Note to Reader- Lime or lemon depending on how you look at it! This chapter has some graphic detail in terms of the description of peoples death. There is also mention of rape in this chapter, so you have been told!

Chapter 3-To Pay the Price

'To win a battle much has to be sacrificed, but to win a war, what is the price willing to be paid?' was the only phrase Sakura was thinking as she looked out from the top of the Hokage mountain towards the village that she once called home. Turning around to look at the charred remains of Kabuto/Orochimaru, with the flames still dancing, it brought a smirk to her face. It was fitting that those same flames were from the same family that he sought the body of. Turning away from the remains, she looked out towards the village that once was prized for its beauty and skill. But the only thing that met her sight was destruction and a village totally deserted of life. The once treasured memories of the village were replaced with what stood in front of her, but she guessed they had been lost long ago.

"How do you restore a village, when we shouldn't be standing? We shouldn't be the only ones standing here. Everyone, the war is won, but we have lost far too much to really call it a victory. At least one thing is still positive—everyone's souls have finally found rest in the after life," commented Sakura as she placed her hand that had been placed over her heart on Akamaru's head, petting his bloodstained fur.

Akamaru comforted Sakura with the only way that he knew how: he comforted her with his presence and stayed by her side. Since Kiba's death, the two were always together, and she had become his new owner and he, in turn, her bodyguard and companion. They were a team that couldn't be beat and they proved it every time they faced an enemy.

Akamaru looked out at his home and all he saw was the bloodshed, misery, and destruction that had been caused to it. At least he was able to help in the killing of the man that had killed his previous owner, and he knew Kiba would be smiling at what he had done to Kabuto's body while be was still alive. Those memories caused the ninja dog to smile, recalling the screams that could be heard for miles, but no one to help him. Looking back up towards his mistress's face, he saw that she was looking down at him with a small smirk on her face.

"Could you happen to be thinking of what you did to Kabuto/Orochimaru during the battle, my friend? I can't help but think that you were. Well, at least you were able to get your revenge for Kiba's death," said Sakura, as she turned around to start walking back towards the stairs and find the remains of her family. Turning around to face her companion, she motioned for him to follow her. "What do you say we get this done and over with, so that we can grieve for the last of our friends, boy?"

Akamaru barked while nodding his head to the answer as he lowered his head to follow Sakura down the stairs. He knew they could have jumped down to get to them faster, but he knew that the girl would need time to prepare herself for seeing more of her friends' dead bodies. He wasn't in too much of a hurry to see them either so he couldn't complain.

Once they were at the bottom of the steps, the two went off into different directions to bury the dead. The first for Akamaru to come across was his previous owner's teammate, Shino Aburame. Around Shino's body were the bugs that he housed in his body and commanded. The bugs had been changed; they no longer were his friends, but his executioners. What had once been the pride of that clan had in the end killed him. Somehow the bugs were turned against him, and killed him from the inside out. All that was left of Shino was his bloodstained clothes and his shades. The bugs had even eaten even the bone of the host, so there was nothing to lay to rest. Akamaru left before the bugs turned on him too.

Sakura was the next to come face to face with one of her family members. The pair was never far from each other and even in death they somehow stayed together. Konohamaru and Moegi had both been thrown into a war before they were out of the academy, but they fought battles like seasoned ninjas. They were always working as a team to get their battles done and you could always count on them returning to you, but it seemed they must have bit off more then they could chew. Looking at the two from afar she could see that the pair had numerous cuts and bruises. Walking over to the two young lovers she placed her hands over their opened eyes and closed them so they could be at peace. Bringing her hands from their faces she lowered them to the steel spear that was sticking through their hearts. The spear was launched with such force that it torn the hearts from the chests of the teens to have it embedded in the memorial stone. With great care, she removed the bodies from the spear and laid them next to each other, and turned to face the stone. Grasping the bloody handle, she pulled the spear, but it wouldn't budge. Charging a little chakra into her arms, she pulled on the spear one more time to finally have it come free, and placed it in-between the two.

Turning around Sakura looked to see that the spear had been stuck in the name of the Third Hokage; how ironic that it was this name that was pierced. Turning around to face the two young lovers, she performed the hands signs. She called out, "Earth Style: Split." Instead of the earth creating a big split like her ex-teacher, she had it perform a small enough split for the two. Pushing more chakra into the ground she had the dirt gently surround the pair as it encased them. Once she was done she offered them a fast blessing.

