Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


KYOTO - 2018

Sarada raised the volume of her phone when her favorite song Sayonara Moontown came into play. She was so tired listening to her nagging parents about her recent breakup with her boyfriend, Iwabe. She didn't blame them though. She was the one who had been foolish enough to believe that he had been the right man for her, only to be unbelievably disappointed when the bastard had cheated on her, and with her best friend no less.

Wasabi and her had known each other since high school and had been inseparable since. She should've known that their friendship wouldn't last when they had bonded over their mutual love of cats out of all things. Cats always bring bad luck, no matter what their color is. During college however, Sarada had been forced to distance herself from her and a good couple of friends too, but that had been because she had taken two different studies. One being Business and the other being Make-Up or rather Dermatology, and she had her mother to thank because she had been the one who convinced her father in letting Sarada take the double studies. To say that she had always dreamed of being a Make-Up artist would be the understatement of the century.

So yeah, not so long ago, two weeks to be exact, Sarada Uchiha, daughter of Sharingan Industries CEO Sasuke Uchiha and Kyoto Hospital director Sakura Haruno was now not only single but also broke as hell. Not only had Iwabe and Wasabi betrayed her but, Iwabe had convinced Sarada to help him pay his debts. Now that Iwabe was gone, so was his promise to pay the money back.

Today, on March 5th and as the digital clock was reading 3:21 PM, Sarada found herself on the backseat of her father's car, driving with her parents on a vacation. Both her parents had taken some weeks off just for her and surprisingly she hadn't been bothered by them at all during the drive. That didn't stop her father from giving her the look that clearly said 'I've told you so' for the thousandth time these past two weeks (didn't he still have the Uchiha Pride?) thus her decision to listen to Sayonara Moontown constantly on repeat in order to save herself from that souring mood.

Sarada gazed at the windows, taking in the view that was disappearing fast from the back of her eyelids. It had been quite a sunny day but just about half an hour ago the sun was looking weaker and weaker.

"Apparently it's going to be a total eclipse." Her mother said from where she was sitting on the passenger seat, reading one of the many books she had packed in a special case, which also happened to be the biggest. Would she really have the time to read all of them? Sarada found that extremely weird, but she would probably be on her mother's waiting punch if she ever even thought of asking her that, much less dared to. So she decided to put her brain in good use and keep quiet. "It's what the TV said anyway." She finished.

Sarada sighed and closed her eyes and that was probably the biggest mistake she would ever make, because that caused her not to see what was the cause for what happened next. The car started spinning on air, her parents' screams making it unable for her to even utter a word. She could only watch, wide-eyed and not really see a thing of what was happening before her.

The car reached a stop. Sarada knew that there was blood all over her but the other thing she knew was that from the car's broken windows there was water rushing in. With her eyes barely open she saw people around the car. Is this a lake or something? Sarada wondered but she was unable to ask for it or even look for her parents' condition for that matter. She wanted to sleep.


KONOHA – 995

The young man in the black cape was riding in his black horse like the wind. The men after him didn't dare to shout for him to slow down or God forbid to tell him to stop. The man for himself couldn't wait until he got rid of them all. All of them bore the faces that he hated most.

When they reached the market place chaos ensued. Screams like 'It's the wolf dog! Make way for the wolf dog!' reached his ears, and even though he would've loved to ignore them, he still found himself slowing down considerably.

The road was being freed for him. People were rushing away from the road, some of them hiding behind the market stalls, mothers reaching for their little children, stopping their games in the process, just to ensure their safety. He could hear the noise his horse's legs were making as it destroyed a good amount of falling pots and cups that had fallen on the road as a result. Heck, from the corner of his left eye he saw that some people were even jumping into the shallow river that graced the capital, Saikyo. If the man had had enough time he would've found the scenery extremely amusing…Again!

They were afraid of him. Everyone was. He had made sure to build that kind reputation in order to go along with his nickname. How did the nickname came to be you might ask? Easy, really! Almost half of his right side of his face was covered with a mask that was built in a way that made him resemble a wolf's. His parallel whiskers on both his cheeks didn't make things easier either. The only thing that stood out however, would be the blond hair and the blue eyes that he bore. He wasn't angry to have that nickname, actually. After all, his father, who was the first King of Konoha, was nicknamed as The Fox, and he was proud of it. And just like his father, he actually liked it. Being a part of the Royal family, and a prince at that, it definitely had its perks.


ROYAL BATHS;

Konoha's six princes were at the Royal Baths. If all of them were to be found there, it would mean that it was that time of the year. The Exorcism Ritual; a rite aimed to ward off the evil spirits in the twelfth Lunar month. So, it was a tradition for all the princes to take the bath together, not that it was the only occasion though. After all, the brothers were quite close with each other. Sort of.

