Hey!

Sorry for the short chapter this week, I'm just working on the next one right now, which'll be longer. DEFINITELYlonger. So I'm really sorry that this is kind of a filler chapter, but it is going to show important development. And I'd just like to thank all of you for the kind reviews. Once again, if you have any recommendations or criticism, please leave a review! I appreciate anything!

Anyway, Enjoy~

After promptly passing out in the middle of the field again, only to wake up extremely aggravated and confused, Sakura quickly hustled to the cover of a small cave just as the sun began to dip below the Mountains in the south.

If she was going to accomplish anything, she desperately needed to find her team. But then again, that would be kind of awkward to just run through the window of the Hokage Office and just announce that she wasn't really dead, and that the wooden spike that had impaled her didn't really kill her, and that she was stuck in her weak, 10 year old body.

'Yeah, because that would go over well.' She snarked.

In the twilight of the evening light, she looked like any other beggar on the street, dressed in oversized rags and properly pampered in grime. Even in her pink tresses, the grease and dirt made her hair colour actually appear as if it were a light shade of brown, although if one looked close enough they would be able to see the real shade in her roots.

Disgusted at her state of self, she backed her small form into the very back wall of the cave, as far away from the light as she could.

'How does someone even get into this mess?'

There were so many questions running through her mind, like what did this mean? Who did this to her? Where was she? Where was her team? Why wasn't she dead yet? A better person might ask why she was a child again, but with the large reserves she had when she was in her older body.

Sighing, the cold chill from the outside danced around her, goosebumps erupting on her arms and legs as she brang her knees up to her chest. (Or lack thereof)

When she woke up a while ago, she was still dressed in the same, if a little battered, uniform as she usually was, only difference was the immense swap she was now in with her flak jacket and black pants hanging off her form. But how does that even happen anyway?

Why would someone just turn her into a little kid? Or, better yet, how would someone turn her into a little kid?

'Okay, well, first thing in the morning I have to find some better clothing, because if I even attempt to run in these… well, wouldn't it be delightful for some unknown stranger to get a pantty view from a ten-year old.'

Taking an experimental sniff, she instantly scrunched her nose up, smelling the copper of blood and the days old sweat deeply ingrained into the fabric.

'Perhaps a bath would also be preferable if I can find a town or a stream nearby.'

It was a pity that she couldn't waste a little bit of chakra to heat herself up, because by the looks of things, with the sky getting darker each minute and the temperature dropping lower with it, she would freeze if she didn't get warm soon.

But Tsunade had taught her many things, and kami damned if she wasn't resourceful.

The deer had to come past sometime, because she could hear the heavy thunder on the fields.

XXX

The crack of a small fire in the dull of the night spat small embers into the air, exploding as she threw more kindling onto it. Freshly caught deer, fully skinned and sliced into proper portions were put into rations for later while she had some cooked on a spit atop the flames.

It took a little time, but after catching the deer, she made the pelt into a resting mat, spreading it out on the rocky surface. Who said comfort was only for the wealthy?

'Then again, deerskin isn't exactly as soft as wolf skin, but at least it stops the chill in my back.' Sleeping on a mass of rock was worse than sleeping on the much more prefered furs.

She had even found a hot spring in the very depths of the cave, in which she had spent at least a good couple of hours leisurely bathing herself. Unfortunately, she had to hop back into her old clothing, but she made it work with a couple of woven flax belts and vines that she had made and found in the outer lands near her little shelter.

Curling up on top of her make-shift bed, she snuggled her head into the crook of her arms, the burning warmth from the proximity of the fire from her face causing blood to rush, the need for a cover gone. Shadows danced, her eyes darkening to a pale grey, as she thought.

'First things first, I need to figure out how to get back to my original age, and also how I got mixed into this mess. '

She could easily use a henge to cover herself, but anyone above even high genin level would see through such an obvious illusion. It was taught in the academy after all.

Maybe if she covered herself with a multi-layered henge? She had the proper amount of control that was needed for it, but for a long period of time, especially the time it would take to get past the gate guards and to re-administer herself into the village without all her papers, it just wouldn't work. She had large reserves and control, but because it took so much mental focus to properly maintain a constantly moving illusion, especially with as much foliage as there was, she would probably only last through not even a full four hours.

Sighing, Sakura picked absently at the ground, raking her tiny nails across the hard surface of slate.

She wished she had asked Jiraiya about his camouflage jutsu, but every time she thought of doing so she was too busy pounding his face into the ground outside of the women's onsen. Sheepishly, she let the small thought trail past that maybe he didn't deserve to have his nose constantly broken.

Or his cheekbones constantly fractured.

Or to have a concussion every time she saw him.

Those thoughts were soon dismissed with haste in the eye of the fact that he was spying on them for his own convenience. Probably using some sort of picture-jutsu too while he was at it.

The Pervert.

The puffs of smoke wafting gently from the orange heat were curling up and exiting through the top of the cave, squeezing through a hole she couldn't see, but it was making her increasingly drowsy.

Sometimes, she mused, she just wanted someone to tell her what to do, to give her orders, to give her a path to follow. She wished there was someone with her, someone, anyone right now, because she really needed a hug and some advice.

Maybe when she got to the village, Naruto would let her through? Maybe he would just think that she was her own daughter, born in secrecy in a one night stand. But then again, she hadn't ever been forced to go on any seduction missions, and she didn't have anything on her record. There was also the blaring flash light of 'Virgin' hanging over her head in neon, obnoxious writing.

Sure, she'd had her flings with a few guys, but she was never brave enough to go there. Of course, things would lead in that direction, but she would always back off before anything was started.

Not that anyone else but those select few knew that.

But nearly everyone knew that she hadn't done the stuff, because of that one time the rookie nine got drunk at one of Shika's extremely rare parties. Chuckling softly, she remembered only snippets, but she did know that she got completely wasted via Ino. And surprise, surprise, when she woke up in the morning smelling foul and passed out on the mat in the living room beside Kiba, she found out, (once again, via Ino) exactly what she had verbally unloaded onto her friends.

But she didn't feel too embarrassed about it, knowing that Kiba had told everyone he tried to shove a soap bottle up his ass when he was a curious pre-teen.

Funnily enough, it was Neji who had told her was she had said in response to Kiba's drunken announcement- "At least we all know that you take care of personal hygiene in all areas. I'm sure whoever the lucky guy is will be pleased to slide into a squeaky clean asshole like yours.'

He even re enacted the silly blush that must've stained her own face at that time, though more restrained and stiff.

It was just lucky that their sensei's had decided to have a party of their own that night, otherwise, Sakura was sure that they would have out-drunk all of them and remembered every little thing that was said, because they could only recall bits and pieces.

She gave a tired giggle from the memories before the war, a fond smile lighting up her cheeks at the thoughts of her comrades.

It was a faded one still, because in the end, only a quarter of them pulled through.

A small fifth of that, still totally intact.

But a real, true smile brightened her features when she remembered that she would get to see Kakashi again, she would get to see her loved ones, even if she probably didn't deserve a second chance, maybe Kami has given her a great mercy. A miracle that she would be forever thankful for.

It was with these thoughts that her heart swelled with excitement and happiness, that she finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep, never seeing the black figure in the far corners of the darkness, glowing red eyes staining the air around it.