clan over the past few days.
— "I'm sorry... but when I see all this, I can't help but notice that the will of Fire has disappeared. The precepts that Hashirama Senju bequeathed to us have been completely flouted ! You know me well enough Hokage-sama to know that none of my decisions are made without a long analysis. And with everything I've just heard, I know I'm doing the right thing !"
— "The right choice ?" Sarutobi choked, seeing that he was losing the game. "You'd rather become a deserter from your village, abandoning your life here to join that guy who was the first to raze your house to the ground ! Don't forget who he is, Enchu ! Traitors don't change, they will remain traitors all their life ! Is that what you want for your clan ?"
— I'd rather be a traitor for Konoha and save my people ! I will not sacrifice them because of your mistakes Hokage-sama ! And there is one thing I know how to recognize : when to turn to those who can guarantee true safety for me and mine !"
He continued towards the Heiwa's and made a slight sign of respect which was returned to him. As soon as he was placed behind them, all the members of his clan followed him. But just as Hiruzen thought they would be the only ones to turn away from the village, he also saw the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans follow the Nara.
— "So that's how it is," the Hokage said, seeing that he was now greatly outnumbered. "You have no honor for daring to break our bonds of friendship when it is the Sarutobi who have trained you for generations !"
— "This has nothing to do with the ties that bind us to each other ! And you know that very well, Hokage-sama," replied the head of the Yamanaka clan. "You have the opportunity to make the right choice now too !"
— "Don't talk to me about making the right choice ! You brandish the Will of Fire but where is it ? Is this how you thank the precepts that Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju offered you in this place of prosperity ?" Replied the Sandaime Hokage who wanted to make these three clans feel guilty and also to avoid others joining them as well.
— "The precepts ?" Madara interjected, knowing all too well the precepts of his former friend. "You speak as if this idea of a village only came from the Senju clan... let me refresh your memory Sarutobi : it is through the shedding of blood of the Uchiha and Senju clans that Konoha came into being. The only difference between Hashirama and me is that I saw, unfortunately too late, that it was a mistake to do so. Two clans that hate each other viscerally cannot coexist without tearing each other apart sooner or later ! So stop brandishing the values of one man ! Do not forget how this village was created !"
Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that there was nothing more he could do in the face of these individuals who had exposed his incompetence as Hokage.
— "So what are you going to do now ? Since the end of the war you've been taking my people, now my shinobi... is it the village you want to claim or what, Hi No Kuni as a whole ?" The man asked with a touch of irony.
— "Let's kill them !" Demanded many Hyûga after seeing Nao's condition.
Besides, almost all of the Hyûga had their Byakugan activated and they only wanted one thing : to fight. It didn't matter why Nao had died. The Hyûga wanted to prove that they were the most powerful clan and that their Dôjutsu was the most deadly ! Moreover, they also wanted to affirm their allegiance to Konoha and this despite the errors of judgement that their Hokage had made !
— "It looks like your men want to fight... what are you going to decide Hokage ? Are you going to let your men decide for you and create more bloodshed ? Or are you going to listen to the advice Enchu Nara suggested ?" Madara asked, having to make a great effort not to respond to the Hyûga's provocation. His warrior's instincts were in overdrive and all it took was one imperceptible movement for him to retaliate.
— "That traitor didn't offer anything ! And I don't need any lessons, least of all from you !" The Sandaime Hokage defended himself sharply.
— "Once again you're proving to your village that you're not up to your duties Hiruzen," Sakura intervened. "Even without talking to him, your advisor has already understood that we only want one thing ! But you, with your arrogance and smugness, can't even see the hand your enemy is holding out to you !"
— "Is this the hand you are holding out to us ? By blowing up Nobuo within the walls of Konoha ? By smashing the gates of my village to smithereens ? But go ahead ! Since I am so ignorant, tell me what I have failed to understand about your actions against my people !"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not said his last word, he still intended to gain a little time to make sure that all the villagers were put in safety in the shelters built for this purpose. Indeed, the moment Nobuo had imploded, Hiruzen had declared a state of alert and the villagers had to be taken to safety just in case. The Hokage was satisfied that he had at least made that decision, hoping that they wouldn't have to come to blows.
