A/N: I hope everyone out there is doing well. Even though I've been fortunate enough to keep working, and stuck at home more than ever, it feels like everyday is so hectic. It's been difficult to write and I'm sorry so much time has passed since my last update again. Hope you all stay healthy and continue to protect yourself as well as others during this time.

This chapter is pretty hefty, and we wrap up part 1 of the chunin exams. I was hoping to get here a little faster, but nearly a 100k words later, here we are. I was wondering how everyone felt about the chapter distribution between past snippets and present content? It's about half and half now, but if you would like to see more of one over the other, let me know! I've been considering writing a few one-shots spin offs, maybe with some pairings based on this universe, but that'll be AU from this story. As always, thank you for your support and all your wonderful reviews, as well as those who write me constructive criticism and help me grow.

I hope this brings a smile to your face.

El

Chapter 7

.

Sakura scrutinized the messy graph of events with narrowed eyes, taking a moment to consider all her options before making a final decision.

"Here."

"Too early," Obito and Itachi said at once.

"What— why?" She spun around to face them, confused."The faster I can get rid of Danzō, the better, isn't it? This month is the most stable, with no domestic or international affairs Konoha has to deal with in conjunction with his death."

Itachi gently tapped on the row above where she currently pointed to. "True, but Danzō has yet to show public interest in the Uchiha clan matters. To kill him early could possibly spurn the Sandaime into taking similar measures later."

"But the next year is when you join Anbu," she pointed out, frowning. "You'll be forced to work with Root again."

"Which is fine, Sakura," he said reassuringly. "Some things don't have to be prevented."

"I agree," Obito nodded, crossing his arms. "To be honest I think the best time to kill Danzō would be right before the original massacre. The Sandaime will be too busy with clan matters, and his focus will be stretched thin. What do you think, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "Six months before is reasonable too, since that was the time Danzō sent me to assassinate the Sandaime."

"What?" Sakura shrieked in shock, turning to gape at him. "Seriously?"

"Much like Itachi, I was also a turncoat in Root," he said casually, writing 'attempted Hokage assasination by Danzō' under the affromented year on the chart. "Sarutobi might have eventually forgiven him, but an untimely death right after discovering his betrayal… maybe he'll let it slide."

"He might, he might not," Jiraiya cut in. "Sensei let a lot of things slide over the years after Minato's death, but he was stubbornly naive when it came to Danzō, much like he was with Orochimaru. It's not your safest bet."

Sakura massaged her temples with chakra-coated fingers, trying to stave off the impending headache. "Kami, why is killing one man so complicated?"

"Because that one man had his nasty hands in every possible political scheme you could think of," Jiraiya said with a grimace. "And regardless of the changes, we want to keep the timeline as intact as possible so you can navigate what's to come."

"I understand," she huffed softly, dropping her hand.

"I still think waiting will work in your favor," Obito said. "Danzō might have been the linchpin, but the root of the coup started within the clan."

Sakura felt her stomach curl with dread. "You mean the revolt could still happen even if I successfully kill Danzō?"

"It won't develop as quickly, and might not pan out the same way as before, but something will break," Obito said simply. "Danzō was just an external factor that manipulated the clan to fit his needs. Maybe the Sandaime could placate the Uchiha with time, but the seed of distrust had been in place long before I released the Kyūbi on Konoha."

"Then how do I fix it?" she asked breathlessly, feeling hopeless.

The underground cavern settled into a thick silence as no one spoke, and Sakura looked back at the four shinobi before her, unable to believe that a viable solution couldn't be found.

"You need to save one person."

All eyes turned to see Itachi break the silence, his expression solemn but firm.

"I've always thought about how the massacre could have gone differently," he continued, a haze of sadness passing through his eyes. "And I believe there's only one person that can save the Uchiha, regardless if you are successful in killing Danzō or not. If you can save him, the entire course of history will change."

A shiver ran down Sakura's spine as she felt his words take hold. "Who?"

"Uchiha Shisui."

.

.

Shisui sneezed painfully into the thin hospital sheets, grunting as the movement jostled his broken ribs. The medic-nin had offered him painkillers earlier, but he had refused them in a moment of paranoia.

What if he was attacked again and couldn't move? Danzō had caught him off guard, but he'd be damned if he let it happen a second time.

"It's never too late to ask for morphine," Itachi commented, handing him a tissue.

Shisui blew his nose, clutching his sore chest with one hand. "Shut up, 'tachi. Are you here to give me the report or not?"

Sighing, the younger Uchiha pulled out a thin file, and lowered it onto Shisui's lap. "That's all they found. Danzō's body is still missing and Root has scattered."

Flipping through the folder of sparse pages, he stopped at the full body drawing, done based on the information he had reported to the Hokage two days ago. It gave away absolutely nothing useful except for the mysterious Anbu's small build and his blank white mask.

"Hokage-sama is suspecting human puppetry?" He asked, reading through the additional notes on the side. "Or an Edo Tensei corpse?

"That's the best explanation we have for now," Itachi nodded. "Konoha has no operatives with that stature or skill, and it would explain how they were so efficiently reverse-summoned. There must be someone on the outside controlling that Anbu through kinjutsu."

"It wasn't summoning," Shisui said quietly. recalling the memory of their meeting with perfect clarity. "The way he vanished… it was almost exactly like that man."

Both Uchiha looked at each other as silence settled in the hospital room, and Shisui saw understanding dawn in Itachi's eyes.

Three months ago, a masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara had approached them just outside of the compound, completely bypassing Konoha's defenses without detection. While Shisui could logically claim that there was no way their founding ancestor was still alive after all these years, the distinct pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't be denied.

Without a doubt, Shisui knew that this was the man who released the Kyūbi on Konoha eight years ago, killing the Yondaime in the process.

Ultimately, the masked man left them with a warning of the impending Uchiha coup and an offer to start anew, before he disappeared into the swirl of his sharingan— a space-time ninjutsu unlike anything Shisui had seen before.

"So whether that man is the true mastermind... we can't put it outside the realm of possibility," Itachi said softly.

Shisui clenched his fists. "Then why did he save me?"

A show of power? Refusal to let the sharingan fall into Danzō's hands? To gain his trust?

"We'll see," Itachi murmured. "Kakashi-taichō and a few other teams were sent out to scout. I'm sure they'll find something."

They were empty words, as Itachi and Shisui both knew there would be nothing left behind in the face of such high level Sharingan techniques. And as the one to witness both in action, he understood that they would never be found unless it was by their own terms.

"What about the lab?" he asked, gesturing to his right eye, "Were they able to trace the foreign chakra signature in my system?"

Itachi shook his head. "Healing chakra has no identity traces."

He sighed in defeat.

To Shisui's earlier embarrassment, the medic he had first seen was unable to properly deduce the state of his field transplant, stating that there was nothing particularly wrong with his eye other than some inflammation.

The look of suspicion Sarutobi shot his way made Shisui repeatedly swear on his life that he really was attacked by Danzō.

That damned Anbu had done such a seamless job healing him, it nearly cost him a trip to T&I. Thankfully, a higher ranking medic had swooped in to do a second assessment, and confirmed that a few nerves in his eye seemed raw and new.

"Eye transplants aren't difficult operations, but I've never seen one done at this level of proficiency in such a short amount of time," the medic reported later, eyebrows furrowed. "Whoever healed Uchiha-san, it's evident that they have extensive knowledge of the Sharingan and its unique nerve properties."

Perhaps an Uchiha themselves, went unsaid.

The medic continued, "there's a handful of us that have the clearance for organ transplants, but all were accounted for and none fit the physical descriptions you mentioned, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi finally left him in peace after that, leaving Shisui alone to recuperate and prepare for what came next.

Because his job was far from over.

Now that Danzō was dead, Sarutobi wanted to reign in the Uchiha as soon as possible, which meant going with the original plan— his Mangekyō Sharingan's Kotoamatsukami.

As soon as he recovered, all the elders, leaders and active shinobi within the clan would be gathered into one meeting of truce with the Hokage. Only that summit would be a ruse for Shisui to cast his ultimate genjutsu, slowly twisting their past experiences and memories until nothing but unbreakable loyalty to the village remained.

Then it would finally be over.

Shisui tightened his grip on the report, staring down at the faceless Anbu. He wondered what true peace felt like for once in his life, not having to be torn between his clan and his village.

"It's going to work," Itachi suddenly said, reading his thoughts. "Stop worrying and just get better."

"I wish it were that easy," he grumbled. "Now we have another enemy to watch out for."

"We'll fight him together next time," Itachi supplied.

Shisui glanced up, hesitant. "Itachi, if you ever meet that Anbu alone, promise me that you won't engage him recklessly. He's dangerously strong, and if he's really working with that masked man…"

Itachi quieted, looking over him with knowing eyes. "You don't believe that, though."

He inwardly sighed, memories of their encounter floating to the forefront of his mind and the clarity of the Anbu's dedication ringing in his words.

"Believe in your ability and believe in Konoha. We can not have another war break out."

"I don't know," he said honestly, tiredly leaning back into the bed. "Nothing makes sense anymore."

Three knocks on the door startled both of them to attention, their eyes flickering towards the sound as a familiar face poked his head within the opening frame.

"Aniki?"

"Go in, Sasuke!" another familiar voice rang in the hall. "We've been standing out here for fifteen minutes!"

Sasuke turned bright red, about to turn around and snap at whoever stood behind him when another hand forcibly grabbed the partially open door, and shoved it aside.

"Sakura!" Sasuke grumbled in a whine. "I said we should enter with tactful timing!"

"And stand outside the door for another fifteen minutes?" Sakura countered, raising an unimpressed brow. "Nobody has time for that."

"Sasuke-chan and Sakura-chan!" Shisui called delightedly, his previous jolt of vigilance fading to easy comfort at their entrance. "You two came to visit me?"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "I came to see Ani—"

Sakura smacked his shoulder before he could finish. "Of course we came to visit you. Sasuke couldn't stop talking about how much he missed seeing you around."

"Really? Oho, I knew you loved me!" he said tearfully, lips stretching into a teasing grin. "I'm so touched!"

If possible, Sasuke grew even more red than before. "Just shut up and take this!"

He threw a small paper bag onto his lap, narrowly missing the classified report that Shisui discreetly moved away, and was pleasantly surprised to find the bag warm with a deliciously familiar smell.

"Is this taiyaki?" he gasped with extra excitement, opening the bag to find his favorite fish-shaped treat inside. "For me?"

"It would have been more fresh had Sasuke not waited outside the door," Sakura interjected with a roll of her eyes, handing Itachi a different takeout bag. It had the familiar logo of his favorite dango stall. "This one's for you, Itachi-san."

"Come here and accept my hug of gratitude, Sasuke!" he called cheerfully, extending his arms out to the boy.

"Gross, no way!" Sasuke jumped behind his brother, using him as a shield. "Hug Sakura! It was her idea!"

Shisui fake bawled. "Boohoo, Itachi, your otouto doesn't want to hug me."

Instead of answering him, Itachi turned to stare at Sakura, simultaneously reaching for a stick of dango. "Your shirt… is it real?"

