Disclaimer: Naruto and its associated works do not belong to me. I'm just playing in the sandbox created by Masashi Kishimoto.

BOOM!

That was the sound that Sakura and Kakashi heard as they hurriedly made their way to the Valley of the End. The Fourth Great War was over, and humanity won. Now all that needed to be done was to release everyone from the Eternal Tsukuyomi and then return Sakura and Naruto would have completed their mission; returning Sasuke back to Konoha.

At least that was what was supposed to happen.

Instead, Sasuke turned on them after Kaguya was sealed away, and after the Edo Tensei Hokage's passed on to the next life. Sasuke declared that he wasn't going to burn Konoha to the ground anymore; and upon hearing that, Sakura felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She was getting her Sasuke-kun back – he finally let go of his quest for vengeance against Konoha.

But celebratory thoughts were quickly wiped away when the last Uchiha declared he was instead going to kill all the Kage while they were still in their genjutsu world. Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto listened in horror as Sasuke exclaimed how he would bring a new peace, that he would destroy the system of Hidden Villages which was responsible for the numerous wars. He then exclaimed that he would seal away the Bijuu, and then, to Sakura's horror, Sasuke pointed a finger at Naruto with a cold stare as the blonde Jinchuriki frowned back at the raven-haired teen.

As Sakura leapt from one branch to another with Kakashi by her side, she recalled Sasuke telling Naruto that he contained powers from the Bijuu's as well, and that he would have to die too. Sakura yelled at Sasuke to stop after he told Naruto to meet him where they fought years ago; Sakura yelled out that she loved him and wanted him back to Konoha – a memory of the young Uchiha leaning in for a kiss after he said that her forehead was charming and that he wanted to kiss it flashing before her eyes. While he never did kiss her forehead, just those words solidified Sakura's love for him then and there. Sakura knew there was good in him, and she needed to bring it out… and so she begged for him to stop. But before she could repeat the words he told her that day, after they were assigned into Team Seven, Sakura found herself in a genjutsu as pain shot out through her body. Her eyes looked down at cold Sharingan eyes looking back at her… her eyes then travelled down to see Sasuke's chidori laced hand buried into her chest.

Then the genjutsu faded, and Sakura found her vision being encroached by darkness as she fell onto the ground. The only thing on her mind as she watched Sasuke turn and walk away was his name, 'Sasuke-kun'.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled out over the second "BOOM! in the distance before they grabbed onto tree trucks as a heavy wind washed over them. The trees were straining as they bent sideways with the branches swaying violently and leaves were torn from their stalks before being blown away. When the howling of the winds ceased, Sakura and Kakashi jumped down on to the ground below and stared out into the distance. She turned to her sensei while her heart was racing at the thought of the two people she cared about were fighting each other once again; one was the love she had always dreamed about, and the other was her annoying but caring friend.

And she wanted them both to survive. She wanted them both to return with her to Konoha. She wanted Team Seven reunited again.

"Sensei," Sakura whispered as a sudden quiet took over the land. She glanced over at Kakashi whose eyes were wide open while his hands were rolled into fists, "Sensei?" Sakura wished that Kakashi still had his Sharingan so that he could tell her what was happening, 'he's scared. I can see it in his body language. Scared and angry... he…"

"Let's go, Sakura!" Kakashi curtly said as he stared out into the forest in front of them. Sakura didn't say anything as Kakashi went off running before leaping onto the branches above, there was something in his voice that screamed out 'do not ask any questions'. So, Sakura refrained from asking questions as she ran before leaping up onto a branch and then followed behind the masked ninja.

As the two of them continued on their way, there was just silence where there was once the sounds of massive explosions taking place in the distance.

'Everything's so quiet,' Sakura thought to herself, 'Sasuke-kun, Naruto…' Her thoughts stopped, refusing to go further than just the sight of her teammates in her mind; she remembered how they used to be… she could picture Sasuke being cold and aloof, with the occasional smirk on his lips – "you have a charming forehead, I want to kiss it" – those were the words that popped up in her mind whenever she would remember or see Sasuke. She imagined the boy kissing her forehead, and then imagined the two of them getting married when they returned to Konoha since the war was over and that Naruto succeeded in bringing him back to the village.

'Naruto,' she thought as a small smiled formed on her face. She remembered the promise he made to bring Sasuke back for her, she remembered all the times he made her smile, all the times he stood by her, all the times he saved her. She remembered standing by Tsunade's side on the top of the Hokage Tower watching Naruto walk away with Jiraiya – she promised Naruto that she would become stronger that day after hugging him tight.

'But I was still weak,' Sakura thought to herself as they exited the forest and landed on hard ground before running towards the Valley of the End several miles away, 'when it came to Sasuke-kun, I was weak. I relied on you to bring him back, to convince him that we were a family. And you did… I'm sure you convinced him to stop his plans… I'm sure you're going to be jumping around in happiness while he goes 'Hn'. I'm sure you'll want all of us to go to Ichiraku's when we get back to Konoha. I'm sure that… I'm sure that you're gonna smile that wide smile. That sunny smile that make me wanna smile. I know you stopped him, Naruto. I know… I know because it's you. You are the only one who could…'

Sakura never got to finished her thought when she suddenly felt a flare of chakra in front of her and Kakashi. The both of them stopped and then took a step back; she had her eyes opened wide in stunned silence while Kakashi's hands were rolled into fists at the sight before them – a shirtless, bruised, and bleeding Sasuke landing in front of them with a body laying on his right shoulder. A body he then slammed into the ground while glaring at the two of them with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and his Rinnegan.

"Sakura, Kakashi," he said standing straight up as Sakura brought her hands up to cover her mouth at the sight of the pale blood covered body on the ground, a body with blood stained blonde hair, three whiskers on each cheek, the hints of a black and dark orange jacket along with a fishnet shirt that was covered in red thanks to a hole in the chest where the heart should have been. Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she stared in horror at Naruto's pale body; she was willing the unmoving chest to expand and contract.

'Breathe, Naruto… breathe, please breathe. DAMN YOU BREATHE!' Sakura mentally screamed as her eyes shifted up towards Sasuke's cold glare before looking back down at the still body.

She lifted her eyes away from Naruto again just as Sasuke pointed at the blonde, "here's your Hero of Konoha, the former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, the Dope, and the harbinger of peace. True peace with his death." He then shrugged before saying, "hah."

"How could you do this, Sasuke?" Kakashi growled while Sakura, stunned at the turn of events, felt her legs start to crumble. But she forced herself to stay on her feet.

