Chapter 44: Repercussions !
Sakura was still standing straight, torso bent forward, fists clenched as she watched the Konoha Jônin scurry away like a frightened rabbit. Her breathing was rapid, her heartbeat pounding in her ribcage with force as the effort she had just made was superhuman if not inhuman. The adrenaline was still working, but gradually the surrounding silence began to take over her senses.
All around her lay a heap of bloody, shredded, deformed and mutilated corpses. The breath of death stretched across the valley, where not a single soul had survived its outburst of hatred.
Only the ten or so Uchiha were still standing there, silent.
They were watching the reactions of this woman he did not know. Who could she possibly be ? Why had their leader let her act like that ? What should they do now ? Wouldn't they risk the wrath of this unknown warrior if they ventured to make the slightest move ?
Without a word, they decided by mutual agreement to wait for someone to take an interest in them. It was best to wait and see what would happen after this carnage.
Sakura finally took her eyes off the forest where the Konoha ninja had finally disappeared and scanned the landscape before her. Hundreds dead, smoke here and there... the result of her hatred being poured out...
Her breathing was beginning to slow down as was her heartbeat. She breathed in deeply before exhaling slowly, allowing her body to begin its decompression phase. The surge of chakra was subsiding to a normal state. The Fûinjutsu seals on her body gradually retracted until they disappeared from her skin. Her hair stopped twirling and returned to its usual style.
The adrenaline was gradually fading and giving way to something else. Sakura was still in pain, the massive execution hadn't eased her suffering at all. On the contrary, it felt just as bad if not worse than when she first arrived in the Sengoku era.
Paying attention, Sakura realized that the wound that had formed in her when she went back in time had just opened up again. Oh yes ! How much it had hurt to realize that everyone from her past had to die for her to go back and change the course of history !
And now that she had managed to start a new life, that all her past sacrifices were beginning to pay off... here she was again being carved up ! The first person who had taken her in, the first person who had helped her through it all, the first person who had become her friend had simply been murdered.
Sakura wondered how peace could be achieved if she had to endure so much pain ?
So much sacrifice ?
So much hatred ?
Sakura felt despair overtake her reason and her shoulders slowly slumped. Her body began to tremble, imperceptibly at first, until real spasms ran through her body. She could no longer control the reactions of her being. Tears gradually blurred her vision, at first silent sobs before becoming louder and louder.
Madara, who had been standing behind his wife, chose this moment to come closer and gently place a hand on her shoulder. The young woman flinched at the touch as she had forgotten she was not alone, but she recognized Madara's chakra.
Madara... Sakura clung to the thought, Madara, her husband was there.
He was there for her and for Nozumi, their daughter. They were the only ones left to help her continue her peace project. If they hadn't been a part of her new life, the young woman came to the quick conclusion that she would surely have preferred to stay in her own time and perish in the Fifth Great Shinobi War that was looming as she left.
Then she turned sharply towards him. And in the despair and grief that beset her, she grabbed her husband's kimono and brutally buried her head against his chest. Nothing mattered now, nothing except finally being able to let out her pain. In this position she clung to the last thing she had left and so she began to cry and scream her pain without embarrassment.
Madara was not used to this kind of situation.
He had learned to control his emotions since he was a child and he had never allowed himself to cry in front of others, even when his brothers had died. But since meeting Sakura, he had realized that even if a ninja had to control his feelings and emotions, he was still a human being. And as such, emotions could not be contained all the time and had to be expressed fully. This would release all the tension that holding them in would cause on the mind. Sakura had to let the overflow of emotions out of her being in order to move forward.
The Uchiha knew this, and for the first time in shinobi history, he did something that no one would have ever thought he would do. The man raised his arms and tightened them around the still sobbing young woman. The movements had been gentle and slow, filled with the compassion she so desperately needed. He exerted this gentle pressure of his limbs so that his wife felt enveloped by him and he slowly stroked her back and hair.
Nevertheless, although this was a completely new situation, the brunet looked around at the members of his clan who were watching their leader's behaviour with surprise. There was no need for any translation in the expression of his eyes that seemed to say : no comment !