The Tenth Prince, Konohamaru Senju, was quite cheerful and naïve, even though he wasn't the youngest. To any stranger's eyes he would've looked that way, though. His short stature made sure to take care of it. Among all the brothers, Konohamaru was close with the Thirteenth Prince, Inojin, the most. They both had a lot of similarities, but as anyone would've guessed Inojin was taller, more muscular, more handsome and his martial art skills were on par even with his big brother.

The Third Prince of Konoha, Kawaki, was the second born of King Naruto Senju and Queen Ino Yamanaka of Kiri. He was quite ruthless but had always had a soft spot for the Thirteenth Prince… maybe because they had the same mother. He was on his bathing robes now, chuckling as he was watching his brothers' childish antics.

The Twelfth Prince on the other hand, Shikadai, was tying up his black spiky hair as he made his way to the Royal Bath, looking as bored as he could muster at what his half brothers were doing. If he wasn't a prince, he would probably roll his eyes until his green irises were nonexistent.

The next one to arrive was the Seventh Prince, Mitsuki. While descending the stairs he reached for the bath robe that was hanging loosely on his right arm and covered his upper body completely, while also making sure his bath pants were comfortable enough. He saw that he was the last one to arrive and proceeded to make his way to where his brothers, Kawaki and the Ninth Prince Shinki were. Shinki for his part was doing some exercises to strengthen his arm muscles.

"Big brother, feel this. Do you see the definition here?" he addressed Kawaki, who had a small smirk on his face. That was changed quickly however, when the court lady that was serving him tea, spilled some of it on his fingers. He reached to slap the stupid girl, and would've done so if not for Mitsuki's interruption.

"Brother." Kawaki looked at him. "Is our fourth brother not here yet? He should come bathe with us if he's to attend the ritual."

From the distance Konohamaru and Inojin made their way to the brothers as well, Inojin shouting at Konohamaru for cheating on the game they were playing. That earned them a glare from Kawaki and they were quick to shut their mouths.

As Shinki saw that Kawaki got distracted, he waved the court ladies away with his left hand. The girls bowed and made their way out but not before being stopped by Shikadai and being ordered to wash his bath robe. Shikadai however, seeing their desperate situation, chose a delicate way of saying his orders and that left the girls giggling shyly. He was known as the Konoha's Heart-breaker after all. They were all charmed by his emerald eyes. What a drag!

"Has he ever done things our way?" Kawaki answered Mitsuki's question with a question of his own. "Do not bother with him. It's too much of a pain."

"Aii, don't you know how Mitsuki is?" Shinki said. "He is always worrying about others."

Mitsuki chuckled at that. "Boruto was the only one born in the same year I was. I should at least take care of him."

"This is the first time that Boruto will be attending the Ritual together with us. I wonder if His Majesty has a specific reason for telling him to come." said Shikadai as he walked to the inner pool half-naked to where Inojin and Konohamaru were standing, throwing rose petals at each other in silence. Konohamaru decided to break their silence however when he asked, "Hey Inojin, did you hear that our fourth brother massacred his family out in Kiri?" Kawaki turned his gaze toward them. "They say it was very brutal, like a wolf killing people. Aauuuu!" he finished with a wolf-like noise.

"What a drag! You can't believe all the rumors like that, Konohamaru. Think about it. There's no criminal in the nation who would even talk about something like that." remarked Shikadai.

"All our visitors from Kiri say so though. So it must be true."

"It is merely a rumor, Konohamaru. Use your head a little. How can he take down a local government on his own?" Inojin asked him. "What about the local army? Even good martial art skills would not suffice. Not to mention that big brother Boruto has never had a master who taught him to fight."

Konohamaru looked at him and smirked. "Inojin, you and Boruto have the same mother. You wouldn't know when you'll turn into a wolf too. Aauuuu!" Inojin was quick to retort that with an even more loudly 'Aahuhuhuu' from his part.

Kawaki slammed his teacup on the table on his right, "Shut your mouths." he half-shouted. Glaring at them both, he addressed them, "Then, I am born from the same womb as our fourth brother. Do I look like an animal to you?" Both brothers hid half of their faces in the water, small bubbles forming when they released their breaths. Seeing this, Mitsuki chuckled softly. "His jokes were too harsh." he addressed Kawaki. "I'll speak to him later. Please don't take it personally, brother."

Kawaki rolled his eyes and sighed. "Prince Boruto will be turning to Kiri once the Ritual is over. If the King hears about any of this nonsense, I will not stand idly by. Do you understand, Konohamaru?"

