Somewhere I will find you

Chapter 1

7 years later

"Sakura, are you there?" A voice roused the twelve year-old Sakura from her reverie as she sat crossed-leg, watching the river current flowing past her quaint little town. She set aside the two origami boats she made from the fallen leaves, slowly got up and gingerly brushed the dust from her kimono as Tenten made her way down from the hill through the bushes of flowers toward the riverside.

She came to stand next to Sakura and patted her affectionately on her shoulder. "Daydreaming, Sakura?" she asked, her smile as friendly and her manner as easy as Sakura remembered.

So, she smiled back at her friend, thankful that she wasn't completely alone in the new world she found herself stranded in. Even though Tenten didn't remember the past, she had not lost the optimistic yet practical disposition that Sakura had always admired. It was comfortable to be near her, and she suspected it was, in part, her own desire to cling to the past as much as possible.

It was thus that they became fast friends once again, even in this life.

"Not exactly daydreaming." Sakura finally answered, her finger pointing toward the river. "I was observing."

Tenten snickered. "Oh yes, because the still waters are particularly interesting this time of year!" The words were pure sarcasm, but the voice held no malice, only cheeky amusement.

Sakura laughed, but soon after her expression turned worrisome as she persisted. "No, Tenten, I was actually looking at the water level."

"What about it?" She asked flippantly, before realization hit her. "Wait. This is about the draught that the town council were talking about, right? They were really worried when they talked about it."

Tenten should know. After all, her foster father, the town blacksmith and head of town guard, was on it, and the council meeting was often held at their place.

Sakura nodded. "Exactly, the water level is too low. If this continues, the town will produce only about half the crops we had last year."

"Whew, how can you tell that just by looking at the water level?" While Tenten looked grim, she seemed impressed at new piece of information presented by her friend. "Studying with the old scholar must have really paid off!"

Sakura smiled as she thought of Nohara Yasuhiro, who was the retired scholar of the Royal Library in the Capital of the Land of Fire. Sakura first met him when he came by her parents shop to buy some cloth for his winter attire. Sakura had been eight year-old at the time, and the old man took a liking to her immediately, saying that she somehow reminded him of his lost granddaughter. The old sage had found her company and endless questions a nice change of pace, and decided to make her his apprentice and allowed her the full access to his own library, much to her delight.

For Sakura, studying with the kindly old sage had been a God-given opportunity. Ever since her first arrival here on her fifth birthday (so to speak), she had been utterly lost by not knowing what was different, what was going on in this world. It also did not help that her family chose to settle in a town so remote and secluded. So, being an apprentice to the retired scholar had helped her to find a way to reacquaint herself with the rest of the world.

Yet, this was viewed by the people in this town as strange, for what need would a girl have to be so learned or to be able to read or write beyond her own name. They could not understand why a girl such as her would need to read tomes and scrolls when what she really needed to learn were housekeeping skills. That way, she would be able to catch a good husband. However, seeing how eccentric Sakura's own parents were, they simply shrugged and minded their own business for the most part.

"Your parents are really nice to let you off from all your duties at the shop!" Tenten sounded a little jealous. "My dad never let me get away from the forge for long!"

Sakura thanked God fervently once again for not taking away her parents. She shuddered slightly as she remembered how afraid she was the first time she woke up as herself here, and how relieved she was when she saw her own parents. They, however, no longer resided in Konoha. Instead, they were settled here in the small town here with her parents plying their trades as merchant who owned a small cloth shop in town.

Thankfully, with their skills at bargaining with trading caravan that regularly passed through here, they were able to prosper at this profession and although their livelihood was by no mean rich or luxurious, they were able to live in relative comfort and were regarded as well-off, considering the size of their town.

"You know," Tenten suddenly continued in a much quieter voice as she stared at the faraway horizon beyond the river. "Sometimes, I'm really jealous of your parents. I wish… I wish I knew who mine were."

But then, Tenten recovered quickly from her melancholy. "Oh, I almost forgot. Mrs. Haruno asked for you! I was on an errand to your place, so she asked me to tell you to go back soon. I should get back as well before my dad starts to wonder where I am."