She turned around to see the two people that had managed to kill the young pair, or at least what was left of them. TenTen and Kankurou had been a killer team when they were alive but it looked like even in death, they still were. For the two to face such a strong pair in battle proved that they were just as strong as them. All that remained of the two enemy ninja were scattered body parts all around the place. Releasing chakra to the tips of her fingers, like Kankurou taught her using a puppet, allowed her to pull the body parts together to bury. Once done she repeated what she had done for Konohamaru and Moegi. When she was done she took off towards the outer parts of the village wall.

The scene that greeted Akamaru next brought tears to his eyes and he had to turn his head away to compose himself. Turning back around to face the bodies he saw the body of his mistress's family, Chouji Akimichi. He had been strangled to death by his best friend using the Nara family's Shadow Strangle jutsu. Turning his head to look at the body of Shikamaru Nara he came to a conclusion. He had been constricted to death by Chouji's Partial Expansion jutsu and he could tell the almost all the bones in his body had been broken. Not a way that he would want to die--having to face your best friend in battle to the death.

Walking over to the body of Chouji, he grabbed the back of his neck and dragged his body over along side the village wall. Once he dragged him far enough he let go and turned around facing the wall to start digging the graves. As soon as it was deep enough, he jumped out to dig the second hole. Once his task was completed, he jumped out, landing next to Chouji's body. He would bury them next to the other, because they would want it that way; even if they had killed each other.

Starting with the closest body, he gently grabbed his uniform collar at the back of his neck, and lowered him into the soft ground. Taking one last look at his fellow ninja, Akamaru knew that he had fought a hard battle against the Leaf's strongest strategic and won; for he had a smile on his bloody face. Turning back around, he walked back over to the last ninja to be lost to them in the heat of battle.

Repeating the same procedures with Shikamaru's body, he also took one last good look at the lazy ninja. Almost every bone in the torso part of the body had been smashed, but he still managed to have a small smile on his face, accepting death. When he was done looking over the bodies, he started to cover them with the piles of dirt next to them. Once done, he lowered his head to offer a small prayer and hoped they would find the other in the heavens. He turned, and took off again to find the rest of his comrades and small family.

Sakura raced towards back from the outer walls to the center of the village to try and find the other bodies of her family. She had been looking for an hour since the last burial. Rounding one of the many corners she started to approach the Hokage Tower, when she skidded to a stop and approach the still form at a snails pace. Once she got where she could see the figure better, Sakura covered her mouth and shut her eyes to try to stop the tears from falling.

'Oh God!' Feeling her stomach tighten, she turned around, removed her hand, tasting the remains of her breakfast that wasn't digested yet. When no more would come out and all she was doing was dry heaving, she tried to calm her uneasy stomach. This was by far the worst she had come across that had been done to a friend. Wiping her mouth and calming her breath she turned around to confront the scene that awaited her. Those monsters had really done their worst and made sure that she had suffered before her death. Sakura just hoped that those bastards were dead wherever they were.

Once Sakura got closer to the body, she could see all the evidence that lead up to Temari's death. Temari must have put up one hell of a fight to receive this torture. Both of her hands had been stabbed through the palms with a kunai, making her hands stay stuck to the ground. Her arms were raised above her breasts to make them look like a "T". Her clothes had been ripped off of her body so the men could get easier access to her body. Her feet had also been forced apart and were broken so they would stay that way and not hinder them.

Kneeling down in front of her opened legs, Sakura knew with just one look what she had gone through. Reaching her hand to the cervix of the body she grasped a hold of the senbon needles and kunai that had been used to assault her. She also could see the residue of the men's pleasure coating her upper thighs. Once all the objects had been removed from her body, Sakura gently closed her bloody legs. Bringing her eyes higher she could see that her breasts had been bitten and her hands at the wrist had been cut off. There wasn't a bare spot of skin that wasn't covered in semen, blood, or bite marks. Maybe they did this to somehow help ease her hurting soul and give them more sick pleasure seeing her in pain. Above the breasts she came face to face with Temari's weapon lodged just above her top of her shoulders. She had been decapitated with her weapon of choice and Sakura could guess that her head just lay on the other side of the fan. Standing up to confirm her guess, she walked on the other side of the fan to come face to face with Temari's pain-stricken face. Temari's face wasn't covered in blood or cuts, but her eyes had been covered with some cloth and her hair had come out of its trademark style.