And no Uchiha present would have dared to say anything about their leader's attitudes when he seemed to have miraculously returned from the dead. The members were all too happy inside to be able to reform the clan with a worthy leader at its head.
Sakura's sobs were slowly subsiding, the tension had subsided and she was regaining control of her own emotions.
— "Gomen," Sakura whispered between sobs.
— "Don't ever apologize to me Sakura," Madara whispered back, remembering his mother's words : * Never apologize to me ! *
— "Why did Konoha do this ?" She asked in sincere disbelief at such a move by her former village.
The man thought for a very brief moment, for he did not want to accentuate his wife's current malaise with his words. But he had to remind her of certain truths that would probably not be the ones she wanted to hear.
— "I warned you when you told me about your vision of peace that the world would not let you do it. You know as well as I do how it works : what does one country do against another that becomes troublesome ? It breaks it from within !" Madara explained, still hugging his wife.
Sakura closed her eyes a little tighter against her husband's chest. She remembered that he didn't particularly agree with her utopian vision of peace. But he had followed her anyway. They had made it this far and they had succeeded, very well indeed. Their peace had become a reality.
Sakura shivered once more in her husband's arms. Oh how she blamed herself for not being able to prevent this.
— "It's my fault," Sakura mourned, thinking of Hitomi.
Madara understood that she could feel guilty, but he couldn't let her go down that road of guilt.
— "No Sakura, it's not your fault," Madara retorted as he pulled his wife out of his arms and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were slightly reddened and her face was covered in dust and blood. "Despite your friend's death, her sacrifice will not be in vain... for with this act, Konoha has just given us a valid reason to let the world know what happens when we attack Ta No Kuni."
The Uchiha had found the words to reassure her and keep her from sinking further into pain.
— "Arigato," Sakura whispered.
— "Believe me, Konoha will pay and no one will dare attack our home again," Madara reassured her, "you should go and visit your friend and then we'll go home and give her and her family a proper burial... I have to talk to my clan members."
Sakura nodded weakly before giving the Uchiha member a hard, cold look. By this, she wanted them to understand that even though she had gone and looked fragile for a short while, she was still a formidable Kunoichi if they ventured to try anything. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to make some of the Uchiha swallow.
Then she walked over to Hitomi's body on the ground. She knelt down in front of her friend's lifeless body and slowly caressed her face. A few more tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks, the grief was still there.
Her heart bled profusely at having lost this woman, her surrogate mother and first friend, under such circumstances.
— "I'm sorry, Hitomi," she murmured softly before silently standing over the body.
For his part, Madara walked over to the members of his clan who turned their attention to their leader.
— "Madara-sama !" Several of the brown men said at once, but they were all interrupted by Madara's hand rising to his feet.
— "I don't want to hear it !" The Heikage ordered, raising his voice slightly.
This had the desired effect as they all fell silent instantly, they didn't want to suffer the fury of their leader. Especially since he probably still hadn't forgiven them for their past actions.
— "You will return to Konoha No Sato and warn the clan of my return and prepare them for what is to come. I am giving my clan one last chance to redeem themselves by joining me, those who decline will suffer the same fate as Konoha !" Madara explained as Sakura was kissing Hitomi's forehead.
— "Madara-sama," one of the Uchiha tried.
— "What ?"
— "Who is this woman ?"
— "She's your Matriarch !" Madara unveiled and everyone understood that she was their superior as she was the wife of this man. Having seen what she was capable of, it was no surprise that their leader had made her his wife.
The group of men took in the information and heeded their leader's orders. If this woman had been able to take out so many accomplished warriors in one attack, they were not going to give a damn if she was going to attack Konoha. And it was obviously the same fate that awaited the hidden village of the Leaf.
So they didn't linger any longer and took the same route back as their former commander. They had to find the other Uchiha quickly and warn them to join Madara's ranks.
As the Konoha shinobi left the area, Madara looked up at the cliff they had come from. There he saw Ashina at the head of a contingent of their army looking on in horror at the grisly sight below.
