Through Time

The Rewrite

By: Tilunar.

Chapter Ten, The Words of A Dead Man, The Scorn of A Son, and The Protection of Death.

~ Uzu no Kuni, Uzushiogakure no Sato, December 20th ~

Tobirama couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face when he saw Kazuki's wonder at the cylindrical buildings with the Uzumaki swirl on the buildings, the wide river running through the village that had wide bridges going over it, the snow topping the steep hills that surrounded the village, and the bright colours that the people of Uzushiogakure liked to dress in.

He turned to Sakura, whose eyes kept taking in both the bright colours and the Uzumaki swirl with almost a sense of saddness, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It's stunning isn't?" He asked softly as Kazuki raced ahead with Tomoya at his heels and Raizou following his youngest brother with Hiroshi following him.

"Hai." She answered just as softly as they were lead to the tallest cylindrical building by an Uzumaki.

It was where the Clan Leader and his family lived with the Elders, and that was where they would be staying since Mito was his sister.

Sakura stiffened the moment she stepped into the building making Tobirama look at her in concern, her face had paled and her eyes widened as she felt a chakra she hadn't felt in over a life-time. Before she could think, she was moving, moving away from her sons, her husband and his family, ignoring their calls as Ayumu followed her long swift strides.

"Kaa-sama!" Kazuki called as he followed his mother, shooting a look at Makoto as he did.

The bookish boy just shook his head, he didn't know what was wrong with their mother either. And neither did their older brothers, Makoto thought as he glanced back at the teens following them with the Senjus behind them and an old Uzumaki woman.

The kitsune shifted as one, each running along side with their wards as Ayumu kept up with his Mistress' long strides easier in his human form.

"Do you feel that?" Tomoya asked, throwing a glance at the other kitsunes.

Hiroshi nodded curtly, and Takuma's normally smiling face was grim while Yasu had gone blank. The chakra they felt shouldn't be there, the person's whose chakra it was hadn't yet been born in this timeline and yet they were feeling his chakra. How?

Sakura entered a large round room with a heigh ceiling and wide windows letting in a lot of light, and a table for offerings. But that didn't hold Sakura's attention.

It was the statue directly infront of her. It was life sized, the person being five foot eleven, and was placed on a little dais. It was made out of pure white clay though Sakura knew what the man would look like in colour. His skin would of been a golden tanned colour, his eyes would of been a startling blue and his spiky hair would of been a golden blond. He stood giving a peace-sign, that made Sakura choke out a strangled laugh, while his other hand gripped a golden orb close to his muscular chest as his long coat with flames around the bottom was swirled around his legs almost dramaticly.

She moved slowly towards the statue, not aware of the tears gathering in her eyes and ignoring the others as they entered the room.

"That man appeared infront of the Elders for only a few moments." Uzumaki Takara spoke softly as she came closer to the woman's side, her dark blue eyes studying the redheaded woman. "He said the orb was for a woman with glowing green eyes and a constant smile that went by the name of cherry blossoms."

Sakura's hand reached out for the crystal, the limb shaking, and she gently touched the warm orb before she sent her chakra into it before she took a step back. The illusion was released and Naruto's form appeared between the statue and her. Or what she thought was an illusion before Naruto touched her cheek, and she felt the warmth of his skin.

In a swirl of movement the kitsune sprang to protect their Mistress, Takuma pulled her way, her flushed against his chest, while Hiroshi grabbed Naruto's arms from behind and jerked them behind his back and Ayumu placed his katana at Naruto's throat while Yasu and Tomoya crouched infront of her startled family.

"Naruto." She breathed, horror, shock, curiosity and slight fear mixed in her voice as she stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you do?"

"You think I didn't listen to you when you talked about someday mixing life-force with chakra into one of your crystals with something like a blood-clone to make a real echo-thing-ghost-clone-thing if chakra was sent into said crystal, koishii?" Naruto ased, looking completely unconcerned with the blade at his throat, the fact he couldn't use his hands, and the fact that the Shodai Hokage, his family, and her own sons were in the room with him along with an old woman, who was staring at Naruto with awe mixed with cursiosity.

He even had the balls to raise an eyebrow at her, which made her grit her teeth in respone.

Naruto had always found a way to make her temper flare, and he knew it, she thought to herself sourly before what he said almost made her mind blank.