Sakura reached her hand out and removed the fan from between her neck and shoulders; she laid it on the ground so that she could bury it with her body. Kneeling next to the body Sakura placed one hand on Temari's face and the other on her throat. Calling forth the chakra, she started to bring the muscles in the neck back together so she could carry her easier. Once she was done she placed her hands under the cooling body to carry her to one of the outer walls to bury her. When she finally reached her destination, she gently laid her on the ground and preformed the same jutsu she had done for Konohamaru and Moegi. Offering a prayer for her soul to finally be at peace and with her family, Sakura turned back around and started her search again.

She just hopped that she could find Neji and he would still be alive. She didn't know if she could lose another precious person that owned her heart. She wondered how many of their family Akamaru had found in his search throughout the village. After much inner discussion with herself, Sakura decided to use her eyes to find Akamaru and see where he was headed. Bring chakra to her eyes, she focused on finding her familiar and Neji, finally finding him on the other side, almost next to the wall, he was headed towards the village gate. Bringing her eyes back to normal, she focused on the path ahead of her, and headed to the last place she had seen Neji alive. Praying to the heaven, she hoped that she wouldn't have to bury another comrade, for he was also her lover. As Sakura ran towards the gates she remembered when it first had happened.

*~*Flashback*~*

It was just after Naruto's death and the rest of the ninja had been forced out of the village. The last ninjas took shelter in a cave that they came across which they knew was safe and were they could regroup and plan their next move. About a couple of miles from the village walls it had started to rain and as they approached the Fire country border it picked up intensity. Once everyone was situated, Sakura did a tally of the ninja present. Team 10, Team Ebisu, Rock Lee, Neji, Akamaru, Shino, Genma, Anko, Izumo, a couple chuunin, a few jounin, very few anbu (and then there was her)--these were the only survivors. Once she was done, she faced the ninja present and she could instantly tell that they noticed their Hokage missing.

"Sakura, where is the Hokage? Is he going to be joining us later?" said Anko as she took off her jacket to dry off a little. With the question finally voiced that was on everyone's mind, they all turned to face her, awaiting an answer.

Sakura had to turn her face away from the crowd before she broke down and started to cry. Once she felt able to confront the people waiting for the answer, she turned to face them. Taking some deep breaths, she started to compile her thoughts when she felt two different hands on her shoulders offering her silent support. She didn't need to turn around to know who; Neji, who had been there and Shino, whose bugs must have picked up the scent of Naruto's blood and death. "I'm just going to be blunt about this because I see no other way of saying it without withholding the truth." Breathing in once, she prepared herself to also come to terms with her next statement: "Naruto died in his battle against the Sound leader, Kabuto/Orochimaru, and he has passed his title of Hokage onto me with Neji as the witness." Sakura spoke softly in a room that was so silent you could hear a senbon drop, but once the words were registered the room broke out into commotion.

The first in the group to face Sakura again after digesting the facts were the jounin, anbu and Shikamaru. They kneeled on the ground, bowed their heads and spoke their vows to protect her since she was their new leader; they trusted Naruto's judgment. They knew she wouldn't lie about such a sensitive matter, and she also had Neji and Shino backing her up. Neji wouldn't ever lie about this matter and Shino's bugs would pick-up the scent of death on her clothing. It wasn't long after the oaths were taken that the rest of the ninja followed suit and swore their oaths to her as well as her two silent supporters.

All the ninja present knew that it was bound to happen, but they just wished it was later... after the war was won, and not during it. It was not until everyone stood up and she answered their questions about how he died, did they leave her alone to mourn the loss of loved ones, the village, and Hokage. Turning around, Sakura left the gathering to seek solitude further in the back of the cave.

Once Sakura felt she was far enough away from everyone and they wouldn't hear her did she finally start to breakdown. Taking off her bloodstained gloves, and throwing them into the floor, Sakura collapsed from the pain. Tears cascaded down her face and her body shook with uncontrolled sobs; the pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She had finally lost the last member of team 7, and she didn't want to be the one left standing in the end. It was suppose to be all of them, not the weak female of the group. Everyone always said the she was the glue that held the team together, but it wasn't her, it was Naruto.