Sakura stared at Sasuke who glanced at her, and then looked away without any shame or regret.

"Why?" Sakura whispered as Sasuke glanced back at her, as did Kakashi while Sakura's arms dangled by her side, her fingers hanging down towards the ground, "Sasuke-kun, why?"

"I told you why." Sasuke calmly said before referring to his 'revolution' speech before the fight between himself and Naruto.

"He was your friend… your best friend… we were a family, all four of us… the village…" at hearing about the village from Sakura, Sasuke huffed before he opened his mouth to say something. However, Sakura beat him to it, "we were all a family. We fought and bled together, we lived… we laughed… we were comrades and…"

"Sakura," Kakashi said as he got into a battle stance, "this isn't the Sasuke you and Naruto knew… not the one that you hoped he would become…"

"You can't fight me, Kakashi," Sasuke said sensing the build-up of chakra in Kakashi's body while sensing nothing from Sakura, all the while Naruto's blood still dripped down the length of his arm, "with my new eyes, with Naruto's Light chakra inside me combined with my own Dark chakra…" Sasuke then shrugged, "I'm nearly a god. I'll kill the Kage's and then… well… my plans for the world will ensure peace. True peace. No more half baked measures based on which village has which Bijuu, or on naïve hopes of peace through words…"

"SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled out in her anger as Sasuke locked his jaw and scowled at the pink haired woman, at her interruption of what he wanted to say.

And he still sensed no Chakra from Sakura, 'you're spent, Sakura. Always so weak… the weakest one among us. At least Naruto put up a fight, what can you do here and now?' Sasuke then shifted his eyes towards Kakashi who was glaring back at him, 'once more huh? The Sensei versus the Student. Don't worry Sensei, I'll be using you as an instrument of my peace… I know what needs to be done now. And you will help me.'

Kakashi sighed, afraid that the emotional roller coaster his pink-haired former student was going through would hamper their ability to at least try and stop Sasuke. He glanced at Sakura, sensing the quiet anger and sadness coming off her, and then his eyes shifted towards Naruto's body, 'Naruto, are you with your parents now? Are you with Jiraiya-sama?' His eyes then shifted towards Sasuke, 'will you forgive me for not being the teacher and friend I should have been, Naruto?' Kakashi closed his eyes for a second, 'I will see you soon, Naruto. And I have a feeling so will…'

"I know there… there's good in you," Sakura whispered, taking Kakashi's attention away from Sasuke as his eyes shifted towards the streams of tears travelling down her face.

'Sakura, he's too far gone,' Kakashi thought while reaching for a kunai, 'even you must be aware of this. Don't let your feelings for him get in the way of what needs to be done.'

"I've seen the good in you… I've seen the love you have for me… please… I love you so much. Let me… let me be… I'll be…." Sakura closed her eyes and sobbed before forcing herself to regain her composure as she opened her red puffy eyes, "I'll keep you grounded. I…."

"Sakura," Sasuke scoffed shaking his head, "stop embarrassing yourself." He sneered before saying, "I don't need you to keep me grounded, you and Kakashi, and even Naruto, are the links to my past. I don't need something like you to tie me down to the past… I'm looking forward. You'll be in my life, but as something else… you will be one part of my plan for the future, and…"

"I saw the good in you!" Sakura exclaimed ignoring what Sasuke just said, "I saw it that day we were assigned to Team Seven. You were the only one to ever acknowledge me… to ever truly accept me for all my faults and…"

"Listen to what I am telling you," Sasuke smirked, "it wasn't me." Sakura shook her head in confusion while saying 'no'. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked away from Sakura and then to Kakashi who was glancing at Sakura before looking down at Naruto. And it was then Sasuke came to a realization, and he laughed. Kakashi and Sakura stared in disbelief as Sasuke laughed for a few seconds before placing a foot on the dead Naruto's chest.

"It was never me," Sasuke sneered as he looked at Sakura staring back up at him, "I never loved you. I never acknowledged you. In fact, you still are the weakest member of Team Seven because you still can't see me as I am now. However,…" Sasuke, sneer still plastered on his face, looked down at Naruto, "I do remember this one time, the day we were assigned to Team Seven, how Naruto jumped me… tied me up in the restroom…" Sasuke then looked up straight into Sakura's eyes, her wide eyes that were in disbelief as he continued, "and then jumped out of the window in the washroom after transforming into me."

"No…" Sakura shook her head, her eyes locked into Sasuke's before she looked down at Naruto as she recalled that day, 'you have a charming forehead, makes me want to kiss it.' Sakura closed her eyes as her knees finally crumbled and she fell onto both her knees scraping against the hard ground, "no." It couldn't have been Naruto, it was Sasuke… it was Sasuke. Her first love was the one who acknowledged the part of her that she always saw as a flaw. Those words about her forehead cemented her love towards the Uchiha, and now he was telling her that it was a transformed Naruto. "No…" Sakura looked back up at Sasuke before yelling out in anguish, "no!"

"I… I thought you knew, Sakura," Kakashi whispered as Sakura turned her head towards the silver haired ninja; her face covered in anguish at the realization that what Sasuke said was the truth, "I had shadow clones follow all three of you. I saw Naruto jump Sasuke, drag him through a window, and then jump out transformed into him."

"Nar… Naruto?" Sakura was panting now as she felt her world crashing down all around her, her eyes fixed on Naruto's pale body, "Naruto?" Sakura stared at the dead body while Sasuke scoffed and looked away from her while mumbling she was weak. As she stared at Naruto's body, Sakura barely felt a brush of air against her cheeks as both Sasuke and Kakashi fought with everything they hand… but it wasn't enough. Sakura's eyes widened as Kakashi's bloody body, a hole through the man's neck, was flung in front of her.. his body skidding on the ground before comin to a stop just before hitting her knees. Her eyes were wide open at the bloody hole n her sensei's neck, her heart falling at her inability to do anything that could stop Sasuke.

And that was a fact. She couldn't stop Sasuke. There was no way. She told herself that this was it… that no matter what she did, she could never beat the boy she loved. The very boy she thought had the same feelings buried deep down within him. Feelings which were really Naruto's while he was transformed as Sasuke.

She could hear footsteps in the distance just over the 'thump thump' sound of her racing heart and the 'whoosh whoosh' of blood pumping though the arteries behind her ears. 'Naruto,' she thought thinking back to that fateful day, 'that was you…. That was you…' Sakura's bottom lip trembled as she shut her eyes, her body trembled as she recalled that day at the Konoha gates after Sasuke defected, 'I begged… I begged you to… my god… Naruto, why? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me it was you?'

