JO here...
I remember being so surprised at all the review I got after the prologue. You, my fellow, readers are amazing and never let anyone tell you otherwise!
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Chapter One
13 Years Later
Sakura Haruno stood in front of the Gondaime Hokage's desk with a mixture of anxiety and hunger. Hunger because yet again, she had been interrupted from her meal for the eighth time this week in order to attend to some task or other. No matter where she was, be it hospital, home or training; Sakura was always interrupted. It wouldn't have been so bad if Sakura could actually finish a full meal. Still when duty called, one obeyed.
Beside her Naruto stood impatiently, having also been interrupted from his ramen lunch to answer Tsunade's summons. Apparently they had mission. The briefing for their mission would have already started had it not been for their final missing member. Tsunade insisted they wait before she filled them in on the details.
It was then that their final member walked in through the doors; Sai. On cue Naruto started to berate him for making them all wait. Sakura would have done the same were she not so hungry. All she had for breakfast today was some miso soup and rice before heading towards the hospital where she worked her day shift.
Now that everyone was present, Tsunade began the debriefing.
"I have an A-ranked mission for all three of you and trust you all can finish this within the week. You'll all be in charge of protecting and escorting Himiko Chigasu to the Land of Sand. The Chigasu clan has graciously allowed us to borrow Himiko-san for a number of reasons and now its time we escorted her back home. But there have been threats towards the Chigasu clan and they're worried that something might happen towards young Himiko-san. That's where you three come in."
"Interesting," murmured Sakura. "I've heard of the Chigasu clan and their supposed super top secret clan technique privy to a select few in a few of the countries. You wouldn't mind telling what that is would you?"
Tsunade smiled. "Unfortunately that information is classified. Maybe when you pass the ANBU Elite Trials, you might know a few things."
Sakura smiled wryly. "I will. Don't you worry about that."
"Sakura-chan will pass that with no problems," agreed Naruto, grinning at his teammate. "Won't Sasuke-teme be surprised when your ranked higher than him?"
"That's if she passes," reminded Sai. "Which I doubt seeing as you're still slow. Didn't Kakashi say you needed to work on that?"
It was times like these where Sakura wished she could punch Sai in the face. He usually doesn't mean what he says, but what he says can sure irritate the hell of Sakura. If it was for the bet Ino had wagered, Sai's face would be hurting. And the prick knew it too, judging by the small smile he gave.
"Ha. Funny," Sakura said dryly. "So where's Himiko?"
"Over there," Tsunade pointed to the left side of the room where a small dark female figure sat with her head cast down. It kind of shocked Sakura that she hadn't noticed the small girl before. The girl looked up, her face mostly covered by her thick black hair and her black eyes too big for her face. She reminded Sakura of a deer caught in a headlight.
"Wait, she was here this whole time?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. "Wow! Um, sorry there Hichiko—"
Sakura elbowed him. It usually signified he had said something wrong and thankfully the boy remembered her name.
"—Himiko-chan. Didn't notice you there."
Even Sai looked a bit surprised. Of course it didn't help that the poor girl wore all black either, or that she seemed naturally shy and quiet. The girl Himiko flushed and stared at her feet.
"I believe that sums up the introduction," concluded Tsunade, laughing inside. "I'll see you all in a couple of days. Himiko-san it had been a pleasure for your services."
Himiko nodded. With that, everyone was ushered out. It was soon agreed upon that they would all meet up at the village gate by three. Sakura took it upon herself to personally take of the girl seeing as she flinches from Naruto's shadow and almost ran away from merely one glance from Sai. Sakura wondered what service this girl performed that's so important and top secret when Himiko could barely stand the people walking next to her on the street.
She sort of made Sakura remember to the time when she was five and how horribly she'd been bullied because of her forehead. Of course now, thankfully, Sakura had manage to grow into it and even though it was slightly larger than normal, it wasn't as noticeable. Or at least Sakura hoped not.
"So Himiko-chan," started Sakura, hoping to make the feel girl comfortable. "Did you enjoy your time in Konoha?"
"I guess," she murmured softly.
"Uh, well, what did you see anything interesting?"
"Yeah. But none of it is pleasant. So much will change if people aren't careful of what's out of there. Even you Sakura-chan."
