A True Cherry Blossom Warrior

Full Summary: The future of Konoha is in the hands of Haruno Sakura. The past must be changed so the future will be as it should be. Who caused it all to change for the worst? Will Sakura be able to change the past, or will the Shinobi World be completely thrown into darkness?

Main Expected Pairings: NaruSaku, SasuSaku, ItaSaku, NejiSaku, and GaaSaku

-Important Note: The Final Pairing (Main Pairing) will remain unknown until final chapter.

The long awaited story has been finally posted. We can only guess what will happen throughout this story…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Are you ready?

Prologue:

Three shadowed figures ran through the main street leading to the burning Hokage Tower, fending off attackers from behind them. The sounds of clashing and explosions were almost enough to deafen every single person in the ruined Leaf Village, yet they continued to fight and attack. The usual beautiful vast range of stars was covered by threatening, dark swirling clouds.

Carefully dodging each attack, the small group of intruders remained on the path towards their target as more shinobi from behind gathered to destroy their hopes of reaching their goal. They raced with inhuman speed, staying within the shadows even though all the fires throughout the village prevented many shadows from existing.

Before the following shinobi could react, the ground below them started in shake as it groaned in an unsettling way. Giant slabs of concrete and ground rose up, blocking the view of the advancing shinobi. The shadows of the multiple slabs of concrete combined into ominous, looming darkness. The leader of the group growled in frustration.

"Damn those rebels!" The male shinobi growled as the owners of the shadows began to tremble, leaning towards the surrounded team. Many of its members stared wide-eyed in panic as they desperately tried to escape their fate, but there was no hope for any survival now.

The doors of Hokage Tower were kicked open, dropping onto the floor of the entryway with a large thud. Stepping over the doors without another glance outside after feeling the earthquake outside from the fallen stone slabs, the three rebels stepped into the shadows. "Do you think we will succeed?" A man asked softly, his eyes glancing back and forth for any trap or enemies.

No one replied to his question, only focusing on the mission. Carefully avoiding the dim light on the hallway floor that shown through the windows, the other two silent group members watched carefully in the darkness through the window.

"Sakura, please answer me." The man whispered only loud enough for the pink-haired kunoichi to hear his request. She stopped, glancing back towards him, before shaking her head.

"Be quiet, Naruto. This is our last chance." Sakura responded with a harsh, soft tone. Naruto felt a sharp twinge of pain, remembering this could very well be the end of everything. Sakura glanced toward Naruto when he bowed his head slightly. Instantly, she felt regret for silencing him, even though it was for his own good.

"…I'm sorry. Please-"

"Silence!" Sakura and Naruto immediately obeyed, knowing the consequences of revealing their positions to enemies. Sakura shot an apologetic glance towards Naruto before following him farther down the narrow hallway. The leader of the group, Tsunade, led them in the dark shadows cautiously.

At the end of the long hallway, a lone closed black door faced them. Tsunade stepped soundlessly through the darkness, watching the windows with a sideways glance. Sakura darted over to the other end of the room, pressing her body up against the wall. Peeking past the window from her position, Sakura could see several sound-nin patrolling outside the Hokage Tower, taking no notice of the burning building.

Tsunade and Naruto paused at her actions, but Sakura only motioned them forward without glancing away the village outside. Rushing past the window, Naruto glanced back at Sakura in hinted concern as he avoided the lighted section of the floor. Sakura didn't return his glance, only remained still. He felt the urge to whisper something back to her, but remembered it wasn't the best idea.

Tsunade reached the black door first, silently rattling the door to see if it was open. The rattling echoed through the hallway as the sound bounced back and forth. Naruto joined the older woman just as she opened the door before stepping into another room. Naruto glanced back at Sakura, who still didn't return his worried glance, before letting the door hang open slightly. Without another attempt to gain Sakura's undivided attention, he began to descend a long staircase down into the lower half of the Hokage Tower.

About five minutes passed before Sakura moved once again. Nothing could be overlooked now. Every single thing changed in their carefully planned revolt could only damage their chances of reaching their goal.

Ducking under the window, Sakura soundlessly moved down part of the hallway. Stopping in front of the door, she raised her hand to open the door enough to walk inside. Yet, before her fingertips could even brush against the silver handle, the sound of wings flapping reached her ears.

Spinning around as she kicked the door closed, Sakura shielded herself when the wall facing outside crumbled and the windows shattered. Flinching when a sharp piece of brick grazed her bare shoulder, the pink haired kunoichi escaped into the shadows as she pressed her back up against the wall.