The Uchiha gave the Uzumaki a discreet wave to join him.
— "Konoha," the dark-haired man simply said at the Uzukage's silent question, stroking his moustache at this revelation as he looked at Sakura who was still kneeling before Hitomi's remains.
Ashina looked more closely at the state of the bodies around him and he really wondered how such a butchery could have taken place when only Madara and Sakura were present.
— "What techniques did you use to wipe out all those men ?" He finally asked, remembering exactly what fate Uzushio had suffered from the Uchiha's destructive technique.
— "I only finished the job and prevented them from running away like the traitors they are. The rest is Sakura's work," the dark-haired man replied with unconcealed pride.
— "I see," Ashina added in amazement at this confidence.
The Uzumaki suspected that the young woman was surely a formidable warrior, but he never imagined that she could accomplish so much damage on her own. He even regretted not having been present at the battle.
— "Tell the men to take care of the bodies. We will bury our dead at home in the city. The others, burn them," Madara said as Sakura came to meet them. "And once that's settled, convene the war council, Konoha must be punished for daring to attack us without just cause. First the assassination attempt on the Daimyô, then this attack only proves one thing : Konoha is looking for war, and this is the war they will get."
Ashina and Sakura nodded silently and then the orders were given. All the bodies, or rather what was left of them at times, were piled into a pit dug with Ninjutsu. The bodies of the villagers were treated with much more respect and taken to the city where they would be buried with dignity. Sakura helped gather the bodies and finally found and reunited Hitomi's husband and son. It was a small consolation to the young woman that the family could be buried together.
Day 772
The ten members of the Uchiha clan had managed to return to Konoha without arousing suspicion and they passed through the security checks at the entrance to the village without any problems. After all, the entry and exit registers were rarely consulted and the ninja in charge of the registers could not know what missions were given to those leaving the village. They did know, however, that they should not be detected by their Hokage. They immediately returned to the Uchiha estate to find their interim leader since Madara was still alive. They had to reveal what they had seen and done on this mission.
— "What are you saying ?" The man who had been acting as leader since Madara's death asked incredulously.
— "Madara is alive ! We fought with him, and he's about to attack Konoha !"
— "So Kagami was right," the leader said in a low voice before looking at the ten men in front of him. "What did he ask of us ?"
— "To do the right thing this time !" The shinobi replied in unison as they returned from their mission.
— "I see," replied the leader, who was thinking hard about what to do now that Kagami's assumptions from months ago had proven to be correct. "Keep a low profile ! Clan Council, tonight at the usual time and place, spread the word to everyone !"
— "Hai !"
Everyone dispersed and went to inform the whole clan of the night meeting. When evening came, the agitation was palpable in the meeting room. What could the chief have had to announce that they had all been summoned in such a hurry ?
— "Why are we all being called together tonight ?"Aasked one of the members with his arms crossed. "What else does Kagami have to say ?"
The man who was also present ignored the remark, in fact he was surprised that he had even been invited to this meeting.
— "Kagami has nothing to do with my request tonight," the chief retorted, giving the man who had spoken a dark look. "At least not directly... to get to the point : Madara is alive and about to attack Konoha."
The announcement had been made.
It took a few seconds for everyone to absorb the information. Then the hubbub became so loud that the leader had to call for silence.
— "I am positive that Madara, our leader who was declared dead, is alive and well. He is the Kage of this town that everyone in Ta No Kuni is talking about and he is about to attack Konoha !"
— "But why ? We didn't do anything !" Several people protested.
— "Unfortunately we did ! Some of our men have been sent to loot Ta No Kuni and presumably Hiruzen Sarutobi even ordered the assassination of their Daimyô ! It was on the battlefield that they saw Madara."
— "No way ! The contingent has not returned !"
— "They're not coming back !" Announced one of the shinobi who was present during the attack. Everyone is dead.
This announcement immediately sent a chill through the room before anyone dared to ask what everyone was formulating in their heads.
— "Did Madara kill them all ?"
