Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its storyline, or characters. However, this fanfiction is based on Naruto, and is my creation. THE GENERAL PLOTLINE WAS INSPIRED BY -brezoflower- 's story, If I Knew Then What I Know Now! Read her story too, it's awesome. XD


C O L L A T E R A L - N A S C E N C E

Second Beginnings

Chapter Seven: Reminiscing the Future, Hoping for the Past


It all began on that day…

When they were sixteen, so young; but not to be underestimated. In a final clash, Naruto defeated Pein in a heated struggle that was near hopeless – but of course, with Naruto, there is always hope. In the advent of the siege on Konoha, she and Naruto had rushed home to find Konohagakure broken and weeping. Immediately, Sakura rushed to assist Tsunade in healing the wounded while Naruto battled Pein. Finally, the leader of the Akatsuki and his childhood sweetheart fell, their bodies buried by the collapsed cave. Sakura dragged a heavily wounded Naruto out and healed him.

Then, Sasuke had come with his Hawk syndicate with the intent to fully invade Konoha in its weakest moment, but the fiery village stood up to its name in a last stand.

Of course, Naruto was exhausted, so the memory of the Demon-Cage guardian Minato temporarily resigned all powers of the Kyuubi to Naruto, with full control, for five minutes. Sakura remembered her own battle with Karin clearly…

"Oh, what sweet pink hair! I'd love to stain it in your own blood," Karin sang, licking her lips.

Sakura shuddered. What had convinced Sasuke to endure such a beast?

Without warning, Karin lunged at her with a katana drawn. Sakura stepped aside smoothly and avoided Karin's haphazard slash, and drew her own. "Hisui ken…" the chakra katana shimmered evanescently in her palm before consolidating as if it were real. Sakura settled into a stance. Unlike Karin, Sakura had actually been drilled in weapons usage by Tsunade-hime and Tenten, both whom she trained and sparred with. Not that she was a professional, but she could survive.

Karin spiraled and assailed Sakura again and they engaged in a flurry of blows until Karin made a lucky nick on her opponent's shoulder. Sakura stumbled backward, not badly injured, but a bit startled. This girl was as wild as the color of her hair, and just as unpredictable!

Sakura fought with one arm, her left holding on to her shoulder and healing it rapidly. Once the shoulder was closed, she returned to fullout battle and noticed Karin's stare at the unwounded area in envy. Sakura wondered why until she got the best of Karin and stabbed her in the stomach. Orochimaru's former assistant gasped and fell, rolling away until scrambling onto her dirty knees. She pulled up her muddied sleeve – Sakura gasped at all the bites riddling up the course of her arm! – and bit ferociously into her own skin. Sakura watched in a disgusted fascination at the teeth clenched into the arm, and consequently, the wound in her stomach slowly closing. She realized the cause of Karin's expression: Karin couldn't heal properly.

The struggle to mend the stabwound ended quickly as Karin's remaining chakra expired. The girl gasped and tried to stand, but fell once again. Sakura dismissed her katana and walked towards Karin, kneeling to see her face.

"You don't have to do this," Sakura whispered sadly. "Konoha has a room for everyone. Forget about your past with Orochimaru! We promise safety as long as you wish it. I can teach you how to heal properly."

Once her surprising words registered, Karin's eyes widened. She snarled a swear and pushed away Sakura's offering hand. "Don't pity me! I stand among the strongest kunoichi! The Hawk Syndicate needs me for my abilities!" Karin staggered up and before Sakura could react, grabbed her katana and swung at Sakura's neck. Reflexively, the chakra blade was back in her hands, and without thinking, Sakura went into one of her practiced forms: counter, slash, kill. The medic-nin impulsively closed her eyes as blood spattered onto her clothes.

"Shit!" Sakura opened her eyes quickly and kneeled at Karin's side. "No..." Was Karin her first kill? The medic thought back, but couldn't remember. She could only feel a pit of self-disgust overwhelming her. She checked Karin, and could find no heartbeat. Desperately, she poured chakra into her hands at the wound, but to no avail.