He was the one to make everyone in that team a family, a place were no matter where they were, they would always call each other family. Kakashi was the grandfather always making sure the newer generation knew what to expect in life and war, and made sure all learned from their mistakes. Naruto and Sasuke were the ever-squabbling brothers that always tried to out do the other in every way possible. If it wasn't eating the most food it was in their favorite pastime, seeing who could kick the other's ass first. If that didn't happen, it was to see who would stay awake the longest before passing out from exhaustion.

And then there was her, the annoying female of the group. She was like the mother hen of the family, always who they came to take care of them if they were sick, hurt, or had problems. They knew she could never turn them down, but she never let the bickering get too bad before she put them in their places... courtesy of her fists. The tears no longer seemed to be helping her so she did the next best thing that came to mind.

With her gloves no longer protecting her hands she turned the frustration to in front of her. No even bothering to put chakra into the punch, she did it the old fashioned way. Sakura knew there were other ways to deal with the pain, but she refused to acknowledge them as she continued to punch the ground in front of her. The pain in her hands continued to get worse as she started punching the ground harder and harder. Her once pale, healthy hands were becoming raw, sore, and bloody, but most of all, the pain was slowly leaving her shattered heart. She continuously hit the ground and would have until she passed out, had a hand not grabbed her from the shadows pulling her onto her back. With not feeling the presence behind her, Sakura had no choice but to fall onto her back to face the intruder. No, he wasn't who she would have thought, but then again he was there too.

Neji stared down at the still form of Sakura as she looked up at her with silent tears still running down her cheeks. Sakura must have gotten tired of the staring contest and went to get up, until her hands touched the ground to push her body up. Instead of using her hands to sit herself up she just used the muscles in the rest of her body. Not liking the angle he had again, he decided to walk in front of her and help her face her problems. It was time that she started to face the problem instead of beating herself up about it.

Sakura didn't like the look that Neji was giving her so when she went to sit up; she was reminded of her stupidity. Once she was sitting up, she took a good look at her hands and shook her head. Her hands were a mangled mess of flesh, nerves, and muscles, and you could just start to see the bone. Ok, so she'd admit to herself that she must have used a little chakra in those hits to see the bone; but she wondered how long she had been hitting the cave floor. Well, she had done some stupid things in her life, but this at the moment was currently in the top 10. Feeling Neji's eyes move from her back to facing her she decided to try and put off the inevitable. Pulling a little chakra into her hands she started to heal them back to what they were before she went stupid.

Neji knew that she was delaying as long as she could until she would talk, but he had all the time to wait. Patience was something he had. When enough time had past Sakura must have decided to face the music because she finally looked up at him.

"What do you want Neji? Can't you leave me alone long enough to grieve for my family?" spat Sakura as she glared up at him. When that didn't seem to get him to leave, she tried something else. "Neji, please leave. I just want to be left alone for a while," Sakura pleaded softly as she felt another fresh wave of tears rolling down her face. She couldn't get the image Naruto's dead body out of her mind. Clenching her hands allowed her fingernails to bite into her skin, making small ribbons of blood to flow.

Seeing Sakura in this state made Neji's heart clench in his chest. Seeing blood flowing from her hands prompted him to finally act. Placing his hands on top of hers caused her to jerk hers up to her chest. Kneeling in front of her and sighing he decided it was time to answer her questions.

"I know you want to be left alone, but that's not what's good for you. Besides, you weren't the only one to lose family tonight." The wistful glaze in Neji's eyes killed Sakura's resolve of loneliness. "Naruto was my family too and was my brother-in-law, but most of all he was the only one left that tied me to my family. I'm now the last of the once well-regarded clan. Yes, I know that you lost your best friends and teammate, but he was also those to me. But realize: you are not the only one here that is grieving for the loss of the Hokage."

Sakura knew that he was right, but it didn't make the pain go away. She knew the others would mourn the lost of the Hokage, but they didn't know him like she did before he achieved his dream. She knew that Neji was hurt just as much as her, because Naruto was the only tie he had to his cousin Hinata. Sakura launched herself at the Hyuuga with strength she didn't know her body had and knocked Neji onto his back with her on top of him.

Neji had the air knocked out of him with Sakura landing on top of him. He knew that this was wrong, the position they were in, because she was now the leader and he was the follower. But, at the moment, they both were just two human beings mourning the loss of their family members. With a fresh wave of tears running down her face she clutched his torn, bloody robes and cried. Neji arms surrounded her shaking form and comforted her, because in a way she was crying for both of them.