Both Konohamaru and Inojin gulped while the other brothers seemed to look anywhere but Kawaki. Konohamaru cleared his throat in his best attempt to try and ease the situation a bit. "U… uhm, brothers, should we make a bet on who can float the longest? Let's go to the outer and steamy pool." He started to make his way and didn't stop even after hearing Mitsuki saying "Konohamaru, that's enough." Obviously he wouldn't stop, he wanted to live longer thank you very much.

"Big brother, if you give me just one chance, I can get him to be quiet." Inojin pleaded to Mitsuki. He sighed. "It's fine. Let him be."

Konohamaru started swimming while still facing and calling his brothers to come over. Even if he was able to hear something from behind him like "Oh, thank God, I'm alive!" or "What is this place?" he didn't turn around because he was too focused on them. Big mistake! The back of his head brushed against something wet and he turned slowly toward the culprit. He was standing next to a girl with long wet dark hair and big black eyes that widened even more when she saw him too.

They both screamed.

"Hey! You… You… What are y-you doing here? Wh… why is there a girl… Brothers! Brothers!" he quickly went to where his brothers were still staying.

After hearing all of Konohamaru's commotion the brothers started wondering what was happening for themselves. The outer pool's heavy steam was making it almost impossible to see.

The girl looked around and her eyes fell into a girl with brownish red hair and brown skin. The said girl was startled and immediately waved toward her calling "Lady! Lady!" and motioning for her to come. "Me?" She asked and the brown-skinned haired girl nodded while still waving at her.

She didn't go unnoticed however as both Shinki and Inojin noticed her too. She started making her way toward the girl when Konohamaru also reached the outer pool and started swimming fast enough to reach her but he lost his rhythm and almost drowned. In all the chaos nobody heard Mitsuki muttering "Sarada?"

She was alive. How? She didn't even know. She didn't even know what had happened to her. Now, she was in a cave with a girl showing her the road to God knows where. She wanted to stop and ask but decided against it as the other girl was saying "What do we do now? Oh, we're so in trouble. Hurry up, Lady, hurry up!" She decided not to hear her after that. They made their way toward a much brighter and steamy place, surrounded with rocks everywhere. At least that was what Sarada could see due to her cloudy vision.

"You didn't come out for so long. I knew something was wrong." Huh? Didn't come out of where? "…the princes had started bathing and I couldn't even go looking for you. This is insane. Hurry up. Let's go."

She seemed to have finally noticed Sarada's heavy breathing because she stopped and looked at her. "Lady, are you feeling okay?"

Sarada blinked slowly in order to focus her eyes more. Lady? Princes? This is strange. How did I end up here? The other girl seeing as she wasn't getting an answer from Sarada decided to resume their walking but was stopped by Sarada as she needed to hold her head. Badly. It was about to explode. "Do you... Do you know me?" she asked the girl.

The girl looked at her like she was stupid. "What?"

"This place doesn't look like the road and… the car… What am I doing here?"

"La… Lady!" the girl looked at her closely. "What do you mean you don't know where this is? This is the largest washing area in Saikyo."

Only then was Sarada able to see what was happening around her. Men and women washing each other or washing their clothes. The steam she had seen earlier was actually the hot water. Was this a hot spring or something? She looked around her, still breathing heavily. What is this? Am I dead? So… this place is the afterlife?! She fainted and hit her head on a rock where she landed. However she heard the brown-skinned girl call her by her name.


KONOHA PALACE;

Boruto held up a hand to signal the men behind him to stop. They had reached the palace gates and the royal guard was quick to order the opening of the doors for Boruto to enter inside.

Boruto took the cape off his head, revealing his not-so-long hair. He was well aware that he was the only one of the princes not to have long hair, but he didn't care. They were on his way. It had been a long time since he had cut it though, so now they reached beyond his shoulders. Some of it had covered even the right side of his face. He blew them away, but it still fell. What a nuisance.

"I will leave a servant with you, Prince." Urashiki Otsutsuki, the man Boruto hated the most, even more than his adoptive mother, said to him. "Once the Ritual is over, do not delay and return to Kiri. Also, you are an adopted member of our Otsutsuki household, so don't forget to uphold our family name in the King's presence."

Boruto snorted. "An adopted member? And here I thought I was your hostage this entire time." He saw the man's face twitching and smirked. "I wouldn't advice you to leave anyone with me. If you do, you know that I'll kill him."