Sakura snapped opened her eyes upon feeling a hand cup the lower half of her face before squeezing tight – the fingers jamming into her cheeks, the fingernails pressing into her skin after Sasuke went down on one knee in front of her. Sakura stared into the red and purple eyes on either side of Sasuke's head, and she suddenly felt herself become heavy. She couldn't move her arms as they hung limply by her side, neither could she speak, or move her feet.

"You wasted your whole life for a literal dream of being with me," Sasuke whispered as he tilted his head, "you followed my every whim, you and the dope followed me to the end of the Earth for nothing." Sasuke then sighed, "I never loved you, Sakura. But you… like Naruto, are a friend. And I plan on keeping you, Naruto, Kakashi and the five Kage, after I've killed them of course, by my side for the realization of my dream. For my peace, you and the others are going to become my Paths… my Sage Paths. You and Naruto, and the others will lead the world in this new peace, towards a new future, while I watch over you all."

'No!' Sakura wanted to scream, but she couldn't move her lips, 'is this a genjutsu?' Her eyes shifted towards Naruto's dead body, 'you should have told me, Naruto. YOU… you baka!' Sakura wanted to cry out in rage, but she couldn't. All she could do was think, 'you should have told me.'

"Now, don't you wished you killed me back in the Land of Iron?" Sasuke arched his eyebrow as he got back up to his feet, stepped back, and then activated his Chidori. Sakura stared straight at the electricity that engulfed Sasuke's left hand before he pulled it back, "this will hurt for just a second, Sakura. Think of it as thanks for… you know… being a friend. And now, you'll be one of my Paths for all time. Think of it this way, a small part of your dream is going to come true."

Sakura closed her eyes, unable to still move her extremities as she remained kneeling on the ground. Suddenly, she found herself staring at Naruto and Kakashi waiting for her in a room surrounded by pure white light – white walls with a white floor covered in light mist. She stood still, her eyes focused on the blonde who looked as he did when he was twelve years old. Her eyes then shifted towards Kakashi who gave her his famous eye-smile while, at the same time, Sakura heard the sound of birds chirping past the walls and into the distance. She could hear the sound of the chirping birds coming towards her.

"Why?! Naruto! Why didn't you tell me that was you?!" Sakura yelled out in the white room as she started to run towards the two with her eyes focused on Naruto. She saw Naruto and Kakashi waving at her, and they were soon joined by the Sandaime, the Yondaime, and a red-haired woman she didn't recognize. She watched, while running as fast as she could towards Naruto, as Jiraiya appeared placing his hand on top of Naruto's head and ruffling his messy hair.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled as the white-walled room started to lengthen into a hall… she started running faster but the faster she ran, the further away Naruto and the others seemed as they waved at her. "Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she ran faster and faster, but Naruto remained getting further and further away while the sounds of birds chirping got so close that she felt a sudden heat on her chest.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled out before she suddenly stopped running when a gentle voice whispered in her ear as Naruto and the others vanished, and she alone remained in the white-walled room.

"It's not your time, Sakura-chan," Sakura snapped her head towards her left side at hearing Naruto's voice. But all she saw was a white-wall.

"Naruto," she whispered closing her eyes as a gentle breeze brushed her cheeks. She remembered the Chidori, and that Sasuke was going to kill her with it before he did whatever he wanted to do with her body, "forgive me."

Sakura breathed out, closing her eyes while expecting the impact from the Chidori at any time as the heat on her chest increased. In the real world, Sasuke's Chidori covered hand was millimetres away from Sakura's chest as she remained helplessly on her knees with her eyes closed. He could, with his Sharingan, see the heavy lightning chakra at the edge of his hand begin burning a spot through her regulation Chuunin undershirt, and then singeing a spot of her skin over her left breast just over her heart.

'Forgive me, Sakura,' Sasuke thought with a look of conviction on his face, 'what I do, I do for peace. I do for the future. All of you will be by my side. To you, it will seem as if you fell asleep for a few minutes. But for now, farewell.'

Back in the white-walled room, Sakura gasped upon hearing a familiar voice once once again. It was Naruto's voice, "Reverse-summoning Jutsu!"

"Naruto!" Sakura felt a pull as she opened her eyes to find herself covered in smoke. She coughed as she lifted her arm and used her hand to cover her mouth while the other hand wiped her eyes which stung, 'wait, I can move!' Sakura opened her eyes wide and then stood up before looking around and yelling out, "Naruto!"

But there was no response as the smoke dissipated.

"Sakura-sama."

Sakura turned around and a smile formed on her face as she stared at the towering Katsuyu, and then the pink haired girl's smile turned to a look of confusion as more of the smoke dissipated and she found herself somewhere that was not Shikkotsu Forest. The terrain was different – instead of tall trees all around her with the ground covered in a thin layer of fog, she was surrounded by yellow sky, giant mushrooms, and grass, and lily pads where she swore she saw toads resting.

"Katsuyu-sama, where are…"

"Sakura-chan," Sakura looked down at the two toads that appeared from behind the giant slug– one with purple hair and purple lips, and the other was one she had met the day after it was discovered that Jiraiya died… it fact he was the one who told Naruto of the Sannin's death, "welcome to Mount Myoboku."

"Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama," Sakura bowed in respect before she placed her hand on her chest, she could still feel a burning sensation on her chest before looking down to see a small hole just above her left breast with the skin singed. Shaking her head, Sakura looked back up and asked, "why am I here?" She then looked up at Katsuyu, "Katsuyu-sama? Why am…"

"We sensed Naruto-chan's death," Fukasaku said as Sakura pressed her lips together and looked away from them, "this was the worst case scenario... even so, it is something we never thought could actually happen."

"That…" Sakura stopped talking as she rolled her hands into fists.

"He's a traitor! Just say that he's a TRAITOR!"

Sakura was internally surprised at the return of her inner self as she looked over at the male toad while continuing, "That…" Sakura wanted to call Sasuke a traitor… she wanted to call him an evil man. But a part of her couldn't, 'he… he betrayed us. So why can't I just say it… he… he murdered Naruto. He murdered Kakashi for… why can't I just say he's a traitor. How weak… how weak am I that…'

"We know what Naruto-chan meant to you, dear," Shima said, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts, while Katsuyu lowered her massive head.