What had started out as an act to offer comfort to the other led to something far more intimate. It was Sakura that started the wheels into motion that started the kiss. Sakura had finally stopped crying and was looking up at Neji's face to see, pain, hurt, but most of all understanding. She didn't even try to stop herself, it just felt right. She was kissing Neji, and he wasn't stopping her, if anything he was becoming a willing participant.

Lip, mouth, and tongue would know the other before the time was over. The arms that surrounded her were no longer just staying in one place; they explored what was being offered. Her hands were unbuttoning his robes and untying where it was needed to get to his body.

Once skin was touched it seemed the fever to touch the other grew. Clothes were thrown off, hands helped the other to undress and the kissing really never stopped. The kissing made their whole body quiver with desirable pleasure. As their hidden feelings came to surface, the more intimate their bodies' seeked release. There was no amount of skin that wasn't tasted or burned into memory; as each sought to the others release. When each one came down from their high, they continued to seek their passion. By the end of the night the pair knew the other's body as well as they knew their own. The passion was still there throughout the night and continued into the morning.

Sakura was the first to wake up that morning feeling sore but overall she did feel better. Looking down at Neji, she knew what had happened was a mistake, but she didn't regret it. She just knew that it couldn't ever happen again. Being careful not to wake him, she gathered her clothes and left. When she was finally away from Neji she felt a familiar chakra source in front of her. Going around the corner she came across Akamaru. He must have slept here all night keeping people away from the back of the cave. That brought the memories she was trying to push to the back of her memories forward. With a blush staining her cheeks, she kneeled down to pet the dog. "Hey, boy! I hope you slept well, because we're going to have a long day ahead of us," Sakura geeted softly as she scratched behind his ears, getting a lick in return. Getting up she started towards the cave entrance again, but with Akamaru behind her.

If only she knew that she could never sneak away from a Hyuuga, even after a night spent in pleasure. After he knew she was far enough gone not to arouse suspicion that he had been awake when she left, he finally moved. Even though he knew it was wrong, he didn't regret it either. He dressed and headed back towards the cave entrance to talk with Shikamaru about their next plan of attack.

For the weeks that followed, nothing happened, but when Sakura lost Ino she sought him out again. He had no trouble giving her what she wanted, and she did the same for him when he lost Rock Lee. It was before long that they just got together to feel something other than pain and suffering when they lost someone. They somehow fell in love amidst the chaos of war and were each other's strength to keep living. If the remaining ninja knew, they said nothing.

*~*End of Flashback*~*

So lost in memory, she had reached the gate a little after Akamaru. She realized she didn't feel Neji's chakra around. Feeling the panic starting to take root, she brought chakra to her eyes to try and find him sooner. Seeing Akamaru near a pile of stone digging made her bring the main focus of her sight there. What she saw behind the pile was what made her run towards it. Getting around the corner did Sakura's heart jump out of her chest. Neji was so bloody; the ground was covered in it either from him or his enemies. But, she knew the blood pooling around his tired and battered body was his; he

wouldn't survive with losing that much blood. Falling onto the ground in front of her lover she crawled towards him to see that his chest was still moving. "Neji, love, please answer me!" pleaded Sakura as she moved his body to lie on her lap. When she didn't receive an answer she thought she must had been seeing things. Closing her eyes, she started to cry when she felt a hand cup her check.

He could hear his lover, but he was so tired, he wanted to sleep, but he fought it off to see her again. He should have been dead long ago with all the blood that he had lost, but he wanted to see her face one last time. He knew she would survive; she was too darn stubborn to die after they had come so far. Finally gathering what strength he could, he opened his eyes to see that she had started to cry. He raised his hand to cup the side of her face in his hand. She was so beautiful even when she was dirty. "Sakura, I'm glad you're alive… but then I knew you would live… I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise to you that I made... before we went off to battle. I tried," Neji spoke softly as he rubbed his thumb against her check.

"Oh Neji, I know you would try to keep that promise, but you weren't the only one to make a promise. I wanted to tell you something before the battle, but I knew that if you knew you would tell me to stay at camp. I didn't realize it had happened until about a week ago when we were making the final plans for the invasion." Sakura looked to the side with apology clouding her eyes. "I was to focus on everything else but myself. Neji, what I'm trying to say is that I'm pregnant with your child and have been for the past month and a half." Sakura softly removed his hand to rest it on her still flat stomach. Sakura was shocked when she learned about the baby, but it wasn't completely unwelcome; it was hope for the future.