— "I told you before, Ta No Kuni seeks only peace and justice ! For the damage you have done to my people, I demand justice ! And for starters you will not consider the Uchiha as traitors. Do not let me see the bingo book list the entire clan as deserters, or you will know what you are getting from me ! The Uchiha were free to choose to return to their leader and since Madara no longer belongs to this village, he is within his rights to demand that his clan follow him."
— "Tss... let them all get the hell out of here ! If they want to perish under the madness of their leader, that's their business ! The Uchiha are no longer part of Konoha, they will be erased from history !"
This remark caused a great deal of tension among the ranks. The shinobi who remained by Hiruzen's side had positive reactions : they agreed with their Hokage.
On the side of the Uchiha, they were now seeing the true nature of the members of this village towards them ! They had not dreamed, despite the efforts they had made to integrate, the Uchiha realized that they had never really been accepted.
— "If that's what you think, then Konoha has fallen very low !" Sakura added in disappointment at her former Hokage's attitude.
— "I don't care what you think, woman ! You'd better hurry up and tell me what your country wants to negotiate with my village for your shitty justice !"
— "What is the most important thing to you ?" Sakura asked, not picking up on the increasingly insulting tone the Sandaime Hokage was taking.
— "The village," Hiruzen answered immediately as if it were obvious.
— "Well, in that case hand over the scroll of forbidden techniques from your village and I'll consider justice done," Sakura declared, knowing full well that all of Konoha's most powerful techniques had been created by the Nidaime Hokage and had been sealed in that famous scroll.
— "No way ! That's your justice, stealing other people's technology and becoming a powerful country ! What a nice notion of neutrality you have, kid !" Sarutobi insisted, not wanting to let go of this precious scroll.
— "But at least if the scroll is in our possession, you won't be tempted to use those techniques ! Anyway, no Leaf shinobi is capable of using any of these techniques ! Tobirama Senju knew that ! That's why he had it all sealed up. Because somehow, he didn't trust his own shinobi to make good use of it !"
— "Don't talk about what you don't know !"
— "Well, then I will apply the most common justice that exists between nations and force you to watch ! Then you will see how your men perished by my hand," Sakura offered seriously.
— "We will fight if it is war you seek ! You don't scare us with your threats ! You may have wiped out a thousand of my men, but there are many more of us now and I doubt you'll succeed !"
— "Except that we're not going to stand by and do nothing, you little shit of a Hokage !" Ashina interjected, releasing his killing intent. He wished he could avenge his daughter and make this village bite the dust that had cost him everything !
Sakura didn't let the Uzumaki's intervention disturb her and continued.
— "Ah, unless you sacrifice yourself for your village and I'll consider justice done," the pink haired woman stated calmly.
Hiruzen opened his mouth to retort but immediately closed it again. This woman was clever, she had given him a choice, but what was the right one ? In a way, the answer to each of these suggestions was to choose the village. But it was just the interpretation that was different.
Give him the scroll of techniques and the village would be safe, but terribly weakened by the loss of this knowledge and the defection of the three major clans of Konoha.
Then, if he agreed to give him the village it would mean saving it but also losing the authority over it. Hiruzen was not prepared to do nothing, hence his subsequent response. But that would mean a real conflict, and while he had no doubt that all the remaining troops would be relentless, they still had the might of the Uchiha and Uzumaki, now combined with the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi trio.
And finally, did he only have to sacrifice himself to save his village ? Perhaps that was the answer, but the warrior soul inside him refused to let himself be killed without a fight. Oh, unless... no, he would not use the technique of seppuku that the samurai used as a last resort ! Of course, he would be the master of his own destiny, but his instinct for survival and fighting was much stronger.
— "So, what is your choice ?" Sakura asked, seeing that the Hokage was in a state of reflection.
— "None of the above !" Replied some of the shinobi behind Hiruzen. "Come out and fight ! We're waiting for you !"
