Authors Note and Disclaimer:

I am but a (slightly) humble civilian with very little to my name, so the only credit of this story I will take, is the inginuity to put it all together. I have taken some small ideas from other peoples works, but I try to give credit where it is due. If you notice something that I have not marked, please let me know, because there is a chance that I have not even read the story it comes from. Those I have marked, I did let the author know of it. I didn't exactly ask permission, but I did let them know. Please, read and review! And any suggestions may be considered, but don't take offense if I don't use it. I actually do have a plan for the story, but only up to a point.

PS I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I just play with them like Sasori does his dolls.. Ahem, puppets, sorry. '-.-'

Headfirst Into Shallow Water

CHAPTER 1

Present

Sasuke hopped down the stairs into the hall, and ran into the kitchen. "Mother? Mother?! Can we go to the park today?"

Mikoto looked up from her breakfast to see four-year old Sasuke dressed and waiting expectantly for a response. "I thought you were going to get Itachi to play with you?"

She watched as irritation crossed Sasuke's face at his brother's name. "Big brother is too busy to spend much time with me." Sasuke brightened a little, "Maybe you can convince him to come to the park?"

She shook her head at her youngest son, "I'll try but I doubt he will come. He is under a great deal of pressure right now. I suppose we can go to the park since you are ready. Why don't you eat while I ask your brother?"

Sasuke grinned, "Yes, mother!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~

Future (former)

Tsunade looked at the four ninja standing before her. "You are aware of the chances of this working, aren't you? In essence, you are going on a suicide mission. It is even possible that we won't be able to succeed and you will be killed. Are you all sure you want to chance it?" All four people nodded. "Fine. Sasuke, Sakura. You have a week. Go say your goodbyes. You know the procedure: no details, but you are going on a mission where the possibility of you dying is higher than most missions chances of survival." Tsunade sighed, "I just wish it wasn't two of my best."

Sakura smiled at her mentor, "You know why it must be me and Sasuke. We are the only two not constantly monitored before the massacre. My family was civilian and Sasuke was overlooked because of his brother. We are the only two that can pass any slips as just being ignored. Kakashi can't go, because he was Anbu and we don't know the exact day we'll end up, making him a risk if he is out on a mission. Naruto can't go, because he has to power the seal, and because the Hokage and Anbu monitored him. None of the other Rookies were in a position of any influence. The only person we could switch would be me for Tenten. Unfortunately, if the plan needs to change, Tenten and Sasuke would be at odds. Besides, my clan will give Uchiha Fugaku more incentive to accept me on his second son's team." Sakura explained.

"That is only if we can save him from execution, Sakura," Sasuke stated with a blank face, as he walked towards the door.

Sakura huffed, but nodded agreement. "We have to get him to at least wait long enough for the Third to come up with a solution. Either that, or until we can find a solution ourselves. At least we know Itachi will likely be on our side."

"Sakura, see you in a week," Tsunade said, pushing the pink-haired young woman out the door behind the Uchiha. "Okay," she turned to the other two ninja still in her office, "show me this seal.. jutsu.. thing."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~

Present (later that day)

Sakura looked around the park while on a swing. "Where is that bastard?" she muttered.

"Really Sakura! I didn't know you had such a potty-mouth!" said Sasuke, from behind her.

Sakura squeaked and fell off the swing. "Sasuke, you bastard! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Sasuke grinned, startling Sakura, "A heart attack at age four? Is that even possible?"

Sakura stared at him for a few seconds. "What happened to you? I didn't think you had been around him enough to be able to show honest expressions and joke yet. What is wrong?" Sakura asked with concern.

Sasuke scowled at her. "I'm four, remember? I can't go from overly emotional to stoic overnight."

Sakura grinned at him, "So you are channeling him in order to fake it?"

