Sacrifices for Peace

- Alternate Ending -

A gift for the ItaSaku shippers who suffered, and for me, because I wanted to write it.

** This is not canon for the Sacrifices Universe **

The End and the Beginning

Sakura used her strength to pick up Madara. She needed to get him somewhere a little safer. But as if sensing her, she saw the Nine-Tails turn his attention to her. Everything happened quickly then. She saw a giant, clawed paw come for her. She saw Hashirama's wooden round-giant summon grab the Nine-Tails, but the claw didn't stop. She wasn't going to get away from it, she threw Madara as hard as she could away from her.

It was as if everything happened in slow motion in the next second.

Itachi flickered in front of her, appearing suddenly, just as Tobirama appeared behind her. She caught Itachi's eye, and he seemed relieved to see the Senju. She was transported away, reaching out for him and she felt a slight pinch on her stomach.

And then he was gone with the swipe of the Nine-Tails paw.

Sakura looked at the empty space Itachi was and didn't understand.

"Itachi?" She breathed, uncaring about anything else in that moment. "ITACHI?!" She screamed.

No, no, no, no, no.

"ITACHI! ITACHI! ITACHI!"

She struggled against Tobirama who was holding her and saying something unintelligible to her. She had to find him. Where was he? Where was Itachi? She grabbed Tobirama's arm and pushed him away from her with force, taking off in a sprint into the forest. There was nothing else in her head now except Itachi. She didn't understand what just happened. She burst through the trees, searching for him in the direction she was sure he had to have gone until she found him.

Itachi had landed on his back and Sakura saw his body and the blood drained from her face.

"Itachi!" She cried.

She rushed over to him, her mind empty and panicked and she gripped hand tightly, skidding over next to him on her knees. Tears fell from Sakura's eyes as she looked at his prone, broken body. He opened his eyes and gazed up at her, a softness in his look and an upturn in his lips. She wanted to slap him - how could he look so peaceful when he was clearly dying?

"Don't cry, Sakura."

Itachi coughed and blood spluttered from his mouth. Flecks of red landed on her tear-streaked face, but she didn't move.

"You can't leave me, Itachi," she sobbed.

Her hands flickered green, but it was weak as she held it over his body. It did nothing. If only she hadn't used so much chakra before on that punch and for Madara. She wasn't going to give up. She released her seal again, but winced at it, focusing hard on channeling her chakra into him.

"Sakura, it's not…going to…work," Itachi said.

She shook her head.

"No, it will." She sniffed, scrunching her eyes shut and gasping. "Itachi, please."

He reached a hand to her face and weakly tapped her forehead with his two fingers. She sobbed under his touch, feeling more fractured than she'd ever felt before. Her seal broke and rushed back. She was spent. Adrenaline pulsed through her and she knew it was the only thing keeping her upright at this moment. Black spots crossed her vision.

"Sakura, look at me," he coughed. She did, through tear-filled eyes. "I love you," he breathed through ragged breaths.

"I love you too," she sobbed. "I can't - you can't, Itachi, please don't…why did you do that?"

He almost laughed, but it was more of a cough than anything else.

"It was my…t-turn to save y-you."

"You idiot," she sniffed.

Sakura let out a sob and bent her head to his. Their lips touched. It was a wet and sticky kiss, filled with blood and tears. She pulled her head back and looked at the man she had fallen in love with, the one who'd always been there for her, who was dying in front of her and she couldn't save him as he'd saved her.

"I love you so much, Itachi," she whimpered.

"We saved… their future…" Itachi wheezed. "It's over."

Sakura nodded, crying.

"We did it. Zetsu's gone."

At her words, a look of peace crossed his face.

"Sakura," he breathed her name, and his voice spluttered into quiet.

His breathing stopped after a final heave of his lungs and Sakura stared at him. Her soul felt like it was being torn apart.

"Itachi," she whispered.

She laid her head on his chest, barely noticing the absence of a heartbeat. Her hand went to her stomach, and she pulled it away, seeing wet blood. She was hurt, she realised. She guessed the Nine-Tails didn't miss her after all. She closed her eyes and let her exhaustion and the pain of her wounds take her over. Together, they did it, and now they could die together too. She didn't want to be here without Itachi.

Sakura heard faint voices in the distance, but she could no longer answer them. In the coming light of dawn, Sakura closed her eyes for the last time, and the last thing she saw was the smiling faces of the ones she loved the most…

Itachi, Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke.

Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, Izuna.

Her boys.

Itachi watched Sakura with pride as she decimated the battlefield below him with a single fist. She was glorious in battle, and her determination was second to none. She would never let someone harm her loved ones, and he knew in his heart that Zetsu wasn't going to stand a chance against her. He was already agitated by her words and had become reckless from Tenji's interference and Madara's clear change of heart.

