Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit of a spoiler on Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and Scarlet Spring. However, I made some changes in order to fit my story.


Chapter 1


The throbbing on her head persisted but it was bearable. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself in a small white room and smelled the unmistakable scent of disinfectants.

She's on the hospital, no doubt about it.

Working on it most of her time when not on shinobi duty, Sakura could have sworn that she had already memorized each room from the operating room down to the morgue. One could say that the hospital had been her second home since she started as a medical ninja.

"Sakura-san!" A dark-haired woman appeared before her holding a piglet.

"Ah, Shizune-san." Sakura pushed herself up from the bed and drank the glass of water prepared on the bedside table. "Thank you for looking after me."

"Ah, our house!" She suddenly remembered their house which was now in ruins thanks to her brute force and short temper. Now she felt like she's going to have a headache again. Damn, she's not yet done with paying the house loan!

"Sakura-chan," Shizune interrupted her musings. "About Sarada…"

Subsequently, she started relating to Sakura what happened.

"WHAT?!" Sakura exclaimed after hearing from Shizune what Sarada just did. Then, she remembered the vague questions Sarada kept peppering her about her father. Her vague answers didn't help either. No doubt the kid got suspicious.

"Sarada took that old picture of Taka. I guess she thinks there are questions only her father can answer." Shizune shrugged.

"Geez, that kid." Sakura rubbed her temples. "Thank you, Shizune-san."

What a curious and stubborn child, Sakura thought wearily. Not that she could blame her daughter, after all. Sarada has not met her father once and all she had were old pictures of him.

"Sarada asked me details about her birth records in Konoha to which I can't answer. I think she's curious about Karin."

Groaning inwardly, Sakura can't help but get more worried for Sarada. Of course, Sarada had discovered the picture and made a connection because of their glasses. She should have explained their situation sooner. A curious child like her with no experience of the real shinobi world is vulnerable especially outside the protected walls of Konoha. She even dragged Chouchou with her.

"So I just need to head towards the Mountain Pass Tower then, right?"

Shizune nodded. "According to Shikamaru, that's what it sounds like."

"I need to go now," Sakura went hastily for the door. "And knock some sense into that girl."

oOo


A resounding punch landed squarely on the man with Sharingan eyes embedded all over his head and arms. The force sent the enemy flying across the trees.

"Who the hell are these guys?!" Sakura asked upon her arrival. The guy reminded her of Danzo but this guy was worse. All she saw that the man was attacking Sasuke, Sarada and Naruto and in a snap, her anger flared up. She was just glad that all of them were safe especially her Sarada.

"We were in the middle of figuring that out," answered Sasuke. "Why are you here?"

Sakura was about to answer him when she noticed the sword impaling Naruto. "Naruto!"

Grinning, Naruto just waved off her concern. "I'm fine by the way except for the sword impaling me." Gritting his teeth in pain, he removed the sword and tossed it on the ground.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Sakura hurriedly went to him.

"Yeah…I'll be good as new in a bit." Naruto gave her a thumbs-up sign. Slowly, the wound began to heal. "I have the same lives as Kurama's tails, remember?"

Sakura chuckled and turned to Sarada with a sad and worried expression. "I'm sorry... I meant to sit you down and have an earnest heart to heart with you, Sarada."

Sarada just looked down on her feet with a myriad of emotions playing on her face: sadness, confusion and betrayal.

"No," interjected Sasuke as he removed the tags Uchiha Shin threw at him a while ago which restricted his movements. "No matter how you try to spin it… I'm the one who has to own up to it. You're not the one who should be apologizing."

He seemed having difficulty of finding the right words to say. "But, I just…"

All of a sudden, Uchiha Shin burst out. "I'll be taking these!"

A spiraling void appeared and started sucking Uchiha Shin and Sakura.

"Mom!" Sarada cried out as she saw her mother being sucked into a void and ran after her.

"A space-time dimension?! Sarada, NO!" Stunned momentarily, Sasuke tried to go after them but they were gone in an instant.

"What the hell!" Naruto gritted his teeth. The last person they have seen that was capable of space-time manipulation was Uchiha Obito. And the guy was dead, they were witnesses to it. Just who the hell was this Uchiha Shin?

oOo


"Where are we?" Sarada asked in bewilderment, taking in her surroundings. It seemed to her that they were inside a large cave that was transformed into a laboratory.