Shisui followed Itachi's line of sight and finally noticed her blinding neon yellow t-shirt, clearly three sizes too large, with black letters scrawled across the front, written in by a marker.

Konoha General Hospital Volunteer— Ask Me Anything! I Am Here To Help You!

"Unfortunately," Sakura sighed, staring down at her own shirt. "Please tell management it looks stupid, they don't take my comments seriously."

Shisui snickered, feeling his mending ribs ache as he tried to hold in the laughter, and even Itachi looked highly amused.

"It's okay," Sakura deadpanned. "You can laugh. It's funny."

The deadly aura around her indicated that he should do anything but, yet Shisui couldn't contain it anymore. He howled in a mixture of laughter and pain, coughing in between heaving breaths.

"Ow, ow, sorry, Sakura-chan," he wiped his face, finding tears at the corner of his eyes as he calmed down. "I'll put in a good word while I'm here."

"Please," she drawled. "I've been wearing this shirt every weekend for three months, and no amount of complaining on my part does anything."

"Are you not apprenticed under a medic-nin yet?" Itachi asked, evidently having known her current plight.

Sakura shook her head. "They told me I can't officially start until I graduate. Which is fine, since I can only spare two hours of my Saturday for this." She took a glance at the clock. "I actually have to go meet Naruto soon."

"Where's Naruto-chan?" he asked, curious as to why the blonde wasn't with them in the first place.

"Weekly meetup with the Hokage," Sasuke answered. "He's trying to skimp out on dinner with us at the compound, so Sakura's going to find him before he escapes."

Shisui could sympathize with the boy. As much as he enjoyed hanging around with Itachi, If he had to eat at the same table as Uchiha Fugaku, he'd want to run away too.

"Sakura-san, there is something I could use your help with before you depart," Itachi said, getting up from his seat to lean over to Sakura's ear. He whispered something, careful to keep his mouth hidden so that Shisui couldn't read his lips. Her eyes lit up with understanding as Itachi pulled back, and she nodded.

"Of course! I would be happy to assist," she said with a grin, a bit too shark-like for Shisui's comfort. She quickly gathered the paper trash, tossing it into a bin behind her, and headed for the door. "Sasuke, I'll see you later. Itachi-san and Shisui-san, take care!"

Shisui was slightly stunned at her hasty departure. "Sakura-chan, bye—"

The door slid shut, cutting off his farewell and leaving the room in silence.

He narrowed his eyes at Itachi. "What'd you say to her?"

Itachi just shrugged.

Ten minutes later, a medic-nin knocked on the door. "Uchiha-san, I have some painkillers for you."

Shooting a fierce glare at Itachi, who had conveniently cleared some space for the girl to approach, Shisui could only grumble inwardly about traitor cousins overstepping their boundaries.

He still made sure to tell the medic how stupid the volunteer shirts looked.

.

.

Uchiha Sasuke was a boy who wholeheartedly believed in the saying— speak less and do more.

From the tender age of five, he knew his older brother was considered to be one of the strongest and most promising shinobi in Konoha. He wanted to grow up to be just as skilled and respected as Itachi, and maybe even surpass him one day. He might not have had a concrete plan towards his dream yet, but he knew how to separate himself from the unmotivated slackers that didn't take the Academy seriously.

Which is why when he found himself approached by a pink haired girl, dragging along a blonde boy with a declaration of friendship on her lips, he had immediately refused.

He might have not known their names, but Sasuke took note of every student in his class while categorizing them into good and bad from day one.

And these two definitely fell under bad.

The girl seemed to be plagued by random bouts of narcolepsy, having dozed off on the first day of class, and was consistently getting into trouble for her lack of focus. The blonde on the other hand was brash and hyperactive, yet unmotivated to do his work if it didn't include pranking someone in the process. He was loud-mouthed about wanting to become Hokage, but never put in the work for it.

These types of people, Sasuke decided, were not worth his time or effort, nor would they provide anything in his growth as a shinobi.

So he crossed his arms and frowned as menacingly as a five-year old could. "I'm not interested in weak people."

The whiskered one immediately blew up in protest, blue eyes shining with competitive rage, but the girl simply smiled. She cocked her head, posture completely calm as she looked at him.

"Let's fight, Uchiha Sasuke."

It was a demand that changed his Academy days forever, especially when he woke up the following day with no recollection of how he got home. If it weren't for the rainbow of bruises all over his body, or how utterly sore he was, he would have never believed he actually fought that girl yesterday.

And lost

He lost.

Sasuke screamed into his pillow, thankful that Itachi was out on a mission and unable to see him in such an undignified manner, but it didn't stop his mother from giving him a knowing look during breakfast.

"Your friends Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun dropped you home yesterday night," she revealed with a hidden smile. "Don't forget to thank them today."

The word, friends, shook him a little. While the Uchiha clan was one of the largest in the village, there weren't many children his age, and he had grown up sticking close to Itachi and Shisui until he couldn't anymore. The only other clanmate Sasuke could claim friendship with was a boy named Ichirō, who had lost his parents in the Kyūbi attack, and grew up playing with Sasuke.

Until he too, started disappearing a few months before Sasuke entered the Academy, leaving as if their friendship hadn't mattered at all.

The worst thing was when he managed to see rare glimpses of Ichirō around the village, the boy acted as if he had no idea who Sasuke was.

"They're not my friends," he replied stiffly, poking at his egg yolk.

"Well, I think it'd be nice if you became friends," Mikoto said warmly. "Don't you have to see them everyday now?"

Sasuke dropped his chopsticks in shock, having completely forgotten about their little bet.

"If I win, you have to meet me and Naruto at Training Ground Three everyday after the Academy ends! Every single day until you can beat me! "

Kami-forbid, he had to see those two idiots everyday now?

Quickly abandoning his breakfast, Sasuke ran back up to his room, intent on getting in as much training as possible in order to enact his retribution. It must have been a fluke, right? There was no way he could lose to that girl twice in a row.

Contrary to Sasuke's wishful thinking, he did lose to that girl twice in a row.

And he kept losing.

A month after their meeting, Sasuke demanded to know what the secret to her strength was. Everything he tried only led to more losses, and Sasuke knew he was no slouch when it came to training, especially compared to a person that didn't hail from a shinobi clan. Did she have a secret kekkei-genkai? A prestigious ancestor? A forbidden jutsu?

She looked at him with a quizzical smile. "There is no secret."

Sasuke refused to believe her, of course. There was no way that was possible.

A year after he asked, Sasuke finally discovered the answer for himself— completely on accident. Itachi had been due to return home from a two month long mission, and Sasuke decided to sneak out in order to surprise him at the gate. The letter he received didn't pinpoint the exact time Itachi would arrive, but he had promised he would be home by the time Sasuke woke up in the morning, which meant the hours before dawn.

Sasuke had never pulled an all-nighter before, but he didn't think it'd be so hard. The excitement of seeing his brother would surely keep him awake.

With that in mind, Sasuke had carefully snuck out of the compound after getting a few hours of initial sleep, traveling through the training grounds instead of the main roads in order to avoid any guards, when he saw a familiar head of pink at the corner of his eye.

He skidded to a halt, not daring to move for fear that he had fallen into a genjutsu of sorts, unable to believe that Sakura would be in such a remote training ground during the middle of the night.

Yet there she was.

When holding still or blinking for five minutes didn't seem to get rid of the illusion of her, Sasuke deemed that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him after all. As carefully and quietly possible, he shuffled closer, partially hiding behind a bush to get a better look at what was happening.

Sakura was going through one taijutsu combination after another, looking so thoroughly disheveled and covered in dirt and sweat, Sasuke felt shocked at the sight of it. Even after a year of training together, he had never seen her injured, much less worn out to such a degree. For her to get to this point, he knew she must have had to be out here for hours already. Had she not gone to sleep at all?

Finishing katas, she switched to strength training, working with the nearby trees as an anchor to stretch out her muscles, pulling against an elastic band. Soon after that she moved to weapons, using a small number of kunai and senbon against practice targets, before setting them up on wires and firing them at herself in a dodging exercise. When a particularly fast kunai managed to cut her, Sasuke nearly screamed when he saw blood burst from her neck. He was frozen in place, watching in horror as Sakura slapped a glowing green hand over the injury, hissing in pain as she writhed on the ground. Time seemed to stretch for an eternity as he waited with bated breath, wondering if the injury had crippled her.

He knew Sakura was just learning how to heal. She might have practiced on him and Naruto after their training sessions, but it was obvious that she wasn't good enough to heal herself completely.

Yet even with the injury, Sakura kept training. She subsequently wrapped her neck in a thick gauze and continued on as if it was nothing to be concerned about.

And Sasuke, having forgotten his original intention for sneaking out, watched for the next few hours as Sakura kept moving through one routine after another. At one point, it seemed that she had strained herself so much that she vomited blood, barely crawling herself to the edge of the river before falling onto her back and heaving gasps of pain.

Then the sun started to rise.

Sakura sluggishly gathered her things, cleaning her weapons at the river before shooting off towards the dirt road. Feeling his body protest after staying in one position the whole night, Sasuke quickly ran after her, bewildered and worried that she'd collapse at any given moment.

What now?

He followed at a distance, noticing that wherever she was going, Sakura was confident of her direction. It was obvious she knew these woods far better than he did, and concluded that this couldn't have been a one-time coincidence. After ten minutes, they finally ended back on village roads, and Sakura slipped into the side door of a large white building.

Momentarily confused by her destination, Sasuke walked around the perimeter of the building, stopping to stare at the large plaque that loomed over the main entrance.

It was the hospital.

For a moment, Sasuke stood outside, at a loss for words. He thought he would feel justified when he finally discovered the reason why Sakura always managed to beat him, but now he felt strangely hollow.

"There is no secret."

It was true.

This was dedication and training at a level Sasuke had never seen before, and he briefly thought back to her performance at the Academy. Was this why she was always sleeping during the day?

"What are you doing, otouto?"

Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin in shock, spinning around to see Itachi standing behind him, wearing fresh clothes from home.

"Aniki, you're back!" he gasped, momentarily forgetting about his plight as he ran up to hug Itachi.

"Hn," Itachi rubbed his head in greeting. "I was wondering why you weren't home when I arrived, and I see you've been spying on Sakura-san?"

Sasuke flushed. "I snuck out to surprise you, I swear! I just happened to see Sakura out there and…"

"Got distracted by her training?"

"Aniki, you know?" he blinked up at his brother in surprise. Itachi always seemed to know everything.

He gave a brief nod. "I may have seen her a few times when passing through those training grounds at night."

Sasuke frowned. "I don't get it. I don't understand why she's trying so hard."

"Why don't you just ask, otouto?" Itachi poked his forehead, a small smile on his lips. "She's your friend, is she not?"

Sasuke glanced back at the hospital, feeling a rush of warmth flood his chest at the thought. Memories of Naruto's stupid antics and Sakura's laughter played in the back of his mind, and he wondered at what exact instance he had started opening his heart to those two.

"Yeah. She is."

Later that morning, Sasuke mirrored Sakura's pose at the Academy, and slept through an entire day of lectures.

.

.

Shikamaru was bored.