What startled Sakura wasn't the fact that Himiko knew her name or that she actually spoke more than five words, but the wise words spoken like an aged woman. Sakura turned to look at Himiko who was fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Sakura shook her head, probably imagining things since she hadn't eaten all day.
"Are you hungry Himiko?"
"A little."
"How about I pack some lunch for us? We'll probably set up camp at the border of Fire country before continuing on in the morning."
Himiko nodded, her big black eyes docile. For the rest of the next hour, Sakura packed her bags and lunches while Himiko sat on the couch, looking around with wide eyes.
"I really like your apartment, Sakura-chan," she said after she observed a picture frame of Team Seven in its heyday.
Sakura smiled softly. "Thanks. My friend Ino helped me redecorate the place after I moved in here. What about you?"
"I live with the rest of the clan." She stated casually. She turned her gaze to Sakura's and smiled. "But I was hoping that once I mastered my kekkei genkai and turned eighteen I could move out."
Sakura smiled, liking the girl's hidden spirit. "Well that's good. Remember not to let anyone get you down."
Himiko nodded. "You should remember that too. Just because things seem impossible doesn't mean its so."
That aged woman picture came to Sakura's mind at Himiko's peculiar words again. Once Sakura finished the packing she noticed that they had twenty minutes to spare. Deciding that a light snack was seriously in order Sakura went to her tiny kitchen to raid her fridge, but frowned when she saw it empty. What is wrong with the world? Sakura moved to the cupboards and was relieved to find a couple of granola bars stashed away. This would do. Handing one to Himiko, Sakura returned to her room to change.
As she did so, Himiko wandered in. "I have a question."
"Shoot," said Sakura as she changed outfit.
"Um…do you have a boyfriend?"
"No, not really. Had one before but it didn't work out." Sakura didn't mention that her last ex-boyfriend was Sasuke. After he had returned to the village and got pardoned, even after all he did, he had had the balls to ask her out. Just like that. As if he hadn't almost killed her once. And the even crazier part was that Sakura had accepted. But luckily by that point, she had known that Sasuke had changed. And she had changed as well. Sakura wasn't a weak crybaby ninja anymore who needed protection and more training. At some point she had shifted into a different person.
Now Sakura was a force to be reckoned with. She was the top medic nin in the village, second only to Tsunade. Her taijutsu was feared all throughout the country and her genjutsu affinity had been honed to near perfection. Not to mention the new ninjutsus she's managed to create and recreate.
Even her appearance was slightly different. Sakura had decided to grow out her hair again a few months ago and so far she wasn't feeling so sure that it was a good idea. It might look nice it might not. She's been so use to her short cropped hair that anything else was foreign to her. Still, as Ino would put it, her bust was, thankfully, growing bigger despite its constant restraint. Her hips were right for her size and all that was missing in her life was that "special someone". So far none of the guys around were fitting the bill, but Sakura was patient and preoccupied with a lot on her plate at the moment. That special someone would just have to wait.
"Why do ask?"
"Because you're going to meet someone soon."
Sakura blinked. Huh? Himiko flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I say a lot of weird things that don't make any sense sometimes. Just ignore it. Everyone does."
Sakura nodded, smiling a little. She finished dressing and fastening her boots in record. "Time to go."
When Sakura and Himiko arrived at the gate, Naruto and Sai were equipped and ready to go. They signed out at the desk with Izumo watching and before they knew it, they were gone. As they lunged from branch to branch with a nervous, blushing Himiko on Naruto's back, Sakura realized that it's been quite a while since she's gone on any mission of any importance. Most of her time's been spent at the hospital or in Tsunade's office; if not there, then at the library researching or visiting her parents on the weekends. The latter of the two became a mandate from the fearsome Harui Haruno.
The main sole reason for the visit, other than catching up on nostalgia, is for the answer to one persistent question that Sakura's becoming increasingly annoyed at: when are the grandchildren coming? The fact that Sakura was only nineteen (her twentieth birthday in just a couple of weeks) doesn't seem to register in Harui's mind. Usually, Sakura goes to her parent's house alone. One time, she brought over Naruto to dinner: big mistake.