What he had been talking about and what he seemed to of done was brilliant and she had almost thought it to be impossible when she had researched it. Of course she had never finished her research and proof was in front of her that it did in fact work.

Of course she should of known that Naruto would of found a way for it to work, he had a way with making some things work that had been deemed impossible. Naruto had been the first of them to able to bend chakra to his will, Sakura had swiftly followed and her strong ability to bend chakra to her will quickly outshone what Naruto could do. But Sakura couldn't deny the fact that he had been the first to do it though he hadn't been as skilled with it as Sakura had been. The way they had used chakra had been thought of as impossible before Naruto had done it.

"Let him go." She said, pulling herself out of Takuma's protective grip, her eyes fixed on Naruto as he was let get, Hiroshi moved closer to her sons while Ayumu strayed closer to her side, his wary gaze focused on Naruto.

Naruto glanced around and seem to realise who was in the room with him.

"Is that-?" He began to ask, his gaze on Hashirama, her nod cutting him off. "Then that is-?" His gaze moved to Tobirama.

"Hai." Sakura answered once again cutting him off and as his gaze moved to Mito, she spoke before he could ask. "And hai, that's Senju Mito."

Both were silent for a moment as they looked each other in the eyes.

"Your eyes are different." Naruto said softly, his gaze still locked on hers. "They used to be a vivid green filled with warmth, now they are darker and have a coldness to them. What happened?"

"Everyone died." Sakura said bluntly but softly. "So I avanged their deathes, I killed the man that started the war that killed them and then I mourned."

"You shouldn't let your mourning linger." Naruto said, turning to look out of the window. "You should celebrate their lives, our lives."

Sakura let out a hallow laugh that almost made Naruto flinch. It was a laugh that he never thought Sakura would have.

"How can I celebrate their lives when their deathes stand out vividly in my memories?" Sakura asked as she took a step closer to Naruto, who watched her sadly. "I can still hear Lee's pained scream as he was crushed to death, Hanabi's last battle-cry, Temari's furious shout, and Gaara's roar. I still see Ino's gazed eyes, Kakashi's broken body, the almost peaceful look on Sai's corpse, Shino's smile as he died! I remember waking up with you laying dead next to me, fighting the reanimated bodies of loved ones, and holding Hinata as she gave her last breath. I remember hearing about 'Maru, Moegi, and Udon's deathes."

She was shaking, her fists clenched into fists, and her eyes glowing as Naruto watched with sympathy.

"You made me like this!" She shouted, her voice raising in pitch to a scream. "You made it so I could never join them."

Naruto smiled, it was a pained smile with sadness and tinted with fondness.

"I knew you would figure it out." He said, his lips trembling slightly as he kept the horrible fake forced smile in place.

"Kyubi-kun thought you made a mistake." She said quietly, her eyes focused on the ground. "But I knew, I know you. You did it on purpose." Her eyes raised to meet his. "Why, Naruto?"

"Because as I held you while you were dying, I couldn't think of a world without you in it." Naruto spoke, tears in his eyes.

"So you made it so I could never leave the world." She finished for him making him look away, somewhat ashamed by what he had done.

"I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused you but I'll never be sorry for saving you." He said firmly as he looking into her eyes.

"Baka." She said back but her tone was almost fond as she glared at him.

Naruto threw his head back with a loud deep laugh that was only slightly choked, before he looked at her, still chuckling slightly.

"You have no idea how much I missed you calling me that." He said with a large grin.

Sakura turned her head way but not before he saw the smile curling her lips.

His grin widened before it dropped and a serious look took over his face.

"Please understand why I did it." He pleaded with her. "I loved you to much to let you die."

Sakura laughed a strangled laugh;

"Shikamaru once said you would move heaven and earth just for me and you would damn everyone if it meant I would stay by your side forever. I didn't realise just how true those words were til that day."

Naruto's lips twitched in a half-hearted smile.

"I still love you, you know?" He asked making Sakura nod slowly.

"I don't love you like I did." She replied making Naruto flinch, a look of pain flashing across his tanned face, before he nodded.

"I didn't think you would after what I did." He said softly. "I'm not sorry I did it though, I'll never regret saving your life though I regret that it cost me your love."