Smoke blew past Sakura, blinding her briefly from the new threat. Opening her eyes just enough to see without the smoke harming her eyes, Sakura could make out an outline of a looming figure on a gigantic bird flying slowly towards the opening in the wall. The hidden woman grabbed a kunai protectively, holding it near her side as the smoke rose to the ceiling and vented out of the building.

Gazing calculatingly at the shadowed enemy, she waited another attack. There was no possible way that Sakura would allow anyone near Naruto and Tsunade. They were the last hope, and Sakura was nothing more than a guardian.

It is for the best. I believe Naruto will succeed where I would fail.

Biting her lip to bring her thoughts back to the present, she noticed the enemy had paused at the opening. It didn't move an inch, only remained motionless. An uncomfortable silence began as Sakura tried to decide whether or not she had been found.

Before Sakura could even step to reveal herself into the light, someone familiar tackled the enemy. Jumping back to avoid crashing into the fighting shinobi, Sakura allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. "I don't think I've ever been happy to see you until now."

The familiar man acknowledged her with nothing more than a nod before gripping his opponent's neck and spinning him around to throw him back into the streets. "Neji! Are you okay?" A woman with brown up hair up in two buns entered through the opening with a worried glance towards Sakura and the said man.

"I'm fine, TenTen." Neji replied emotionlessly just before the enemy stood up with no struggle. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but TenTen silenced her by shaking her head. The strange enemy let his hands fly up quickly as clay birds flew out from his sleeves. Neji merely performed Rotation to block the birds as TenTen and Sakura backed away.

The clay birds exploded as it hit the protection field, keeping Neji completely safe from harm. The enemy hesitated before jumping back onto the giant clay bird as he began to fly away. Neji held his pose before relaxing and turning to Sakura. TenTen stepped towards the entrance into the village, watching the opponent fading into the distance.

"He'll be back." Neji stated as he observed Sakura's narrowed gaze on the ground. After a few seconds, Sakura looked up and exchanged a brief glance with her temporary savior. Her lips trembled slightly before her eyes darted away towards the door at the end of the hallway.

"Be careful." Sakura demanded in a soft tone. "I cannot fulfill my duty with the burden of your deaths." Neji walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he guided her towards the door. He opened the door and gazed at her expectedly. Sakura didn't move, only bitterly smiled.

"Just wait, Neji, TenTen. This is the last fight." Sakura whispered, wanting them to believe her. "We will have a greater future and freedom." TenTen smiled sadly and Neji's eyes flickered with suppressed regret.

Before Sakura could react, Neji pushed her forward through the door, urging her forward. "If we are to ever gain that, you must do your part." Neji stepped back out into the hallway just as Sakura spun around to face him. "Good bye, Sakura-san."

The door shut close before Sakura could react, drowning her in darkness. She slammed a hand on the door in sudden frustration. Pain stung her hand, but she ignored it. "You better live Neji! You too, TenTen!"

There was no response.

Sakura's hand slid down the door until it found itself at her side. This was not the first time she had to say goodbye to a fellow rebel. "Good bye." Before Sakura could blindly retreat to the basement, the locked door glowed a bright blue as the chakra surrounding it created a barrier.

Glancing back once more, knowing it was the last time to ever return to see either of the teammates, she slowly descended down into the lower half of the Hokage Tower. Carefully letting her eyes adjust to the growing darkness, Sakura reached the end of the stairs. Not only was she leaving her fellow rebels behind, but true friends that would give their lives for their cause. Sakura could only hope that Neji and TenTen would survive long enough to—

"Sakura-chan, hurry up!" A voice urged softly as she blinked in confusion. Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into a dim-lighted room. "What took you so long?" The pink haired kunoichi resisted the urge to sigh, not bothering to answer his question.

Releasing her hand, Naruto glanced towards the opposite side of the small room. The room was bare except for several torches hanging off from the walls. Tsunade was standing in front of a large dark oak wood door that was surrounded by the same bright blue chakra.

Sakura and Naruto started to make their way over to the older woman, but she held a hand up in order to stop their movement. The two shinobi paused, stopping immediately. "Guard the stairway."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him silent. The Kyuubi-container stared at her but closed his mouth in understanding after a moment. Sakura and Naruto situated themselves near the doorway, their gazes set on the bottom of the stairs. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura could still see the blue chakra glowing on the entrance door on the upper level.

Several minutes passed and Tsunade had hardly made any progress on opening their new entrance. Naruto had sat down patiently as he sighed wearily. Sakura had remained standing, her thoughts on the two rebels that had been left behind.