Everything was going according to plan.

He just needed to wait for the right moment. It was hard to do with the Nine-Tails. He'd calculated for the appearance of it, but he remembered the devastation it had caused when he was a child, and he had seen how powerful it was when tamed by a jinchuuriki. He kept careful watch over the situation, all the while keeping an eye on his chakra levels. The Susanoo used an enormous amount of it.

He watched as Sakura screamed at Zetsu, provoking him into leaving Madara, and then he materialised the Totsuka sword and Yuta Mirror of his Susanoo. The weapons of his Susanoo were the endgame. If Indra and Asura hadn't believed that the two of them were capable of sealing away Zetsu without their assistance, the Otsutsuki brothers would never have let them leave that chakra plane without telling them what they needed to do. So Itachi had assumed they already had the necessary tools to seal him away.

He saw Zetsu take Sakura by the throat and Itachi sprang into action. With Zetsu distracted and enraged, it was easy for him to make his move unnoticed. His sword only had to touch its victim for it to work, but he wanted to make Zetsu hurt.

Panic surged through him when he saw that Sakura's eyes were wide and afraid. She couldn't get rid of Zetsu.

"SAKURA!"

He'd never felt his heart stop like that before.

But he saw Tobirama flash behind her and rip her away from Zetsu, who disappeared into the sake jar and he sheathed the sword, locking Zetsu away forever. He let out a breath of relief, Zetsu was gone. It was over, and Sakura was safe. Relief and tiredness flooded his system until he heard the roar of the Nine-Tails. Now that Sakura was safe, he could turn to the new threat. One that he knew Hashirama could deal with, especially since he had gone into his impressive Sage Mode, but that he also could help. Side by side he fought with Hashirama, beating back blow after blow from the Nine-Tails.

Another tailed-beast bomb formed, and before anyone could react, Tobirama had flashed it away again.

Itachi watched as the Nine-Tails eye shifted and its attention caught something else. Something that made Itachi's heart stop. He saw it happen with his Sharingan. The giant front leg of the Nine-Tails moved up and then came crashing down. All Itachi's instincts screamed at him to protect her. His Susanoo vanished as he flickered in front of her, ready to do whatever it took to get her away. Her eyes widened with shock and fear, her hand reached out to him. Tobirama flashed behind her and he felt that same relief before he felt everything and nothing all at once.

Pain, so much pain.

He felt the claw of the Nine-Tails slice him open, he was almost surprised that he remained in one piece as he flew through the forest, hit a rock and rolled onto the ground, landing face up.

He lay there, feeling strange and light, but also so deeply rooted to the ground. Detached. That was it, otherwise, he was sure he'd be screaming. He shakily managed to lift his hand from his stomach and look at it. He smiled faintly. That was a lot of blood.

He let his hand drop and coughed as blood spluttered from his mouth. Dying made it hard to breathe.

It was almost funny to him that in the second he'd decided to act on emotion and instinct alone, he'd made a fatal mistake. It would've been far easier to avoid this situation if he'd simply stopped the claw with his Susanoo. He supposed it would be amusing to Shisui to know that the cool, intellectual genius, Itachi Uchiha, died because of human emotion. He just wanted to protect her, Sakura, the woman he loved.

The world seemed to be getting darker, even though it was barely midday. He blinked. He just wanted to see her one last time. His Sakura.

He heard her scream his name. She came, she was there, she was alive. There was so much he wanted to thank her for, to tell her. But a feeling of peace was settling over him as he looked at her face and heard her tell him she loved him. He loved her too.

Their love wasn't a firework. It didn't come suddenly like a raging fire. No, their love was slow and building. It was smoldering passion and colour and warmth. It was the kind of love that Itachi had only heard about. He didn't really think it existed, but he was glad it did, and he was glad he felt it with her.

One last kiss. One last look at her pink hair, her green eyes, her beautiful, so, so beautiful face.

Itachi drifted into death at peace.

Tobirama found being a sensor a gift and a curse.

Today, it had been a curse.

He'd felt the life of Izuna Uchiha flicker out, and now he felt the life of Itachi Uchiha be cut off as well. Sakura's chakra was so low it was flickering between life and death. He cursed. Madara had just enough chakra thanks to Sakura that he was just out of danger of dying.

He watched with some awe as his brother fought the Nine-Tails. No one else in the world could hold their own against this tailed-beast. It was easy to forget, with all his ridiculous personality quirks, that his brother was the most powerful shinobi in the world. But he thought that Itachi might have rivaled him, even more than Madara. Not that he'd be able to find out since Itachi had just died. Tobirama was bitter, and he made a quick choice. Hashirama would be fine. His chakra was barely half-way spent. He flashed to Madara, placed a hand on him, then transported them both to the seal that he'd placed on Sakura.

