Disclaimer: This fic was adopted from cywsaphyre and I'll writing my own chapters from chapter 7 onwards

The first thing Sakura thought of when she opened her eyes was, "I'll kill Naruto for painting my ceiling pink."

This was quickly followed by the chilling thought, "Naruto's already dead, stupid," except it wasn't her who supplied that helpful reminder.

Shooting up in bed, Sakura automatically reached under her pillow for a kunai that wasn't there ever as she thought, "Inner?"

"Who else?" Inner retorted, sounding exasperated. "Honestly, Kura-chan, you're not very bright in the morning, are you?"

Sakura spent a long moment gathering her reeling thoughts, which were currently all over the place as she took in her surroundings.

"Where am I?" She asked aloud, and then immediately closed her mouth with a near-silent click. She was confused and on edge but she was fairly certain her voice was not supposed to be so… high-pitched.

Inner snickered in her mind and Sakura felt a familiar annoyance mix with her confusion.

"Don't you remember?" Inner asked flippantly. "Death and destruction? The Kyuubi? Back to the past? Am I ringing any bells here?"

And just like that, the last memory clicked back into place and Sakura stared around her room with new eyes. That's right: when she still lived with her parents, her bedroom had been pink.

"I'm back in the past," She felt a smile spread over her face before a frown took over. "What's wrong with my voice?"

"Ah, well," Inner hedged like she always does when she knew something Sakura didn't and also wouldn't like. "There might've been a slight…problem."

And that was how Sakura found out she wasn't twelve, as the Kyuubi had promised in his final moments after Naruto died and her world burned around her, but four, tiny and short and about as useful as her shishou in the rare occasion when she was actually completely drunk out of her mind.

Well, Murphy's Law had always hated Team Seven more than any other.

~T~

But Sakura didn't dwell on the miscalculation for long because she was home and her parents were alive for the first time in ten years.

Sakura remembered what a deep sleeper she had always been before her ninja life drilled it out of her so it wasn't a surprise when her parents looked taken aback to see her up and dressed at seven-thirty in the morning.

What did come as a shock were the tears that instantly sprung into her eyes as she saw her mother standing by the stove and her father sitting in his chair at the table with a newspaper cracked open in front of him. It made her heart ache because she hadn't seen either of them like this since she was sixteen and fighting a hopeless war.

Her mother was quick to scoop her up and Sakura wasted no time in snuggling into her, clinging to her like she used to before she started growing up and thought hugs were uncool.

And Sakura simply spent the next few minutes crying and crying and had she always been this much of a cry baby at four? Because the tears wouldn't stop even though Sakura the Medic-nin, Sakura the Battle-hardened Kunoichi, long stopped crying in the future.

Sakura eventually managed to convey to her parents that she was merely upset over a nightmare and she sat and enjoyed her father's comforting arm around her shoulders and listened to her mother's reassurances.

Sakura was four and prone to crying and felt a thrum of fear every time her parents left her line of sight, but it was the happiest she had been for a very long time.

~E~

Soon enough though, her parents were off to work, and Sakura, who even at four could take care of herself for the most part, was left along in the house with Maki-san from next door checking in on her every few hours.

That suited Sakura just fine because for all she was four in body, she was; however, twenty-sic in mind, and being babysat was mildly embarrassing.

So, she spent her morning pondering her present place in time. She grudgingly forgave the Kyuubi for tricking her or lying to her or simply making a mistake, because at four, the Uchiha Massacre had not happened yet and she could save one of her boys from a lot of grief and hatred.

It also gave he rover two years to build her chakra reserves because even though her mind retained all her medical jutsues and various genjutsues and ninjutsues, she still couldn't' perform half of them. She was somewhat comforted when she flicked out a few Bunshins and realized that her taijutsu skills and reflexes were still there, though her shorter limbs made her overreach more than once.

In the end, after a short workout that left her half-dead on her feet and soaked in sweat, Sakura took a quick shower, whipped up a hasty lunch enough for two, and Shunshined out of the house, leaving a clone behind to satisfy her next-door neighbour.

Sakura was four, tiny and unassuming, but she was still as determined as ever and her first act in the past would be to find one of her lost boys.

~M~

Sakura checked Ichiraku Ramen, two parks, and four playgrounds before she finally found her past-future teammate alone on a swing set. The other children gave him a wide berth, playing at the other end of the playground, and she felt a deep-seated shame when she realized how lonely Naruto looked.

She started by clambering half-heartedly on a nearby jungle gym because it would just be plain weird if she marched right up and offered to eat lunch with the blond. And Sakura had already decided to stick to her shy persona; it was the only way to throw off suspicion when someone noticed her 'prodigal' skills sooner or later.

She spent the next fifteen minutes playing even as she meandered closer and closer to where Naruto was sitting. Quite a few times, the parents or baby sitters standing around the playground shot her worried looks and Naruto dirty glares and it took everything Sakura had not to blow up at them. She had always had an explosive temper, large enough to rival Tsunade's, and she had no patience for people who looked down on her future Hokage.