Naruto walked forward till he was infront of her, hand reaching up to cup her left cheek. She didn't flinch as his chakra shifted and something was burned on her cheek with it though she noticed the kitsune tensing and glaring at Naruto.

Naruto walked backwards towards the orb, a grin on his face while Sakura's cheek was bloody, and said;

"The Allied Shinobi Force still lives within you, Sakura-hime." He nodded, reaching behind him to the orb. "See ya later, look after my clan for me, okay?" He turned towards the orb, but looked over his shoulder one more time. "Say hello to Sasuke for me, ne?"

And then he was gone.

"Fucking gaki." Ayumu growled as he grabbed his Mistres' chin so he could turn her bloody cheek to the light, there under the blood was the kanji for shinobi.

"Kaa-sama!" Kazuki's voice broke the others out of their shock as he rushed forward, his arms wrapping around her waist tightly as he glared at the still statue with it's glowing gold orb.

Makoto came to stand by his mother, his hand gripping her kimono cloak's sleeve tightly, as he, like his younger brother, glared at the statue.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Mito asked with worry as her wide eyes looked at Sakura's bloody cheek while Tobirama wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Hai." Sakura said softly, almost absently as she looked at the statue, an almost relieved and bitter smile curling her red lips. "I'm fine."

"So that was Naruto?" Raizou spoke quietly to his older brother as they watched their mother.

"Obviously." Kaname responsed making Raizou shot him a mild glare.

Both brothers had heard their mother scream that man's name in horror when they were young and their father had gone on a miss. It was normally around the tenth of October that she would scream and Raizou wondered if it was because it was the man's birthday or when he died and that's why she had the nightmares then.

Sakura's eyes widened with belated shock, the name Naruto last uttered entering her mind, and she clutched Kazuki and Makoto to her, making both boys make sounds of confusion.

But she didn't seem to hear them as her eyes glazed over with memories of blood stained grass, hoarsed begging screams and an unblemished corpse.

"Sakura?" Tobirama asked in concern, moving to be infront of his wife.

"Sasuke." Sakura whispered, her lips sounding the name like she had spoken it a hendrend times before.

Ayumu stiffened, being the only apart from Sakura to understand what she meant, and he almost groaned.

"Is it to much to hope that the Uzumaki-gaki was talking about the Sarutobit-gaki?" He asked as he looked at Sakura.

Sakura turned her head to him, beads of blood trailing down her cheek, and her eyes wider then normal.

"The only Sasuke Naruto would care for is no Sarutobi." She said, her eyes moving back to the smiling statue. "I just wonder how he got a crystal."

"I hate Uchihas." Ayumu grumbled making Kaname look at the kitsune sharply.

His mother knew an Uchiha before his father and uncle?

~ Uzu no Kuni, Uzushiogakure no Sato, December 21th, 01:20 am, Main Household ~

Sakura sat in the room where Naruto's orb was held, staring at the statue, her mind whirling with thoughts. She didn't turn when she felt someone appear behind her, hearing them settle almost soundlessly against the wall by the door.

"What do I own the pleasure of this visit, Akira?" Sakura asked after a few moments of feeling his glare on her back, looking over her near bare shoulder at her eldest son, meeting his glowing green eyes with hers.

Akira had never liked affection from her so she never added a honorific to his name.

"Why do you betray Otou-sama?" Akira asked, a sneer twist his face as he looked at his mother, his eyes narrowed into a glare.

Sakura almost sighed, she had wondered when he would come because of that. She stood gracefully, brushing dust from her black sleeveless knee-legnth nightgown.

"Why do you think I have betrayed Kyubi?" She asked though she knew why he thought that.

No matter how intelligent Akira was, no matter how many lessions of Yokai politics he had, he did not understand a marriage between them.

"You have claimed humans as your husband, had given them children." He said with scorn as he glared at her. "You have betrayed his trust."

"Did you wonder why the other Biju have no wives?" She asked, before she continued not waiting for him to answer. "Yokai are possessive beings by nature but they are not faithful." She watched her son's mouth shut and almost smiled at the fact that he was actually listening to her. "Most females can't deal with their mates sleeping with others and that's why the other Lords only had lovers and never wifes. Kyubi had saved me from death, he had stood by me as I fought for my people, as I mourned the loss of my family, he was the only person keeping me alive. How could I not fall in love with him?"