She winked cheerfully, though it seemed a little bit forced. "I'll see you later, Sakura!" And then she was off like the wind.

This was another thing that saddened and scared Sakura so much about the new world she was in. History was changed, rewritten, and consequently, there was a cost, a price each of them had to pay. For Tenten, it was the loss of her original family.

While she did not otherwise differ much from her past-self, she could never be the same again. She could never smile as brightly as she did, she could never be as cheerful as she was.

She couldn't be whole again.

It was why Sakura was determined to recreate Konoha once again…

For in this world, it did not exist. The alliance between the Senju and Uchiha clan never came through with the death of Uchiha Madara in place of Uchiha Izuna. From then on, the enmity between the two most powerful clans multiplied tenfold. With Izuna as the new head of the clan, the Uchiha's attack on the Senju became even more ferocious and personal, and the Senju, even with Hashirama as the leader, was forced to retaliate in the end for the sake of the clan's survival.

Thus, the cycle of hatred and destruction continued, and without the Hidden Leaf village as the model, the other hidden villages ceased to exist altogether. Sakura could not bear to think of how many lives were impacted by this change, how many separation that could have been prevented happened, how many deaths that could have been forgone occurred.

And so, creating the Hidden Leaf had become her goal. Knowing the history of the 'Era of Warring States' and witnessing the extended version of it in reality, she vowed to herself she would build the sanctuary for which shinobi and civilians alike could live together in peace, that the children could grow into their full potential before their lives were snuffed out like candle in the storm, that the parents could grow old to watch that happened.

But she knew it would be difficult, nearly impossible for her to do. She was no daydreamer. Being clanless, she did not have any power, connections, or influence to speak of to manage such a feat. And she was no leader material, this she understood and accepted a long time ago.

This was one of those times when she missed her teammate even more than she already did constantly. She longed to know how each of them were doing, if they were alive, if they were well…

If they remembered…

Sakura picked up the two leaf boats she folded earlier and gently put them in the water. Immediately, the current picked the boats up and in a blink of an eye, they both were sailed out of her sight.

Sakura made her way back to the shop and home. Her progress was necessarily slow as she was wearing the geta and kimono, as was common with cilvilians, instead of her ninja sandals and outfit like the shinobi. This was also one difference that made Sakura longed for her old world. The more comfortable and form-fitting clothing had apparently not made it to this world, a fact which Sakura thought was regrettable. While shinobi clothing was more form-fitting and therefore allowed much more freedom of movement, it was still traditionally-styled. While Sakura had no problem with that, she did miss her more modern-looking clothes sorely at times.

More importantly, as the wars between clans went on as ferociously as ever, the development of crucial knowledge in many areas that was supposed to happen faltered. Consequently, many technologies, including electricity and many other comfort-providing appliances, were missing from this world. Sakura could not even begin to describe how much she missed her kotatsu table and washing machine.

Nevertheless, all she could do was gritted her teeth and made do without them and swore to all and any God in Heaven above that she would bring back Konoha, no matter the cost.

Eventually, she made it back to her place and entered the workshop behind the house itself. She saw her mother supervising the hired girls who was working on the looms, starting on weaving new pieces of fabric. Haruno Mebuki was in deep concentration as she inspected the girls' work and therefore didn't notice her daughter's return until she came to stand next to her.

"Ah, Sakura, you're just in time!" She stepped away from the loom to greet her wayward daughter. "Your father has just returned with the caravan!"

Sakura's eyes lit happily at that. Her father, who became a merchant instead of the eternal genin, was often away and she had missed his presence acutely, despite his cheesy jokes.

"He is still talking with his new associates. I think we should join him." And with that, both mother and child went back into the house. They could hear the resounding laugh that belonged to Haruno Kizashi clearly as well as other unfamiliar voices. This was a common occurrence as he often invited them over for both business discussion and a night of relaxation, so the impromptu meeting did not surprise her.

What surprised her were the visitors.

In their living room sat three strangers who Sakura supposedly had not seen before. Yet she knew them.

There, in their rustic little home, sat Shiranui Genma, Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, formerly, in another life, Konoha ninja. Sakura felt her step halted and she stood frozen there. The memories of them from the past returned all at once, and she couldn't decide if she should hyperventilate here or leave to do so elsewhere.