He closed his eyes with sorrow at what he saw.

Itachi was sliced open by the claw of the Nine-Tails and blood poured out of him. His eyes were closed, and his face looked oddly at peace. Sakura was gripping his hand, her head lay on his chest, her hair wet with blood, her lips smeared with it.

Her chakra flickered out. He rushed to her in a panic and flipped her. Her stomach was also sliced open. He hadn't moved her fast enough away from the Nine-Tails. He cursed.

"Come on, Sakura," he breathed, pumping his own chakra into her, trying to kick-start her system again. "Please, live, come on, live."

He tried to revive her for five minutes before he finally gave up. His hands were wet with blood, his eyes wet with unshed tears. He looked at Sakura and Itachi and shouted aloud his frustrations and anger at the unfairness of their deaths. They died together, holding hands. It was tragic and beautiful and terrible.

He sat back on his heels and stared up at the annoying blue and cheerful sky. The sounds of Hashirama's battle faded away. He just sat there, beside their bodies. Numb.

Hashirama came minutes later. He stood behind Tobirama and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"How?" He asked quietly.

Tobirama's voice was thick with emotion.

"Sakura spent all her chakra saving Madara, and Itachi protected Sakura from the Nine-Tails," Tobirama answered.

Hashirama knelt beside him.

"This isn't right," he whispered. "They weren't supposed to die."

"No, they weren't." Tobirama swallowed. "They saved us, they did what they were sent here to do."

"They lived as heroes, and they died as heroes. True shinobi of Konoha," Hashirama said. "And we're going to honour them as such."

Madara Uchiha spent six days in a state of chakra exhaustion. During that time, Yuri Uchiha was looked to as the leader of the clan. He refused to make any decisions about a funeral for Izuna and Itachi until Madara woke up.

On the sixth day, Hashirama was sitting in Madara's room, just staring at his friend and questioning how he was going to tell him the truth. He was standing beside him in a flash when he saw Madara's eyes blink. Madara looked unfocused at the roof for a few moments before Hashirama saw him look directly at him. Madara took a deep breath and turned away.

"Why couldn't you just let me die," he murmured.

Hashirama looked at him. "Would you have let me die?" He asked, equally quiet.

Madara didn't reply.

"I'm not going to lie to you, but this is going to be hard to hear, Madara," Hashirama said. "Your clan is trying to organise the funeral ceremonies, but Yuri is waiting for you to wake up."

Madara clenched his jaw, swallowed and then frowned.

"Ceremonies?" He questioned slowly.

His eyes rested on Hashirama and it took everything in him not to show pity towards the Uchiha.

"Ceremonies?" He demanded. "Hashirama. Where. Is. She?"

There was a slight panic in his voice. 'She' could only refer to one person.

"During the attack," Hashirama said slowly, "Sakura and Itachi managed to seal away Zetsu using a sword of sealing that Itachi's Susanoo carried. But Sakura's chakra was drained by Zetsu before that. The Nine-Tails attacked when your control over it broke, and when she found you, Sakura spent a lot of chakra bringing you back from the brink of death."

He swallowed, repeating what Tobirama had told him.

"She was trying to get you away, but the Nine-Tails attacked her. Itachi took the blow for her. He died. She couldn't revive him." He let the words sink in before he continued. "She didn't miss all the attack from the Nine-Tails. She was badly wounded and it seemed like she couldn't heal herself. She's dead, Madara. They both are."

There was a silence in the room between them. Madara turned to look at the ceiling again.

"Get out, Hashirama," Madara said quietly. "Get out."

Hashirama stood and looked at his friend, who had turned away. He didn't miss the tear that rolled down Madara's face. Hashirama left the room feeling weight on his shoulders like he never had before.

Hashirama and Tobirama had gone into the house of Itachi and Sakura and found a collection of scrolls that detailed the future that they'd come from. The village, the history of their time, the dangers that might come, the changes that could be made now for a better future. They also wrote about a memorial stone, where the names of the shinobi who died in battle were engraved and memorialized. A place where heroes of the village were honoured and remembered. It gave them an idea. The memorial stone would be created. But so would something else.

Hashirama used his wood style to create a private, sacred grove, where the deeds of Sakura and Itachi could be honoured. Madara, needing to work, to focus on something else, commissioned a statue of the two of them to be made.

It was named the Garden of Sacrifices and would be the final resting place for the two of them.

The bodies of Izuna, Itachi and Sakura were stored in a specially sealed room in the Hokage Tower, awaiting their funerals.

Their bodies had been washed. Their hair brushed. They rested on cool slabs of stone, naked under a white sheet that covered them from their shoulders to their toes. Only their faces were visible.