But the Hokage raised his hand in a sign of halt. He had to contain the anger of his shinobi a little longer before the conflict really broke out between the two sides. He understood that this woman obviously did not want to come to blows. Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally seen what he should have seen instead of being blinded by his stubbornness to see the enemy as such. From the beginning of their conversation, she had never intended to attack the village directly. If she had really wanted to attack and silence them as she had done with his contingent, she wouldn't have taken all this time to argue. No, she had come all the way to Konoha for one purpose : to negotiate peace and justice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also understood that if Madara and Ashina had remained silent and inactive when they themselves could have very well attacked the village head-on, it was because they supported this woman in her quest for justice.
But who was she to succeed in this ?
The Sandaime Hokage then had an idea that could be the most just solution for both sides. They knew it was a risky bet, but he had to do everything for the whole village : from the civilians to the shinobi.
— "And if for your justice I let you welcome all my villagers who wish to join your country ! All those who stay here will do so of their own free will !"
They all looked at the Sandaime Hokage with surprise : had they all heard him correctly ? He was proposing to let all the civilians who wanted to leave in addition to the four clans ? How was the Leaf Village going to get back on its feet without all those people ?
Sakura didn't expect such a proposal but she understood that she had the opportunity to avoid an armed conflict and especially to avoid that innocent people perish unnecessarily. Afterwards, Sakura also knew that she couldn't save everyone and she decided that this solution was the most just in her eyes and for her values.
— "Let it be so ! Let all your civilians who wish to join our country do so of their own free will, without any regret. We shall welcome them as we have all the people we have taken in, and they shall find peace and security within our walls."
Exclamations erupted from the Konoha side, but were quickly interrupted by the Hokage:
— "If you do not agree with me, you are also free to leave the village and join them ! My position as Hokage requires me to think of the greater good and if it is a way to save innocent people, I will do it !"
During the next hour, under the main surveillance of the Uzumaki, the village of Konoha was emptied of a part of its inhabitants. Indeed, it had to be explained to the civilians who had been placed in security that they had the possibility to leave the village for the one that all the rumors were talking about. They did not have time to collect their personal belongings, they had to decide now if they were staying or leaving the village for good.
Once everyone had regrouped on Sakura's side, it was clear that a few shinobi had also made the choice to leave the village under the stunned and incredulous gaze of the others.
— "That's it ! Your justice has been served, now leave my village and leave us in peace, you who never stop asking for it."
While all these people were getting together, Sakura had organized their return to Heiwa by giving some simple instructions. Enchu Nara had also spoken with the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni to explain that the civilians of the Uchiha clans and the three others were already outside the village. In fact, he had talked for a long time with the acting chief so that he would agree to save theirs as well. Thanks to their Genjutsu techniques, all of these families had already been able to escape the walls of Konoha without anyone noticing.
— "You live up to your clan's reputation, Enchu-san !" Sakura enthused, happy to have the intelligence of the Nara back.
— "I'm just analyzing the facts and making the decisions that I think are best for my people."
— "Good ! Get yours and start heading out on the road towards Heiwa."
Throughout this waiting period, the shinobi who had chosen to remain loyal to the Leaf had to restrain themselves from attacking their own companions who decided to leave the village. The tension was palpable, but it was also due to the imposing presence of Madara.
He didn't need to show his killing intent to scare those in front of him, his legend was enough. Sakura positioned herself next to her husband, who hadn't moved an inch.
— "We're ready to go," she said simply.
The man nodded, but he didn't respond or move to follow her. Sakura understood that he wasn't done with Konoha, she knew him well enough to know that he'd been very patient since they'd gotten here.
— "Madara ?" His wife asked when she saw him not coming.
Then after a few seconds he turned back to Sakura.
— "Go ahead Sakura, I have one more thing to do here."
— "Madara...," she tried even though she knew very well what was coming next.
— "Sakura, do you remember our conversation about peace and what men like me should do ?" Madara called back in a whisper to keep everyone from overhearing.