These days, the Academy curriculum was dipping back into easy, mundane work, and Shikamaru found his energy levels falling fast after a whirlwind of excitement that originated from Sakura crashing into his life.

It had been a month of nonstop adventure, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura basically dragging him around in training, catching him up to speed on their latest exercises, then hauling him to Ichiraku's. He had convinced Chōji to join on multiple occasions with the promise of steak, but the traitor merely opted to watch from the sidelines, munching on chips as Shikamaru got beaten into the dirt.

Then Sakura left.

Apparently this was a semi-annual occurrence in which she would accompany her parents on business trips, leaving Konoha anywhere between two weeks to two months. Shikamaru had always been too lazy to wonder where she had gone, but now that Sakura had slowly become part of his daily circle, he felt a stark sense of emptiness at her departure.

It was nothing compared to Naruto and Sasuke, however.

They acted as if the sun disappeared from the world, going about their day in a slight daze, barely motivated in class and constantly staring out into the distance as if they expected Sakura to show up at any moment. Naruto grew melancholic, and Sasuke turned more stoic with every passing day.

"I wonder what Sakura-chan is doing right now?"

"Hn."

"You think Sakura-chan is having fun?"

"Hn."

"What if Sakura-chan meets new friends?"

"...dobe, shut up."

Shikamaru had expected the reprieve to be welcome, as he could finally return to cloud watching after school and didn't have to worry about all this extra training. Technically, he had only promised Sakura that he'd train with her, and now with her gone, he could sneak back to his old habits.

He just didn't think he'd find himself so bored.

"Shika, aren't you supposed to be out training with Naruto and Sasuke?"

Chōji was seated next to him at the Nara compound, shooting him an expectant look while snacking on an entire loaf of bread.

"It's too troublesome," he muttered, watching the clouds pass by through half-lidded eyes. "And Sakura's not here to tell me otherwise."

"Hm," Chōji grunted, mouth partially full. "I think you'd feel better if you went to train with them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he frowned slightly, straining his neck to gaze at his closest friend. "I feel fine."

Chōji just shrugged. "You seem to smile a lot more when we're all together."

He does?

Granted, the first time Sakura had beaten him in a shōgi game, it had been exhilarating to finally meet a challenge outside of his father. Naruto was scarily clever when it came to using his smarts in a fight, and even Sasuke was interesting to engage with, his personality far from the stuck up Uchiha superiority complex Shikamaru had been expecting.

They were an entertaining trio, he would admit that; but it was always the three plus Shikamaru. At the end of the day, he didn't really belong.

Surely, he wouldn't be missed—

"SHIKAMARU! You asshole, where are you? How dare you skip out on training?!"

"Dobe, quiet! We're in the Nara compound, you can't just go calling people assholes!"

"I don't care! I'm here on behalf of Sakura-chan to beat his lazy ass!"

Chōji sent him a smug look as Shikamaru groaned, turning over on his side as if he could stave off the embarrassment. Maybe if he stayed still long enough, they would think no one was home and leave.

"We know you're in there! Stop pretending and come out, dattebayo!"

Chōji got to his feet, wiping off the bread crumbs from his pants and headed towards the gate with a satisfied expression. "See you outside, Shika."

Shikamaru got up with a sigh, feeling a traitorous smile appear on his face as Naruto and Sasuke's voice echoed in the compound halls.

Maybe he wouldn't skip training after all.

…

Sakura returned after three weeks to see Shikamaru under the same headlock she had left him in.

All things considered, it was her sudden appearance at the training ground that distracted him in the first place, but Sasuke apparently had no intentions on pausing the match, effectively catching him as his back was turned.

"Bastard," he hissed into Sasuke's elbow. "I was distracted!"

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto bellowed, scrambling to his feet as a huge smile broke out on his face. "You're back!"

The entire training ground seemed to liven as Sakura approached, and Naruto slammed the girl with a full body hug, nearly toppling both of them onto the ground.

"I'm back!" she laughed, squeezing the blonde in return.

"Sakura?" Sasuke looked up, evidently having missed her entrance. He quickly released his hold and ran towards her direction, leaving Shikamaru coughing face first into the dirt.

"Sasuke!" she chirped, greeting the Uchiha with a similar bone crushing hug, before looking down at him. "Shikamaru? You okay?"

Dazed, he stared up at the clouds behind her head, wondering if he could immediately be reborn as one in order to get away from this troublesome matter. "I've been better."

She pulled him up, patting off the dirt from his head. "I'm actually surprised you're even here."

He groaned as he stretched his sore back, rubbing the side of his head with his free hand. "Those troublesome idiots didn't let me skip out."

Naruto cheered in acknowledgement while Sasuke crossed his arms. "You bet we wouldn't let you down, Sakura-chan!" the blonde puffed his chest, looking extremely pleased with himself. "So, so, how was Tanigakure? Did you meet some awesome shinobi? Did you see the famous singer Ayumi?"

Sakura's eyes seemed to glow, her lips pulling into the widest smile Shikamaru had ever seen. "Even better! You'll never believe it! I saw the legendary Sannin, Tsunade-sama!"

Silence settled upon the training ground as Naruto cocked his head. "Who?"

The name was familiar to Shikamaru, although he had no idea what she looked like. If he remembered correctly, he was certain there was a plaque of her name in the lobby of the general hospital.

"Only the most powerful frontline medic-nin in the world, Naruto!" she said excitedly, her face filled with pure awe and worship. "I saw her send a man flying through a wall with a flick of her finger! It was awesome!"

Naruto blinked slowly in disbelief, and even Sasuke looked skeptical.

"Really?" Shikamaru muttered.

Sakura rounded on him so fast, he nearly jumped back in surprise. "It's true! She has incredible chakra control which she can use to destroy mountainsides and demolish buildings! She's amazing!"

"A Sannin," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "So one of the Hokage's students?"

"Exactly!" Sakura nodded quickly, eyes gleaming with excitement. "She's the one who created Konoha's hospital and trained all the medic-nin for the Third Shinobi War. There was no one else it could have been!"

"Did you meet her?" Shikamaru asked, raising a brow.

Sakura wilted, all her previous bravado disappearing in a flash. "No. I didn't want to bother her, and well, she was really mad at that guy for groping her boobs. It's why she sent him through a wall."

Shikamaru snorted at the mental image, wondering what Konoha's most legendary shinobi were doing roaming outside the village. He knew about Orochimaru, as his betrayal had turned him into a boogeyman figure of sorts for young clan kids, but the other two were rather low profile. All he knew was that all three of the Sannin were no longer active shinobi in Konoha.

"What is she doing out there in the first place?" Sasuke frowned. "I haven't heard anything about the Sannin after the war."

Sakura thinned her lips. "I'm not sure either. It would be incredible to see her in Konoha, but I don't think she's coming back."

A strange look flickered across her face, something akin to deep regret and disappointment as Sakura lowered her head with a frown.

Naruto bumped her shoulder. "You're still strong, Sakura-chan! I'm sure you'll be a great medic-nin no matter what, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru inwardly agreed. Even his father offhandedly remarked how Sakura had a frightening talent he hadn't seen in many years.

She smiled back at the blonde, eyes softening at his consolation. "Well, I did happen to learn a new trick from watching Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, raising a clenched fist. "Wanna see?"

Clearly accustomed to her antics, both Naruto and Sasuke immediately took a huge step back, leaving Shikamaru standing alone before he even realized what was happening.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura turned to him, gaze alight like a predator stalking its prey. "It's just a flick."

His heart dropped in dread.

He definitely hadn't missed Sakura at all.

.

.

Out of all the things Kakashi expected after taking on a Genin team, having theoretical debates about creating highly complex ninjutsu was at the bottom of his list.

Frankly, it wasn't even on his list.

He expected to be teaching them how to climb trees and walk on water, not how to fabricate jutsu from scratch.

Then again, nothing really worked the way it was supposed to when it came to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Even from his observation during the bell test a day prior, he could tell there were more than a few Jōnin-level techniques being tossed around by the three.

As he stared down at his new Genins, hidden by the line of trees and two hours late to their training session, Kakashi felt a strange sense of displacement. His students weren't sitting around waiting for him, but engaged in an intense three-way taijutsu battle— which the more he watched, he realized it to be a tag-team of Naruto and Sasuke against Sakura.

Clearly, they required no extra motivation to train, and he wondered where the incentive came from, as it was rare to find Genin so dedicated to their shinobi growth. Particularly Naruto and Sakura, who didn't have the support of a clan.

"I said left, dobe! Left!"

"I did go left, teme!"

"Her left, not your left! Oof—"

Sasuke went flying as Sakura's heel caught him in the shoulder, and he tumbled onto the grass, barely righting himself as he hit the treeline beneath Kakashi's perch.

His eyes then drifted to Sakura.

Kakashi had caught up on the rest of his team's files last night, and was surprised to find the extent of their reports. Much of it was on how the three of them committed pranks ranging from temporary vandalism to stealing forbidden scrolls from the Hokage Residence, but within every act was a rather impressive list of techniques they utilized to achieve it. Some of their stunts could have easily been considered B-rank missions in a different scenario.

However, the most shocking discovery was the last page in Sakura's file, which was stamped with a swirling black symbol in the top corner, a mark Kakashi was personally familiar with and knew to only mean one thing— Anbu recruit.

Beneath the stamp were administrative notes, along with the report written in by the Anbu Commander.

Observation by Squad Eleven, Captain Hyūga Seīchi— Two weeks rotation.

Approval by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Declined by Haruno Sakura.

Status— Open Enrollment. Pending Initiation.

Judging by the dates on the file, Kakashi had already left Anbu by then, but the more shocking realization was Sakura's current status offer.

Open enrollment meant that an operative could join the Anbu forces at any time. Kakashi himself was currently on open enrollment, which was a common procedure for Anbu who were returning to the standard Jōnin workforce, or taking a break.

For Sakura, it meant that the door to the darkest, bloodiest, and most gruesome line of work was wide open in wait.

And he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Kakashi had done his fair share of recruitment during his time behind the mask, and not once did the person leave the same way they entered. Why the Anbu Commander thought this bright and young girl would fit the profile baffled him.

Perhaps he needed to catch up with some old acquaintances, but for now, he had three kids to wrangle.

Noticing the spar had finished, Kakashi leapt down from his perch and sauntered over to the three, who were settled on the ground in the midst of stretching.

Naruto saw him first. "Sensei! You're so late!"

"Yo," he greeted, raising a hand as the other two snapped their heads around. "On my way here, I came across an old lady who was looking for her lost cat—"

"Yeah, right!" Naruto shouted, indignant at his lie. "I bet you forgot about us!"

"He's been watching from that tree, dobe," Sasuke crossed his arms, gesturing with his head. "Are you a shinobi or not?"

Naruto turned on the Uchiha. "I was too busy not getting my ass kicked!"

"At least I know the difference between right and left," Sasuke shot back.

"Teme, you little—"

Sakura quickly knocked both their heads with the side of her fist, effectively ending the argument as Naruto and Sasuke clambered apart, respectively clutching their throbbing heads.

"The more important thing," Sakura cut in, turning to stare at him, "is what Kakashi-sensei has planned for today. Are we going on a mission?"

