Rating: T
Summary: After being hit by an unknown technique, Sakura's in the past - or rather, an alternate universe that's running slightly behind schedule, judging by her continued existence. Thing is, she's totally satisfied with her happy ending. All she wants is to find her fellow time traveler (and master of dimensional-warping jutsu) and get back home.
...Still, it wouldn't hurt to push a few people in the right direction (or totally mess with them, that's cool too.)
Pairings: None! All friendship (alright, okay, maybe a bit of KakaObi if you have slash goggles on...)
Notes: I'm cross-posting all my AO3 fics over here, and vice versa. Some background - I really like the Obito and Sakura dynamics in canon (what little were shown, anyways) and wanted to expand on it in a fic. I have four chapters done so far, but I'll post each new chapter weekly so I get some time to work on the fifth.
The future Sakura's from a future inspired by black. 's fics, so if it seems familiar, that's why. I would appreciate any feedback you guys can give!
The feeling is a jolt, the flash of a lance, a gut feeling honed by a decade in ANBU into something more – something's wrong. Kakashi is already moving when he hears the loud scream of, "Sakura!" and it is only because of those precious few seconds that he gets there in time. That slight whistle in the wind, the two flickering chakra signatures practically screaming panicpanicpanic and one other that felt fundamentally and utterly wrong –
He sees the pink blur falling rapidly through the air, and there is no hesitation when he leaps forward, arms carefully positioned (always protect the neck, Kakashi, Sensei had said) and when Kakashi lands on the ground, genin-sized burden heavy in his arms, he's thinking no, not again, don't tell me I'm not too late –
She's alive, pulse thumping underneath his thumb. Breathing, too, in weak bursts of air. Kakashi is not a medic nin, but he – like most shinobi above a certain level – have had some medical training, a little more so than most because of the sporadic lessons Rin (don't think about her now) had forced upon him. It is enough for him to come to the conclusion that there is nothing immediately life threatening about his student's condition, and it is reassurance enough for sag with miniscule relief.
Footsteps, heavy against the ground. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cries, his eyes wide with barely restrained worry, his breathes coming out in short bursts. "What happened to Sakura?"
Sasuke follows behind him, just a little more restrained in his movement. For all his earlier complaints, it seems that there still exists some human concern within him, for Kakashi can see the fear in the slight tremble of his hands. He stares down at Sakura's limp body with an expression too blank to not be forced.
"I was hoping that you two could help me figure that out," he says casually, gently laying Sakura down on the grass, thumb still pressed on her wrist. "Did either of you see anything out of the ordinary?"
His team was supposed to be climbing trees and training their chakra control, an easier feat for Sakura, who had mastered her tree even before he left the immediate vicinity. There really should have been no danger – tree climbing required little enough chakra that it was extremely difficult to get chakra exhaustion from it, requiring either a shinobi with insanely small chakra reserves, or impossibly low intelligence – of which Sakura was neither. Those who couldn't make it up their trees, like Naruto and Sasuke, wouldn't have opportunity to fall more than a few feet.
Naruto shakes his head frantically. "S-She was waving to us from the top when she just –"
"Her chakra levels were normal," Sasuke cuts in. "No one else was here. The only chakra signature in the vicinity was yours."
Kakashi narrows his eyes, already mentally reviewing the possibilities for Sakura's sudden collapse. Evidently, she had been unconscious before the fall, which meant that something – or someone – had deliberately timed the attack to cause the maximum amount of damage. Zabuza and his helper were possibly culprits, but this wasn't their style. Besides, why target Sakura? Logically, her loss would be the least damaging for their team, though he supposed that the missing-nin would know nothing about Naruto and Sasuke.
Distraction, maybe? But it didn't fit, Sakura didn't play a role in the original battle, unlike Naruto and Sasuke – and her condition would only further infuriate the remainder of the team.
His musings are interrupted as Sakura's wrist jerks under his grip, her eyes flashing wide open in undisguised shock, her chakra signature suddenly, inexplicably different – still recognizable as hers, with that same tinge of pink, but undeniably more.
"Sakura." Her eyes flash toward his, and then narrow. Suspicions arise within Kakashi at the unfamiliar strength in her green eyes, which told of experience that the twelve year old genin did not have.
She doesn't reply, her hands already up, fingers formed into a familiar seal. "Kai," she whispers. Nothing happens, but what did Sakura expect? Fully aware that he should not be expending any more chakra, Kakashi lifted up his headband and opened Obito's Sharingan. No genjutsu, though the look at Sakura confirmed what he had already suspected.