— "No... his wife did," answered another in a deep voice. "We owe our salvation because we made the choice to fight against our own comrades. Madara made us understand that we had to make the right choice."
— "And when did you return ? Did no one ask you any questions ?"
— "Do you honestly think they have time to check who is coming in and out of Konoha ? Since the last war, the checks are just to quantify the civilians who decide to leave the village. But we still stay hidden ! Our matriarch left Commander Nobuo alive. It's strange that he hasn't returned yet."
— "Who is she ?" Asked one of the older men in the assembly.
— "She is the pink-haired woman we were talking about during the war. She is a powerful warrior and a more than accomplished shinobi ! She has a phenomenal strength, capable of ravaging the landscape for hundreds of meters ! A woman... I would say that our clan leader has finally found a woman who is worthy of him."
— "Show me ! Demanded one of the older Uchiha in the assembly. "How can a woman show such strength as you say ? I want to see for myself and get an idea of what she is capable of !"
It was not insignificant what the ancestor demanded : it was rare for the Uchiha to use their own pupil techniques on themselves, apart from the Izanagi or the Inazami. So when one of them volunteered to be immersed in a Genjutsu of his own free will it meant that the applicant had perfect control of his own ability to resist the effects of the technique.
— "Don't be afraid little one ! I have seen many horrors since I was old enough to throw a kunai ! I will not be frightened by a woman, and I will not be frightened by your memories !"
The shinobi stepped forward and activated his pupils as the old man willingly looked into them, and he was not disappointed by what he found. Indeed, this woman was formidable and it was not really necessary to confront her in hand-to-hand combat... or even at mid-distance with her weapons. He lived through most of the carnage Sakura had wrought on Konoha's troops as he had access to Madara's memory of whispering the instruction to do the right thing.
When the old Uchiha interrupted the technique, he closed his eyes for a moment to calm his own heartbeat. Yes, their revered leader was alive and well ! Yes, he had a ruthless wife like he had never seen before. And yes, they had a choice to make and the right one would be the best !
— "What was it ?" Several people asked as they waited for the old Uchiha's report.
— "It pisses me off royally to say this... but even we would be ineffective against this woman..."
This sentence from one of the oldest and most seasoned Uchiha of the clan had the merit of making the eyes of many people in the room widen. They knew that the pink-haired woman from the last war seemed powerful, but not to this extent. Hardly anyone could claim to be superior to the Uchiha clan.
— "So what are we going to do ?"
— "I see only one thing to do : we doubted the first time ! Madara is still alive ! He's giving us the opportunity to redeem ourselves... are we going to miss out ? Why should we remain loyal to this village that despises us ?" Explained the ancestor.
— "Because the village is our home ?" Intervened someone in the assembly.
— "Once upon a time I would have answered something like that myself," Kagami said quietly, "but is Konoha still able to ensure our safety ? You all know that I am very close to the Hokage's decisions and I can tell you that the more time passes, the more I think that the Will of Fire may have disappeared or even that it only serves the interests of the few instead of the many."
— "What do you mean Kagami ?"
— "Too many things are going on in the shadows and few seem to be really carrying the interests and especially the values of the village. And yet, I love Konoha, much more than the interests of my clan. But, indeed, if Madara has a life to offer that is more in line with the values I seek, then yes ! Yes, I will follow him without hesitation !"
Murmurs rose among the clan members. If Kagami himself was so sure of himself, why should they hesitate ? There was only one thing to do : join and follow their revered leader.
So their choice was made !
But while the Uchiha unanimously decided to desert Konoha as soon as the opportunity presented itself, bitter discussions were taking place among the larger clans of Konoha.
The Nara were gathered with the Yamanaka and the Akimichi as was their custom given their strong bonds of friendship.
— "You can't be serious ? Since when did Konoha decide to attack a neutral country for no reason ?" Asked a man with long blonde hair.
— "I didn't want to believe it ! But I'm positive, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned a mission of SS rank : the assassination of a Daimyô !" Replied a dark-haired member of the Nara clan.
— "And do you know if it was accomplished ?" Asked another with an imposing build who belonged to the Akimichi clan.