He entered inside and motioned for the guard to close the gates. Once there, he dropped off the horse and started walking slowly. However, he remembered that he had something to do. He reached toward the holder and unsheathed his sword. The Sun's rays were bathing him entirely as he swung the object down the horse's neck.

The beast fell down with a loud and agonal howl, some of its blood even splattered across Boruto's face. A frightened guard made his way slowly toward the prince. Without daring to look at him, he addressed him timidly. "Yo… You can't use your sword inside… the palace." Boruto on the other hand did what every cynical man would do. He pushed his bloody sword toward the man's chest and started to walk away, however, hearing the guard's next question made him stop again. "Should I prepare a horse for your return, Your Highness?" Boruto looked at him, eyebrows raised with a small of what looked like a smile on his lips. "Yes, you should prepare me a nice one that I can use whenever I need, but not for my return, but for my stay. I will not be going back anywhere."

He made his way toward the stairs, his cape flowing with the wind. He had decided not to go back after all, not to go back to being their hostage.


SEVENTH PRINCE'S RESIDENCE;

Sarada opened her eyes slowly. She blinked several times to clear the images showing in front of her. She noticed that she was lying on a warm bed with a very fluffy and pretty pink and white blanket covering her. She looked around the room, and saw a lot of objects made out of wooden material. A woman on her right, who still hadn't noticed that Sarada was awake, was coughing. Is she sick? Sarada wondered.

The woman had red hair, done in a beautiful style. She noticed a thick braid surrounding it. The woman had her eyes closed. Maybe that had been the reason she hadn't noticed Sarada after all.

Sarada shook her head. She started to remove herself off the bed but quickly stopped when pain rushed through her head. "OW!"

The woman looked at her. She hadn't been the only one there. Sarada noticed that the brown-skinned girl was there as well. "Ah, Sarada…" So, she knows my name too?

The brown-skinned girl smiled at her. "Lady, you're finally awake." Sarada looked at the both of them but her head was still hurting like crazy.

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" the redhead asked her looking concerned.

Sarada from her part felt more lost than pained. "Did… Did I get very hurt?" she asked them nonetheless.

"Ah, Lady, don't even bring it up. You fell so hard. I thought your head would burst." Sarada's face twitched at that, a pain shooting through her head from being reminded. She brought her fingers up and started massaging her temple slowly. The girl was a fast talker for sure.

"…know how worried Lady Karin was?" Sarada caught only a bit of that last sentence. So the woman's name is Karin? She has a really warm expression. Sarada thought to herself.

"Sarada…"

"By the way…"

Both she and Lady Karin spoke at the same time but it was Sarada the one who decided to speak again.

"By the way, why do you keep calling me Lady? I don't understand why I'm being called with that title."

Suddenly an image of the accident clouded her vision and she understood why? "Ah, that's right. I died."

The girl next to lady Karin raised her eyebrows. "No, Lady. You didn't die. You nearly did."

Sarada's eyes widened at what she heard. "What? What do you mean I didn't die?" Both women looked at her with surprise written all over their faces. Only then did Sarada actually take notice of what was surrounding her.

First she was wearing a kimono, all three of them were. Then she looked at the objects in the room, wooden table, wooden windows, wooden mattress. Quickly, Sarada got off her bed and made her way out of the room. She was greeted with an architecture that was shortly known as… traditional. Very traditional. The people around her were working, it looked to her like they were decorating the area for something. When she got noticed by them, they bowed to her, making her even more startled than she already was. Sarada also noticed something else about them… their clothes… were not usable anymore.

She had thought that it had been a dream, a nightmare, but it wasn't. And if this isn't a dream, if she isn't dead… then… where the hell was she?

She had never wanted to cry more in her entire twenty-two years of her life. She was truly lost. More importantly… where were her parents? Were they there too? She wanted to ask, but she didn't know who would be able to give her an answer. She didn't know what would happen to her now that everyone would probably think that she had lost her mind. Sarada was thinking the same thing too.

"Sarada…" she heard lady Karin calling her as she was approaching with the brown-skinned girl.

Sarada however didn't let them close to her. She was breathing heavily again. She couldn't think straight.

"Get the doctor here, now!"

"Yes, my lady."

Sarada made her way toward lady Karin. She held the redhead's arms firmly. "Where is this place?" She asked her, now feeling desperate. "No… no, who, who am I?"

Lady Karin fixed her with a concerned stare. "Are you unable to remember at all? Your name is Sarada. Sarada Uchiha." She answered her. Well, at least my name is the same, however strange that is.

"I'm your aunt, Karin Hozuki." At that, Sarada's gaze shot up again. She didn't remember any aunt with that last name, or even that first name for that matter. Hell, she didn't even remember having any redhead as a relative at all, and her mother had pink hair. She didn't even have an aunt for crying out loud. So what….