"Who are you?" He asks pleasantly, hand deceptively loose around her wrist. "What did you do to my student?" Naruto and Sasuke both jerk at that, and just a moment later, Kakashi hears the whispered, "Shut up, dobe."
Sakura – or whoever it is in her body – had been staring at Naruto and Sasuke in ill-disguised shock, but quickly glances over with a look of resignation. "I am Haruno Sakura," she says calmly, even as her left hand subtly flashes through a series of signals that Kakashi knows, and the cold pit in his stomach seems to double in size, because this was something she could not know. Only a few dozen shinobi in the village were privy to the secret, and a twelve year old genin – or, for that matter, an enemy shinobi from another village – was not one of them.
Unprecedented situation, she signs, and Kakashi, in his decades of service, has never seen it used before. For good reason - it was for circumstances that were deemed impossible, only existing because shinobi knew to plan for every situation. Resurrections, alternate universes, time travel –
His eyes narrow. "…But not our Haruno Sakura, correct?"
Kakashi knows that he has guessed right when she pauses in surprise. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I can't slip anything past you, can I?"
"Lucky guess." He relaxes slightly, extending a hand to help her up. "So, how far from the future are you? Or is that off-limits? I have to admit, I don't have any experience with time travel."
"Me neither," she says ruefully, "but I doubt it matters much now. There's no use hiding anything – you already know that I'm from the future and I haven't been wiped out by a time paradox yet. Ten years. I'm a jounin now."
"Impressive." There's no sarcasm in it, because making jounin before age twenty-two – especially as the average daughter of two career genin, with nothing on her side but excellent chakra control and some book smarts. Most shinobi in Sakura's position joined the Chuunin Corps, and took up a desk position somewhere.
"What the hell!" Naruto shouts, pointing a finger angrily at Sakura, his face flushed bright red. "W-What are you saying, Sakura-chan? How can you be from the future, you look just like you did ten minutes ago!"
"You idiot –"Sasuke hisses at him incredulously.
Sakura, however, just laughs. "…I am from the future, Naruto, I'm just… in my younger body right now…" She trails off thoughtfully.
"Then, where's our Sakura?" Naruto demands hotly. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing," she says, without even the slightest bit of exasperation, "She's safe." Ten years of dealing with Naruto must have made her immune, Kakashi thinks with amusement.
"But –"
"Naruto," Kakashi interrupts. "We can't continue this here." He turns to Sakura. "We're in Wave, right now," he informs her. "Our mission is to –"
"-protect Tazuna the bridge builder," she finishes, wincing. "…I remember this. When we get back to the house, there's some things I need to tell all of you. They're important."
As the four of them make their way back to their temporary base of operations, Kakashi finds himself noticing the slight change in gait that Sakura must have acquired in the next decade, the way she instinctively scanned her surroundings every few seconds, the vague tensing of her fingers – moved a centimeter closer to a kunai pouch that wasn't present – when a squirrel had made its way up a tree. And it is this, more than anything else, that convinces him.
Tsunami greets them with a wide smile, even as her son sends them another baleful look as they pass him, muttering resentfully under his breathe. Naruto tenses next to him, and Kakashi wonders briefly if today would be the day when he would let loose - and then the blonde takes a deep breath and turns away. There's a slight quirk to Sakura's lips that says that she knows something that everyone else doesn't, and – knowing what he does – she probably does.
"How did you get here?" Kakashi asks later, after he had sent Naruto and Sasuke away. Sakura had been willing to talk freely about the future to him, but he knew that there were some things that she wouldn't want her teammates to know. Kami knows he wouldn't want Rin and Obito in the same room, if his own chunin team had been in the situation.
"Experimental technique from an enemy shinobi," Sakura says. "From what she had been shouting, it was probably some kind of de-aging jutsu. A member of my team used one of his techniques at the same time, and the two… well, it got weird."
"Will you be able to get back?"
"It… shouldn't be a problem, actually. The other member of my team, the one who used the jutsu – he was sent back with me. He has some experience with space-time jutsu."
"Huh." Space-time manipulation wasn't exactly a broad area of study, and Kakashi could count the number of people he knew with the slightest inclination toward the ability on one hand. "Anyone I know?"
"Um. It's complicated," Sakura says, and there's something in her expression that tells Kakashi that there's a lot more to it. "He's… a friend. You'll see when we find him."