Akira stayed silent as he listened to his mother speak, he absently relised that this was the first time in many years that he was alone with his mother.

"He had come to love me to and we had married. We were faithful to eachother a long time, and by the time that Kyubi took another lover on, Shukaku had already informed me of the chance it would happen. Kyubi didn't mind if in return I took a lover as long as I never left him and I always came home to him, so the same went to him. Kyubi understood that I would most likely find a lover or a husband in a human while I was here, but he also understood that at the end I will leave with him."

She walked over to her son, one hand cupping his jaw and her thumb rubbed his cheek while he tensed.

"I have not betrayed your father and I never will." She then sighed sadly as she looked at him. "I don't know why you hate me so much, but know not matter what, I am your mother Akira and I'll always love you. You can hate me as much as you want but I will still love and I will always be your mother."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek before she left the Kitsune heir and returned to her room she shared with Tobirama.

~ Uzu no Kuni, Uzushiogakure no Sato, December 30th, Main Household ~

Kazuki glanced around the large room they sat in. At the front of the room was a raised platform with a long strudy desk behind which the Elders of the Uzumaki sat.

In front of that was one seat where his mother sat elegently, a unconisious smile curling her lips and the kanji for shinobi was faded though clear on her cheek. She wore something he had never seen her wear before.

She wore a soft green dress with a deep red dress over it with pink blossoms and black branches printed on the skirt and the wide sleeves, both dresses off the shoulder, a black corset with gold flowers was over that with a short red sash tied around that, a black with gold detail shawl wrapped around the tops of her arms while her shoulders were bare and red slippers that had a small heel. Around her throat was a black choker with a small silver kitsune with small bright rubies at it's eyes dangling from it. Her hair was loose and fell in choatic curls down her back and over her right shoulder. Her almond-shaped vivid glowing green eyes were outlined by black kohl with a brush of light pinkish peach eyeshadow.

His mother felt different then normal. She had been alittle strange since she spoke to that man who dared to mark her and had changed. It wasn't bad, Kazuki thought as though it was like she stopped holding back.

Benches were build like stands that curled with the circular walls on either side of the large table making the single chair that his mother sat in. Kazuki and his brothers along with Tobirama and the kitsunes sat on the closes bench to her right with Hashirama, Mito, Toshio, Airi, and Itsuki sat behind them.

High members of the Uzumaki Clan sat on the left stands, keeping their eyes either on the Elders or Sakura.

"Why do you wish to make our defenses, Sakura-san?" Takara asked, her greying red hair held back in a neat bun. "You have killed more then a few of kin the the Ichizoku wars when you still claimed the name Uchiha. Is this a plan to kill us all off? Or do you wish to get our trust because we are now family because of your marriage?"

"I can I speak freely, Takara-sama?" Sakura asked and waited for Takara's nod before her smile widened and became sharp. "Your last question made it seem like I care about what you or your Ichizoku think of me."

Their was a few startled gasps from the women in the other stands and sharp intakes of breaths from the men, Kazuki caught Kaname's gaze narrowing and Raizou's smile faltering in confusion from the corner of his eye while they watched their mother warily.

"You have most likely figured out that I'm alot older then I look, Takara-sama." Sakura said, her gaze on the only female of the Elders. "I'm alot older then this body."

"You are not human." Takara stated firmly, her eyes narrowd slightly as she watched the youthful looking woman in front of her.

It wasn't a question, there was no uncertain, it was a statement of fact.

There was more then a few gasps at that, and Kazuki was irratated to admit that he had gasped to. He expected his mother to deny it, to claim the Elder was insane. But she didn't.

Instead Sakura threw her head back with a loud laugh that shook her shoulders and crinkled her eyes, her long hair brushing the floor as she did.

Kazuki had never heard his mother laugh like that before. She had laughed softly with some amusement and/or fondness but she had never laughed loudly with pure amusement. It sounded almost musical to his ears.

She righted herself soon after though she had a large smile curling her lips and amusement seemed to make her glowing eyes glow brighter.

"There is some debate about that." Sakura said wrily. "I was born human, I grew up human, and I believe I can say I died human. When Naruto had finished saving my life, my heart had already stopped if what Kyubi told is true and as of yet he has never lied to me."

"What are you?" The male Elder to Takara's left asked warily.

