LIFE
Summary: Uchiha Madara had won. The few surviving members of the Ninja Alliance had been annihilated. In order to save countless of lives and restore balance in the world, a dying Sakura was sent back in time by an utterly unexpected individual. Time Travel.
…L…
..
Sakura
..
A bloodied hand twitched.
That was the only indication that the woman, whom was lying down the muddy ground, gave at the call of her name.
Well, in a way, it was muddy.
Only problem was, that it was her blood which covered the ground, resulting to its muddy consistency.
..
Sakura
..
At the incessant call, the woman's eyelashes fluttered, as she neared the brink of consciousness.
Her brows furrowed as she registered the dull pain and general malaise that constantly coursed through her body. Coupled that with a pounding headache, she was gradually being dragged back to the comfortable darkness.
But it seemed that whoever was calling her didn't want that.
..
Awaken, Child.
..
The woman was forcibly yanked from the depths of her slumber as the commanding voice called out to her once again.
Weakly, she began to force herself to open her eyes. It was pathetic that even such a simple act took a great toll from her.
Slowly, yet surely, her eyes opened halfway only to take sight of the blood red moon that hovered over the black night sky.
Unwittingly, her sight blurred as tears fell from those dull eyes.
Funny.
She thought that she had lost the ability to cry months ago.
Guess not.
..
Sakura
..
There was that voice again.
"…Wh-… W-… Who?..." came her hoarse voice, she winced at the strain in her throat as she forced those words to come out.
Her body felt like lead, she couldn't even move her body to defend herself if the need arose. The most she could do was to occasionally twitch some of her fingers.
Hell, it wasn't like someone needed to finish her off. They could just leave her alone and she would still die anyway.
Sakura knew that she didn't have much time left.
She could feel it.
"Sakura."
Sakura spotted a flash of white from her periphery, yet she couldn't even summon the strength to turn her head to investigate.
It was futile.
Her tears stopped awhile ago as she had accepted her situation.
There was nothing that she could do about her condition. It was just too late.
It didn't matter if the individual that was calling her was a friend or a foe. She would die either way.
It was only a matter of time until death claimed her.
She closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.
It was for that reason that she didn't notice that the individual settled by her side.
She gasped in fright as an ice-cold hand suddenly covered her eyes.
"You are dying." A feminine voice sounded, just right above her.
'Well, no shit captain obvious.' Thought Sakura, sarcastically. Of course, she didn't dare say it out loud as she was literally in the mercy of this woman. And even if she had the gall to say it, she couldn't, her throat was too dry for that, and she didn't need any more pain added to the one that she's currently experiencing.
"You will hold your tongue, Child." Came the sharp and stern reply of the woman. Her palm pressed down on her eyes, as her sharp fingernails dug painfully on the sides of her head.
Sakura could literally feel her heart jumped right up her throat as absolute fright grabbed her whole being.
'Y-You… You could hear me? Wait no, that's not possible, there's simply no way that-… Unless, she has a Kekkei Genkai or-… Did I say that out loud? I swear that-!'
"Halt your worthless ramblings at once!" commanded the woman, obviously irritated.
If a pissed-off mind-reading woman with her sharp claws clutching your head tells you to stop. You stop.
So Sakura, despite her pounding heart and all, immediately shut up.
The woman, sensing Sakura's obedience, sighed wearily before easing her tight hold on the other's head.
"As I said earlier, you are dying, and there's nothing anyone could do about this fact. In a matter of moments, you will be gone from this world, Haruno Sakura."
Sakura, not wanting to suffer from this woman's ire, held back her retort. She would rather pass her last moments in this world peacefully.
"As such, I will entrust you with a mission-"
'Wait- WHAT?!'interrupted Sakura, bewildered.
"I do not condone being interrupted, Child." Came the hissed disapproval of the woman.
'Um… Yeah, about that… You just said that I don't have long before I die,' Sakura pointed out, frowning. 'And now you're telling me that you're giving me a mission? And why would I even, let's say, accept this mission? I don't even know you.'
Then there was silence as she finished her rant.
Right away, Sakura deeply regretted it as the temperature around her dropped by several degrees. Her breath came in painful gasps as fear gripped her heart at the copious amount of killing intent that was let loose by the woman. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before.
Least to say, she had never been more terrified in her life as she did in this particular moment.
Not even when that bastard dealt that mortal blow on her.
"Interrupt me again, then I will not hesitate to kill you in the most painful way possible you annoying little brat." The woman coldly replied in a cutting voice.
Sakura didn't even dare move, heck; she didn't even dare breathe in the next couple of moments.
"Splendid, I see that you have learned your lesson. Now, let's continue on, shall we?"
'H-Hai.'