Oh God! Had she traveled back in time? Was she inside the body of some ancient ancestor or something? She was frightened now. She really was. She wanted her mother to hug her, but instead she hugged herself tightly, closing her eyes. She wanted her father to poke her forehead in the place where her violet diamond-shaped birthmark was, just like her mother's. She may have inherited her father's looks, but she had that from her mother. That mark was the thing she loved the most about herself. And even that had disappeared. Weren't her parents, her parents on this time period?

Lady Karin was looking at her even more concerned than before. Hesitantly, she reached to pat Sarada's arms as gently as she could muster. "Think about it carefully, Sarada. Take a good look at me." She smiled warmly. "You're in Saikyo right now. This is the residence of the Seventh Prince, Mitsuki Senju."

Saikyo…? Saikyo… That's the old name of… Kyoto?

"Then… this is Konoha?" Sarada asked her and Karin's face immediately lit up. "Hah… as in… Suna, Kumo, Kiri and Iwa… That Konoha?"

Lady Karin nodded. "Do you remember now? Yes, it's that Konoha."

Soooo… More than one thousand years? Sarada's eyes widened. This was bad. This was really really bad. Extremely bad. She was sure now that she's gonna die within a week. What year was it now anyway?

"Then… right now… Who's the king?"

Lady Karin frowned at her for what seemed like the hundredth time for a single day. "It is His Majesty who founded Konoha, of course…"

His Majesty who founded Konoha… that means that he is…

"Shodaime Hokage… Naruto Senju!" She knew some history alright!


THRONE ROOM;

King Naruto found himself sitting on his throne, his sons and clan heads already present in the throne room as well. He had to maintain a calm expression, even though he was fuming on the inside. He was sure that if he had had the ability, his eyes would've turned blood red from all the anger he was feeling.

He reached with his right hand and took a hold of a golden cage which until today, had been inhabited with a white bird with beautiful blue feathers. That said bird was still in the cage but, the only difference being that now, it was dead. Poisoned with the food that was supposed to be consumed by his first born son, by the crown prince. He threw the cage in the middle of the room, the people present all eyeing it with unreadable expressions. Naruto eyed his right hand man, his best friend and adviser, and gave him a silent order to speak.

"This is the bird that ate the Crown Prince's breakfast today" the adviser addressed to them. "And this is what happened to it even before it could swallow the first bite. It was great luck that the Crown Prince skipped his meal because he was not hungry."

The King looked at them, his anger reaching his limits. Nonetheless, when he addressed them, he was as calm as he could muster to be. "Why is there no response?" he asked. "Catch the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince." he ordered.

First minister Tobirama was the first one to speak. "We shall figure it out why it happened, Your Majesty, but, what would change just because we catch the culprit?"

"Minister Tobirama Senju, what is it that you're trying to say?"

"Is the Crown Prince acting like a Crown Prince should? At the assembly meeting he only received greetings for the foreign envoys and left. He is either in the battlefield or visiting all known hot springs in the Kindom." He finished but not before adding, "Did you know that there is a rumor that the Crown Prince has an incurable illness?" At that, the King and all six present Princes looked at the ground.

"Therefore I, Tobirama Senju, am making a request of you. Please depose the First Prince Gaara as Crown Prince. I entreat you to name a new Crown Prince."

Naruto sighed and resisted the urge to roll his blue eyes at Tobirama's hundredth time of making that foolish request. Honestly, he didn't understand why he wasn't just getting rid of him already. Ah yes, it's because of family ties that I just so happen to value a lot. Dammit.

He looked at the other princes as well as the other ministers, all lined up and facing each other. "Do you all agree with him? Speak up." He spoke to his sons. "Who among you six do you think will be best suited for the position, if not for the current Crown Prince?"

The first one to move forward and speak up was his seventh child, Mitsuki. He bowed and then fell on his knees not looking at him when he spoke. "Please withdraw those words, Your Majesty. There is no one among us who wishes to become the Crown Prince."

The second one to follow Mitsuki's example was the twelfth prince Shikadai, who then, proceeded to say the exact same words. The oldest among them, Kawaki followed them with Shinki right on his tail, with Inojin and Konohamaru ending the procedure. All of their foreheads touched the ground and the words 'Please withdraw those words' echoed on the throne room by the mouths of all six princes in unison.

The King, pleased with this scene gave his adviser the order to speak, just as he always did after dealing with this particular scene. Naruto felt like the man had memorized the speech by now.