— "I don't know... but why then did he send a squadron of a thousand men to the lands of Ta No Kuni ? Surely it's not for trade !" Analyzed the Nara. "I've been wondering for a while..."
— "About what, my friend ?" The Akimichi asked.
— "Is Konoha still capable of meeting our expectations ?"
— "You're not actually considering us leaving ? Konoha is our village, our home, our families are settled, our traditions... and...," the Yamanaka snapped before being cut off.
— "I know all that, and you know very well that I never speak without thinking first ! The Sarutobi have always had our trust but... but I can't help but think about the last war, about all the talk in the village. You know as well as I do that some civilians from our respective clans are tempted to leave the village. It is our responsibility as clan leaders to ensure their safety too."
— "To hear you tell it, one would think you were putting your personal interests ahead of those of the entire village," the blond man remarked.
The Nara thought for a moment about what his friend had said, but it didn't last long, he had already had all these thoughts within himself.
— "Sometimes you have to be selfish. Especially when our own interests, as you say, will guarantee the safety of our own. I assure you my friends, I don't know how Ta No Kuni will react to Konoha's attack on them, but if Hiruzen decides to gradually attack our neighbours... what risks does the village face when we come across an opponent who knows and can defend himself ?"
This obvious fact made the other two think for a long time until the Akimichi spoke up.
— "You have always given good advice my friend. We will follow you in whatever you decide, for the good of all of us."
The Yamanaka had nothing more to add since he thought the same.
On the Inuzuka and Aburame side, discussions were also going well as they were all asking the same questions : why was their village having so much trouble getting out of the crisis of the last war ? Why did certain missions take place without any rational explanation ? But despite this, the respective leaders of these two clans came to the conclusion that their place was in Konoha and that in no way would they leave their village for another.
This precarious situation would not last and they would all know how to restore the hidden village of the Leaf to its pre-war power with the Will of Fire. In any case, the Aburame could not leave the forests of Konoha on a whim since all their insect techniques were based on the very existence of the environmental conditions of the village.
Among the Hyûga, the reflection was just as intense, but opinions were not clear-cut. They were the oldest clan allied with the Senju in the origins of Konoha and they were loyal to their allegiance. What worried them most was the prolonged absence of one of the members of the main branch : Nao Hyuga.
He had not returned from his last mission and even if no one knew what it was, it was still worrying. Indeed, as a member of the Soke, Nao had to be protected. Of course, he had the cursed seal affixed to him, protecting his Byakugan, but his absence for such a long time could only cause concern since he was known for his low chakra capacity.
Of course, no one from the Hyûga clan could prevent him from dying on a mission, but they hoped that if such a situation arose, that they could give him a funeral worthy of his rank.
Day 780
It normally took less than a day to cover the distance between the border of Ta No Kuni and Konoha No Sato. But Nobuo, commander of the Konoha army and sole survivor of the massacre, had been running towards his village for ten days now. Running was a big word, because even though for the first few hours he had been running as fast as his legs would allow, he soon realized that he was becoming unnaturally tired.
He first put this down to the aftermath of the shock he had just suffered, he had seen his entire contingent decimated by this woman. All because he had had a female prisoner executed, all his men were dead. How could a woman hold so much strength and chakra ? Could she be a Jinchûriki ?
Nobuo shuddered as he thought back to the attack they had endured. He remembered the cold, hard, hateful look in her eyes. Her deadly movements towards his men and her barbaric actions ! The memory of his comrade having his heart ripped out made him gag, forcing him to stop.
He was out of breath, his legs were shaking and so was his whole body. He felt as if all of his chakra had been sucked out of him because he couldn't even knead it properly anymore. He knew he should have hid in a tree to rest, but it was impossible for him to climb it. He let himself fall back against a tree and when he looked down at his chest he saw the seal on his skin. He remembered what the woman had said to him : "You only have a few days to live."
He was suddenly afraid, he must not hang around here ! He had to go back to the village ! He had to report back ! So he tried to get up but his strength had left him.