"You could claim a demon if you wanted." She said with an almost elegent shrug. "I don't really care."

"What does this do with you making our defenses?" Takara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uzumaki Naruto was very dear to me when he was alive." Sakura said, leaning back in her chair. "He would of wanted me to protect his Ichizoku." She smiled somewhat bitterly to herself. "Growing up he had always wished for a family."

"Why did you tell us what you are?" Takara asked after a moment. "I would of though you would keep it a secret."

"You have to understand why I'm doing this." Sakura said before she seemed to get lost in memories. "I was born in a village very much like Konoha." She had an odd smile as she said that, like it was a joke that they didn't know though Kazuki clung to her words, she had never spoke of her life before his father found her. "It had many branches of Ichizokus that were the size of their own Ichizokus. Hyuga, Akimichi, Sarutobi, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Uchiha, Inuzuka, and of course we had a small family of Uzumakis.

When Naruto was born, the Village was attacked by Kyubi and Naruto's parents gave their lives to seal Kyubi within Naruto. His father had been leader of our Village and he had asked that the Village didn't see him as the demon he held but as a hero.

But humans never react well when they are afraid and do not understand. The civilians didn't understand what the sealing meant, all they saw when they looked at Naruto was a demon using the face of a child. They were very cruel to him and some of the shinobi were no better.

The shinobi had fought against Kyubi and had lost many kin and though they didn't ever harm him, they were not kind. Few ever actually saw Naruto as he was. A orphanded little boy who had no control over what had happened with Kyubi.

Naruto grew up almost fully alone though it was a painful life, he always wore a smile and claimed he would one day become the leader of our Village so they would respect him." She paused, the echo of Naruto's loud voice as he declared he would one day be Hokage sounded in her mind. "I would like to say I was his friend and wasn't cruel to him in the beginning after we were put on the same team but that would be a lie.

I had believed myself to be in love with our other teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, and thought with Naruto's love of me that he wanted nothing more to see me unhappy without being with Sasuke. Sasuke's brother had killed the rest of the Uchihas in the Village when Sasuke was eight and since then he had wanted nothing but revenge. I had thought I could help him heal." Her lips curled in disgust at her past-self. "I was a blind fool. Sasuke was like many Uchihas, powerhungry and arrogant.

It wasn't till he betrayed us for power that I started to let go of my foolish crush. After Sasuke left, Naruto left to train after promising to bring back Sasuke, and I was left alone. Our Sensei had never thought much about me, he had never trained me, and the only time he had praised me was as he taunted the boys about their lack of chakra control.

I went to our new Village leader and I had begged her to take me as a student. Two years later was the next time I saw Naruto." She laughed softly. "I punched soon after seeing him again. It was after some missions and two failed attempts of trying to bring Sasuke back that we found out that Sasuke had killed his brother.

We were so happy for a brief moment, believing naively that he would come back and we would be a family again. That hope was crushed when we found out that he had joined the group that his brother had, it was also brought to light that Sasuke's older brother only killed their Clan was on orders of the Village Elders. Sasuke had gone mad and declared he would have revenge against our Village by slaughtering every man, woman, and child that claimed it as home.

A war broke out with five shinobi villages and one samurai village fighting against the group, we had called ourselves the Allied Shinobi Force. It didn't matter what village we had come from, we were all shinobi in the end. The war was brutal and bloody and some many died, but during that I had finally started to return Naruto's love he had held for me since we were children.

We were going to married but then again there was no happily ever afters in our world. Naruto had been fighting Sasuke, and couldn't seem to get up after one attack and Sasuke was going to finish him off with an assassation technique." She choked slightly. "I couldn't let that happen so I shield him."

"You took the killing blow for the man you loved." Takara said with understanding.

"Hai, I had been happy to die in his place but Naruto was a fool." Sakura said, closing her eyes. "He unsealed Kyubi and tied our life-forces together, as long as Kyubi lived then so would I. But I had been a corpse for a few moments before Naruto could finish so Kyubi had to change me as he brough me back to life."

She opened her eyes and breathed deeply.

"I don't care about your Clan, I don't care what you think of me but I will protect your Clan. Not for you, but for Naruto." She said firmly. "No will you let me do the defenses before we leave?"

"Why would I say no to the Bring of Death protecting us?" Takara asked with smirk.