The man rolled his eyes but spoke nonetheless. "I, royal adviser, Sasuke Uchiha, will relay the will of the heavens to all of you here." Oh God, how he hated his job. The will of the heavens? That was ridiculous.

"Crown Prince Gaara's star is a royal star in the sky. It is the first one of the five northern stars and it shines brighter every day." He glared at Naruto who had a smug smile on his lips. The idiot was enjoying this, Sasuke was sure of it. He cleared his throat. "It shines brighter along with the king's shining palace of Konoha. This means that he's not lacking as the Crown Prince." He finished with a glare directed at minister Tobirama for being foolish enough to bring his request almost every meeting they had.

Naruto stood up, facing the ministers. "It has been twenty-four years since this land has been founded. Prince Gaara Senju fought with me in many wars and he laid the foundation for this kingdom." He took a deep breath. "Sasuke, during the Exorcism Ritual, the Crown Prince will be the one to chase the evil spirits away. Prepare for it with great detail."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Outside the room, the Crown Prince didn't know if he should feel relieved or more worried then before. He was glad that his fourth brother had arrived.


QUEEN INO'S QUARTERS;

Minister Tobirama retold everything that had happened to the Queen, making her sigh in frustration.

She took the teapot and filled two teacups with it slowly and gracefully. "To think that all the luck the Crown Prince has, comes from the fact that he's the first born, even if his mother is just a royal concubine of Suna." She smiled bitterly. "He has a long life as well, according to Lord Sasuke. And… we have only made him more aware and vigilant now."

One of the Court Ladies at her disposal made herself known as the Queen was about to taste the tea she had served herself. She came close to her, whispering something in her ear. The Queen hadn't been aware of that particular information. She didn't even know that he had arrived, much less that he was already here. Nonetheless…"Tell him I do not want to see anyone."

"But… My Queen, it has been longer than five years since the Fourth Prince has come. If you could just meet him – "

The queen slammed the teacup a little with more force than she had intended to. "I am not well now." She addressed her with a voice that led no room for discussion. "Who would dare to disturb the queen?"

The Court Lady bowed before leaving and made her way down the stairs to meet with the prince. She had been nervous as it was when she first was ordered to tell the queen about the fourth's arrival, and now she had to meet the prince again.

Boruto seeing the lady's hesitant approach knew what the answer would be without the need to ask. "What about my mother?"

The lady without daring to look toward him, spoke, "Queen Ino has fallen asleep, and she's very ill. Perhaps you should come back another time."

Boruto snorted and walked away. He knew that this would be the result. It was always the same result. Perhaps, next time would be better if he didn't ask for her permission in the first place.


SEVENTH PRINCE'S RESIDENCE;

Sarada was sitting on the floor, her back supported by the bedside, and all the windows having been sealed from any shed of light. She found this way was easier for her to think things through. Her mind was racing with memories of the accident… the spinning car, the water rushing through the crack windows, even the eclipse. She hugged her knees tightly and buried her face there briefly. Not two minutes later, she raised her head again, some of her hair sticking like glue in her right cheek. She looked on her right side, her black eyes falling into a round mirror.

She looked just like her future self. Maybe she has drunk an ageless potion to remain young forever? She chuckled with her misery self that still had the time for thinking about these lame jokes. She didn't look exactly the same though. Yes, she had the same big black eyes, and long dark hair, but she didn't have her red-rimmed glasses anymore and her vision was actually not cloudy at all now. The next thing she noticed was that the diamond-shaped birthmark was missing too. She brought up her fingers and scratched the place where the mark would've been in annoyance.

She couldn't help but wonder if her future self had died or not. She was sure that Sarada of this period had had her drowning accident at more or less the same time as she had had hers. More importantly which Sarada was she now? She couldn't even begin to understand how she managed to get to Konoha and into this girl's body. You should be positive, was her mother's advice to her every time she had had any 'difficulties' in her life. She understood now that anything that had had happen to her before didn't even hold a candle to what was happening to her now.

At least she had been lucky to be part of the 'Nobility' here. Maybe that way at least she would be safe, and have a chance for a good life. She just hoped that she wouldn't get caught and just get through this and hopefully…hopefully go to her real timeline as soon as possible. She just had to get through it… get...through…it…

She brought her hands and covered her face, her head falling on the bedside. Who was she kidding? She wouldn't get through this. She was a modern girl, not an ancient one. There was just no way…

A loud knock on the door startled Sarada out of her reverie. Lady Karin and the brown-skinned girl, whose name, Sarada had learned, was Chocho Akimichi were asking if she was okay and pleading her to get out of her room.