Nobuo realized that he had to rest and that the sooner he recovered, the sooner he would be able to get back on his feet. He fell asleep more quickly than he had expected. But when he regained consciousness several hours later, he was only able to get going again for a short time, his strength deserting him just as quickly.
And so it was by alternating long phases of rest and short strides that Nobuo finally saw the gates of Konoha village. He struggled against his fatigue to walk the last few meters. Ten days, it had taken him ten long full days to reach his destination.
He was still alive, but for how much longer ? Was it a bluff ? He didn't want to take any chances. He had to see the Hokage, inform him of Madara's return... of this woman...of...
However, Nobuo was so focused on what he had to do that he forgot about the paperwork as he passed through the village gates under the stunned gaze of the ninja security guards.
He didn't make it twenty meters into the village before he got a violent kick in the stomach, propelling him in the other direction. He had not been prepared for such an attack, nor for such force that he landed with a crash on the roof of a building, holding his stomach. Why had he just been attacked in his own village ?
He struggled to his feet and saw that he was surrounded by shinobi ready to fight : Anbu.
— "Who are you ?"
— "I must speak to Hokage-sama !" Nobuo replied in a hurry.
He didn't have time for these formalities. He had to find the Hokage quickly, warn him that Konoha was in danger, and above all, he wanted to find someone who could cancel the seal he had on his chest. His life depended on it and now that he had arrived at his destination, he felt the sense of urgency hovering over him even more intensely.
— "Decline your identity !" Ordered the Anbu, ignoring the Jônin's request.
— "Nobuo, commander of the contingent sent to invade Ta No Kuni," said the man concerned, getting to his feet. At the same time, he revealed his torso, on which a Fûinjutsu seal glowed faintly.
— "Where are your men ? Why are you back already ?"
— "There's no time for this bullshit ! I absolutely must speak to Hokage-sama !" He exclaimed, urged by the urgency of the situation.
The questioning Anbu looked at him in silence, frowning. For a commander to return alone, without his ninja outfit, could only mean one thing : the mission had not gone as planned. He motioned to the others to withdraw and return to their observation posts. Nobuo realized that they were letting him pass without asking any more questions, and as he stepped off the roof to walk back to his post because he didn't have the strength to jump with his chakra, he was stopped by the person he was looking for.
— "Nobuo ?! What are you doing here ?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked surprised to find his commander here.
Now that he was facing his Hokage, the Jônin felt as if he was tired again. His thoughts were muddled again.
— "Nobuo !" The Hokage repeated, seeing that the man seemed totally lost. "Where are your men ? What about the mission ?"
The man struggled to focus his thoughts, he was at his wits end again. Sleep was gaining on him but he was fighting it. He could feel his chakra being sucked away by the seal but he had to deliver the message he had.
— "Dead... all dead... I... I'm the only one... they... you didn't have the right information ! They... they fought back... they... they..."
— "What do you mean, they defended themselves ? Who did ?" Hiruzen was concerned to learn that a thousand of his men had perished on this mission. How could that be possible ? Ta No Kuni had no armed force, at least not enough to stand up to soldiers, let alone trained shinobi.
— "Madara...," he said confused as it was the first person that came to mind.
— "What about Madara ?"
— "He... he's... he's alive..."
— "Is he the one who attacked you ?" The Hokage questioned, worried that this individual might have come back from the dead and was responsible for the loss of his men.
— "No !" He almost shouted as his brain brought back images of the carnage that had taken place until he remembered her.
Hiruzen was hanging on his commander's every word. Why was he so upset ? What was happening to him ? He was a seasoned Jônin !
— "It's her... she has... She decimated the entire squadron ! All of them... alone !"
— "Who did ? What woman ? Speak up, Nobuo !" Hiruzen Sarutobi was exasperated by these discontinuous words bordering on incoherence and he wondered if his Jônin had gone mad.
Nobuo looked wide-eyed at the Hokage, his facial expression perfectly describing the gruesome memory of the fight that had taken place.
— "The Daimyô of Ta No Kuni," he said in an almost otherworldly voice.