Izuna's empty eyes were wrapped in white cloth. Itachi's and Sakura's eyes were closed.

Matsuri chose to be one of the women who prepared them for the ceremony. Asami volunteered as well. Tearfully, the two women washed the bodies of their loved ones again and anointed them with oils that took away the smell of death. They dressed them in fine clothes. Izuna and Itachi, in traditional kimonos of the Uchiha clan. Sakura, in the beautiful kimono she wore to the festival dinner those weeks ago.

When they were dressed, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara came into the room, followed by three beautifully made coffins. They lifted the bodies into them, and Matsuri and Asami proceeded to arrange them inside, brushing out their hair, folding their hands together over their stomachs, and arranging flowers inside.

When they were ready, the small group of people gave their goodbyes.

Asami, who only knew Izuna, kissed his forehead and whispered how much she would have liked to have lived a long and happy life with him. Madara watched on with extreme guilt and nausea and possessiveness.

Matsuri kissed all of them on their cheeks, saying nothing but holding her hands together tightly to stop them from shaking too much.

Into their coffins, Tobirama and Hashirama gifted all of them with a newly minted Konoha headband. Wrapped around one hand and wrist, Hashirama gave them each a string of wooden beads, a traditional Senju funeral gift.

Madara gave Izuna a toy shinobi that he used to play with as a boy. To Itachi, he presented an Uchiha heirloom, a necklace of thick rope with a red painted eye with three tomoe, like the Sharingan. To Sakura, he had nothing. He didn't know what to give her. He stood over her body, and to the surprise of the others, except Hashirama, he leaned down and kissed her tenderly on her lips.

A final good-bye.

Rumours had spread far and wide about the events that happened outside of Konoha. The defeat of the Nine-Tails, and some other vague enemy that had summoned it. Rumours spread like wildfire about the heroics of Sakura and Itachi, strangers who had apparently been tracking down this enemy over the world, who had protected Konoha and become heroes who died saving the village.

The ceremony for the funerals of Izuna, Itachi, and Sakura was something that Hashirama was certain would never happen again.

Hashirama and Madara were dressed in funeral black. Their bodies were unadorned: no weapons, no headbands. Their faces were serious and sorrowful. Behind them followed Tobirama, who mirrored them, with Asami. Then Matsuri and Yuri. Followed by almost the entire village. They led the funeral procession through Konoha, from Hokage tower to the Naka Shrine, where the ceremony would be held for Izuna.

The Uchiha were there, the clan waited for them. The ceremony was short, and Hashirama knew that later in the day, the Uchiha would gather again privately for their own grieving, at sunset, as was their tradition. Izuna's casket was covered and lowered into the ground, guarded over by the elders, who had no wish to see two strangers buried.

The procession moved on to the grove, close to the house where Itachi and Sakura used to live. The statue wasn't completed, so it wasn't there, but two tombstones and two graves were dug.

They said good-bye to Sakura Haruno and Itachi Uchiha with tears and memories and hopes that one day they would be reborn into a better future than they had lived in before.

Itachi opened his eyes and blinked. He stood in a familiar space, a black expanse he'd been in before, with…

"Sakura."

He whipped his head around but he was alone and he felt his stomach drop. Memories flooded back to him. The fight with Zetsu and Madara and the Nine-Tails. The sealing of Zetsu, the wounds from the Nine-Tails. Sakura's tears. His death. He touched his abdomen and chest, where the fatal wounds had been inflicted and then saw his clothes.

He was wearing his Jonin vest again. Exactly what he was wearing in the war. Confusion flooded his mind, what was happening to him and why? Where was Sakura?

"Itachi?"

He felt a flood of emotion run through him at hearing her soft, questioning voice. He turned and saw her. Pink hair, bright green eyes, a confusion that mirrored his own. She was also dressed the same as she was when it all started.

With two quick steps, he reached her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Sakura," he murmured her name into her hair.

A shock ran through him, he released her.

"I died. How are you here?"

He stared at her. She gave a rueful smile and touched his cheek.

"Me too. I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You saved me for a little while, but I wasn't okay. I was hurt and my chakra was gone, and…" she trailed off. "I didn't want to leave you."

Itachi felt his blood run cold.

"You died?"

She gave a small nod and shrug. He pulled her into another hug and felt her arms wrap around him.

"Sorry I couldn't protect you," he apologised.

"Don't be silly," Sakura said with a small laugh. "You did. We might have died, Itachi, but we still did it. We still saved them."

Itachi let her go. She was right.

"At least we're together," he said, a little shyly.

She smiled at him.

"But where are we?" She asked looking around.