Luckily for Sakura, she had to do neither, for Kizashi turned and beckoned loudly for his wife and daughter to come take a seat with them.

"Come, come. Meet my new associates here! They are from the Capital!" Then he turned to Sakura, grinning widely. He gestured for her to sit next to him and proceeded to introduce both parties to each other. Mebuki greeted the guests warmly and they made all the polite remarks required by decorum before she excused herself to see to the preparations for dinner.

"I know you're curious about the Capital, young lady. Now you can ask them all about it!" Kizashi said to his daughter and winked conspiratorially. Sakura could only smile tightly back, but thankfully her father didn't find anything amiss, and kept the flow of relaxing conversation with the guests going steadily.

After a while, the conversation was steered back to business, and Genma and Yugao became much more animated at the change of topic. Seeing no trace of recognition in their eyes, Sakura's attention slowly drifted from either of them to the remaining member of the group. Then, her attention was caught by a sword rested by his side. The sight of his favored weapon at his side somehow made Sakura breathe easier.

Seeing her curious glance, Hayate smiled kindly at her and asked. "Are you familiar with this, Sakura-san?" His hand rested upon the weapon almost lovingly.

Seeing his friendliness, Sakura relaxed a little. "I've seen similar ones at the town smithy, but I wouldn't know how to use it." Then, before she could stop herself, she blurted out. "Are you a ninja, Hayate-san?"

"Me, a ninja? No, no. Thank goodness for that." Hayate chuckled amusedly. "Rather, I'm something more like a… a swordmaster, if you like. Something more akin to samurai than a ninja, but my skill level is nowhere near that of either group."

He shrugged nonchalantly as he continued. "But as you can see, my main profession is trading, and I travel with the caravan to ensure safe delivery. So my mediocre skill is enough."

"Oh." Although lost for words, Sakura was gladdened to hear this. It was good to know that something did not completely changed. "And what about Genma-san and Yugao-san?"

"Oh, Yugao is a swordmaster such as myself, but the only skill Genma here has is with his abacus." Hayate commented, earning himself a baleful glare from his friend which he chuckled away. "And cooking, of course." The latter comment was laden with sarcasm.

Sakura giggled as Genma thrown a chestnut at Hayate's head with deadly accuracy. Yugao glared at both men and smiled at Sakura apologetically.

"Men," she said deprecatingly. "They are always childish at such an inappropriate time." Then she winked at Sakura. "Wouldn't you say, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura was a little taken aback at the friendliness of the older woman. The Yugao she remembered was a stoic and serioius ANBU who hardly ever showed any emotion, except when she confronted her lover, Hayate. But Sakura quickly recovered and smiled shyly back at the dark-haired lady.

Then her father asked if he was included in the statement, to which Sakura immediately replied in the affirmative. The three guests burst out laughing while Kizashi pretended to be hurt, but no one was fooled. The conversation then returned to lighthearted matters until Mebuki came to inform them that dinner was ready. The rest of the evening proceeded smoothly, and after they were done, the guests took their leave and went back to the hotel with Kizashi walking them.

Sakura retired to her bedroom after that. Once alone, the smile that plastered on her face fell apart and her expression became pensive. Seeing the familiar faces in such a different light did not get easier. In fact, the memories made it even more painful, as she unconsciously compared them with what they used to be. She should harden her heart against this, knowing that there was nothing she could do to change the current situation.

If only she could control her feelings like her chakra…

Nevertheless, she still wanted to talk to them despite the painful remembrance. She wanted to know what was going on in their lives and hopefully find more information about the Capital as her father suggested.

For it was her next goal, or rather, destination. With her intention to restore Konoha, she knew she needed to move on from this little town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire.

But she delayed telling them of her decision, and therefore delayed leaving her home as well. She was reluctant to leave her parents, knowing how much pain her departure would inflict upon them. She kept delaying so much that she feared her conviction was already slipping out of her mind altogether.

After all, it would be so much easier to just forget, to just stay where she was and to enjoy what she now had. Her conscience, however, rebelled wildly against this illusion of peace, and her heart was torn in two because of it.