Unbeknownst to her, the woman's lips twitched in amusement at her suddenly obedient personality. However, gradually, her expression changed in sorrow as she took on the sight of the child's battered body.
'You have come a long way. You have done so much to prove your worth, suffered for it greatly… yet, in the end…' Thought the woman.
"I will entrust you with a mission." The woman started again. "I will not give you the choice as to whether you will accept it or not. You will do this mission, and you will accomplish it to the best of your capabilities. Failure to do so on your part is not an option to be considered."
Sakura had so many questions floating in the back of her mind, yet she held back as she sensed the woman's imposing aura.
Whoever this woman was, she was used to getting her way, no questions asked. A noble maybe? Yet, she had the presence of a Shinobi, as evidenced by the use of her killing intent earlier. Even now, Sakura could literally feel the chakra that was continuously oozing out of this unknown woman.
If Sakura didn't know any better, this woman could be a Kage. However, since all five Kage died all those months ago, that was certainly out of the question.
"The world suffered greatly in the hands of one man. Yet, countless had a hand in its machination, countless had triggered this genocide that had come to pass. And that man knew it; he had taken advantage of it and only sped up the process of this world's destruction."
Sakura had felt a gasp coming, however, her throat was too parched for it. She winced as her throat burned at her involuntary action.
As if sensing Sakura's internal turmoil, the woman continued.
"The world is nearing its destruction." The woman stated. "That foolish man had thought that he could control and shape the world as he saw fit, thought that he was a god that should be revered by all. However, in his path to greatness, he unbalanced the flow of energy of this world. Blinded by his pursuit of power, he had unleashed that beast, that abomination."
The woman's hold on Sakura's head tightened yet again in anger, before a self-depreciating laugh escaped from her lips.
That empty laugh made Sakura shiver from its hollowness.
"Of course, I confess that I am a hypocrite for even saying such things." Continued the woman, rather sardonically. "Either way, it's only a matter of time before that beast consumes him."
'But… I thought that… Uchiha-…' thought Sakura, utter confusion warring inside her.
"Uchiha Madara is nothing but a foolish man, nay, a foolish child that thought that he could control the Shinju. That arrogance of his will lead him to his eventual demise once the Shinju gets tired of toying with him." Said the woman, voice devoid of emotion. "As you have guessed, the Shinju cannot just simply be controlled to the whims of men; the Shinju is an innate force of nature whose only goal is to bring despair and destruction upon this world. Eventually, the Shinju will devour Madara and proceed to annihilate all of mankind."
Blown by this revelation, Sakura felt ringing in her ears as she tried to grasp the facts that this woman was uttering.
I mean, how the hell could this woman be so calm when talking about the destruction of the world?
"Haruno Sakura." Her attention focused again on the woman whom called her with such an authoritative voice. "The mission that I will hand down to you is to prevent the destruction of this world."
Sakura felt like a huge boulder the size of the Hokage Monument was suddenly dropped down to her chest as she was winded by this command.
"Wh-Wha-?!" she exclaimed in surprise, temporarily forgetting that her throat ached like hell.
As such, she violently coughed as her throat closed down and painfully scraped together. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth as her hacking continued on for a few moments, further inflicting injury on her body.
The woman just watched impassively as the child proceeded to calm down from this revelation.
'How-… No, the correct question is… Why me?' Sakura asked, gathering her mind altogether.
There was silence for a few moments before the woman finally decided to break it.
"I have watched over you for a long time now, Haruno Sakura." The woman answered simply. "I have seen your constant struggles in life, how you handled it, and how you dealt with it. I find your decisions in difficult situations to be satisfactory, enough to know that you will handle this mission in a prompt and delicate, yet efficient way."
For some reason, hell, a lot of reasons, Sakura didn't buy the woman's excuse.
'Look,… Uh, lady,' Sakura started, not knowing what to call the woman, seeing as that she hadn't yet introduced herself. 'You had just told me the world is nearing its destruction caused by that bastard Madara, the Shinju is out on a rampage to kill every last human being alive, and then you just handed me down this crazy-ass mission, telling me to stop the world's imminent destruction. The least you could do is to tell me the truth. And more importantly, just in case you've forgotten, I'm dying. For Kami's sake, I can't even move my legs, what the hell? I can't even talk to you properly, let alone utter two words without coughing myself to death. So yeah, forgive me if I don't buy your answer. Hell, at least tell me your name, this conversation was pretty much one-sided right from the start.'
Sakura knew that she had crossed the line.
Well, tough.
She found out that she didn't care. She was dying anyway, the most that the woman could do was to speed up the process.
It didn't stop her from being shocked however, as the woman beside her let out a booming laugh.