"Yeah! Our first mission!" Naruto jumped to his feet, energy reignited. "We're ready to kick anyone's ass, dattebayo!"

Sasuke nodded. "Hn."

Kakashi almost said yes. It was fascinating how their dynamic as a team went from chaos to order at the drop of a hat, and he was curious as to how they'd perform in an actual mission together.

"Well, I was planning on going over some chakra exercises," he offered instead. "If we're going to start missions, we need to hone our skills first, don't you think?"

Naruto gasped in surprise, excitedly raising his hand in the air. "I wanna learn the cool ninjutsu you copied, sensei! Can we explode stuff?"

"With your non-existent bakuton kekkei-genkai?" Sasuke raised a brow, unimpressed. "Good luck."

"I don't need bakuton!" Naruto defended, crossing his arms. "You can definitely blow things up with other nature transformations!"

"Only if you get the explosive shape property right, and even then, you have no fire, and no ignition, dobe," Sasuke countered, rolling his eyes.

"What if you created something without the need of nature elements?" Sakura inputted.

"Yeah, but the chakra would have to be extremely dense first in order to expand it into something capable of blowing stuff up," Sasuke noted. "The stability alone to achieve that sounds impossible."

"Hmmm, I guess the chakra has to be moving fast enough too," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke looked contemplative. "And how would that be maintained?"

"Why can't I just shape the chakra in one direction?" Naruto grumbled. "As long as it's hitting the right thing who cares about maintaining?"

"You have to consider all circumstances when creating ninjutsu, Naruto," Sakura pointed out. "What if you're in a confined space? What if you have comrades nearby?"

"What if the shape doesn't hold up in a linear pattern?" Sasuke finished.

"I don't know," Naruto sighed, scrunching his face as if racking his brain for answers.

Sakura gave a wolfish grin. "How about rotating it? Spinning chakra in a continuous loop can be volatile and compressed at the same time. What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"

All three students turned to look at him and Kakashi hadn't realized he was frozen to the spot until he felt his eye twitch, completely astonished by the fact that three Genins fresh from the Academy had just theoretically reinvented the Rasengan in a five minute conversation.

What a scary bunch, he thought in amazement, slowly blinking as if to reorient himself. While it was true Kakashi had created the Chidori at the same age, he was already a Jōnin by then, and forced to grow quickly in a time of war. Based on their profiles, it was believable that perhaps Sakura could engineer a jutsu from scratch, but he had been surprised to see Sasuke and Naruto keep up with the theory.

"Well," he said at last, trying to keep his voice level. "You three are talking about some very advanced stuff. I was simply referring to some basic chakra control exercises."

"Basics are boring, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pouted, slumping in disappointment. "We already know how to climb trees and water walk!"

This was most certainly new.

After retiring from Anbu, Kakashi knew exactly what the recent graduates were like, and suffice to say, none of the students he saw over the last two years had the skills to even stick a leaf to their foreheads.

"All right, then what about your nature affinities?" He asked, reaching into his waist pouch.

"Wind!" Naruto said cheerily.

"Lighting," Sasuke answered.

"Water," Sakura finished.

Kakashi stilled, taking in their serious faces before putting the chakra papers back into his pouch. These kids just kept surprising him at every turn. "Well then, let's start with a supplementary general skill first, then maybe we can move onto some elemental ninjutsu later. Naruto and Sasuke, your shunshin could use some work."

"No fair!" Naruto groaned. "Your black-listing says you copied over a thousand jutsu! It's not cool to keep it all to yourself!"

Kakashi narrowed his lone eye. "My black-listing?"

Naruto stammered, shooting a panicked look towards Sakura. "Eh…"

Sakura shot him an innocent smile. "I may have acquired a bingo book the last time I was in Kirigakure with my parents."

"Sakura… bingo books are not trivial souvenirs one can just acquire on a business trip," he said seriously. "Did you steal it?"

"No!" she immediately defended. "He gave it to me for free, I swear! He said he was leaving Kirigakure soon to retire, so I asked if I could take his bingo book if he didn't want it. He even signed the back!"

She dug inside her large pack, pulling out a small black book that seemed worn and aged, and handed it to him with a grin.

Kakashi grasped it carefully, immediately able to discern the authenticity by the feel of its cover. It was legitimate, as Sakura said. Seeing a red tab sticking out in the middle, he flipped to it, finding his own masked face staring up at him. To his amusement, a few drops of old blood around his name had been turned into scribbled flowers.

He briefly scanned through his profile, finding the information impressively up to date and accurate. It was obvious the book had belonged to a high ranking shinobi and printed within the last two years.

Wondering who on earth would give a child a bingo book, he flipped to the back cover and promptly froze at the signature on the bottom corner.

"Sakura, how did you meet this man?" he asked slowly, unable to tear his eyes away from the name.

She hummed in thought. "Well, I saw him eating outside a shop and told him his gills looked super cool. Then he invited me to have some tea and we talked for a bit. He was a very nice man."

Kakashi paused, wondering if he had misheard.

"Sakura," he said seriously.

"Yes?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame is an international s-rank missing-nin."

"Oh."

.

.

"Hmmmmmm—"

"Focus, Naruto."

"Hmmmmmmrh—"

"I don't think dobe can do this."

Naruto felt his concentration crack. "What did you say, Sasuke-teme?!"

Shooting his eyes open to see Sasuke going through a series of katas with an unimpressed look on his face, made his blood rage in indignation.

"Naruto, sit back down!" Sakura quickly moved, stopping him before he could pounce.

That smug Uchiha!

"Sakura-chan, this is impossible!" He whined, frustrated with his lack of results. "You think Hokage-Jiji was playing a prank on me about the Kyūbi?"

"Just because you can't feel him doesn't mean he's not there," she chastised, patting his head. "You need to reach deepwithin your well of chakra reserves and grab a feel for it."

"The only thing I feel is sleepy," he mumbled, physically exhausted from draining all his chakra earlier.

Sakura had mentioned that in order to develop an easier access to the Kyūbi's chakra, he needed to get rid of his own first, since he couldn't control which one he called upon.

"Try again," Sakura encouraged, giving him a smile as if this wasn't the twelfth time she asked.

Just for her, Naruto inwardly decided. He didn't really want to use the Kyūbi's power, but she had made a good point. It was either he learned how to do it on his own volition, or lose control of himself during a life threatening situation in the future, potentially hurting his own allies. And after Kakashi had nominated them for the Chūnin Exams, the need felt more pressing than ever.

"Okay."

Bringing his hands together in a forced state of focus, Naruto clamped his eyes shut again, trying to reach for the slumbering chakra.

Contrary to what he told Sakura earlier, he knew the Kyūbi was there. The more he concentrated, the more he could feel a looming presence within him grow heavier and heavier. Yet before he could reach breakthrough, there always seemed to be something blocking him.

"Keep focusing, Naruto," Sakura whispered gently. "I'm going to try something to help you."

He felt her hand slowly descend upon the crown of his head, and Naruto fought to keep his concentration going.

"I trust you, Sakura-chan," he mumbled.

Her fingers twitched every so slightly against his forehead, before gently wrapping around to his temples.

Before he could wonder what she was about to do, there was a blitz of chakra entering his head, and suddenly everything went black.

For a short while, Naruto felt as if he was asleep.

He opened his eyes, expecting to see Sakura's face, but saw the ceiling of an enormous sewer instead.

"What the—" he jolted up to a sitting position, noticing he was waist deep in dark water. It didn't seem dirty by any means, but Naruto stood up to water-walk regardless.

"Sakura-chan!" He yelled into the open air, his voice echoing in what seemed like an infinitely open space. "Sasuke-teme!"

Had he been concentrating so hard that he accidentally teleported himself deep underground Konoha?

He snickered at the thought, imagining himself sneaking around Konoha through the sewer system. All the people he could prank—

"Is it funny?"

Naruto scrambled around at the deep voice as a huge cell suddenly materialized out of thin air, stretching so far and wide that he couldn't see the ends of it. Enormous red eyes shrouded in darkness stared at him through the prison bars, and Naruto was abruptly aware of how the very air vibrated with chakra.

It was him.

"Kyūbi!" He yelled, pointing at the beast with a shaking hand. "What are youdoing here?"

A deep earth shaking growl emanated from all around him. "How stupid are you kid? To intrude upon my space and ask what I'm doing here."

Naruto felt his head nearly explode with anger. "You're stupid! You're the one living in my body! Eh, wait— this is my body?"

He quickly glanced around the dingy looking cell, wondering why his inner world looked so depressing.

Gigantic black claws suddenly crashed against the prison bars, rattling the entire cage and barely missing Naruto's arm. He yelped, scurrying back in alarm and falling back into the black water.

"I can't believe the Yondaime sealed me into a brat like you," the Kyūbi hissed, the gleam of his teeth reflecting upon the water's surface. "Come closer, kid, so I can eat you!"

"Bastard!" he screamed back, jumping to his feet. "You should be grateful! You're living in my body for free!"

"There's an easy remedy for that," the Kyūbi said lowly. "You see this seal, kid? Just pull it off. You'll be free of me, and I'll be free of you."

Naruto froze in shock, glancing up at the single piece of paper on the prison gate. Was it really so easy?

"Like I'll believe you!" he shot back, a thread of fear creeping into his heart at his earlier hesitation. "You'll just attack Konoha again!"

"What do I have to gain from attacking Konoha now?" the Kyūbi reasoned, leaning closer into the bars. Naruto could vaguely make out the shape of his face. "They'll probably try to seal me into someone else."

He couldn't argue with that logic, but Naruto still felt wary. "Then what happens to me?"

"You get to live the rest of your life without me, of course. Doesn't that sound like a fair trade?"

He stared up at the seal in thought. How great would it be to be free of the Kyūbi? No one in the village would look at him with those hate-filled eyes. Random shinobi wouldn't try to attack him when they were drunk. Sakura wouldn't have to look so sad whenever something happened—

"Just let me out."

Naruto took a step forward.

"Come on, kid."

He lifted his hand.

"Shut up!" Naruto screamed, covering his ears so as to not listen to him anymore. "Don't think you can mess with me! I didn't come here to let you out, you shitty fox! Shut the hell up!"

The cage rattled as the Kyūbi violently attacked the gate once more, causing the entire sewer to quake. Red chakra permeated the air, making it difficult to breath and the water rolled into aggressive waves, soaking Naruto from head to toe. "You stupid boy! I'll tear your heart out a hundred times over!"

"I came here for your name, Kyūbi!" he demanded, pointing his finger in a show of bravado. "I don't accept strangers living in my body!"

In a surprising move, the rampage stopped, and the Kyūbi reared his head back. "What did you say?"

"Your name, you old fox!" Naruto repeated, resolute now. "Sakura-chan told me I need to know it. How am I supposed to call you otherwise?!"

"I have never bestowed my name to a filthy human in all my years," the Kyūbi snarled. "What makes you think you are worthy? I'll crush you where you stand!"

Naruto blinked slowly, ignoring the second round of rampage, realizing what his words meant. "You mean you've never even had friends? That's… sad."

