A Time Unlike Her Own 1
There was something wrong. Even after they had defeated Madara and Kaguya, the shinobi from the great shinobi alliance were not waking up from the eternal genjutsu they had been placed under. It is up to Sakura to go back in time to, hopefully, create a brighter future than the bleak one she left behind.
Sorry I'm posting a new story... I know how much you guys probably want to kill me right now, because I haven't updated SWM for like a month, but I promise I'm working on it! This chapter came out so easily that I couldn't stop myself from writing it... hopefully you all forgive me!
Italics are flashbacks
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
It was night, and the forest seemed to be darker than she had ever remembered it being. The trees were wilder looking with branches and vines that crept along their limbs, and there were no clear pathways or roads for people to walk anywhere. When she had arrived in this forest, she had not been able to recognize any of her surroundings, but that did little to surprise her. A part of her had actually figured it would be like this.
Even though the forest was eerily silent, the wildlife not even making a sound, she didn't pause her footsteps as she hurriedly raced in a direction that was somehow both familiar and not.
XxX
There was something wrong. Even after they had defeated Madara and Kaguya, the shinobi from the great shinobi alliance were not waking up from the eternal genjutsu they had been placed under. Even after the four tried to disrupt the rests' chakra with their own, they realized that none of them were going to wake up.
"What are we going to do?" Naruto was the first to speak, and his voice sounded so heartbroken it broke Sakura's heart a little more.
Even with Sasuke coming back to work with them in the end, it still hadn't been enough… The home they worked so hard to protect would mean nothing without the people who lived inside it.
"We'll have to do something," it was Sasuke who had been the one to break the deafening silence that was left by Naruto's words.
"Yes, but what?" Kakashi had asked.
XxX
She didn't recognize her surroundings, but there was a high chance that the terrain surrounding her village was different from what she knew it to be in the future. She continued forward in the direction that would, hopefully, lead her to a much younger Konoha.
XxX
"There's got to be a time and space jutsu we can use," Sasuke had suggested after they had went back to Konoha to try to figure out a way to fix the world they lived in.
"Highly likely," Kakashi said with a frown as they all sat within the Hokage's library. "The one I can think of uses so much chakra the people who perform the jutsu would end up dying from such strain, though."
"It would still be something to look into," Naruto said as he looked to the other three. "I'd willingly give my life for everyone who is stuck in that damned genjutsu."
"Hn," Sasuke agreed.
XxX
She had been the one chosen to come back in time, though it hadn't been because of her special abilities, or what she could offer to team seven, it was the exact opposite.
XxX
"It should be Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled as he and Sasuke were pacing through the Hokage's office. It was much too quiet in the village, and Naruto's voice seemed to carry for miles in the desolate place.
"Kakashi is stronger than she is," Sasuke almost snarled back. "He'd be less likely to die if we sent him back."
"But Sakura-Chan knows the history of our village!" Naruto yelled again, and he stomped his foot down for emphasis. "She is compassionate, and could easily adapt to whatever situation she would be sent back into!"
"You're putting your sentiment for her over what would actually be the best option here," Sasuke glared back at the blond. "You're being an absolute, sentimental idiot!"
"Sakura-Chan would-"
"… You'll need my chakra to complete the seal," Kakashi had added as Sasuke and Naruto continued to argue. His voice seemed to catch the three off guard, though Sakura found it to be a welcome interruption. "Sakura is the only choice we have."
XxX
It felt like an odd consolation prize, being the one who was sent back to save the future. Even after the jutsu had been completed, and she had been sent back, she wasn't sure exactly where she was or even what time she was in.
She had one mission she needed to complete, and to complete that mission she needed to find Madara Uchiha.
XxX
"I still don't agree with this," Sasuke said with his lip turned downward. It was almost like he had a bad taste in his mouth, but Sakura couldn't fault him… Kakashi should have been the one to be in her shoes; if she hadn't used her seal in the war, she would have had enough chakra to help the boys send him back instead.
"Sakura-Chan," it was Naruto who had the most faith in her; it had always been Naruto. "You're our only hope."
"Explain to me what's going to happen again?" She couldn't help herself from asking. She already knew everything that was going to happen, but hearing Naruto explain it one more time would leave her in a better place.
"Kakashi-sensei, the Teme and I are going to use our chakra to send you back in time," Naruto said easily with a smile. Oh how she would miss those smiles. "I'm hoping with Kurama's chakra we'll send you far enough back to before he was even released from my mom's seal. That should give you enough time to find Madara before everything gets too complicated."
"Enough of the niceties, Dobe," Sasuke said with a glare as his bi-colored eyes focused solely on Sakura. "Your only job is to find Madara Uchiha and kill him."
"Sasuke you know that Madara can be-"
"Kill him," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "Sakura isn't you, Dobe. She can't change a psychopath's mind like you did Pein and Obito. Sakura is just Sakura… we'll be lucky if she is even able to do this at all."
XxX
His lack of confidence in her hurt, but it was something she was going to bear the burden of anyway. He had to believe in her a little; he had given his life to send her back after all.
XxX
"Stand in the middle of the seal, Sakura-Chan," Naruto's voice was soft as he directed her to where the intricate seal was centralized. She had never seen a seal so detailed, with so many small, complex parts in her life.
"We'll start filtering our chakra into the seal," Naruto continued, and she was glad he was the one who was explaining this to her. "When we have filtered all of our chakra into the seal, it should send you back in time."
"Causing us to die in the process," Kakashi added helpfully, and Sakura could already feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall.
They were giving their lives to send her back in time to save them; she didn't want them to see how weak she was.
She could feel the steady flow of chakra coming from her boys, and it was overwhelming and suffocating. The concentrated strength of their chakras together was something she had never felt before, and something she never hoped to feel again.
"As long as you do what you're supposed to," Sasuke added, his voice tight with the strain of expending his chakra. "We will not have died in vein. Kill Madara Uchi-"
"Do what feels right," Naruto cut Sasuke off as Kurama's chakra flowed out from Naruto in waves. The chakra was powerful, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to suppress the panic that started to build within her. She could feel the jutsu beginning to take effect, and she refused to watch them die in front of her. "Change the past, Sakura-Chan. Create a future where there are more than just us left."
XxX
Sakura picked up her pace as she headed in the direction she knew Konoha would be; it was something that had been instilled upon her since she was a genin, and she prided herself in being able to know which direction her village was in, even though she had no idea where she was.
If she continued at her current pace, she would probably make the village before the sun rose. She still was unsure of what she would tell the Hokage when she arrived, but she was sure she'd be able to think of something.
The truth was something that was unbelievable, and would likely result in her being put in the psychiatric ward at the hospital, so Sakura was pretty sure she wouldn't be telling the Hokage the whole truth.
She would tell him that her village had been destroyed, and she was the last who had been left alive…
Sakura bit her lip as she continued moving, trying to focus on something other than the pain that caused her chest to constrict; now was still not the time to cry.
She had promised herself that after the mission was over, she would allow herself a good cry. A deep, gut-wrenching, pass-out-afterwards cry. Until her mission was over, however, she would continue to do what she had to do, to ensure her future never happened; she owed her boys that much at least.
So what did you all think of it? I've been reading a lot of stories from Winged Lady Colette recently, and those have inspired me to write a time travel fic of my own. They're very good, in case you're interested in reading them : )