That wasn't ominous at all, Kakashi thought. "Any idea where to find him, then? He's probably in his past body like you, right?"
Sakura froze. "That… might be a problem, actually. I have no idea where he could be," she admits, "and even if I did… it wouldn't be a good idea to look for him there. I… I think he'll come to find me. Just keep an eye out, I guess."
"Distinctive features?"
"…You'll know." Sakura sighs. "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei… I know I would tell you all I can about the future – this probably isn't even my past, so it's not like it would affect me – but trust me, you don't want to know yet."
"I would think that I can decide what I want to know," he says casually, and yes, there is an undercurrent of annoyance, because even if this future Sakura was supposedly the same rank as himself… Kakashi had worked under a rigid chain of command for too long to easily be told what to do by a twelve year old genin. "But… I'll hold you to that, then."
Sakura sags in relief, and Kakashi can't help but wonder who the mystery teammate is – oh Kami, not an illegitimate child of his? It would make sense if he was one of Sakura's genin… (Or not - maybe he should cut down on the Icha Icha…). "…Do you want me to tell you about the future, Kakashi-sensei? There might be things you don't want to know."
Kakashi closes his eye. "…Important people die in the next decade." It's not a question, but the fact that Sakura has to school her expression - "That is my answer then. You should know me well enough to know that I won't allow my discomfort to be placed before the life of a comrade's. If your information saves just one more life…"
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei… I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry. I keep expecting everyone to be completely different… But I guess that none of us really changed, not where it matters," she says with a laugh. "Well, to start with, when I'm from, the current Hokage is the Rokudaime. The village is at peace with the other nations, though there might be some conflicts arising in the next few years. The Fourth Shinobi War… ended a few years ago."
"Which villages were we up against?" Kakashi asks, heart already sinking at the mention of 'war.' The Third Shinobi War had taken almost everything from him.
"None. The five villages were united against a greater enemy."
He blinks. Impossible, is his first thought, before it is wiped out by the sudden, terrifying realization – how powerful must that enemy be? "Who –"
"It's complicated," she says, grimacing.
"Then simplify it," he says shortly. "If there exists an enemy with that much destructive power, the village will need as much time to prepare as it can get."
"Uchiha Madara," Sakura says finally.
"He is alive?"
"No. Not right now, not exactly… I told you it was complicated." Sakura meets his eyes then. "I promise you, Kakashi-sensei, you won't have to worry about it. The Fourth Shinobi War won't happen. Not with my team mate and I in this time."
Kakashi sighs in resignation. "Well, seeing as you're a future version of one of my cute little students… I can't in good conscience leave you to Ibiki-san's tender mercies and force the information out of you," he says casually. "Well. Lead the way then, Sakura."
"By the way… you're not just a normal jounin, are you? The Hokage's code isn't something just anyone is authorized to know."
"…You noticed, huh?" Sakura grins. "Well, I'm the one and only apprentice to the Godaime, Senju Tsunade. I'm in charge of the Medical Corps and one of the Hokage's closest advisors. Not to mention…" Her grin turned evil. "…seeing how the Rokudaime is my sensei, it would make sense for me to be entrusted with that knowledge."
Kakashi blanches. "Why would I –"
"Someone made you promise to be Hokage," she says sunnily. "Duh. But don't worry, Kakashi-sensei! You look good in Hokage robes. And… as much as I can tell, you're happy."
Sakura takes the advantage of his shock to run out of the room. He lets her go. Why would he be Hokage? It wasn't a question of ability or possibility – Kakashi had known for years that the Sandaime had been looking toward him as a potential candidate for the office. He knew it, just as he knew he would never agree to the post.
It was, after all, the office of Hokage that Obito had set his eyes upon, the culmination of every grandiose future plan his old teammate had possessed. It seemed wrong to him that, after everything Obito had gave for him – his life, his eye – Kakashi would take his dream as well. If the village hung in the balance, he supposed he would accept the position – and immediately pass it on to someone more suitable, more deserving, because all he was, was a thief.
And… as much as I can tell, you're happy.
When was the last time he was happy? Not just content, as he was watching his cute little team bicker, tussle, and make up. It had to be before Sensei and Kushina-san died, before Rin had met her end at the end of his Chidori, before Obito – that idiot, that damn idiot – had smiled through the blood and said, Kakashi, take my eye –
He sits down and thinks. He thinks for a long time.