JO here...

First MinaSaku story. Sadly its on On Hold at the moment because I want to edit and see where I was going with this again.

See, this is what happens when you leave a story stewing for too long. You forget what ingredients you were gonna put in it. But rest assured, I will continue. Whether this will have a makeover or continue along the same line is yet to be seen. I'll let you all know at a later date. You can check out its progress on my profile.

Disclaimer: C'est dommage! Don't own Naruto.

Prologue

There it was. The prettiest flower little six years-old Sakura Haruno had ever seen. It was in the middle of the grassy field, its petals pink and bright, swaying to the rhythm of the wind. This flower had to be it; it was pink and looked like just like a cherry blossom. Their ninja class had gone on an expedition to the forest with an assignment to find the legendary Blossom Flower that could cure headaches if boiled with water.

Ino-pig had been bragging about how quick and easy she'd find it seen she'd seen it once at her family's flower shop. Well, let her talk. Sasuke hadn't looked impressed. But if Sakura found it, then maybe Sasuke just might look at her for once.

And now, here it was. Or at least Sakura thought this was it. It couldn't hurt to look. As Sakura walked over to the flower, she noticed a stranger emerge from the shadows of the trees beyond. It was a woman, garbed in a white robe. A large straw hat obscured her features, but the dark eyes gleamed as they examined Sakura.

"Um…hello," mumbled Sakura nervously, eyeing the flower and the woman. "Are you lost, ma'am?"

The woman's lips twitched. "No little one, but I fear you will be. In the future."

"Future?" Echoed Sakura in confusion.

"Yes. The future holds much for you. Don't get discouraged, fight back. You're stronger then you think Sakura."

Sakura gaped. How did the woman know her name? Was it her hair? She had often been told that she was practically the only girl in all of Konoha, probably the world, to have pink hair. So of course people would easily know who the girl with pink hair was.

"How do you know my name?"

The woman smiled. "Because if you and him and can come together, then you can defeat the threat that will come to Konoha in the Past."

And now the lady lost her. The woman wobbled a bit as she stepped forward. Concerned Sakura asked, "Is there something wrong, miss?"

The woman shook her head. "Oh nothing. Just a headache from using too much of my chakra."

That's when Sakura remembered the flower. She turned and grabbed it before returning to the woman. "Here. My teacher said the Cherry Blossom flower will make headaches go away."

Surprised, the woman smiled gently. "Thank you, little one. Not everyone would be as kind as you." The woman accepted the flower before Sakura remembered that she had to get back. She wished the lady to take care before she left.

Now, as Sakura sat in class, stealing glances at Sasuke and briefly glaring at Ino-pig, she wondered who that woman was and what she had meant by "him". Maybe, she thought, she meant Sasuke. Sakura squealed in her head and smiled at the board. She'd definitely work hard for him to notice her.

Minato couldn't help but note the strange woman looking at him. His other teammates were oblivious as they argued. Even Jiraiya sensei was a little preoccupied by the woman next to him. Still, one would think after twenty minutes of staring, one would get tired of staring at a stranger.

The mission he and his teammates were assigned was simple enough, find the rogue ninja and return him back to the Hokage for judgment. They had arrived at the Shumaro town just yesterday where the rogue nin was supposedly hiding out. With Jiraiya sensei's network of information, it would only take a couple of hours before the perpetrator was apprehended.

Still, Minato wouldn't mind if the lady could look else where. Maybe—maybe she was working for the rogue ninja and had been trying to figure out who he was. Whoa. That was a close one. Minato's initial reaction was to report this theory to Jiraiya sensei, but if she was a spy, it would be best not to give his sensei away.

His teammates had just finished their argument and are now splitting up. Minato sighed. Haven't they heard of teamwork? Looking back towards the woman, Minato was a little surprised to see her walking towards him. He tightened his grip and tried to act casual.

It wasn't until the woman approached him that he gave her his attention. Her features were obscured by the large straw hat she wore, making it impossible for Minato to discern her age. Her lips were visible though and smiled when she saw him squinting at her.

"Hello young Minato. You're probably wondering why I've kept staring at you," she said calmly, her voice ageless.

Minato, for his part, was a little surprised that this stranger knew his name. Had he met her before? He couldn't recall.

"Don't worry," reassured the woman. "I've only come to give you a warning."

"A warning?"

"About the future," she continued. "Bad things will happen that will threaten the peace of Konoha and all who inhabit there. The war right now is nothing to what will happen should evil interfere. But if you find your future lady and unite with her, then maybe evil can be defeated."

Minato shook his head. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

The woman smiled warily. "The young ones never do. But you will, in the future. Just remember, nothing is ever as it seems, Minato."

The woman turned to leave, but before she did, she retrieved something from her large sleeve: a single rare Cherry Blossom flower, freshly picked and undamaged by being held in the woman's sleeve. Minato stood, gaping. Finding a flower like that around Konoha was like finding gold in a dessert. The chances were slim if possible at all for finding one. And what shocked Minato the most was that the woman was handing it to him!

"A little girl gave me that flower for my headache, but I'm too old to waste such a valuable find. Keep it. I'm sure she'd be happy to know that you have it now."

With that, the woman disappeared into the crowd. Minato didn't know what to think of the flower in his hands or what had just happened. It wasn't a second later that Jiraiya came strolling next to the confused boy, grinning like he won the lottery.

"Found the perp's hideout. We can strike tonight and be back at home by dawn," then he noticed the Cherry Blossom flower in Minato's hand. He whistled, impressed. "Is that a Cherry Blossom flower? Nice. You don't see one of those in a lifetime. They say it has special healing properties for any head and heart wounds. But," Jiraiya egged mischievously. "They also tell of a legend where the first person who picked the flower and the last person to receive it will end up together, body and soul."

Minato frowned. "How dumb. Body and soul? What does that even mean?"

Jiraiya grinned. "It called love, little man. I hear the flower stays fresh and glowing until the two lovers find each other. Isn't that something? Now I'm not big on superstitions, but either way, you should keep it. Could be useful when you get injured."

In the end, Minato decided to keep the flower, not because of the silly love legend but because such a flower was rare and to throw it away or give it to somebody else (seriously, what had that little girl and the woman been thinking?) would be a shame. It never occurred to Minato who that lady was nor did he waste time thinking about who his "future lady" would be. He had a mission to accomplish and he wasn't going to let his teammates down.

Much later, when the moon was high in the sky, when the leaves of the forest rustled in the wind, a dark figure wiped his blade clean of blood from the dead crumpled form below. The dark figure turned slightly and called out to another hidden figure by the trees.

"It's done. Inform Z-sama that the kids have been warned." The figure by the trees nodded before disappearing. Placing the clean blade in its sheath, the dark figure left the clearing without hesitation.

The crumpled dead form on the ground did not stir, but the large straw hat was lifted and blown away by the wind.