But Sakura was supposed to be shy and reticent so she kept he ranger in check and made her way to the swing next to Naruto's instead. She knew the exact moment he tensed as if waiting for barbed words and unfriendly sneers but she ignored this and kicked her feet a couple times to try to get herself moving. For once, she was glad she was so short and her toes barely touched the ground because it gave her an excuse to turn to the boy next to her and blurt out timidly, "Hi, I'm Sakura. Do you mind pushing me?"

The stunned expression on Naruto's face and the way her looked around first as if he thought Sakura was talking to someone else was almost physically painful. But she pushed that aside and waited patiently for Naruto's answer, beaming openly at him when the blond finally nodded, slowly and carefully as if he was waiting for the punchline to a very cruel joke. When Sakura only shifted in her seat expectantly, Naruto got to his feet and circled around her.

The nervously gentle way his hands pressed against her back made her four-year-old tear ducts wanted to fill. She really was a cry baby at heart.

So, Sakura laughed to take her mind off how generally unfair the world was to her surrogate brother, which wasn't all that hard to do when she caught a glimpse of the brightening light in familiar blue eyes and the tentative grin that answered her.

Only once did Sakura's plan to befriend Naruto threatened to fail. Half an hour after they had taken turned pushing each other on the swings and were taking a breather, one of the adults, a man with dark hair and an even darker scowl came over and began berating Naruto for tainting an innocent girl with his evil.

Naruto immediately shrank in on himself but his chin jutted out defiantly and his hands clenched at his sides, and Sakura didn't know whether she wanted to punch the civilian or cry from the injustice of it all more.

So, she picked neither and reached out to grab Naruto's hand instead.

"Naruto's my friend! Leave him alone or else!" She declared in true four-year-old fashion before spinning on her heel and dragging a completely dumbfounded Naruto after her, leaving the civilian with his mouth hanging open.

Her face warmed as she stormed away and she wondered if a part of her was actually four because some of her reactions thus far had been that of a child's, but she knew the side-effects of travelling back in time were well worth it when she finally stopped by a cherry blossom tree and turned to find Naruto staring at her with heart-wrenching gratitude.

"Let's eat," Sakura said, sitting down on the ground and not caring that her pale pink dress would probably stain as she brought out the lunch she had packed. "I made sandwiches today but I don't think I can eat all of them by myself. Want to share?"

This time, Naruto agreed readily, plopping down next to her, and Sakura was content to listen to the blond chatter through mouthfuls about what he liked – ramen – and his latest prank – painting the front entrance of the Hokage Tower pitch black – and how he wanted to be a ninja.

When Naruto turned to her, swallowing a large bite of sandwich as his gaze turned sombre and his shoulders squared, Sakura paused as well and tilted her head curiously at him.

"I've a dream too," Naruto revealed, eyeing her intently. "I'll tell ya if ya don't laugh."

Sakura nodded without hesitation. "I promise."

Naruto believed her because he continued, leaning closer as if divulging a secret. "I'mma be Hokage one day. I'll train and become the strongest ninja ever and then I'mma be the greatest Hokage Konoha's ever seen!"

Her stared at her like he expected her to burst out laughing even after she promised, but Sakura didn't think it was funny at all because she knew Naruto would become Hokage, and yes, he would be the greatest one to go down in Konoha history.

She nodded instead and told him, clearly and without guile, "I have a dream too. I wanna be a medic-nin. When you become Hokage, I'll be your head medic."

Maybe it was because there was nothing but honesty in her words, or because she had told him her own dream, or even because she said 'when' and not 'if', but she could visibly see Naruto's last defences fall as he beamed at her and grinned so widely that she was sure his cheek muscles were sore.

His happiness was contagious though and Sakura found herself smiling back, and they spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about everything and nothing. At six, when she had to head home, she suggested with only a hint of uncertainty, "See you here tomorrow?"

Naruto instantly nodded, waving cheerfully at her as they parted ways.

Sakura turned a corner, hurried home as fast as she could the civilian way and country it as a wing when the ANBU she sensed the moment she entered Naruto's vicinity earlier withdrew as she slipped into her empty house. They had deemed her a non-threat to Naruto which meant her last option of defying older ninja and maybe cracking some heads (which, admittedly, was one of her more reckless ideas) would not have had to be carried out.

~P~

That night, she welcomed her parents with a modest dinner – she stuck to rice and egg and some fish because anything more complicated than that might have had them enrolling her in culinary school or something – and a warm smile when they got home. They were surprised but did not question her sudden interest in the kitchen.

But when Sakura went to sleep, she was submerged in dreams drenched in blood and bodies and she woke up screaming loud enough to wake the dead. She choked on sobs and clutched at her parents when they came running. As she drifted off into a restless doze between her parents, she thought it was time to invest in a few privacy seals, preferably before she was sighed up for therapy.

~E~

She was woken up at five the next day and she left another clone in her bed as she slipped out of the house for a walk.