"When Naruto-sama died, I was sent a message to meet with the Great Toad Sage," Katsuyu said when she sensed her summoner's unease while thinking about what Sasuke did to Naruto and what the Avenger said to her, "they showed me through the Sage's crystal ball of what Sasuke revealed to you."

Sakura's shoulders fell forward before looking up at Katsuyu and then looking back down at the two toads before she bowed, "please forgive me for my weakness. I should have… I… I…"

"There was nothing you could have done. We could feel Sasuke's power growing from all the way here," Fukasaku said, "when we lost Naruto-chan's chakra signal, we determined the worst had happened. And the Great Toad Sage's crystal ball confirmed as such. We realise that with Naruto gone, darkness would take over. And what we suspected came true when Sasuke revealed to you what his version of peace would be like."

"This is our fault… we should have been watching him…" Shima whispered shaking her head before continuing, "So, we requested Katsuyu-chan's aid… we brought her here and asked for permission to reverse summon you to Mount Myoboku."

Sakura took in a deep breath before saying, "but if Sasuke's as powerful he said he is… I mean with both Dark and Light chakra's inside him. Then what could I… what could we do?"

"There is something, Sakura-sama," Katsuyu said as Sakura looked up at the slug, "that is another reason I was brought here – the toads seek my permission to use a special jutsu to send you back."

"Back?" Sakura asked.

"Back," Shima said with a serious look on her face, "back to the past… back to…"

"Well."

Sakura spun around at the sound of that familiar voice while the toads and Katsuyu released killing intent at the appearance of the very man who wanted to singlehandedly bring peace to the Shinobi world by burning it down to ashes and then rebuilding it, 'how did no one sense…'. The pink haired woman's eyes went wide as Sasuke stepped out of a purple coloured portal, his Rinnegan flashing slightly before the portal vanished. Sakura then heard thuds all around her as giant Toads, some with swords on their backs, and others with shields surrounded them. At the same time, Katsuyu separated into smaller versions of herself and took up positions around them. However, Sasuke simply smiled at the toads around him before he turned his attention to Sakura, "please, tell me more about this… what is now? A time travel jutsu?"

Sakura was about to speak, but instead she froze once again after Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Suddenly, she felt as if she couldn't move her arms or legs as she stared at Sasuke who said, "did you really think you'd be safe here?" Sakura watched helplessly as Sasuke then spun around as he growled at the toads and slugs that surrounded him, "do you really believe that all of you have a place in my new peace as independent summons!?"

Suddenly, before Sakura could think, she felt a rush of wind while her surroundings blurred. And a second later, she found herself in a large hallway. She looked around while trying to keep the contents of her stomach down before she set her eyes on the biggest toad she had ever seen seated on a giant chair at the top of a series of steps.

"Ma!" Sakura tore her eyes away from the Great Toad Sage to the sound of Fukasaku's yell as the latter rushed to a corner of an intricate seal on the floor, "is it done?" Sakura looked down at the lines that made up the seal before looking back up with eyes wide as Fukasaku nodded his head at his wife before clapping his hands together, "concentrate!"

Spinning around at the sounds of explosions and unearthly screams of toads being ripped apart by Sasuke himself, Sakura gulped before she tried pulling any chakra within her… she didn't have much of her chakra left. She was very low in chakra when they met Sasuke after he murdered Naruto, and now she had very little to defend herself or the toads.

'You're weak.'

'You're annoying.'

Sasuke's voice echoed in her mind as she spun towards Shima and then to Fukasaku. She then turned around towards the closed doors on the far side of the hall and pressed her lips together.

"No," Sakura then whispered making her hands into fists as she glared at the closed door in front of her while the building they occupied started to shake, "I…" Sakura was about to take a step when she heard distant screams from dying toads on ethe other side of the door while Shima yelled out.

"Sakura dear!" Sakura spun around and stared at the purple haired toad shaking her head, "you need to remain within the seal."

Before Sakura could even ask how they managed to get this seal painted on the floor so quickly, Fukasaku said, "this seal was created around the time the old Sage told Jiraiya-chan of the Child of Prophecy. It was Jiraiya-chan himself who created this seal in the event that the Child of Prophecy was unable to save the world. We had faith in Naruto-chan, we believed he would win. We believed in him… and so we didn't watch him. We were so confident that we never bothered to…" Fukasaku looked away in shame, "it is our fault." He then looked back at Sakura, "but you are now the hope… you are the one who is needed to change the future."

"This seal was meant to send Naruto-chan back to the past so that he could fix things," Shima said, "but we never thought he would fail. That boy never gave up and so... so we never thought that he would fail."

Sakura looked on as the seal started to glow as the large Toad Sage brought his hands together. It was then that Sakura realized something, "wait… if this seal was meant for Naruto, then…"

"We used the blood from your contract with Katsuyu… we added it after Naruto's death onto the seal itself," Shima said as a hum was heard from all around them, "all that you are - your chakra… your experiences, your memories, and your soul will be sent back in time." The hum started to get louder, as did the shaking all around her, along with the screams of toads being slaughtered by a madman right outside the door. Sakura closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath.

"This world will be destroyed," the Great Toad Sage spoke as Sakura opened her eyes and stared into his yellow eyes, "I have seen a new future. A new possibility."

"Now?!" Fukasaku yelled as a sudden howling wind blew in the giant chamber, "of all times… now?!"

"What.. what's the future!" Sakura yelled over the howling wind as the seal glowed blue, and then red, and then blue again.

"A great fox being carried by a flower. Two pairs of red eyes standing along with them as they stare out at a great army of destruction and wrath."

And the Great Toad Sage stopped talking while staring at Sakura, "perhaps this was always meant to happen, Haruno Sakura." Sakura then heard a crash behind her and she turned to find Sasuke, a katana in his hand, his body and the blade covered in green and blue blood with the stone doors lying crashed on the floor.

"You all failed, I…"

"Sage art," the three toads yelled out as Sasuke rushed towards Shima, the arm holding the katana pulled back, "Life Reintegration Jutsu!"

"No!" Sakura yelled out as the katana in Sasuke's right hand sliced Shima in half while the Great Toad Sage was burning in black fire, 'Amaterasu!'. However, it was too late to do anything as Sasuke murdered Fukasaku before he turned, his eyes connecting with Sakura. Sakura saw the raven haired Uchiha leap towards her, a scream escaping his lips just as she yelled out, "murderer!"