A sudden burst of light from behind them drew their attention. Before them stood the glowing and smiling forms of the Sage of Six Paths and his sons. Sakura and Itachi glanced at one another. The last time they had come face to face with the brothers, it had ended in harsh words. It was a long time ago, and many things had happened, but the resentment still hadn't left Itachi for what they had done.

Indra stepped forwards, put a hand on his heart and bent forwards at the waist in a small bow.

"You have my deepest gratitude," he said seriously, taking Itachi and Sakura by surprise.

"And mine," Asura cut in with a smile.

Itachi looked at their father.

"When you realised what your sons were doing, you did nothing to stop them. Cruel, you called it."

The Sage of Six Paths looked at him pensively.

"To pull someone from everything they know and love into a battle they have nothing to do with, it is cruel," The Sage said. "Yet I did not stop it."

"Why?" Sakura asked, her voice cracking. "We were finally going to be a family again. It was over."

"Because the possibility of stopping the rebirth of my mother was too great an opportunity to pass by," he replied.

Sakura and Itachi couldn't respond. Itachi understood exactly the choice that had been made, and he was sure, if their positions had been reversed, he would have done the same. Kaguya was too powerful, and the greatest catalyst for her return was Madara Uchiha.

"There are no words we can say to show the depth of our regret that this was forced upon you," Indra said.

"But we're pretty good with actions," Asura winked.

Itachi and Sakura frowned. Both the brothers stepped forward and put one hand on each of their shoulders. Itachi tried to move away, but Indra held him firmly in place. His eyes seemed to tell Itachi to remain calm, and Itachi tried. He gripped Sakura's hand.

"What are you going to do to us now?" Sakura asked, her voice wavering.

Asura smiled down kindly at her.

"The future you helped to shape isn't exactly what you remember. But it's one worth seeing."

"Please," Indra said solemnly. "Understand that although many things changed, there are also things that simply are meant to happen. We are sorry."

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked up at Itachi, who was staring wide-eyed at them, he turned to her and smiled. The Sage of Six Paths came towards them and place a hand on each other the shoulders of his sons. They stood in a circle, each connected to one another.

"Be at peace," the Sage of Six Paths said to them kindly.

Itachi and Sakura felt a surge of power surround them, and felt lifted in a great light.

The last thing they saw was the smiling faces of Asura and Indra.

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura grimaced and closed her eyes tightly. Her head was spinning. She groaned and put her hand to her headed.

She heard a sigh of relief from above her.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

She recognised that voice. She blinked, squinting in the sudden onslaught of sunlight, and saw the concerned faces of Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi above her.

"Fine," Sakura grunted in response.

Her lips and mouth were dry. She felt arms around her shoulders and realised she was being lifted into a sitting position by Kakashi. He held out a water bottle to her.

"Here," he said.

She took it gratefully and drank some. The water was refreshing and cool, it made her feel better immediately, apart from the dull ache in her brain and the feeling that she was missing something.

"What happened, Sakura? You just collapsed," Kakashi asked her, concerned.

"I don't know," she murmured. "I don't remember."

She looked at Sasuke and Naruto. There was something about the two of them…Something important she needed to remember. Her eyes widened when she looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you're back?" She asked, looking around. "We're in the village? What about the war? What happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "I've been here the whole time."

"What war are you talking about?" Naruto asked her, clearly confused. "We won the Tailed-Beast War last year?"

"Sakura, are you sure you're okay?"

Kakashi had real concern in his voice now, his one eye peering at her with more worry than she'd ever seen in him.

"I'm - "

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to remember everything. Her memories seemed to be jumbled, fading into one another but there was one face that she kept coming back to, and then, suddenly, everything became clear to her.

"I'm fine," she said, opening her eyes and smiling at her teammates. "I remember everything."

She remembered defeating Kaguya and then being thrust into the past. She remembered Madara and Hashirama and Izuna and Tobirama. She remembered Asura and Indra, the Sage of Six Paths. She remembered Itachi, their hands touching, the intense look in his eyes, the taste of his lips on hers, their soft, quiet moments together. She remembered the day they died, battling Zetsu and sealing him away forever, saving Madara. She remembered being sent to this new future.

But she also remembered a lifetime here, one that was different from before, but also in many ways the same.

She felt the depth of her feelings for Itachi, her old soul in her new body. She could see memories of how they caught eyes and averted them. How in this life, she was too shy to ever approach him. She wanted to slap herself for that.

Sakura stood, aided by Kakashi. She looked at them, not caring that they were all sharing the same concerned look on their face, wondering if she was crazy. With a burst of joyful laughter, she pulled them all into a hug, surprising them.

"I remember everything," she said again.

Sasuke pushed himself out of her hug, his face reddening with embarrassment.