"I am the strongest bijū on this land! I do not need friends," he hissed. "Only weaklings seek out other weaklings."

"Yeah, well you'll never find one with that attitude!" Naruto argued, pissed beyond measure. "Don't you know that strength lies in working with others! If you don't have friends, I'd say you're the weakest bijū, dattebayo!"

Red eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare question me, human? I'll kill you like a bug!"

The Kyūbi opened his jaw wide, and a torrent of red chakra came rushing forth, wrapping around Naruto's arms and legs, then climbing up towards his face.

"What the— mmmph!"

He was suddenly dragged towards the gate as if caught in an inescapable force, getting closer and closer to the Kyūbi's awaiting mouth. Naruto screamed into the chakra bindings, eyes shooting wide with alarm as he writhed against the restraints, trying to free himself.

Just as his foot was pulled past the gate, the paper seal exploded with light, blasting Naruto back into the air in a wave of vertigo.

He opened his eyes with a gasp, suddenly finding himself staring at a perfectly blue sky, heart racing against his ribcage. A rush of powerful chakra was filling his body, replenishing his previously exhausted supply and leaving him slightly dazed.

"Naruto!" Sakura's worried face dropped into view, her head momentarily blocking out the sun. "Are you okay?"

He blinked rapidly, momentarily speechless.

Sasuke appeared on the other side. "Here lies Uzumaki Naruto, the dobe. Didn't even make it to Chūnin—"

"What did you say?!" He sat up immediately, throwing a punch towards that insufferable smug face, which Sasuke easily dodged.

Sakura helped him to his feet, patting off the grass stains on his shirt. "How was it? Are you sure you're okay?"

Dropping his fist, he sighed loudly.

"Sakura-chan, I have the worst roommate ever."

.

.

Gaara had always believed the gods hated him.

After all, if his own mother could despise his existence even before he was born, and his father attempted to take his life countless times, it was expected that that rest of the universe followed through.

He knew the truth now.

The world wasn't the hopeful picture his childish mind had once dreamed of. It was a self-seeking, mindless carnage of humans that climbed atop each other by whatever means necessary.

And Gaara swore over Yashamaru's body that he'd be at the very top.

"Gaara and Haruno Sakura, please come down for your second match."

In a swirl of sand, Gaara reappeared on the arena floor, which had barely been cleaned and repaved by some Chūnin after the last match. He glanced at the side that Sakura destroyed, which had been replaced with an earth jutsu wall, before glaring up at the girl in question.

Admittedly, her monstrous strength had been a surprise. Gaara had been on the left balcony when she demolished the wall beneath him, and would have suffered an injury had it not been for his sand's quick reaction. Some of the other genin weren't as lucky, not having expected to lose balance and plummet to the floor in an explosion of debris.

Still, he was itching to battle her— to prove the worth of his existence by finally killing the first person he considered a friend, and burying the last of his conscience for all that it was worth.

Kill her, Shukaku whispered in his ear. Let me bathe in her blood.

Sakura gave one last word to her teammates before vaulting over the balcony railing and landing across from him, her serious expression a far cry from the tear stained mess he had seen in her earlier match.

"Kick his ass, Sakura-chan!" the blonde yelled, pumping his fist into the air.

"His ass, Sakura, not the building," the Uchiha inputted.

Gaara paid them no attention, his focus fully on the girl before him. It was bewildering how she looked no different, even though it had been over six years since they last met. Certainly, she was taller, leaner, with limbs packed with muscle instead of baby fat, but the clear warmth in her gaze—

He clutched his head, feeling a sharp spike of pain at the memory.

"Gaara, do you know what the two most strongest feelings in the world are?"

—She looked at him as if nothing had changed.

"It's been a while, Gaara," she said at last, lips pulling into a smile. "You've grown a lot."

He narrowed his eyes. She was so terribly unguarded, he had forgotten what it felt like to be looked at with anything but fear. "And you haven't."

She dipped her head. "Consistency is a type of strength."

"There's only weakness without change, and death in weakness," he shot back, thinking back to every assassin that once attempted for his life and failed. "I've learned better now."

She looked resigned. "So the strength of your will against mine— shall we see who is right?"

Without waiting for the proctor's signal, the battle started with an immediate clash as Gaara moved his sand to crush Sakura, only for her to twist out of reach and flicker straight towards him, not a hint of hesitation in her gaze.

Sand rose up to protect him as Sakura came from his right, and her fist burst through the shield, missing Gaara by a hair's breadth. He staggered back in surprise, perhaps for the first time in his life, forced to retreat and create distance.

It was just as he predicted. Normal taijutsu could be stopped as long as his sand moved faster, but with the way Sakura used her chakra on impact— much like the arena wall, his sand would disperse unless it was dense enough.

Summoning more sand from his gourd, he reinforced his shield and moved on the offense, chasing after Sakura's retreating figure.

Fast, he inwardly observed, noticing his sand was unable to keep up. Her speed was comparable to the boy Kankuro had lost to, and Gaara knew it would be very difficult to catch her.

Seensing her approach, he summoned more sand into a second layer of defense as Sakura's foot came flying out. The sand broke under her heel, but it was enough to stop her momentum, leaving her open for his counter. Another wave of sand came snaking out from behind, and Sakura jumped back in retreat, flickering through a set of hand seals.

"Suiton: Mizurappa!"

A flood of water burst from her mouth, rushing across the arena as his sand fortified into a wall around him. The water crashed against his shield in waves, and immediately his sand felt heavy and sluggish, falling to the floor in wet chunks.

She flickered towards him again, too fast for the wet sand to properly react, and Gaara had a split second to see her break through the remaining wall and burrow her fist into his stomach, before he was launched across the arena with bone shattering force.

Gaara crashed into the back wall, breaking through concrete, and white hot pain exploded over his entire torso. His gourd had protected his back and neck from behind, but Sakura's fist had made direct contact, obliterating his sand armor almost instantly.

"Gaara!" a voice screamed in the distance.

Ignoring the outcry, Gaara struggled to move. He was crushed into the wall, his heart racing, limbs shaking, his breath caught in his throat— a sharp throbbing pulse reverberated across his entire body, and he knew several bones had been broken, already able to feel Shukaku's chakra heal the injuries for the first time in his life.

He coughed blood, nearly choking from the pain, and Gaara stared down in shock.

Blood.

He hadn't seen his own blood since the night he carved his forehead, declaring that he would only love himself.

Kill her! Kill her! Shukaku screamed into his ears. Let me do it, boy! You're weak! Foolish!

He grunted with effort, barely holding back Shukaku's wild chakra. It was healing him faster than he expected, but Gaara felt as if he would lose all control at a moment's notice.

He had known this wouldn't be an easy battle, and inwardly admitted that Sakura held the current advantage— water ninjutsu and close combat taijutsu were two of his greatest weaknesses.

Gaara pushed himself up, watching as the remainder of his sand armor crumbled away. His last match had depleted more chakra than expected, and he knew without the extra armor, he couldn't afford another hit from Sakura.

He needed to end this as quickly as possible.

Flipping through a set of hand seals, Gaara slammed his hands into the ground, calling upon the earth beneath them.

"Ryūsa Bakuryū!"

The floor tiles ripped apart as the sand deep within the earth rose like a terrible tsunami, climbing higher and higher until it threatened the spectators above him. Sakura jumped back, leaping onto the statue as the entire floor turned into sand, leaving only a small pool of water.

Gaara waved his hand and the tsunami broke towards her in a massive wave, flooding the entire arena from all sides. With this, there would be nowhere for her to hide.

Sakura stared at the incoming sand with wide eyes, before reaching into her waist pouch and pulling out a single kunai. Her hand glowed with chakra as she gripped the wrapping, and Gaara heard another shout from across the spectators.

"Sakura, don't!"

She threw the kunai towards the oncoming tsunami, and Gaara wondered what sort of ridiculous ploy she was attempting, when she raised a hand seal to her lips, and cried, "Kai!"

His vision exploded in blinding white light as the kunai detonated, throwing sand in every direction, and Gaara clamped his eyes shut, momentarily feeling as if he had been blasted with fire by the sheer heat. The arena quaked, and screams of unsuspecting Genin filled his ears as chunks of the ceiling broke, raining debris down upon their heads.

"Sakura!" someone yelled. "I said not the building!"

Gaara's sand moved to protect him, and he saw Sakura leap down, emerging from the dust. Her arms were scorched and raw, clearly injured by her own creation, and she landed heavily on the ground, her footing unstable on the sand. Thanks to his earlier display, the entire arena had been turned into a small desert.

"My bad!" she waved to her teammates. "That seal is still a prototype!"

"Exactly!"

Without another response, Sakura charged him again, and Gaara moved his hand, commanding all the sand to rise up and bury her once more.

She weaved through a set of hand seals, ready with a counter. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"

Sakura blew out a torrent of water, much greater than before, effectively subduing the sand around her. The water crashed wildly, moving in a large hurricane as if she were the eye, and Gaara raised the sand in a similar manner, intent on meeting her attack head on.

Both elements crashed in a great heap, and Gaara pressed his hands into the sand, feeling for Sakura's presence. Even with Shukaku's healing, his entire body ached with every breath and movement, Gaara knew he wouldn't last much longer unless he transformed. The pain alone was nearly unbearable.

Aiming blindly, he poured chakra from his hands and forced the sand to compress. "Sabaku Taisō!"

Just as the first wave began to flatten, there was a sharp cry and Gaara looked up to see Sakura breaking through, the wet sand unable to properly hold her down. She crashed into him, knuckles digging into the side of his jaw, and Gaara was acutely aware of how weak her punch felt, before he toppled into the ground.

A rush of water fell down on both of them, and he gasped as his torso erupted into another staccato of pain, in momentary disbelief that his neck hadn't snapped from the blow.

There had been no chakra behind that strike.

The water receded, quickly sinking into the sand, and his fingers dug into the ground in an effort to push himself up. He panted heavily, turning to the side to see Sakura collapsed a short distance away.

"You..." he gasped, trying to regain his breath as he coughed another mouthful of blood.

Why did you hold back?

"I'm out of chakra," Sakura heaved, seemingly unable to move. "I guess… this is as far as I can go."

No, he wanted to scream. He couldn't have it end like this. Gaara forced himself to stand, clutching his stomach in support. "Get up, Sakura."

She only grinned in response. "You really have grown well. Your strength, your will… I acknowledge it. This is your victory, Gaara."

She acknowledged him. It was a statement that Gaara had longed to hear all his life, but for some reason he felt more empty than ever.

He should kill her. He needed to kill her. Only then would he feel fulfilled by his decisions. He would never again have to wonder, what-if.

The sand around her trembled in response to his killing intent. "You're giving up?"

"On you? Never," she shook her head, her gaze warm once more. "This is simply where I pass the torch to my teammates. When you meet them in the finals, they'll continue the fight in my stead. Through them… that is my will of fire."

Gaara stood like a statue, watching her with unwavering eyes as he tried to process her words. He just couldn't make sense of it.

"Sakura-chan!"

The blonde boy and the Uchiha came running forth, stopping beside Sakura in a protective manner as they tried to help her up, completely ignoring his presence.