Forcing her pounding heart to calm down, Sakura began to feel uneasy as the woman continued to laugh, fearing she went over the end of the cliff and turned bat-shit crazy.
For some reason, this laugh was devoid of any malice, as was the case earlier, instead it's bursting with pure amusement.
She didn't know whether to be offended or not.
"You amuse me so, my Child." The woman finally uttered, coming down from her high. "In all of my existence, I had not been talked to in such a manner. I admit that it was quite refreshing."
Sakura really didn't know how to respond to that.
'Um, ok,… thanks,… I guess…?' Alright, not her most articulate response ever, but what the heck? She's dying here.
"As for your question, and I'm only answering you because I deign you amusing." The woman continued. "I am Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
For some reason, Sakura thought that she heard that name somewhere.
Before she could marvel at the woman's name, Kaguya interrupted her thoughts.
"You do not have much time left; I sense your life essence starting to fade." Said Kaguya, in an even tone.
At that, with eyes already closed since Kaguya's delicate hand was still upon her, Sakura smiled sadly as she accepted her fate.
"It needs to be done now."
Hm? What?
"Listen carefully, Haruno Sakura." Kaguya stated. "It matters not why I have chosen you as the recipient of this mission. I do have my reasons, call it a whim if you must, but we have more urgent matters to attend to. You will succeed at this mission, failure to do so will lead to the world's destruction and the annihilation of mankind. It is now all up to you how you play your part."
'Huh! What?!' started Sakura, shocked. 'But I can't! I'm already dying, and even so, I don't have the power to do it! Don't you see the situation I'm in right now? All it took was one swat from Madara, and look at the situation I'm in, dying on a pool of my own blood. So, how on earth am I going to-'
"I held no delusions regarding your power levels." Interrupted Kaguya, rather calmly, much to Sakura's irritation. "If you were to face Madara now, you wouldn't even last a second. Just look at the situation you're in. You are far too weak."
Ouch.
Well, that hurt.
"As such, I would be transferring all my powers to you." Kaguya declared, firmly gripping Sakura head in her clutch once again.
'Huh?!' That certainly was fast becoming her favorite word right now.
"If you wish to succeed at this mission, then you had to have the power to do so. I can give you that power."
'…But, why?...'
There was a slight pause as Kaguya contemplated on what to say.
"I have done so much… damage to this world." Kaguya finally said, melancholy coating her words. "I do not regret my actions, as every action that I do is all for what I perceive as the greater good. I am not a saint, Sakura, I do not repent. I do not lament the lives that I had taken. However, I will not stand by to just watch as a foolish child undo both of my sons' work."
"Many may call me a Demon, some a Goddess. But first and foremost, I am a Mother."
Sakura stayed quiet throughout Kaguya's monologue.
"For both of my sons' sake, I will be selfish. It matters not the consequences that my action today will bring. You will receive my power, even at the cost of the end of my existence."
Sakura gasped, stunned by the implication of Kaguya's words.
"Hush, my Child." Kaguya said, stopping Sakura before she could even say a word. "This is the least I could do as to all the evils that I had unleashed on this world. I would do this either way; you may choose what to do with my power at your disposal. However, I am certain that you know the consequences if you so choose to just stand by and watch as the events comes to pass again, with no intervention whatsoever on your part. You are an intelligent woman, Haruno Sakura."
'… How?...'
"You will be sent back in time, back to where your life had begun." Kaguya answered. "But I fear there are things that cannot be. Such as sending one existing soul back where another soul currently resides. As such, at the cost of sending you back, the Haruno Sakura of then will cease to exist."
'… I see.'
"Then let us begin."
With that, Kaguya pressed her hand down and let the tight control she had on her chakra burst forth.
In a distance, Sakura could hear a grotesque sound of a torturous scream; it took a moment for her to realize that the sound came from her own mouth.
Sakura's whole body went ablaze with inferno as multitudes of foreign chakra was forced down her every pores. Her eyes for one, felt like it was on fire.
She was rapidly drifting towards the blackness that threatened to consume her being.
"Farewell, Haruno Sakura."
Was Kaguya's last words as Sakura fell into the darkness.
…L…
Not caring in the least to the fact that her throat hurt like fuck, Sakura continued screaming all the way as her body felt like it had been stabbed, skewered, smashed, and went ablaze, over and over again.
But nothing compared as to the time when it felt like she was being squeezed all over her body. It was like someone forced her to slide through an extremely tight tube, indifferent that her bones might break. The one good thing, or bad thing really, that it did to be placed in this situation was that she stopped screaming. Not that it was her choice, she just couldn't scream, couldn't breathe for that matter.
She did notice though, that someone else seemed to be screaming for her. It was just a faint sound at first, but as she passed gradually through the tube, it became louder and louder.