Should she stay, or should she go?

The question went unanswered for the time being.

Morning came, and Sakura got up to her every day routine as usual. Breakfast, checking shop inventory, opening the store, supervising the weaving at the workshop. But her mind was not on the work.

She could not help thinking about Hayate-san and his group. Now that her mind was clear and refreshed from a night's sleep, she wanted to talk to them again. She wanted to learn more about them and the information they had.

She wanted to know if they knew something about Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura cursed herself for not thinking of it last night, when she had ample opportunities to subtly ask them about such a thing. Now, she would need a pretext to go and ask them in an unsuspicious manner, since the information she wanted was quite specific and any topic regarding ninja activities was always treated with suspicion these days. Asking blatantly could plainly invite trouble. At best, if she was lucky, they would think her irrelevant. At worst, however, they might suspect she was involved in ninja activities, which could lead to unpredictable consequences, as she did not know their connections. Thanks to her thoughtlessly asking if he was a ninja, she had to be especially careful in phrasing her question this time.

If she got the opportunity, that was.

"Sakura," her mother came with a package of neatly wrapped silk in hand. "I need you to deliver this to Hayate-san as soon as possible. Your father forgot to give this to them yesterday and I don't know when they'd leave."

She pushed the package to Sakura. "You'd best make haste."

Finally, luck seemed to be on her side. Sakura almost broke into a run if not for the stupid geta she had to wear, not to mention how movement-restrictive wearing a kimono was. She made her way quickly through town, stopping only to wave to those she knew in town.

Approximately ten minutes later, she arrived at the inn and immediately asked one of the maids for the whereabouts of Hayate. The shy young girl pointed toward the secluded garden at the back, bowed and left to fulfil her duties as Sakura hurriedly followed the indicated direction.

She found Hayate in his sword practice, his brows furrowed in concentration as he precisely controlled the angle of the sword as it slashed through air. If he noticed her presence, he did not give any indication of it, so Sakura decided to wait. She walked over to sit down on the nearby bench, and as she watched the renowned sword-dance that Hayate was famous for in Konoha, she was glad that it was another thing that did not disappear.

As Hayate gracefully completed his training and returned his sword to its scabbard, he turned to smile gently at Sakura.

"What can I do for you today, Sakura-san?" He greeted politely.

Sakura got up and handed him the parcel she was given by Mebuki. "My father forgot to give this to you yesterday, Hayate-san. I hope it didn't cause any inconvenience."

"Not at all. Thank you very much." Hayate took the parcel from her and fingered it gently. "Would you mind if I opened it right here?"

Sakura shook her head, and so the parcel was opened to reveal a neatly folded white silk shot with elaborate embroidery of silver crane. Sakura recognized it at once as one of her mother's finest creation on the loom. It took her years to finish this masterpiece, and for her father to part with this, well, it must have cost Hayate a fortune.

"Is this for Yugao-san?" Sakura ventured to ask. The white silk was almost always specifically used as main components for a bridal attire, so she asked hopefully. "Are you getting married?"

"Dear God, no!" Hayate laughed out loud at that. "She would never forgive me for buying something that expensive, not to mention we're already married."

Sakura looked at him expectantly, the question clearly written on her face. Who is this for, then?

"In fact," Hayate answered. "This is for the bride of Uchiha Itachi, the Heir to the Uchiha Clan."

Author's Note

It seems I can never make a long chapter. This is probably because I have short attention span, or because I'm lazy.

Probably both.

But then I always thought long chapter doesn't always make a good chapter. If a chapter contains no progress and drags on forever, I don't think it's a good chapter. Now if a chapter is long AND completely action-packed, that is what I'd call a perfect chapter.

Hopefully, my chapter, while short, makes enough progress to keep the reader interested.

Now we come to the part where an author either entreats, demands, cleverly uses their words in some way to get as much reviews as possible (lol). And since I'm just as mortal as a lot of writers out there, I'm going to do just that. But since I'm no good with clever wordings...

I'm just going humbly begged for reviews.

Sad to be me, isn't it?

PS. Blatant advertising time. My other stories are Lately I wonder and Sakura-chan's Homemade Meals. If you have some time, go check it out, yeah?