The alabaster walls shook, shaking tiny particles of paint and dust onto the ground. The king was quickly throwing his families' clothes into a duffel bag along with some money, food, and emergency supplies. The queen was cowering over her two children, a boy with striking silver hair and a little baby girl with light, supple peach cream locks, in an attempt to shroud their innocent eyes and ears from the screaming and flashing lights beckoning their curious eyes to look outside the palace's windows. The queen yelped as she felt another shockwave from a bomb and gripped her children tighter. The king stopped packing for a moment to glance if his family was safe, but not soon after he continued to throw things in the bag while tossing them into a safe underneath the floorboards.

One of his most trusted soldiers marched up the king and quickly saluted with difficulty as he felt the aftermath of another attack rumble underneath his worn soles. Containing his balance, he tried to communicate with the king by yelling, "We have to leave now, your majesty! The palace will collapse if you do not take the underground safety route!" The palace walls shook again with vigor. The soldier caught the king as he lost his balance. "Please, your majesty! We must go now!"

The king looked at his soldier and then to his family. His eyes softened as he saw his beautiful queen gripping onto their newborn daughter and his five-year old son in sheer terror. His eyes locked onto hers and with a slight nod, he knew what he had to do. The king slowly reached for his crown and set it on the soldier's hands. With a strangled sigh, the king managed to say, "Kakashi. You are one of my most trusted soldiers. I care for you as if you were family, but right now," the king glanced at his confused wife and children and then returned his gaze onto Hatake's, "I need you to take care of my family as if they were yours. I need you to lead them safely out of the kingdom and into safe hands." Hatake's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to say something, but the king cut him off, "This safe," he pointed onto the safe buried underneath the shaking ground, "is the key to retrieving our kingdom again. When the time is right, I want you to open this safe and give the kingdom back to its rightful owner. Are we clear?"

Hatake was at a loss for words. The king was practically throwing the future of the kingdom onto his shoulders without a second thought, but he knew he would, no, could not disobey his orders. The king's green eyes pierced into Hatake. With that gaze, no argument could be made. Hatake put his hand on the king's shoulders and murmured, "I will do everything to protect your family. Do not worry, King Haruno."

He grabbed the duffel bag off the ground and grabbed the now thrashing queen and her crying son. Hatake headed towards the secret tunnel leading underneath the palace grounds. Her cries for her husband were agony for the king's ears, but he had to endure. The last thing he saw before the wall behind him exploded was his barely day old baby girl's striking light pink hair and sparkling green apple eyes smiling at him while gurgling and giggling. Haruno Aiko smiled for the last time and turned around to face the music.

}{}{}{

They ran through the dark, moist forest, dodging low branches and tree roots. The queen held her baby girl and her son as tight as possible as she cowered from dangerous branches and howling winds. Hatake looked behind them and saw they had pursuers. Quickly firing shots at them, he threw the queen and her children forward and yelled, "Keep running! Don't look back! Go!"

The queen stared like a deer in headlights until a shot rang next to her head. She blinked and nodded at Hatake, silently wishing for his life to be spared. Her pale, elegant hand grabbed her son, threw him over her back, and dashed off into the darkness.

The king's loyal soldier heard the king's son, Dasuke, crying out for him. Kakashi smirked.

}{}{}{

Tumbling and panting, the queen ran as fast as she could towards her escape. Her son and daughter kept crying and she could feel her pursuers aiming at the back of her head. She grinned. It looks like Kakashi couldn't stop all of them.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her thighs. She cried out as she felt it dig under her skin, ripping her muscles a part. Her son gasped as he saw his mother's blood run down her legs and drip onto the dirt ground.

The queen sucked in air and held in her cry as she pulled the arrow out of her thigh. Limping as fast as she could, she saw a little hut along the edge of the kingdom. She ignored the shuddering pain and ran even faster, dragging her son as he tried to keep up with his little legs.

She kicked the door down and pushed her son through its damp, moss covered walls. She saw a little bed and a small desk with a quaint bathroom inside the little cabin. The queen grabbed her son and limped towards the bed. Pulling the blanket off the bed, she shoved her son and her baby girl underneath and hissed, "Don't you dare come out from under there. Are we clear, Dasuke!?" Dasuke tried to say something but his mother interrupted, "I mean it. You must protect your sister, so no matter what happens, you will not, under any circumstances, come out from under the bed. Understand?"

Dasuke nodded and snorted up his runny nose. He gripped his little sister tightly and snuggled further beneath the bed. His mother smiled and murmured, "I love you so much. Please, Dasuke. Listen to your mother and do not come out from under there."