The pink haired Kunoichi nodded, she couldn't stop her husband from doing what he was about to do. She was grateful that she could save as many people as possible, but that was just the way life was. Life was a bitch and even Sakura, no matter how much she wanted to, couldn't stop the men from fighting if that was their fate.
— "Be careful...," Sakura said simply before turning back, "Ashina-san, come and call off your men... we're leaving."
Ashina glanced at Madara and he understood. What he had to do, he had to do alone. The Uzukage called out to his men and they all left Konoha Village.
Once he was sure they were all leaving the Leaf Village, Madara turned back to Hiruzen and his men once more.
— "The Daimyô of Ta No Kuni has obtained justice... but you see there is still a problem ! You owe me," Madara said, letting his killing intent burst forth.
— "I owe you nothing !" The Sandaime Hokage retorted.
— "On the contrary ! The Daimyô told you, you attacked the wrong person ! And for daring to order the murder of my wife Sakura Uchiha, Daimyô of Ta No Kuni ! I sentence you and your village... to death !" Madara announced before bringing both hands together in the sign of the ram before a tremendous amount of chakra gathered around him.
A titanic gust emanated from his person, preventing anyone from approaching him. All could see with wonder and terror one of the techniques of the legendary Uchiha patriarch.
— "Susano !" Madara uttered after activating the third technique of his Sharingan, the tomoe of which was spinning at high speed.
Gradually the chakra around the man materialized into a royal blue until it formed a skeleton that enveloped him completely. The form grew until it reached a height of about ten meters. However, Madara did not invoke the full form of his technique as he did not need to use that much chakra for what he intended to do. The Susano remained in the form of an incomplete skeleton, only the rib cage was formed. But even so, it guaranteed impenetrable protection for its user.
— "Attack him !" Hiruzen ordered, and everyone threw Ninjutsu techniques at the huge living source of chakra.
No one wanted to go head to head with this thing, and it ignored the onslaught of techniques on its person. It didn't even affect him and Madara's Susano also put both hands in the sign of the ram.
Madara was unforgiving ! He almost never gave second chances ! And today he was going to make the world understand what happens when you dare to attack his clan ! To his family ! To his wife ! He was going to win a battle today, but also all future ones by eradicating any potential threat.
Suddenly, Madara's hair began to twirl in all directions as the amount of chakra used became gargantuan. He was using one of his ultimate Rinnegan abilities !
As everyone tried to stop Madara's Susano, the sun began to disappear as the seconds passed before it was almost dark. Many people looked up to the sky and what they saw made their eyes widen.
— "What..."
— "It can't be..."
It was impossible not to feel the mass of chakra coming from the village. Sakura, as well as the many shinobi present, turned towards the village they had left. They were stunned to see a sphere in the sky. The Kunoichi recognized the technique, how could she not recognize it since it was the same thing that had been used in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. She remembered all too well the meteor that the Madara of her future had thrown at the Shinobi Alliance.
The only difference now was that the sphere was much smaller : probably so that only the Leaf Village was targeted.
As everyone looked at the mass of stone, Madara Uchiha propelled himself away from the village while deactivating the Susano and shouting to the remaining members of Konoha No Sato
— "Konoha and its people are dying today ! Be the example of what happens when Heiwa is attacked !"
The meteor was approaching at full speed. Nothing could stop it, no shinobi powerful enough were present at the moment to do anything to avoid the impact. The air vibrated more and more as the sphere was drawn inexorably towards the ground. It was too late to flee, even if some tried in vain to escape this fateful fate.
Then the impact came in a terrible collision that shook the ground and the blast swept through the entire village. Everything was a pile of rubble and stones. Not a soul had survived. In a fraction of a second, Konoha No Sato had been wiped off the map. All that remained of the village was a smoking, dusty crater.
All those who had chosen to leave the village witnessed the destruction from afar. They felt the vibrations of the ground as it hit, and the sound that accompanied the falling sphere left no doubt.
Konoha had been annihilated.
They all had the same thought. They had escaped death and they had no regrets about the choice they had deliberately made : peace.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Neadeath
Neadeath Seven more chapters and you'll have the answers to all the questions you have and even the ones you don't.
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