Sakura closed her eyes tight just before her vision was covered in brilliant blue and white light; and before long she heard the sound of a massive explosion in the distance. However, just before she closed her eyes from the brilliant flash of light, Sakura could have sworn she saw Naruto giving her a thumbs up with a grin on his face while faded images of Kakashi, the Yondaime, the Sandaime, the Niidaime, and the Shodai Hokage grabbed Sasuke before he entered the seal and pulled him away.

A few seconds later, Sakura opened her eye lids a little; only to see a smiling Naruto looking back at her, "goodbye, Sakura-chan."

'Naruto.'

And then Sakura felt her body being ripped apart.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" she screamed in pain while her eyes were closed shut.

Sakura felt as if her soul was being pulled every which way as she screamed out in pain. She felt tears travelling down her cheeks as the pain intensified for several seconds before the pain was suddenly gone. Now, Sakura felt herself floating before there was a sudden sensation of her body moving at a great speed. Sakura was afraid to open her eyes, a part of her was curious of what was happening to her… but another part was terrified of what she would see. But before she could make a decision on whether to open her eyes or not, she felt herself stop moving before she felt a breeze.

Where she was once standing, she felt her knees on the ground. Sakura could hear someone, a male, shouting in the distance but she couldn't make it out. It was because the yells from the male voice was being covered up by a scream. She couldn't tell who was screaming, but she knew the voice was that of a female.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the female voice screamed. Sakura recognized it, but she couldn't place it. Sakura thought it was strange. Then suddenly she felt a kick to her side before she felt herself flying through the air for a few seconds before skidding onto the ground. And then the scream got louder as other voices were yelling at the top of their lungs for it whoever it was that was screaming to shut up. Then Sakura felt another kick, and then another, and then another before there was a 'whooosh' sound and she felt herself being kicked off the ground by a rush of wind that cut through her clothing and skin... Sakura could feel blood dripping from the cuts as she flew through the air once again.

Her body was now burning. Sakura felt every nerve burning as they sent signals that were telling her body to wake up. Sakura felt her synapses firing like crazy as she opened her eyes to find everything moving in slow motion. She was flying through the air, her body rotating vertically. She caught glimpses of three figures in brownish clothes. Her mind was trying to place the familiar get-up the three were wearing.

Boy was her body burning. It was that burning that made her want to scream.

'Oh,' Sakura realized as the source of the female scream came into focus. She was the one screaming in pain.

In the meantime, the ninja from Otogakure; Kin, Dosu, and Zaku sneered at the pink haired girl as she crashed into a tree trunk before falling among the think surface roots that snaked partway through the ground.

She landed really hard.

Zaku brought his hands up towards Sakura's body as she lay face down, her head looking in their direction. She gritted her teeth- she was trying to stop the burning sensation throughout her body from turning her body into ash.

At least she thought she would turn to ash.

Well, not literally into ash. But it certainly felt like it. To the left, behind the three Oto-nin, were the unconscious forms of Sasuke, Naruto and Rock Lee. To the right of Team Dosu, unknown to Sakura, who had gone silent, were Team Ten; Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji.

Team Ten, five minutes earlier.

Team Ten had been shaking in fear as they listened to Sakura screaming in abject pain when the one known as Kin gripped her by the hair a few moments earlier. They were staring from the shadows as Sakura brought up her kunai… she was about to cut her own hair before the sharp implement fell out of her hands and she started screaming in pain like a madwoman.

Team Ten heard the bloodcurdling scream as Kin let go of Sakura's hair in initial shock, causing the pinkette to fall to the ground on her side. Team Ten watched as the three Oto-nin screamed at her to "shut up!" But she didn't, and Team Ten watched helplessly as the Oto-nin kicked her.

"Ino, she's your friend, right? What are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked as he winced once a kick caused Sakura to roll in the air before skidding again once she reached the ground. Ino was shaking as she wordlessly watched Sakura continue to scream out in pain with her eyes closed shut. She watched as the one known as Zaku pointed the palm of his hands towards Sakura while yelling at her to shut up. They watched helplessly as he fired his Decapitating Air Waves, causing Sakura to get cut in many places before she slammed into a tree.

"Ino!" hissed Shikamaru as he watched the blonde shaking in fear. Shikamaru turned back to watch Zaku aim his arms at Sakura once again, the pink haired girl having stopped screaming. In fact, she was so very still.

"She doesn't look good, Ino," Choji whispered before he gulped. He was afraid that Ino would pull them into the fight against opponents who seemed to have taken out both Naruto and Sasuke – the latter being the Rookie of the Year, the Uchiha prodigy who was supposed to be able to beat any of the Gennin in the exam. He glanced at the Uchiha boy as he lay unconscious before looking over at the pale Ino who was shaking in fear as the three Oto-Nin turned away from the bleeding and unconscious Sakura and laughed.

It was both the female Oto-Nin, Kin, and Zaku who were laughing. They were saying that Sakura was weak and that she deserved to die. The three members of Team Ten moved their eyes towards the unconscious and bleeding form of the pink haired girl. Each one of the clan heirs were thinking the same thing, they were scared. They were terrified. But they knew something had to be done or else Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto would be killed while they remained unconscious.

"Orochimaru-sama wants Sasuke-kun alive," Dosu said as he stood over the Uchiha while Kin took out her kunai and was twirling it around while staring down at Naruto. At the same time, Zaku was glaring at Lee, and then a sneer formed by his lips before lifting his arms towards the unconscious Lee. The two of them waiting for Dosu's order, which came a second later, "Kill the rest."

"We need to move," Shikamaru whispered and was about to begin the hand seals for his Shadow Possession Jutsu when, suddenly, everyone froze upon hearing a pained voice. Team Ten looked up at Sakura who was struggling to push herself up, her bleeding arms straining to push her up as she glared at the Oto-Nin.

Sakura

When she was lying flat on the ground, Sakura's face was in the direction of the three Oto-nin. She watched as Kin and Zaku laughed as they turned away from her. She saw Dosu staring at her for a second longer before turning around and making his way to the unconscious Sasuke. Sakura felt the burning sensation throughout her body increasing until she felt numb. She didn't know if it was because she was just really badly injured… but she couldn't feel that burning anymore.

All of a sudden, she tensed as newly formed memories appeared in her mind. It was like an avalanche as she saw, and recalled, events that were yet to happen taking their places in her mind. She recalled this very moment, but it had happened differently. Sakura remembered that Team Ten should have come out of hiding to help her, Lee, and Team Seven. Sakura didn't know why they didn't interfere this time as she took in a deep breath while Dosu told Kin and Zaku no to kill Sasuke.

