A/N – I got this idea while I was watching Naruto. When I heard that the next episode was going to be "Sakura Blossoms" I suddenly got this idea. I think it's going to be SasuSaku, but if you feel otherwise, let me know. I always listen to my fans. This story has a bit more powerful Sakura in it and probably won't follow the Naruto storyline (duh, I've only seen to the Sakura Blossoms episode) so it's AU.

In my story all of the characters will be like 3 years older. Since I don't actually feel comfortable with writing how twelve year olds get beaten up. [One more reason why I did not like Sakura Blossoms episode, other being that Sakura didn't actually get to blossom. Oh and that she cut her hair. I liked her hair thank you very much and I'm keeping it

-The story picks up from where the Bushy Brow's Pledge: Undying Love and Protection ended.

Chapter 1 – Mysterious Sachiko

As Lee crumbled onto his knees after Dosu's sound-attack, something inside Sakura clenched. He was getting a beating because of her. He was defending her.

Somehow people always ended up defending her. Images of Sasuke jumping in front of her and the bridgebuilder swam into her mind, followed by Naruto defending her from that snake-dude. Lee's image followed and it hurt her. It hurt because she knew he was getting hurt because of her. Even Ino had protected her as long as she knew her and Sakura was sick of it. She was sick of being the one everybody had to protect.

"You have no chance against us," Dosu said with the ugliest half-of-a-smirk Sakura had ever seen. "You are just rookies. Stand by and let us have Sasuke Uchiha and you might live through this."

Filled by anger as well as that sick feeling in her stomach, that she had gained when Lee got hurt, Sakura stood up. She knew she was shaking a bit from the lack of energy and the fright she was feeling in front of the sound ninjas, but she didn't care. She had to do something.

"If you walk away then you might live through this as well," she said with a confidence she didn't know she had. In the bushes Ino and Shikamaru were watching her closely, both in deep belief that she was suicidal.

"I won't let you hurt my team mates," she said, even more confidence in her voice. Wow, if the confidence got any higher she'd be the female version of Kakashi. Now, all she needed was a little orange and a bit perverted book.

"If you come closer I will fight and though the chances are against me, I will give my best to beat you. One against three, it's not the best way to do it, but…"

"Make that two against three," Lee said, as he managed to climb onto his feet. "I'm not done yet."

"Foolish kids," Zaku snipped, "You just don't want to see another day, do you?"

"What do we like do?" Shikamaru asked from Ino.

The girl turned around and said, "Nothing. It's suicide and you know it. If we go out there, we won't probably make it."

"But…"

"We stay here and watch," Ino interrupted, "If things go really out of hands we either join in or disappear before they come after us."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru replied, a feeling of uncertainty in him. This was not good.

Sakura's hand went to her kunai knives. She withdrew them from the holster and nodded to Lee, who nodded back. They were going to do this. No matter what.

Dosu was amused. Those two were going down and they knew it. But yet there they were, as hoping that they would actually win. Pathetic.

"You want to fight us?" Dosu asked, as Zaku and Kin walked onto either sides of him. "Are you completely sure about that?"

"If you want to get to Sasuke, you will have to go through me. I won't let my team mates down. I just wont," Sakura replied, damn sure that if it was her lying there, then Naruto and Sasuke would do the same.

Secretly, Kin was a bit impressed in her loyalties. She was pretty much sacrificing her life in the hopes her friends would make it. But they wouldn't. That's what Dosu, Zaku and she herself were here for. They were going to take down Sakura Uchiha. That was their mission and they were going to fulfil it.

"Lee, you don't have to do it," Sakura said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"I do. I promised, Sakura. Remember?"

Sakura remembered, but found it to be quite unbelievable. She hadn't treated Lee with that much of respect, but here he was, still keeping that stupid promise he gave her.

"Thank you," she said shortly, but no more were needed. Lee smiled slightly and nodded and then the two of them faced the ninjas from the Sound Village.

The kunai Sakura sent at Dosu's face was deflected by Zaku's soundwave. The same happened with the other one.

The three ninjas laughed and the five genins (Two battling and three hiding in the bushes) all cringed. Those two men probably would win the spookiest laughter contest.

Then they all started to run. Lee's taijutsu managed to knock Zaku off his feet and Sakura managed to hurl two kunais at Dosu, who blocked one and the other one just scratched him. Then Zaku's sound wave sent them flying.