"Leave her," Suigetsu drawled, swinging Zabuza's Kubikiri Hōchō lazily in the air. "That," he called Karin a rude name, "deserved it. Clinging onto Sasuke and ordering Juugo and me around! Asking for it, I tell you." He leaned over the frozen-stiff Sakura. "And you're a cute girl, aren'tcha?" He touched her shoulder and traced his pale finger up her jawline.

Sakura felt a cruel, coldblooded anger stirring within her. She did a backflip away from him, kicking his jaw with a loud crack and breaking the finger that violated her.

"You disgusting fiend! How could you say that of your teammate?"

Suigetsu rubbed his jaw and idly examined his finger with interest. "Damn, that was quick. I didn't even have time to turn into water!" He chuckled softly."What a sweet lass. Let me pay you back…" Sakura didn't even see him coming. "…with this!"

The Kubikiri Hōchō bit into her arm savagely, nearly ripping it off her shoulder. Sakura bit her lip in pain and squeezed a few tears out of her tightly shut eyes.

"Disgusting," a familiar voice spat. "Scum like you don't belong here." Sakura whipped her head around and saw – Team Gai! Neji, Lee, and Tenten approached and as they passed, Tenten helped Sakura up. "Go! Heal that arm," she warned. "We'll take care of this guy." Sakura shook her head weakly but knew it was no use – Tenten's will represented Konohagakure – the will of fire.

Sakura stumbled away, hearing Suigetsu's mocking laughter fade away and end in surprise at the combined force of Team Gai's strength. Sitting at the base of a tree, the medic-nin clutched at her arm and solely concentrating on filling the bone cracks and reattaching muscle and sinew to avoid being overwhelmed with pain. Gritting her teeth, she waited out the throbbing to end until the ordeal was over, around three minutes later. Sakura glanced at her arm and stretched it around, satisfied that there was no pain. She popped in a blood replacing tablet and swallowed with practice. But she almost forgot – Naruto!

She ran in the direction where the chaos seemed to have derived a source: where the biggest fight was. Her hunch proved true and she stepped into the clearing to see Sasuke and Naruto on opposite ends of a field of debris, each panting heavily. She saw Sasuke, heavily wounded with the marks of the spiraling rasengan, and Naruto with a Chidori-torn side limping heavily and sliding on the cracked debris.

Sakura rushed forward and axe-kicked the ground, the debris flying away in the direction of the boy she once crushed over. Amidst the flying rock, she glimpsed his shocked face and felt a fierce surge of satisfaction. While she healed all of Naruto's minor cuts, the two shared a look that acknowledged their hurt and anger at Sasuke's betrayal, but their will to save him.

Sasuke emerged from the rubble with a loud curse just as Sakura began working on the Chidori wound, but his face looked like he would never be surprised again. In fact, he considered Sakura as a true enemy and attacked her as well as Naruto. Under the pressure of Sasuke's fierce blows, Sakura clasped her hand with one of Naruto's. "Rasengan, but better," she whispered. He nodded. "Let's do it." They leapt away from Sasuke, who relentlessly charged at them.

"One shot," Sakura whispered. "One chance. Let's put our all into this."

The moment Sasuke swung his blade, the moment their combined chakra released…a white force shattered the area completely, and Sasuke was blown away completely.

Sakura and Naruto dropped hands, both of them feeling weary, but relieved.

"Somehow, I still have chakra." Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I know we didn't kill him." He pointed. "Look!"

The broken half of Team 7 rushed towards their semi-conscious friend and enemy.

Sakura knelt at his side, and Naruto placed a hand on hers, transferring his chakra to her. Simultaneously, they took away Sasuke's pain.

"Why?" Sasuke whispered brokenly.

"Because…" Sakura began, but her throat was choked with an overwhelming emotion. Instead, she let her healing answer for her.

"Because we love you, teme!" Naruto shouted. He helped Sasuke sit up a bit, and then punched him in the face.