"Ow, Naruto, ow! Easy! Sasuke, not the arms, gah— Kaka-sensei, help!"

Turning away from the scene, Gaara briefly glanced up at his own team, noticing the immediate reaction. Termari flinched, Kankuro took a small step back, and Baki remained as expressionless as ever, unmoved by his victory.

Depending on them seemed like an impossible notion.

Yet, seeing Sakura's team crowd around her with a combination of cheers and concern, not a hint of hesitation in their actions, made him desperately wish for the same thing.

Shukaku was right. He really was weak and foolish.

"Winner, Gaara!"

.

.

It took ten minutes for a group of Chūnin to fix the arena, and Itachi had a sneaking suspicion that the list of shinobi Sakura had inadvertently upset with her consistent destruction of property had just grown longer.

He couldn't imagine the damage she wrecked on a day-to-day basis when creating those explosive seals, and felt a smidgen of pity knowing they were still considered prototypes.

"What did I say about using those seals?" Kakashi admonished, his voice traveling across the arena as Sakura was assessed by medic-nin.

"Ehhhh," she pouted. "It was an emergency! Besides, I only used one."

Kakashi looked unimpressed. "I believe I advised you to use none."

Sakura just responded with a weak smile.

Itachi felt his lips curl in amusement, watching as Kakashi followed Sakura to the hospital, his lecture on her recklessness audible until they disappeared around the corner. It was a new sight for him, even though he had been part of Kakashi's Anbu squad for nearly three years, Itachi had never seen his former captain fuss over someone to this extent.

This was perhaps another testament to how Team Seven changed Kakashi's stone cold exterior and banded them together like an unbreakable force. He couldn't imagine the four of them apart from each other, and he wondered how the dynamics would change if Naruto or Sasuke managed to receive a Chūnin promotion first.

It was a shame to see Sakura knocked out before the final match, but she had put up an impressive fight, and had her opponent been anyone else, Itachi was certain she would have won until the end.

Although glancing at the Suna boy, Itachi deduced him to be in far worse shape, and wasn't sure if his current state could really be considered a victory.

"He has six broken ribs, multiple ruptured organs, and a punctured lung about to collapse," the medic-nin said in panic, speaking in hushed tones with the boy's sensei. "This is life threatening. He needs to be seen right away."

"Very well," the man clipped, following the medic team as Gaara was similarly carried out.

Once the Chūnin finished resurfacing the ground, the next round of battles were called, and a boy from Iwa was matched against Hyūga Neji.

Itachi knew there would be nothing exciting about proctoring Genin fights, but after watching Sakura and Gaara's match, everything seemed to pale in comparison.

Both were clearly beyond the average Genin level, and if Itachi had to pick, he'd estimate their current strength to sit near low Jōnin.

Perhaps even greater.

Sakura had always been a fascinating case study from the moment he met her. He knew she was incredibly sharp minded and mature beyond her age, but it was her ability to compartmentalize anything she saw and apply that knowledge almost immediately whether in field or study, that stood to be most impressive.

It was as if she had an instinctual understanding of the world, and whatever she attempted, she succeeded in.

Itachi had been called a genius all his life, compared to the likes of Kakashi and the Yondaime, but he wasn't sure where to categorize Sakura's potential. As ridiculous as it sounded, interacting with her often felt as if he was speaking to a wise elder— someone who experienced the world with far more clarity than the ones who merely lived in it.

She was most certainly the best talent Itachi had seen in the new generation, and was pleased to know that Sasuke had such a reliable friend to depend on.

A flicker to his left caught his eye, and Itachi glanced over to see Shisui flipping through some hand signals.

Hungry— Bored— Leave approved?

Itachi sighed behind his mask and signed back.

No.

Shisui slumped his shoulders just as the match finished, declaring the Hyūga boy as the victor, and Itachi turned his attention back to the arena.

The next few matches droned on, and eventually Naruto was called against an opponent from Ame, and Sasuke fought a boy from Suna.

To his relief, both won without relative difficulty and slated themselves for the final round. His little brother was growing so quickly, Itachi knew it was only a matter of time before he came around asking to be trained again, especially with his newly awakened Sharingan.

This time, he would have no grounds to refuse Sasuke either. Maybe later had become now.

It was a novel feeling. Scarred from the effects of the Third Shinobi War, Itachi had disliked fighting from a young age and wished for peace in his life more than anything else in the world.

When Sasuke was born, Itachi had swore to become strong enough for the both of them, so that his younger brother would never have to know the horrors of war. He could still remember the first man he had ever killed when he was seven, and would wish Sasuke blind and deaf if it meant him not having to experience the same tragedy.

However, Itachi soon learned that keeping Sasuke away from the clutches of the shinobi system would be nigh impossible. The clan began to fall apart, decade old corruption was rearing its head, and he felt forced into a corner with every passing day.

Then the White Anbu showed up.

He took another quick glance at Shisui, wondering what would have happened had he not been saved that day. It was a hypothetical conversation the two had many times in the past, and it often left him wondering about the identity of their mysterious saviour.

Without him, Itachi would have never been standing here, overlooking the Chūnin Exam in a relative time of peace, that was for certain.

"Congratulations to everyone who has made it thus far! We will now be announcing the final match lineup based on the numbers you drew, so please listen carefully," Hayate announced, clearing his throat as he opened up a piece of paper.

"The first block is Rock Lee versus Hyūga Neji, then Shikamaru Nara versus Temari. The second block is Uzumaki Naruto versus Gaara, then Uchiha Sasuke versus Dosu Kinuta. Lastly, the third block is Nezumi versus Akada Kawaki, then Tsukune versus Yudachi. You will have the opportunity to advance two times within your block, then the final three contestants will draw for the last lineup."

Immediately the air between the Genin grew tense, and he noticed Sasuke and Naruto shoot each other a challenging stare.

Sparks crackled between their gaze, neither backing down from the fight, and Itachi considered the situation with deep thought.

In a serious match outside of the training ground, he had no sure prediction on who would win. Between Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, the answer had always been Sakura. Between Naruto and Sasuke, however, the tide could really turn either way.

"Does that mean one person in the final three will have to fight twice?" Nara raised his hand, looking thoroughly exhausted at the idea.

"That's correct," Hayate confirmed. "There will be a brief intermission before the final match, but part of this exam also considers your drawing luck."

Itachi agreed. Both Naruto and Sasuke had been fortunate to pair with opponents of a significantly lower caliber, whereas Sakura had no such luck.

"If there are no more questions, you are all dismissed until a month from now!" Sarutobi spoke up. "I commend you all for your hard work these past few days and I look forward to your performance in the final matches."

With that, the arena finally began to clear out, and Itachi spotted Naruto and Sasuke running towards the exit.

"Hurry up, teme, we gotta go see Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, pulling the two around the corner.

In a matter of seconds, the stadium was quiet at last, with only Hayate and Sarutobi remaining.

"Hawk, Panther."

Itachi flickered before the Hokage at his call, lowering himself to one knee as Shisui did the same beside him.

"Any clues?" Sarutobi asked, suddenly appearing twenty years older.

Shisui shook his head. "No one seemed suspicious, Hokage-sama. Even if Orochimaru had been masquerading in someone else's body, we would have noticed. All the contestants as well as their representing Jōnin leaders seemed legitimate."

Sarutobi grimaced, jaw tight as he stared out into the distance. "I'm afraid Orochimari had his eyes elsewhere— Uchiha Ichirō was targeted again."

Realization dawned within Itachi's mind. So that was why Yūgao had come to report earlier, slipping in between matches with an urgent notice.

"An hour ago, Boar clashed with an intruder at Headquarters," Sarutobi revealed. "A man named Kabuto Yakushi, who had been impersonating a Genin earlier in the exam— highly capable, and confirmed to be Orochimaru's spy. He needs to be found and his movements tracked."

Itachi bowed his head. "I can prepare Squad One for immediate action."

Sarutobi shook his head. "No. I need your squad for border surveillance on Orochimaru. He's been slipping in and out of our perimeters way too seamlessly. We need to find his method before the final matches take place, or I fear there will be more casualties like Uchiha Ichirō."

"I understand," he affirmed.

"Hayate," Sarutobi called. "You will track Kabuto. I need to know where he's going and who he's speaking to, but stay distanced and do not engage."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi gave another weary sigh. "And keep your eyes out for Jiraiya as well. I have a feeling he'll be returning in the next few days."

Hayate looked shocked. "Jiraiya-sama is coming back?"

"Most likely," Sarutobi said, rubbing his forehead in a stress relieving maneuver. "So double check the women's hot springs while you're at it."

.

.

Sakura stared up at the ceiling in the hospital, counting the perforations as she waited for the attending medic-nin to finish wrapping her injuries.

Truly, there was no rest for the wicked.

Nearly every inch of her exposed skin had been torn raw by Gaara's sand, and Sakura promised herself to never again perform such a reckless maneuver. Although surface abrasions were nothing compared to the possibility of getting her bones shattered like Lee once suffered, charging through a wall of sand by sheer force had not been her best idea.

"All right, Sakura-san, refrain from touching the bandages, and rest up for today," the medic-nin instructed. "Chakra exhaustion is nothing to scoff at."

"Thank you," she raised a hand, gently waving in farewell as the medic dropped her clipboard at the door and left.

Watching the door close, Sakura pressed her fingers up against her hairline, healing the injury that the medic had missed, and soothing the inflammation around her ear.

"Sakura," Kakashi said in caution. "Running low on chakra does not mean, use more chakra."

She dropped her hand in defeat, turning to face him. Kakashi was seated beside her, nose pressed into his favorite Icha Icha, yet she could see the worry expressed in his lone eye as he stared at her.

"I'm fine," she said reassuringly. "It's not as bad as you think."

He snapped his book shut. "So you really threw away the match on purpose?"

Sakura inwardly groaned, knowing it had been impossible to try and fool him. She hadn't been lying when she claimed to be out of chakra, but it was also true that she wanted to lose.

"How'd you guess?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Kakashi raised a brow. "The last time I saw you use that suiton jutsu was when I taught it to you three months ago. To which you said—"

"I can never use this," Sakura recited from memory, slapping a hand over her face in embarrassment.

"—it took half my chakra," Kakashi finished, looking rather smug. "Besides, that was a fight you could have won with your taijutsu alone, had you not hesitated after the first hit."

"Are you disappointed in me?" she asked softly.

Kakashi gave her a long look. "Sakura, I would never be disappointed over failure."

"I mean, are you disappointed that I nearly killed a friend, only to lose?" she clarified, thinking back on Gaara's severe injuries.

"Did you intend to kill him?"

"No, of course not, but—"

"Because he had every intention to kill you," Kakashi said seriously. "Did you know that?"

Sakura sighed softly, slumping into the bed. "Yeah. It was personal."

"I don't know the history between you two, but I do know that fighting is the best form of communication between shinobi at times," he said gently. "Perhaps the only form that that boy knows."

"You're right," she agreed. "It just feels depressing to know that there's nothing more I can do for him."

"Why is that?"

Sakura shrugged, wrinkling the sheets between her fingers. "Because the kind of trauma Gaara deals with— it's not something I could ever understand without experience. Even if we fight, winning would have had no meaning."