"Shut up about him would you? You'll give us away before we've been here a week if you keep talking like that. Now, any issues we didn't foresee?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded while looking around again, "Itachi come with you?" Sasuke shook his head. "Good. My problem is training. I can't get any until the academy. You may be learning from your clan, but my parents are civilian. The only ninja in my family was my great uncle, and he died in the beginning of the last war, well before I was born. I may be able to convince my family to give me his things, but that won't be until I am at least 8 years old, and in the Academy."

"Any chance of convincing your parents to try enrolling you early?" Sasuke asked.

"Not likely, my mother couldn't stand the thought of my being a ninja, and my father refuses to enroll me in the academy until I'm 8," Sakura explained. "The only way to get me in early is if I show outstanding abilities in front of a high placed ninja, and we don't want to do that."

"Hn. Can I get you over to my house to show you off to my father?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shook her head, "I'd get sent in early and likely advance as quickly as Itachi. If we want to be set up with him we have to wait for Iruka's class. You know how he found out about the law, not to mention the forbidden technique. We can't jeopardize that. Now, come on. Think. Do you think we can get your family to train me?"

Sasuke shrugged, "We can always ask. How will we convince them?"

Both thought in silence for a minute. "Itachi." Sakura said firmly.

"Where?" Sasuke asked looking around.

Sakura smacked his arm. "No, we get Itachi to convince your father. It'll be all my idea, okay? You just have to get me to him, or him to me. Tell him... Tell him you found a sparring partner, but I need training. Tell him that by accelerating through the Academy that he missed vital knowledge, but I wouldn't tell you what I meant. Maybe that'll get him curious enough to talk to me." Sakura nodded her head decisively, "Itachi is the only way."

Sasuke stared at her for a minute just contemplating her words. "If you cause us to be found out early, I'm strangling you in our cell," Sasuke stated with a blank face.

Sakura grinned widely, "There's the Sasuke I know!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the four and nineteen year-old ninja in front of him.

"Come on, Sasuke!" Sakura called as she ran away from him, towards the trees of the park. "Let's play a game called 'Come catch me!'" she yelled as she sprinted away from the now grinning Uchiha.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Future- former (that night)

Sakura sat with Team Seven, atop the Hokage mountain. Each member had their own bottle of sake and all were half empty. "Do you think it will work?" she asked.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at the only female on their team before looking to Kakashi for guidance. Kakashi just stared out into the village, ignoring both boys.

Sakura took another sip out of her bottle before she too glanced at Kakashi, "Well, sensei? Do you think it will?"

Kakashi glanced down at the girl before nodding his head, "I believe it will work. What I'm not sure of, is our theory on time-travel. It is possible that our time-line will continue and another time-line will be created. There is also the question of whether or not you will keep your maturity or if you will be reduced back to a child. I do know that you will make the world you go to, a better place than this one."

All three of the young ninja blinked. Sakura summed up their thoughts when she said, "Sensei, we are either too drunk or not drunk enough, to discuss the theory of the mission right now. But, thank you for the vote of confidence."

Kakashi looked at the three, bemused. "Well I just had to put it out there," he shrugged.

Sakura laid on her back, to stare at the stars. She was soon accompanied by the other three ninja. Sakura looked over at Kakashi, "I'm going to say this now, so I won't forget to say it. Kakashi, you are my father-figure for all things ninja and I love you." Kakashi gave her forehead a kiss, but remained quiet, allowing his actions to speak for him. Sakura looked at Naruto next, "Naruto, you started as an annoyance, but you have become my brother in all but blood, and I love you too."

Naruto, unlike Kakashi, was not quiet or cool about showing his feeling, "I LOVE YOU TOO, SAKUR-ack!" Naruto's loud declaration of love was cut off due to a fist slamming into his gut.

"Be quiet dope! People are trying to sleep," stated Sasuke, face showing slight signs of agitation.

"Thank you Sasuke. You should know that I see you as a brother too, and I love you too," Sakura said with a smile, watching as the boys began to wrestle.

"Does that make us Kakashi-sempai's children? If you see him as your father?" Naruto asked after he and Sasuke had calmed down.