"This is the enemy's hide-out," replied Sakura. Scanning her eyes around the area, she sensed lots of same chakra signatures.

Clones but definitely stronger with more defined chakra form, she thought.

Just then, six kids with white brushed-up hair looking all exactly alike appeared before them and poised a large, three-pronged kunai at them. Each and every one of the clones has Sharingan eyes.

"These are my clones but stronger." Uchiha Shin said. He struck one of the clones causing it to slump down, much to Sakura and Sarada's surprise. He laid it on the table and subsequently opened its abdomen as if gutting down a pig. "I want you to perform a transplant on me."

"What?!" Sakura asked aghast. "You want me to perform a transplant? If I remove this organ, this child would die!"

"I see…" Uchiha Shin trailed off. "You were a medical ninja too, weren't you?"

"However, you only have yourself to blame for this mess," he further added with a smirk.

"Said the guy that tried to kill my husband and child! And not to mention what you did to my good friend." How the hell was she to blame for this mess?Sakura clenched her knuckles in anger.

"If you really feel that way, then why concern yourself with my kid?" Uchiha Shin looked over at the dead clone with a deadpan expression.

"Did you…really just say that with a straight face?" Sakura can't help but wonder how could this man talk about killing his own child with such detachment? He talked as if the child was merely a farm animal for taking.

Sarada just stared in morbid fascination at the bloody organs heaped on the metal tray and at the opened body cavity of the younger Shin Uchiha clone.

"Do it or else," trailed Uchiha Shin in which the clones automatically moved closer to Sakura and Sarada.

"Sarada, you stay right behind me," whispered Sakura. They would surely aim for Sarada. She needed to buy some time to plan her attack and discover his real motives.

"You!" Sakura glared at Uchiha Shin. "You would do that on your own clones? It's awful! This is like something Orochimaru would do!"

"Ah, that's right. He was my master." Uchiha Shin closed his eye for a brief moment as if remembering a particularly good memory. "Rather, to be precise, I was one of Orochimaru's test subjects in order to create his cloning technique. These clones were all cultivated from my teeth and nerves."

"There is no need to grieve." He said as he took notice of Sakura's flicker of sadness on the corpse of his clone. "As long as you understand that living beings essentially never 'die'."

"What are you rambling on about?" Sakura asked angrily.

"Genes, specifically reproductive cells, you know right as a medical ninja. These are no different than children. A system used for perpetuating surviving and living into the future eternally." He gestured his hand to the clones. "On the other hand, you have the rest of the somatic cells which die off in fixed intervals. Simply put, in order for the genes of humans to increase and multiply without dying out. They need to cannibalize other cells in order to survive."

"Then, what is this thing we called exactly as 'death'?" He continued. "It is nothing more than the act of us, a used up vessel of flesh being devoured."

"Even if everything you said is true," Sakura countered. "These are not the genes of a species we are talking about."

"Neither thoughts, emotions or free will dwell within the flesh. This is not just about the transmission of genes between a parent and a child. The act we know of as creating a child is taking two halves of each of the parents' genes and blending them together. Nothing more than an instinctual act to strengthen the species. "

"Then we have war and strife which handpicks the superior genes to be selected and survive. This cycle is the essence of life."

"You are a psycho," said Sakura. He's hopeless.

"That is the evolution of humanity," Uchiha Shin continued as if he did not hear what she just said. "And that method of evolution has been gradually becoming more efficient. This cloning technique is merely the pinnacle of that. That's exactly how the shinobi were, weren't they?"

"In order for humans to evolve, war has to exist. That is the reason Akatsuki exists." He finally said.

Human life is precious and not something one could experiment on. "Then, you're an even bigger dumbass than Orochimaru! You have no idea at all! What it means to become a parent or what humans hold dear!"

"Well, let's see who the bigger dumbass is." Uchiha Shin got up and from his right arm, numerous blades started to form.

oOo


"Sarada, go!"

"No, I won't leave you!"