Sakura then felt her chakra - the very chakra that had been causing the burning sensation throughout her body. It was due to all her remaining chakra from the future being funnelled back into her body in the past. Her memories of the future were now fully integrated into her younger body, and her chakra was about to follow suit.

At the same time, Sakura wondered what happened to the soul of her younger self. Did she push it away, or did she merge with it somehow? However, it didn't matter now.

"Kill the rest," Dosu had said, and immediately, Sakura pushed through the pain, gritting her teeth as pain flared from her arms, back, shoulders, abdomen, and legs. Sakura didn't stop.

She growled out, "stay away from them!" The tone was enough for the three Oto-nin to turn towards her. She was now glaring at them while her body was in a kneeling position. She then pushed her body… pushed through the pain as she watched the three Oto-Nin walking towards her. They took their sweet time, after all Sakura was the weakest one. And they knew it.

As Sakura pushed herself to her unsteady feet, her thoughts went back to Sasuke. The man had murdered Naruto and Kakashi, he had murdered so many of the toads including Shima, the Great Toad Sage, and Fukusaku. He even wanted to murder the Kage's. He wanted to murder the Godaime, Sakura's master. Just thinking about it made her angry. She hated herself more than ever as she thought about the smirk on his face as he placed his foot on the chest of the dead Naruto.

"Finish them off and then call Sasuke for what he is… or what he would be… a traitor!" Inner Sakura said as Sakura glared at the three Oto-nin who stopped. She saw Dosu staring at her with his head tilted.

"I have to give you some respect," Dosu said as Zaku lifted his arms and pointed his palms at Sakura, "a shinobi should die on his or her feet. If we had to kill you while you were lying down, then that would have proved to us how weak you really are."

"She's still weak," Kin sneered.

Sakura glanced at Naruto as she remembered that day under the tree, "you have a charming forehead, makes me want to kiss it". It was the day her love for Sasuke was 'locked-in'. But it wasn't Sasuke who said those words. It was Naruto. It was Naruto who acknowledged her.

"You will stay away from them," Sakura said as she brought her hands together into the tiger seal.

"And what are you trying to do?" Zaku growled as he prepared to fire his Decapitating Airwaves Jutsu from the holes in the palms of his hands. He then shrugged before laughing and then growling out an answer to his own question, "you know what? I don't care… Decapitating Airwaves…."

Zaku stopped speaking. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man as his body shook before he lowered his arms. It was as if he was doing it against his will, and Sakura smiled as she leaned sideways to arch her eyebrows at Team Ten- Ino with her hands up towards Kin before performing the Mind Transmission Jutsu; Shikamaru using his Shadow to force Zaku's arms down; and Choji was guarding Ino's unconscious body.

"Don't," the Ino-occupied Kin said as she took out a kunai from Kin's holster and pressed it against Dosu's neck, "we'll forget all this happened. All of you just walk away right now."

'Better late than never,' Sakura thought to herself before she closed her eyes and began diverting the excess chakra in her pathways. It was painful. She recalled Tsunade's instructions and so, instead of her chakra slowly trickling into a separate reservoir so that she could rebuild her Strength of a Hundred Seal over time, Sakura had to deal with a much greater amount of chakra being dumped into her pathways.

She discovered the hard way that despite having what would be low levels of chakra in her future, older body; her younger body treated it as dangerously high levels of chakra that suddenly flooded her chakra network. Sakura reminded herself that she was in a younger body, and that her chakra pathways were still developing and were already strained. So, instead of taking it slow, Sakura forcefully dumped the excess chakra into the separate reservoir… she could already feel it overflowing as the transfer of chakra from her future self was completely funnelled into her. She could feel her forehead warming as her Strength of a Hundred seal formed – the familiar diamond shape coming into view.

Sakura saw the surprise on the Oto-nin's, including the Ino-occupied Kin, faces as the seal on her forehead came into being.

The flood of chakra now over, Sakura could feel her chakra now slowly tricking through her pathways and into the already overflowing reservoir for the Strength of a Hundred seal. Sakura gritted her teeth as she whispered whilst watching Ino, in Kin's body, telling Dosu and Zaku that Team Ten had won and that the Oto-nin wouldn't harm their own comrade.

'I still have to re-expand my chakra capacity,' Sakura thought as she, her body still in extreme pain breathed in, 'this younger body has… I don't know… maybe… maybe I could release the seal for two minutes… oh God, two minutes…' Sakura's heart dropped at the thought of having lost the conditioning of her older body, 'stop thinking about that…' her eyes went to Lee, Sasuke, and then at Naruto, 'we are going to have a little talk, baka.'

The left side of Sakura's lips curled upwards as she glanced at Ino, "leave that body, Ino."

"Hey forehead, what's that on your forehead?" Ino, in Kin's body, asked with her eyes narrowing at the purple coloured diamond seal.

"Leave," Sakura growled while she glared at Dosu, her eyes glancing at Ino, "he'll kill his own comrade to…"

"You're right," Dosu said as he turned to Kin, raised his hand towards her face. And then everyone stopped at hearing Sakura's voice.

"Seal release," Sakura growled. She felt the seal unfurl as the Ino-occupied Kin, Dosu, and Zaku stared in confusion at what was happening. They watched as the diamond mark on Sakura's forehead unfurled to form lines that crossed her face as her injuries started to rapidly heal. They looked on as the cuts all over her body healed, scarless skin now visible through the cuts on her qipao dress and shorts.

Ino, in Kin's body, whispered in surprise, "Forehead, what the hell?"

Sakura felt alive. There was no more pain as her chakra permeated through her whole body. "Leave now," Sakura ordered before she pushed off with a chakra enhanced leap. She shunshined just in front of a surprised Dosu who had turned his gauntlet covered hands towards Sakura. Everything was in slow motion as he activated the gauntlets while Sakura ducked beneath his arms while her right arm was cocked back. She could feel the waves of sound from the gauntlets impacting her body, her muscles tearing and then immediately being stitched back together due to the still activated seal.

"Shannaro!" Sakura yelled out as her fist met Daso's abdomen. She hit him at an upward angle, and before long, everyone watched Dosu flying up into the tree truck several meters behind him hard before crashing back onto the ground. Sakura then spun around towards Zaku who was sweating bullets while yelling out that he could feel Shikamaru's hold on him weakening.

"I'll get you!" he yelled out before he was given a chakra enhanced punch to the left side of his jaw. The man flew of off Shikamaru's shadow and they watched Zaku crash onto the ground, causing a small crater to form. Sakura then turned to the one known as Kin.