"You said that. But what does that mean?"

Sakura let go of Kakashi and Naruto. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling, and her eyes started to tear up. This was not the life she had lived, that was gone. But this was the life she had, and from what she could see, it was pretty good.

Itachi dropped the bag of groceries he was holding, surprising his mother and Shisui.

"Sakura," he breathed.

They were here, in the future. A different one, but from the influx of memories of the life he'd had here, Itachi knew it was better.

"Sakura?" Mikoto frowned.

"Sasuke's teammate?" Shisui asked him, concern in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Itachi turned to his family. He gave a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Wait, Itachi - "

But Itachi was gone. He sought her out and found her in the midst of a joyful hug with her teammates. He flickered to them. Standing behind them, looking at the tearful happiness on her face. They all felt his sudden presence. Sakura let her team go, and stared at him.

He stared at her back, ignoring everyone else.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?" Sasuke confused voice asked.

But all Itachi saw was Sakura.

"Itachi."

She smiled at him, so softly, so kindly, so beautifully. She stood and walked over to him.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "What are you doing?"

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto frowned.

Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Maybe the kids should turn around," he murmured.

Of course, Itachi thought faintly, Kakashi was quick on the uptake.

"You remember?" Sakura asked him as she stood before him.

"I remember," he replied quietly, dipping his head to hers and kissing her.

There was a far bigger reaction than Itachi had expected. Sasuke was more vocal than he'd ever heard him before, Naruto practically ripped Sakura away from him. Kakashi just sighed and attempted to remind Naruto that Sakura had that look in her eye that meant he was about to get beaten into the ground. All of it was amusing to Itachi, who felt such a bubbling of happiness that he couldn't help but ruffle his brother's hair and laugh.

Which made everyone stop and stare at him like he was insane. Itachi rarely laughed aloud like that.

All the happiness of the moment was cut short when an ANBU appeared and escorted both him and Sakura to the Hokage.

Itachi and Sakura stood nervously before the Fourth Hokage, uncertain of the reason why they'd been summoned. But it was too much of a coincidence for them to have been summoned so soon after they were sent back.

The fact that the Fourth Hokage wasn't dead was one of the best things that Sakura had remembered, and Itachi was grateful for.

Minato Namikaze looked them both carefully and calculatingly.

He then turned to the ANBU in the room.

"Make certain that the rest of team 7 remains outside this office at all costs. Do whatever is necessary to prevent their interruption until I give permission for them to enter."

The ANBU vanished with a pop and burst of smoke. Itachi closed the door behind him. Sakura held back a giggle, despite the tenseness in the room. Her team had protested the second the ANBU had appeared, attempting to pry information out of the silent guard.

Minato's lips quirked at her but his eyes remained serious.

"Can I inquire as to why we are here?" Itachi asked him.

Minato sat back on his seat.

"There are many things that happen in and around the village that are only known to those with the highest level of security clearance. However," he eyed them both, "there are certain things that only a Hokage knows."

Sakura and Itachi both frowned.

"I'm sorry, Lord Fourth. I don't understand," Sakura said.

Minato lowered his hands to his desk.

"When I was chosen to be the Fourth Hokage, Lord Third led to a place I had never known existed before, and I will not reveal more about it now. However, in that place were a collection of scrolls, sealed in such a way that they were only able to be opened by a Hokage."

"What does that have to do with why you summoned us? We're not Hokage," Itachi said.

"No. However. There was something else. A scroll that described some kind of stone that was apparently created by Tobirama Senju." Minato pointed to a small stone that had always sat on the desk of the Hokage - in this lifetime. "The scroll said that it would flash when something happened, something…remarkable."

Sakura swallowed.

"And what was this remarkable thing?" She asked.

"That has to do with the other scrolls. They were written by the First and Second Hokage and Madara Uchiha."

Minato paused and looked at Itachi and Sakura with a faint smile.

"Within them described the arrival and deeds of two strangers from the future, who died to save the world, and whose names were Itachi Uchiha and Sakura Haruno."

Itachi and Sakura both froze. All the air felt like it had been pushed out of their lungs.

"The scroll of the First Hokage goes on a rather long rant about how the two were sent back in time to save Madara Uchiha and the world from a creature called Zetsu. His language is quite descriptive, it makes for a long read," Minato chuckled. "The Second Hokage wrote his account much more to the point. He stated that the pair did their best to have as little interaction as possible with anyone, as to keep the future from being too changed. He hailed them as heroes, who sacrificed their lives and futures for the Hidden Leaf, and if chance would permit it, they were born to future generations, they should be given the highest honours and treated with the greatest respect."

Itachi was stunned. Not only that there was a scroll detailing exactly what he had said, but that Tobirama had been so complimentary towards himself and Sakura. Sakura just stared in disbelief at the Hokage.