Hauri had hypnotized that boy so quick that by the time dinner was over, he was on his knees proposing marriage. Afterwards, Sakura had managed to slap him out of it, literally. Still, Harui's scary powers of persuasion had some lingering effects. Naruto would occasionally look at her for a little too long or have some sort of depth in those too-blue eyes of his (which she thought pretty hot at irregular intervals of the day, not that she'd admit it…ever).
Time seemed to go on. The sun was low in the sky and Team Seven sans Kakashi sensei (he was on a solo mission of another kind) were close to the Fire country border. They stopped at a small clearing to rest a bit before continuing on.
"Does this mean we get to eat?" Himiko asked after regaining her balance. Behind her Naruto stretched his back. Sakura smiled.
"Of course. I'm starving just like you are and wouldn't you know it, the lunches will finally get eaten."
Naruto and Sai ambled over. "Sakura chan, did you get something for me?"
"How does a granola bar sound?"
"What?"
"You already ate something odd bowls of ramen before we left, remember?" Scolded Sakura.
"It was only four. And we've been traveling for hours."
She sighed, looking at Naruto's puppy eyes before finally giving in. "Fine. Himiko, how does sharing sound?"
Himiko shrugged. "I don't really mind. I'm not a big eater anyways."
Naruto grinned. "Then its settled."
Note to self: bring instant Ramen for Naruto, thought Sakura as everyone settled down. The lunches were divided and all was right with the world. Finally.
The minute Sakura had her chopsticks to her mouth though, a kunai was hurled through the air and dislodged the food from her eating utensil. Himiko shrieked and Naruto and Sai were on their feet in an instant. Himiko was quickly herded behind Sakura, but despite that all Sakura could think was: what just happened?
Turns out they had been ambushed by a group of mystery ninjas. Their head ties were hidden and nothing but their faces were revealed.
"Sai, do you have any idea what ninjas these are?" whispered Sakura.
Sai shook his head. "I don't recognize their gear, but either way, something tells me they're bad news."
They attacked. Naruto and Sai managed to hold them at bay while Sakura guarded the trembling Himiko. When a ninja did manage to make it pass the first line of defense, Sakura had the offender flat on his back unconscious before he could even blink. The fight was still brewing and Sakura was alert at all time. She felt Himiko tug at her red vest hesitantly.
"What is it Himiko?"
"I think there's a head ninja hidden near here. You know, the head honcho that sits back? I keep getting this…feeling that he's gonna come and ruin things."
Sakura turned her head slightly and gave the young girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. If he is out there I promise you'll be safe and sound."
Himiko frowned. "But it wasn't me I was worried about."
"What—"
"Sakura-chan watch out!" Shouted Naruto as one of the enemies managed to get past him. The ninja threw a smoke bomb in front of the girls before either of them could blink. Sakura vaguely heard Himiko cough before she felt her chakra signature start to recede. A second later she heard Himiko shout.
Damn! Just because she hadn't had any training recently was no excuse to slip up like that. What a genin mistake. "Naruto! Sai! They've taken Himiko! I'm going after her!"
Sakura left before she could get a response. Himiko was nearby so the enemy couldn't be too far away. Note to self: when I return home, train! Luckily, the enemy didn't sense Sakura's disguised chakra signature. She stayed hidden when she saw the enemy ninja hand Himiko over to some unknown stranger with a wicked looking blade. So the girl's "feeling" had been right, after all.
"Good job. Make sure to kill the others. Especially the pink haired one."
What? Was he talking about me? Why do I warrant extra killing privileges? Sakura narrowed her eyes, contemplating how she'd rescue the struggling Himiko. Down below, the stranger chuckled as he hauled the girl over his shoulder.
"Pipe down small fry. You'll be dead too in a couple of hours. Just need to deliver you and presto. No need to get impatient."
"Let go!" Himiko shouted. "Or…or I'll make you sorry!"
The laugh was much louder now. "Or what? You'll fortune tell me to death? Get real. Everyone knows the Chigasu clan is made up of a bunch of weak wanna-be soothsayers. You're nothing. And you can't do squat."
"Maybe she can't," said Sakura as she landed a few feet from Himiko and the stranger. "But she's got me and I can do a lot more then squat."
The stranger turned around, took one quick look at Sakura, and swore angrily. He dropped Himiko and took out his blade. "Useless bastards. No matter, I'll kill you before the sun begins to sets."