The Sanin lifted a hand, letting it glow with green chakra as she experimented with the barricade. To Sakura, it seemed she hadn't made any progress.

There had been nothing but silence in the guarded room. The enemies above had not made a single sound. This fact unnerved Sakura and Naruto. All their lives, they were surrounded in the noise of the battlefield, and to be drowned in silence was something they never expected.

Drip.

Naruto instinctively grabbed a kunai for protection as he stood to his feet. Sakura could already feel the chakra within her reserves swirling madly with anticipation. It appeared that their supposedly silent opponents were finally starting to act.

Drop.

The annoying sound was beginning to grow constant. Naruto slowly walked towards the staircase, his eyes widening in shock. Sakura followed close behind, sharing his discovery. Water was beginning to pour down the stairs, appearing as if the stairs had miraculously changed into a waterfall. Without hesitating, Naruto ran up the stairs, through the darkness.

Sakura turned to Tsunade, who had picked up the pace on attempting to open their entrance to their goal. It seemed her mentor was not paying attention to the loud splashing further up the stairway. Each splash from Naruto's feet crashing into the calm current became more distant until all became quiet.

Sakura could do nothing but wait. Wait for the report. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of news she wanted to hear.

Before Sakura could react, Naruto rushed past her towards Tsunade. Concern and worry were sketched across his features. Sakura immediately followed the blond-haired man.

"Water is seeping through the bottom of the doorframe from upstairs." He reported urgently, his voice low as he glanced back and forth warily. "The chakra surrounding the door is barely visible or detectable. We need to hurry!"

Tsunade ignored him, though her bronze colored eyes hardened slightly. Naruto kept glancing back towards the flooding section of the room. The water had not reached them yet, but it was extremely close.

Sakura felt her body tense when she heard a persistent banging sound from where withholding door was located upstairs. Her fists clenched when rumbling began from the ceiling above them. The torches flickered a few times. The water reached their feet.

Tsunade calmed herself with a soft exhale of breath as she placed her glowing green hand on the large awaiting doors. The sound of locks changing and unlocking reached them through the banging and rumbling. "This lock was like a frustrating puzzle." Tsunade stated as the doors lifted slowly. "Something the First Hokage would make for generations to come to make sure our purposes are important."

Finally, the lifting doors screeched shut. The three shinobi stood before a brightly lit room, but before Sakura could study the details of the round room, Tsunade urged them to enter. The sound of creaking was heard again as Sakura and Naruto followed Tsunade through the entrance.

The hanging doors slammed down behind them, just barely missing Sakura and Naruto. The pink-haired kunoichi turned around to see a series of cracks on the floor coming from underneath the door. "We have not been the only ones to travel here."

"As expected of the Council and ancestor Hokages." Tsunade answered back as she hurriedly rushed across the room towards towering rows of bookcases. Sakura and Naruto could only stare at the uncountable number of books on all the shelves.

"How will we find what we need?" Naruto whispered, his shock evident. Sakura didn't reply as she carefully started on one end of the rows of bookcases. Her fingertips brushed past several dusty books. Cobwebs covered the shelves, a few with spiders still adorning the webs.

"…We will spend our time wisely." Tsunade murmured from the other end of the room, busy with searching already. "You all know what to look for." She paused, glancing towards Sakura. "Guard the door and inform me if anything happens."

Immediately obeying the order, Sakura retreated back to the entrance as she attuned her senses to searching for chakra signatures. Nothing could be found other than the other two occupants of the sacred library. There was no doubt in her mind they were in great danger and time was precious now.

Sakura felt a presence near her, already guessing who it was. She turned her head slightly to see Naruto's downcast gaze on the ground. Her hand ached with the temptation to comfort him, but she remained motionless.

"Naruto…"

He merely turned towards the circular room with pained awe as he wiped a few silent tears out of his eyes. "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. It—It can't be helped."

Sakura felt a sharp twinge of regret. Naruto had spoken nothing but the truth. About a year ago, the enemy invaded and stole his chance for succeeding Tsunade as Hokage. It was something never to talk about with the hopeless man, but this moment seemed right. It was their final moment together as—as teammates and friends.

"We have to be strong, ne?" Sakura smiled halfheartedly, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder. Without knowing exactly, what happened, arms wrapped around her in a tight, needed embrace. For a moment, Sakura thought of pushing him away. Shinobi were not meant to show emotions, especially in this kind of situation. It would be the right thing to do but…

Sakura wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him equally in force. "I won't ever see the village anytime soon, will I?" He whispered, his voice muffled from behind her shoulder. Pain gripped Sakura's heart as she felt a few of Naruto's tears drip onto her bare shoulder.