Out of nowhere, he saw his mother being grabbed from her blonde hair and pulled up. Dasuke gasped as he saw his mother cry out in pain. Dasuke scooted closer to the open edge of the bed when he saw his mother's dead body slump to the ground with blood rushing from a gash from her neck. He cried out but quickly grabbed his mouth. It was too late because the pursuers heard him.

Haruno Sakura's baby eyes saw her older brother being dragged out from the bed. She heard his small cries of mercy. Silent as a mouse, she watched with her little green eyes as her brother was dropped to the ground with blood rushing from his neck.

The pursuers left the cabin, cackling with glee. Sakura stared at her brother and mother's bodies. Her brother was still alive, but only for a moment. In his last moment on earth, he raised his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Sh…".

Even if she was only a day old, she seemed to know terror and horror when she saw it. With her mother's dead, cold eyes and her brother's last gasp for air ringing through her rudimentary ear drums, it was a miracle that Haruno Sakura didn't scream.

}{}{}{

20 years later

Haruno Sakura dropped her bag on the polished hard-wood floors and jumped onto the luxurious bed. Sighing, she looked at the ceiling and sighed again with content.

The realtor looked at her client and grinned. She walked around the room and pointed out, "Perfectly refurbished. 24k gold lines the ceilings. This room is practically fit for a king. I'm surprised the city is letting the old palace be used with rent. I believe this place used to be the residence of the previous king, rest his soul,"

Sakura looked up from her bed and smiled. The realtor continued. "So, what do you think? We've looked at mostly every room in this beautiful palace, and I have to say, the price is quite the steal."

Sakura lifted herself off the bed and walked around the room, pretending to observe every detail. Fortunately for the realtor, Sakura already knew every detail of the room. It was left exactly the way she left it, except for the fact that it had a giant hole in the wall. But, that was 20 years ago.

Sakura lifted her eyes from the crowning detail of the window still. She looked outside and smirked. Containing her amusement, she turned back towards the realtor. With a five-star smile, Haruno Sakura smiled and chimed, "You're right. The price is quite a steal. And, I have this strange feeling that this palace used to be my old home," The realtor frowned with confusion. Sakura giggled at the realtor's stupidity. "Of course, that would be in my past life," Sakura grinned at her own joke and tucked a strand of her bubblegum hair behind her ear. "I'll take it."

The realtor's eyes sparkled as she realized she had just made a great deal that could boost her salary. With a quick flick of her hand, she pulled a pen from her ear and handed it towards her client. Glowing with satisfaction, the realtor exclaimed, "Well, let's get started on the paperwork, shall we?"

"Of course! I don't want anyone to take it from me, should that ever happen."

The realtor's eyebrows crinkled slightly but she quickly recovered. "Of course not, Ms. Haruno. After a couple signatures here and there, this palace is practically yours!"

Haruno Sakura laughed, "Wonderful! Thank you so much. I'll be sure to put a little tip into your next paycheck."

The realtor turned bright red and chuckled, "There is no need! Showing people their futures in new homes is my job. I love it!"

Sakura rubbed her neck, pretending to be embarrassed. "No, I insist. I mean, thanks to you, I feel like I'm at home."

"Oh, Ms. Haruno! You are really too kind!"

Sakura smiled and slightly laughed.

}{}{}{

The last box was placed inside the master bedroom. Haruno Sakura boiled herself a cup of ginger tea and sat down on the plushy couch in the middle of the humongous living room. She raised her viridian eyes to absorb the aura of her old home. She breathed in, and out.

Closing her eyes, and rolled her head in a complete circle, stretching her tense neck muscles. Her eyes snapped open, revealing her dead, cold jade eyes. She looked towards the open window on her left, looking at the cars and lights flickering in the distance.

Her old kingdom. Her old home. Or at least it was, until they took it from her family. They took it from her father, her mother, and her brother. Most importantly, they took her happiness away from her. She was only a day old but she still remembered every detail. Every cry and every tear her family shed, she remembered.

How could she forget?

Sakura stood up from the couch and settled her hands on the window glass. She looked at her kingdom. Her father's kingdom was named Konoha 20 years ago. She looked at the capitol building that was recently built, conveniently, also 20 years ago.

Sakura stared at the lights as they flickered and at the cars as they sped throughout the busy streets.

Konoha was about to get their reckoning. And Haruno Sakura was not going to stop until Konoha is in ashes.