Neji couldn't believe it. He was going to be a father, was being the key word. But, she was right. If he had known that she was pregnant then he would have found some way for her to stay behind. He could feel the life of the child under his hand, if only he could help raise it. He would have loved to be a father. His eyes were beginning to feel like weights, so he knew that his time was near. Taking the hand from her stomach he brought it around her neck to bring her face near his. When her face was close enough he raised his head up from her legs and kissed her. When he kissed her he put all of his emotions into the kiss and asked for entrance to her mouth on last time. Her mouth was an addiction that he absolutely loved--she always tasted like strawberries. Her lips were always silky soft, despite the elements they lived in.

The kiss ended far too soon for his liking, but he couldn't breathe and his body was starting to shut down. Looking into her eyes one last time, he said the words she loved to hear: "Sakura, you will always be in my heart no matter what. If I meet you again, I will still love you, for you hold my heart. You are the Lady of my Heart. Take care of our child and raise him or her to know of the history of the clan."

Sakura poured all of her feeling into the kiss because she knew this would be the last time. Neji had received too much internal damage and was bleeding excessively from the many wounds upon his body. A body that had always been her lifeline, but now was knocked out from under her. When the kiss ended she heard what Neji said and knew she would honor his wishes. "I will Neji, and he or she will know the history of your clan and who their father was. I love you Neji," said Sakura softly as she kissed the man one last time. When Neji stopped kissing back she knew that he had passed away. Holding his body closer to her she cried for the loss of her lover, but most of all the loss of her child's father.

Turning around she came face to face with Akamaru who already had a hole dug for the man near the wall. Smiling through her tears, she stood up with Neji's body in her arms and walked over to the hole and gently laid him down. Looking one last time at the man she loved, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to his lips. Sakura stood up and started to help Akamaru cover his body. When they were done she said a prayer for him, and started to walk back towards the Hokage Mountain. When she was only a couple feet from the grave she was lifted off the ground by a head between her legs.

Once she was on his back Akamaru took off toward the mountain. His mistress was almost out of chakra, and was already in a lot of pain, but she was about to know more pain. Walking towards the mountain slowly, as to not wake the now sleeping woman on his back, she deserved sleep after her battle. Once he had reached the stairs that lead to the top of the mountain his mistress woke up, clutching her stomach in pain. Before she had told her lover about the baby he had known, but the stress and the battle within the last 48 hours must have been too much for the young fetus. On his way here he could smell the blood, which would soon begin to flow showing her the signs of her miscarriage. No matter how hard she tried to be careful, she had started to lose the baby during the battle with Kabuto.

Sakura fell off of Akamaru's back still clutching her stomach from the hurting; she pushed charka into her stomach and felt for the baby. The baby's chakra was just barely there, and it was dying, and there was nothing she could do. Letting out a pain filled scream to the heaven, she knew she had lost the child, if only she had known earlier, but maybe that wouldn't have mattered. She did everything during her battle to protect her child, but she still would have lost it and knew why. She, the medic that had surpassed her master, had lost her child because she stressed her self out the last couple of days. She deserved this pain for being a stupid mother.

She stood up off the ground with Akamaru's help. Looking at her friend she could tell that he knew about the baby and felt bad for her loss. His ears were flat and his head was lowered to the ground; he was just too good of a friend. Petting him on his head she said, "Let's go boy and I don't blame you, it was my fault," and headed up towards the top of the mountain, with him right behind her. She felt humongous guilt and walked with a slight limp from her stomach, but she had to go on.

Once they got to the top of the mountain did Sakura finally sit down on the ground and pull Akamaru towards her to hug and cry on. Akamaru didn't mind as long as she would get to feeling better. After about fifteen minutes of crying did she start to let up and look towards the sky. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! They weren't supposed to die!" yelled Sakura, and she got her answer. The ground under her and Akamaru started to shake and crack open. Before either of them could move they were falling through the middle of the mountain into a bright light.