"I'll…I'll do my best to keep it safe." Sakura replied softly, truly wanting him to believe she would. Silence encompassed them, excluding the sound of pages flipping. Sakura's hand gripped Naruto's shirt tightly, not yet ready to let go.

"Naruto, hurry up over here! I found what we were looking for." Naruto let go slowly, backing away to exchange a sorrowful look with his teammate.

"Only one of us can go, Naruto." Sakura gently reminded him, an assuring smile gracing her features. He seemed to struggle with himself before he answered.

"Even so, I don't want to lose another teammate." Without another word, Naruto raced over to Tsunade for instructions. Sakura merely resisted the urge to sigh as her gaze fell onto the floor.

Closing her eyes, Sakura reminisced the peaceful days of the past. She had often wondered how it all changed so quickly, but the answer always escaped from the troubled kunoichi. Several familiar faces ran past her mind, their last images forever remembered. Unfortunately, the last images were truly the last time to ever see her precious ones.

Surprisingly, Sakura had always been there and unable to save them. It was a bittersweet moment for everyone as well as somber. They had exited the cruel world for a beautiful, peaceful haven where they would not dwell with common worldly matters. Sometimes, Sakura had wished she could escape to such a life but knew that would be nothing short of giving up.

"Sakura-chan, move out of the way!" Startled, Sakura drifted back to the present, away from her thoughts. Glancing up, her eyes widened as several dents in the shielding doors began to show. More dents were forming, almost reaching the disconcerted woman.

Naruto sprang towards her, his arms outstretched. Sakura gasped when pushed her against the bookshelf just as the doors blasted open. Smoke covered any hope for sight. Several pieces of the wooden doors struck Sakura's body as her back slammed against the bookshelves.

Books fell off the shelves, dropping near the pink-haired kunoichi. Her vision blurred, a painful headache ensuing. Everything ached in agony as she tried to clear her senses.

The smoke was already beginning to clear; escaping through small crackers throughout the gray stonewalls. Sakura could barely make out any outlines of the intruders or allies. A kunai sailed through the dark smoke, straight towards Sakura's shoulder. Unable to dodge the attack because Sakura's her forearms and the rest of her body were trapped under large chunks of the exploded doors. Biting her lip in frustration to ignore the pain, she tried to push down the nausea that rose when small blood droplets splattered her face and hair.

Suddenly, a figure burst from the smoke, carrying a scroll beside them. Adjusting her eyes as clearly as possible, Sakura finally identified Tsunade as the older woman kneeled near the injured kunoichi. "Sakura…Listen carefully." The Hokage ordered softly, firmly. Sakura could feel her consciousness slipping away.

"Naruto is unable to complete his duty now. You will be the one to escape to the past, Sakura." Tsunade whispered as she opened the scroll, strange markings showing. Immediately beginning to form hand signs, the older woman continued to instruct her.

"You will not remember anything for the first few…" Sakura began slipping out of consciousness as she tried to remain awake. "Tell no one in the past that…" The pink-haired kunoichi closed her eyes to the world, barely being able to listen. "If you want freedom and a promising future then work hard for it, Haruno Sakura."

With that, Tsunade's finger tips glowed yellow with swirling white chakra as she gently touched Sakura's forehead. A lightheaded feeling immediately consumed the half-conscious woman. Tsunade smiled bitterly when her former apprentice's body began to fade away. "I trust you can save us all."

Finally, Sakura's body disappeared from the cruel, unforgiving future.

Pinned under brick and stone, Naruto could feel blood dripping down his sides and back of his head, staining the spiky blond hair. He already knew it was the end of his life and he felt somewhat content besides the pain throbbing throughout his body.

The smoke cleared showing several recognizable silhouettes, their varying eyes colors watching him. "You did not leave, Kyuubi?" The voice was low, deep. Instantly, identified.

"No." Naruto murmured, watching one unsheathing a katana. "I—I figured this would be the best way for my life to end." The point of the katana was appeared near his neck, a calculating gaze resting on his face.

The man who had spoke before, said nothing to Naruto. His head turned towards his companions. "What of the scroll?"

"Burned and destroyed." Tsunade announced with a wry smile gracing her features. "You will not be ruining anything."

The shadowed man glanced towards her, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I see you have lost all hope for your lives."

"Yes, w-we have…" Naruto answered, not bothered by the sword close to his neck. "Yet, you should as well because the end for your reign is over."

A long prologue, but a promising beginning.

Hope everyone looks forward to the first chapter and enjoyed the prologue.

Until next chapter,

SharinganAnbuSakura