"Lady, please what are you doing? Please open the door!" Chocho begged her, but Sarada didn't move. She was scared of the world that awaited her outside of that door. She was scared because she didn't even know the history properly. She didn't even know the names of the kings that came after the Shodaime.

The Shodaime, King Naruto, was the founder. After him…after him… "Yondaime...?"

Having begged her enough Karin released the handle of the door but yet she didn't move. She didn't know what was happening to her niece that she was acting that way. She knew that she had tired herself and that was made more evident when she started coughing again and again. At least she had brought a handkerchief with her this time.

Mitsuki seeing his wife's condition rushed to her and offered his support. He looked at Chocho. "What's going on here?"

"It's Lady Sarada." she answered him quickly.

"Sarada?"

This time it was Karin who managed to speak after having controlled her breathing. "She fell into the water and didn't come out for two hours. According to Lady Sakura, who examined her…she had stopped breathing."

"Then… Are you saying that she died?" Mitsuki asked wide eyed.

"She died and came back." came Chocho's retort. "Maybe that's why she lost all her memories and didn't even know where she was."

"I'm worried that she'll do something dangerous, at this rate." Karin said holding the handkerchief tightly next to her heart.

Mitsuki swallowed and looked at the green-colored wooden door. With a hard kick from his part, the door fell on the floor startling Sarada who was inside her dark room. They both locked eyes and Mitsuki started to make his way toward her. He stopped, however, when he noticed that the girl was moving away from him while breathing heavily and not meeting his eyes.

So instead, he addressed her with what Mitsuki thought to be a calm and gentle voice. "Sarada, don't be afraid. I… I brought you to this place. So, I will help you until the end."

Sarada looked at him, surprised. He brought me to this place?

"…and avoiding this will not change anything." He smiled at her warmly. "You have to be strong."

He started walking slowly toward her. When he thought that they were close enough, he extended his arm for her to take. "Won't you trust me… and come outside?"

A tear fell on Sarada's right cheek. She realized that most likely she would never be able to go back, thus, her decision not to just want to, but also to do whatever she can to survive was born inside her.

With teary eyes she glanced at the Prince's face. She saw his gentle, dark yellow eyes looking at her with compassion and worry. She saw how the moonlight bleached his rich colored hair. She thought that whomever had been the one to name him, had chosen well.

She reached to wipe away the tear that had fallen before with the sleeve of her kimono. She breathed heavily and with a determination she didn't know where it was coming from, her hand shot toward his and caught it. She should've done it sooner. His hand was really warm.


Boruto walked toward the balcony and the chilly night wind immediately assaulted his face. Even though the scenery before him was beautiful, his eyes weren't seeing it. They weren't seeing anything for that matter. Instead he was thinking about the moment when his life went down hill.

It had been because the King had decided to remarry again due to the dangers that were lurking at South Konoha.

His mother had been furious, but not because of the marriage, Boruto could conclude, but maybe because in that same night, her first born son had died.

"CHOOSE! Your marriage or your son?"

She had brought a small knife toward his throat, and had been ready to kill him. Boruto, as small as he had been, had just looked at her, whispering the word "Mother" once or twice, but that had fallen on deaf ears.

The King had tried to stop her from killing him, but he still hadn't been able to stop her from scarring him. In the ruckus, Queen Ino had scratched Boruto across the face and almost made his right eye useless.

The last thing Boruto remembered was his mother's cry and his eldest brother Gaara's callings for help.

Naruto had invited Sasuke for a night walk and they were making their way toward the palace when they both spotted Boruto looking in the distance. Naruto wondered if his son was thinking about that night again. He'll always feel guilty about the way he had failed him.

"Have you brought him here to be one of the Crown Prince's men?" Sasuke's question jerked him from his reverie but he still didn't remove his gaze away from his son. "I don't know actually. I don't know if he'll be a shield for the Crown Prince… or a sword out to get him." He said.

Even in the night's sky Naruto was able to distinguish his son's blue eyes as they turned to look toward him and Sasuke. Boruto didn't bow his head as he turned away to leave. The King actually smiled.


SEVENTH PRINCE'S RESIDENCE – next day;

With a cleared head, Sarada kept spinning and spinning around so she couldn't miss all the beautiful places that she was surrounded with. Chocho had convinced her to go for a morning walk on the Residence's Yard and Sarada was immensely happy that she had agreed. The view made her feel at peace... fascinated.

The rich colors of red and mint blue and the beautiful royal designs of the walls probably helped with that. She felt like she was walking the floors of a luxurious hotel.