"The third scroll was written by Madara Uchiha, who stated that the other two spoke the truth. He described a hidden grove where the bodies of the two were buried and where a statue to honour the heroes stood," Minato said. "And he would be leaving hidden records within the Uchiha temple at the Naka Shrine."

"That's - "

Sakura didn't know what to say.

Minato held up his hand.

"I have seen the statue, though the garden is long since abandoned and wild, and most people don't know it exists. The resemblance is uncanny, I have to admit, even down to the seal on Sakura's forehead."

The Hokage looked at them both with some amusement behind his usual serious expression, and the pair just stared back.

"I - "

Itachi couldn't find the words to express himself. His mouth opened and closed, set in a confused line. Minato gave him a genuine smile, one that made the man look younger.

"I've been waiting for this day since I took office. The stone activated today, and I knew that it meant your spirits had returned to the future."

Itachi gave a slight, dazed nod.

"This is…we didn't know," he managed to say.

Minato stood and walked around from behind his desk. He put a hand on Itachi's and Sakura's shoulders. It was warm, steady, comforting and Itachi felt a sense of relief run through him. The Hokage knew. He knew about them both, thanks to Hashirama and Madara.

Sakura finally blinked and let out an irritated sigh.

"Those idiots," she muttered. "They weren't supposed to do anything like that if we died. I bet they just ignored all the warnings we left them."

Itachi glanced at her and let out a chuckle of disbelief. Minato also laughed, and Itachi stared at the Fourth, sifting through the memories he had of him in this lifetime.

Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, who destroyed Danzo Shimura for treason and for his disgraceful acts of theft and murder against the Uchiha. Who protected and defended his clan when suspicion was raised against them in the early days of the Tailed-Beast War. Who believed in all of his people, and was everything Itachi had ever wanted to be, in both his lives.

There were some things, Itachi thought with some anger and disgust, that hadn't changed, despite the fact that the history of Konoha now reflected the alliance and life-long friendship of Hashirama and Madara. The Shimura was always against his clan, and even his warnings hadn't done as much as he wanted them too.

The Fourth suddenly blinked.

"Oh, there was something else," Minato said, with a glint in his eye. Itachi felt some trepidation at the look in his eye. "In his extremely detailed and descriptive account, the First also spoke at length of the… beautiful relationship that blossomed between you and Sakura," the Hokage said with a slow-growing grin.

Sakura's cheeks burned.

Itachi felt his eyes widen.

"Of course he would write about something unnecessary like that," Itachi muttered under his breath.

Considering how deeply he felt for Sakura, as soon as he had realised that the him from this lifetime had done nothing to pursue her, he'd wanted to hit himself over the head. In his memories of her, Itachi had done little more than stare at a distance. Grief for Izumi was often the reason he gave himself for not approaching anyone. Even in this life, Izumi had died. Of course, before the war, Sakura had been too young for him to even consider approaching, just like before. But it had been almost a year since then, she was close to 18, and the him of this time hadn't missed the glances and the blushes and the eye-contact she'd been giving him.

Minato laughed, breaking them out of their embarrassed silence.

"Can we see the grove?" Sakura asked quietly.

Minato nodded.

"The Garden of Sacrifices," Minato said with a sad inflection. "I'll show you the way."

Thankfully, the Fourth commanded Team 7 to follow quietly, so Sakura's teammates stopped bombarding her with questions the second they walked out of the office. Sasuke was giving both her and Itachi looks of mixed horror and confusion.

During the walk, Itachi took Sakura's hand, ignoring the sounds of choking coming from Sasuke and Naruto behind them.

"This is near the house," Sakura observed, remembering the road they walked on.

"I wonder if it's still there," Itachi murmured.

Finally, Naruto had enough.

"What's going on, dad?" Naruto whined. "I'm so confused."

Sakura felt her heart leap into her throat when she heard Naruto call him dad. Tears of happiness pricked at her eyes, and Itachi squeezed her hand.

"We're almost there," Minato replied.

"I'm also confused," Kakashi said.

"Too bad," Minato replied. "We're almost there."

Sakura smiled, turned and poked her tongue out at Naruto and Kakashi, the latter of whom looked mock affronted. Minato pushed back some overgrown branched and the grove appeared behind them. It was overgrown and wild but Sakura's breath caught at it.

In the center, was a statue of her and Itachi, standing side by side, smiling. Relaxed. Like they were just coming home. It was beautiful. Two tombstones lay at its base, side by side.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked, taking it all in quickly.

Kakashi looked between the two of them and the tombs and the statue with a quirk of his eyebrow. Sakura and Itachi approached carefully.

"They shouldn't have done this for us," Sakura breathed.