Sakura's temper flared but remained in check. "We'll see."
As he lunged forward with his blade, Sakura easily dodged before she took out a kunai and blocked his next quick advance. There were several opportunities for a quick and easy defeat, but just as Sakura would hit it, the bastard dodged. In one particular move, Sakura backed away before she rapidly did a few hand signs and called out: "Sakura Senbon no Jutsu!"
A flurry of cherry blossom petals whirled around in the air before they stiffened like sharp little knives and threw themselves at the enemy. The stranger, for his part, hadn't anticipated this and wasn't able to dodge all of them. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the man kept standing.
"I'm ending this now!" He shouted. Right before her eyes, his sword transformed into crossbow with deadly knives in place. That cheating bastard, Sakura thought. With her gloves in place, Sakura was left no choice but to use her strength to dislodge the enemy's balance for just a second; it was all she needed to take him down.
On the sidelines, Himiko looked terrified. "Don't do it Sakura-chan! I can't see you in the future!"
` "You're damn right you won't," muttered the stranger. He let the knives fly loose at the same time Sakura ran towards him. She should have dodged them easy…except Himiko screamed and a white light flashed into the clearing before disappearing. Her surprise made her move her body slightly out of calculation, getting herself nicked in the arm and cheek. But that didn't stop her.
Sakura jumped up and landed a super kick square into the enemy's chest. She heard a crack, a string of oaths, and a thud of his weapon falling before she did a back flip in the air and landing on her feet. Sakura didn't waste any time and quickly punched the remaining consciousness of the enemy into a black abyss.
It was over.
Sakura caught her breath before she stood up straight to face Himiko. Only…Himiko was gone. "Himiko?" She looked around and tried sensing the girl's chakra signature, but no dice. "Himiko?"
Puzzled, Sakura tied the enemy ninja to the tree trunk, fully intending for him to be interrogated by the Konoha when she returned to the village. With that out, Sakura set out to find her missing charge. Unfortunately, around forty five minutes later, she couldn't find anyone. Not even Naruto, Sai, or the beaten up enemy ninjas. What gives?
"If this is a joke, it isn't funny anymore!" She shouted to no one in particular as she ran back to where she had defeated her opponent. Feeling less then friendly, Sakura managed to make it back swiftly, but when she looked up all she saw was a blond head. Her natural instincts kicked in.
"Naruto you baka! Where the hell is Himiko? And where's Sai? What kind of joke are you playing at? Do you want me to hit you into the next century?" She raged, curling her hands into fists as she stalked toward her target. The blond figure turned around from examining Sakura's handiwork to face her. Sakura stopped short, suddenly realizing her mistake.
She flushed furiously as she pointed and said, "You're not Naruto."
Naruto Uzumaki lunged from branch to branch, happy to have finished off the last of the enemy so he could go to Sakura. No doubt she would have finished off the kidnapper and rescued Hichiko, or was it Hiriko? Sai was only a few feet behind and judging from the chakra signature he presumed was Hijiko, he raced forward.
As he burst through the leaves to land in the clearing, Naruto noticed the sobbing girl standing all by herself in the area. Where was Sakura-chan? He thought to himself. He walked over to…was it Hishiko? Naruto couldn't remember but was certain he'd get it later.
"Hey, uh, um, whatcha doin' crying? Did something happen to you?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried that the enemy bastard Sakura went chasing had somehow hurt the girl. "Did that bastard do something to you?"
Her sobs became quieter, but tears still continued to spill from her eyes. Naruto couldn't help but notice that the girl was actually cute, if only he could remember her name. Higiko shook her head. "S-Sakura-chan is g-gone," she announced.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" He exclaimed in surprise. "Did the enemy do something to her?"
She shook her head, silent except for the tears. "The guy's gone too. They're both gone. They were fighting and I thought Sakura-chan would die because I couldn't see her future anymore and-and-and I messed up. Again!"
Behind Naruto Sai appeared, having overhead Himiko's explanation of his teammates disappearance. "Himiko-san, what do you mean you messed?"
Himiko wiped the tears from her eyes, but the grief stricken look still stuck. "Don't you get it? I sent Sakura-chan back in time and I don't know where!"