Kakashi grimaced, "I'm not that old! I'd have been around fourteen when you three were born. Much too young to have a child, let alone three!"

Sakura and Naruto laughed at his reaction and Sasuke's lips even twitched. Kakashi smiled at them.

Sakura heaved a sigh after calming down, "I'm going to miss this. I mean, I may get to see you when we go back, but you won't know who I am, or that I even exist." Naruto sat up with her and hugged her on her left. Kakashi leaned into her right side, and Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're here right now, Sakura-chan. And if all goes right, we'll be on your team again. Besides, you get to take the bastard with you, so you won't be all alone," Naruto said, attempting to cheer up his sister.

"Come, Sakura. If these are our last moments together, we don't want to waste them," said Sasuke. "We need to treasure the time we have."

With that said, the upcoming mission wasn't spoken of again all night.

Sakura spent the first night of her week with Team Seven, her second with Team Ten, her third with Team Eight, her fourth with Tsunade and Shizune, her fifth with her parents, and her last night was another night with Team Seven, but with the additions of Tenzo and Sai.

Sasuke spent the week with Naruto and Kakashi, and the two days with Sakura.

The last day had arrived.

"Are you all ready?" Tsunade asked. She received four affirmatives. "Then let us begin."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Present (two days later)

Sasuke stared at his feet, contemplating his words, before finally knocking on his older brother's door. When the door swung open almost instantly, Sasuke wasn't that surprised. He had been standing outside Itachi's door for the last five minutes. "Can I talk to you, big brother?" he asked taking a moment to look at how tired his older brother already looked, even at such a young age. Sasuke just hoped he didn't look as bad as Itachi in five years. Sasuke watched as Itachi looked at him closely before letting Sasuke into his room.

"What did you need to talk about, little brother?" Itachi asked as he sat at his desk and stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke to a deep breath before saying, "I need your help, big brother."

Itachi stared at him for a moment before motioning Sasuke to continue.

"I need you to come meet someone, and I need you to help me convince Father to train her and me," Sasuke stated, near begging.

"Why do you want this girl to train with you?" asked Itachi.

Sasuke's reply had no hesitation, "Because she's brilliant! She says there is a reason she can't enroll early like you did, but wouldn't tell me. All she said was that you missed important information by not staying in the academy." Sasuke looked away and kicked the floor with his toes in irritation, "She wouldn't tell me what you missed either." Sasuke brightened again, "But she did say that I was her only hope to learn anything about being a ninja before she starts at the academy in four years," he said smugly.

Itachi sat contemplating Sasuke for a little while, causing Sasuke to fidget. "Why do you want her to train with you?" Itachi asked again, finally speaking.

Sasuke looked away from Itachi again, shamefully. "She can help me. She's from a civilian merchant clan, so she is learning things I don't know about, like trade routes and what sells best where, when and why. She also looks at all of this," Sasuke gestured to Itachi's ninja equipment, "with new eyes. She notices things I don't," Sasuke finishes. When Sasuke looked back at Itachi, he found him deep in thought. When Itachi's face cleared and his eyes were focused back on Sasuke, Sasuke had to ask, "So, will you meet her?"

Itachi watched Sasuke as he nodded, "do you know where she is?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Not right now. She said she'd be at the park again tomorrow, though. She said her mother doesn't want her to be a ninja, but she's convinced her father that it would be a good idea for her to be at least partially trained before the Academy. She said her mother agreed because her father told her mother it may convince her to drop it. Isn't that crazy?"

Itachi watched as Sasuke babbled nervously but excitedly. It was clear to Itachi that Sasuke liked the girl. It showed in the way he smiled and his eyes 'shined.' "What is her name?" he asked.