She bent and touched the stone on her grave.

"It's a bit strange standing here," Minato said. "You're both alive, and yet dead all at once."

"That's it."

Sasuke lost his temper. He glared at his brother.

"Explain now."

Itachi and Sakura looked at each other a little helplessly.

"Why does that statue look like you both?" Kakashi asked.

An easy question to answer.

"Because it is us," Sakura said softly. "And this is where Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara buried us."

Sasuke looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. Kakashi seemed like he was trying very hard not to sigh. Naruto looked at them and just looked at them.

"Team 7."

Minato's commanding voice snapped all of them to attention. Itachi and Sakura were both grateful that he had taken over. With some help from them both, Minato explained the situation to the pair of them in the same way that he'd explained to Sakura and Itachi.

It took days for Team 7 to accept the truth. Minato had to allow them into the secret room for the Hokage to read the scrolls left behind by the previous Hokage and Madara before they were convinced. After that, everything about Sakura and Itachi had become classified. Every record of them in the Uchiha library and shrine was removed, but Sakura discovered a single journal entry from Madara that broke her heart.

I will never marry. I will never stop loving her.

Sakura.

The memory of her and Izuna are the only things that keep me sane. Trying to live for them, the way they wanted me too.

I keep her scroll close to me always. A reminder to turn my back on doubt and darkness and focus on the village.

Yet I love her, and my heart is forever broken by it.

She kept the journal, with the permission of Fugaku, who had also been briefed on the situation, though he had some knowledge of it from his clan's history already.

To reconnect, Sakura and Itachi spent time in the grove together, cleaning the statue and their tombstones, laughing at the absurdity of what they were doing.

They repaired the house they used to live in, and after a few days, Sakura's team decided to help them. They worked together, and eventually, Naruto asked for stories about the founders. Sakura regaled stories about their days in the past, while Itachi skipped out on work with Kakashi, and spoke about the differences between the history of the world they came from compared to what it was like now. Sasuke listened in and became quiet when he understood the difference in his own character.

Some weeks after the gossip had spread that Sakura and Itachi were dating, seemingly out of the blue, Sakura found Tsunade at the hospital. She was nervous. She'd been avoiding her, only communicating on work-related matters.

When Sakura knocked on her office door and Tsunade studied her face, the woman smiled at her in a way she'd never seen before. Soft, happy, relieved.

"It's why I took you on as an apprentice, you know," she said, pouring Sakura a cup sake. "Grandfather talked about you all the time. I was just waiting for you. It's what kept me in the village, the promise of you."

Sakura felt tears fill her eyes.

"I wanted to tell him all about you, and I wasn't sure what to do about the medical field," she admitted. "I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, but you… it was your achievement. It was what you were known for. I didn't want to risk it being taken away from you."

"Pah!" Tsunade waved her hand. "You're being silly. You know exactly what would've happened," she grinned. "You would've taken on me as an apprentice, and then I would've surpassed you!"

"And endless cycle," Sakura giggled.

One evening, Itachi arrived at one of the Team 7 training sessions. They were taking a water break and Sasuke frowned at him. He'd been doing that a lot since the truth had come out. Itachi gave his little brother a wry smile.

"Sakura and I are going to get married," he announced.

Sakura felt her cheeks flame red and she looked at him in shock.

"Married?" She said, staring at him.

"Married?"

Sasuke sounded like he had never heard the word before.

"This is the first time I'm hearing about it," Sakura said with a frown.

Itachi glanced at her, ignoring everyone else.

"We've already lived a lifetime with each other. Why not?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

Sakura grinned.

"Okay." She reached on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "But that was not a good enough proposal."

Naruto and Sasuke exploded. Kakashi gave them both a tired congratulations like the entire situation was too absurd to even fight or question. Sakura ended up beating both her teammates into the ground, and then giving Kakashi a hug that he was surprised about, but accepted with a soft pat on her shoulder.

Sakura and Itachi lay together on the hospital bed. Their second child, a little girl named Matsuri slept in Sakura's arms. Her big brother, Izara, now almost four, was curled on his father's lap, staring at his sister.

"You were named after three great people," Itachi whispered to him. "You remember who they are?"

Izara frowned.

"Izumi….Izuna….Madara?"

Itachi patted his head fondly.

"Well done," he said.

"Your little sister is named after a friend too," Sakura said to him. "One day, we'll tell you a story about them all, okay, Izara?"

Izara nodded.

He looked at his sister, who was pink and squishy. He poked her gently on the nose.

"I wanted a brother," he whispered. "But I'll love you lots too, Suri."

Itachi and Sakura smiled at each other. In this perfect little quiet moment, all the trouble and hardship of their lives before was worth it.