Sakura managed to land on her feet, but Lee went crashing against the tree nearby. As he groaned, hitting the ground, Sakura got only madder. "I'll get to you," she hissed not caring if nobody heard, "even if it's the last thing I do."

She stood up, her long pink hair flowing behind her, "I'll bring you down."

Lee was groaning, but he got up as well, he won't lose in front of Sakura.

With some vastly found strength they charged at their enemies again. Kin managed to dodge Sakura's attack and Zaku was ready for Lee's taijutsu this time around. But Sakura managed to jump up and slash again, this time successfully making a gash in Kin's cheek. Lee's double turn, though it managed to give him another shot at Zaku also missed.

Dosu's hand was behind Sakura's head in a moment. The attack was coming, Sakura knew it, but yet she had no way to dodge it. It was going to be a big blow and she closed her eyes, hoping it will ease it a bit, but… it never reached her. Lee had jumped in front of her and as he collapsed onto the ground after the attack, completely battered.

Everything inside Sakura broke into million pieces. He had protected her. Again. Again, someone had done that, as if she couldn't handle herself as if she was useless. It might've been so, but it wasn't so anymore. As Dosu prepared to give the final blow to Lee, Sakura was willing to do anything for him to stop. Anything.

As she leapt forward, time seemed to stop. Absolutely everything stopped and Sakura noticed it. She stopped and looked around. Nothing moved. She walked to the left a bit until she saw a bee flying. It was frozen and even its wings didn't move a single bit.

"What is going on?"

"Not much," a voice behind her answered. She turned and screamed her lungs out. It was a ghost. A real, floating, barely visible ghost.

"What…Who…How?" She sputtered, her eyes wide.

"Nice to meet you," the ghost replied, "I'm Sachiko Effingo [Want to know what's the big deal with him? Find a Latin translation

"…"

The ghost looked at his outreached hand and put it down, "Right, too scary for now?"

Sakura nodded.

"Thought so," the ghost rubbed its head, "So do you like need a minute to process stuff? Or can you speak right now?"

Sakura raised one finger and slowly slid down, her back against the tree as she stared at the floating thing in front of her. A minute passed and Sakura asked quietly,

"Why isn't anything moving?"

"Oh it's a jutsu I picked up before my death."

"So you're, you know, dead?"

"Well duh, I'm a ghost aren't I?"

"Right," Sakura said, "a ghost. So how come I'm speaking to…a ghost?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you," the man said, cheerfully. "I like you."

"You like me?" Sakura asked, horrified.

"Not, like, like you. You know, not like that way. I like your attitude for stuff. You're great and the way you stood up to those two jerks. Beautiful!"

"Okaaay," Sakura said, "And uh, why are you talking to me again?"

"I've been following you around for weeks," he said, grinning widely. When Sakura's face blanched, he corrected again, "Not followed you everywhere of course. I'm not a kinky old man for your knowledge, but I need to do something with myself so I could move on and I've finally figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Sakura asked, staring at the man in front of her. He was definitely old. About fifty at least. He was wearing a black ninja outfit and if it hadn't been for his beard, he would've even looked pretty decent… for a fifty year old guy.

"I can't move on because of my essence. It's too big and heavy, so I'm giving it away. Cool, huh?"

When Sakura didn't respond, he continued, "I've been stuck in this state for I don't know how long. Usually when I see people, they whiz past me faster than wind. So when in my time I've stayed in this state for two years, then in your time… It's much, much more."

"How is everybody so slow now then?"

"My jutsu. I told you already," Sachiko said, "As a ghost, I don't actually have a bloodstream and a brain and stuff like that to control chakra. I have it mind you, but I can't use it. So it took me a long time to find a way to use the time freeze jutsu and then it took me some time to find the perfect candidate for my essence."

"And now I got her," he yelled, jubilant for some reason.

"Where?" Sakura asked, oblivious. Then she noticed a bit of blonde head behind the bush, which looked ready to jump out of it. Which meant she was coming to help. But…

"You want to give Ino your essence?"

"What's essence?" her inner self asked. "No idea," another inner self replied, "but we're going with the flow here. Going with the floooow."

"Ino?" Sachiko asked, "Not Ino. You!"

"ME?"