Sasuke looked surprised at the question, but answered anyways, "Haruno Sakura," he said with pride evident in his voice. She was heir to a major merchant clan, after all. *1*

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Present (the next day)

Sakura was watching a bird from the sandbox when she heard someone approaching. She grabbed a handful of sand and spun around ready to throw the sand eye level to older children. She abruptly dropped the sand and scowled at Sasuke, who was grinning at her embarrassment. She had nearly thrown sand into the eyes of Uchiha Itachi. "Sasuke, I've told you not to sneak up on me! You know some kids love to bully me!" Sakura ignored the older boy in favor of reprimanding the younger one. *2*

Itachi had watched the little pink-haired girl as they approached, and knew the moment they were noticed, due to the tensing of the girl's back. What confused him was her immediate grab at a weapon, in this case, sand. That is, until she spoke to his little brother. Sasuke just grinned at her, despite the reprimand.

"Sakura, this is my older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Big brother, this is my future teammate, Haruno Sakura," Sasuke stated confidently.

Itachi and Sakura bowed to each other. Itachi glanced at Sasuke, "Future teammate, little brother?"

Sasuke looked away uncomfortably. Sakura grinned at the boy's embarrassment; she was the only one who knew just how much he meant that. Sasuke coughed to try covering his embarrassment. "Sakura had some information she wanted to share?" Sasuke says looking at Sakura.

Sakura sighed, "It's called pleasantries Uchiha, they are useful in these situations. Along with a thing called 'tact.'" Sakura looked around, "Come, we can sit on that bench," she pointed to a bench a little ways away.

After they were sitting, nine year-old Uchiha Itachi, ranked Gennin, looked at this little four year-old pink-haired girl and asked the curious question that had been bothering him, "What is this information that I missed?"

Sakura looked first at Itachi and then at Sasuke, before rolling her eyes, "Boys!" she muttered. Sakura straightened her shoulders, attempting to make her four year-old body look more serious. When Sakura spoke, her voice took on a lecturing tone, as if mimicking someone else. "By not going through the Ninja Academy in the traditional way, you missed three pieces of vital information. One, you did not learn how you are supposed to interact with others your age and older, when they are not family or superiors. Two, you did not learn how a normal civilian looks at ninja by watching the parents of civilian children when they are attempting ninja training. Last, you do not know the pace at which other clans' children learn their techniques and how strong their beginning techniques are. That is why I am waiting four years before enrolling. Every major, and most minor, ninja clans are sending a child from the main family at that time." *3*

Sasuke looked at her questioningly, "Who did you learn this from?"

Sakura blushed and looked away, "My father told my mother and me something similar when we tried to convince him to have me tutored instead of going through a civilian school."

Itachi stared at Sakura, utterly mystified that this little slip of a girl could notice something that he, and his father, had not seen. Itachi stood and grabbed Sasuke's hand before he bowed to Sakura. "I am truly sorry Haruno-san, but we must be going now if I want to speak with our father before his meetings and other work. We will be sure to inform you of his decision."

Sasuke looked up at his brother, "Does this mean you'll help us convince father to train us?"

Itachi looked down at the two four year-olds' hopeful faces before nodding his head. Itachi was rewarded with two blinding smiles from the duo. He pulled on Sasuke's hand to get him moving, "Come, Sasuke. If we are to convince him, we had best do it soon. Until we meet again, Haruno-san."

With that, both brothers left, Sasuke waving goodbye. Sakura grinned.

Stage One: Infiltrate the Village: Complete. Now the hard times will come, but they will be well worth it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

::::::::::::

'-.-' Author's note '-.-'

*1* - I took the liberty to make Sakura from a major merchant clan, since all you know in the show is that she is a civilian and her parents have a store front.

*2* - I had Itachi rationalize Sakura's paranoia that she developed due to her experience with war. I also wanted to point out that Sakura does not have ANY developed Chakra due to being back in her child and civilian body.

*3* I want to give credit where it is due, I would not have notice all three of these lessons if it wasn't for The Way of the Wind by just enough Story id: 4136594. It only points out the last one, but it made me think of what else he missed.