At last, after what seemed like hours, she finally slid through the end of the hell hole.
She wanted to rejoice and shout: 'Freedom!'
But alas, things seemed to not be working well for her at all.
Why, you ask?
Because she still couldn't breathe.
'Aw, Hell No! I didn't go through all that just to suffocate like a bitch!'
As she had just finished her thoughts, a gigantic hand grabbed her body and proceeded to seemingly wipe her and wrap her tightly with a large cloth that encompassed her entire body.
Sakura was just beginning to panic, wondering who in the world was manhandling her, when suddenly a contraption was forced through her nose, removing the fluids that blocked her passageway, and then the process was repeated to her mouth.
'Suction?' supplied Sakura's mind.
As the suction catheter was removed from her mouth, she thanked whoever deity there may be as she could breathe once again.
Utterly exhausted from what she had just endured, Sakura felt herself slowly drifting to sleep, and she would've gladly welcomed it were it not for the sudden jarring of her body.
She could hear voices, but her mind refused to cooperate, so she once again slowly drifted off when her body was jarred again. Now it felt like she was being transferred from one giant hand to the next.
Confused, she slowly – not to mention, weakly – opened her eyes, and saw a gigantic face looming down on her.
In a span of a second, Sakura watched in morbid fascination as the giant's expression before her contorted in shock before it suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.
So she did the logical thing to do.
And screamed back in return.
…L…
Haruno Mebuki was deeply exhausted. No surprise there as she had just particularly went through a difficult delivery.
Still clutching her husband's broken hand, courtesy of yours truly, she watched through half-lidded eyes as her baby was wrapped in a blanket and was attended to by the medics.
"I'm proud of you." Said Kizashi, smiling gently at his tired wife, as he gently ran his hand through her hair, before kissing her forehead.
Mebuki couldn't help but smile at the loving gestures of her husband.
"I'm sorry." She apologized as she looked down at his broken hand.
"Don't worry about it; you have gone through so much more. It's the least I could do." Replied Kizashi, wincing slightly, before smiling reassuredly at his wife.
"And I don't mean it when I said I'll have your bits cut off in the local butcher shop." She hastily added, remembering that embarrassing event earlier when she hit a particularly painful contraction.
Kizashi let out a bark of laugh as he remembered that.
"I know, you'll miss it too much." Winking at his wife, he let out another laugh as he saw his endearing wife's blushing face.
"Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san." Called out the head medic in regards to her care. "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl."
And with that, the medic presented their baby to them.
It was a cute baby girl, with soft tufts of pink hair, and a pair of pinkish chubby cheeks that glowed in a healthy manner.
She certainly made an adorable sight.
The new parent's couldn't help but beam in happiness as they saw their child.
Carefully, the medic placed the baby in Mebuki's gentle arms.
"So, do you have a name for the baby yet." Asked the medic.
Mebuki looked at Kizashi's smiling face first before taking in the details of her beautiful baby once again.
"Sakura." Said Mebuki, gently tracing the cheek of her baby. "Haruno Sakura."
Mebuki glanced at Kizashi again, looking for approval.
In return, Kizashi just embraced the important women in his life, whilst gently smiling at them.
"I like it." Said Kizashi, kissing Mebuki once again, before looking down at his baby, all the while leaning the side of his head against his wife.
They both watched in happiness and fascination as Sakura slowly scrunched her little features before her tiny lashes fluttered, her eyes slowly started to open to gaze at them.
Instead of the striking green eyes that they expected Sakura to possess, since both of them had green eyes, what stared back at them was absolutely what they didn't expect to.
Staring back at them was a pair of light purple eyes with ripple-like patterns that spread throughout the eyeballs of their daughter.
Mebuki's face contorted in shock before she let out a blood-curdling scream.
Sakura soon followed after.
..
A/N: Another fic yet again, I'm actually kind of surprised that I only made a Sakura fic now, since she's my favorite character.
Yeah, I gave Sakura the Rinnegan. I know that Kaguya has the Sharingan and the Byakugan, and originally, I planned to give those two Kekkei Genkai to Sakura, but since I don't particularly like Sakura having a third eye on her forehead ( I actually detest the idea ), I settled for the Rinnegan.
Why the hell not? Kaguya gave all of her powers to Sakura, but during the process of giving it, her powers mixed, which resulted to the creation of Rinnegan in Sakura. Let's just assume that that was exactly what happened. After all, Kaguya was the mother of Hagoromo, who possessed the Rinnegan. And there are theories that suggest that the Rinnegan developed from both the Byakugan and the Sharingan. So yeah.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it; I would really appreciate it if you let me know what you think of this fic. Any suggestions, advices, or criticisms will be welcomed.
Thank you, and have a good day. :)