"Yeah, you. I said I've kept an eye on you and you're perfect. You can control your chakra, an ability you really have to put on test if controlling mine and you have those friends who'll have your back all the time! At first I considered Sasuke Uchiha as a receiver, but that wouldn't work. Too much mixing and two bloodlines in one body. The villages would have him hunted for that. Too much power in one person."

Sakura used her incredible smarts to say, "Huh?"

Sachiko grinned, "I'm not making sense am I? Listen carefully, I am a ghost and I can't move on to the light, you know, because I have too much burden and now I'm giving it all to you. It's not exactly burden but I don't need it any more and you just might. So you can have all of it. My essence – my knowledge, my chakra and my whole friggin bloodline."

"What the… you can't give people bloodlines. That doesn't work like that," Sakura exclaimed.

"It does now," Sachiko said defiantly, folding his arms over his chest like a little kid. "Want it or not, but I chose you. If I let you go it would take another two years of planning and collecting spiritual chakra to use the spell. I'm bored! I need to move on not stand here watching as kids whiz past like bullets whole my life. Please, let me move on."

Sakura didn't get a word, she was too damn confused.

"I've been living in this village as long as I can remember. When a person dies, he or she moves over immediately or, if he or she has reasons, they hang around for a while. Some do and then I at least have someone to talk to for an hour or so. Then they move on and I, I get left behind. The last person said that the reason I don't get to move on is that when a ninja dies his or her essence disappears, but mine didn't for some reason and I have got to get rid of the burden. So stop whining and accept it gracefully."

"Wait ghosts stop here?" Sakura asked, not sure how many invisible old men had followed her around.

"Only for a really short amount of time and only if they died with regret. I recall many stopping here because they were murdered and… Oh yes! I almost forgot. The Uchihas stopped by about two days ago. When they heard what I was trying to do, they gave me a message to give it to my receipting person so she or he could give it to their good son."

"Two days ago? They've been dead for years!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" Sachiko asked, shrugging, "Told you the time is really messed up here. Anyways the message was as followed… oh and his mum, uh, she , umm… Okay, listen…"

The following five minutes had to be the weirdest thing Sakura ever did. Talking about her team mates dead parents and stuff that had happened to him, with a ghost nonetheless AND listening to a ghost singing… That definitely made the weirdest things ever happened top 3 for her.

"So," Sachiko clapped his hands together, "Are you ready to accept my present for you Sakura Haruno?"

"I don't even know what it is," Sakura protested.

"Oh, pish pish. You'll learn fast. It'll be all here. Just don't overdo it, train your body so it'll be as strong as your mental side and that it could handle the speed and all the chakra and well you'll learn with experience. I did. The knowledge of Effingo is all yours. But use it well… Oh what the hell am I moaning about. Use it how you want to use it, have fun, but don't go too overboard. I did that once… bad memories and even worse hangover."

Sachiko grinned at Sakura, who was looking him like he was the ugliest green beast made of slime. "Come here, girl."

"Come on," he said, as she didn't come closer. This time she obeyed. Hesitantly but still.

"Listen, you'll have to trust your knowledge okay? It'll probably scare you and you'll tire out fast because of your body not be able to carry that much chakra too suddenly, but it'll work out, believe me. But if you remember stuff that you know you shouldn't… well its normal. Just use them as trustable knowledge resources."

Sakura nodded. If this was going to help Lee, Sasuke and Naruto out of this, then whatever it was, she'd handle it. As reading her mind, Sachiko grinned and placed his hands on her shoulders. They went through her.

"Damn, give me a moment."

A moment later he placed his hands on her shoulders again. And this time his hands felt more solid. He grinned and started to recite words in Latin that Sakura didn't understand. She had no idea what was happening and she didn't even know what word Effingo meant. But she was willing to take the risk.

Suddenly white light started to glow inside of Sachiko. His grin doubled in size. "I did it. I'm getting to move on."

He turned to look at Sakura, who was feeling dizzy right about now. "Thank you," he said simply, sincerity covering his words. Sakura nodded. She hadn't exactly done anything, but…

"You did more than you could know of," he replied. This time Sakura was spooked. "You could've declined or told me to take a hike. I would've had to work up the chakra inside my transparent body again and it would've taken years. So I thank you for not making me suffer this life, if you can call it that. I thank you from my heart."

Before the light swallowed both of them, Sakura heard a faint yell of "Goodbye Sakura Haruno."

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A/n – What do you think? Good, bad? Middle? Not that understandable? Please R/R!