Realization dawned in his eyes, and Kakashi nodded. "I'm sure he and Naruto would have gotten along well."

Sakura smiled. "Speaking of, shouldn't you be with Naruto and Sasuke at the preliminaries? While I'm not adverse to your presence— don't you also hate hospitals?"

"Nonsense," Kakashi retorted, smacking the top of her head with the spine of his Icha Icha. "How could I leave my cute little Genin alone?"

"I'm gonna pass next time, I swear," she grumbled, rubbing her head. "Naruto and Sasuke would never let me live it down if I'm the only Genin on our team."

"Well, you've had some very bad luck for the entire Chūnin Exam," he recalled, propping his chin against his hand. "Are you sure you haven't crossed a black cat recently?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, but I have crossed an ugly, black-haired Sannin. I assume the Hokage wants a report?"

Kakashi sighed, evidently caught. "Yes. I was ordered to receive separate testimonies from all three of you."

"I can't believe you followed me here just to give me homework," she shot him a glare, which he blinked innocently at.

"Don't blame the messenger, Sakura, you know I hate reports too."

Suddenly reminded of their encounter in the forest, Sakuda felt her happy mood instantly evaporate.

"Uchiha Ichirō," she said, grabbing Kakashi's hand in mild panic. "Did he survive?"

His gaze softened, and Sakura was reminded that Ichirō was also a student of Kakashi in a way— through the Shinobi Restoration Program.

"He's alive," he nodded. "I've been told that he's being protected in a special unit as he recovers."

"He'll recover?" Sakura repeated in disbelief, wondering if Ichirō had made it through the induction phase after all. "That seal on his neck…"

"Juinjutsu," Kakashi supplied, his gaze dark. "It can never be removed but it can be suppressed."

Sakura fidgeted with the sheets again, feeling guilt claw its way up her throat. She knew of a way to remove it, but similarly to the initial administration, the survival rate was low. "Can he receive visitors?"

He shook his head. "Unlikely. As Orochimaru's current target, Ichirō's exact location can't be divulged to the public."

"I understand," she muttered, trying to consider all her options in tracking him.

Sei and Mika had been unable to find him above ground, which meant he was likely being protected in an underground facility.

Perhaps the Anbu Headquarters.

"Don't blame yourself," Kakashi consoled, patting her hand in return. "There was nothing you could have done."

Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

How wrong he was.

"Yeah," she managed to force out. "I wonder how Sasuke is feeling about it?"

Just then, a familiar voice echoed down the hall to her room, causing her to wince at the sheer loudness of it. "SAKURA-CHAAAAN!"

Kakashi leaned back into his chair, reopening Icha Icha. "And here they come."

Sure enough, Naruto burst through the door, immediately followed by Sasuke, the two caught in some sort of grappling match over a takeout bag.

"Let go, teme!"

"You let go, dobe!"

"You're gonna spill it!"

"Then stop pulling!"

"Oi," Kakashi warned in a low tone. "Quiet in the hospital. You two want to get kicked out?"

Immediately boy boys shut their mouths, settling for glaring at the other as they resorted to jabbing elbows. Sakura took a moment to scan for any injuries, noting with relief that both looked relatively unscathed.

"So, how'd it go?" she asked, grinning at their antics.

As expected, Naruto exploded into shouts again. "We won, Sakura-chan! Teme and I are fighting in the same block for the finals!"

"Well, Naruto is up against Gaara first, and I'm fighting an Otogkaure Genin," Sasuke clarified. "Should dobe win, he'll face me in the next round."

"Should you win too," Naruto inputted.

Sasuke shrugged. "That's a given, of course."

"There's a month of preparation for a reason, Sasuke," she reminded. "Never underestimate your opponent too early. That's a lot of time to improve."

"I'm gonna be training too," Sasuke crossed his arms, looking petulant. "Now that I have my Sharingan, I need to learn how to properly master it."

He looked towards Kakashi, who merely gave a resigned shake of his head. "Sharingan training will be subpar coming from me, Sasuke, you know this."

"Nii-san will never agree though," Sasuke glared into the floor, upset. "I don't think I'll ever be good enough for him to consider training me."

"I'm sure that's not the case," Sakura interjected, thinking back on Itachi's past. Knowing his personality, she was quite certain of his actual reasons in saying no. "I have a feeling your brother will agree in hindsight of your recent growth, so why don't you ask one last time?"

Sasuke made a face, both hopeful and afraid. "Fine."

"Ne, ne, what about me?" Naruto asked, pointing to himself with wide eyes.

"I will be training you," Kakashi answered, his eye crinkling. "There's a lot to do in one month so I hope you're ready."

Naruto paled at the prospect. "Sakura-chan, you'll be there too, right?"

She shook her head with a grin. "Nope. I will be using the time to work on some old fuinjutsu projects, so you'll have Kakashi-sensei all to yourself!"

Naruto gulped, before a determined look crossed his eyes. "Bring it on, sensei! I'm ready for anything, dattebayo!"

"That's the spirit!" Sakura clapped in encouragement. "Now the real question is— what's in the takeout bag?"

Naruto's eyes lit up like stars, raising one of the bags like a holy grail. "Ichiraku's!"

"Oh! Is it the first day of the month already?" she gasped, wondering where the time had gone.

"That's right!" Naruto cheered. "Kakashi-sensei reminded us to bring food for Team Seven dinner— no way we can miss it!"

"Hush," Kakashi chastised, glancing off to the side. "When did I ever say that?"

Sakura laughed as Naruto dragged a small table over and Sasuke plopped down the remaining bags, joy overflowing within her heart. It was a scene she would have never seen in the past, and a reminder that while some things were lost, a lot was also gained.

"Dobe, we have a problem," Sasuke called, poking his head into each bag in search of something.

"What?"

"We forgot the chopsticks," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto screamed.

.

.

Sakura only had one goal during the month before the final match.

As expected, Itachi had taken Sasuke under his wing— to which Sasuke will forever deny crying about— and Kakashi had whisked Naruto away into the remote mountains, training in isolation.

Which left Sakura to manage everything that needed to get done before the invasion, starting with the most important step— connecting with Jiraiya.

If there was one person Sakura could burden with the knowledge of her true origins, it was him. From the beginning, she knew there was no way of managing the new future on her own, so revealing her alter ego had to happen at some point.

It was just balancing the delicate matter of how.

Finding the Sannin was the easy part. Crouched against the wooden planks near the women's hot springs and giggling to himself, Sakura wondered how no one had caught him yet. Even with his chakra suppressed to nearly undetectable levels, his bright red haori and long white hair weren't exactly camouflaging into the scenery.

Sakura tapped her foot, activating the concealment circle she had set up the day prior. With the seal active, the two would be completely hidden from the rest of the world for ten minutes, allowing a crucial window for her to speak.

As if sensing the change, Jiraiya immediately turned around as the fuinjutsu settled into the stone ground, visibly confused to see her standing behind him.

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama," she greeted with a smile. "Can we talk?"

He frowned, his gaze turning contemplative as he clearly struggled with either dismissing her as a child or taking the situation seriously. "Who are you, kid?"

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she introduced, giving him a respectful bow. "Currently a Genin in Team Seven under Kakashi-sensei."

He grunted, deciding on dismissing her with a flap of his hand. "I don't know what kind of trick you're playing but I'm not interested in kids. Go play with Kakashi, I have important things to do right now."

"I also have important things to do, so I was hoping you could spare a moment to speak with me," she said seriously.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, little girl, so scamper off before you make me mad," Jiraiya pressed, unwavering in his decision.

"But Jiraiya-sama—"

"Shoo!" he scowled, pressing his face back between the wooden planks to resume his peeping.

Sakura knew he was trying to scare her off, and had she been the same twelve year old from the past, it most definitely would have worked.

Perhaps she needed to drop a bomb after all.

Biting the edge of her thumb, Sakura slammed her palm into the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Kanae appeared in a cloud of smoke, his golden eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared between her and Jiraiya. Pinned under his front paw was a long wooden cane that once belonged to Danzō.

"So it's happening," he muttered, readjusting his stance in a protective curl around Sakura.

"Yes," she replied, sharpening her focus. Sakura picked up the cane and tossed it towards Jiraiya as he turned back around, both watching as it clattered loudly against the stone. "Is this enough? Or would you like to see his head as well?"

Jiraiya took one long look at the cane, before slowly reaching out to pick it up. He twirled the wood in his hand and observed the handle as if checking for authenticity, then darted his eyes back to her, seemingly a completely different man.

There was danger in his gaze.

"Who are you really?" he demanded, rising to his full height. "Another one of Orochimaru's spies? Little girl or not, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"What I said earlier was the truth," she affirmed, unfazed by his killing intent. "I have no ill intentions against you or Konoha."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "What is your relationship with the White Anbu? Is he your true master?"

Sakura smiled slightly, amused at the thought. "No. I am the White Anbu."

He barked out a laugh. "Impossible. I don't know who you're trying to fool, but the extent of his skills are not feasible by a Genin like you— what are you, twelve?"

"Thirty-three, actually," she corrected. "Twenty-six years in my last life and seven in this one."

"Really," he said sarcastically. "I could have sworn I had memories of my last reincarnation too."

"It's not reincarnation," Kanae spoke up. "She's traveled back in time to prevent the destruction of everything we know. Think carefully about the prophecy Gamamaru gave you."

At this, Jiraiya grew genuinely shocked, momentarily at a loss for words. He glanced back between her and Kanae, seemingly unsure of how to proceed. The prophecy had been a secret between him and the great toad sage. Even if Sakura had been the world's best spy, there was no way she could have known that information.

"It's Naruto," Sakura said softly. "Not Nagato, not the Yondaime— it's Naruto and Sasuke who reflect the children of prophecy."

"So they failed?" he asked at last, voice low.

Sakura shook her head. "They saved the world, but… it was soon destroyed by another incident Gamamaru failed to see. I came here to right those wrongs, and I need your help, Jiraiya-sama. I've done what I can, but the events to come are unthinkable for me to take on alone."

Jiraiya turned quiet again, his expression of serious contemplation.

"Then let me ask this one thing," he raised a finger, pointing to her. "Why you? Why not Naruto? Or this Sasuke boy?"

Long suppressed despair flooded her heart like a wound torn open. "Naruto was killed. Sasuke killed him right after they saved the world from Kaguya."

"Kaguya?"

"Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's mother," she explained quickly. "She is the embodiment of the destruction that Gamamaru foretold. Without Naruto and Sasuke, it would have been impossible to seal her."

He crossed his arms. "And why did Sasuke kill Naruto?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "I'm afraid that's a long story, and my concealment seal will soon disappear. Will you trust me?"

She extended out a hand in anticipation, an unspoken olive branch for him to hold.

After starting at the appendage as if it were alien, Jiraiya slowly lifted his own hand. "If for even a second, I feel my trust is misplaced, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Sakura grinned. "I would expect no less, Jiraiya-sama."

Hand clasped over hers, Sakura nodded to Kanae on cue, and with a great tug of summoning, all three vanished from the hot springs.

…

"Jiraiya-sama?"