"Get out of there Ino," Sakura demanded with a look of anger, "now."

Kin nodded her head before bring her hands together and saying, "Kai!"

"What the…" Kin never got to finish what she wanted to say before, thanks to the momentary dizziness caused by the release of the Mind Transmission Technique, Sakura knocked her out. The girl was slammed onto the ground a meter away following a backhanded slap from the pink haired girl. Sakura was breathing hard as she recreated the seal, the girl now feeling her Chakra was at a more comfortable level. Sakura glared at Kin and then at the unconscious Zaku, and then at the direction where Dosu was lying on the ground unconscious.

She then turned to the surprised Team Ten, "hey."

"What just happened?" Ino asked as she strode towards the pink haired girl while Shikamaru and Choji stood back. They looked around at the two small craters and then at the downed tree while Ino cried out, "what the hell…?"

Sakura's shifted her eyes towards Dosu, she remembered he was the one who had a scroll. And since the team had their scroll burned by Orochimaru, she needed to take his scroll away. Sakura, her body already fully healed and her pathways full of chakra, rushed past Ino who yelled out "Sakura!"

The pinkette rushed to the side of the unconscious Dosu, got down on one knee, and turned him over. She then patted down the side of his body with her hands as Ino rushed to her side. Just as Ino arrived, Sakura grabbed a hold of the scroll and pulled it out before placing it into her hip pack. Zipping the pack closed, Sakura looked up at a confused Ino who had her hands on her hips.

Sakura wanted to hug Ino… after all, they had already rebuilt their friendship despite still having their ongoing rivalry when it came down to Sasuke – the latter taking on a friendlier form – after their fight in Phase Two of the Chuunin exams. Sakura got up to her feet as she mentally told herself that the Ino she had known was gone… the one from the future was trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi and that they would never see each other again.

'Does that future still exist?' Sakura thought as she stared at Ino, 'Ino, Shikamaru, Choji…. You're all alive.'

"Forehead," Ino growled with her hands on her hips, "what the hell is going on?"

'You wouldn't believe me if I told you,' Sakura thought to herself as she untied her forehead protector. She then retied it around the back of her head, the band going under her hair while the metallic piece covered the purple coloured seal before she turned towards the unconscious forms of her friends just as she heard thuds from above. Sakura looked up, along with Ino and the others, to see Neji and Tenten looking down at them from a branch. Sakura could see the veins around Neji's eyes, meaning the boy already had his Byakugan activated.

Sakura wondered how much had Neji seen. She didn't want her strength to be public knowledge, at least not now. Not until she had spoken to Kakashi and the Sandaime.

'The Sandaime's alive,' Sakura formed a small smile, 'but we'll need Tsunade-sama back, and then we'll have to take care of Danzo.' Sakura knew it was a tall order, she knew it would take a lot of convincing for Kakashi and the Hokage not to see her as someone going through a mental breakdown.

She pushed all that aside as Tenten leapt down to the ground next to Lee. Sakura saw Tenten staring at her wearily, and then at the rest of Team Ten, as she wrapped one of Lee's arms around her shoulder before standing up. Lee was leaning against her before she leapt to the branch, the three members of Team Gai now together.

Sakura glanced at Neji, his Byakugan now deactivated. Her mind went back to when she was standing over the boy's body as it was being cradled in the arms of a sobbing Lee. Sakura had been at the other end of the vast battlefield at the time, using her healing abilities augmented by Naruto's Level One Kyuubi cloak in healing as many shinobi as possible.

It would be only after the two wooden poles were stabbed through his body that Sakura received news… and she ran as fast as possible to the front lines where the fighting had ceased as everyone remained in shock. One of the much vaunted Konoha Eleven had fallen, and it was going to be a turning point in either the favour of the Alliance or the enemy.

Sakura knew it all depended on how Naruto handled it. As she ran, she could hear Obito mocking Naruto's Nindo and his claim that he was not going to see any of his comrades die. By the time she arrived, Sakura saw Neji's dead body and Hinata holding Naruto's hand.. Everyone in the Alliance felt a great resolve through their connection to Naruto thanks to the cloak. Naruto's resolve to continue to fight, to never give up.

"You have a charming forehead," Sakura remembered 'Sasuke', really Naruto in disguise, speaking to her.

Sakura pulled herself out of that memory as she shifted her sights towards Tenten, "he's injured."

"We'll take care of him," Tenten said as she stared at Sakura with suspicion etched on her face.

Sakura then glance at the smirk on Neji's face, 'I forgot that guy was a jerk when he was younger. Can't wait for Naruto to beat you again.'

"We need to go, they don't have the scroll we need," Neji said.

Tenten nodded her head before they left with Lee. Sakura breathed out and then turned to the groaning Naruto while Sasuke was slowly coming too as well. Sakura's eyes watched as Shikamaru was standing over Naruto, the future strategists eyes watching her lazily while Choji was poking at Naruto's arm. She then saw Ino by Sasuke's side, on one knee, before she leaned down and gently patted one cheek with her hand.

Sakura would ordinarily be angry that Ino was even touching Sasuke. The pinkette was very aware of that fact. But all she saw as she stared at the future Avenger was Sasuke throwing Naruto's dead body onto the ground, throwing Kakashi's dead body towards her, and herself nearly being stabbed through the chest with the Chidori. A part of her still loved Sasuke, but there was another part of her that was telling her that Sasuke was a danger… that there was nothing she could do that would stop him from becoming that monster in the future.

"And he is a monster," Sakura's inner self exclaimed.

'I still have to try preventing that,' Sakura thought to herself as she imagined facing her Inner who then scoffed, 'but I know that I have to ease up a little on his. Seeing him with Naruto's blood on his hands, remembering that he killed Kakashi-sensei, and was so close to killing me…'

"Again… he nearly killed us again," the Inner said.

'Well I'll have to begin changing myself, I guess,' Sakura thought to herself as she glanced at Naruto, 'that baka likes my forehead huh?'

Upon hearing a weak voice saying, "Choji? Shikamaru?" Sakura had a small smile form on her face at Naruto who was struggling to sit up, "what are you guys…" His eyes then widened as he stared at the two boys from Team Ten, "oh, Sakura-chan… Sasuke… that weird woman got…" Naruto was staring at Choji and Shikamaru before his head turned towards Sakura, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sakura-chan."