Her feet took her to the memorial stone and she found it ironicaaly amusing that she of all people had taken over Kakashi's ritual. With a sigh, she traced the empty spaces on the stone, the places where the names of her friends had once been in her timeline.

"Never again."

She said it like a promise, an oath, a vow. She would keep it; die trying wasn't even an option.

She left when she felt a familiar chakra signa; approach; it wouldn't do to let the Copy-nin see her there, no matter how much she missed him.

~S~

Sakura met up with Naruto again and he was more like the hyperactive ninja she grew up with, mischievous and enthusiastic as he realised Sakura really was his friend now.

In return, Sakura, after buying a few kunai with the pocket money she had saved up, taught Naruto how to throw them. She couldn't quite help the pride that ran through her at the blond's obvious awe. In her timeline, Naruto had always been the one she depended on. It was nice to give a little back.

~T~

Two weeks after she had returned to the past, Sakura finally stumbled on her best friend.

She remembered, even before she entered the Academy, the way other kids teased her for her hair and her forehead. Keeping to her character, she shied away from them, and one day, when Naruto was busy – visiting the Hokage, he told her, and a small part of her was guiltily happy at how reluctant her sounded – she spent the day by herself wandering the streets of Konoha, memorising the shops and restaurants that stood where once a battlefield had razed everything to the ground.

"Hey, there's Forehead!" A childish voice jeers. A smatter of laughter followed.

Sakura felt her face warm and mentally cursed her four-year-old body. Outwardly, she backed away from the approaching crowd of children, led by a purple-haired girl that Sakura remembered being tormented by but couldn't quite remember the name of.

"So," The girl came to a stop in front of her, hands on her hips and a superior smirk on her face. "Still showing your face around the village? I feel bad for the people who had to even look at you."

Sakura wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes or scoff but she continued staring at the ground as she backed away.

"What, can't talk either?" The girl stepped forward and shoved Sakura, startling her enough that made her trip and fall to the ground. "You really are dumb. Can't even- "

A bell chimed as a door flew open and someone dashed out onto the street. "Hey!"

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the pale-blonde hair cut stylishly to frame the girl's face and couldn't help thinking of the parallels between the first time she met Yamanaka Ino and now.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ino was scowling at the group, fierce even at four. "Honestly, don't you have anything better to do than pretend you're better than everybody else?"

The purple-haired girl sneered, her eyes flickered to the flower shop before returning to Ino. "What do you know? I'm a kunoichi. You just sell cheap flowers."

Ino somehow managed to make the girl look insignificant in comparison even though she was slightly shorter than the bully. "Not as cheap as you," Ino retorted, eyeing the clothes the girl was wearing. "With those clothes, other ninja could find you from a mile away."

The girl flushed with embarrassment, the dull red rising in her face. Ino didn't wait for a reply, turning to Sakura instead.

"Are you okay?" Ino crouched down in front of a wide-eyed Sakura, holding out a hand.

Sakura knew Ino was tough and often excused her own bossy arrogance but there was a kind side to her that she showed only to her friends and Sakura had always been thankful for it.

She let Ino lead her inside the flower shop, leaving the fuming girls on the street.

"Here," Ino passed a slightly dazed Sakura a white flower with a splash of yellow on the side.

'Euphrasia,' Sakura's mind provided, recalling all the things her time's Ino once taught her about flowers.

"It's a Euphrasia, or Eyebright," Ino told her, smiling encouragingly. "It means cheer up."

One finger poked Sakura on the forehead. "I suppose it is a little big," The blonde continued matter-of-factly. "But who cares?" She tapped a finger on her chin before nodding decisively.

"Wait here," She instructed, before dashing up the steps in the backroom.

Sakura obeyed and fiddled with the flower in her hands. She didn't care if she ended up broke; she was going to buy a preservation seal for this if even if it killed her.

Ino soon returned and Sakura recognised the bright red ribbon trailing from her fingertips. The one her Ino gave her had long since faded and was even shredded in battle when she was nineteen. She ended up taking a single threat of it and sewed it into her headband. It reminded her of what she was and was still fighting for; her village and her friends.

"There," Ino finished tying Sakura's hair up and dragged her over to a mirror. "You look beautiful, just the way you are. There's no need to hide."

Sakura was four, small and the things she needed to do to save her precious people seemed like an unending list.

But when Ino took her hand and smiled like Sakura had been her friend since forever, Sakura could only smile back and hope Ino could see how much their friendship meant to her.

Sakura would save them all this time. She swore this to herself and the people who were all counting on her. Failure was not an option.

AN: Hi everybody.

I have absolutely loved Tempest by cywsaphyre and they generously put it up for adoption and I'll will be taking it up. My writing style is to write in past tense so it took me a couple hours to rewrite just the first chapter; so if you're impatient for chapters the first 6 chapters are over on cywasphyre's profile.

So, after chapter 6 it will all be my own work. I will probably be rewriting and posting the Tempest in between writing chapters for A Little Ghost Girl