When she no longer felt like she was falling she opened her eyes only to close them again. Opening her eyes once again they adjusted to the light surrounding her, and she took a good look around her. The only thing she saw was Akamaru next to her and multi-colors around her; they were the only ones there. Turning back around in the directions she had started in, she saw someone standing in front of her. She knew this man from Lady Hokage's family records and the history books; he was the First Hokage. Then out of thin air did another person stand next to him and so on until all of them stood in front of her. All dressed in their Hokage robes, and the last two didn't have any of the wounds they had died of. Running towards her teacher and teammate to hug them, she ended up passing through them.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but we are only the spirits of the Hokage and you can not touch us because we don't have a body," Tsunade consoled gently to her crying student.

"What's going on here? Why are you all here and where is here?" questioned Sakura as she turned back around to face the former leaders wanting answers.

"I think I can answer that for you, Lady Hokage," said the First Hokage as he and the rest of the Hokage surrounded her. Once all six Hokage surrounded her, the First Hokage started talking again. "When the chuunin exams happened eight years ago, was the start of the village change towards the better. After Naruto returned from his training with Jiraiya two and a half years later the future of the village was still promising. It was within that year of tracking Sasuke down and his battle with his brother that things started to shift. We will never know what would have happened had Itachi not told him the truth and Sasuke believed him. Since he did, it sent the leader of the Akatsuki to seek out Kabuto and destroy the Leaf. If only the leader of the Akatsuki had been killed before he helped revive Orochimaru, then maybe things wouldn't have gone this path."

"If I may, First Hokage, why tell me something I have thought of over and over again for the past eight years? I'm twenty-one years old and have been fighting this battle since I was seventeen. I've been Hokage for two years and have tried to lead the people that were left the best I could, but look where it got me!" said Sakura harshly. Even after saying it she knew she didn't need to speak that way to him because he seemed to already know.

The Second Hokage was the next to speak to her. "This we already know Lady Hokage, but there is something that you didn't know that we plan to tell you. Remember all that you have learned and gained, all the enemies that you have fought, but most of all remember the friends that you have lost. That will be your drive."

"How can I ever forget them, and all that they taught me? The gifts some of them gave me I will forever cherish. Temari gave me a fan just like hers that I keep with me at all times. Hinata's and Sasuke's gave me sight... I feel blessed they would give them to me. The contracts for summoning that my friends gave me. The weapons scroll that Tenten gave me that has all the weapons in it that she taught me. Naruto's and Tsunade's necklace as well as Shizune's needle launcher. But, what I treasure most of all was their memories." Sakura rambled as she felt some tears falling down her face.

The Third was the next to stand forward. "I know what you are going through, child, is hard. I have watched you since you were a small girl in the academy, then passing your survival test, and your battle with Ino. Even after I died I still watched over the village, and saw you grow from a young girl who was just finding her way in the world to someone who knew what she wanted. That is what you will need in your task if you wish to not repeat what you know."

When Sakura had nothing to say the Fourth spoke. "I never really got to know you Lady Sakura, but if you are anything like what my son tells me then you will succeed. Just know that no matter what you will always be a Hokage, but even we deserve peace."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about. Please stop talking in riddles… and what tasks are you talking about?" Sakura complained as she started to feel restless. 'What were they talking about?' thought Sakura as she turned to face the Fifth Hokage and her teacher.

"Sakura, I taught you all that I could and you even taught me. When I took you on as an apprentice, I never dreamed you would become this strong and achieve so much. You surpassed me in medical knowledge as well as in strength, but you did so more in strength of the heart. I never would have been able to go on like you did, so I hope with this gift from us, you can start over. We, the Leaders of the Leaf plan to send you Sakura Haruno, the last living leaf ninja back in time. This gift is to help repair the years of pain that you had to suffer. But, it will not be our time, but another where there is no Sakura Haruno. In that time everything is the same as it was in our world and your job is to stop it from becoming like ours." Tsunade watched as her student fell backwards on her rear-end, and laughed. "Do you know what we're talking about?"

Sakura couldn't believe what they were talking about, but was it possible to fix all that went wrong? She could stop Sasuke from leaving and getting the curse mark and the death of the Third Hokage. "I think I do. Is this for real, do you really mean I can change the past?!" yelled an excited Sakura as she started to think about all she could change for the better.

"Sakura, this is something that you must think about carefully before you act. Remember that time is ever changing. You must be careful of what you change because it could have unforeseen consequences. We plan to send you back when the tides of change started to shift into motion. From there it is up to you, and only you because only you can go and you must go alone," spoke Naruto in his Hokage voice. He was serious and he needed her to know that.