"I deserved that," Sasuke muttered, laughing a little. He sobered. "You guys have changed."

"I never wanted this." His voice was bitter. Sakura looked up quickly. "I have to kill him," she heard him whisper. "How long has he lived to torment Konoha?"

"Sasuke...kun..."

"TEME, do you know how much pain you've caused us? Leaving was bad enough - but invading?"

The missing-nin turned his face away. "I'll tell you everything. It's all my fault. All these lives lost…What did I do...?" He gripped Naruto's and Sakura's hands, the intimacy of the moment suddenly so shocking. "Can you still call me friend?"

"Of course!" Naruto shouted, with Sakura's weak but relieved echo.

Their old teammate and friend leaned back, consumed in weariness and relief. "If Konoha calls for my execution...I'll accept it..."

Sakura had to ask, "What about your revenge?"

Sasuke didn't answer. She looked up from her healing to see his exhausted face smoothed away with oblivion.


Sakura remembered with a thankful sigh. Sasuke wasn't executed, but his crimes were redeemed by three years of probation: years of rebuilding Konoha, helping the families of the ones he killed, and accepting every harsh word, insult, and spit thrust into his face. He was quiet, but uncharacteristically humble. He had changed, somehow being more introverted, but more open with the rest of Team 7.

It was then, she guessed, that she had begun to fall in love again…and he, with her.

But...did he tell her everything?

That lead up to the point where the Akatsuki, scattered after Pein's death, regrouped and added new members under a new and unknown force. They once again began their coup for demon capturing and village raiding, but Konoha's jounin and ANBU, Team 7 and the rest, were sent out to stop them.

Sakura looked out of the window, in her thirteen-year old body, and remembered the dark times of eighteen years when the Akatsuki killed the majority of her friends…and Sasuke.

That's enough, Yuugao scolded, but there was something gentle and understanding in her manner. It's time to sleep, kit. An early morning with the Sharingan wielders tomorrow.

Yes, Yuugao-san...and thank you.

For what?

Sakura smiled at the surprise in the Nekomata's voice. For...well, everything.

She looked down into her hands at the three messy presents Sasuke had given her, the chosen representative of Team 7 to give the gifts.

Eager and curious, she carefully peeled the wrappings away and stared with awe at the things she knew she would cherish right away.

From Naruto, there was an old and very cuddly teddy bear that bore the marks of love. His card was covered in many scrawls and cross-outs, but legibly saying:

To Sakura-chan, with lots of luv. His name is Huggly.

-the future Hokage, the great Naruto Uzumaki!

Sakura put Huggly on her bed, feeling "lots of luv." Next, she examined the scrolls Kakashi-sensei had gotten for her. They were documentaries of all rare and recorded bloodlines, their skills and shortcomings, and how they are best used and countered in battle. She smiled knowingly after reading the card, which merely stated, "Study this." This IS a Kakashi-like present, to not bother shopping, but to give something useful.

And the last present…Sakura's eyes fell on the card that simply said, "Thank you." She snorted; it was so typical of the Uchiha. She wondered if it was because she helped him open his Sharingan...

She carefully unwrapped the gift and her eyes widened in surprise. There lay, gleaming in the moonlight, a pink-tinted glass hair comb meant for elaborate hair styles. The glass tines curved into a semicircle where there was a pale-pink ivory sakura blossom, amidst a backdrop of carved leaves.

It's so beautiful...! She carefully picked up the fragile hair ornament and was surprised that its glass was as durable as steel. I wonder where this came from…

She was surprised when Yuugao suddenly growled, That is either a fine replica, or the true masterpiece worn by Uchiha Madara's daughter, from whom the bloodline passed on.

Wow…!

Does the child know what he's giving to you, kit?

Sakura immediately knew the answer. Yes. His pride in his legendary family wouldn't have allowed him to dispense such heirlooms easily.

Feeling as if her heart would burst with happiness, Sakura climbed into bed and fell asleep soon, eager for the oncoming day with Sasuke.


To be continued…