— "I beg your pardon ? But... but Nao never mentioned a woman."
— "She... she killed them all !" The commander said in a burst of lucidity. "It's her... the woman with pink hair ! And she instructed me to tell you this : they are coming to attack Konoha !"
— "When did they tell you that ?" Hiruzen worried about such a declaration of war.
— "Ten days ago..." he admitted, looking down at his chest.
Ever since he'd faced his military leader, Nobuo had had an unpleasant sensation, the seal seemed to sting and even itch.
— "TEN DAYS !" The Hokage exclaimed loudly. "And you're only back now !"
How could a commander of his ilk have taken so long to come and warn him. However, his gaze shifted to the torso of his Jônin and Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the Fûinjutsu well. On closer inspection, he immediately recognized it as Fûinjutsu.
There was no doubt that their enemies had placed a seal on the Jônin. But for what reason ? What secret did it hold ? He moved his fingers forward to try and decipher the formula, but no sooner had he begun reading than Hiruzen jumped back, quickly joined by some of the Anbu who had continued to observe discreetly. He quickly scanned the area to see if there were many people around and seemed to give orders to the Anbu who immediately disappeared.
Nobuo didn't understand his Hokage's attitude.
What was going on that made him back away so much ? He was about to ask, but the tingling sensation on his skin intensified. Why was he suddenly hot ? A faint smell of burning flesh suddenly reached his nostrils and it surprised him. After all, it was still early for the village shops to start preparing food.
Then the pain awakened his senses, it was no longer tingling or itching that the seal caused him. No, the inscription was literally burning his flesh, and when he realised it, he felt panic come over him.
Was this his end ?
His heartbeat quickened and the pain increased another notch. The seal began to glow reddish as if on an explosive scroll.
— "Explosive ?"
When Nobuo realised what was going to happen to him, he panicked even more ! He didn't want to end up like this ! Someone had to be able to save him ! He met the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi who was helpless in the face of what he was going through. The Hokage understood what was awaiting his Jônin. But as the head of the village, he had to ensure the immediate safety of his villagers. He had ordered the Anbu to evacuate the few civilians present at the village entrance. He didn't know how much damage there would be, but he had to protect the population that had already been weakened by the last war.
He nodded negatively at Nobuo to let him know that he was finished and that no one could come to his aid. The Jônin was now writhing in pain as it burned his insides. His surface skin was inflamed and he could have sworn he could hear his body crackling. Then suddenly he let out a terrible howl that mixed with the deafening sound of his body exploding.
The seal Sakura had placed on him had turned him into a human bomb. The blast reverberated with violence over a radius of more than thirty meters. The windows of the surrounding houses exploded and some of the nearby walls cracked under the blast. Hiruzen Sarutobi also had just enough time to jump up to avoid being hit by the explosion himself.
With this sneak attack, Ta No Kuni had declared war on Konoha.
Once it was verified that no one had been hurt, the Hokage decided to seal off the village. No one was allowed to enter or leave and the village was placed on high alert. If Nobuo was right, Konoha would have to prepare itself to face not only Uchiha Madara, the shinobi god who had most likely risen from the dead, and the famous pink-haired warrior.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no time to properly prepare his troops, let alone establish any kind of strategy in view of the urgency. He ordered all the clan leaders to come to him. He had to make sure everyone had allegiance to the village, especially the Uchiha clan ! What would the members do if they learned that Madara was alive ? Would they also become enemies of Konoha ? Or would they remember that they were an integral part of the village ?
Not even an hour had passed since Nobuo's explosion when the doors of the village were suddenly burst open with a loud crash.
From the entrance came a great deal of smoke and dust. The ninja of the village reacted in quick succession and all gathered at the entrance around their Hokage and stood ready to face the threat that had just arisen. They all stared towards the doors, waiting for the smoke and dust to clear.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Neadeath
Neadeath The cycle of hate... Every time I watch the Naruto anime I can't help but think of Pain. An eternal cycle...
Thank you again for your support and feedback on the previous chapter, I really appreciated it.
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