Sakura heard all that Naruto said, but did he mean that Akamaru couldn't go? 'I want to change so much, but he's right. I have to be careful of what I change,' thought Sakura as she made mental plans. "If that's the case Naruto, then what will happen to Akamaru here?" Sakura's hand gently petted the dog to let him know she loved him and was thinking about his interests.

"Once you are gone, then this time will cease to exist and you will have to make the new Leaf Village your new home. Akamaru will stay with us until this time fades away and he won't feel anything, just peace knowing he will see Kiba again," the First Hokage spoke. "What is your answer, Lady Hokage?"

Sakura really didn't have to think much on it if she knew that Akamaru would be fine, but she wanted his opinion on the matter. Looking over at the dog he answered the question for her himself. He went behind her and hit her in the middle of the back towards the First Hokage's sprit. Knowing that her decision had already been made for her, she answered the question. "I will go First Lord Hokage and I will not let you all down," she stood up and looked at Naruto. "That's a promise."

Naruto had a smile on his face, but he knew he had to tell her a couple more things before she left. "Sakura, I'm sorry for the loss of your and Neji's baby, but it probably is for the better since only one of you can go. When you get to this new world, please be careful on who you trust. By the way, I want to clarify something that you seem to have been thinking in the cave before you and Neji hooked up. You are NOT the mother hen of the group, you are NOT WEAK, and yes some of your views on Kakashi were right. Kakashi was not the grandfather, but a father to all of use since we all lost ours. He was always there to catch us when we needed it, he never let us do anything that wasn't in our best interest. If he knew we could do something then he would push us until we could do it. You, Sakura, are Sasuke's and my honorary sister and no matter where you are, we will be drawn to you because of your big heart and kind nature." His large smile was contagious and spread to the others. "Yes, you would heal us and keep us in line, but you forgot a major key in your thinking. You also argued with us and fought with us, just like siblings do, and me being the glue. That's another thing you're wrong on because it was you that we always wanted to be around. It was because of you that I became as strong as I am today and why Sasuke came back. You were the one that made Kakashi always show up for training because of your temper and your calming presence after having a good fight. Ok, I think that covers it," Naruto complimented, who now was wearing his trademark grin.

With Naruto's speech done the Hokages looked at each other and nodded their heads. They started to perform hand signs that she had never seen before. She turned to face Akamaru to see him standing by Naruto's legs. Walking over to him, she kneeled down to hug the giant dog one last time. "I'll miss you Akamaru and I will make sure that Kiba stays alive. I'll see you soon," said Sakura, as she kissed him on the nose. Standing up to stand in the center, she heard a voice in her head causing her to stop and turn.

"You will always be my Mistress and even in the other world we will hold a bond that can't be explained. I look forward to meeting you again, and even as a pup I will probably love your voice. It can calm any beast. That is your own special gift," telepathically informed Akamaru, as the light surrounding her got brighter. He could see tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall; she would be strong in a world not her own.

Once the hand signs were completed it was Naruto who spoke, "We the former Hokage, Lords of the Land of Fire, and protectors of the Village Hidden in the Leaves give thee our gift. We will send you back when the tides of change started to shift into motion and all wish you luck. Say the Hokage of the Land of Fire," Naruto proclaimed in a stern voice facing the heaven.

When nothing happened at first she had though that it hadn't worked, until a strong burning came from between her breasts. Looking down at the Hokage necklace she saw that it was starting to glow brighter and brighter. She closed her eyes and when the burning finally left, she felt no difference around her. Opening her eyes she looked down and saw land that was untouched by the war for now. When she finally got her bearings she at last noticed she was in the sky, above the village and standing on thin air. That's when she started to fall back toward earth, and at a fast rate. "Oh. SSSHHHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTTT!" Sakura screamed helplessly as she fell from the sky.

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Authors Note:

Special Thanks to Itachiswife for being the first to review the first two chapters! Chapter 3 and 4 are for you! :)

Read and Review please!!!

Now the action starts, and I hope people weren't to grossed out about the death scenes. This chapter was really hard for me to write because one of our dogs we have had for 13 years is sick. The next couple of chapters might seem short, but they are really important. Well, there are clues to future chapters in about each chapter and it's up to you all to see what they might be. What might seem unimportant, just might be, so try and remember most of the important parts.

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BETA Note

YARR I'm done! Take THAT work! Heh. It was like this chapter wouldn't get done! Too… much… work!