"I think he's dead."

"Quiet, Sei!"

"Jiraiya-sama, can you say something?"

"Leave him be, Sakura," Tokaseji said gently, her massive red scales rippling in the light as she slowly shook her head. "He has received a great deal of shock in a short amount of time."

Sakura turned to the great sage, craning her neck to meet her gaze. Even now, it was hard to believe she had been alive for over a thousand years, watching the world pass from the beginning of Kaguya's original reign.

She had been just as shocked as Jiraiya when she and Kakashi first arrived on Kazan Island, the home of her summons, and heard the history of the known world stretched out before her.

"An unfinished prophecy," Jiraiya said at last, voice barely above a whisper. "How can we ever be certain that Sasuke won't succumb to his gruesome destiny like Uchiha Madara?"

"Because he has his family to ground him this time around," Sakura said confidently. "I can't speak for the distant future, but as long as the Curse of Hatred never takes root in his Sharingan, I believe he won't falter."

"Yes, but how can we trust that?"

"We can't," Sakura admitted. "If something happened to him, or god-forbid, his brother, then I can't predict with certainty on how he will react. We can only trust in Naruto to pull him back."

"Except he died trying," Jiraiya muttered.

Sakura smiled bitterly. "I won't let him fight alone if that happens again."

Jiraiya studied her carefully. "And what if we can stall the resurrection of Kaguya completely? Naruto and Sasuke will never have to activate their Sage of Six Paths chakra, and without the Rinnegan, it'll be very unlikely that Sasuke could destroy the world."

"That's always been my original intention," Sakura nodded firmly. "But preparations for the war have been in place long before I was even born— I'm afraid some things can no longer be prevented."

"You mean Black Zetsu," he confirmed.

"Precisely," she nodded. "I've been trying to track him for almost six years now, but he's scarily invisible when he wants to be. Apart from Uchiha Madara's resurrection and Obito's plan, he's the greatest threat we face."

"And you had planned to seal him?"

Sakura frowned. "Yes, but I fear it won't be enough. As you know, each Hiraishin user has their own dimension of space we use to teleport in and out of, and it was my intention to seal him into a pocket of that space. However, as he is an extension of Kaguya, I worry that only Naruto and Sasuke can seal him permanently using Rikudō Chibaku Tensei."

Jiraiya closed his eyes. "Which means fulfilling their inheritance as progenitors of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, and for Sasuke, awakening the Rinnegan."

"Unfortunately, yes," she sighed.

The Sannin grew quiet again, looking to be asleep as he held absolutely still, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Well, we can consider other options when the time comes. For now, we have more pressing matters at hand, don't we?"

Sakura agreed. "The Akatsuki. By Zetsu and Madara's extension, Obito has been working in the shadows for over a decade now. By killing Danzō, I was able to prevent Itachi from joining them, but now that's one less spy and still ten incredibly powerful shinobi that remains our enemy."

Her heart ached for Obito at the thought. After knowing his story, she had desperately wished to be able to travel back further and save him from his tragic fate.

But he was already far out of her hands.

"Nagato," Jiraiya clutched his head, his voice laced in pain. "So I had played a part in this too."

"Yahiko's death wasn't your fault," Sakura comforted, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "Neither is the man Nagato became."

"Sakura is right," Tokaseji agreed, her ancient voice echoing through the main chamber like bells. "Gamamaru had placed a heavy burden on you by declaring your actions vital for the children of prophecy. Yet you can not claim responsibility for all their choices."

"But I must take responsibility for my mistakes," he said solemnly, eyes hard. "Starting with Orochimaru."

"We'll take him on together," Sakura said resolutely. "I missed my chance in the forest, but I won't let it happen again during the invasion. If what I predict comes to fruition, I suspect we'll need every hand protecting Konoha during the meantime."

Jiraiya frowned in concern. "You mean Suna's betrayal?"

"Worse," she said softly. "For some reason, Iwa chose to participate in the Chūnin Exams, which means the Tsuchikage will be making an appearance during the final match. Not only do Suna and Iwa have the worst relationship out of all the major villages, but it appears Orochimaru has hired countless of missing-nin across the board for the invasion to cripple all three of us and start another war."

"That's why movements below ground have been quieter recently," Jiraiya murmured in realization. "The number of missing-nin with grudges against Konoha, Iwa and Suna are nothing to scoff at."

"Exactly," Sakura nodded. "I don't know the details of who he was able to hire, but at least we can be certain that Akatsuki won't move for now. This is the best chance we have."

"Then how do you plan to separate Orochimaru from Sarutobi-sensei?" he asked, crossing his arms. "There's no sure way we can lure him."

"I have an idea, but it'll require some cooperation with the Sandiame," she answered, eyes narrowing in thought. "If it doesn't work, I'll have to break through the Shishienjin barrier by force."

"That's impossible."

Sakura raised a brow. "You once told me time-travel was impossible, yet here I am, Jiraiya-sama."

"Touché," he muttered. "So what's the plan, kid?"

She rubbed her hands together, excitement boiling in her veins. It was finally happening.

"First, we have a little spy to kill."

.

.

Hayate Gekko was on the most critical mission of his life.

One minute, he was tailing Orochimaru's spy, watching as Kabuto stood on the balcony of Kikyō Castle as if waiting for someone, and the next, a gloved hand wrapped around his mouth followed by a kunai against his throat.

He froze, cold fear rushing through his blood. Hayate had always prided himself as a sensor type, and was confident in his skills to detect ambushes. The fact that someone had been able to get so close without his knowledge and actually initiate physical contact meant mountains of that shinobi's skill.

Whoever stood behind him was not someone to be underestimated.

"Don't even breathe," a smooth voice commanded quietly by his ear. "He already knows you're here."

Hayate forced his eyes to nearly roll into the side of his head, and caught a glimpse of a blank Anbu mask.

Another shiver ran down his spine and he didn't dare to move. He had heard about the infamous White Anbu for years and years, never thinking that he would come so close. If he was also a subordinate of Orochimaru, Hayate knew he needed to get such information to the Hokage, but the prospect felt entirely hopeless.

Rumors of the White Anbu had turned him into a monstrous legend over the years, and Hayate had no way of matching or escaping such a shinobi.

Just as his thoughts turned dark, he saw a white flash across Kikyō Castle, and Hayate barely had a second to register the silhouette of another White Anbu materializing behind Kabuto, grabbing the back of his neck. In the next instant, the two utterly disappeared into thin air.

His breath caught in his throat, Hayate blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Another White Anbu— or perhaps a clone? Where had he taken Kabuto?

The Anbu's hand suddenly tightened around his mouth, and Hayate felt a jolt of dread at his position. He couldn't even move, much less escape.

"Clamp your jaw," the voice ordered.

Before he could fight back, the ground under his feet disappeared and the world spun around as if he had been thrown into a kaleidoscope. He was being squeezed from all sides, unable to breathe, unable to even scream.

Then air hit his lungs, and the familiar carpeted floor of the Hokage's office blurred beneath him. He collapsed onto all fours, hacking and wheezing from a sudden coughing fit.

What the hell was that?

"You," Sarutobi's voice rang between his ears. "Don't move."

For a second, Hayate thought the address was to him, and he raised his chin, intent on apologizing for compromising the mission.

He glanced up, finding that the Hokage was not in fact looking at him, but at the Anbu behind him. He had stood up from his desk, pipe abandoned, and face more serious than Hayate had ever seen.

The very air in the office seemed to thicken as the two shinobi looked at each other without words, and it was difficult to breathe again. The Hokage's chakra felt unbelievably heavy against his back, and the Anbu spiked back in return, doubling the sensation.

He was trapped between two demons.

Suddenly, the pressure died as the Anbu gave a deep, yet respectful bow, then abruptly dispersed himself in a poof of smoke.

So this one had been the clone after all.

Hayate gasped and coughed into his elbow once more, finally feeling his body move. He had been frozen to the spot, unable to do a thing.

"Hayate," a supporting hand caught his shoulder. "What happened? Are you injured?"

He shook his head rapidly, allowing the fit to pass before he spoke. "H-Hokage-sama, I'm sorry, I didn't even feel him sneak up on me, I had no idea how he— the spy—"

"Breathe, child," the Hokage ordered sternly. "You were supposed to be tailing Kabuto. How did you encounter that Anbu?"

He swallowed, trying to compose himself once more. "I discovered Orochimaru's spy near the hospital this morning and tracked him all the way to Kikyō Castle, where he seemed to be waiting for someone. Before anyone arrived however—"

Hayate coughed violently, nearly shaking from the effort and the memory of what just occurred. He shuddered, unable to forget the looming sense of death behind him.

"He… the Anbu came up behind me and had a kunai to my neck before I even realized he was there," he admitted shamefully, unable to look up. "Then another Anbu— likely the original— grabbed Kabuto by the neck, and they just… vanished."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "He did not hurt you, however?"

Hayate shook his head. "Immediately after disappearing with Kabuto, everything suddenly went black, and in the next instant, he had brought me here."

Which was logically impossible. Kikyō Castle was miles out from the Hokage Tower, sitting near the border where guests often stayed to tour. Even the fastest shinobi couldn't cover the distance under a minute, much less a second.

"To think I would see that again," Sarutobi muttered, blinking in disbelief. He dragged his hand against the carpet, eyes darting around the office as if searching for something. "I believe, Hayate, that you just experienced the Hiraishin."

He coughed again, covering his mouth before daring to respond. "I don't understand, Hokage-sama. The only person who—"

"I know," he said rather solemnly. "However, I now understand why this Anbu has been so difficult to capture. He is no ordinary shinobi indeed— hm?"

With a hesitant hand, the Hokage reached over to Hayate's neck, and he glanced down to see Sarutobi pull out a small white scroll from the junction of his collar. He slowly unraveled it with narrowed eyes, taking in whatever message that was written within.

Hayate stood in shock, unable to believe a scroll had been placed on his person without him even realizing. He reached for his neck, able to feel the slight sting where the kunai had dug into his skin.

He was lucky to be alive.

Sarutobi closed the scroll with a stony expression, clearly bothered by the contents of the message.

"Is it bad, Hokage-sama?"

"A personal note to me, it seems," he replied at last, eyes steely and narrowed. "And a warning."

"Should I prepare a team to track Kabuto?" He asked.

"No," Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know what he plans to do with that spy, but he is no longer our priority. I need you to send out a message to our shinobi— all Jōnin and above— I will schedule a summit as soon as possible. Code Blue."

Hayate widened his eyes in alarm, and nodded to receive the order. The last time Code Blue had been used, the Kyūbi was rampaging on Konoha.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

"Once that is done, go and get some rest," be ordered. "You've done well tracking Kabuto this far."

"What of Jiraiya-sama?" He asked with a frown. "I've been unable to find him in the last few days but I heard rumors of his reappearance in the streets."

Sarutobi sighed. "Leave him be. If he sees the code, he will come. Dismissed, Hayate."

Giving one last bow, he flickered out of the room.

An hour later, when Hayate arrived home, bone-weary and exhausted by the day's events, a pair of round prescription glasses were found at his doorstep, with one lens cracked and the other splattered in fresh blood.

.