it's finally here, the end of Sacrifice and Surrender!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me to the end of this story. I hope that you've smiled, laughed, cried, been happy, sad and all of it in-between. I've certainly felt all the emotions in the world as I thought about Sakura's journey through her time travel, loving and losing, grief and feeling again. It's been a heck of a ride.

I am so incredibly blessed to have had a pretty awesome following and loyal reviewers. I want to thank:

- Salinia
- Myrddin Emrys The Third
- kumera
- time2read
- daliapv . perez
- loveitasakuxx
- asthecookiecrumbles
- Elimyyy
- Innocence and Instinct
- angel897
- Lorelin

and the others who have been consistently checking-in and dropping reviews and comments. You are very much appreciated! I can't even express it anymore haha.

The next chapter of Willing Sacrifices will be up in the next day or so. I hope you read this and want more...This is the end of this part of the story...but it's not the end of Sakura... and no promises you'll come out of the Sacrifices Universe with a smile on your face.

much love,

alex

Epilogue: The First and Last - Sakura's Journals.

Dear Kakashi,

By now, I'm sure you've found out whatever the history books have said about me, and maybe heard things from the older generations. It's very strange to be writing this now for the future you to read. The whole world went a bit crazy after we beat Kaguya, didn't it?

(Thanks for that Obito - kidding, kidding! But please don't do that again.)

At this moment in my life, I'm nineteen years old, and in the last two years since the war, a lot has happened. So much that I know will never be recorded, just in case I'm born again and my identity needs to be protected. Oh, can I ask for your help with that, too? Just in case, you know. I do have a few requests to make of you in that regard. Don't stress about it too much, but I definitely want you to make sure that the future me lives up to her full potential, while also making sure that no one is too suspicious. I have some kind of a plan, but that's not important right now. I'll make a note of that later.

What I want to do right now, since I know you're probably dying of curiosity, is tell you exactly what happened to me and Itachi. Prepare yourself, because these journals I'm writing for you are going to be even more compelling than your ridiculous Icha Icha!

(That was a joke, but this isn't a fun story at all. Honestly, my hands are shaking writing this down.)

It was a mess when we arrived. We went from one battlefield to another. We came out of the time-travel jutsu in the middle of a Senju-Uchiha battlefield. The first people we saw were Madara and Hashirama. It was jarring, let me tell you.

So, in that battle, Tobirama had injured Izuna, and I healed him. Itachi believes that it might have been the injury that ended up killing Izuna in our timeline and it was the first act of changing the future. Both sides retreated and Itachi and I took up residence beside the Naka River, trying to get our bearings. (If you go down there, you might find a tree where I carved our names in it.)

Well, a lot of things happened in the next few days, but basically, we became like neutral territory for Madara and Izuna, and Hashirama and Tobirama. I treated Izuna's wounds, and because they were all suspicious of us, they were trying to figure out who we were. We didn't know exactly what to do, so Itachi decided to ask if there was any remnants or rumours about the Sage of Six Paths, and surprisingly it was Madara who led us in the right direction. But he'd seen Itachi's Sharingan. Itachi said that Madara only kept silent about it and let us go because he knew we would eventually come back.

We found a way to contact Asura and Indra Otsutsuki. The less said about that, the better. There are enough secrets to be written in these journals, and you know as well as I do that the power that family has shouldn't be spoken off. Indra and Asura told us we could never go back to our time, and that it was our task to stop Zetsu. That's why we were taken, because they bonded with us through Naruto and Sasuke, and we could connect with Hashirama and Madara. We didn't take it well at first, and I'd never seen Itachi lose his cool like he did with them.

But, despite that, we settled into our new reality slowly. We saw the village develop, we watched Hashirama and Tobirama and Madara and Izuna… it was a privilege.

Itachi believed our coming back in time with Indra's curse being broken triggered a reversal of the curse within Madara. I think he was right. Madara was changed over time. He's changed now, he's not the same he was when we fought him. Everything is different now. But more about that later.

We researched as much as we could to try and discover how to seal away Zetsu without the powers given to either Naruto or Sasuke. In the end, Itachi's plan was the one we thought of the day after we'd spoken to the brothers. They wouldn't have brought us back if we couldn't fix things ourselves, and we hoped they were right.

Well, I'll admit something to you now. Itachi and I fell in love during that time. Don't smile like that, old man. If we didn't have each other, I think we might have lost ourselves in grief and despair. But the love we felt… it came from a different place. A place that we'd been building for years.

Before long, the time to face Zetsu came. It came faster than expected, and we didn't anticipate the way he went around confronting us. We'd been trying to draw Zetsu out. Zetsu targeted Madara, and the battle was… I wish I could go back and change it.

Zetsu took Madara, hoping Izuna would come for his brother, and Izuna did. Zetsu took control of them both and drained their chakra so they'd have no choice. He forced Madara to rip out his own eyes and replace them with Izuna's before Zetsu killed Izuna and made Madara watch. What we were told, that Madara took Izuna's eyes by force - it had to have been wrong. If Izuna was dying, he would have given his eyes to Madara. They loved each other, Madara couldn't have taken his eyes purposefully for power. But, Zetsu...That creature… He forced something like the Final Battle, in the same place, just at a different time.

We were all there. The Nine-Tails, and a Zetsu-controlled Madara. Hashirama, Tobirama, Itachi, and I. We waited for the right time when Madara was separated from the Nine-Tails. That was my job. I provoked Zetsu by using Kaguya. Hashirama fought Kurama, and when Madara was free, I almost had my chakra drained by Zetsu until Itachi came to my rescue. Itachi sealed Zetsu with the sword of his Susanoo, and Zetsu was gone, but...the battle wasn't over. Itachi…Itachi joined the fight against the Nine-Tails while I got Madara to safety and treated him.

Things didn't turn out like we wanted after. Kakashi…he died. Itachi died. The Nine-Tails came for me, and both Tobirama and Itachi moved to save me from the blow, and Itachi was caught up in the attack and I couldn't save him. I couldn't save him.

Itachi died. He died a hero, he died after sealing Zetsu, he died after saving me. He made me feel alive, and I loved him so much. I understand you better now, I think - if I can say that. About how you became the way you were, and why Lady Tsunade left the village after Dan died.

I hope that when he's reborn, you can try and help him too. To take him from his solitude and show him a better way to live, show him kindness and softness and teach him like you taught us.

I can't write anymore for now, my hand hurts. My heart hurts.

I'll write again soon.

Love,

Sakura

Kakashi,

All these journals and there is something I never mentioned.

I can't even begin to explain and I can't bear to write it down.

This is my last entry, everything else you can find out from Ayame and her allies.

I'm sorry this falls to you. I'm sorry I couldn't do more, that I failed.

I don't know where it all went wrong... I was naive.

Please, Kakashi. Save him. And if you can't, save everyone else.

I'm sorry, Kakashi.

I'm so sorry.

Willing Sacrifices - Sacrifices Universe 3

Kakashi and Obito were only meant to say their final good-byes, but the Sage of Six Paths had other plans.

Choosing to return to the days of their youth, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin find themselves in a world a bit different to the one they remembered, and yet the same in many ways.

The trio finds themselves facing new and old dangers as they unravel the mystery of the past to save the future.

Still, it all kind of sucked for Kakashi and Obito, who should've thought the whole 'change the world' thing through more when they realised they'd gone from grown men to puny kids again. Not that Rin minded, she was just glad to have her teammates back, and no way was she going to let them get into trouble again.

Probably.