"What part of my instruction you didn't understand?" Sakura shouted at her as she tried to tackled Uchiha Shin and the younger clones. All of which have Sharingan abilities. She needed to get Sarada away from here as soon as possible. It's her that Uchiha Shin wanted in order to do the transplantation. She would never allow him to lay a finger on her daughter.

"Ah, the little Uchiha girl..." Uchiha Shin exclaimed as if seeing the girl for the first time. "I wonder if your Sharingan is already activated?"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her, you psychopath!" If he got hold of Sarada, there's a high possibility that he would want to take her eyes.

No, that would never happen. Sakura vowed to herself.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Sakura turned to Sarada. "No wonder you are really my child."

Sarada looked at her with wide eyes. "Mom… I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It's not just the physical connection that we have. It's something deeper," Sakura said softly.

"Sarada..." Sakura pleaded to her maintaining her focus on the enemies. Twenty clones dead and still more to defeat. "Just for now, please listen to me as your mother."

"Okay," answered Sarada in a broken voice.

"Find your father or Naruto. I'm sure they're coming to save us," said Sakura. She dodged another series of blades and punched another clone.

"How about you?"

"Don't worry about me." Sakura smiled at her.

Nodding, Sarada took the moment to escape when Sakura attacked. She ran amidst the dark, twisted cave. Even though it was pitch-dark, her eyes began to see clearly. It's as if she didn't need the glasses anymore.

oOo


"I need to find a way out here," Sarada muttered to herself as she entered the maze-like tunnels. To an outsider, all the tunnels would look like the same but to a keen observer, changes on the ground and walls were signs that they were frequently used. These were one the things taught to them in the ninja academy. With her enhanced vision, she could see every detail and imprint it on her mind.

The wall to her right suddenly exploded with such force that if it were not for her vision and reflexes, she would have been blown away or smashed by the chunks of rocks.

"Sarada!" Chouchou waved at her happily, clearly relieved to see her friend unharmed.

It was then that Sarada noticed the massive humanoid-like creature in front of her. It was purplish-blue with a sharp beak and large wings. Furthermore, it emanated a menacing aura. Atop of it were ChouChou, the Hokage and her father.

Her father and the Hokage jumped down.

"What's that thing?" Sarada can't help but feel awed at the monstrous thing in front of her.

Seeing that the girl was transfixed at the creature behind them, Naruto explained. "Ah, that's your father's Susanoo. It's like a big ass fighting machine. Pretty cool, right?"

For a moment, Sarada saw her father's eyes soften as he looked at her. It's as if he wanted to say something to her when Chouchou shouted.

"I wanted to go down there too!"

"No need, we're going up there again," said Naruto. "Come on, let's find Sakura-chain."

Sarada took Naruto's outstretched hand as they jumped over atop the Susanoo. "How did you find this place?"

"We went and asked Orochimaru," answered Naruto.

"Who is Orochimaru?" Sarada asked.

"Well, he used to be your dad's… sensei." Naruto considered how best to explain briefly to Sarada about the Snake sannin. "Your dad left Konoha when he was – "

"Naruto," Sasuke stopped Naruto from continuing with a warning look.

"Alright," Naruto rolled his eyes at Uchiha Sasuke. "You better explain to her sometime."

"That one really freaked me out," said Chouchou with a shudder. "I'm not sure what that one's gender is and the way he looked at me… it's scary."

Naruto was about to comment when both he and Sasuke stiffen momentarily for a second. Both of them looked alarmed.

"What's wrong?" Sarada asked.

"Nothing," answered Sasuke but his eyes betrayed his words. There was something clearly bothering him.

oOo


"What the fuck!" Naruto exclaimed in anger as they came upon the enemy's hide-out. He and Sasuke immediately rushed down and began searching.

The area was almost unrecognizable. All the machines and metal tables Sarada have seen hours ago were broken. Chunks of rocks littered the area along with countless corpses of Shin Uchiha's clones.

She saw Uchiha Shin's corpse lying a few feet away from them, his upper body cavity replaced with a gaping hole.

Where's her mother then? What she saw then made her blood ran cold.

Sakura was lying unconscious in a pool of blood, her green eyes open.

"MOM!" Sarada ran towards them.

Sarada saw her father picked and held Sakura's unconscious and bloodied body as the Hokage placed a hand on her chest. It began to glow and it seemed to transfer on Sakura's body.