"So, you've always liked archery and would always make bets when playing with arrows. Nine times out of ten you would become quite rich." Chocho finished making Sarada chuckle. That was a thing that both Sarada(s) had in common.

"See that tree sapling over there?" Chocho gestured toward a small tree that looked like a very unbloomed definition of a Sakura tree. "That's the Sakura tree we both planted together." she said and Sarada smiled, avoiding her gaze. She had been told that it had been Doctor Sakura the one who had examined her. Was that woman even her mother? Sarada sighed and resumed her walk.

"Hmm… so I am good with arrows and have come here in order to nurse and keep my aunt company. And you're my companion, Miss Chocho Akimichi, right? Hmm. Yes, yes. I think I'm starting to remember now."LIES!

Chocho looked at her like she had grown a second head. "You're lying."

"Huh?"

"You're lying. You're using honorifics with me. Aii, what's wrong with you lady?"

Sarada wanted to slap herself for making that slip. "Oh yeah, I forgot." She cleared her throat and started walking in front of her companion. "Chocho, don't you worry. It may take some time but I'm the type of person who learns one thing and is able to pick up ten more." Yup. That was the way she had been able to finish her studies in record time. Hehe! She raised her fist high to reassure her. "I'll keep trying."

Chocho for her part was feeling amused by her Lady's antics. "Lady?" When she had her attention she asked. "Is it true that you don't remember anything?" she looked around her as to suggest that what she was about to ask next wasn't meant for anybody else's ears. "It's just the two of us. You can tell me. You're lying, right?" Yes! "What?" Sarada asked instead.

"The prince and his wife don't know, I've been the one by your side every day." Chocho looked at her with a smug smile on her lips. "What is this really about? Do you have a meeting with a gentleman from another household? Or do you have a lot of debt?"

Sarada blinked. Once, twice… Don't tell me that this is another thing they have in common? Didn't Chocho say that she was good with bets? Or was this Sarada that kind of girl?

"Is Sarada this kind of girl?" she asked her hesitantly. "Like…does she pretend to be a good girl but then she goes out to meet men at night?" Well, she might as well kill herself if the answer is positive.

"No, no she's not that bad." Chocho answered her with a frown. "But, why are you speaking like you're talking about another person?" When she didn't get a response out of Sarada, she added "Ooffff, you really must be injured."

Nope! She really must keep her mouth shut or they'll say she's crazy.

"Ah, Chocho," Sarada took her hand bringing it close to her heart. "I feel like there's someone else inside of me." She sighed and wiggled her nose. "Chocho." She called unexpectedly. "I have no wrinkles around my mouth, right?"

"What?" Chocho asked her surprised, but Sarada wasn't having it. She touched the place where her wrinkles had been. Next, she proceeded to squeeze her cheeks. And then she looked at her smooth, silky hair, her eyes widening with a pleasant surprise.

"Oh. Oh my God." She laughed. "She's so nice and firm. I haven't been in this great of shape in a long time, damn. She sure took care of herself in Konoha even though they rarely ate anything but vegetables."

"Aii…aii Lady, you're really severely injured." Chocho exclaimed desperately.

"Don't mind me Chocho. I just discovered that there are positives to being alive again." Sarada said as she continued walking with a newly found determination. She was strong, she would remain so.


AUTHOR'S NOTES


HELLO to all of you future readers. This is my first ever fanfiction for Naruto consisting of Boruto and Sarada as main characters and as a couple in later chapters as well.

I would really appreciate your support from reading and reviewing my story, and please note that English is not my first language, so if you all see some mistakes during your read, then please let me know. I'm not bad at English grammar but prepositions are my weakest point so, again, let me know.

(*) The language with which the characters communicate is Japanese, but the word "Handouts" used by Sarada is in English, hence Mitsuki didn't understand her.

1. FIRST of all, I have a reason for using Senju in place of Uzumaki, so bear with me till the end.

2. SECOND of all, don't jump into conclusions. This is a BoruSara slow-burn story. And there's no love lost between Naruto and Ino either. (There will be scenes of NaruHina and SasuSaku whenever I can fit them in).

3. THIRD of all... Please don't get grossed out of Mitsuki and Karin being portrayed as a married couple. The reason why I put them like this is because they both have connections with Orochimaru (and the other ladies are sort of... busy).

And lastly, I'm really... really... REALLY sad for the roles of Ino and Sumire (because again, they are the only ones that fit) since you might think that I don't like them and I'm bashing them but NO. I HATE character bashing with all my strength, in fact Ino is in my top 5 Naruto girls and Sumire is in my top 3 (being bested only by Sarada and Himawari / lol who's surprised?).

Don't forget to Read and Review!

SEE YA!