"Naruto," Sakura said as she strode towards him. She could see Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru glancing at her as she kneeled next to Naruto who was already rubbing the back of his head and complaining about having been unconscious for too long before Sakura said, "don't get up yet. You're still weak."

"How about Sasuke?" he asked before Sakura glanced at the boy who was slowly waking up.

"Oi! SASUKE!" Naruto yelled as he leaned towards the Uchiha who snapped up into a sitting position, barely missing hitting Ino's forehead. He then growled and turned to Naruto who was laughing while pointing a finger at him. Hearing Naruto laugh brought Sakura crashing back down to reality… this was the period of time when they were all, in many ways, still innocent in the world of the Shinobi. She smiled at Naruto before her eyes shifted towards Sasuke rubbing his ears, and then bringing his right hand over his left shoulder and rubbing the back of his neck.

'The curse mark,' Sakura thought as she looked away.

"Sakura," Sasuke said as he looked around at the two unconscious bodies before turning his head back towards Sakura. At that time, Sakura too looked back at his direction, "what happened?"

"Yeah," Naruto asked as he looked back at the hollow tree stump, and then back to Sakura, "the last thing I remembered was fighting that weird lady… or man… or something… and then… well…"

"That guy bit me," Sasuke said, staring at Sakura, "and that's all I remember." He too then looked behind him while Ino caught a glimpse of the mark on the back of his neck. He turned back towards Sakura, "did you drag us here?"

"Yea," Sakura nodded her head.

"You should have seen what…" Choji was saying before being interrupted.

"Everything was quiet," Sakura said with a smile at Naruto and Sasuke while Team Ten were glancing at each other, "you should have seen how there was nothing moving. It was actually kind of creepy… at least for a while. I mean… you know how it is.. nothing moving in a forest is a bit weird," Sakura then nodded at the injured Oto-nin lying around them, "then these guys came and… well…"

"You fought them by yourself?" Naruto was in awe as he stared at Sakura while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the two visible bodies, Kin and Zaku – with Dosu's unconscious body lying hidden in the undergrowth meters away – and then back to Sakura in disbelief, "wow, Sakura-chan, you're so…"

"Come on, I was scared," Sakura chuckled, the girl putting a bit of nervousness in her laugh. She then nodded at Choji and the others, "they'd have killed me if Ino-pig and her team weren't around to save me."

Naruto then turned to a confused Choji and thanked him profusely before he stood up to thank Shikamaru and Ino. Sakura too, stood up before reaching down with her hand to help Sasuke back to his feet.

"Ino pig," Sakura said before sticking her tongue out at her rival, who was staring back at her with a look of confusion, "thanks. But maybe you should… you know… go oinking away?"

"Why you…" Ino was about to dash forward when she suddenly stopped upon seeing Shikamaru shaking his head, "fine, forehead girl. But guess what? I touched Sasuke-kun's cheeks…" Ino smirked as Sasuke's face turned red in embarrassment, "and they were really soft."

"Oh God," Sasuke sighed shaking his head while still rubbing the mark on the base of his neck, something not missed by the others.

"You okay, Sasuke?" Naruto said as he went on to look at what his teammate was rubbing. Instead, Sasuke turned away and said that it was nothing.

"It's some kind of a tattoo, Sasuke-kun," Ino said.

"It's nothing," hissed Sasuke as he hissed at Ino before turning to Shikamaru and Choji, "go away… unless of course you have a scroll that can take place of the one we have."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru said as he took out the scroll from his pack, "you help people and they give problems." He then sighed as Sakura took the scroll that she had taken from Dosu, and said, "we have the same scroll. After these guys beat the Oto-nin, they gave me the scroll."

Shikamaru nodded his head towards Sasuke and Naruto while Ino, standing behind Sasuke, was staring at Sakura in confusion. Sakura shrugged as she placed the scroll back into her pack just as Sakura and Naruto turned towards her while Shikamaru scowled at the pink haired girl. All the while Choji was eating his potato chips.

"What happened to your forehead protector?" Sasuke asked staring at Sakura's covered forehead.

"Got a cut… I already placed some bandages over it when the two of you were unconscious," Sakura lied as the members of Team Ten, all of whom were behind Naruto and Sasuke, glanced at each other wondering why Sakura was being so secretive, "and you know how I hate to… you know…" It was then that Sakura realized that she needed to act as if Sasuke hadn't killed Naruto and Kakashi. She needed to act as if he hadn't betrayed them all, she needed to act as if he hadn't threaten the whole Ninja world. She knew she had to sort through her feelings thanks to the new information in regards to Naruto. For now though, she needed to be the girl who loved Sasuke unconditionally. So she stared lovingly at Sasuke and said, "how my complexion has to be perfect for you, Sasuke-kun."

At this, Ino narrowed her eyes at Sakura while Naruto pretended to gag, and Sasuke scowled before looking away from Sakura. Sakura then shrugged before looking away from Sasuke to Team Ten, "thank you, you guys."

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. A confused Team Ten turned, before leaving the site. Sakura saw Shikamaru and Ino looking back at her before they vanished into the trees.

Sakura then turned towards the boys in her team and pressed her lips together as she watched Sasuke and Naruto arguing. This was how it should be, that was what Sakura was thinking to herself. One was her first love who killed so many, and was about to kill her and the Kages.

And the other was the annoying blonde idiot of a teammate. A boy she had gotten used to and admired. A boy who, Sakura realized, was really the one who had acknowledged her before Sasuke.

Before anyone, actually… well… except for Ino. But Sakura didn't count Ino.

'I should repair my friendship with her,' Sakura thought as she looked at Naruto, 'and Naruto, maybe… maybe it's time I gave a you a chance.' Sakura could still see Naruto's cold pale body lying on the ground in front of her with Sasuke's foot resting on his chest.

'You will not die, Naruto,' Sakura thought to herself as she walked towards them, 'I will watch your back. I will protect you.' She then looked over at Sasuke, 'Sasuke-kun, I'll do all I can to prevent you from deserting us. And I mean I will do anything, even if I have to break your legs and arms to keep you in Konoha.'

Sakura placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, the boy looking over at her. She then placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, the blonde blushing as he stopped yelling at Sasuke and stared at her in surprise.

"My boys," Sakura said, and the two of them blushed, "let's get out of here. We have another scroll to find, and then we head for the tower." The two boys looked at each other with confusion on their faces at how Sakura's forwardness before looking back at the pink haired girl. They nodded their heads with looks of confusion before they took off towards the nearest branch.

TBC.