"Damn it, Sakura!" Naruto cursed loudly and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's grip on her body tightened and he shook her hard.

"Save my mother, Hokage!" Sarada pleaded as tears started to flow from her eyes. She heard that the Hokage was the hero of the last Fourth Shinobi World War more than a decade ago. She heard that he has amazing skills and powers and that he had saved lots of lives before.

Surely, the Hokage could save her mother, right?

oOo


"You don't know when to give up, huh?"

"Bullshit, Kurama!" Naruto cried out in anger. "Even if I have to drain myself of chakra just for her to open her eyes, I will!"

"You're really a stubborn one," said the Nine-tailed beast. He could see the frustration and panic on the jinchuuriki's blue eyes. "Humans… I don't really understand them at all."

"She saved me when I almost died when you were extracted from me by Madara. She never gave up on reviving me… She exhausted her chakra when my mine was drained by Toneri Otsutsuki in the Moon."

Naruto looked at the fox with grim determination. "She is my friend."

The fox remembered the time when the blonde kept pumping chakra to a bushy-browed shinobi named Gai who nearly died after opening all the Eight Gates on fighting Uchiha Madara. The guy was barely clinging to life but Naruto was able to save him.

Can Naruto perform such "miracle" too on this friend of his?

But there is a difference, thought the nine-tailed beast. Between someone who's on the verge of death to one who's no longer alive.

oOo


"She's gone," a weak voice said gasped out. It was one of those Shin clones. He tried to stand in wobbly legs but due to his bruises and cuts but he failed.

Then, in a flash, he was pinned to the wall by Uchiha Sasuke. The kid tried to pry the vice-like grip on his neck but to no avail. The boy felt his airway being crushed by the pressure.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as the boy started to turn blue. "Stop it! He's just a kid who followed orders!"

"Just a kid following orders?" Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he had gone insane then turned back a venomous glare at the kid. "I would fucking kill you.""

Naruto pried Sasuke's hand away from the kid. The remaining Uchiha Shin clone slumped to the ground gasping for air.

"Don't you dare stop me, Naruto," Sasuke said in a cold, murderous tone.

"He should not be our focus right now," Naruto replied looking at the Uchiha eye to eye.

After sputtering some blood, Uchiha Shin spoke in a hoarse voice. "She was exhausted after she finally defeated my father and all the other clones when this tall man suddenly appeared and started asking her about you and Konoha."

The clone looked at Naruto questioningly.

"What? Me?" Naruto asked in surprise, his hand still continuing to transfer chakra to Sakura. "Who is this man you're talking about?"

"No idea but he's pale and he has horns and eyes on his palms like his," he pointed to Sasuke.

"The Sharingan?"

"No... the other one." The clone answered. "The kunoichi refused to answer and they fought. That was the last that I can remember."

Once again, the Shin Uchiha clone looked at the woman lying on Naruto's arms and with an expressionless face he stated to Naruto. "She's already gone. You knew it."


"He's joking, right?" Sarada broken voice interrupted their conversation as she touched Sakura's cheek. "Tell me, Hokage-sama that it's not true… that mom's gone? I know you can save her. You are the Hokage!"

Naruto clenched his fist and repeatedly punched the ground in anger and frustration. His blue eyes became ice-cold in fury. He could not even answer the kid. The fucking Uchiha Shin clone was right ever since they arrived. Sakura's chakra and life force were non-existent already. But he didn't believe it although his senses confirmed it.

No, it was because he refused to believe it.

"Dad?" Sarada turned to her father.

A myriad of emotions flashed across Sasuke's face before he turned away from her. Sorrow, anger, regret and something else she could not pinpoint.

She received nothing but silence from the two.

How ironic it was that when Sarada finally found her father, she would lose her mother.

oOo


Author's Note: I can feel the violent reactions right now. I don't know but I had this in mind since I finished The Pride of Uchiha. It was just that I was unsure during that time whether Sasuke and Sakura would end up together and after the conclusion of Naruto Gaiden, I felt confident to write about them again. And I was pretty busy because I moved to another country to work.

Anyways, this story is going to have few chapters only. Forgive the grammatical errors, if you know a beta-reader, please tell me!